JP2010179240A - Light irradiation unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light irradiation apparatus for irradiating light while changing the light irradiation region in accordance with the shape of a work and equipped with a power consumption-saving type rare gas fluorescent lamp. <P>SOLUTION: The light irradiation unit 100 includes a rare gas fluorescent lamp 1 obtained by applying a phosphor to the inner face of a light emitting pipe 11 and installing a pair of external electrodes along the tubular axis in the outside; operation circuits for turning on the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1; a casing 95 for housing the rare gas fluorescent lamp; and a reflection mirror 97 to irradiate light to a work, and in the light irradiation unit 100, at least one electrode of the external electrodes of the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1 is divided into electrode parts at intervals along the tubular axial direction and includes a plurality of the operation circuits connected independently to the divided external electrode parts, a starting electrode 21 formed in the inner face of the tubular wall in which the external electrode part positioned in at least one end of the rare gas fluorescent lamp, and a lighting control circuit 90 for outputting the lighting signal to the operation circuits. The lighting control circuit 90 is characterized by outputting the lighting signals to the respective operation circuits to apply voltage independently to the respective divided external electrode parts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention comprises a rare gas fluorescent lamp having a pair of electrodes provided along the tube axis outside the arc tube, and the rare gas fluorescent lamp. By irradiating the work with light containing ultraviolet rays, For example, the present invention relates to a light irradiation unit that performs a curing process or a modification process.

Conventionally, using a light irradiation unit equipped with a light source lamp that irradiates light including ultraviolet rays, for example, protective films, adhesives, paints, inks, photoresists, resins, alignment films, etc. on workpieces are cured and dried. Melting or softening, reforming treatment, etc. are widely performed in various fields.
Conventionally, as a fluorescent lamp used for a light source of OA equipment, a backlight of a liquid crystal display device, etc., a pair of strip-like external electrodes are provided on the outer surface of the arc tube, and a high frequency voltage is applied to light the lamp. A rare gas fluorescent lamp of the type is known.

7A is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional external electrode type rare gas fluorescent lamp described in Patent Document 1, for example, FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ZZ ′, and FIG. It is a conventional light irradiator as described.
In FIG. 7A, a rare gas fluorescent lamp 8 includes an arc tube 81 made of a translucent dielectric material, and a pair of strip-shaped external parts spaced on the outer surface of the arc tube 81 with the arc tube 81 interposed therebetween. Electrodes 83 and 84 are disposed along the tube axis direction of the arc tube 81. A fluorescent material is applied to the entire inner surface of the arc tube 81, and a luminous gas made of a rare gas such as Xe gas is sealed inside.
When a high frequency voltage is applied between the external electrodes 83 and 84, an excimer discharge is generated in the discharge space S through the arc tube 81 which is a dielectric material, and the phosphor is excited by the vacuum ultraviolet light generated by the excimer discharge. As a result, light is emitted outside the arc tube 81. The wavelength of the emitted light is determined by the type of phosphor applied to the inner surface of the arc tube.

In FIG. 8, the light irradiator 800 irradiates the work W conveyed by a conveyance mechanism (not shown) so as to pass through a position below the light irradiator 800.
The light irradiator 800 includes a box-shaped lamp house 98 having an opening at the bottom, and a rod-shaped long arc lamp 80 is disposed so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the workpiece W. A reflection mirror 97 that reflects light from the long arc lamp 80 is disposed upward so as to extend along the long arc lamp 80. The light emitted from the long arc lamp 80 is applied to the workpiece W directly or after being reflected by the reflecting mirror 97. Such a light irradiator 800 is used for curing an adhesive with ultraviolet rays, for example.

JP 2008-34211 A JP 2008-130302 A

As a light source of a conventional light irradiator, a rod-shaped long arc lamp in which mercury is enclosed is widespread, and light is irradiated by a light irradiator provided with one or a plurality of the long arc lamps.
In recent years, there is an increasing number of cases where workpieces are conveyed in various sizes rather than a fixed size. For example, on LCD substrates, workpieces of different sizes may be transported on the same production line, and in the case of a workpiece whose irradiation range is small relative to the entire length of the lamp, light emission over the entire length of the lamp is a waste of power consumption. It was. In addition, the long arc type mercury lamp has an electrode inside and discharges in the direction of the tube axis in the arc tube to emit light, and it is difficult to adjust the light emission length.
Further, even in a conventional rare gas fluorescent lamp, it is difficult to appropriately adjust the light emission length in the tube axis direction.
Therefore, the present inventors have found that the external electrode type rare gas fluorescent lamp has a rare gas as the light source of the light irradiation unit because the discharge is not in the tube axis direction and the wavelength of the emitted light is determined by the phosphor. It has been found that a fluorescent lamp is applied.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a light irradiation unit including a rare gas fluorescent lamp that can perform light irradiation by changing a light emitting region according to the shape of a workpiece and can save power consumption.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a rare gas fluorescent lamp having a pair of external electrodes that are coated with a phosphor on the inner surface of an arc tube and arranged outside along the tube axis, and the rare gas fluorescent lamp. In a light irradiation unit that includes a drive circuit that illuminates a light source, a housing that houses the rare gas fluorescent lamp, and a reflection mirror, and irradiates light onto the workpiece, at least one electrode of the external electrode of the rare gas fluorescent lamp Is divided so as to be separated from each other in the tube axis direction, and a tube wall on which a plurality of drive circuits connected separately for each of the divided external electrodes and an external electrode positioned at at least one end of the rare gas fluorescent lamp is formed. And a lighting control circuit for sending a lighting signal to the drive circuit, and the lighting control circuit applies a voltage to each of the divided external electrodes. Characterized in that it sends to the drive circuit.

  Further, according to the present invention, the lighting control circuit applies a voltage for a certain period to all of the divided external electrodes at the time of starting lighting, and then supplies power to the external electrodes corresponding to the lighting region that needs to be irradiated. A lighting signal for stopping power supply to the external electrode corresponding to a lighting region is sent to each driving circuit.

  Further, according to the present invention, the light irradiation unit includes a workpiece detection unit that detects a shape of the workpiece, and the lighting control circuit is a lighting region that needs to be irradiated based on a detection signal transmitted from the workpiece detection unit. And a lighting signal is sent to the drive circuit.

  Moreover, the present invention is characterized in that the light irradiation unit irradiates the workpiece to be conveyed with light simultaneously with the conveyance.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the light irradiation unit includes a plurality of the rare gas fluorescent lamps arranged in parallel.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the housing is provided with a light shielding portion that shields light from the starting portion from leaking to the workpiece.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the voltage applied by the lighting control circuit for a certain period at the start of lighting is a voltage having the same phase.

  According to the present invention, the external electrode of the rare gas fluorescent lamp can be divided in the tube axis direction, and a drive circuit can be connected to each of the divided external electrodes for lighting and light irradiation. Combined irradiation can be performed. Thereby, when irradiating light with respect to the workpiece | work smaller than the full length of a lamp | ramp, power consumption can be saved by eliminating unnecessary irradiation. Further, since the start electrode is provided at the end, the startability of the divided external electrode can be improved.

  In addition, according to the present invention, startability can be improved by performing selective lighting after once generating discharge for all the external electrodes.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the shape of the workpiece is detected by the workpiece detection unit, it is possible to detect an area that needs to be irradiated for each workpiece even when the workpieces having different shapes are processed on the same production line. . Thereby, unnecessary irradiation can be eliminated and power consumption can be saved.

  Further, according to the present invention, by arranging a plurality of rare gas fluorescent lamps in parallel, a desired irradiation region can be configured and the amount of light irradiation can be increased.

  In addition, according to the present invention, even when the work is irradiated with light along with conveyance, the startability is high due to the starter provided at the end of the rare gas fluorescent lamp, so the irradiation region can be easily changed.

  In addition, according to the present invention, by arranging a plurality of rare gas fluorescent lamps in parallel, a sufficient irradiation amount can be ensured and the lighting region can be configured in a desired shape.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the casing is provided with the light shielding part that shields the light emitted from the starting part, the seed discharge of the starting part leaks to the outside and affects the work. No.

  Further, according to the present invention, when a discharge is generated in the entire arc tube at the start of lighting, a voltage having the same phase is applied to all the external electrodes to generate a discharge, so that the adjacent divided external electrodes are connected to each other. Creeping discharge is less likely to occur.

(A) is sectional drawing of the noble gas fluorescent lamp used for the light irradiation unit of this invention, (b) is A-A 'sectional view, (c) is B-B' sectional view. (A) is the partial explanatory view for demonstrating the starting part of the noble gas fluorescent lamp used for the light irradiation unit of this invention, (b) is the partial explanatory view seen from the viewpoint C. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the light irradiation unit of this invention. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the lighting circuit of the light irradiation unit of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the light irradiation unit of this invention. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the light irradiation unit of this invention. (A) It is sectional drawing of the conventional rare gas fluorescent lamp, (b) is a Z-Z 'sectional view. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the conventional light irradiation device.

This will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a rare gas fluorescent lamp of the light irradiation unit of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB ′.
In FIG. 1, a rare gas fluorescent lamp 1 includes an arc tube 11 made of a light-transmitting dielectric material such as glass, and a pair of strip-like external electrodes 130 sandwiching the arc tube 11 on the outer surface of the arc tube 11. 131, 132, 133, and 14 are disposed along the tube axis direction of the arc tube 11. On the inner surface of the arc tube 11, a phosphor layer 12 is formed in which a phosphor that mainly emits ultraviolet light is applied over the entire area.

These external electrodes are not particularly limited as long as they are conductive. For example, gold, silver, nickel, carbon, gold palladium, silver palladium, platinum, aluminum, and the like can be suitably used, and light emission This can be realized by sticking a tape-like metal on the outer surface of the tube 11 or screen-printing and baking a conductive paste. Except for the power feeding portion of the external electrode, it is covered with a protective film obtained by baking glass paste.
The glass constituting the arc tube is, for example, borosilicate glass or aluminosilicate glass. Depending on the wavelength used, Kovar glass, tungsten glass, soda lime glass, barium glass, or the like may be used.
The rare gas sealed in the arc tube 11 is, for example, xenon, krypton, argon, neon, or a mixed gas thereof, and is sealed at about 10 to 300 Torr.

The phosphor applied to the inner surface of the arc tube 11 converts excimer emission into ultraviolet light of, for example, 250 nm to 400 nm. Specifically, LaPO ₄ : Gd or Pr, SrB ₄ O ₇ : Eu, LaMgAl ₁₁ O ₁₉ : Ce, LaPO ₄ : Ce, YPO ₄ : Ce, YBO ₃ : Pr, and the like. Ultraviolet light having such a wavelength is used for curing applications such as curing of adhesives and ink.
When a high frequency voltage is applied between the external electrodes, an excimer discharge is generated in the discharge space S through the arc tube 11 that is a dielectric material, and the phosphor is excited by the vacuum ultraviolet light generated by the excimer discharge to emit light. Ultraviolet light or the like is emitted outside the tube 11.

  The external electrodes 130, 131, 132, and 133 are all electrodes of the same polarity that are connected to the high voltage side, but are divided and arranged so as to be separated from each other in the tube axis direction. On the other hand, the external electrode 14 having a different polarity is a common ground electrode for the external electrodes 130, 131, 132, and 133. These are collectively called a pair of external electrodes. The external electrode 14 may be divided into a plurality of parts in the tube axis direction.

Thus, one electrode 130, 131, 132, and 133 is divided | segmented and arrange | positioned along the pipe-axis direction. By separately connecting drive circuits capable of supplying high-frequency power independently to each of the plurality of electrodes, it is possible to supply power differently between the electrodes.
That is, since each divided external electrode can emit light, it is possible to emit light between the external electrode 131 and the external electrode 14 and not to emit light between the external electrode 132 and the external electrode 14.

As shown in FIG. 1B, in the cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1, the inner surface side of the tube wall where the leftmost external electrode 130 is provided is made of, for example, carbon paste. The starter electrode 21 is formed in a C shape over a half circumference in the circumferential direction of the arc tube 11. This starting electrode 21 generates a seed discharge for improving the starting performance, and is provided so as to intersect the external electrodes 131 and 14 through the tube wall of the arc tube 11 which is a dielectric material, and is capacitively coupled. Has been. The starting electrode 21 is a conductive material, and the material is not limited as long as it has a high sputtering resistance.
A region where the external electrode 130 and the starting electrode 21 are provided at the end of the arc tube 11 is referred to as a starting unit 20. Moreover, the area | region other than the start part 20 is called the light emission part 22 in the meaning which bears the main irradiation light as a light irradiation unit.

2A is a partial explanatory view for explaining the starting part 20 of the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1 of the light irradiation unit of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a partial explanatory view seen from the viewpoint C. FIG.
In FIG. 2 (a), the voltage on the high voltage side electrode 130 disposed on the outer surface of the tube wall where the starting electrode 21 is formed on the inner surface of the arc tube 11 is higher than that between the external electrodes. By applying a low appropriate high-frequency voltage, direct discharge between the external electrode 130 and the external electrode 14 is not caused between the external electrode 130 and the start electrode 21 or between the external electrode 14 and the start electrode 21. In between, a small-scale seed discharge ID can be generated.

As shown in FIG. 2B, when the inside of the arc tube 11 is observed from the viewpoint C in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 2A, the starting electrode 21 and the outside are connected via the tube wall of the arc tube 11. A seed discharge ID is generated between the electrodes 14.
When such a seed fire discharge ID is generated, the light emitting unit 22 adjacent to the starter unit 20 can easily start the discharge from a low voltage by using the seed fire discharge ID as a preliminary ionization discharge.
In the case of a lamp in which the external electrode is divided in the tube axis direction as in the present invention, if easy starting means such as the starting electrode 21 is provided on the external electrode constituting the light emitting unit 22, the emitted light is hindered. As an alternative, a starter 20 is provided. As a result, even the external electrodes 131, 132, 133, and 134 that do not include easy-starting means can start discharging from a low voltage.
Moreover, since the seed discharge ID is generated only in a narrow region as shown in the figure, the power consumption is very small even if the discharge is maintained. Therefore, the discharge may be maintained during use of the light irradiation unit.
The starter 20 is preferably provided at the end of the arc tube 11. Further, the starter 20 may be provided at both ends of the arc tube. This is because startability is further improved by starting from both ends.
As shown in the figure, the starting electrode 21 is provided on the inner surface of the tube wall to which no phosphor is applied. Accordingly, the light emitted by the seed fire discharge ID is emitted as it is without being converted, and is thus shielded by a light shielding means described later so as not to affect the workpiece.

As described above, the rare gas fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. 1A can supply power to each external electrode divided in the tube axis direction, and can select and turn on the lighting region. A problem arises because the divided external electrodes are close to each other and are lit differently.
Specifically, when a voltage is applied to the external electrode 132 without applying a voltage to the external electrode 131 at the time of starting, the external electrode 132 is more than the discharge between the external electrode 132 and the external electrode 14 because the distance is short. And creeping discharge that occurs between the external electrode 131 and the external electrode 131 are likely to occur. Further, the external electrode located away from the starter 20 is less likely to discharge during start-up. Therefore, the lighting start is performed as follows.

  First, a voltage is applied for a certain period to all the divided external electrodes. Then, due to the effect of the seed fire discharge ID of the starter 20, discharge occurs at a low voltage, and the discharge spreads quickly from the starter 20 side to the entire arc tube. After the discharge spreads over the entire arc tube, the area where lighting is unnecessary is turned off. Thereby, it can discharge easily from a low voltage and can perform selective lighting.

  Here, the time of starting refers to, for example, the lighting timing when no voltage is applied to any of the external electrodes and lighting is not performed for this rare gas fluorescent lamp. In addition, starting is because the external electrode type rare gas fluorescent lamp is turned on by applying a pulse voltage, an AC voltage, etc., strictly speaking, it is turned on and off intermittently by turning on and off the polarity. However, it means a series of lighting performed for a certain period in order to cause discharge in the arc tube.

In addition, creeping discharge can be made difficult to occur when the voltage applied to all the divided external electrodes for a certain period at the time of starting is set to the same phase voltage.
It should be noted that extinguishing a region where lighting is not necessary is the same even if the light emission amount is reduced by dimming instead of turning off.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the processing of the light irradiation unit of the present invention using the rare gas fluorescent lamp of FIG. 1, (a) before the processing, (b) the light irradiation unit at the time of processing. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode seen from right above.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining a lighting circuit of the light irradiation unit of the present invention.
In FIG. 3, the external electrode 14 provided outside the arc tube of the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1 is a ground electrode, and external electrodes 130, 131, 132, 133, and 134 are spaced apart in the tube axis direction as electrodes on the high voltage side. Provided. A starting electrode (not shown) is provided on the inner wall of the arc tube at the position where the external electrode 130 is provided, and constitutes the starting unit 20. A drive circuit capable of supplying a high-frequency voltage independently is connected between the external electrodes 131, 132, 133, 134 and the external electrode 14, and power is independently supplied to each electrode to perform dimming / flashing. Illuminated.
The regions that can be lit independently are lighting regions LD1, LD2, LD3, and LD4, and the locations are shown in FIG.
Further, the workpiece W is transported by a transport mechanism (not shown) in a direction indicated by an arrow, for example. The conveyance direction and the tube axis direction of the lamp are substantially orthogonal to each other. A workpiece detection unit 91 for detecting a workpiece is provided upstream of the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1 in the transport direction.

In FIG. 3A, the front side of the paper is the upper side and the rear side of the paper is the lower side, and the workpiece W is conveyed so as to pass under the rare gas fluorescent lamp. The work detection unit 91 is provided either above or below the work W.
The workpiece detection unit 91 is a line sensor, a position detection sensor, or the like, for example, and is arranged along the tube axis direction and can detect the shape of the workpiece W being conveyed. The workpiece detector 91 only needs to detect at least the width of the workpiece W in the tube axis direction, and may further be able to detect in the transport direction.
When the workpiece W is conveyed to the detection range of each workpiece detector 91, information on the shape of the detected workpiece W is sent as a detection signal.

In FIG. 4, the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1 is the same as that shown in FIG. Separate independent drive circuits 71, 72, 73, and 74 are connected to the lighting regions LD1, LD2, LD3, and LD4 that emit light by discharge between the external electrodes 131, 132, 133, and 134 and the external electrode 14, respectively. Also, another drive circuit 70 is connected to the starting unit 20.
Each drive circuit is composed of transformers 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 and inverter units 50, 51, 52, 53 and 54. The inverter unit of each drive circuit is connected to the lighting control circuit 90, and the DC power source 30 is connected to the lighting control circuit 90. A detection signal detected by the work detection unit 91 is sent to the lighting control circuit 90.

When the lighting control circuit 90 receives the workpiece W detection signal from the workpiece detector 91, a lighting area that needs to be irradiated is determined based on the shape of the workpiece W.
The lighting control circuit 90 sends a lighting signal to the inverter unit of each drive circuit. This lighting signal means that a voltage is applied to all of the divided external electrodes for a certain period of time to cause a discharge in the entire arc tube, and then power supply is continued to the external electrodes corresponding to the lighting area that needs to be irradiated. This is a lighting signal for stopping the power supply to the external electrode corresponding to the unnecessary lighting region.
Each inverter unit that has received the lighting signal converts the DC voltage supplied from the DC power source 30 into an AC voltage, and this AC voltage is boosted by each transformer and applied to the external electrodes 130, 131, 132, 133, and 134. Supplied as

For example, in FIG. 3B, based on the shape of the workpiece detected by the workpiece detector 91, the lighting control circuit 90 determines that light irradiation is performed only from the lighting regions LD2 and LD3, and the lighting signal is driven by each drive. Sent to the circuit.
Each drive circuit supplies power to all the divided external electrodes for a certain period when lighting is started, and discharge is once generated. Then, by supplying an AC voltage to the divided external electrodes 132 and 133, light is emitted from the lighting regions LD2 and LD3 that need to be irradiated, and light is irradiated toward the region below each lighting region. At this time, for the lighting regions LD1 and LD4 that do not require irradiation, the power supply is stopped and the lighting is not performed, or the light emission amount is reduced by dimming.

  As described above, discharge can be easily started from a low voltage by the starter 20 discharge, and selective irradiation in accordance with the shape of the workpiece is performed to eliminate unnecessary irradiation and save power consumption. Can do.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example in which the light irradiation unit of the present invention is constituted by a plurality of rare gas fluorescent lamps.
In the housing 95 of the light irradiation unit 100, a plurality of rare gas fluorescent lamps including the rare gas fluorescent lamps 1, 2, and 3 are accommodated in parallel. Since the rare gas fluorescent lamp is the same as that shown in FIG. 1, the description thereof is omitted, and a part of the rare gas fluorescent lamp and its configuration are omitted from the reference numerals. In this figure, the front is an irradiation surface from which the light of the rare gas fluorescent lamp is emitted. Accordingly, in this case, the light is emitted toward the front side of the page.
The divided external electrode 131 of the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1, the external electrode 231 of the rare gas fluorescent lamp 2, and the external electrode of the rare gas fluorescent lamp 3 correspond to the same position in the tube axis direction. Are adjacent.
By utilizing the fact that the lighting regions are adjacent to each other, the external electrodes 131, 231 and 331 are connected to the same drive circuit 71, so that the lighting region corresponding to the position where these external electrodes are provided is It is possible to make one lighting region LD11 that performs the same operation by the driving circuit.

In addition to the lighting region LD11, the lighting regions LD12, LD13, LD14, and the starting unit 20 are configured by the divided external electrodes of the rare gas fluorescent lamps 1, 2, and 3, and the driving circuits 71, 72, and 73 are respectively provided. , 74. The number of lighting regions is not limited to the illustrated example, and is appropriately set according to the number of lamps and the number of divisions of external electrodes.
In this way, if a plurality of rare gas fluorescent lamps are arranged in parallel and the divided external electrodes corresponding to the same position in the tube axis direction of adjacent lamps are combined into one lighting region, dimming can be performed. One lighting region, which is a unit to be performed, can be configured with an arbitrary size, and a sufficient irradiation amount can be secured by a plurality of lamps.
Further, even in a region where the starting electrode is not provided due to the action of the starting unit 20, it is possible to easily start discharging from a low voltage at the time of starting, so even if a plurality of lamps are arranged, the external electrodes of adjacent lamps Undesirable discharge hardly occurs between the external electrodes.

  The housing 95 is made of, for example, a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel, and the housing 95 is provided with a light shielding portion 96 serving as a lid material that shields the light of the starter discharge of the starter 20 described above. The light shielding portion 96 is a plate material made of the same material as the housing 95, for example. Thereby, since the light of the seed-fire discharge of the starting part 20 can be shielded, even if the seed-fire discharge is maintained, the light does not leak and the light irradiation to the workpiece is not affected.

  Even when one drive circuit is connected to the divided external electrodes corresponding to the same position in the tube axis direction of the plurality of adjacent lamps in this way, the operation is the same, so the lamps are divided in the tube axis direction. This is the same as connecting the drive circuit separately for each external electrode formed.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the light irradiation unit 100 of the present invention cut along a plane orthogonal to the tube axis direction of the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1. A box-shaped housing 95 opens downward, and a plurality of rare gas fluorescent lamps 1 are arranged and accommodated in parallel. In this figure, the light emission direction is the lower side of the page where the housing opens, as indicated by the arrows. The light emitting portions of the rare gas fluorescent lamps are arranged in the light emitting direction. Therefore, in this case, the workpiece W is positioned below the light irradiation unit 100.
Inside the housing 95, a reflection mirror 97 for reflecting the light of the rare gas fluorescent lamp is provided. Drive circuits 70, 71, 72, etc. are arranged outside the housing 95.

  The cross section of the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1 is the same as the cross section of the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1 shown in FIG. The light emitted from the rare gas fluorescent lamp 1 is emitted vertically between the external electrodes 131 and 14. The light traveling downward is applied to the workpiece W as it is, and the light traveling upward is reflected by the reflection mirror 97 and used effectively so as to be applied to the workpiece W.

When the workpiece W is transported, it is transported in the direction of the arrow by a transport mechanism (not shown) such as a roller conveyor. When the workpiece W is not conveyed, it can be turned off.
As shown in this figure, when a plurality of workpieces W sequentially pass under the light irradiation unit 100, appropriate irradiation is performed by changing the lighting area that needs to be irradiated in a timely manner according to the workpiece W. It can be carried out.
For example, the workpiece detection unit (not shown) detects the shape of the workpiece first, performs irradiation according to the shape of the workpiece conveyed first, and then turns off until the next workpiece is conveyed. It can also be said that the lighting is started again and the irradiation is performed in accordance with the shape of the workpiece to be conveyed later. The detection of the workpiece W at this time is performed by the aforementioned workpiece detection unit provided on the upstream side in the transport direction.
Since the lighting area must be changed quickly depending on the type of workpiece W and the conveyance speed, it is advantageous that the lighting section can be easily started by the starter.

  The application of the present invention is not limited to the case of transporting a workpiece, but can also be used in batch processing for irradiating light to a stationary workpiece after the light irradiation unit 100 itself is operated or transported.

1 rare gas fluorescent lamp 11 arc tube 12 phosphor layer 130 external electrode 131 external electrode 132 external electrode 133 external electrode 134 external electrode 12 phosphor layer 14 external electrode 15 protective film 20 starting unit 21 starting electrode 22 light emitting unit 30 DC power supply 40 Transformer 41 Transformer 42 Transformer 43 Transformer 44 Transformer 50 Inverter unit 51 Inverter unit 52 Inverter unit 53 Inverter unit 54 Inverter unit 70 Driving circuit 71 Driving circuit 72 Driving circuit 73 Driving circuit 74 Driving circuit 8 Noble gas fluorescent lamp 81 Luminescent tube 82 Phosphor Layer 83 External electrode 84 External electrode 85 Protective film 80 Long arc lamp 800 Light irradiator 90 Lighting control circuit 91 Work detection unit 95 Housing 96 Light shielding unit 97 Reflection mirror 98 Lamp house LD1 Lighting region LD11 Lighting region ID Seed discharge S Electric space W work

Claims (7)

A rare gas fluorescent lamp having a pair of external electrodes coated with a phosphor on the inner surface of the arc tube and arranged outside along the tube axis, a drive circuit for lighting the rare gas fluorescent lamp, and the rare gas fluorescent lamp In a light irradiation unit that includes a housing for housing and a reflection mirror, and irradiates light on a workpiece,
At least one of the external electrodes of the rare gas fluorescent lamp is divided so as to be separated in the tube axis direction,
A plurality of drive circuits connected separately and independently for each of the divided external electrodes;
A starting electrode formed on the inner surface of the tube wall on which an external electrode located at least one end of the rare gas fluorescent lamp is formed;
A lighting control circuit for sending a lighting signal to the drive circuit,
The lighting control circuit applies a voltage to each of the divided external electrodes and sends a lighting signal to each driving circuit. The lighting control circuit applies a voltage for a certain period to all of the divided external electrodes at the start of lighting, and then supplies power to the external electrodes corresponding to the lighting areas that need to be irradiated, so as to correspond to unnecessary lighting areas. The light irradiation unit according to claim 1, wherein a lighting signal for stopping power feeding to the external electrode is sent to each drive circuit. The light irradiation unit includes a workpiece detection unit that detects the shape of the workpiece,
3. The light according to claim 2, wherein the lighting control circuit determines a lighting region that needs to be irradiated based on a detection signal sent from the workpiece detection unit, and sends a lighting signal to the drive circuit. Irradiation unit.   The said light irradiation unit irradiates light simultaneously with conveyance with respect to the said workpiece | work conveyed, The light irradiation unit of Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The light irradiation unit according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation unit includes a plurality of the rare gas fluorescent lamps arranged in parallel.   The light irradiation unit according to claim 1, wherein the casing is provided with a light shielding portion that shields light from the starting portion from leaking to the workpiece.   The light irradiation unit according to claim 2, wherein the voltage applied by the lighting control circuit for a certain period at the start of lighting is a voltage having the same phase.

Images