JP2009158413A - 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 improving cleaning capability. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning device 20 includes a screw rod 22 which is rotated around an output shaft 21a of a motor 21 eccentrically connected against a self axis extending along the arrangement direction of respective discharge electrodes 15, and a cleaning member 23 relatively displaced in its axis direction in response to the rotation of the screw rod 22. A brush 27 sliding in their arrangement directions (arrow X1 and X2 directions) of respective discharge electrodes 15 and in directions (arrow Y1 and Y2 directions and arrow-marked Z1 and Z2 directions) crossed with the arrangement directions in response to displacement of the screw rod 22 in its axis direction is provided on the cleaning member 23. Thus, the brush 27 is slid with respective discharge electrodes 15 in the multiple direction crossed with the arrangement directions as well as in the arrangement directions of respective discharge electrodes 15, and respective discharge electrodes 15 are cleaned on the basis of sliding in the multiple direction of the brush 27. <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, the following static elimination devices have been used. That is, in this static eliminator, corona discharge is generated by applying a high voltage to the needle-like discharge electrode, thereby ionizing the air around the tip of the electrode. Then, by supplying the ions to a charged body such as the wafer and the electronic device described above, the charge of the charged body is neutralized to remove static electricity.

  Here, when the above-described corona discharge is repeated through the use of the static eliminator, dust and dirt are attached 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. Although it is conceivable that the discharge electrode is manually cleaned using, for example, a brush or the like, in this case, it is assumed that much labor is required.

Therefore, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a cleaning device that automatically cleans the discharge electrode has been proposed. This cleaning device is applied to a static eliminator comprising a plurality of discharge electrodes arranged at predetermined intervals on a straight line, and is provided on a rail extending along the arrangement direction of the plurality of discharge electrodes described above. The slider is slidably mounted, and the slider is provided with a brush that is in sliding contact with each discharge electrode. Then, the slider slides along the rail through the operation of the driving mechanism operatively connected to the slider, so that the brush is in sliding contact with the plurality of discharge electrodes, whereby the discharge electrodes are automatically cleaned. .
Special opening and closing 7-29668 gazette

  However, the conventional discharge electrode cleaning apparatus has the following problems. That is, since the cleaning by the cleaning device is performed by reciprocating the brush in one axial direction along the arrangement direction of the plurality of discharge electrodes, the sliding contact direction of the brush with respect to each discharge electrode is always the same. It becomes. In other words, each discharge electrode is always swept in the same one axial direction by the brush. For this reason, in the discharge electrode, there is a concern that uncleaned parts may be generated due to the sliding direction of the brush. It is also assumed that such dust and dirt left behind are gradually accumulated with the use of the static eliminator as described above. From such an actual situation, in order to ensure the discharge characteristics of the discharge electrode and thus the charge removal performance of the charge removal apparatus for a long time, further improvement in the cleaning ability of the cleaning apparatus has been desired.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a discharge electrode cleaning apparatus capable of improving the cleaning ability.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device for a plurality of needle-like discharge electrodes arranged in a straight line at a predetermined interval, the plurality of discharge electrodes are arranged along the direction in which the plurality of discharge electrodes are arranged through the operation of a drive source. A screw rod that rotates about a rotation center axis that is eccentric with respect to its own axis, and is screwed to the screw rod so as to be able to move forward and backward in a state where the rotation is restricted. Along with the rotation about the rotation center axis, relative displacement in the axial direction with respect to the screw rod, and with the relative displacement, the plurality of discharge electrodes intersects with the arrangement direction and the arrangement direction. And a cleaning member having a brush that slides in the direction.

  According to the present invention, the screw rod rotates about the rotation center axis at a position eccentric with respect to the center axis of the screw rod through the operation of the drive source. The cleaning member screwed to the screw rod rotates eccentrically integrally with the screw rod while moving in the axial direction of the screw rod. As a result, the brush of the cleaning member comes into sliding contact with each discharge electrode not only in the arrangement direction thereof but also in a plurality of directions intersecting with the arrangement direction. That is, each discharge electrode is cleaned from multiple directions based on the sliding contact of the brush from multiple directions. Therefore, the cleaning ability of the discharge electrode can be improved as compared with the case where the brush is brought into sliding contact with the discharge electrode only in one direction along the axial direction of the screw rod, for example.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a discharge electrode cleaning apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein a plurality of cleaning members are screwed onto the screw rod.
According to the present invention, since each discharge electrode is cleaned using a plurality of cleaning members, the cleaning efficiency can be improved.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the discharge electrode cleaning device according to the second aspect, the plurality of cleaning members are screwed onto the screw rods at intervals equal to the arrangement intervals of the discharge electrodes. The gist.

According to the present invention, since the plurality of discharge electrodes are simultaneously cleaned as the screw rod rotates, the cleaning time can be shortened.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a discharge electrode cleaning apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the screw rod and the cleaning member are a single unit. The gist is that the screw rods are coaxially connected to each other.

  The required screw rod length varies depending on the number of discharge electrodes. In this regard, according to the present invention, the length of the screw rod as the entire cleaning device can be adjusted by adjusting the number of units to be connected. For example, when a single screw rod is insufficient in length, it can be easily handled by simply connecting a plurality of units each having the screw rod and the cleaning member as a single unit. Further, since it is only necessary to connect the units having the same configuration, it is not necessary to individually design the mechanism according to the required length of the screw rod, and the design cost and thus the product cost can be reduced.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the discharge electrode cleaning apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the screw rod and the cleaning member are a single unit. The screw rods are connected in these axial directions, and two screw rods adjacent to each other in the axial direction are connected to each other with a common rotation center shaft that is in an eccentric position with respect to these axial lines. This is the gist.

  According to the present invention, when the screw rods connected to each other rotate about the common rotation center axis, centrifugal forces in opposite directions are generated in the two screw rods adjacent to each other in the axial direction. That is, since the centrifugal forces generated in these screw rods cancel each other, the centrifugal force acting on the whole when each screw rod is viewed as a single screw rod can be reduced. Since the centrifugal force acting on the entire screw rod is reduced in this way, the load applied to the output shaft of the motor is particularly great when the present invention is applied to a motor using the motor described in claim 2 as a drive source. As a result, the motor can be miniaturized, and the motor can be miniaturized. Furthermore, as described in claim 4, the present invention is particularly effective when the screw rod becomes long as a whole. This is because the centrifugal force generated in the screw rod increases as the screw rod becomes longer.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the discharge electrode cleaning device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the plurality of brush bristles constituting the brush have the same axis as the discharge electrode. The gist is that it is provided to extend in the direction.

  According to the present invention, as the screw rod rotates, the brush surely crosses each discharge electrode when the brush makes sliding contact with the plurality of discharge electrodes in the direction in which they are arranged and in the direction intersecting the arrangement direction. Slid in contact. Accordingly, the cleaning ability of the discharge electrode is improved.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the discharge electrode cleaning device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the amount of eccentricity of the rotation center axis of the screw rod with respect to the axis of the screw rod is: The gist is that it is set to be larger than the arrangement interval of a large number of brush bristles constituting the brush.

According to the present invention, since the discharge electrode always comes into sliding contact with the plurality of brush hairs, the cleaning ability is improved.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the discharge electrode cleaning apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the cleaning member is displaced when each discharge electrode to which a voltage is applied is used. The gist is to be held in a retracted position that is a position that does not correspond to any of 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 that does not correspond to any of the discharge electrodes in the displacement direction. Will be applied. For this reason, the discharge characteristics of the discharge electrode are ensured.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the discharge electrode cleaning device according to any one of the first to eighth 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, since the brush of the cleaning member is in sliding contact with the discharge electrode from multiple directions, the cleaning ability of the discharge electrode can be improved.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a static eliminator will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a discharge unit 13 that generates corona discharge is disposed inside a rectangular parallelepiped casing 12 of the static eliminator 11. A rectangular parallelepiped electrode holding case 14 of the discharge unit 13 is provided so as to extend in the same direction as the casing 12, and a plurality of needle-like discharge electrodes 15 are held on the lower surface thereof. These discharge electrodes 15 are linearly arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction in which the electrode holding case 14 extends, and the tip of the electrode holding case 14 protrudes from the lower surface of the electrode holding case 14. It is held in a state of penetrating inside and outside. Further, the base end portion of each discharge electrode 15 is connected to a high-voltage power supply 17 through a wiring 16. The high-voltage power source 17 may be incorporated in the static eliminator 11 or provided outside the device.

  When a high voltage is applied to each discharge electrode 15 through the high-voltage power supply 17, corona discharge is generated in the vicinity of these tips, and the air around each discharge electrode 15 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 15 by corona discharge are supplied to the inside of the casing 12 from an external air supply source 18 through a plurality of discharge ports 12 a provided in the lower portion of the casing 12. Released to the outside. By supplying the released ions to the charge removal target, the charge of the target is neutralized and static electricity is removed. In addition, as the air supply source 18, a compressor, a fan, etc. are employable. Further, the air supply source 18 may be incorporated in the static eliminator 11 as a component thereof, or may be used as equipment such as an installation place of the static eliminator 11.

  As described above, since a high voltage is applied to each discharge electrode 15, there is a dust collecting action. When dust or dirt adheres to each discharge electrode 15, the amount of ions generated decreases, leading to a decrease in the charge removal performance of the charge removal apparatus 11. 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 15. FIG. In order to automatically remove dust and dirt adhering to each discharge electrode 15, the following cleaning device 20 is provided inside the casing 12 of the static elimination device 11.

<Cleaning device>
That is, as shown in FIG. 1A, the motor 21 that is a drive source of the cleaning device 20 is disposed on one end side inside the casing 12, and the output shaft 21 a of each discharge electrode 15. It is being fixed so that it may become parallel with the arrangement | positioning direction (left-right direction of Fig.1 (a)). In addition, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1B, the motor 21 is fixed at a position shifted to the back side of each discharge electrode 15 (left side in FIG. 1B) inside the casing 12. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the output shaft 21a of the motor 21 is eccentrically connected to one end of a screw rod 22 having a thread formed on the outer peripheral surface, and the other end of the screw rod 22 is a casing. 12 is supported by a bearing 22a that is fixed to a portion on the opposite side of the motor 21 so as to be eccentrically rotatable. The length of the screw rod 22 is set to be larger than the length of the row of the discharge electrodes 15 arranged in a straight line.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the screw rod 22 is provided with a cleaning member 23 for cleaning each discharge electrode 15. The cleaning member 23 includes a rectangular parallelepiped nut member 24 that is threadably engaged with the screw rod 22 so as to be able to move forward and backward. As shown in FIG. 1 (b), a belt-like support member 25 is fixed to the side surface of the nut member 24, and the support member 25 has a distal end side portion with respect to each discharge electrode 15. Are extended to corresponding positions in the vertical direction. On the upper surface of the support member 25, a brush 27 having a square pillar shape as a whole is provided in a predetermined region on the tip side thereof by providing a plurality of flexible brush hairs 26 at predetermined intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions. Yes. The bristle 26 constituting the brush 27 extends in the same direction as the axis of each discharge electrode 15, and the protruding length of the brush bristle 26 from the upper surface of the support member 25 is the upper surface of the support member 25 and each discharge electrode 15. It is set to be larger than the distance between the tip.

  Therefore, when the motor 21 rotates forward and backward through a control device (not shown), as shown in FIG. 3A, the screw rod 22 is in a position shifted in the radial direction from the axis by a predetermined eccentricity δ. The output shaft 21a of the motor 21 is rotated forward and backward with the axis as the rotation axis. That is, the screw rod 22 rotates eccentrically about the output shaft 21a of the motor 21. At this time, as indicated by a black circle in FIG. 3A, in a state where the screw rod 22 is viewed from the axial direction, one virtual point P set on the outer peripheral surface of the screw rod 22, more precisely on the screw thread, is set. Is displaced so as to draw a circle having the radius of the eccentricity δ described above.

  For example, one point on the outer peripheral surface of the screw rod 22 where the distance from the axis of the output shaft 21a is the shortest is defined as the virtual point P described above. When the virtual point P is at the initial position P0 (0 degree) on the uppermost side of the screw rod 22 and the screw rod 22 is rotated clockwise by 90 degrees (forward rotation), the virtual point P is set to the output shaft 21a. It is displaced to the right side position P1, which is on the right side and on the horizontal axis of the output shaft 21a. Further, when the screw rod 22 is rotated 90 degrees to the right, the virtual point P is displaced to the lower position P2 below the output shaft 21a and on the vertical axis of the output shaft 21a. Further, when the screw rod 22 is rotated 90 degrees to the right, the virtual point P is displaced to the left position P3 on the left side of the output shaft 21a and on the horizontal axis of the output shaft 21a. When the screw rod 22 further rotates right by 90 degrees, the virtual point P returns to the initial position P0.

  As the screw rod 22 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the motor 21 in this way, the thread of the screw rod 22 is rotationally displaced relative to the nut member 24. For this reason, the nut member 24, and consequently the cleaning member 23, moves forward and backward in the axial direction with respect to the screw rod 22. Here, when the motor 21 is rotated forward, the screw rod 22 rotates to the right, and the cleaning member 23 is displaced in a direction away from the motor 21 (right direction in FIG. 1A). Further, when the motor 21 is rotated in the reverse direction, the screw rod 22 rotates counterclockwise, and the cleaning member 23 is displaced in the direction approaching the motor 21 (the right direction in FIG. 1A).

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning member 23 is displaced between a retracted position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1A and a return position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The retracted position is a position where the cleaning member 23 is held during normal use of the static eliminator 11, and is a position closer to the motor 21 than the discharge electrode 15 closest to the motor 21. The retracted position is a position that does not correspond to any of the discharge electrodes 15 in the displacement direction of the cleaning member 23 and is a position where the discharge electrodes 15 and the brush 27 are in a non-contact state as described above. In addition to the positions indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 1A, the following positions can be set. That is, the position between the discharge electrodes 15 in the displacement direction of the cleaning member 23 may be set as the retracted position. The return position is a reference when the cleaning member 23 passes all the discharge electrodes 15 and returns the cleaning member 23 to the motor 21 side when the cleaning device 20 is operated to clean each discharge electrode 15. Position.

  Further, since the cleaning member 23 is screwed to the screw rod 22 in a state where the rotation is restricted, the cleaning member 23 is reciprocated in the axial direction along with the rotation of the screw rod 22, and the posture thereof is maintained. In the held state, that is, in a state where the brush 27 is always directed upward, it swings around with the screw rod 22 around the output shaft 21a. The eccentric amount δ of the screw rod 22 described above is set to be larger than the arrangement intervals d1 and d2 of the two brush bristles 26 adjacent in the brush 27 in the vertical and horizontal directions as shown in FIG.

<Cleaning operation of the cleaning device>
Next, the cleaning operation of each discharge electrode 15 by the cleaning device 20 configured as described above will be described. The cleaning of each discharge electrode 15 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, when the static eliminator 11 is used, the cleaning member 23 is held at the retracted position indicated by the solid line in FIG. Moreover, the cleaning of each discharge electrode 15 is performed in a state where application of a high voltage thereto is stopped.

<Outward trip>
When the motor 21 is rotated forward in order to clean each discharge electrode 15, the cleaning member 23 moves to the right indicated by the arrow X1 in FIG. Displaces relatively in the direction. That is, since each discharge electrode 15 is linearly arranged and fixed in the extending direction of the screw rod 22 in the casing 12, the cleaning member 23 is arranged along the arrangement direction with respect to each discharge electrode 15. 2 (a) is relatively displaced in the right direction indicated by the arrow X1. When the cleaning member 23 passes through each discharge electrode 15 in the right direction indicated by the arrow X1, the brush bristles 26 constituting the brush 27 are indicated by the arrow X1 in FIG. In the right direction. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2B, the brush bristles 26 in contact with the discharge electrode 15 bend in the same direction (right side) as the displacement direction of the cleaning member 23, and when the discharge electrode 15 has passed. The elastic member returns to the original state orthogonal to the upper surface of the support member 25. As described above, the brush 27 is in sliding contact with each discharge electrode 15 in the right direction indicated by the arrow X1 in FIG. 2A, so that dust, dirt, and the like attached to each discharge electrode 15 are removed.

  Here, the cleaning member 23 is displaced as follows each time the motor makes one rotation simultaneously with the rightward displacement indicated by the arrow X1 in FIG. 2A accompanying the forward rotation of the screw rod 22 described above. . For example, it is assumed that the brush 27 is in the reference position shown in FIG. 4A when the above-described virtual point P is at the initial position P0. The reference position is such that the discharge electrode 15 corresponds to the center of the brush 27 in the directions of arrows Y1 and Y2, and the tip of the discharge electrode 15 and the tip of the support member 25 are separated by a distance L1 in the directions of arrows Y1 and Y2. It is a position to do. The reference position is also a position where the upper surface of the support member 25 coincides with the horizontal axis of the output shaft 21a.

  When the screw rod 22 rotates right by 90 degrees about the output shaft 21a in a state where the cleaning member 23 is at a position corresponding to the discharge electrode 15, the virtual point P is on the right side of the output shaft 21a as described above. And it displaces to the right side position P1 which is on the horizontal axis line of the output shaft 21a. With the rotational displacement of the screw rod 22, the support member 25 and consequently the brush 27 are displaced relative to the discharge electrode 15 in the rear direction indicated by the arrow Y1 and in the upward direction indicated by the arrow Z1, as shown in FIG. To the retracted position shown in In this retracted position, the distal end portion of the discharge electrode 15 and the distal end surface of the support member 25 are separated by a distance L2 in the directions of arrows Y1 and Y2. This distance L2 is shorter than the distance L1 described above. At this time, the upper surface of the support member 25 is located above the horizontal axis of the output shaft 21a.

  As described above, when the screw rod 22 is rotated 90 degrees to the right with the brush 27 in the reference position shown in FIG. 4A, the brush 27 moves in the direction of the arrow Y1 with respect to the discharge electrode 15. While being relatively displaced in the direction of the arrow Z1, it is in sliding contact with the discharge electrode 15 in the direction of the arrow Y1 and the direction of the arrow Z1.

  Further, when the screw rod 22 rotates right by 90 degrees about the output shaft 21a, as described above, the virtual point P is below the output shaft 21a and the lower position on the vertical axis of the output shaft 21a. Displacement to P2. With the rotational displacement of the screw rod 22, the support member 25 and consequently the brush 27 are displaced relative to the discharge electrode 15 in the forward direction indicated by the arrow Y2 and upward indicated by the arrow Z1, as shown in FIG. It reaches the ascending position shown in. At this raised position, the distal end portion of the discharge electrode 15 and the distal end surface of the support member 25 are separated by a distance L3 in the directions of the arrows Y1 and Y2. This distance L3 is the same distance as the distance L1 described above. At this time, the upper surface of the support member 25 is located further upward than when the support member 25 is in the retracted position. Here, the lower surface of the support member 25 coincides with the horizontal axis of the output shaft 21a. Further, at the raised position, the upper portion of the brush bristles 26 is in contact with the lower surface of the electrode holding case 14 while being slightly pressed from below.

  In this way, when the screw rod 22 is rotated 90 degrees to the right with the brush 27 in the retracted position shown in FIG. 4B, the brush 27 moves in the direction of the arrow Y2 with respect to the discharge electrode 15. While being relatively displaced in the direction of the arrow Z1, it is in sliding contact with the discharge electrode 15 in the directions of the arrow Y2 and the arrow Z1. At this time, the brush 27 slides forward with respect to the peripheral portion of the discharge electrode 15 on the lower surface of the electrode holding case 14 as indicated by the arrow Y2.

  Further, when the screw rod 22 rotates right by 90 degrees about the output shaft 21a, the virtual point P is on the left side position P3 on the left side of the output shaft 21a and on the horizontal axis of the output shaft 21a as described above. Displace. With the rotational displacement of the screw rod 22, the support member 25, and consequently the brush 27, are displaced relative to the discharge electrode 15 in the forward direction indicated by the arrow Y2 and in the downward direction indicated by the arrow Z2, as shown in FIG. It reaches the forward position shown in. At this forward position, the distal end portion of the discharge electrode 15 and the distal end surface of the support member 25 are separated by a distance L4 in the directions of the arrows Y1 and Y2. This distance L4 is larger than the distance L1 described above. At this time, the upper surface of the support member 25 is located at the same position as that at the retracted position shown in FIG.

  As described above, when the screw rod 22 is rotated 90 degrees to the right with the brush 27 in the raised position shown in FIG. 4C, the brush 27 is moved in the direction of the arrow Y2 with respect to the discharge electrode 15. While relatively displaced in the direction of the arrow Z2, it is in sliding contact with the discharge electrode 15 in the directions of the arrow Y2 and the arrow Z2.

  Further, when the screw rod 22 rotates right by 90 degrees about the output shaft 21a, the virtual point P returns to the original initial position P0 as described above. With the rotational displacement of the screw rod 22, the support member 25 and consequently the brush 27 are displaced relative to the discharge electrode 15 in the rear direction indicated by the arrow Y1 and in the downward direction indicated by the arrow Z2, as shown in FIG. To the reference position shown in. That is, it can be said that this reference position is a lowered position in which the brush 27 and thus the support member 25 are located at the lowest position while the screw rod 22 rotates once.

  In this way, when the screw rod 22 rotates 90 degrees to the right with the brush 27 in the forward position shown in FIG. 4D described above, the brush 27 moves in the direction of the arrow Y1 with respect to the discharge electrode 15. While being relatively displaced in the direction of the arrow Z2, it is in sliding contact with the discharge electrode 15 in the directions of the arrow Y1 and the arrow Z2.

  As described above, when the motor 21 is rotated forward, the brush 27 is shown in the right direction indicated by the arrow X1, the front-rear direction indicated by the arrows Y1 and Y2, and the arrows Z1 and Z2 in FIG. It slides on each discharge electrode 15 in the vertical direction. Thereby, dust, dirt, and the like attached to each discharge electrode 15 are removed. In addition, the brush 27 is moved from the retracted position shown in FIG. 4B to the raised position shown in FIG. 4C to the advanced position shown in FIG. Is in sliding contact with the peripheral portion of the discharge electrode 15 as indicated by the arrow Y2. For this reason, dust, dirt, and the like attached to the peripheral portion of the discharge electrode 15 on the lower surface of the electrode holding case 14 are also removed.

Note that the amount of displacement of the cleaning member 23 in the front-rear direction indicated by arrows Y1, Y2 and the vertical direction indicated by arrows Z1, Z2 in FIG.
<Return trip>
Next, the cleaning member 23 repeats displacement in the front-rear direction indicated by arrows Y1 and Y2 in FIG. 2A and the vertical direction indicated by arrows Z1 and Z2, while the right indicated by arrow X1 in FIG. When the displacement in the direction is continued, the cleaning member 23 eventually passes through all the discharge electrodes 15 and reaches the return position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. When the cleaning member 23 reaches the return position, this is detected by a position sensor (not shown), and the control device reversely rotates the motor 21 based on the detection result. Along with this, the screw rod 22 also rotates in the reverse direction, and the cleaning member 23 is displaced in the left direction indicated by the arrow X2 in FIG. In the same manner as described above, the brush bristles 26 constituting the brush 27 are in sliding contact with the respective discharge electrodes 15 in the left direction indicated by the arrow X2 in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2C, the brush bristles 26 that have contacted the discharge electrode 15 bend in the same direction (left side) as the displacement direction of the cleaning member 23, and when the discharge electrode 15 has passed. The elastic member returns to the original state orthogonal to the upper surface of the support member 25. As described above, the brush 27 is brought into sliding contact with each discharge electrode 15 in the left direction indicated by the arrow X2 in FIG. 2A, so that dust, dirt, and the like attached to each discharge electrode 15 are removed.

  Here, the cleaning member 23 is displaced as follows each time the motor 21 rotates simultaneously with the leftward displacement indicated by the arrow X2 in FIG. 2A accompanying the reverse rotation of the screw rod 22 described above. To do. That is, when the screw rod 22 rotates counterclockwise with the brush 27 in the reference position (lowering position) shown in FIG. 4A, the brush 27 is moved to the reference position (lowering position) shown in FIG. 4C returns to the reference position shown in FIG. 4A through the ascending position shown in FIG. 4C and the retracted position shown in FIG. 4B. Thus, when the motor 21 is rotated in the reverse direction, the brush 27 is indicated by the left direction indicated by the arrow X2, the front-rear direction indicated by the arrows Y1 and Y2, and the arrows Z1 and Z2 in FIG. It slides on each discharge electrode 15 in the vertical direction. Thereby, dust, dirt, and the like attached to each discharge electrode 15 are removed.

  When the cleaning member 23 passes through all the discharge electrodes 15 and reaches the retracted position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1A, this is detected by a position sensor (not shown), and based on the detection result, The control device stops the motor 21 and finishes cleaning each discharge electrode 15.

  In cleaning each discharge electrode 15, the cleaning member 23 may be reciprocated only once between the retracted position and the return position as described above, or may be reciprocated a plurality of times. When the cleaning member 23 is reciprocated a plurality of times between the retracted position and the return position, when the cleaning member 23 reaches the retracted position, the motor 21 is rotated forward again.

  As described above, the screw rod 22 rotates around the rotation center axis, that is, the output shaft 21a at the position eccentric with respect to the center axis of the screw rod 22 by driving the motor 21. The cleaning member 23 screwed into the screw rod 22 rotates eccentrically integrally with the screw rod 22 while moving in the axial direction with respect to the screw rod 22. Thus, when the cleaning member 23 passes through each discharge electrode 15 in the axial direction of the screw rod 22, the bristles 26 of the brush 27 are in the arrangement direction with respect to each discharge electrode 15 as shown in FIG. In addition to the horizontal direction indicated by arrows X1 and X2 in a), the front-rear direction indicated by arrows Y1 and Y2 and the vertical direction indicated by arrows Z1 and Z2 in FIG. Also in sliding contact. That is, each discharge electrode 15 is cleaned from multiple directions based on the sliding contact of the brush bristles 26 from multiple directions. Therefore, the cleaning ability of the discharge electrode 15 is improved as compared with the case where the brush bristles 26 are brought into sliding contact with the discharge electrode 15 only in one direction along the axial direction of the screw rod 22, for example.

<Effect of Embodiment>
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The cleaning device 20 includes a screw rod 22 that rotates about an output shaft 21a of a motor 21 that is eccentrically connected to its own axis extending along the direction in which each discharge electrode 15 is disposed, and the screw rod. A cleaning member 23 is provided that relatively displaces in the axial direction along with the rotation of 22. The cleaning member 23 is provided with a brush 27 that is in sliding contact with the discharge electrodes 15 in a direction intersecting the arrangement direction and the discharge electrodes 15 as the screw rod 22 is displaced in the axial direction. .

  For this reason, the brush 27 is in sliding contact with each discharge electrode 15 not only in the arrangement direction of each discharge electrode 15 but also in multiple directions intersecting with the arrangement direction. Since each discharge electrode 15 is cleaned based on the sliding contact of the brush 27 from multiple directions, the brush 27 is brought into sliding contact with the discharge electrode 15 only in one direction along the axial direction of the screw rod 22, for example. Compared with the case where it makes, the cleaning capability of the discharge electrode 15 can be improved.

  (2) Further, by connecting the output shaft 21 a of the motor 21 eccentrically with respect to the axis of the screw rod 22, the cleaning member 23 screwed to the screw rod 22 also rotates eccentrically with the screw rod 22. With the eccentric rotation of the cleaning member 23, the brush 27 is displaced in the direction in which the discharge electrodes 15 are arranged and in the direction intersecting with the arrangement direction. Thus, cleaning of each discharge electrode from multiple directions is realized with a simple configuration.

(3) The bristles 26 of the cleaning member 23 are provided so as to extend in the same direction as the discharge electrodes 15.
When the brush 27 is in sliding contact with each discharge electrode 15 in the direction in which they are disposed and in the direction intersecting with the disposition direction as the screw rod 22 rotates, the brush 27 is in sliding contact with each discharge electrode 15 so as to surely cross. . Therefore, the cleaning ability of the discharge electrode 15 can be improved.

  (4) The eccentric amount δ of the output shaft 21a with respect to the axis of the screw rod 22 is set to a value larger than the arrangement intervals d1 and d2 of the brush bristles 26 constituting the brush 27. For this reason, a large number of brush bristles 26 are always in sliding contact with each discharge electrode 15. Therefore, the cleaning ability of the discharge electrode 15 can be improved.

  (5) The brush 27 has a lower surface of the electrode holding case 14 in a displacement process such as the retracted position shown in FIG. 4B → the raised position shown in FIG. 4C → the advanced position shown in FIG. Is in sliding contact with the peripheral portion of the discharge electrode 15 as indicated by the arrow Y2. Simultaneously with the sliding contact, the brush 27 is in sliding contact with the lower surface of the electrode holding case 14 in the direction along the axis of the screw rod 22. Thus, the brush 27 is in sliding contact with not only the discharge electrode 15 but also the peripheral portion of the discharge electrode 15 on the lower surface of the electrode holding case 14 in multiple directions. Dust, dirt, etc. adhering to the peripheral parts of the are also suitably removed.

  (6) When each discharge electrode 15 to which a voltage is applied is used, the cleaning member 23 is held in a retracted position that is a position that does not correspond to any of the discharge electrodes 15 in the displacement direction. For this reason, a voltage is applied to the discharge electrode 15 in a state where the brush 27 is not in contact. Therefore, the discharge characteristics of the discharge electrode 15 are ensured.

  (7) The operation of the motor 21 is started in a state where the application of the voltage to each discharge electrode 15 is stopped. Thus, it is preferable to perform the cleaning of each discharge electrode 15 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 15 to which a high voltage is applied, so that it is difficult to remove dust and dirt attached to the discharge electrode 15.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a plurality of screw rods are connected in their axial directions. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the same members as those in the first embodiment, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the cleaning device 20, the screw rod 22 and the cleaning member 23 are configured as a single unit, and the screw rods 22 of the plurality of units are disk-shaped connecting members in the axial direction. They are connected to each other via 31. As shown in FIG. 6A, the two screw rods 22 connected via the connecting member 31 are located on the central axis O of the connecting member 31 on the two side surfaces of the connecting member 31 opposite to each other. On the other hand, they are connected to each other on the opposite side and to the outer side in the radial direction of the connecting member 31 with the same eccentric amount. Further, the central axis O of the connecting member 31 coincides with the axis of the output shaft 21 a of the motor 21. That is, the two screw rods 22 connected to each other are in the same direction centered on a common rotation center axis that is eccentric with respect to these axes, that is, the output shaft 21a of the motor 21 (exactly its axis). Eccentric rotation. Note that the arrangement interval between the two cleaning members 23 screwed into the two screw rods 22 connected to each other is the same as the arrangement interval between the two adjacent discharge electrodes 15.

  On the premise of such a configuration in which a plurality of units are connected, when the motor 21 is rotated forward, for example, the screw rod 22 directly connected to the output shaft 21a of the motor 21 moves rightward with the output shaft 21a as the center. Eccentric rotation. Accordingly, the connecting member 31 rotates right about the output shaft 21a, and the screw rod 22 connected to the side surface of the connecting member 31 opposite to the motor 21 is the central axis O of the connecting member 31, that is, the output shaft. It rotates eccentrically to the right about 21a. As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, when the motor 21 makes one rotation, the two screw rods 22 connected via the connecting member 31 are in the direction of the axis when viewed from these axial directions. The coupling member 31 always exists at a point-symmetrical position about the central axis O. For this reason, when the two screw rods 22 rotate, the centrifugal force generated in each screw rod 22 is always in the opposite direction. That is, the centrifugal forces generated in the two screw rods 22 cancel each other.

  For example, in the case of obtaining a screw rod having a length l, as shown in FIG. 7A, two screw rods 32a and 32b which are less than the length l are placed on opposite sides with respect to a common rotation center axis. When the single screw rod 32 is formed by shifting the connection, the centrifugal forces F1 generated in the two screw rods 32a and 32b cancel each other as described above. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7B, when a single screw rod 32 having a length l is used, a centrifugal force F2 is always generated in the screw rod 32. And this centrifugal force F2 becomes a larger value than the centrifugal force F1 which generate | occur | produces in each of the two screw rods 32a and 32b which are less than the length l mentioned above. This is because the longer the screw rod, the greater the centrifugal force generated during its eccentric rotation. Even when the motor 21 is rotated in the reverse direction, the same effect as described above is obtained.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Reduction of the load applied to the output shaft 21a of the motor 21 is achieved by canceling out centrifugal forces generated in the plurality of screw rods 22 connected to each other. As a result, the enlargement of the motor 21 is suppressed.

  (2) Further, in the two screw rods 22 connected to each other, the arrangement interval of the cleaning members 23 provided on these two screw rods 22 is the same as the arrangement interval of the discharge electrodes 15 adjacent to each other. The same number of discharge electrodes 15 as that of the cleaning members 23 provided on the screw rods 22 can be simultaneously cleaned. Accordingly, the cleaning time of the discharge electrode 15 can be shortened.

  (3) Further, the required length of the screw rod 22 differs depending on the number of discharge electrodes 15. According to the present embodiment, the screw in the entire cleaning device 20 can be adjusted by adjusting the number of units to be connected. The length of the bar can be adjusted. For example, even if the length of the single screw rod 22 is insufficient, it can be easily handled by simply connecting a plurality of units having the screw rod 22 and the cleaning member 23 as a single unit. In addition, since it is only necessary to connect the units having the same configuration, it is not necessary to individually design the mechanism according to the required length of the screw rod, and the design cost and thus the product cost can be reduced.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is mainly different from the second embodiment in the aspect of connecting a plurality of screw rods and the number of brushes provided on a single cleaning member.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the screw rods 22 of a plurality of units having the screw rod 22 and the cleaning member 23 as a single unit are coaxially connected to each other via a disk-shaped connecting member 31. . For this reason, each screw rod 22 rotates eccentrically about the output shaft 21 a of the motor 21. Further, in the cleaning member 23 provided in each screw rod 22, a plurality of arm portions 25 a are formed at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the screw rod 22 at the tip end portion of the support member 25 which is a component thereof. A brush 27 made up of a large number of brush bristles 26 is provided on the upper surface of each arm 25a. Each brush 27 corresponds to one of the discharge electrodes 15. Further, the support members 25 are connected to each other between the plurality of units. For this reason, all the brushes 27 are displaced synchronously.

  For this reason, according to the present embodiment, by providing a plurality of brushes 27 on a single cleaning member 23, the number of discharge electrodes 15 that can be cleaned simultaneously can be further increased. That is, the cleaning time of the discharge electrode 15 can be further shortened.

  In the present embodiment, the same number of brushes 27 as the discharge electrodes 15 may be provided so as to correspond to each discharge electrode 15 on a one-to-one basis. That is, the arrangement interval between the two adjacent brushes 27 is the same as the arrangement interval between the two adjacent discharge electrodes 15. In this way, since the distance for reciprocating each cleaning member 23 may be small, the cleaning time of the discharge electrode 15 can be further shortened. Note that the number of arm portions 25a constituting each unit is appropriately changed according to the number of discharge electrodes 15.

<Other embodiments>
Each of the above embodiments may be modified as follows.
In the first embodiment, a plurality of cleaning members 23 may be provided. If it does in this way, since each discharge electrode 15 is cleaned using the some cleaning member 23, the improvement of cleaning efficiency will be aimed at. In this case, the distance between the brushes 27 of the cleaning members 23 adjacent to each other may be set to be the same as the arrangement interval between the two discharge electrodes 15 adjacent to each other. In this way, since the plurality of discharge electrodes 15 are simultaneously cleaned based on the sliding contact with the corresponding brush 27, the cleaning time of the discharge electrodes 15 can be shortened. This does not exclude a configuration in which the distance between the brushes 27 of the cleaning members 23 adjacent to each other is different from the arrangement interval between the two discharge electrodes 15 adjacent to each other.

  In the first to third embodiments, the screw rod 22 is eccentrically rotated so that the brush 27 is slidably contacted with each discharge electrode 15 in multiple directions. It may be adopted. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the protrusion 41 is provided on the lower surface of the support member 25. In addition, a plurality of guide members 42 are disposed below the support member 25 and at positions corresponding to the discharge electrodes 15. The guide member 42 is formed in a square plate shape, and its upper surface is a sliding surface 43 formed with a plurality of wavy irregularities. The concave portion 43a and the convex portion 43b constituting the sliding surface 43 extend in a direction (arrow Y1, Y2 direction) orthogonal to the axis of the corresponding discharge electrode 15. Further, in this case, although not shown, the output shaft 21a of the motor 21 is connected to the screw rod 22 coaxially. Further, the support member 25 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material so as to have flexibility, and can swing up and down (in the directions of arrows Z1 and Z2) with a connecting portion with the nut member 24 as a fulcrum.

  In this way, the support member 25 is connected to each discharge electrode 15 through the sliding contact between the protrusion 41 and the unevenness constituting the sliding surface 43 due to the horizontal displacement of the cleaning member 23 indicated by the arrows X1 and X2. The elastic deformation and the elastic return to the original position in the direction crossing the arrangement direction are repeated. As a result, the brush 27 provided on the upper surface of the support member 25 swings in the direction in which the discharge electrodes 15 are arranged (in the directions of arrows X1 and X2) and in the direction intersecting with the direction of arrangement (in the directions of arrows Z1 and Z2). . That is, the brush 27 is in sliding contact with each discharge electrode 15 not only in the arrangement direction thereof but also in the direction intersecting with the arrangement direction. Therefore, even if it is comprised in this way, each discharge electrode 15 will be cleaned from multiple directions based on the slidable contact of the brush 27 from multiple directions, and the cleaning capability of the discharge electrode 15 will be ensured suitably.

  -In 1st-3rd embodiment, although the cleaning apparatus 20 of the discharge electrode 15 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.
The discharge electrode cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a motor is employed as the drive source, and an output shaft of the motor is connected to the screw rod as an eccentric axis and connected to the screw rod as an axis of rotation. Cleaning equipment.

  According to this configuration, the axis of the output shaft of the motor serves as the rotation center axis of the screw rod. The cleaning member can be rotated eccentrically simply by eccentrically connecting the output shaft of the motor to the screw rod. With this simple configuration, cleaning of the discharge electrode from multiple directions is realized.

  -In a method for cleaning a plurality of needle-like discharge electrodes arranged in a straight line at a predetermined interval, a brush of a cleaning member is arranged on the plurality of discharge electrodes through operation of a drive source. A method for cleaning a discharge electrode that is slidably contacted in the intersecting direction by reciprocating in a direction intersecting with the arrangement direction while being slidably contacted in the installation direction.

  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 hair from multiple directions, so that the cleaning ability of the discharge electrode is improved. Can be made.

(A) is a schematic block diagram of the static elimination apparatus of 1st Embodiment, (b) is the sectional view on the AA line of the same figure (a). (A) is a perspective view which shows the schematic structure of a cleaning apparatus similarly, (b), (c) is a principal part front view which shows the sliding contact state with respect to the discharge electrode of the brush in the axial direction of a screw rod. (A) is the BB sectional drawing of the FIG. 2 (a) which shows the state of eccentric rotation of a screw rod, (b) is a schematic perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning space | interval of a bristle. (A)-(d) is a principal part front view which shows the state of the displacement with respect to the discharge electrode of a brush. The schematic perspective view of the cleaning apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. (A)-(d) is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 5 which shows the relative positional relationship of two screw rods when a motor makes one rotation. (A) is a top view which shows the direction of the centrifugal force which generate | occur | produces in two screw rods eccentric to the mutually opposite side, (b) is a top view which shows the direction of the centrifugal force generate | occur | produced in the single screw rod which rotates eccentrically. The schematic perspective view of the cleaning apparatus in 3rd Embodiment. The principal part perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning aspect of the guide member in other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Static elimination apparatus, 15 ... Discharge electrode, 20 ... Cleaning apparatus, 21 ... Motor (drive source), 21a ... Output shaft, 22, 32, 32a, 32b ... Screw rod, 23 ... Cleaning member, 26 ... Brush hair, 27 ... brushes, d1, d2 ... arrangement intervals, δ ... eccentricity.

Claims (9)

In a cleaning device for a plurality of needle-like discharge electrodes arranged in a straight line at a predetermined interval,
A screw rod that rotates about a central axis of rotation that is eccentric with respect to its own axis extending along the direction of arrangement of the plurality of discharge electrodes through operation of the drive source;
The screw rod is screwed so as to be able to advance and retreat in a state where the rotation is restricted, and the screw rod is relatively displaced in the axial direction with the rotation of the screw rod around the rotation center axis. And a cleaning member having a brush slidably contacting the plurality of discharge electrodes in the arrangement direction and the direction intersecting the arrangement direction with the relative displacement.   The discharge electrode cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of cleaning members are screwed onto the screw rod. In the cleaning device of the discharge electrode according to claim 2,
The cleaning device for a discharge electrode, wherein the plurality of cleaning members are screwed onto the screw rods at intervals equal to the interval between the discharge electrodes. In the cleaning apparatus of the discharge electrode as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
A discharge electrode cleaning device in which screw rods of a plurality of units having the screw rod and the cleaning member as a single unit are coaxially connected to each other. In the cleaning apparatus of the discharge electrode as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
The screw rods of a plurality of units having the screw rod and the cleaning member as a single unit are connected in these axial directions, and two screw rods adjacent to each other in the axial direction are respectively connected to these axial lines. A discharge electrode cleaning device connected with a common rotation center axis at an eccentric position. In the cleaning apparatus of the discharge electrode as described in any one of Claims 1-5,
A discharge electrode cleaning device in which a large number of bristles constituting the brush are provided to extend in the same direction as the axis of the discharge electrode. In the cleaning apparatus of the discharge electrode as described in any one of Claims 1-6,
The discharge electrode cleaning apparatus, wherein an eccentric amount of a rotation center axis of the screw rod with respect to an axis of the screw rod is set to be larger than an arrangement interval of a plurality of brush hairs constituting the brush. In the cleaning apparatus of the discharge electrode as described in any one of Claims 1-7,
A discharge electrode cleaning device in which, when using each discharge electrode to which a voltage is applied, the cleaning member is held at a retracted position that is a position not corresponding to any of the discharge electrodes in the displacement direction. In the cleaning apparatus of the discharge electrode as described in any one of Claims 1-8,
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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