JP2010135142A - Ultraviolet-ray radiation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultraviolet-ray radiation device capable of transmitting high-power microwaves to an electrodeless lamp housed in a lamp house for light-emitting the ultraviolet rays via a coaxial cable, while restraining the leakage of microwaves. <P>SOLUTION: A high-pressure power source 12 and a magnetron 12, having a function of oscillating microwaves, to be transmitted through the coaxial cables 181, 182, are housed inside a case 14, and microwaves are radiated from the case 14 to a lamp house 21, where the electrodeless lamp 22 is housed via the coaxial cables 181, 182. A impedance matching adjustment device 201 for performing impedance matching is arranged between the coaxial cables 181, 182 and the lamp house 21 and performs the matching at a stub 28 for adjusting the matching state of the microwaves. The energy level of the microwaves can be improved, since a plurality of coaxial cables 181, 182 for transmitting the microwaves from the case 14 to the lamp house 21 are prepared. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultraviolet irradiation device that emits ultraviolet rays from an electrodeless lamp by microwave power feeding, which is mainly used for printing-related ink drying, semiconductor-related fine exposure, liquid crystal-related adhesive curing, and the like.

Conventionally, a microwave ultraviolet irradiation device that propagates a microwave through a coaxial cable and supplies the microwave to an electrodeless lamp transmits a microwave output from the magnetron through the coaxial cable when supplying microwave energy to the electrodeless lamp. It propagates and is supplied to the electrodeless lamp, and ultraviolet light is emitted from the electrodeless lamp. (For example, Patent Document 1)
JP 2003-109787 A

  In the technique of Patent Document 1 described above, a microwave output from a magnetron is propagated through a coaxial cable and supplied to an electrodeless lamp. In this case, since high-power microwaves are propagated from the coaxial cable, there is a problem that the influence of microwave leakage increases and optimal energy cannot be obtained for the electrodeless lamp.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus that reduces leakage of high-power microwaves transmitted to a lamp house in which an electrodeless lamp that emits ultraviolet rays is accommodated via a coaxial cable.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an ultraviolet irradiation device of the present invention includes a lighting device having a high voltage power source and a magnetron that generates a microwave based on the power source, and a light emitting medium that emits a discharge medium based on the microwave. And a coaxial cable for transmitting the microwave oscillated from the magnetron to the lamp house. A plurality of coaxial cables that transmit waves are used to transmit microwaves.

  According to the present invention, by using a plurality of coaxial cables and dispersing and propagating microwaves and energy, the influence of microwave leakage is reduced, and simple power feeding can be realized.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 6 are diagrams for explaining an embodiment of the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a main part of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a top view of the Ia-Ib cutting line of FIG. 1 as viewed from above, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the essential part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 illustrates an electrodeless lamp. FIG.

  In FIG. 1, 11 is a lighting device comprising a high voltage power source 12 and a magnetron 13 driven by the high voltage power source 12 and generating a microwave. The lighting device 11 is accommodated in a housing 14 formed of a material that can be electromagnetically shielded. The output of the magnetron 13 is sent to the connectors 151 and 152.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the specific configuration between the magnetron 13 and the connectors 151 and 152 is that the microwave emitted from the antenna 131 of the magnetron 13 based on the high-voltage power supply 11 is transmitted through the waveguide 16 and the coaxial / waveguide. It is supplied to the connectors 151 and 152 via the pipe conversion unit 17.

  FIG. 3 shows a specific configuration example of the coaxial / waveguide converter 17. The coaxial / waveguide conversion section 17 is electromagnetically coupled to the microwave generated from the antenna 131 from the waveguide 16 formed in a cylindrical shape with a material that can be electromagnetically shielded as an output of the lighting device 11. To the connectors 151 and 152. Further, the microwaves are transmitted from the connectors 151 and 152 to one end of the coaxial cables 181 and 182, respectively. The connectors 151 and 152 are mechanically and electromagnetically coupled to each other by an operation of screwing into a screw cut at a joint portion with the waveguide 16.

  In FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, the microwaves transmitted through the coaxial cables 181 and 182 are supplied to the lamp house 21 through the connectors 191 and 192 and the alignment adjusters 201 and 202. The matching adjusters 201 and 202 are installed on the side closer to the lamp house 21 in order to perform more precise impedance adjustment.

  An electrodeless lamp 22 is accommodated in a predetermined position in the lamp house 21. A cooling fan 23 is attached to the upper surface of the lamp house 21 to dissipate heat radiated from the electrodeless lamp 22. The irradiation window 24 formed on the lower surface portion of the lamp house 21 irradiates the ultraviolet rays emitted from the electrodeless lamp 22 by reflecting them on the reflectors 251 and 252 arranged on the rear surface.

  In the irradiation window 24, for example, an RF filter 26 that shields microwaves formed by knitting metal wires into a mesh shape or formed by punching a metal plate and transmits ultraviolet rays is disposed. Reference numeral 27 denotes a microwave cavity constituted by the electrodeless lamp 22, the reflectors 251 and 252 and the RF filter 26.

  Here, a configuration example of the electrodeless lamp 22 will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 221 denotes a cylindrical bulb having a length of about 240 mm made of quartz glass that transmits ultraviolet light. The valve 221 is formed by attaching a taper so that the central portion 222 is thinner than both end portions 223 and 224. The outer diameter of both end portions 223 and 224 is about 17 mm, for example, and the outer diameter of the central portion 222 is 10 mm. Degree.

  In the light emission space 225 of the bulb 221, a discharge medium for discharging with an inert gas and a microwave mainly composed of mercury and iron is enclosed. Support portions 226 and 227 that support the valve 221 are formed integrally with the valve 221 at both ends of the valve 221.

  The matching adjusters 201 and 202 are configured as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 describe the matching adjuster 201, but the matching adjuster 202 has the same configuration. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Ia-Ib in FIG.

  That is, the alignment adjuster 201 has a conductive box-like shape made of, for example, aluminum, has a connector 191 attached to one side surface, and an opening that radiates microwaves to the microwave cavity 27 on the other side surface side. Is formed. Further, the matching adjuster 201 is provided with a stub 28 for detecting the reflected voltage of the microwave and adjusting the impedance matching according to the detected voltage.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the stub 181 is an adjustment unit that performs alignment adjustment when the alignment attached to the upper surface of the alignment adjuster 201 is not achieved. The stub 28 can perform impedance matching corresponding to the electrodeless lamp 22 by inserting and removing a plurality of conductive adjusting shafts 61 into and from the matching adjuster 201.

  For example, the adjustment shaft 61 has a screw groove 42 formed on the outer periphery of the adjustment shaft 61, a screw thread 64 is formed on the inner periphery of the adjustment hole 63 opened on the upper surface of the alignment adjuster 16, and the alignment adjustment is performed by turning the stub 28. The inside and outside of the container 201 can be taken in and out.

  Therefore, based on the change in the type and shape of the electrodeless lamp 18, by adjusting the impedance mismatch with the stub 28 of the matching adjuster 201, the microwave irradiation matched with the change in the type and shape of the electrodeless lamp 22 is performed. Can be realized.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 8, the conventional FIG. 8A in which the casing 14 in which the lighting device 11 is accommodated and the lamp house 21 in which the electrodeless lamp 22 is accommodated are joined by a single coaxial cable 18. A difference in energy level in FIG. 8B of the present invention connected by two coaxial cables 181 and 182 will be described. FIGS. 8A and 8B schematically show the energy level in the lamp house 21. FIG.

  8A and 8B show the case where the same coaxial cables 18, 181 and 182 are used, the magnetron 13 is also 500 W, and the frequency of the generated microwave is compared with 2.45 GHz under the same conditions. It is shown schematically.

  That is, the energy level Wb in FIG. 8B in the case of two coaxial cables 181 and 182 is about twice as much as the energy level Wa in FIG. 8A in the case of one coaxial cable 18. high. For this reason, when two coaxial cables are used, the energy efficiency is increased and the luminous efficiency is also improved.

  This is because the energy levels obtained through the coaxial cables 181 and 182 are added by matching the energy transmitted from the two coaxial cables 181 and 182 to the lamp house 21 respectively. Become.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part for explaining another embodiment relating to the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus of the present invention. Components identical to those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted here.

  In this embodiment, magnetrons 131 and 132 corresponding to the coaxial cables 181 and 182 are prepared.

  In a coaxial cable through which a high-frequency current, which is a microwave, flows, when the high-frequency current flows through a conductor, a so-called skin effect occurs in which the current density is high on the surface of the conductor and decreases when it is away from the surface.

  In this embodiment, by using the magnetrons 131 and 132 with small electric power, when the energy level supplied to the lamp house 21 is the same as that in the above embodiment, the influence due to the skin effect by the coaxial cables 181 and 182 is considered as energy. Loss can be suppressed.

  10 and FIG. 11 are partial perspective views, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 10, for explaining another specific example of the alignment adjuster explained in FIG. The matching adjuster 201 will be described, but the matching adjuster 202 has the same configuration.

  This example shows a connection portion of the coaxial cable 181 by the matching adjuster 201 and the connector 191. The matching adjuster 201 is an improved means for matching impedance between the microwave and the microwave cavity 27.

  In other words, impedance matching can be adjusted by inserting and removing the stub 102 having the bottomed 101 in the matching adjuster 201 in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Accordingly, the matching adjuster 201 shown in FIG. 6 can be provided with the same function of taking in and out the adjustment shaft 61 of the stub 28 and performing impedance matching.

  Although the drawing-in / out mechanism of the stub 102 is not illustrated, it is possible to employ a mechanism that can move smoothly and can reliably maintain the state after the movement, such as meshing with a gear.

  Similarly to the stub 28 described with reference to FIG. 6, the matching adjuster 201 of this embodiment can also adjust the impedance matching by moving the stub 102 in and out of the match adjuster 201 when the microwaves are in a mismatched state. Is possible.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, although the example of two coaxial cables has been described, three or more coaxial cables may be used. Although up to two examples of magnetrons are given, three or more magnetrons may be used. When there are a plurality of magnetrons, it is not always necessary to match the coaxial cable to the number corresponding to the magnetron, and it may be designed according to the required specifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The schematic block diagram for demonstrating one Embodiment regarding the ultraviolet irradiation device of this invention. The block diagram of the principal part of FIG. The block diagram for demonstrating the structural example of the electrodeless lamp used by this invention. The top view which looked at the Ia-Ib cutting line of FIG. 1 from the top. Sectional drawing which cuts and shows a part of FIG. 1 principal part. The block diagram for demonstrating the electrodeless lamp used by this invention. Sectional drawing of the IIa-IIb line | wire of FIG. Explanatory drawing for comparing and explaining this invention and the prior art. The schematic block diagram of the principal part for demonstrating other embodiment regarding the ultraviolet irradiation device of this invention. The partial perspective view for demonstrating the other specific example of the alignment adjuster used for this invention. Sectional drawing of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Lighting device 12 High voltage power supply 13,131,132 Magnetron 131 Antenna 14 Case 151,152,191,192 Connector 16 Waveguide 17 Coaxial / waveguide conversion part 181,182 Coaxial cable 201,202 Matching adjustment device 21 Lamp House 22 Electrodeless lamp 24 Irradiation window 251, 252 Reflector 26 RF filter 27 Microwave cavity

Claims (5)

A lighting device comprising a high-voltage power supply and a magnetron that generates microwaves based on the power supply;
A lamp house containing an electrodeless lamp made of a light transmissive dielectric material in which a light emitting medium for emitting a discharge medium based on the microwave is enclosed;
A coaxial cable for transmitting the microwave oscillated from the magnetron to the lamp house, and
An ultraviolet irradiation apparatus, wherein a plurality of coaxial cables for transmitting microwaves to the lamp house are used to transmit microwaves.   The ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the microwave is generated from a plurality of the magnetrons.   3. The ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the number of the coaxial cables when there are a plurality of magnetrons is at least the number of magnetrons.   The ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein a matching adjuster for impedance matching is provided on each of the coaxial cables.   5. The ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the alignment adjuster is provided on the lamp house side.

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