JP2024037648A - Static elimination system, control device, management method, and management program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a static elimination system that allows a user to easily and reliably record the static elimination performance of a static eliminator, a control device, a management method, and a management program.

SOLUTION: A static elimination system 1 includes a static eliminator 200 that discharges ions to eliminate static electricity from a target object, and a control device 300, and the static elimination system 1 includes an ion generation unit, a measured value acquisition unit 351, and a report output unit 357. The ion generation unit generates ions. The measured value acquisition unit 351 acquires the measured value of the amount of ions. The report output unit 357 outputs a report that displays static elimination information in comparison with the value of the amount of ions in the reference state, using the measured value as the static elimination performance.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a static elimination system, a control device, a management method, and a management program that neutralize static electricity from an object to be static-eliminated.

In a manufacturing line for semiconductor devices, liquid crystal display devices, or the like, when each component used in manufacturing is electrically charged, foreign matter may adhere to the component, which may reduce the yield of the product. A static eliminator is used to suppress a decrease in yield due to charging of each component.

In the static eliminator (static eliminator) described in Patent Document 1, air containing positive ions and negative ions is injected from a nozzle toward an object to be neutralized. In addition, in the static eliminator, the ion balance around the object to be neutralized is measured. Based on the measurement results, the amount of positive ions and the amount of negative ions supplied from the nozzle to the object to be neutralized are adjusted. As a result, the charge accumulated on the object to be removed is removed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-258108

In order to understand changes in the performance of static eliminators over time, parameters indicating static eliminator performance may be periodically measured and recorded in accordance with various standards. Parameters that indicate static elimination performance are generally ion balance and static elimination time, and static elimination time can be measured using a charge plate monitor. However, in order to measure the static elimination time using a charge plate monitor, it is necessary to stop the operation of the production line. Furthermore, if the static elimination time is frequently measured and recorded, the burden on the user increases. Furthermore, since it is relatively easy to falsify records, the reliability of created records is not necessarily high.

An object of the present invention is to provide a static elimination system, a control device, a management method, and a management program that can easily and reliably record the static elimination performance of a static eliminator.

A static elimination system according to one aspect of the present invention is a static elimination system that includes a static eliminator that discharges ions to neutralize a target object, and a control device, and includes an ion generator that generates the ions, and a measured value of the amount of ions. and a report output unit that outputs a report displaying static elimination information in comparison with the value of the amount of ions in a reference state, using the measured value as static elimination performance.

A control device according to another aspect of the present invention is a control device capable of communicating with a static eliminator that discharges ions to neutralize static electricity from a target object, and includes a measurement value acquisition unit that acquires a measurement value obtained by measuring the amount of ions; The apparatus includes a report output unit that outputs a report displaying static elimination information in comparison with the value of the amount of ions in a reference state, using the measured value as static elimination performance.

A management method according to still another aspect of the present invention is a management method executed by a control device capable of communicating with a static eliminator that discharges ions to neutralize static electricity from a target object, and includes a management method that acquires a measured value of the amount of ions. A control device is caused to execute a value acquisition step and a report output step of outputting a report displaying static elimination information in comparison with the value of the amount of ions in a reference state, using the measured value as static elimination performance.

In still another aspect of the present invention, the management program includes a management program executed by a computer capable of communicating with a static eliminator that discharges ions to neutralize static electricity from a target object, and the management program acquires a measurement value of the amount of ions. The management computer is caused to execute an acquisition step and a report output step of outputting a report displaying static elimination information in comparison with the value of the amount of ions in a reference state, using the measured value as static elimination performance.

According to the present invention, the static elimination performance of a static eliminator can be recorded easily and with high reliability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a configuration and an example of use of a static elimination system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a simple configuration of a charge detection system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a static elimination system for explaining the basic configuration of the ion balance sensor of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a static eliminator system for explaining the basic configuration of the static eliminator shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the static eliminator shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a static eliminator system for explaining the basic configuration of the static eliminator shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an output report. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the timing at which periodic report information and clean report information are recorded. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the algorithm of report output processing performed by a static elimination system. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the algorithm of report output processing performed by a static elimination system. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the algorithm of report output processing performed by the static eliminator in other implementations. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the algorithm of report output processing performed by the static eliminator in other implementations.

1. Outline of configuration and usage example of static elimination system A static elimination system, a control device, a management method, and a management program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the configuration and usage example of a static elimination system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the static elimination system 1 according to the present embodiment mainly includes an ion balance sensor 100, a static eliminator 200, and a control device 300. The static elimination system 1 may further include a static charge detection system 400.

The static eliminator 200 includes a static eliminator housing 11, and has a configuration in which various high voltage circuits and the like for generating positive ions and negative ions are housed. A ventilation port 12 is formed in the static eliminator housing 11 . A cover 13 may be attached to the static eliminator housing 11 so as to cover the front of a fan 201, which will be described later. In this case, the air outlet 12 is formed in the cover 13. Further, the static eliminator housing 11 may be provided with a cover detection sensor that detects that the cover 13 is attached to the attachment portion of the cover 13.

The static eliminator 200 sends out positive ions and negative ions generated within the static eliminator housing 11 to the outside of the static eliminator 200 through the air outlet 12 . In FIG. 1, the flow of the static eliminator (in this example, air containing positive ions and negative ions) flowing from the air outlet 12 of the static eliminator housing 11 to the outside of the static eliminator 200 is indicated by a plurality of thick dashed lines. Indicated by arrow if. The cover 13 functions as a louver that adjusts the diffusion angle of the charge eliminator. Further, the static eliminator housing 11 may be able to attach a plurality of types of covers 13 having different diffusion angles of the static eliminator. In this case, the type of cover 13 attached to the static eliminator housing 11 is identified by the cover detection sensor.

In the following description, the space to which the static eliminator sent out from the static eliminator 200 is to be supplied, that is, the static elimination target space where the static electricity of the target object 9 is to be removed, will be referred to as a target space. In the example of FIG. 1, the static eliminator 200 is provided on an installation surface (not shown) so that the static eliminator flows through the target space 3 including a part of the belt conveyor 2. In this case, when the belt conveyor 2 operates and a plurality of objects 9 move in the direction of the belt conveyor 2 (see the thick two-dot chain arrow in FIG. 1), each object 9 is removed when passing through the object space 3. Static electricity is removed by an electric body.

A plurality of belt conveyors 2 may be prepared, and a plurality of objects 9 may be sequentially conveyed by each belt conveyor 2. In this case, the static eliminator system 1 may include a plurality of static eliminators 200. In this configuration, the plurality of static eliminators 200 supply static eliminators to the target spaces 3 on the plurality of belt conveyors 2, respectively. Thereby, static electricity is removed from each target object 9 in the target space 3 on each belt conveyor 2 .

If the ion balance in the target space 3 is unbalanced, each target object 9 cannot be properly neutralized. Therefore, in order to detect the ion balance in the target space 3, an ion balance sensor 100 is provided in the target space 3. In this embodiment, the ion balance of the target space 3 is the degree of bias in electrical polarity within the target space 3.

The ion balance in the target space 3 approaches 0, for example, when the amount of positive ions and the amount of negative ions contained in the static eliminator flowing from the static eliminator 200 to the target space 3 are equal or almost equal. On the other hand, the ion balance in the target space 3 deviates from 0 (biased) due to a difference in the amount of positive ions and the amount of negative ions contained in the static eliminator flowing from the static eliminator 200 to the target space 3, for example. The ion balance sensor 100 has a conductive detection plate 110A. The ion balance in the target space 3 is detected based on the potential of the detection plate 110A. Details of the structure of the ion balance sensor 100 will be described later.

By being provided in the target space 3, the ion balance sensor 100 according to the present embodiment can detect information regarding the environment of the target space 3 in addition to the ion balance of the target space 3. Specifically, the ion balance sensor 100 can detect the amount of ions flowing through the target space 3 per unit time (hereinafter referred to as ion current in the target space 3) as information regarding the environment of the target space 3. It is possible. Further, the ion balance sensor 100 can detect the temperature and humidity of the target space 3 as information regarding the environment of the target space 3.

Ion balance sensor 100 includes a relay cable CA1. The distal end (one end) of the relay cable CA1 extending from the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200. The above various information detected by the ion balance sensor 100 is transmitted to the static eliminator 200 through the relay cable CA1. In this case, in the static eliminator 200, the positive ion generation state and the negative ion generation state in the static eliminator 200 can be adjusted based on the detection result of the ion balance in the target space 3. As a result, a static eliminator suitable for neutralizing the plurality of objects 9 is supplied to the target space 3 .

Here, if the air outlet 12 of the static eliminator 200 is oriented at a position shifted from the target space 3, the static eliminator will not flow from the static eliminator 200 to the target space 3. In this case, the ionic current is detected as 0 or a value close to 0. On the other hand, when the air outlet 12 of the static eliminator 200 faces the target space 3, the static eliminator flows appropriately from the static eliminator 200 to the target space 3. In this case, the ion current is detected at a value corresponding to the amount of ions contained in the charge eliminating body.

Therefore, in the static eliminator 200, it can be determined whether the position and orientation (installation state) of the static eliminator 200 are appropriate based on the detection result of the ion current. Specifically, when the value of the ion current is less than or equal to a predetermined ion current threshold value, it can be determined that the installation state of the static eliminator 200 is not appropriate. Moreover, when the value of the ion current is larger than the ion current threshold value, it can be determined that the installation state of the static eliminator 200 is appropriate. By presenting such a determination result to the user, the user can easily understand whether or not the installation state of the static eliminator 200 needs to be adjusted.

Furthermore, in the static eliminator 200, by storing the detection results of the temperature and humidity of the target space 3 in the memory, it is possible to manage changes in the environmental state of the target space 3 when static electricity is removed from a plurality of targets 9. can.

Static eliminator 200 is connected to control device 300 via relay cable CA2. Control device 300 is, for example, a personal computer, and includes, for example, a CPU (central processing unit), ROM (read only memory), and RAM (random access memory). A main body display section 310 and a main body operation section 320 are connected to the control device 300 . The main body display section 310 is composed of an LCD (liquid crystal display) panel or an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel. The operating device includes a keyboard and a pointing device, and is configured to be operable by a user.

The control device 300 is used, for example, to set various operating conditions for the static eliminator 200 or monitor the operating state of the static eliminator 200. The plurality of operating conditions of the static eliminator 200 include the rotational speed of the fan 201 (FIG. 4) of the static eliminator 200, which will be described later, the output conditions of various signals output from the static eliminator 200 to the control device 300, or the conditions for the static eliminator 200, which will be described later. This includes conditions for disabling the operation of the operation unit 260 (FIG. 4). The control device 300 may be used to monitor the amount of charge detected by the charge detection system 400.

2. Configuration of Charge Detection System FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a simple configuration of the charge detection system 400. As shown in FIG. 2, the charge detection system 400 includes a charge detection device 410, a plurality of charge detection devices 420, and a communication device 430. Each of the charge detection device 410, the plurality of charge detection devices 420, and the communication device 430 includes a CPU and has a communication function.

A detection head 411 is connected to the charge detection device 410 . The detection head 411 is arranged in a space downstream from the target space 3 on any one of the plurality of belt conveyors 2 . The detection head 411 detects the amount of charge in the space in which the detection head 411 is placed under the control of the charge detection device 410. Further, the detection head 411 provides the detected amount of charge to the charge detection device 410. Thereby, the charge detection device 410 acquires the amount of charge detected by the detection head 411.

A plurality of detection heads 421 are connected to the plurality of charge detection devices 420, respectively. The plurality of detection heads 421 are each arranged in a space downstream from the target space 3 on the remaining plurality of belt conveyors 2 among the plurality of belt conveyors 2 . Each detection head 421 detects the amount of charge in the space in which the detection head 421 is placed under control by the corresponding charge detection device 420. Further, each detection head 421 supplies the detected amount of charge to the corresponding charge detection device 420. Thereby, each charge detection device 420 acquires the amount of charge detected by the corresponding detection head 421.

The charge detection device 410 acquires the amount of charge obtained by each charge detection device 420 from each charge detection device 420 . The communication device 430 transmits the amount of charge acquired by the charge detection device 410 to the control device 300 through the relay cable CA3 in FIG. 1 by converting the communication protocol between the charge detection device 410 and the control device 300.

According to this configuration, in a workplace where a plurality of belt conveyors 2 are arranged, static electricity is removed from the plurality of objects 9 in the object space 3 on each belt conveyor 2 by the corresponding static eliminator 200. Furthermore, the amount of charge on the plurality of objects 9 that are sequentially transported downstream of the object space 3 is detected by either the detection head 411 or the plurality of detection heads 421 . This allows the control device 300 to monitor whether static electricity has been removed from each target object 9 appropriately.

3. Basic Configuration of Ion Balance Sensor FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the static elimination system 1 for explaining the basic configuration of the ion balance sensor 100 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the ion balance sensor 100 includes a detection plate 110A, an ion detection circuit 110B, a temperature detection element 120, a humidity detection element 130, a sensor indicator light 140, a sensor communication section 150, a sensor power supply section 160, and a sensor control section. Contains 190.

The detection plate 110A is made of a conductive material (for example, a metal material) and is provided so as to be exposed to the space surrounding the ion balance sensor 100. The ion detection circuit 110B is connected to the detection plate 110A, and outputs a signal corresponding to the ion balance and ion current in the target space 3 based on the change in potential of the detection plate 110A over time. The specific configuration of the ion detection circuit 110B will be described later.

The temperature detection element 120 is an element that outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of a space in which the temperature detection element 120 is placed, and is, for example, a thermocouple or a resistance temperature detector. The ion balance sensor 100 is configured such that the space in which the temperature detection element 120 is arranged and the space surrounding the ion balance sensor 100 communicate with each other. 3) Output a signal corresponding to the temperature. The humidity detection element 130 is, for example, a polymer humidity detection element, and outputs a signal corresponding to the humidity of the space surrounding the ion balance sensor 100 (target space 3).

The sensor indicator light 140 includes, for example, a plurality of light emitting diodes that emit light in different colors. Sensor communication section 150 transmits various signals output from sensor control section 190 to static eliminator 200 via relay cable CA1. Further, the sensor communication unit 150 receives various information transmitted from the static eliminator 200 via the relay cable CA1, and provides the received information to the sensor control unit 190.

The sensor power supply section 160 receives power supplied from the static eliminator 200 via the relay cable CA1, converts the received power as appropriate, and supplies it to each component of the ion balance sensor 100.

The sensor control unit 190 includes a microcomputer, and generates various information and controls each component. Note that the sensor control unit 190 may include a CPU (central processing control unit) and a memory instead of the microcomputer. The microcomputer or memory of the sensor control unit 190 stores programs mainly for detecting the ion balance, ion current, temperature, and humidity of the target space 3 and for exchanging various information with the static eliminator 200. has been done. In the sensor control section 190, a plurality of functional sections are realized by a microcomputer or a CPU executing programs stored in the sensor control section 190.

The sensor control section 190 includes a balance information generation section 191, an ion amount information generation section 192, a temperature information generation section 193, a humidity information generation section 194, and an indicator light control section 195 as a plurality of functional sections. Note that some or all of these multiple functional units may be realized by hardware such as an electronic circuit.

The balance information generation unit 191 detects the ion balance in the target space 3 based on the signal output from the ion detection circuit 110B, and generates a signal indicating the detection result as an ion balance signal. In other words, the balance information generation unit 191 generates an ion balance signal based on the change in potential of the detection plate 110A over time. The generated ion balance signal is output from the sensor control section 190. A specific example of the method for detecting ion balance by the balance information generation unit 191 will be described later.

The ion amount information generation unit 192 detects the ion current in the target space 3 based on the signal output from the ion detection circuit 110B, and generates a signal indicating the detection result as an ion current signal. In other words, the ion amount information generation unit 192 generates an ion current signal based on the change in potential of the detection plate 110A over time. The generated ion current signal is output from the sensor control section 190. A specific example of the method for detecting the ion current by the ion amount information generating section 192 will be described later.

The temperature information generation unit 193 detects the temperature of the target space 3 based on the signal output from the temperature detection element 120, and generates a signal indicating the detection result as a temperature signal. The generated temperature signal is output from the sensor control section 190. The humidity information generation unit 194 detects the humidity of the target space 3 based on the signal output from the humidity detection element 130, and generates a signal indicating the detection result as a humidity signal. The generated humidity signal is output from the sensor control section 190.

The indicator light control unit 195 controls the light emission state of the sensor indicator light 140. The indicator light control unit 195 controls the sensor display to emit light in a specific color (for example, green) when the ion balance and ion current detected by the ion balance sensor 100 satisfy predetermined allowable conditions. Control the light 140. On the other hand, the indicator light control unit 195 controls the sensor to emit light in a specific other color (for example, red) when the ion balance and ion current detected by the ion balance sensor 100 do not satisfy the above-mentioned allowable conditions. The indicator light 140 is controlled.

4. Basic Configuration of Static Eliminator FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the static eliminator system 1 for explaining the basic configuration of the static eliminator 200 in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the static eliminator 200 of FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the static eliminator 200 includes a fan 201, a fan drive section 202, a detection electrode 203, a positive ion generation section 211, a positive high voltage circuit 212, a negative ion generation section 221, and a negative high voltage circuit 222. , a static eliminator control section 230, and an ion information generation section 240. These components are housed within the static eliminator housing 11.

In FIG. 4, a schematic front view of the positive ion generating section 211 and the negative ion generating section 221 is shown in a balloon, respectively. The positive ion generating section 211 includes an annular member 211a and a plurality of (four in this example) electrode needles en1. The plurality of electrode needles en1 are provided at equal intervals on the inner circumference of the annular member 211a so as to extend toward the center of the annular member 211a. The negative ion generating section 221, like the positive ion generating section 211, includes an annular member 221a and a plurality of electrode needles en2. The plurality of electrode needles en2 are provided at equal intervals on the inner circumference of the annular member 221a so as to extend toward the center of the annular member 221a.

A positive electrode side high voltage circuit 212 is connected to the positive ion generating section 211 . The positive electrode side high voltage circuit 212 includes a resistor and a booster circuit, and applies a high voltage to the plurality of electrode needles en1 of the positive ion generating section 211 based on the control of the static eliminator control section 230. As a result, corona discharge occurs and positive ions are generated. A negative electrode side high voltage circuit 222 is connected to the negative ion generating section 221 . The negative electrode side high voltage circuit 222 includes a resistor and a booster circuit, and applies a high voltage to the plurality of electrode needles en2 of the negative ion generating section 221 under the control of the static eliminator control section 230. As a result, corona discharge occurs and negative ions are generated.

The fan 201 is provided inside the static eliminator housing 11 of FIG. 1 so as to face the air outlet 12 and to be rotatable around a predetermined rotation axis 201a. The fan drive section 202 includes, for example, a motor, and rotates the fan 201 around the rotation axis 201a under the control of the static eliminator control section 230.

The fan 201, the negative ion generating section 221, and the positive ion generating section 211 are arranged in this order from the air outlet 12 in FIG. 1 to the rotation axis 201a of the fan 201. The centers of the annular members 211a and 221a of the positive ion generating section 211 and the negative ion generating section 221 are located on the rotating shaft 201a of the fan 201.

In the positive ion generating section 211 and the negative ion generating section 221, positive ions and negative ions are respectively generated by operating the positive side high voltage circuit 212 and the negative side high voltage circuit 222. In this state, the fan 201 rotates. Thereby, the static eliminator containing positive ions and negative ions flows to the outside of the static eliminator 200 through the air outlet 12 of the static eliminator housing 11 . In FIG. 4, similarly to the example in FIG. 1, the flow of the charge eliminator flowing from the air outlet 12 of the charge remover housing 11 to the outside of the charge eliminator 200 is indicated by a plurality of thick dashed-dotted arrows if. The detection electrode 203 is arranged on the flow path of the electricity eliminator sent by the fan 201. An ionic current caused by the charge eliminating body flows through the detection electrode 203 .

The ion information generation unit 240 detects the overall ion balance of positive ions and negative ions generated in the static eliminator 200 as ion information. The ion information is information used when the static eliminator control unit 230 controls the positive electrode side high voltage circuit 212 or the negative electrode side high voltage circuit 222. Unlike the ion balance of the target space 3 detected by the ion balance sensor 100, the ion information may include the ion balance of the electric charge eliminator flowing through the air outlet 12 of the static eliminator 200. Further, the ion information may include the ion balance of the space surrounding the target space 3 and the static eliminator 200. Therefore, the ion information is obtained based on the detection results by, for example, detecting the ion balance of the static eliminator flowing near the fan 201 and detecting the ion balance of the target space 3 and the space surrounding the static eliminator 200. generated.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, the ion information generation section 240 includes an internal ion current detection circuit 241 and an external ion current detection circuit 242. Internal ion current detection circuit 241 is connected to detection electrode 203 and to static eliminator housing 11 . The internal ion current detection circuit 241 detects the ion current flowing through the detection electrode 203 and the ion current flowing through the surface of the static eliminator housing 11 as internal ion current. External ion current detection circuit 242 is connected to a ground electrode maintained at ground potential. The external ion current detection circuit 242 detects the ion current returning from the target space 3 to the static eliminator 200 via the ground as an external ion current. By detecting these internal ion currents and external ion currents, the amount of ions generated by the positive ion generating section 211 and the positive electrode side high voltage circuit 212 is measured.

Static eliminator control unit 230 includes a CPU and memory or a microcomputer. The static eliminator control unit 230 controls the fan drive unit 202 so that the fan 201 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed when the static eliminator 200 removes static electricity from the plurality of objects 9 . Furthermore, the static eliminator control unit 230 controls the positive-side high-voltage circuit 212 and the negative-side high-voltage circuit 222 so that the ion balance of the static eliminator approaches 0 based on the ion information generated by the ion information generation unit 240. . Internal ion current is used to suppress short-term ion balance changes, and external ion current is used to suppress long-term ion balance changes.

In addition to the above-mentioned components (201, 202, 211, 212, 221, 222, 230, 240), the static eliminator 200 includes a display section 250, an operation section 260, a static eliminator storage section 270, a temporary storage section 271, It further includes a static eliminator communication section 280 and a static eliminator power supply section 290. The display section 250 and the operation section 260 are attached to a part of the static eliminator housing 11 in FIG. The static eliminator storage section 270, the temporary storage section 271, the static eliminator communication section 280, and the static eliminator power supply section 290 are housed in the static eliminator housing 11 of FIG.

The display section 250 is composed of an LCD (liquid crystal display) panel or an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel. As shown in FIG. 1, the display section 250 is provided in the static eliminator housing 11 so as to be exposed toward the front of the static eliminator 200 at a position below the air outlet 12 of the static eliminator 200. The display unit 250 displays various setting information, alarms, etc. of the static eliminator 200 based on the control of the static eliminator control unit 230.

As shown in FIG. 1, the operation section 260 includes a plurality of operation buttons and is provided in the static eliminator housing 11 so as to be adjacent to the display section 250. By operating the operation unit 260, the user can perform various settings for the static eliminator 200, or display the results of ion balance detection by the ion balance sensor 100 on the display unit 250.

Further, the static eliminator 200 is provided with an auto-clean function that cleans the plurality of electrode needles en1 of the positive ion generation section 211 and the plurality of electrode needles en2 of the negative ion generation section 221 using a brush (not shown). By operating the operation unit 260, the user can instruct the static eliminator 200 to execute the auto clean function. Alternatively, the user can set the timing for executing the auto clean function by operating the operation unit 260. In this case, the auto clean function is executed at the set timing. When the auto clean function is executed, a cleaning signal indicating this is given to the control device 300.

The static eliminator communication unit 280 receives various information signals transmitted from the sensor communication unit 150 (FIG. 3) of the ion balance sensor 100 via the relay cable CA1, and provides them to the static eliminator control unit 230. Further, the static eliminator communication unit 280 receives signals of various information transmitted from the control device 300 via the relay cable CA2 in FIG. 1, and provides them to the static eliminator control unit 230. Further, the static eliminator communication unit 280 transmits various information signals output from the static eliminator control unit 230 to the control device 300 via the relay cable CA2.

The temporary storage section 271 is a volatile storage section, and is realized by, for example, a RAM. Various types of information are sequentially stored in the temporary storage unit 271 at fixed time intervals (0.1 seconds in this example). When information is stored in all storage areas of the temporary storage unit 271, the information stored first is deleted, and the latest information is stored in the storage area created thereby. This overwrites the earliest information with the latest information. Therefore, the temporary storage unit 271 functions as a ring buffer, and information once stored in the ring buffer is held for a certain period of time until it is overwritten with the latest information.

The static eliminator control unit 230 causes the static eliminator communication unit 280 to receive the ion balance signal from the ion balance sensor 100, so that the ion balance of the target space 3 is stored in the temporary storage unit 271 together with time information. At this time, in addition to the above-described storage operation, the static eliminator control unit 230 controls the positive electrode side high voltage circuit 212 and the negative electrode side high voltage circuit 222 based on the received ion balance signal so that the ion balance in the target space 3 approaches 0. may be controlled.

Further, the static eliminator control unit 230 causes the static eliminator communication unit 280 to receive the ion current signal from the ion balance sensor 100, so that the ion current in the target space 3 is stored in the temporary storage unit 271 along with time information. At this time, in addition to the above storage operation, the static eliminator control unit 230 sends a message indicating that the installation state of the static eliminator 200 is inappropriate when the received ion current value is less than or equal to the ion current threshold value. may be displayed on the display unit 250.

Further, the static eliminator control unit 230 causes the static eliminator communication unit 280 to receive the temperature signal and humidity signal from the ion balance sensor 100, so that the temperature and humidity of the target space 3 are stored in the temporary storage unit 271 along with time information. Further, the static eliminator control unit 230 causes the temporary storage unit 271 to store the measured value of generated ions by the ion information generation unit 240. The static eliminator control unit 230 may store the rotation speed of the fan 201 together with time information in the temporary storage unit 271.

Further, the result of static elimination differs depending on the diffusion angle of the static eliminating body by the cover 13 attached to the static eliminator housing 11 in FIG. Therefore, the static eliminator control unit 230 acquires the type of cover 13 attached to the static eliminator housing 11 at the time of static elimination from the cover detection sensor, and stores information indicating the acquisition result in the temporary storage unit 271 along with time information. Good too. Further, the static eliminator control unit 230 evaluates the amount of charge in the target space 3 based on the external current detected by the external ion current detection circuit 242, and stores the evaluated amount of charge in the temporary storage unit 271 together with time information. It's okay.

The static eliminator storage unit 270 is a nonvolatile storage unit, and is configured with a memory or a hard disk. The static eliminator control unit 230 samples various types of information stored in the temporary storage unit 271 and stores it in the static eliminator storage unit 270. In this example, only the various information stored in the temporary storage unit 271 at a specific point in time is stored in the static eliminator storage unit 270 once every hour. As a result, while suppressing an increase in the amount of data stored in the static eliminator storage unit 270, the static eliminator storage unit 270 can suppress the increase in the amount of data stored in the static eliminator storage unit 270. It becomes possible to manage the static electricity removal state.

Further, the static eliminator storage unit 270 stores in advance the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state. The reference state is a state of the static eliminator 200 that serves as a reference for evaluating static elimination performance. The reference state may be, for example, the state of the static eliminator 200 at the time of shipment. Further, the static eliminator storage unit 270 stores in advance a static elimination threshold value for determining the quality of static elimination information, which will be described later. Various information stored in the static eliminator storage section 270 is provided to the control device 300.

The static eliminator power supply unit 290 receives power supplied from a commercial power source through a power cable (not shown), and supplies a portion of the received power to other components provided in the static eliminator 200. Further, the static eliminator power supply section 290 supplies the remainder of the received power to the sensor power supply section 160 (FIG. 3) of the ion balance sensor 100 through the relay cable CA1. In this example, when the power of the static eliminator 200 is turned on, the static eliminator 200 is activated, and supply of power to each component of the static eliminator 200 is started. Further, the elapsed time is calculated starting from the time when the static eliminator 200 is activated.

5. Basic Configuration of Control Device FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the static elimination system 1 for explaining the basic configuration of the static eliminator 200 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 6, control device 300 includes a main communication section 330, a main storage section 340, and a main control section 350. Main communication section 330 receives various information transmitted from static eliminator 200 via relay cable CA2, and provides it to main control section 350. Main communication unit 330 also transmits various operating condition settings accepted by control device 300 to static eliminator 200 via relay cable CA2.

Main storage unit 340 includes, for example, a hard disk, ROM, and RAM. Main control unit 350 includes, for example, a CPU. Main storage section 340 and main control section 350 may be realized by a microcomputer. The main storage unit 340 stores a management program for controlling and managing the static eliminator 200. Instead of the main storage unit 340, the management program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium 341 such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM. Alternatively, the management program may be provided in a form stored in the storage medium 341 and installed in the main storage unit 340.

In the main control unit 350, a plurality of functional units are realized by a microcomputer or CPU executing a management program. The main control unit 350 includes a measured value acquisition unit 351, a calculation unit 352, a determination unit 353, an incidental information acquisition unit 354, an incidental information reception unit 355, a cleaning signal acquisition unit 356, and a report output unit 357 as a plurality of functional units. . Note that some or all of these multiple functional units may be realized by hardware such as an electronic circuit.

The measured value acquisition unit 351 acquires the measured value of generated ions from the static eliminator 200. Generally, the static elimination performance of the static eliminator 200 is standardized by a static elimination time and an offset voltage. The offset voltage corresponds to the ion balance obtained from the ion balance sensor 100. The static elimination time refers to the time required for the static eliminator 200 to generate ions to neutralize the electric charge on the metal plate that holds the amount of electric charge specified by the standard.

Here, the static elimination time becomes shorter as the amount of generated ions increases. That is, the static elimination time and the amount of generated ions have a strong correlation, and specifically, the static elimination time is generally inversely proportional to the amount of generated ions. Therefore, in this example, instead of the static elimination time, the measured value of generated ions acquired by the measured value acquisition unit 351 is treated as a value indicating the static elimination performance of the static eliminator 200.

Furthermore, the static elimination time has a strong correlation with the amount of ions that reach the target space 3 per unit time. The static elimination time is measured by placing a metal plate holding an electric charge in the target space 3, so the more ions that reach the target space 3 per unit time, the more the electric charge on the metal plate is neutralized. This is because the time required is shorter. When the user operates the static eliminator 200 at a certain setting, the amount of ions reaching the target space 3 per unit time is maintained because of the amount of ions generated per unit time by the electrode needles en1 and en2. is maintained, the amount of electricity eliminator 200 sends out the electricity eliminator per unit time is maintained, and the electricity eliminator reaches the target space 3. Since the static eliminator is sent out by the rotation of the fan 201, the amount of the static eliminator 200 that sends out the static eliminator decreases due to a decrease in the rotational speed (number of rotations) of the fan 201. The static eliminator does not reach the target space 3 if a shield is placed between the static eliminator 200 and the target space 3, or if the fan 201 of the static eliminator 200 is directed in a direction different from that of the target space 3. occurs when In this embodiment, the static eliminator control unit 230 stores the rotational speed of the fan 201, and the ion balance sensor 100 detects whether or not ions reach the target space 3, so that the static eliminator 200 removes electricity per unit time. It can be confirmed that the amount of electric body sent out is maintained and that the electric body reaches the target space 3.

In this example, since the ion balance sensor 100 detects the arrival of ions into the target space 3, it is assumed that ions have arrived at the target space 3 and that the rotational speed of the fan is maintained. However, when the ion balance sensor 100 detects the amount of reached ions, which is the amount of ions reaching the target space 3, the amount of generated ions is treated as a value that replaces the static elimination time. May be treated.

The calculation unit 352 acquires the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state from the static eliminator 200. Further, the calculation unit 352 divides the measured value acquired by the measured value acquisition unit 351 by the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state. Thereby, the ratio of the measured value to the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state is calculated as static elimination information. The calculated static electricity removal information has a value of 0% to 100%. The closer the value of the static elimination information is to 100%, the higher the static elimination performance is, and the closer the value of the static elimination information is to 0%, the lower the static elimination performance is.

The determination unit 353 acquires the static elimination threshold from the static eliminator 200. Further, the determination unit 353 determines whether the static elimination performance is good or bad by comparing the value of the static elimination information calculated by the calculation unit 352 with the static elimination threshold value. When the value of the static elimination information is larger than the static elimination threshold, it can be determined that the static elimination performance is good. On the other hand, when the value of the static elimination information is equal to or less than the static elimination threshold, it can be determined that the static elimination performance is not good.

The additional information acquisition unit 354 acquires part or all of the date and time of measurement of the amount of generated ions, the temperature of the target space 3, the humidity of the target space 3, the ion balance, and the driving parameters of the static eliminator 200 as the additional information attached to the static elimination information. Obtained from the static eliminator 200. The driving parameters of the static eliminator 200 include the rotational speed of the fan 201 in FIG. 4, the voltage applied to the positive ion generation section 211, or the voltage applied to the negative ion generation section 221. The static elimination information may further include the model number of the ion balance sensor 100, the model number of the static eliminator 200, or various settings of the static eliminator 200. These additional information acquired from the static eliminator 200 are basically stored in the static eliminator storage section 270.

By acquiring the rotational speed of the fan 201 as the additional information, it becomes possible to easily determine whether the amount of the static eliminator sent out from the static eliminator 200 remains unchanged. Therefore, by evaluating this together with the amount of generated ions calculated as the static elimination information, it becomes possible to easily determine whether the amount of ions contained in the static eliminator sent out from the static eliminator 200 is maintained. Additionally, the supplementary information acquisition unit 354 may acquire the type of cover 13 attached to the static eliminator 200. Since the cover 13 adjusts the diffusion angle of the static eliminator according to its type, it is evaluated in conjunction with the rotational speed of the fan 201 and the amount of generated ions to determine which ones are included in the static eliminator sent outside the static eliminator 200. It can be easily determined whether the ion amount is maintained.

The supplementary information acquisition unit 354 may acquire the detection result by the ion balance sensor 100 as supplementary information. When the detection result is the presence or absence of ions reaching the target space 3 where the ion balance sensor 100 is arranged, the acquisition of the detection result by the ion balance sensor 100 indicates that the ions reach the target space 3 from the static eliminator 200. It becomes possible to easily determine whether the By evaluating the rotation speed of the fan 201 together with the detection result regarding whether or not ions have reached the target space 3, the electric eliminator that contains ions and is sent out in a predetermined amount per unit time can cause ions to flow into the target space 3. It is possible to easily judge whether or not the target is being achieved. Furthermore, by evaluating the amount of generated ions, the rotation speed of the fan 201, and the detection results regarding whether or not ions have reached the target space 3, the amount of ions that reach the target space 3 per unit time, that is, It is possible to easily determine whether a value that has a strong correlation with the static elimination time is maintained. In this way, by acquiring the amount of electricity to be removed from the static eliminator 200 and the additional information indicating whether or not the generated ions have reached the target space 3, the generated ions can be used instead of the electricity removal time as a value that deals with the electricity removal performance. It becomes more reasonable to use measured values of ions.

Further, when the charge detection system 400 of FIG. 2 is connected to the control device 300, the additional information acquisition unit 354 acquires the amount of charge on the object 9 from the charge detection system 400 as additional information attached to the static elimination information. You may obtain it. The acquired amount of charge is managed in association with time information.

The supplementary information receiving unit 355 receives input of other supplementary information. By operating the main body operation section 320, the user inputs other incidental information not included in the above-mentioned incidental information, that is, incidental information not stored in the static eliminator storage section 270, to the incidental information receiving section 355. be able to. Other supplementary information includes, for example, the location where the amount of generated ions is measured, the wind speed at the measurement location, the person in charge of the measurement, or the presence or absence of dew condensation at the measurement location, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. The user can input any additional information other than this into the additional information receiving section 355. When supplementary information is input to supplementary information receiving section 355, supplementary information acquisition section 354 acquires the input supplementary information.

When the auto clean function of the static eliminator 200 is executed, the cleaning signal acquisition unit 356 acquires a cleaning signal indicating that from the static eliminator 200. The report output unit 357 outputs a report indicating the static elimination performance of the static eliminator 200. The report is, for example, an electronic file in PDF (Portable Document Format) format. The report may have other formats, such as Excel format.

A predetermined report format is stored in the main storage unit 340 in advance. The report output unit 357 obtains a report format from the main storage unit 340, and outputs a report by transcribing the static electricity removal information calculated by the calculation unit 352 to a predetermined location of the report format. The output report is stored in the main storage unit 340. Further, the output report can be displayed on the main body display section 310. By checking the report, the user can recognize the operating status, static elimination status, and performance status of the static eliminator 200.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an output report. As shown in FIG. 7, in addition to the static electricity removal information, the report may further display the date and time period in which the measured value was acquired. In this case, the user can more easily recognize the change in static elimination performance over time. Moreover, when an abnormality occurs in the static elimination performance, it becomes easy to identify the point in time. The report may further display the determination result of the static elimination performance by the determination unit 353. In this case, the user can easily recognize whether the static elimination performance is good or bad.

Further, when the supplementary information reception unit 355 acquires supplementary information, the obtained supplementary information may be further displayed in the report. In this case, additional information attached to the static elimination information can be recorded in association with the static elimination information. The report output unit 357 can display the incidental information on the report by transcribing the incidental information acquired by the incidental information receiving unit 355 to a predetermined location in the report format.

Since various information is automatically transcribed into the report output by the above process, there is no room for falsification of the information. Furthermore, errors in transcription of information by the user do not occur. Therefore, the output report has high reliability. Additionally, users do not have to manually create reports. This reduces the burden on the user.

In the example of FIG. 7, the temperature of the target space 3, the humidity of the target space 3, the ion balance, the rotational speed of the fan 201, and the measuring person in charge are displayed as additional information. By displaying the temperature, humidity, ion balance, drive parameters of the static eliminator 200, etc. in the report, the static eliminator performance can be evaluated more accurately.

A report format prepared in advance may not have an area for transcribing some supplementary information. Even in this case, the user can add an area for transcribing desired additional information by editing the report format. This allows the user to display all of the desired supplementary information in the report. It is also possible to register edited report formats. The registered report format is stored in the main storage unit 340. Therefore, from now on, by using the registered report format, similar additional information can be easily recorded.

Reports output by the report output unit 357 include regular reports and clean reports. The periodic report is a report output based on information such as measurement values, static elimination information, or static elimination performance determination results recorded at predetermined time intervals (hereinafter referred to as periodic report information). By checking the periodic report, the user can recognize changes in static elimination performance over time. The time interval at which periodic report information is recorded is, for example, one hour, but may be set by the user. Further, the timing at which the periodic report information is recorded may be determined by absolute time, or may be determined by relative time starting from the time when static eliminator 200 is activated.

The clean report is a report output based on information such as measured values, static elimination information, or static elimination performance determination results (hereinafter referred to as clean report information) recorded when the static eliminator 200 is cleaned. be. The clean report information is recorded in response to the cleaning signal acquisition unit 356 acquiring the cleaning signal. By checking the clean report, the user can recognize the static elimination performance when the static eliminator 200 is cleaned.

In the clean report, static elimination information when the static eliminator 200 was cleaned may be displayed so as to be comparable with static elimination information before and after the static eliminator 200 was cleaned. In this case, by checking the clean report, the user can easily recognize the change in static elimination performance due to cleaning of the static eliminator 200.

When the static elimination information before and after the static eliminator 200 is cleaned is displayed as a clean report in a way that can be compared, it is easy to recognize that there has been a change even if the change in static elimination performance due to the cleaning of the static eliminator 200 is minute. Further, by comparing with other clean reports, it is possible to check the magnitude of change in static elimination performance due to cleaning of the static eliminator 200. In other words, it can be easily confirmed whether the amount of ions generated by each of the electrode needle en1 of the positive ion generating section 211 and the electrode needle en2 of the negative electrode side high voltage circuit 222 has been improved. Here, it is preferable that the amount of generated ions is always constant. Therefore, if the amount of generated ions was greatly improved by the electrode needles en1 and en2, there is a possibility that the frequency of cleaning of the electrode needles en1 and en2 was insufficient. Therefore, by checking the clean report, the user can consider whether the frequency of cleaning the electrode needles en1 and en2 is appropriate.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the timing at which regular report information and clean report information are recorded. In the example of FIG. 8, the static eliminator 200 is started at 9:00, the static eliminator 200 is cleaned at 10:30, and the static eliminator 200 is stopped at 12:30. In this case, regular report information for the time period from 9:00 to 10:00 is recorded at 10:00, one hour after 9:00 when the static eliminator 200 is activated. At 10:30, clean report information is recorded in response to the static eliminator 200 being cleaned.

At 11:00, one hour after 10:00, regular report information for the time period from 10:00 to 11:00 is recorded. At 12:00, one hour after 11:00, regular report information for the time period from 11:00 to 12:00 is recorded. Since the static eliminator 200 is stopped at 12:30, regular report information and clean report information for subsequent time periods are not recorded.

Note that in the example of FIG. 8, clean report information is recorded at 10:30 in response to cleaning being performed at 10:30, but the embodiment is not limited to this. As described above, the clean report may display static electricity removal information before and after the static eliminator 200 is cleaned so as to be comparable. Here, the static electricity removal information before cleaning is included in the periodic report information for the time period from 9:00 to 10:00. Therefore, regular report information for this time period may be used as clean report information before cleaning. Similarly, the static electricity removal information after cleaning is included in the periodic report information for the time period from 11:00 to 12:00. Therefore, regular report information for this time period may be used as clean report information after cleaning.

6. Report Output Processing FIGS. 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing an example of an algorithm for report output processing executed by the static elimination system 1. The report output process will be described below using the main control unit 350 in FIG. 6 and the flowcharts in FIGS. 9 and 10.

First, the supplementary information receiving unit 355 determines whether input of supplementary information has been accepted (step S1). If the input of additional information is not accepted, the process proceeds to step S3. If the input of supplementary information is accepted, the supplementary information acquisition unit 354 acquires the supplementary information in step S1 (step S2). The additional information acquired in step S2 is additional information that is not stored in the static eliminator storage unit 270 of the static eliminator 200 in FIG.

Further, the calculation unit 352 acquires the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state from the static eliminator 200 (step S3). Furthermore, the determination unit 353 acquires a static elimination threshold from the static eliminator 200 (step S4). Steps S1, S2, step S3, and step S4 may be executed first, or may be executed simultaneously.

After steps S1 to S4 are executed, the report output unit 357 determines whether the current time is the timing to record periodic report information (step S5). If the current time is the timing to record periodic report information, the measured value acquisition unit 351 acquires the measured value of generated ions from the static eliminator 200 (step S6). The calculation unit 352 calculates static elimination information by dividing the measured value acquired in step S6 by the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state acquired in step S3 (step S7). The determination unit 353 determines whether the static elimination performance is good or bad by comparing the static elimination threshold value acquired in step S4 and the static elimination information calculated in step S7 (step S8).

Further, the supplementary information acquisition unit 354 acquires supplementary information from the static eliminator 200 (step S9). The additional information acquired in step S9 is the additional information stored in the static eliminator storage unit 270 of the static eliminator 200 in FIG. 4. Steps S6 to S8 and step S9 may be executed first or at the same time.

After steps S6 to S9 are executed, the report output unit 357 records the information acquired in steps S2 and S6 to S9 as regular report information in association with time (step S10). Further, the report output unit 357 outputs a regular report based on the regular report information recorded in step S10 (step S11). Specifically, the periodic report includes the measured values acquired in step S6, the static elimination information calculated in step S7, the quality of static elimination performance determined in step S8, and the static elimination information acquired in steps S2 and S9. The supplementary information is output by being transcribed to a predetermined location in the report format.

Next, the report output unit 357 determines whether clean report information is being recorded (step S12). If a cleaning signal is acquired in step S15, which will be described later, that is, if it is determined as "Yes" in step S15, it is determined that clean report information is being recorded. If clean report information is not being recorded, the process returns to step S5.

If the clean report information is being recorded, the report output unit 357 determines whether the clean report information after cleaning has been acquired (step S13). By executing step S10 one or more times while recording the clean report information, the clean report information after cleaning is acquired from the periodic report information after cleaning. If the clean report information after cleaning has not been acquired, the process returns to step S5. Note that the clean report information before cleaning has already been obtained from the regular report information before cleaning.

If the clean report information after cleaning has been acquired, the report output unit 357 outputs a clean report based on the clean report information recorded in step S20, which will be described later, and the clean report information before and after cleaning (step S14). Specifically, in the clean report, static elimination information when cleaning is performed (static elimination information calculated in step S17 described later) and static elimination information calculated in step S7 before and after cleaning are performed can be compared. It is output by being transcribed to a predetermined location in the report format. In addition, the measurement values acquired in step S16, the quality of static elimination performance determined in step S18 (described later), and the additional information acquired in steps S2 and S19 (described later) are also posted in the specified locations of the clean report. be done. Similarly, various types of information acquired before and after cleaning are transcribed to predetermined locations in the clean report. After that, the process returns to step S5.

In step S5, if the current time is not the timing to record periodic report information, the cleaning signal acquisition unit 356 determines whether a cleaning signal has been acquired (step S15). If the cleaning signal is not acquired, the process returns to step S5. When the cleaning signal is acquired, the measured value acquisition unit 351 acquires the measured value of generated ions from the static eliminator 200 (step S16). The calculation unit 352 calculates static elimination information by dividing the measured value acquired in step S16 by the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state acquired in step S3 (step S17). The determination unit 353 determines whether the static elimination performance is good or bad by comparing the static elimination threshold value acquired in step S4 and the static elimination information calculated in step S17 (step S18).

Further, the supplementary information acquisition unit 354 acquires supplementary information from the static eliminator 200 (step S19). The additional information acquired in step S19 is the additional information stored in the static eliminator storage unit 270 of the static eliminator 200 in FIG. Steps S16 to S18 and step S19 may be executed first, or may be executed simultaneously. After steps S16 to S19 are executed, the report output unit 357 records the information acquired in steps S2 and S16 to S19 as clean report information in association with time (step S20). After that, the process returns to step S5.

In the above report output process, a regular report is output every time regular report information is recorded, but the embodiment is not limited to this. It is sufficient that the periodic report information is recorded at predetermined time intervals, and the periodic report does not need to be output every time the periodic report information is recorded. That is, periodic reports do not have to be output at predetermined time intervals. Periodic reports may be output at any time or in response to user instructions. Further, periodic reports for the entire period in which periodic report information is recorded may not be output, and only periodic reports for a period specified by the user may be output.

Similarly, in the report output process described above, a clean report is output every time cleaning is performed, but the embodiment is not limited to this. Clean report information may be recorded every time cleaning is performed, and the clean report does not need to be output every time cleaning is performed. The clean report may be output at any time or in response to a user's instruction. Furthermore, clean reports for all cleanings that have been performed may not be output, and only clean reports for cleaning at a time specified by the user may be output.

7. Effects In the static elimination system 1 according to the present embodiment, ions are generated by the positive ion generating section 211 and the negative ion generating section 221. The amount of ions generated by the positive ion generating section 211 and the negative ion generating section 221 is measured by the ion information generating section 240. The measurement value obtained by the ion information generation section 240 is acquired by the measurement value acquisition section 351. The report output unit 357 outputs a report that displays static elimination information in comparison with the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state, using the measured value as the static elimination performance.

According to this configuration, the amount of generated ions can be measured while continuing to eliminate static electricity from the object 9, so there is no need to stop the operation of the production line for the object 9 in order to measure the amount of generated ions. Further, since the user does not need to perform tasks such as transcribing measurement results into a report, the burden on the user does not increase even if static elimination performance is frequently recorded. Furthermore, since the static electricity removal information is automatically displayed in the report, there is no room for falsification of records. As a result, the static elimination performance of the static eliminator 200 can be recorded easily and with high reliability.

Further, in the present embodiment, the calculation unit 352 calculates the ratio of the measured value to the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state as static elimination information. In this case, the user can more easily recognize the static elimination performance of the static eliminator 200. Here, the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state is stored in advance in the static eliminator storage section 270 of the static eliminator 200. In this case, a measured value for the amount of generated ions in the reference state can be easily obtained. Therefore, static elimination information can be easily calculated.

8. Other Embodiments (1) Although the static elimination time is not measured in the above embodiments, the embodiments are not limited to this. When installing the static eliminator 200, the static elimination time may be measured using, for example, a charge plate monitor. Moreover, the static elimination time measured when the static eliminator 200 was installed may be displayed in the report as additional information. Alternatively, the current static elimination time estimated from the static elimination time measured when the static eliminator 200 was installed and the static elimination information may be displayed in the report as additional information. In these cases, the user can more intuitively recognize the static elimination performance by checking the report.

(2) In the above embodiment, the ratio of the measured value of the amount of generated ions to the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state is displayed in the report as static elimination information, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The report only needs to display the measured value of the amount of generated ions so that it can be compared with the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state. Therefore, the report may include both the measured value of the amount of generated ions and the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state. In this case, the main control section 350 does not need to include the calculation section 352.

(3) In the above embodiment, the static elimination threshold value and the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state are stored in the static eliminator storage unit 270 of the static eliminator 200, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The static elimination threshold value or the value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state may be stored in the main storage unit 340 of the control device 300.

Further, in the above embodiment, the determination result of the static elimination performance is displayed in the report, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The static elimination performance determination result does not need to be displayed in the report. In this case, the static elimination threshold does not need to be stored in the static eliminator storage section 270 or the main storage section 340.

(4) In the above embodiment, the time period in which the measured value of the amount of generated ions was acquired is displayed in the report, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The time period in which the measured value of the amount of generated ions is obtained does not need to be displayed in the report.

(5) In the above embodiment, the measured value acquisition unit 351 and the additional information acquisition unit 354 respectively acquire the measured value and the additional information stored in the static eliminator storage unit 270 of the static eliminator 200. but not limited to. The temporary storage unit 271 temporarily stores measured values and some additional information at shorter time intervals than the static eliminator storage unit 270. Therefore, the measured value acquisition section 351 and the supplementary information acquisition section 354 may respectively acquire the measured value and the supplementary information stored in the temporary storage section 271.

(6) In the above embodiment, the main control section 350 includes the supplementary information reception section 355, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. If only the supplementary information stored in the static eliminator storage section 270 is displayed in the report, the main control section 350 does not need to include the supplementary information receiving section 355.

Further, in the above embodiment, supplementary information is displayed in the report, but the embodiment is not limited to this. Additional information may not be displayed in the report. In this case, the main control section 350 does not need to include the supplementary information acquisition section 354.

(7) In the above embodiment, the clean report displays the static elimination information when the static eliminator 200 is cleaned so that it can be compared with the static elimination information before and after the static eliminator 200 is cleaned. The embodiment is not limited to this. The clean report only needs to display the static elimination information when the static eliminator 200 was cleaned, and the static elimination information when the static eliminator 200 was cleaned is the static neutralization information before and after the static eliminator 200 was cleaned. It does not have to be displayed in a way that can be compared with the information. In this case, step S14 of the report output process is executed after step S20. Further, steps S12 and S13 are not executed.

(8) In the above embodiment, both the regular report and the clean report are output, but the embodiment is not limited to this. Either the regular report or the clean report does not have to be output. If a clean report is not output, main control section 350 does not need to include cleaning signal acquisition section 356. Furthermore, when the report output unit 357 outputs a report in response to a user's request, it is not necessary to output both the regular report and the clean report.

(9) In the above embodiment, the ion current in the target space 3 detected by the ion balance sensor 100 is used as additional information indicating whether or not generated ions have reached the target space 3, but the embodiment is limited to this. Not done. Information indicating whether the charge eliminator from the charge eliminator 200 is directed toward the target space 3 may be used as additional information indicating whether generated ions have reached the target space 3. Therefore, when the static eliminator 200 is provided with an attitude detection sensor such as a gyro sensor that detects its own attitude, information indicating the detection result by the attitude detection sensor indicates whether generated ions have reached the target space 3. It may also be used as supplementary information.

(10) In the above embodiment, the measured value of the amount of ions generated by the electrode needles en1 and en2 is treated as a value indicating the static elimination performance of the static eliminator 200, but the embodiment is not limited to this. When the ion balance sensor 100 is capable of measuring the amount of ions that have reached the target space 3 per unit time, the measured value of the amount of ions that have arrived per unit time by the ion balance sensor 100 indicates the static elimination performance of the static eliminator 200. May be treated as a value.

In this configuration, the report displays static elimination information in comparison with the value of the amount of ions reached in the reference state, with the value measured by the ion balance sensor 100 as the static elimination performance. The amount of ions reached in the reference state is stored in advance in the static eliminator storage unit 270, for example. When the measured value of the amount of ions reached is treated as a value indicating the static elimination performance of the static eliminator 200, the amounts of ions generated by the electrode needles en1 and en2 do not need to be measured. Further, the supplementary information does not need to include information for evaluating the amount of the static eliminator sent out from the static eliminator 200 and whether or not generated ions reach the target space 3.

(11) In the embodiments described above, the functional units of the main control unit 350 are provided in the control device 300, but the embodiments are not limited thereto. A part or all of the functional units of the main control unit 350 may be provided in the static eliminator 200. In this case, some or all of the functional units of the main control unit 350 may be realized by the static eliminator control unit 230 of the static eliminator 200.

For example, the measured value acquisition section 351, the calculation section 352, the determination section 353, and a part of the report output section 357 may be provided in the static eliminator 200. In this case, the additional information acquisition section 354, the additional information reception section 355, and another part of the report output section 357 are provided in the control device 300. Further, the cleaning signal acquisition unit 356 is not provided in either the static eliminator 200 or the control device 300.

11 and 12 are flowcharts illustrating an example of an algorithm for report output processing executed by the static eliminator 200 in another implementation. In the report output processing of FIGS. 11 and 12, steps S15a and S15b are executed in place of step S15 of FIG.

Specifically, steps S3 to S5 are sequentially executed. Here, in step S5, if the current time is the recording timing of the periodic report information, steps S6 to S8 and S10 are sequentially executed. After that, the process returns to step S5.

On the other hand, in step S5, if the current time is not the periodic report information recording timing, the static eliminator control unit 230 determines whether cleaning has been requested (step S15a). If cleaning is not requested, the process returns to step S5. When cleaning is requested, the static eliminator control unit 230 performs cleaning by executing an auto clean function (step S15b). After that, steps S16 to S18 and S20 are executed sequentially. After step S20 is executed, the process returns to step S5.

Steps S1, S2, S9, S11 to S14, and S19 in the report output processing in FIGS. 11 and 12 are performed in the control device 300, similarly to the report output processing in FIGS. 9 and 10. In this configuration, the control device 300 can output a regular report by acquiring the regular report information recorded in step S10 from the static eliminator 200. Further, the control device 300 can output a clean report by acquiring the clean report information recorded in step S20 from the static eliminator 200.

9. Correspondence between each component of the claims and each part of the embodiments Examples of correspondences between each component of the claims and each part of the embodiments will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. Various other elements having the configuration or function described in the claims can be used as each component in the claims.

In the above embodiment, the object 9 is an example of the object, the static eliminator 200 is an example of a static eliminator, the control device 300 is an example of a control device or a computer, and the static elimination system 1 is an example of a static elimination system. It is. The positive ion generation section 211 and the negative ion generation section 221 are examples of the ion generation section, the ion information generation section 240 is an example of the measurement section, the measurement value acquisition section 351 is an example of the measurement value acquisition section, and the report output The section 357 is an example of a report output section. The calculation unit 352 is an example of a calculation unit, the static eliminator storage unit 270 is an example of a storage unit, the determination unit 353 is an example of a determination unit, the additional information acquisition unit 354 is an example of an additional information acquisition unit, The supplementary information receiving section 355 is an example of the supplementary information receiving section, and the ion balance sensor 100 is an example of the sensor.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof, and some configurations of the embodiments described above may be modified. It is possible to implement them in combination.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Static elimination system, 2... Belt conveyor, 3... Target space, 9... Target object, 11... Static eliminator housing, 12... Vent opening, 13... Cover, 100... Ion balance sensor, 110A... Detection plate, 110B... Ion Detection circuit, 120...Temperature detection element, 130...Humidity detection element, 140...Sensor indicator light, 150...Sensor communication section, 160...Sensor power supply section, 190...Sensor control section, 191...Balance information generation section, 192...Ion amount Information generation section, 193... Temperature information generation section, 194... Humidity information generation section, 195... Indicator light control section, 200... Static eliminator, 201... Fan, 201a... Rotating shaft, 202... Fan drive section, 203... Detection electrode, 211... Positive ion generation section, 211a, 221a... Annular member, 212... Positive electrode side high voltage circuit, 221... Negative ion generation section, 222... Negative electrode side high voltage circuit, 230... Static eliminator control section, 240... Ion information generation section, 241... Internal ion current detection circuit, 242... External ion current detection circuit, 250... Display section, 260... Operation section, 270... Static eliminator storage section, 271... Temporary storage section, 280... Static eliminator communication section, 290... Static eliminator Power supply section, 300... Control device, 310... Main body display section, 320... Main body operation section, 330... Main communication section, 340... Main storage section, 341... Storage medium, 350... Main control section, 351... Measured value acquisition section, 352...Calculation section, 353...Judgment section, 354...Additional information acquisition section, 355...Additional information reception section, 356...Cleaning signal acquisition section, 357...Report output section, 400...Charge detection system, 410, 420...Charge detection device , 411, 421...detection head, 430...communication device, CA1-CA3...relay cable, en1, en2...electrode needle

Claims (18)

A static elimination system comprising a static eliminator that discharges ions to neutralize a target object, and a control device,
an ion generating section that generates the ions;
a measurement value acquisition unit that acquires a measurement value of the amount of ions;
A static elimination system comprising: a report output unit that outputs a report displaying static elimination information in comparison with an ion amount value in a reference state, using the measured value as static elimination performance. The static elimination system according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation unit that calculates, as the static elimination information, a ratio of the measured value to the value of the amount of ions in the reference state. further comprising a storage unit that stores the value of the amount of ions in the reference state,
The static elimination system according to claim 2, wherein the calculation unit calculates the static elimination information based on the value of the amount of ions stored in the storage unit. The static electricity removal system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the report output unit outputs the report displaying the static electricity removal information recorded at predetermined time intervals as a regular report. The static elimination system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the report output unit outputs the report displaying the static elimination information when the ion generating unit is cleaned as a clean report. 6. The static elimination system according to claim 5, wherein the clean report displays the static elimination information when the ion generating section is cleaned so as to be comparable with the static eliminating information before and after the ion generating section is cleaned. . The static elimination system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the report further displays a time period in which the measured value was obtained. Further comprising a determination unit that determines whether the static elimination performance is good or bad,
The static elimination system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the report further displays a determination result by the determination unit. further comprising an incidental information acquisition unit that acquires incidental information incidental to the static elimination information,
The static elimination system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the report further displays the additional information acquired by the additional information acquisition unit. 10. The static elimination system according to claim 9, wherein the supplementary information includes at least one of temperature, humidity, ion balance, and drive parameters of the ion generator. Further comprising an incidental information reception unit that receives an input of incidental information incidental to the static elimination information,
The static elimination system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the report further displays the additional information received by the additional information receiving unit. further comprising a measurement unit that measures the amount of ions generated by the ion generation unit,
The measurement value acquisition unit acquires the measurement value by the measurement unit,
The static elimination system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the report displays the static elimination information in comparison with a value of the amount of generated ions in the reference state, using the measured value as the static elimination performance. The static elimination system according to claim 12, further comprising an additional information acquisition section that acquires additional information indicating the amount of generated ions sent out by the ion generation section. The static elimination system according to claim 12, further comprising an additional information acquisition unit that acquires additional information indicating whether ions generated by the ion generation unit reach the target object. Further comprising a sensor that measures the amount of ions reaching the target object,
The measured value acquisition unit acquires the measured value by the sensor,
The static elimination system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the report displays the static elimination information in comparison with the value of the amount of ions reached in the reference state, using the measured value as the static elimination performance. A control device capable of communicating with a static eliminator that discharges static electricity from a target object by emitting ions,
a measurement value acquisition unit that acquires a measurement value of the amount of ions;
A control device comprising: a report output unit that outputs a report displaying static elimination information in comparison with an ion amount value in a reference state, using the measured value as static elimination performance. There is a management method that is executed by a control device that can communicate with a static eliminator that emit ions to neutralize the target object.
a measurement value acquisition step of acquiring a measurement value of the amount of ions;
A management method for causing a control device to execute a report output step of outputting a report displaying static elimination information in comparison with an ion amount value in a reference state, using the measured value as static elimination performance. There is a management program that runs on a computer that can communicate with a static eliminator that emit ions to eliminate static electricity from objects.
a measurement value acquisition step of acquiring a measurement value of the amount of ions;
A management program that causes a management computer to execute a report output step of outputting a report displaying static elimination information in comparison with an ion amount value in a reference state, using the measured value as static elimination performance.

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