JP3311944B2 - Ultrasonic energy emitting device and cleaning device provided with the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic energy radiating device for radiating ultrasonic energy in a radial direction from a longitudinal vibration transmitting member into a cleaning liquid for cleaning, and the ultrasonic energy radiating device. And a cleaning device comprising:

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 shows an example of this type of cleaning apparatus.
The cleaning device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-43437.

[0003] As shown in the figure, the cleaning apparatus has a processing tank 102 for storing a cleaning fluid 101 and an ultrasonic energy generating unit 104. The ultrasonic energy generating unit 104 has a vibration transmitting member 106 which is formed in a longitudinal shape and one end of which is horizontally mounted on the processing tank 102 so as to be immersed in the cleaning fluid 101, and the other end of the vibration transmitting member 106. And a vibrator 107 for generating ultrasonic vibration in the longitudinal direction of the vibration transmitting member.

[0004] The vibration transmitting member 106 is attached to the processing tank 102 by a mounting flange 109 and a sealing flange 110.
Attached to the side wall.

The vibrator 107 is made of, for example, an electrostrictive element, and operates by applying a voltage of a predetermined frequency by an oscillator (not shown), and emits ultrasonic vibration of this frequency. The vibration transmitting member 106 has a length set to an integral multiple of a half wavelength of the ultrasonic vibration applied from the vibrator 107, and resonates.

[0006] In the cleaning apparatus having such a configuration, the vibration transmitting member 106 is provided by Poisson.
The coupling emits radial ultrasonic energy based on longitudinal ultrasonic vibration (indicated by an arrow U in FIG. 6) provided by the transducer 107. FIG. 7 is a diagram of DD shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 shows a cross section, and the direction of emission of the ultrasonic energy is indicated by an arrow E in FIG. When the ultrasonic energy is transmitted to the cleaning fluid 101, an object (not shown) immersed in the cleaning fluid is cleaned.

In the cleaning apparatus, the vibration transmitting member 10
The ultrasonic energy from 6 goes in all directions (360 °), and is repeatedly reflected on the inner wall surface of the processing tank 102, so that a diffusion sound field is formed instead of a standing wave sound field.
Therefore, it can be said that uneven cleaning is unlikely to occur.

Further, since the vibration transmitting member 106 is long and has a relatively large acoustic impedance itself, for example, the operation in the absence of the cleaning fluid 101, that is, an abnormal increase in the output even in the state of the empty heating. Is considered to be prevented.

Furthermore, cavitation hardly occurs on the bottom and side walls of the thin processing tank 102, and there is no fear of liquid leakage due to erosion.

In addition, the following advantages are described in the above publication (Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-43437).

First, since the vibration transmitting member 106 has a large radiating surface, the load, that is, the cleaning fluid 101
And that a single vibrator 107 provides a sufficient cleaning effect. Second, the manufacturing cost can be reduced because only one type of vibrator 107 needs to be prepared and only the vibration transmitting member 106 needs to be manufactured according to the customer's request.

[0012]

Although the cleaning apparatus has many advantages as described above, it has the following problems.

That is, not all of the ultrasonic vibration applied from the vibrator 107 in the longitudinal direction of the vibration transmitting member 106 is converted into ultrasonic energy in the radial direction, but a part of the energy is transmitted. It is radiated from the front end surface of the member 106. The ultrasonic energy radiated from the tip surface does not effectively work for cleaning and is lost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to reduce the energy of ultrasonic vibration applied from a vibrator in the radial direction of a vibration transmitting member with extremely high efficiency. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic energy radiating device capable of converting into ultrasonic energy and a cleaning device provided with the ultrasonic energy radiating device.

Further, the present invention provides an ultrasonic energy radiating device and a cleaning device which can exert other effects.

[0016]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vibration transmission member having a solid and elongated shape, and a vibration transmission member connected to one end of the vibration transmission member. A vibrator that emits ultrasonic vibrations in the longitudinal direction of the member, and transmits ultrasonic energy emitted in the radial direction of the vibration transmitting member to the cleaning fluid based on the ultrasonic vibrations, and provides the cleaning fluid with the ultrasonic energy radiating device. , A cover member forming a gap between the vibration transmitting member and the other end is provided.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a processing tank for storing a cleaning fluid, and a processing tank formed so as to be solid and elongated so that one end is immersed in the cleaning fluid. A vibration transmission member mounted on the vibration transmission member, and a vibrator coupled to the other end of the vibration transmission member to emit ultrasonic vibrations in a longitudinal direction of the vibration transmission member. In a cleaning apparatus that performs cleaning using ultrasonic energy emitted in a radial direction, a cover member that forms a gap between the vibration transmission member and the one end is provided.

In addition, to obtain various other effects, the following configurations are employed.

That is, in the ultrasonic energy radiating device, the length of the vibration transmitting member is set to an integral multiple of a half wavelength of the ultrasonic vibration generated by the vibrator.

In the ultrasonic energy radiating device, a longitudinal dimension of the vibration transmitting member in which the gap is formed is about 1/10 to about 1/2 (about λ) of the half wavelength.
/ 20 to about λ / 4).

Further, in the ultrasonic energy radiation device, a viscoelastic member is interposed between the vibration transmitting member and the cover member at least in a longitudinal direction of the vibration transmitting member.

In the cleaning device, a male screw is formed at a nodal point of the vibration transmitting member, and a female screw is formed at an inner peripheral portion of a mounting opening provided in the processing tank.
The mounting of the vibration transmitting member is completed by screwing the male screw into the female screw.

Further, in the cleaning device, the ultrasonic energy generating section including the vibration transmitting member and the vibrator is attached to the processing tank via a viscoelastic member.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a longitudinal section of a cleaning apparatus (including an ultrasonic energy radiating apparatus) as a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the configuration shown in FIG.
From these figures, the cleaning apparatus includes a treatment tank 2 for storing a cleaning fluid 1 such as pure water, and an ultrasonic energy generator 4. The ultrasonic energy generator 4 includes a vibration transmitting member 6 and a vibrator 7 coupled to the vibration transmitting member 6.
Consists of

The vibration transmission member 6 is made of duralumin or the like, and has a circular cross section in the present embodiment, a solid shape, and a longitudinal shape. And, one end side is horizontally mounted in the processing tank 2 so as to be immersed in the cleaning fluid 1.

Specifically, the vibration transmission member 6 has a nodal
A flange 6a is formed at a point (node of vibration), and an external thread 6b is formed on an outer peripheral portion of the flange 6a.
The mounting of the vibration transmitting member 6 is completed by screwing the male screw 6b into the female screw 2a formed on the inner peripheral portion of the mounting opening provided on the side wall of the processing tank 2. However, the male screw 6b
When screwing into the female screw 2a, a balca tape is interposed between them to ensure liquid tightness. Such a mounting structure is extremely simple in structure itself, and does not require any components for mounting, so that manufacturing costs can be easily reduced, and mounting / removing operations can be performed extremely easily.

The external thread 6b may be formed on the outer periphery of the vibration transmitting member 6 without providing the flange 6a.

The vibrator 7 is fixed to the other end of the vibration transmitting member 6, that is, to the end face existing outside the processing tank 2.

The vibrator 7 is made of, for example, an electrostrictive element.
A voltage of a predetermined frequency is applied by an oscillator (not shown) through the cable 11 to operate, and emits ultrasonic vibration of this frequency. This ultrasonic vibration is applied in the longitudinal direction of the vibration transmitting member 6. The oscillator and the ultrasonic energy generator 4
(Comprising the vibration transmitting member 6 and the vibrator 7) is generically referred to as an ultrasonic energy radiating device. The vibration transmitting member 6
Has a length L set to an integral multiple of a half wavelength (λ / 2) of the ultrasonic vibration applied from the vibrator 7 and resonates.

In the case of this embodiment, the length L of the vibration transmitting member 6
Is 379 mm and the diameter d is 66 mm. One wavelength (λ) of the ultrasonic vibration applied from the vibrator 7 is 252 mm in the present embodiment, and the length L and the diameter d are each about 1.5 times this one wavelength and about 1/1 of the one wavelength. 4 to 1/3
Doubled.

The cable 11 has a connector 1
3, and the male side 1 of this connector 13
3a is connected to the cable 11, and the female side 13b is connected to the cable 12 on the power supply side. The male side 13a is attached to the vibrator 7 via a case 14. The case 14 is mounted at a nodal point of the vibrator 7. The male side 13a and the female side 1 of this connector 13
3b, the ultrasonic energy generating unit 4 can be freely handled regardless of the long cable 12 on the power supply side. The work can be easily performed when mounting.

In the cleaning device, the vibration transmitting member 6 is moved in the radial direction based on the longitudinal ultrasonic vibration (indicated by the arrow U in FIG. 1) given by the vibrator 7 by the Poisson coupling. Emit ultrasonic energy. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and the direction of the ultrasonic energy emitted from the vibration transmitting member 6 is indicated by an arrow E in FIG. By transmitting the ultrasonic energy to the cleaning fluid 1, the object to be cleaned (not shown) immersed in the cleaning fluid is cleaned. The cleaning effect by the ultrasonic energy emitted in the radial direction is basically the same as that of the above-described conventional cleaning apparatus, and the description thereof will be omitted here because it is redundant.

Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the cleaning apparatus.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a cover member 10 is fixed to the tip of the vibration transmitting member 6. FIG.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion B in FIG. 1. As is apparent from FIG. 1, a gap 8 is formed by the cover member 10 on the front end surface of the vibration transmitting member 6 and in the vicinity thereof. Specifically, the distal end portion 6 of the vibration transmitting member 6
e, the outer diameter of the cover member 10 is substantially the same as that of the main body of the vibration transmitting member 6, and the inner diameter of the cover member 10 is
It is formed larger than e.

The cover member 10 is formed of a metal such as duralumin or a synthetic resin, for example.

A packing 10 a is interposed between the vibration transmitting member 6 and the cover member 10 in the longitudinal direction of the vibration transmitting member 6. The gas tightness of the gap 8 is ensured by the packing 10a.

In the above configuration, since the acoustic impedance of the air in the gap 8 is extremely small as compared with the acoustic impedance of the cleaning fluid 1, almost no vibration energy is transmitted to the gap 8 side. Therefore, the longitudinal vibration energy applied to the vibration transmitting member 6 from the vibrator 7 is not wastefully radiated from the tip of the vibration transmitting member 6, and almost all is converted into radial ultrasonic energy. Emitted into the cleaning fluid 1 efficiently. Therefore, a high cleaning effect can be obtained.

Here, the dimension indicated by the symbol a in FIG.
That is, the dimension of the vibration transmitting member 6 in the longitudinal direction in which the gap 8 is formed by the cover member 10 is, in particular, the vibrator 7.
About one-half of the half wavelength (λ / 2) of the ultrasonic vibration given from
10 to about 1/2 (about λ / 20 to about λ / 4).
In this range, a relatively large radial vibration is induced in the vibration transmitting member 6, and the radiation efficiency of vibration energy to the cleaning fluid 1 is further increased by locating the boundary between the gap 8 and the cleaning fluid 1 within this range. Enhanced and effective.

As described above, the packing 10 a as a viscoelastic member is interposed between the cover member 10 and the vibration transmitting member 6 in the longitudinal direction of the vibration transmitting member 6. The packing 10a not only maintains the liquid tightness inside and outside the cover member, but also has the following effects.

That is, the packing 10a is arranged so that the vibration transmitting member 6 and the cover member 1 extend in the longitudinal direction of the vibration transmitting member 6.
0, the longitudinal ultrasonic vibration applied to the vibration transmitting member 6 from the vibrator 7 is not easily transmitted to the cover member 10. Therefore, transmission of vibration energy to the cleaning fluid 1 through the cover member 10 is suppressed,
The efficiency with which the vibration transmitting member 6 is converted into energy in the radial direction is further increased.

[0042]

Next, a cleaning apparatus as a second embodiment capable of achieving the same cleaning effect as that of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. However, regarding the second embodiment, the same or corresponding components as those of the cleaning device of the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of those portions is omitted because they are redundant. Only the main parts will be explained.

As shown, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the structure of mounting the ultrasonic energy generator 4 to the processing tank 2.

That is, a flange 6d is formed at the nodal point of the vibration transmitting member 6, and the vibration transmitting member 6 is inserted from the outside into an opening 2c formed in the side wall of the processing tank 2, and the flange 6d and the flange 6d are formed. Packing 15 between side wall
Is interposed. A packing 16 is also provided on the other surface of the flange 6d, and a substantially bowl-shaped holder 18 is fitted to the vibration transmitting member 6 from outside. Further, a bolt 20 is inserted from the inside into a bolt insertion hole formed in the side wall of the processing tank 2, and is screwed to the outer periphery of the holder 18. An O-ring 22 is interposed between the heads of the bolts 20 and the bottom of the processing tank 2. The opening 2c formed in the side wall of the processing tank 2 and the opening 1 formed in the holder 18
The vibration transmitting member 6 is not in contact with each of the inner peripheral portions 8a. In other words, the vibration transmitting member 6 has its flange 6d
Only contact the packings 15 and 16 at.

According to the above-described mounting structure, the ultrasonic energy generating section 4 including the vibration transmitting member 6 and the vibrator 7 is connected to the processing tank 2 via the packings 15 and 16 as viscoelastic members.
, The ultrasonic energy generated by the ultrasonic energy generating section 4 is prevented from being transmitted to the processing tank 2, and the generated ultrasonic energy is entirely transferred to the cleaning fluid 1.
Effectively communicated to

In each of the above-described embodiments, the ultrasonic energy generating section 4 is installed horizontally, but may be inclined. When tilted, the radiation direction of the ultrasonic energy emitted in the radial direction from the vibration transmitting member 6 can be arbitrarily determined, and the effect of effectively responding to the direction of the object to be cleaned and the like can be obtained.

In each of the above embodiments, the cross section of the vibration transmitting member 6 is circular. However, it goes without saying that other shapes such as a square or an ellipse may be used.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, but can realize a wide variety of configurations by combining or applying the configurations included in each of the embodiments. For example, a male screw is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the holder 18 in the second embodiment shown in FIG.
The male screw may be screwed into the female screw 2a of the processing tank 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 for attachment.

[0049]

As described above, in the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, the gap is formed at the tip of the vibration transmitting member by the cover member. Therefore, the longitudinal vibration energy applied to the vibration transmitting member from the vibrator is not wastefully radiated from the tip, but almost all is converted to radial ultrasonic energy and radiated efficiently. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a cleaning apparatus as a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view on arrow AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the configuration shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion B in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cleaning apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional cleaning device.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning fluid 2 Processing tank 4 Ultrasonic energy generation part 6 Vibration transmission member 7 Vibrator 8 Void 10 Cover member 13 Connector 14 Case 10a, 15, 16 Packing (viscoelastic member)

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A vibration transmission member having a solid and elongated shape, and a vibrator coupled to one end of the vibration transmission member and emitting ultrasonic vibration in a longitudinal direction of the vibration transmission member, An ultrasonic energy radiating device that transmits ultrasonic energy emitted in a radial direction of the vibration transmitting member to a cleaning fluid based on ultrasonic vibration and provides the cleaning fluid with a cleaning fluid, wherein a gap is provided between the vibration transmitting member and the other end. An ultrasonic energy emitting device comprising a cover member to be formed. 2. The ultrasonic energy radiating device according to claim 1, wherein a length of said vibration transmitting member is set to an integral multiple of a half wavelength of ultrasonic vibration generated by said vibrator. 3. A longitudinal dimension in which the gap is formed in the vibration transmitting member is about 1/10 to about 1 of the half wavelength.
The ultrasonic energy radiating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ratio is set to / 2. 4. A viscoelastic member is interposed between the vibration transmitting member and the cover member at least in a longitudinal direction of the vibration transmitting member.
The ultrasonic energy radiating device according to claim 1. 5. A processing tank for storing a cleaning fluid, a vibration transmitting member formed in a solid and elongated shape and one end of which is mounted on the processing tank so as to be immersed in the cleaning fluid; A vibrator coupled to the other end of the member to emit ultrasonic vibrations in a longitudinal direction of the vibration transmitting member, wherein cleaning is performed using ultrasonic energy emitted in a radial direction of the vibration transmitting member based on the ultrasonic vibrations. A cleaning device, comprising: a cover member that forms a gap between the vibration transmission member and the one end of the vibration transmission member. 6. A male screw is formed at a nodal point of the vibration transmitting member, and a female screw is formed at an inner peripheral portion of a mounting opening provided in the processing tank. The cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the mounting of the vibration transmitting member is completed. 7. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an ultrasonic energy generating section including the vibration transmitting member and the vibrator is attached to the processing tank via a viscoelastic member.