JP2009158412A - Cleaning device for discharge electrode and cleaning method for discharge electrode - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning device for a discharge electrode for automatically cleaning a plurality of discharge electrodes arranged in a ring-shape and suitably securing its cleaning capability. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning device 20 includes a cleaning member 22 having a brush 27 which is rotatably displaced in a state concentric with each discharge electrode 16 arranged in a ring shape through an operation of a motor 21 and is slid with each discharge electrode 16 in the arrangement direction of respective discharge electrodes 16 in response to such rotatable displacement; and a guide member 30 which is arranged in response to respective discharge electrodes 16 and oscillates the cleaning member 22 in the direction crossed with the arrangement direction of respective discharge electrodes 16 on the basis of sliding with a part of the rotatably-displaced cleaning member 22. The brush 27 arranged on the cleaning member 22 is slid with each discharge electrode 16 in the arrangement direction of respective discharge electrodes 16 as well as in the direction crossed with the arrangement direction of respective discharge electrodes 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a discharge electrode cleaning apparatus and a discharge electrode cleaning method.

For example, in the production line of semiconductor integrated circuits, there are concerns about problems such as adhesion of dust to the wafer due to electrostatic charging and electrostatic breakdown of the integrated circuit on the wafer. In addition, such electrostatic charging is not limited to wafers or semiconductor integrated circuits on the production line, and may cause problems such as malfunction of various electronic devices. Therefore, in order to remove static electricity that causes such various problems, conventionally, for example, a static eliminator as shown in Patent Document 1 has been used. The static eliminator includes a plurality of needle-like discharge electrodes that protrude in the radial direction with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the annular holder, and generates a corona discharge by applying a high voltage to the electrodes, thereby generating a tip of the electrode. Ambient air is ionized. Then, the ions are supplied to a charged body such as a wafer and an electronic device using the air flow generated by the operation of the fan, thereby neutralizing the charge of the charged body and removing static electricity.
JP 2006-196380 A Special opening and closing 7-29668 gazette

  In the static eliminator as described above, the corona discharge is repeated through its use, so that dust and dirt adhere to the discharge electrode and are gradually accumulated. Along with this, the discharge characteristics of the corona discharge deteriorate, and the amount of ions generated by the discharge gradually decreases. That is, since dirt on the discharge electrode greatly affects the charge removal performance of the static eliminator, it is necessary to periodically clean the dust and dirt attached to the discharge electrode. Therefore, in the static eliminator of Document 2, the holder is detachably attached to the device, and when cleaning each electrode, the holder and the holder are removed from the device. In this removed state, the discharge electrode is manually cleaned using, for example, a brush. In this way, although maintenance is possible to a certain extent as compared with the case where cleaning is performed with each electrode attached to the apparatus, cleaning by hand is not changed. Therefore, it is not possible to expect a significant improvement in work efficiency such as cleaning. In addition, it is assumed that the manual cleaning is likely to cause unevenness in the removal of dust and dirt attached to the discharge electrode and cannot be sufficiently removed.

  Here, in addition to the device in which a plurality of discharge electrodes are arranged annularly as in Patent Document 1 described above, a device in which a plurality of discharge electrodes are arranged in a straight line is also known as a static elimination device. . In this type of static eliminator, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, for example, a technique for automatically cleaning the discharge electrode has been conventionally disclosed. That is, in the literature 2, each discharge electrode is automatically cleaned by sliding the brush along the arrangement direction of each discharge electrode through the operation of the drive mechanism. However, there is still no disclosure about a specific configuration for automatically cleaning each discharge electrode in the static eliminator as in Document 1 in which a plurality of discharge electrodes are annularly arranged.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the object thereof is to automatically clean a plurality of discharge electrodes arranged in an annular shape and to appropriately ensure the cleaning ability. An object of the present invention is to provide a discharge electrode cleaning device that can be used.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device for a plurality of needle-like discharge electrodes arranged radially at a predetermined interval on the same circumference, and is concentric with the circumference through operation of a drive source. And a cleaning member having a brush that is slidably contacted with the plurality of discharge electrodes in the direction in which they are disposed in accordance with the rotational displacement, and a cleaning member that is provided corresponding to each discharge electrode and that is rotationally displaced. And a guide member that swings the cleaning member in a direction intersecting the arrangement direction of the discharge electrodes based on the sliding contact with the portion, and the cleaning member side portion of the guide member is rotated by the rotation of the cleaning member. A plurality of projections and depressions extending in a direction intersecting with the direction form a sliding surface disposed at predetermined intervals in the direction along the rotation direction of the cleaning member, while the cleaning unit is part of the cleaning member The site of the guide member side as its gist to become formed projection which slides on the sliding surface of the guide member.

  According to the present invention, when the cleaning member is rotationally displaced in the arrangement direction of each discharge electrode through the operation of the drive source, the brush provided on the cleaning member comes into sliding contact with each discharge electrode in these arrangement directions. When the cleaning member is rotationally displaced to a position corresponding to each discharge electrode, the cleaning member swings in a direction intersecting with the disposing direction of each discharge electrode by slidingly contacting the guide member. That is, based on the relative sliding of the protrusion of the cleaning member and the plurality of projections and depressions constituting the sliding surface of the guide member, the cleaning member intersects with its own rotation direction, that is, the direction in which each discharge electrode is disposed. Oscillates. Accordingly, the brush provided on the cleaning member is in sliding contact with each discharge electrode not only in the arrangement direction but also in the direction intersecting with the arrangement direction. That is, since each discharge electrode is cleaned from multiple directions based on the sliding contact of the brush from multiple directions, the cleaning ability of the discharge electrode is suitably ensured. In addition, since the plurality of discharge electrodes arranged in a ring shape are automatically cleaned through the operation of the drive source, it does not take time unlike the case where the discharge electrodes are manually cleaned.

The gist of the invention according to claim 2 is that, in the discharge electrode cleaning device according to claim 1, the cleaning member has elasticity.
According to the present invention, the cleaning member repeats the elastic deformation and the elastic return to the original position in the direction intersecting the arrangement direction of each discharge electrode through the sliding contact with the unevenness constituting the sliding surface of the guide member. As a result, the cleaning member, and thus the brush provided on the cleaning member, swings in a direction intersecting with the direction in which each discharge electrode is disposed. By providing elasticity to the cleaning member, it is possible to reduce the configuration for displacing the cleaning member itself in a direction crossing the direction in which each discharge electrode is disposed. Therefore, the structure of the cleaning device can be simplified.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the discharge electrode cleaning apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the brush bristles constituting the brush are provided to extend in the same direction as the axis of the discharge electrode. It becomes the gist.

  According to the present invention, when the brush is in sliding contact with each discharge electrode in the direction in which they are arranged and in the direction intersecting with the arrangement direction, the brush bristles are in sliding contact with each other so as to surely cross each discharge electrode. Accordingly, the cleaning ability of the discharge electrode is improved.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the discharge electrode cleaning device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the cleaning member is rotated when each discharge electrode to which a voltage is applied is used. The gist is to be held at a retracted position that is a position between the discharge electrodes in the direction.

  According to the present invention, when the discharge electrode is used, the cleaning member is held at the retracted position, which is a position between the discharge electrodes in the rotation direction. Will be applied. For this reason, the discharge characteristics of the discharge electrode are ensured.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the discharge electrode cleaning device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the drive source is configured to stop applying voltage to the discharge electrodes. The gist is that the operation is started in the state of being.

  As described above, the cleaning of each discharge electrode is preferably performed in a state where the application of the voltage thereto is stopped.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of discharge electrodes arranged in an annular shape can be automatically cleaned, and the cleaning ability can be suitably ensured.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a static eliminator will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a fan 13 that generates an air flow toward the front side of the casing 12 is accommodated on the back side of the rectangular parallelepiped casing 12 of the static elimination device 11. On the other hand, an opening 12a is formed on the side wall on the front side of the casing 12, and a rectangular frame-like cover 14 in which a large number of air outlets 14a are formed is detachably attached to the opening 12a. . An annular electrode holding member 15 is fixed to the central portion of the inner surface of the cover 14, and a plurality of needle-like discharge electrodes 16 are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the electrode holding member 15 in the circumferential direction of the electrode holding member 15. Are projected at predetermined intervals. Each discharge electrode 16 is connected to a high voltage power source 18 via a wiring 17. The high voltage power source 18 may be incorporated in the static eliminator 11 or may be separately provided outside the device.

  When a high voltage is applied to each discharge electrode 16 through the high-voltage power supply 18, corona discharge is generated in the vicinity of these tips, and the air around each discharge electrode 16 is ionized. Here, the static eliminator 11 has two methods, a direct current method and an alternating current method, depending on a method for generating ions. The direct current method is a method in which a direct current voltage is applied to the discharge electrode to perform corona discharge to generate only positive or negative ions. The AC method is a method in which an AC voltage is applied to the discharge electrode to perform corona discharge, and positive and negative ions are generated alternately. Among these methods, the AC method is adopted in the present embodiment.

  Ions generated around each discharge electrode 16 by corona discharge are discharged to the outside through a number of air outlets 14 a of the cover 14 together with the air supplied from the fan 13 to the front side of the casing 12. By supplying the released ions to the charge removal target, the charge of the target is neutralized and static electricity is removed.

  As described above, each discharge electrode 16 has a dust collecting action because a high voltage is applied thereto. If dust or dirt adheres to each discharge electrode 16, the amount of ions generated decreases, and as a result, the charge removal performance of the charge removal apparatus 11 is reduced. For this reason, in order to maintain the static elimination performance of the static elimination apparatus 11 suitably, it is necessary to clean regularly the dust adhering to each discharge electrode 16. FIG. In order to automatically remove dust and dirt adhering to each discharge electrode 16, inside the casing 12 of the static eliminator 11, between the fan 13 and the electrode holding member 15 holding each discharge electrode 16. The following cleaning device 20 is provided.

<Cleaning device>
That is, the motor 21 serving as a drive source of the cleaning device 20 is fixed to the front center portion of the case 13 a constituting the fan 13 with the output shaft 21 a facing the front side of the casing 12. A cleaning member 22 for cleaning each discharge electrode 16 is provided at the tip of the output shaft 21a of the motor 21 so as to be integrally rotatable. As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning member 22 includes an annular fixing portion 23 that is fitted and fixed to the distal end portion of the output shaft 21 a of the motor 21, and a rectangular parallelepiped projecting on the peripheral surface of the fixing portion 23. The arm portion 24 is provided. A protrusion 24a is provided on the upper portion of the side surface of the arm portion 24 on the motor 21 side, and the tip of the protrusion 24a is formed in a spherical shape.

  Further, a rectangular parallelepiped support portion 25 is projected from the upper portion of the arm portion 24 on the side opposite to the motor 21, and the tip end portion of the support portion 25 is discharged as shown in FIG. It extends to a position corresponding to the tip of the electrode 16. On the lower surface of the support portion 25, a brush 27 having a quadrangular prism shape as a whole is provided by providing a large number of flexible brush bristles 26 vertically and horizontally at predetermined arrangement intervals. The brush bristles 26 are provided so as to extend in the same direction as the axis of each discharge electrode 16 when the brush 27 is in a position corresponding to each discharge electrode 16. In addition, the fixing | fixed part 23, the arm part 24, the protrusion 24a, and the support part 25 are integrally formed by the injection molding etc. by the synthetic resin material which has insulation, and have flexibility (elasticity) as a whole. For example, when an external force in a predetermined direction is applied to the arm portion 24, the arm portion 24 tilts in a direction along the predetermined direction with a connection portion with the fixed portion 23 as a fulcrum.

  Further, inside the casing 12, an annular plate-shaped attachment member 28 is disposed between the motor 21 and the cleaning member 22 fixed to the output shaft 21a of the motor 21 in a state of being inserted through the output shaft 21a. It is installed. The attachment member 28 is fixed to the inner surface of the casing 12 via a plurality of brackets 29. The same number of guide members 30 as the discharge electrodes 16 are fixed to the side surface of the mounting member 28 opposite to the motor 21. As shown in FIG. 3, each guide member 30 is provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the mounting member 28 so as to correspond to each discharge electrode 16 (more precisely, the tip portion thereof). The guide member 30 is formed in a square plate shape, and the side surface opposite to the mounting member 28 is a sliding surface 31 formed with a plurality of wavy irregularities as shown in FIG. . The concave portion 31 a and the convex portion 31 b constituting the sliding surface 31 extend in the same direction as the axis of the corresponding discharge electrode 16.

  5A, the protrusion height h of the protrusion 24a relative to the side surface of the arm portion 24 on the motor 21 side is equal to the side surface of the arm portion 24 on the motor 21 side and the guide member 30 (exactly). Is set to be slightly larger than the distance d1 from the virtual plane including all the vertices of the convex portions 31b. In the present embodiment, the protrusion height h of the protrusion 24a is greater than the distance d1 between the side surface of the arm portion 24 on the motor 21 side and the guide member 30 by the depth d2 of the recess 31a of the sliding surface 31. It is set larger by the minute.

  Therefore, when the cleaning member 22 rotates about the output shaft 21a through the driving of the motor 21, the protrusion 24a slides in a direction intersecting the sliding surface 31 in the direction in which the unevenness extends. In this case, when the protrusion 24a corresponds to the recess 31a of the sliding surface 31, the cleaning member 22 is in the normal state shown in FIG. When the cleaning member 22 is in this normal state, each brush hair 26 constituting the brush 27 is substantially parallel to the axis of the corresponding discharge electrode 16. Moreover, when the protrusion 24a corresponds to the convex portion 31b of the sliding surface 31, the cleaning member 22 is tilted as shown in FIG. That is, the arm portion 24 of the cleaning member 22 is bent in a direction away from the guide member 30 by the depth d2 of the concave portion 31a of the sliding surface 31 with the connection portion with the fixing portion 23 as a fulcrum. When the protrusion 24a passes through the sliding surface 31 of the guide member 30 with the rotation about the output shaft 21a of the cleaning member 22, the cleaning member 22 is in the normal state and the tilted state described above. The two states are repeated.

<Cleaning operation of the cleaning device>
Next, the cleaning operation of each discharge electrode 16 by the cleaning device 20 configured as described above will be described. The cleaning of each discharge electrode 16 is automatically started through the control device when the cumulative usage time of the static elimination device 11 is measured by a timer (not shown), for example, and the cumulative usage time reaches a predetermined time. Alternatively, it may be started when a cleaning start switch (not shown) provided in the static eliminator 11 is operated by the user. As described above, the cleaning member 22 is held at the retracted position shown in FIG. 3 when the static eliminator 11 is used. This retracted position is a position that does not correspond to any of the discharge electrodes 16 in the displacement direction of the cleaning member 22. That is, the retracted position is a position where the brush 27 is held between the discharge electrodes 16 in the rotation direction, and the discharge electrode 16 and the brush 27 are in a non-contact state. Moreover, the cleaning of each discharge electrode 16 is performed in a state where application of a high voltage thereto is stopped.

  When the motor 21 is rotated forward in order to clean each discharge electrode 16, the cleaning member 22 is also in the direction in which each discharge electrode 16 is disposed around the output shaft 21a of the motor 21 in FIG. Rotate in the right direction indicated by arrow X1. When the brush 27 of the cleaning member 22 reaches a position corresponding to each discharge electrode 16 and the protrusion 24a of the cleaning member 22 starts to slide with respect to the sliding surface 31 of the guide member 30, the cleaning member 22 is Rotating in the right direction indicated by the arrow X1 while repeating the two states of the normal state and the tilting state shown in FIG. That is, the arm portion 24 of the cleaning member 22 repeats the tilting (deflection) in the direction indicated by the arrow Y1 in FIG. 4 and the elastic return in the direction indicated by the arrow Y2, while the right direction indicated by the arrow X1. Rotate to. Then, through such a state change of the arm portion 24, the brush bristles 26 constituting the brush 27 are indicated by the right direction indicated by the arrow X1 and the arrows Y1 and Y2 with respect to the corresponding discharge electrode 16 in FIG. It makes sliding contact in the front-rear direction. As described above, since the brush 27 is in sliding contact with the discharge electrode 16 from multiple directions, dust and dirt attached to the discharge electrode 16 are preferably removed.

  On the other hand, when the motor 21 is rotated in the reverse direction, the cleaning member 22 rotates about the output shaft 21a of the motor 21 in the left direction indicated by the arrow X2 in FIG. To do. In this case, the bristle 26 constituting the brush 27 is in sliding contact with the corresponding discharge electrode 16 in the left direction indicated by the arrow X1 in FIG. 4 and in the front-rear direction indicated by the arrows Y1 and Y2. As in the case of the clockwise rotation described above, since the brush 27 is in sliding contact with the discharge electrode 16 from multiple directions, dust and dirt attached to the discharge electrode 16 are preferably removed.

  As described above, the brush 27 is slidably contacted with each discharge electrode 16 in the direction of arrangement through the forward and reverse rotations of the motor 21, and is slidably vibrationally contacted with the direction of the arrangement. Dust and dirt attached to the electrode 16 are preferably removed. As a result, the cleaning capability of the cleaning device 20 for the plurality of discharge electrodes 16 arranged in an annular shape is enhanced.

  In addition, you may employ | adopt the structure which makes the brush 27 slidably contact with respect to each discharge electrode 16 only in these arrangement | positioning directions (direction shown by arrow X1, X2 in FIG. 4). In this case, the configuration for vibrating the brush 27 in the front-rear direction indicated by the arrows Y1 and Y2 in FIG. 4, that is, the protrusion 24a, the mounting member 28, the bracket 29, and the guide member 30 can be omitted. Even in this case, since the plurality of discharge electrodes 16 arranged in an annular shape are automatically cleaned, cleaning and the like are performed as compared with the case where the discharge electrodes 16 are manually cleaned. The work efficiency is greatly improved.

<Effect of Embodiment>
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The cleaning device 20 is rotationally displaced concentrically with the discharge electrodes 16 arranged in an annular shape through the operation of the motor 21 and slides in the arrangement direction with respect to the discharge electrodes 16 with the rotational displacement. A cleaning member 22 having a brush 27 in contact therewith is provided. In addition, the cleaning device 20 is provided corresponding to each discharge electrode 16 and moves the cleaning member 22 in a direction crossing the arrangement direction of each discharge electrode 16 based on sliding contact with a part of the cleaning member 22 that is rotationally displaced. The guide member 30 to be rocked is provided.

  According to this configuration, when the cleaning member 22 is rotationally displaced in the arrangement direction of the discharge electrodes 16 through the operation of the motor 21, the brushes 27 provided on the cleaning member 22 are arranged with respect to the discharge electrodes 16. Touch in direction. When the cleaning member 22 is rotationally displaced to a position corresponding to each discharge electrode 16, the cleaning member 22 is slidably contacted with the guide member 30 in a part of the cleaning member 22 in a direction intersecting with the disposing direction of each discharge electrode 16. Swing. Accordingly, the brush 27 provided on the cleaning member 22 is in sliding contact with each discharge electrode 16 not only in the arrangement direction thereof but also in the direction intersecting with the arrangement direction. That is, since each discharge electrode 16 is cleaned from multiple directions based on the sliding contact of the brush from multiple directions, the cleaning ability of the discharge electrode 16 is suitably ensured. In addition, since the plurality of discharge electrodes 16 arranged in a ring shape are automatically cleaned through the operation of the motor 21, unlike the case where the discharge electrodes 16 are manually cleaned, it is not time-consuming.

  (2) On the side surface of the guide member 30 on the discharge electrode 16 side, a plurality of irregularities extending in the direction intersecting the rotation direction of the cleaning member 22 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction along the rotation direction of the cleaning member 22. Thus formed sliding surface 31 was formed. On the other hand, a protrusion 24 a that slides on the sliding surface 31 of the guide member 30 is formed on the guide member 30 side of the cleaning member 22.

  According to this configuration, based on the relative sliding between the protrusion 24 a of the cleaning member 22 and the sliding surface 31 of the guide member 30, the cleaning member 22 has its own rotation direction, that is, the arrangement of each discharge electrode 16. Swings in a direction that intersects the direction. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a complicated mechanism, and the configuration of the cleaning device can be simplified.

  (3) Moreover, the cleaning member 22 has elasticity. For this reason, the cleaning member 22 repeats the elastic deformation and the elastic return to the original position in the direction intersecting the arrangement direction of each discharge electrode 16 through the sliding contact with the sliding surface 31 of the guide member 30. As a result, the cleaning member 22, and by extension, the brush 27 provided on the cleaning member 22 oscillates in a direction intersecting with the disposing direction of each discharge electrode 16. In this way, if the cleaning member 22 is made elastic, the structure for displacing the cleaning member 22 itself in the direction intersecting the arrangement direction of the discharge electrodes 16 can be greatly simplified.

  (4) The bristles 26 of the brush 27 are provided so as to extend in the same direction as the axis of the discharge electrode 16. According to this configuration, when the brush 27 is in sliding contact with each discharge electrode 16 in the direction in which the brush 27 is disposed and in the direction intersecting with the disposition direction, the brush bristles 26 are in sliding contact with each discharge electrode 16 so as to surely cross. . Therefore, the cleaning ability of the discharge electrode 16 is improved.

  (5) When the static eliminator 11 is used, that is, when a voltage is applied to each discharge electrode 16, the cleaning member 22 is a position between the discharge electrodes in the rotation direction, and each discharge electrode and the brush Are held in the retracted position where they are in a non-contact state. For this reason, a voltage will be applied to each discharge electrode 16 in the state which a brush does not contact. Therefore, the discharge characteristics of the discharge electrode 16 are ensured.

  (6) The operation of the motor 21 is started in a state where the application of the voltage to each discharge electrode 16 is stopped. Thus, it is preferable to perform the cleaning of each discharge electrode 16 in a state where the application of the voltage thereto is stopped. This is because, as described above, a dust collecting action occurs in the discharge electrode 16 to which a high voltage is applied, so that it is difficult to remove dust and dirt attached to the discharge electrode 16.

<Other embodiments>
In addition, you may implement this Embodiment as follows.
In the present embodiment, the sliding surface 31 of the guide member 30 is waved, but for example, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), a sliding surface 31 having a sawtooth cross-sectional shape is adopted. It is also possible to do. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6B, a flat guide member 41 in which a plurality of slits 41a are arranged in parallel may be employed. In this case, one surface (front surface) of the guide member 41 becomes the sliding surface 42. By repeating the state in which the tip of the protrusion 24a of the cleaning member 22 is engaged so that it slightly enters the slit 41a and the state of sliding on the surface of the guide member 41, the cleaning member 22 and the brush 27 can be It reciprocates in the direction (arrow Y1, Y2 direction) that intersects the direction in which the discharge electrode 16 is disposed. The slit 41a may be provided through the guide member 30 or may not be provided therethrough.

  In the present embodiment, the bristles 26 are provided along the axis of the discharge electrode 16, but the bristles 26 may be provided so as to be orthogonal to the axis of the discharge electrode 16 as shown in FIG. 7. . Even if it does in this way, many bristle 26 will slidably contact with the discharge electrode 16 in multiple directions (arrow X1, X2 direction and arrow Y1, Y2 direction).

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning member 22 is made flexible as a whole, so that the cleaning member 22 is based on the sliding contact between the protrusion 24 a of the cleaning member 22 and the sliding surface 31 of the guide member 30. Is swung in a direction intersecting with the direction in which each discharge electrode 16 is arranged, but the following configuration may be employed. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, first, the cleaning member 22 is configured to be slidable in the axial direction with respect to the output shaft 21a. Then, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7, the output shaft 21a of the motor 21 is formed so as to enter the inside of the annular electrode holding member 15, and at the tip of the extended output shaft 21a. Fixes the spring receiving member 51. In the output shaft 21a, a compression coil spring 52 is interposed between the spring receiving member 51 and the cleaning member 22 (more precisely, the fixing portion 23). The cleaning member 22 is always urged toward the motor 21 by the elastic force of the compression coil spring 52. The displacement of the cleaning member 22 toward the motor 21 is restricted by the contact of the side surface of the cleaning member 22 on the motor 21 side with a stopper 53 that penetrates and is fixed to the output shaft 21a. Therefore, when the protrusion 24 a of the cleaning member 22 slides on the sliding surface 31 of the guide member 30, the protrusion 24 a corresponds to the convex portion 31 b from the position corresponding to the concave portion 31 a with respect to the sliding surface 31. With the relative displacement to the position, the cleaning member 22 is displaced in the direction away from the motor 21 along the axis of the output shaft 21 a against the elastic force of the compression coil spring 52. As the protrusion 24 a is relatively displaced with respect to the sliding surface 31 from the position corresponding to the convex portion 31 b to the position corresponding to the adjacent concave portion 31 a, the cleaning member 22 is elastic of the compression coil spring 52. Due to the force, it is displaced in the direction approaching the motor 21 along the axis of the output shaft 21a. The above-described operation is repeated every time the protrusion 24a of the cleaning member 22 gets over the unevenness of the sliding surface 31, whereby the cleaning member 22 reciprocates along the axial direction of the output shaft 21a. In this case, the cleaning member 22 does not need to have flexibility (elasticity). And even if comprised in this way, since the brush 27 is slidably contacted with each discharge electrode 16 in multiple directions, the cleaning capability of the cleaning device 20 is ensured.

-In this Embodiment, although the cleaning apparatus 20 of the discharge electrode 16 applied to the static elimination apparatus 11 was demonstrated, the said cleaning apparatus 20 can also be applied to another apparatus.
<Other technical ideas>
Next, the technical idea that can be grasped from the embodiment will be described below.

  In a cleaning method for a plurality of needle-like discharge electrodes arranged radially at a predetermined interval on the same circumference, a brush of a cleaning member is applied to the plurality of discharge electrodes through operation of a driving source. A method for cleaning a discharge electrode that is slidably contacted in the intersecting direction by reciprocating in a direction intersecting with the disposing direction while sliding in the disposing direction of the discharge electrodes.

  According to the cleaning method, similarly to the first aspect of the invention, each discharge electrode is cleaned from multiple directions based on the sliding contact of the brush from multiple directions, thereby improving the discharge electrode cleaning ability. be able to.

Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of a static elimination apparatus. The disassembled perspective view of a static elimination apparatus. AA sectional view taken on the line AA of FIG. The principal part perspective view which shows the correspondence of a discharge electrode and a brush. (A), (b) is principal part sectional drawing which shows the state of the cleaning member at the time of rotation. (A), (b) is a perspective view which shows the modification of a guide member. The principal part sectional drawing which shows the modification of arrangement | positioning of a brush.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Static elimination apparatus, 16 ... Discharge electrode, 20 ... Cleaning device, 21 ... Drive source, 22 ... Cleaning member, 24a ... Projection, 26 ... Brush hair, 27 ... Brush, 30, 41 ... Guide member, 31, 42 ... Sliding surface, 31a ... concave portion, 31b ... convex portion.

Claims (5)

In a cleaning device for a plurality of needle-like discharge electrodes arranged radially at a predetermined interval on the same circumference,
A cleaning member having a brush that is rotationally displaced concentrically with the circumference through the operation of a drive source and is in sliding contact with the plurality of discharge electrodes in the arrangement direction with the rotational displacement;
A guide member that is provided corresponding to each of the discharge electrodes and that swings the cleaning member in a direction that intersects a direction in which the discharge electrodes are arranged based on sliding contact with a part of the cleaning member that is rotationally displaced. ,
A plurality of projections and depressions extending in a direction intersecting with the rotation direction of the cleaning member are disposed at predetermined intervals in the direction along the rotation direction of the cleaning member at the cleaning member side portion of the guide member. A discharge electrode cleaning device in which a protrusion that slides on a sliding surface of the guide member is formed as a part of the cleaning member at a portion on the guide member side of the cleaning member while forming a surface.   2. The discharge electrode cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member has elasticity. In the cleaning apparatus of the discharge electrode according to claim 1 or 2,
The brush hair which comprises the said brush is a cleaning apparatus of the discharge electrode formed so that it might extend in the same direction as the axis line of the said discharge electrode. In the cleaning apparatus of the discharge electrode as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
When using each discharge electrode to which a voltage is applied, the cleaning member is a discharge electrode cleaning device in which the cleaning member is held at a retracted position that is a position between the discharge electrodes in the rotation direction. In the cleaning apparatus of the discharge electrode as described in any one of Claims 1-4,
The drive source is a discharge electrode cleaning device that starts operating in a state where application of a voltage to each of the discharge electrodes is stopped.

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