JP2014083470A - Ultraviolet irradiation device and ultraviolet irradiation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small ultraviolet irradiation device which has simplified means for cooling a light source.SOLUTION: An ultraviolet irradiation device 100 comprises: a treatment vessel 12 for accommodating a product to be treated therein; a light source 18 which is provided in the treatment vessel 12 and irradiates the product to be treated with an ultraviolet ray; a vacuum pump 22 for decompressing an inner part of the treatment vessel 12; and a ventilation part in which air to be inhaled by the vacuum pump 22 passes so as to cool the light source 18. The ultraviolet irradiation device 100 further comprises a housing 10 for accommodating the treatment vessel 12 therein. The ventilation part 20 may be formed by a space between the treatment vessel 12 and the housing 10.

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for irradiating an object to be processed provided in a processing container with ultraviolet rays.

  Ultraviolet rays are widely used in the fields of resin curing with ultraviolet rays, sterilization or sterilization treatment in the medical and food fields. In recent years, along with increasing people's interest in food safety and hygiene, the prevention of infections such as O-157 and other bacteria and influenza viruses has been emphasized, and can be effectively sterilized. A device is sought.

  For example, as an apparatus for efficiently irradiating an object to be processed by irradiating ultraviolet rays, an apparatus that irradiates ultraviolet rays by reducing the pressure in the chamber can be given. In such an apparatus, in order to improve sterilization efficiency, a mechanism for generating ozone by irradiation of ultraviolet rays and a mechanism for adjusting the temperature and humidity in the processing container are shown (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2006-20669 A JP 2010-233606 A

  In the field of medical treatment and food processing, various devices have already been introduced in many cases, and the device is required to be small in consideration of space constraints. Even when used in everyday situations, it is desirable that the device is small so that it can be installed anywhere and used easily.

  In addition, an ultraviolet light source such as a mercury lamp or an ultraviolet LED (Light Emitting Diode) may be deteriorated by heat generated by the light source, and it is desirable to use it while cooling it appropriately. In this case, it is desirable that the cooling means of the light source can be reduced in size.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a compact ultraviolet irradiation device in which means for cooling a light source is simplified.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a processing container for storing an object to be processed, a light source for irradiating the object to be processed with ultraviolet light, and an interior of the processing container. A vacuum pump for depressurization; and a ventilation part through which air sucked by the vacuum pump cools the light source.

  According to the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus of the said aspect, the ultraviolet-ray transmittance in a processing container can be improved by decompressing the inside of a processing container with a vacuum pump. Further, the light source can be cooled by the air sucked by the vacuum pump.

  The ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to the above aspect may further include a housing that accommodates the processing container, and the ventilation portion may be formed by a space between the processing container and the housing.

  In the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to the above aspect, the processing container further includes an input port for receiving an object to be processed and an outlet for extracting the object to be processed, and the apparatus does not open the input port and the outlet at the same time. A safety mechanism may be provided.

  In the ultraviolet irradiation device of the above aspect, the light source may be a light emitting diode.

  In the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus of the above aspect, a plurality of the light emitting diodes may be provided on the entire wall of the processing container.

  In the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus of the above aspect, the vent may include a duct extending so as to connect portions corresponding to each of the plurality of light emitting diodes provided on the entire wall of the processing container.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is an ultraviolet irradiation method. The ultraviolet irradiation method includes a first pressure reducing step for reducing the pressure inside the processing container with the processing object put therein, an irradiation step for irradiating the processing object with ultraviolet light using a light source provided in the processing container, and a first pressure reducing step. A depressurization stop step for stopping depressurization, a release step for releasing the depressurization by taking air into the processing container with the object to be processed, and a second step for depressurizing the inside of the processing container following the release step. A depressurization step. In at least one of the first decompression step and the second decompression step, air sucked when decompressing the processing container flows so as to cool the light source.

  According to the ultraviolet irradiation method of the said aspect, a light source can be cooled using the flow of the air attracted | sucked in a pressure reduction step. In addition, when the inside of the processing container is sufficiently decompressed by the first decompression step and air cannot be sucked, the air sucked in the second decompression step is taken after the air is taken into the processing container by the release step. The flow can be used to cool the light source. Therefore, it is possible to continuously cool the light source that emits ultraviolet rays.

  In the ultraviolet irradiation method of the above aspect, the air taken into the processing container in the releasing step may flow so as to cool the light source.

  According to the ultraviolet irradiation device of the present invention, the means for cooling the light source can be simplified and the device can be miniaturized.

It is a figure which shows the ultraviolet irradiation device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of an ultraviolet irradiation device. It is a figure which shows the AA line cross section in the ultraviolet irradiation device of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of an ultraviolet irradiation device. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of an ultraviolet irradiation device. It is a figure which shows the ventilation part in the ultraviolet irradiation device which concerns on a modification. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the ventilation part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the ultraviolet irradiation device which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1, and FIG. 2 shows an internal configuration of the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 100. The ultraviolet irradiation device 100 irradiates ultraviolet rays by irradiating ultraviolet rays to a medical instrument or cooking utensil which is an object to be processed placed inside the processing container 12 by irradiating ultraviolet rays or putting an ultraviolet curable resin poured into a mold. Therefore, it can be used for the purpose of curing the resin.

  The ultraviolet irradiation device 100 includes a housing 10, a processing container 12, a light source 18, a vacuum pump 22, and an intake valve 24. A processing container 12 is provided in the housing 10.

  The housing 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape, and is formed of a metal plate containing iron or the like. The housing 10 includes a door 42 that can be opened and closed at a position corresponding to a loading / unloading port 40 described later of the processing container 12, and a door sensor 48 that detects the open / closed state of the door 42.

  The door 42 seals the entrance / exit 40 so that the inside of the housing 10 and the processing container 12 is kept airtight in the closed state. The door 42 includes a window 46, and a transparent material such as a glass plate is fitted into the window 46 so that the inside of the processing container 12 can be visually recognized in the closed state. The window 46 is made of a material that does not transmit the ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source 18 so that the ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source 18 do not leak outside the housing 10.

  The housing 10 includes a display unit 30 and an operation unit 32. The display unit 30 is a liquid crystal display that displays an operation state of the ultraviolet irradiation device 100. The operation unit 32 includes a switch for operating the ultraviolet irradiation device 100 and the like, and can start or stop the operation of the ultraviolet irradiation device 100. Further, the operation unit 32 sets the atmospheric pressure of the processing container 12 at the time of decompression, the intensity of ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source 18, and the time.

  The housing 10 includes a control unit 28. The control unit 28 is electrically connected to the light source 18, the vacuum pump 22, the intake valve 24, the display unit 30, the operation unit 32, the door sensor 48, and an atmospheric pressure sensor 50 described later, and a control signal for controlling these operations. Send and receive. The control unit is realized by, for example, elements such as a CPU of a computer.

  The processing container 12 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape like the casing 10 and is formed of a metal plate or the like. The outer casing 10 and the inner processing container 12 have a double structure, and a ventilation portion 20 is formed in the space between the casing 10 and the processing container 12. The processing container 12 is provided with a loading / unloading port 40 for loading / unloading an object to be processed. A plurality of light sources 18 are provided on the entire wall on the surface where the entrance / exit 40 is not provided.

  A plurality of light sources 18 are provided in the processing container 12, and irradiate ultraviolet rays onto the object to be processed placed in the processing container 12. In the present embodiment, an ultraviolet LED is used as the light source 18, and a light source 18 having a center wavelength or peak wavelength included in the ultraviolet region of about 200 nm to 400 nm is used. As such an ultraviolet LED, for example, an LED using aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) is known.

  As for the ultraviolet LED used as the light source 18, it is desirable to appropriately select the center wavelength or the peak wavelength according to the purpose of use of the ultraviolet irradiation device 100. For example, when used for sterilization or sterilization, it is preferable to use a light source that emits ultraviolet light called a sterilization line near a wavelength of 260 nm. When used for resin curing, it is desirable to select an optimum wavelength for resin curing according to the resin material and the like.

  The processing container 12 includes an exhaust hole 34 for adjusting the internal atmospheric pressure, an intake hole 36, and an atmospheric pressure sensor 50 for detecting the internal atmospheric pressure. The exhaust hole 34 is connected to the vacuum pump 22 through the ventilation part 20, and by operating the vacuum pump 22, as indicated by the solid line arrow X in FIG. The air is exhausted.

  The intake hole 36 communicates with the intake valve 24. When the intake valve 24 is opened, outside air is taken into the decompressed processing container 12 through the intake hole 36 as indicated by the broken arrow Y in FIG. The decompression of the processing container 12 is released. A filter 26 for removing dust and bacteria contained in the outside air is provided in front of the intake valve 24.

  The ventilation unit 20 is a space that connects the exhaust hole 34 of the processing container 12 and the vacuum pump 22, and is a path through which air exhausted from the processing container 12 passes when the vacuum pump 22 is operated to decompress the processing container 12. is there. At this time, the air sucked at the time of decompression flows through the ventilation portion 20 so as to cool the light source 18. The light source 18 is thermally connected to the wall of the processing container 12, and the air heated through the wall of the processing container 12 is exhausted through the vacuum pump 22 due to the flow of air in the ventilation portion 20. .

  The processing container 12 includes a heat sink 52 provided so as to be in contact with the outer wall. FIG. 3 shows a cross section taken along line AA in the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus of FIG. The heat sink 52 is connected to the light source 18 by a member having high thermal conductivity, heat generated when the light source 18 emits ultraviolet rays is transmitted, and the heat sink 52 is cooled by being hit by air flowing through the ventilation portion 20. The heat sink 52 is desirably disposed at a position facing the light source 18 with the wall of the processing container 12 interposed therebetween so that the light source 18 can be efficiently cooled. The heat sink 52 may be thermally connected to the housing 10 so that heat can be radiated through the housing 10. In this case, the inside of the processing container 12 is depressurized by the vacuum pump 22, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in heat dissipation due to gradually decreasing the amount of air flowing through the ventilation portion 20.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the ultraviolet irradiation device 100. The ultraviolet irradiation device 100 includes the light source 18, the vacuum pump 22, the intake valve 24, the control unit 28, the display unit 30, the operation unit 32, the door sensor 48, and the atmospheric pressure sensor 50 described above.

  The control unit 28 acquires input information from the user received by the operation unit 32. The input information received from the operation unit 32 is, for example, set values such as the intensity and time of ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source 18 and the atmospheric pressure of the processing container 12 during decompression. Further, the control unit 28 periodically acquires the door open / closed state detected by the door sensor 48 and the atmospheric pressure data measured by the atmospheric pressure sensor 50.

  When the controller 28 confirms that the door 42 is in the open state, the controller 28 does not turn on the light source 18 for safety. At this time, the control unit 28 may alert the user by displaying on the display unit 30 that the operation cannot be started because the door 42 is open, or by generating an alarm sound for a short time.

  When the control unit 28 confirms that the door 42 is in the closed state, the control unit 28 turns on the light source 18 and controls the light source 18 to emit ultraviolet rays with a predetermined intensity received by the operation unit 32. During irradiation with ultraviolet rays, the control unit 28 operates the vacuum pump 22 based on the measurement value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 50 to depressurize the inside of the processing container 12 and opens the intake valve 24 to release the depressurization. At this time, the control unit 28 irradiates the ultraviolet rays while repeatedly reducing and releasing the pressure within a range of the atmospheric pressure value that does not disturb the ultraviolet transmittance. The range of the atmospheric pressure value to be set is desirably determined according to the performance of the vacuum pump 22 to be used, the required intensity of ultraviolet irradiation, and the like. For example, the upper limit value and the lower limit value are set within a range of 5 to 100 kPa.

  Note that the control unit 28 may notify the user of the completion of ultraviolet irradiation by causing the display unit 30 to display that the ultraviolet irradiation has been completed or by generating an alarm sound.

The operation of the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 100 having the above configuration will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the ultraviolet irradiation device 100. When the input operation for starting the operation is received from the user in a state where the object to be processed is put in the processing container 12, the control unit 28 checks whether the door of the door 42 is closed (S10). When the door 42 is closed (Y in S10), the light source 18 is turned on to start ultraviolet irradiation (S12), and the vacuum pump 22 is operated to start depressurization of the processing container 12 (S14). When the door 42 is not closed (N of S10), the control unit 28 does not turn on the light source 18.

  After the vacuum pump 22 is operated, when the pressure in the processing container 12 is equal to or lower than the set value and pressure reduction is completed (Y in S16), the control unit 28 stops the vacuum pump 22 (S18). When the pressure reduction is not completed (N in S16), the control unit 28 continues the operation of the vacuum pump 22.

  After stopping the vacuum pump 22, the control unit 28 opens the intake valve 24 to release the decompression of the processing container 12 (S20). After opening the intake valve 24, the intake of the outside air from the intake valve 24 is continued until the decompression of the processing container 12 is released (N in S22). After the decompression of the processing container 12 is released (Y in S22), the control unit 28 determines whether or not the set ultraviolet irradiation time has elapsed (S24). When it is determined that the irradiation time of the set ultraviolet ray has elapsed and the irradiation of the ultraviolet ray is completed (Y in S24), the light source 18 is turned off and the ultraviolet ray irradiation is stopped (S26). On the other hand, when the set ultraviolet irradiation time has not elapsed (N in S24), the process container 12 is repeatedly depressurized (S14 to S18) and depressurized (S20, S22) until the irradiation time elapses. The light source 18 that emits is continuously cooled.

  The ultraviolet irradiation device 100 according to the first embodiment uses an ultraviolet LED as the light source 18. In general, since the ultraviolet LED can be reduced in size as compared with an ultraviolet lamp such as a mercury lamp, the ultraviolet irradiation device 100 can be downsized by using the ultraviolet LED as the light source 18. Moreover, by using ultraviolet LED, many can be arrange | positioned and provided in the wall of the processing container 12, and a to-be-processed object can be irradiated with an ultraviolet-ray effectively.

  The ultraviolet irradiation device 100 depressurizes the inside of the processing container 12 by the vacuum pump 22 when irradiating ultraviolet rays. Depending on the wavelength band, ultraviolet light has a low transmittance in air, and its intensity may be attenuated when it passes through air. Therefore, by reducing the pressure of the processing container 12, it is possible to prevent the ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source 18 from being attenuated before reaching the object to be processed. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently irradiate the processing object placed in the processing container 12 with ultraviolet rays.

  The ultraviolet irradiation device 100 can cool the light source 18 by the air sucked by the vacuum pump 22 and flowing through the ventilation portion 20. Therefore, compared with the case where the cooling means for the light source 18 is not provided, it is possible to suppress a decrease in ultraviolet intensity due to heat generation of the light source 18 and deterioration of the light source 18. Further, since the vacuum pump 22 also has a function of reducing the pressure of the processing container 12, it is not necessary to separately provide a cooling means, and can contribute to the miniaturization of the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 100.

  Since the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 100 depressurizes the inside of the processing container 12 with the vacuum pump 22 and then takes in air again and sucks the air in the processing container 12, the air can be continuously passed through the ventilation portion 20. Thereby, the light source 18 can be continuously cooled.

(Modification of Embodiment 1)
6 shows the appearance of the ventilation part 20 in the ultraviolet irradiation device 100 according to the modification, and FIG. 7 shows the internal structure of the ventilation part 20 of FIG. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 7 shows the ultraviolet irradiation device 100 with the housing 10 removed.

  The ultraviolet irradiation device 100 according to the modification includes a duct 54 that constitutes the ventilation portion 20 provided in a space between the housing 10 and the processing container 12. The duct 54 is made of a metal plate or the like, and is disposed along the outer wall of the processing container 12. As shown in FIG. 7, the cross-sectional shape of the duct 54 is U-shaped, and a region surrounded by the duct 54 and the outer wall of the processing container 12 is the ventilation portion 20. Further, the duct 54 is provided along the heat sink 52 on the outer wall of the processing container 12 corresponding to the position where the light source 18 is provided, and the region surrounded by the heat sink 52 and the duct 54 is arranged to be the ventilation portion 20. .

  As shown in FIG. 7, the duct 54 extends so as to connect portions where the plurality of light sources 18 are provided with a single stroke. By providing the duct 54 in this manner, the light source 18 can be sequentially cooled while the air sucked by the vacuum pump 22 passes through the ventilation portion 20. Therefore, the plurality of light sources 18 provided can be efficiently cooled.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 8 shows the appearance of the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment. The ultraviolet irradiation device 200 is a pass box used when a drug or instrument is introduced from the outside into a sterilized isolator or clean room. For example, the outlet 70 is connected to the sterilization area, a non-sterilized workpiece is put through the inlet 60 and irradiated with ultraviolet light, and the workpiece is taken out from the outlet 70 with the inlet 60 closed, Introduce the material to be sterilized. Hereinafter, the difference from the ultraviolet irradiation device 100 according to Embodiment 1 will be mainly described.

  The ultraviolet irradiation device 200 includes a housing 58 and a processing container 56 provided in the housing 58. The casing 58 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape, similar to the casing 10 according to the first embodiment, and has a double structure including the outer casing 58 and the inner processing container 56. The housing 58 is provided with a first door 62 at a position corresponding to the inlet 60 of the processing container 12 and a second door 72 at a position corresponding to the outlet 70. The housing 58 includes a first door sensor 68 and a second door sensor 78 for detecting the open / closed states of the first door 62 and the second door 72. Furthermore, the ultraviolet irradiation device 200 includes a lock mechanism (not shown) that locks each of the first door 62 and the second door 72, and this lock mechanism functions as a safety mechanism.

  The processing container 56 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape, similar to the processing container 12 according to the first embodiment. The processing container 56 is different from the processing container 12 according to Embodiment 1 in that the inlet 60 is provided on one side of the four side surfaces, and the outlet is provided on a side different from the side where the inlet 60 is provided. 70 is provided. A plurality of light sources 18 are provided on other side surfaces where the input port 60 and the outlet port 70 are not provided, and on the upper and lower surfaces. Since other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment or the modification thereof, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The control unit controls the lock mechanism so that the first door 62 and the second door 72 do not open simultaneously. The controller locks the second door 72 when the first door sensor 68 detects the open state of the first door 62. On the other hand, when the second door sensor 78 detects the open state of the second door 72, the first door 62 is locked.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications such as design changes can be added based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. The form can also be included in the scope of the present invention.

  The ventilation part 20 may be provided so that the air taken in from the intake valve 24 may pass in addition to passing the air sucked by the vacuum pump 22. For example, the exhaust hole 34 provided in the processing container 12 is used as an intake hole, and the intake valve 24 is attached to the connection part between the vacuum pump 22 and the ventilation part 20. By doing so, the air taken in from the intake valve 24 flows through the ventilation part 20 and reaches the processing container 12 through the exhaust hole 34. With this structure, the light source 18 can be air-cooled not only when the processing container 12 is depressurized but also when releasing the decompression of the processing container 12.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Case, 12 ... Processing container, 18 ... Light source, 20 ... Ventilation part, 22 ... Vacuum pump, 24 ... Intake valve, 34 ... Exhaust hole, 36 ... Intake hole, 28 ... Control part, 40 ... In / out port, 42 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Door, 56 ... Processing container, 58 ... Housing | casing, 60 ... Inlet, 70 ... Outlet, 100, 200 ... Ultraviolet irradiation apparatus.

Claims (8)

A processing container for storing an object to be processed;
A light source that is provided in the processing container and that irradiates the workpiece with ultraviolet rays;
A vacuum pump for decompressing the inside of the processing vessel;
A ventilation portion through which air sucked by the vacuum pump cools the light source;
An ultraviolet irradiation device comprising: A housing for accommodating the processing container;
The ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation portion is formed by a space between the processing container and the housing. The processing container further includes an input port for storing the object to be processed, and an outlet for extracting the object to be processed.
The ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a safety mechanism that prevents the inlet and the outlet from being opened simultaneously.   The ultraviolet light irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode.   The ultraviolet light irradiation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the light emitting diodes are provided on one wall surface of the processing container.   The ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 5, further comprising: a duct extending as the ventilation portion so as to connect portions corresponding to each of the plurality of light emitting diodes provided on one wall surface of the processing container. A first depressurizing step for depressurizing the inside of the processing container with the workpiece to be processed;
An irradiation step of irradiating the object to be processed with ultraviolet rays by a light source provided in the processing container;
A decompression stop step for stopping decompression by the first decompression step;
A release step for releasing the reduced pressure by taking air into the processing container with the object to be processed;
Subsequent to the releasing step, a second decompression step for decompressing the inside of the processing container;
With
In at least one of the first pressure reducing step and the second pressure reducing step, the air sucked when the pressure is reduced in the processing container flows so as to cool the light source.   The ultraviolet irradiation method according to claim 7, wherein the air taken into the processing container in the releasing step flows so as to cool the light source.

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