JP5145950B2 - UV irradiation equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an improvement of an ultraviolet irradiation device having a long tube lamp.

Tube UV lamps are used as UV light sources incorporated in UV irradiation devices used for drying and curing film surface coatings. However, in recent years, the film width has been increased and the processing speed has been increased. In response to this trend, this lamp has also become longer and higher in output.

An ultraviolet irradiation device equipped with a tube-type ultraviolet lamp is usually arranged inside the housing with this lamp and a reflecting mirror that is disposed on the outer periphery of the lamp along the longitudinal direction of the lamp and has an opening to surround the lamp. Configured. The opening formed by the reflecting mirror is opposed to the opening serving as the ultraviolet irradiation port of the housing. In order to prevent the inside of the housing from becoming hot when the lamp is turned on, air cooling is performed to distribute air around the outer periphery of the lamp, or cooling is performed inside the components arranged near the lamp, that is, the reflector and the cooling block. The inside of the lamp and the casing is cooled by a technique such as water cooling for circulating water, or a combination of both. Such a cooling method is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

By the way, the tube-type ultraviolet lamp is made of a translucent container that encloses a light emitting substance such as mercury or a metal halide, a rare gas, or the like and seals the sealing portions at both ends in such a manner that the electrodes protrude inside. And a lamp base that supports both ends of the arc tube and receives electric energy supplied to the electrodes. This translucent container is usually manufactured by processing a quartz glass tube as a material. In this arc tube space, the distance between both electrodes is substantially equal to the effective light emission length.

Now, when the UV irradiation treatment width is less than 1 m and there is no need to increase the length and output of the tube type UV lamp, a tube type UV lamp with an effective light emission length of less than 2000 mm and a light output of less than 120 W / cm is sufficient. Satisfactory light output performance was obtained. In this case, the surface of the arc tube becomes hot when the lamp is lit, and reaches a temperature of about 800 to 900 ° C. particularly in the central portion of the arc tube. However, the arc tube is cooled by air cooling or the like, and the thermal expansion of the quartz glass itself. Since the rate was small, there was hardly any thermal deformation that could be visually confirmed.

However, if the required UV irradiation treatment width is about 2 m, a long and high output tube type UV lamp having a total length of about 3000 mm, an effective light emission length of 2000 mm or more, and a light output of 160 W / cm or more is required. A situation has arisen in which the influence of can not be ignored. In other words, in this type of long lamp, the arc tube softened by the heat generated by itself, despite the above-described cooling, is gently lowered in the longitudinal direction with the center portion at the top by its own weight. Thermal deformation that hangs downward (hereinafter referred to as “downward thermal deformation”) occurred.

When the UV irradiation device is stopped, it is usually cooled in the posture in which the long lamp is mounted on the device, so that the drooping heat deformation is held unchanged even after the lamp arc tube has cooled to room temperature, Each time the lamp is lit, a new thermal deformation is added to the previous thermal deformation. Thus, the amount of change due to the drooping heat deformation increases depending on the cumulative lighting time of the lamp, and there is almost no change at the beginning of lighting, but when the cumulative time becomes about several hundred hours, a level that can be visually confirmed. It became the size of. The amount of change varies depending on the position in the longitudinal direction. At the center of the arc tube, it reaches a maximum of 10% or more in the tube diameter direction when lighted for 500 hours. For example, when the tube outer diameter is 28 mm, the amount of change is about 3 mm. Met. Visual confirmation can be confirmed, for example, by placing the lamp arc tube on a flat object.

In general, the positional relationship between the reflecting mirror and the tube axis of the lamp arc tube is set in advance so that the reflected light from the reflecting mirror is irradiated in a predetermined direction, and the allowable range of variation from the positional relationship. Is small. As described above, when the tube axis of the arc tube moves about 10% from the design value with respect to the reflector in the tube diameter direction, the UV illuminance distribution on the surface to be processed is affected and uneven illuminance occurs. In addition, a region where desired illuminance cannot be obtained occurs.

Conventionally, however, only measures have been taken to devise a cooling method for the arc tube. For example, cooling in which cooling water is circulated inside the arc tube is arranged as close as possible to the upper side surface of the arc tube along the longitudinal direction of the arc tube. The system can be used for a long time because it only absorbs heat by the block, and a cooling method combined with air / water cooling is used to efficiently cool the outer surface of the arc tube center by devising the cooling air flow path. However, depending on the degree, drooping heat deformation still occurred, and no decisive measures were taken to eliminate it.

Two tube-type UV lamps that are half the length of the above tube-type UV lamps are arranged in series, and the length per lamp arc tube can be halved to reduce the influence of gravity. This is not preferable because there is a problem that the ultraviolet illuminance decreases on the ultraviolet irradiation surface corresponding to the joint between the two lamps (this also corresponds to the central portion of the entire irradiation surface).

Accordingly, there has been an urgent need to provide means for suppressing fluctuations in the position of the arc tube due to drooping heat deformation at the center of the lamp arc tube when the lamp is turned on. Moreover, it is desirable that the means does not impede lamp performance. Further, in order to avoid a local decrease in ultraviolet illuminance, it is preferable to employ a method of irradiating with one tube-type ultraviolet lamp rather than a series arrangement of a plurality of tube-type ultraviolet lamps.

However, as a measure for preventing drooping heat deformation, simply supporting the central portion of the lamp arc tube with a heat-resistant member does not solve the problem. For example, if you consider that the arc tube is arranged in the horizontal direction, if you place and support a heat resistant member under the arc tube center, the vertical downward direction is the target UV irradiation direction This is disadvantageous because the heat-resistant member blocks ultraviolet rays. Another problem is how and in what arrangement the arc tube support made of the heat-resistant member is supported. The member that supports the arc tube support body needs to firmly support the arc tube support body without being thermally deformed, but consider a spatial situation in which a reflecting mirror is arranged close to the outer periphery of the lamp arc tube. And it is not easy to find a place to support this member.

JP 2006-95448 A

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in the long tube type ultraviolet lamp to be provided, means for suppressing the drooping heat deformation at the center of the lamp arc tube is not limited to the ultraviolet irradiation performance or the lamp itself. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultraviolet irradiation device provided with a configuration that minimizes the influence on performance.

In general, in an ultraviolet irradiation device having a long tube type ultraviolet lamp, when shown in a schematic sectional view of a surface orthogonal to the tube axis of the lamp, a lamp arc tube, a vertical reflector, a light source unit and a ventilation tube unit FIG. 8 shows a typical positional relationship between the partition walls separating the two. That is, the pair of vertical reflectors surrounding the outer periphery of the arc tube forms an opening for ultraviolet irradiation facing the ultraviolet irradiation direction, and a ventilation opening located on the back surface through which cooling air flows. . Further, when the ultraviolet lamp is of a high output type, in order to indirectly cool the lamp arc tube, the partition wall is formed with a thickness and a water cooling pipe inside, and the lamp arc tube is partially Are arranged close to each other so as to surround them. The ventilation opening has a certain degree of width, and the partition wall is in a positional relationship of having a portion extending to the vicinity of the ventilation opening. Such a typical example is also shown in Patent Document 1.

Therefore, the inventor first forcibly suppresses the drooping heat deformation by sandwiching the arc tube with a pair of supports that are in contact with the outer surface of the central portion of the lamp arc tube having the largest thermal deformation. Next, with respect to the method of supporting the pair of support members, in consideration of the relative positional relationship of the above-described apparatus constituent members, the direction in which the arc tube is sandwiched is such that the ultraviolet irradiation is not hindered as much as possible. And the support is supported at a position where the action of the reflecting mirror is not hindered as much as possible, and supports the arc tube firmly without being changed by high heat, and changes the arc tube physically and chemically. The present invention has been completed by constructing it so as to have a material / structure that does not occur.

The present invention has the following configuration to achieve the above object. That is, the ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 1 is an ultraviolet lamp that radiates ultraviolet rays composed of a straight tube-type long arc tube with electrodes sealed at both ends,
For the ventilation of the light emitting tube, the light emitting tube is arranged symmetrically with respect to the tube axis of the light emitting tube so as to surround the light emitting tube along the longitudinal direction of the light emitting tube. A pair of vertical reflectors that are partially separated so as to be formed to face each other through the lamp, and that reflect ultraviolet rays on the concave surface side,
On the outer periphery of the central portion of the arc tube, in contact with at least a part of the outer surface of the arc tube to support the central portion of the arc tube, and on a projection view onto a plane perpendicular to the tube axis of the arc tube A pair of arc tube supports, wherein a contact surface with the arc tube outer surface is disposed in a positional relationship orthogonal to the ultraviolet irradiation direction and facing the arc tube;
A light source unit that has a vent hole that is formed to be opposed to and penetrated from the vent opening formed by the pair of reflecting mirrors, and that includes the lamp, the reflecting mirror, and the arc tube support; A partition that separates the ventilation tube portion through which the cooling air after the air-cooling of the arc tube circulates;
A housing configured to house the light source unit, the ventilation tube unit, and the partition;
A power supply mechanism that includes tube end support portions for supporting both ends of the arc tube, and supplies electric energy to the arc tube;
An ultraviolet irradiation device comprising:
The arc tube support has a concave contact surface with the outer surface of the arc tube and is made of a highly heat-resistant translucent material. The arc tube support piece is penetrated and fixed. In addition, it is composed of a fixed pile made of a highly heat-resistant and highly thermally conductive metal material that is inserted into and held by the partition wall through the ventilation opening of the reflecting mirror.

The ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 2, wherein the pair of arc tube support members are arranged in a positional relationship facing each other via the arc tube on a projection view on a plane parallel to the tube axis of the arc tube. The configuration is not made.

In the ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 3, the distance in the longitudinal direction of the arc tube between the center point of the tube axis of the arc tube and the arc tube support is 5 which is the effective light emission length of the arc tube. %.

The ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 4 is configured such that the entire contact surface of the arc tube support piece with the arc tube outer surface is in contact with the arc tube outer surface.

In the ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 5, the arc tube support piece is made of a material that is not reactive with the arc tube due to heat generated when the lamp is turned on.

In the ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 6, the fixed pile is made of a metal or an alloy that is not reactive with the arc tube support piece due to heat when the lamp is turned on.

The ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 7, wherein the partition wall is configured to be thick and includes a cooling water flow path therein, and has a proximity portion with the arc tube, and the vent hole includes the arc tube. It is formed in a continuous slot extending along the longitudinal direction.

In the ultraviolet irradiation device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the saddle type reflecting mirror is configured to be thick and includes a cooling water flow path therein.

The ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 9 further includes the ultraviolet lamp in which a plurality of the casings are arranged in parallel, and the power supply mechanism supports both ends of the plurality of lamps, and the lamps. It is comprised so that it can supply an electrical energy to.

According to the ultraviolet irradiation device of claim 1, since the central portion of the arc tube is firmly supported so as to be sandwiched in a direction perpendicular to the tube axis, the device is operated for a long time and the ultraviolet lamp is turned on for a long time. However, no drooping heat deformation occurs in the central portion of the arc tube, and the positional relationship between the arc tube axis and the reflecting mirror can be maintained as initially designed. In addition, since the pair of arc tube supports sandwich the arc tube center in the direction perpendicular to the UV irradiation direction, the effect of blocking UV irradiation is minimized, and the vent opening of the reflector is used. Thus, since it is supported by the partition wall, the effect of disturbing the action of the reflecting mirror is suppressed as much as possible. Accordingly, there is an effect that the illuminance distribution of the reflected light by the reflecting mirror can be sufficiently realized as initially designed.

According to the ultraviolet irradiation device of claim 2, it is possible to prevent the influence of the optical path of the irradiation light from the arc tube being blocked by the arc tube support from being concentrated on one place on the ultraviolet irradiation surface. effective.

According to the ultraviolet irradiation device of claim 3, since the arc tube support is installed in contact with the hottest portion of the outer surface of the arc tube, it effectively prevents drooping heat deformation of the arc tube. There is an effect that can be.

According to the ultraviolet irradiation device of claim 4, the arc tube support body is in contact with the outer surface of the arc tube over the entire concave surface, and the arc tube is firmly held between the pair of arc tube support bodies. In addition, it is possible to reliably prevent drooping heat deformation of the arc tube and to direct the opening of the reflecting mirror in an arbitrary direction, so that it is possible to arbitrarily select the ultraviolet irradiation direction.

According to the ultraviolet irradiation device of the fifth aspect, since the arc tube support piece is not reactive with the arc tube, the arc tube can be prevented from being altered.

According to the ultraviolet irradiation device of claim 6, since the fixed pile has no reactivity with the arc tube support piece, there is an effect that the arc tube support piece can be prevented from being altered. .

According to the ultraviolet irradiation device of claim 7, since the partition has a portion close to the arc tube, the surface of the arc tube and the inside of the housing are maintained at an appropriate temperature by cooling the partition with water. can do. Moreover, since the vent hole provided in the partition wall is formed in a long hole shape, the surface of the arc tube and the inside of the housing can be efficiently cooled.

According to the ultraviolet irradiation device of the eighth aspect, the reflecting mirror can be cooled with water, and the inside of the housing can be maintained at an appropriate temperature.

According to the ultraviolet irradiation device of the ninth aspect, since the plurality of long tube type ultraviolet lamps arranged in parallel are provided, there is an effect that an ultraviolet irradiation surface having a large area can be formed.

The best embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are schematic schematic cross-sectional views of the ultraviolet irradiation device of the present invention in a plane perpendicular to the tube axis of a long tube type ultraviolet lamp and a surface including the tube axis, respectively. 1 and 2 are also orthogonal to the tube axis of the lamp so that even if there are major components not shown in one cross-sectional view, their positional relationship can be depicted in one figure. It is drawn as a convenient projection onto the plane including the plane and the tube axis.

As will be described later, the ultraviolet irradiation device of the present invention can arbitrarily select the ultraviolet irradiation direction, but in the device shown in FIG. 1, the irradiation direction is horizontal (lateral).

The ultraviolet irradiation device 10 includes one long tube type ultraviolet lamp 1,
In order to irradiate ultraviolet rays while being arranged symmetrically with respect to the tube axis (center axis) 15 of the arc tube 11 so as to surround the arc tube 11 along its longitudinal direction on the outer periphery of the arc tube 11 constituting the ultraviolet lamp 1. A pair of vertical mirrors 2, 2 that are partially separated so as to form a ventilation opening 26 through which air for cooling the arc tube 11 and its periphery flows.
On the outer periphery of the central portion of the arc tube 11, it is in contact with at least a part of the outer surface of the arc tube 11 to support the central portion of the arc tube 11 and project onto a plane perpendicular to the tube axis 14 of the arc tube 11. In the figure (FIG. 1), a pair of arc tube supports in which the contact surface 53 with the arc tube 11 is arranged in a positional relationship that is orthogonal to the ultraviolet irradiation direction (horizontal direction) and that opposes the arc tube 11. 5, 5,
It has a vent hole 31 that is disposed so as to oppose the vent opening 26 formed by the pair of reflecting mirrors 2, 2, and is formed by penetrating the ultraviolet lamp 1, arc tube supports 5, 5, and reflecting mirrors 2, 2. A partition wall that separates the left and right chambers of the ventilation tube portion 9 through which the cooling air after the air cooling of the ultraviolet lamp 1 circulates,
A housing 4 in which a light source unit 8, a ventilation tube unit 9, and a partition wall 3 are housed;
It comprises a tube end support portion 6 for supporting both ends of the ultraviolet lamp 1 and a power supply mechanism 7 (not shown) for supplying electric energy to the ultraviolet lamp 1, and
The arc tube support 5 is formed by penetrating the arc tube support piece 51 and the arc tube support piece 51 which are made of a highly heat-resistant translucent material and have a concave surface facing the outer surface of the arc tube 11. The fixed pile 52 is made of a highly heat-resistant and highly thermally conductive metal material that is inserted into and held in the partition wall 3 through the ventilation opening 27.

The ultraviolet lamp 1 is, for example, a high output long straight tube lamp having an effective light emission length of about 2 m, an arc tube outer diameter of about 20 several mm, and an optical output of about 160 W / cm. Electrodes 12 and 12 are respectively sealed at both ends of the arc tube 11 and are provided with lamp bases 13 and 13 (FIG. 2). The surface of the arc tube 11 has a high temperature of about 800 to 900 ° C. at the center when the lamp is lit. The arc tube 11 is usually made of a material having high heat resistance and translucency, such as quartz glass.

The vertical reflectors 2 and 2 are provided with reflectivity by appropriately adopting known methods such as forming a reflective film on the concave surface. On the back side of the irradiation opening 25, a cooling opening taken from the irradiation opening 25 forms a ventilation opening 26 so as to be exhausted after the ultraviolet lamp 1 is air-cooled and arranged symmetrically. An appropriate rotation mechanism may be added so that the vertical reflectors 2 and 2 can rotate symmetrically on the outer periphery of the lamp 1. In order to keep the lamp lighting but not to irradiate ultraviolet rays, as shown in FIG. 7, the vertical reflectors 2 and 2 are rotated to a position where the irradiation opening 25 is completely closed. At this time, a ventilation opening 25A having a structure that does not leak ultraviolet rays is formed at a position corresponding to the irradiation opening 25 so that cooling air for air cooling of the lamp 1 can flow. The position is the opening 26A.

The vertical reflecting mirror 2 may be formed by processing a cast aluminum alloy block or the like to form a thick wall and having a water cooling pipe 21 inside. Thereby, the overheating by the radiant heat from a lamp | ramp can be prevented.

The partition wall 3 is made of a metal material having rigidity, but is typically made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy or the like. A vent hole 31 is formed by being disposed so as to face the vent opening 26 formed by the pair of reflecting mirrors 2 and 2, and several holes are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the arc tube 11. The arrangement | positioning may be sufficient and the structure in which they were formed in the continuous long hole may be sufficient. The latter configuration is preferable from the viewpoint of ease of device manufacture and cooling efficiency.
The partition wall 3 is also formed by processing a mold-formed aluminum block having good heat conductivity and forming a thick wall, and has a water-cooled pipe 32 inside and a portion close to the arc tube 11. May be. In this case, the partition wall 3 is configured as a water-cooled block, and has an action of indirectly cooling the ultraviolet lamp 1 by cooling the partition wall 3 with cooling water flowing through the water-cooled piping 32.

The housing 4 is made of a rigid metal material such as stainless steel. Inside the housing 4, cooling air flow paths for supplying air, distributing air, and exhaust for cooling the ultraviolet lamp 1 can be freely installed. Moreover, the housing | casing 4 may have the ultraviolet irradiation opening always opened in the position facing the opening part 25 which the reflecting mirrors 2 and 2 comprise, and the irradiation comprised from the translucent member in the ultraviolet irradiation opening Windows may be placed and closed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the outline of the structure of the arc tube support, in which (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. As shown in FIG. 6, the arc tube support 5 includes an arc tube support piece 51 having a contact surface 53 formed in a concave shape to support the arc tube 11, and an arc tube support piece leaving a protrusion 56. And a fixed pile 52 penetrating 51. The shape of the arc tube support piece 51 is not particularly limited. Typically, the arc tube support piece 51 is manufactured by cutting a part from a thick plate-like member so that a concave contact surface 53 is formed. The through hole 54 is formed so as to penetrate the symmetrical surface 55 so that the central axis of the through hole 54 is located on the symmetrical surface 55, and the fixed pile 52 penetrates into the through hole 54. Is done. The shape of the through-hole 54 is not particularly limited, but is typically cylindrical, and thus the fixed pile 52 is also typically cylindrical. The shape of the end portion of the arc tube support piece 51 on the contact surface 53 side is also an example of the shape shown in FIG. 6 and can be determined as appropriate.

The pair of arc tube supports 5 and 5 emit light on the projection on the surface perpendicular to the tube axis 14 of the arc tube 11 on the outer periphery of the central portion of the arc tube 11 so as not to prevent ultraviolet irradiation as much as possible. The tube support pieces 51, 51 are arranged in a positional relationship that is orthogonal to the ultraviolet irradiation direction and faces via the arc tube 11. The arc tube supports 5 and 5 need only support the central region of the arc tube 11 and do not necessarily have to be arranged at the same position along the direction of the tube axis 14. In order to prevent the influence of the light path of the light emitted from the arc tube from being blocked by the arc tube supports 5 and 5 from being concentrated on one place on the ultraviolet irradiation surface, as shown in FIG. It is preferable that they are arranged at positions shifted from each other so that they do not face each other via the arc tube 11 on a projection view on a plane parallel to the tube axis 14 of the arc tube 11. However, when the arc tube support piece 51 can be configured to be thin and the fixed pile 52 can be configured to be thin, since the light shielding effect by these is small, they are arranged at the same position along the direction of the tube axis 14. May be.

The number of arc tube supports 5 is practically limited to two. Moreover, the positional relationship between the two arc tube supports 5 and 5 is projected onto a plane perpendicular to the tube axis 14 of the arc tube 11 on the outer periphery of the central portion of the arc tube 11 as described above. Above, the contact surface 53 with the outer surface of the arc tube 11 is limited to a positional relationship facing the arc tube 11. Considering the number and arrangement other than this, first, in the case where the number is two and the contact surface 53 is not disposed oppositely via the arc tube 11, as shown in FIG. However, when the lamp is turned on, there is room for the softened arc tube 11 to move and escape in the direction of this location on the sectional view of the arc tube 11 when the lamp is lit. However, it becomes difficult to be held between the arc tube supports 5 and 5. Next, when the number is three or more, as shown in FIG. 4B, avoid the reflecting mirrors 2 and 2 when the reflecting mirrors 2 and 2 are surrounded by the arc tube 11 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, there is practically no counterpart site where the fixed pile 52 fixing the arc tube supports 5 and 5 can be inserted.

Regarding the allowable width of the distance between the arc tube support 5 and the center point 15 of the arc tube 11, the distance L (Lf) between the center point 15 of the arc tube 11 and the arc tube support 5 in the longitudinal direction of the arc tube 11. Lg) preferably does not exceed 5% of the effective light emission length of the arc tube 11 (corresponding to the distance between the electrodes) for both of the two arc tube supports 5 and 5. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the distance L (Lf, Lg) refers to the symmetry plane 55 and the center point of the arc tube support piece 51 on the projection onto the plane parallel to the tube axis 14 of the arc tube 11. 15 in the longitudinal direction. If the distance L (Lf, Lg) is within 5% of the effective light emission length, the entire arc tube 11 can be sufficiently supported, and any part of the arc tube 11 is not deformed to hang down due to gravity. . Conversely, if at least one of Lf and Lg of the two arc tube supports 5 and 5 exceeds 5%, the distance between the two arc tube supports 5 and 5 is too far away from the center of the arc tube 11. The effect of supporting the portion is weakened, and the drooping heat deformation of the entire arc tube 11 cannot be prevented, or the portion of the unsupported portion of the arc tube 11 having a length exceeding half of the effective light emission length is drooping heat. There is a disadvantage that it is impossible to prevent the deformation (see FIG. 3).

The arc tube support piece 51 is formed such that the contact surface (opposing surface) 53 with the outer surface of the arc tube 11 is concave, but the contact surface 53 is in partial contact with the outer surface of the arc tube 11. It is not always necessary to be in contact with the entire outer surface of the arc tube 11. Since the arc tube 11 has minute variations in size and shape in manufacturing, not all arc tubes 11 are necessarily ideal cylindrical bodies, but there is a gap at the contact portion with the outer surface of the arc tube 11. If there is, there is an advantage that such an influence can be buffered and many arc tubes 11 can be attached to the apparatus 10. On the other hand, if the contact surface 53 is in contact with the outer surface of the arc tube 11 at two or more locations in the cross-sectional direction of the arc tube 11, the arc tube 11 is sufficiently sandwiched between the pair of arc tube support pieces 51, 51. Is possible.

The arc tube support piece 51 has a radius of curvature of the concave surface of the contact surface 53 that is substantially the same size as the outer ring in the cross section of the arc tube 11 (a circle that forms the outer surface of the arc tube 11). May contact the outer surface of the central portion of the arc tube 11. In this case, the arc tube 11 can be clamped more firmly by the pair of arc tube support pieces 51, 51, and an ultraviolet irradiation device in which the ultraviolet irradiation direction can be freely selected up and down and left and right as will be described later. Suitable for doing. The radius of curvature of the concave surface of the contact surface 53 is not completely the same as the circle forming the outer surface of the arc tube 11, but there is some play between the arc tube 11 and the arc tube support piece 51. Preferably there is. This is because the arc tube has variations in manufacturing dimensions and shapes in the radial direction and the longitudinal direction, and an arc tube that is a complete cylindrical body having a constant outer diameter is not always used. is there.

The arc tube support piece 51 is made of a highly heat-resistant translucent material, but is preferably a material that is not reactive with the arc tube 11 due to heat generated when the lamp is turned on. That is, since the surface temperature of the arc tube reaches about 900 ° C. at the maximum when the lamp is turned on, a heat resistant temperature of at least about 1000 ° C. is required. In most cases, quartz glass is used as the material of the arc tube 11, and it is recommended to use quartz glass of the same quality. In addition, high-purity translucent ceramics such as polycrystalline alumina can also be used. Regarding the size and shape, as long as the concave portion forming the contact surface is provided, the other portions are optional, but are configured so that the influence of light shielding is minimized.

Regarding the material of the fixed pile 52, a metal material is selected from the viewpoint of securing rigidity, but it is required to have high heat resistance from the viewpoint of not changing the quality of the arc tube support piece 51 that is a contact partner. The Specifically, a metal or alloy that is not reactive with the arc tube support piece 51 due to heat when the lamp is lit is preferable. More specifically, it is assumed that this metal or alloy is oxidized by heat at the time of lamp operation, but it is preferable that the generated oxide does not have reactivity with the arc tube support piece 51. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of facilitating heat absorption so as to suppress deformation due to thermal expansion or the like, it is desirable that the material has high thermal conductivity. A material that meets these requirements is a nickel alloy, which is the most recommended material.

The fixed pile 52 penetrates and fixes the arc tube support piece 51, and the inner diameter of the through hole 54 formed in the arc tube support piece 51 is between the fixed pile 52 and the inner wall of the through hole 54. The size is such that the contact is sufficiently secured and the arc tube support piece 51 can be freely inserted when the arc tube support 5 is attached or detached. The fixed pile 52 is further cooled by inserting a protruding portion 56 formed by penetrating the arc tube support piece 51 into the partition wall 3 that is continuously air-cooled or air-water cooled (see FIG. 6).

The place where the fixed pile 52 is fixed to the partition wall 3 is the ventilation opening 26 located on the back of the irradiation opening 25 among the two openings formed by the pair of vertical reflectors arranged on the outer periphery of the lamp arc tube. Utilizing the fact that the partition wall 3 as a water cooling block is disposed close to the ventilation opening 26 in the vicinity of the ventilation opening 26, the partition wall 3 that abuts through the ventilation opening 26 is used. The style to be fixed was selected. As a result, it is possible to minimize the hindrance to the path of the reflected light and the rotation of the reflecting mirror.

The fixing means for fixing the fixed pile 52 and the partition wall 3 is appropriately selected, for example, by screwing a portion where the protruding portion 56 protrudes completely through the partition wall 3. Moreover, the fixing method of the fixed pile 52 and the arc_tube | light_tube support piece 51 has comprised the edge part 57 of the fixed pile 52 which does not penetrate the arc_tube support piece 51 wide like a nail head, etc., A technique is appropriately selected so as to prevent the arc tube support piece 51 from slipping off. Although the dimension and shape of the fixed pile 52 can be selected as appropriate, the shape is preferably a rod from the viewpoint of ease of attachment / detachment and ease of processing. Regarding the length, it is preferable that the protruding portion 56 has a length that can be sufficiently inserted into the partition wall 3, and more preferably completely penetrates the partition wall 3 in order to prevent slipping off. . In the latter case, the portion protruding from the partition wall 3 is screwed with a bolt. As for the length of the protrusion part 56, it is desirable to ensure 1/3 thru | or more than the full length of the fixed pile 52 (refer FIG. 6).

With respect to the ultraviolet irradiation direction, when a configuration is adopted in which the arc tube support is in contact with the outer surface of the arc tube over the entire contact surface and the arc tube is sandwiched between a pair of arc tube supports, the position of the arc tube Is firmly held and fixed, the opening formed by the pair of reflecting mirrors can be directed in an arbitrary direction, and the irradiation direction of ultraviolet rays can be arbitrarily selected. Therefore, the irradiation direction can be arbitrarily selected and configured according to the irradiation purpose, such as vertical downward, vertical upward, diagonally downward, in addition to the horizontal direction (lateral direction) in the case of the apparatus 10 shown in FIG. (Refer FIG. 5 (a), (b), (c)).

In the present invention, the ultraviolet irradiation device may include a plurality of long tube ultraviolet lamps arranged in parallel. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the ultraviolet light source unit 8 is provided with a set of the ultraviolet lamp 1 and the saddle-shaped reflecting mirrors 2 and 2 so that the tube axes 14 of the ultraviolet lamps 1 are parallel to each other. Arrange multiple.

Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[Example 1]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the ultraviolet irradiation direction is horizontal (left side of the paper). Reference numeral 10 denotes an ultraviolet irradiating device, and the casing 3 is configured in a substantially box shape with a metal material such as stainless steel, and the total length, depth (width), and height are set to 3200 mm, 270 mm, and 250 mm, respectively. In terms of form, it is divided into two chambers, a light source unit 8 on the left side and a ventilation tube unit 9 on the right side.

The long tube type ultraviolet lamp 1 is, for example, a straight tube type 32 kW metal halide lamp having a total length of 2500 mm, an effective light emission length of 2000 mm, and a tube diameter of 28 mm, and an optical output of 160 W / cm.

The arc tube support 5 is composed of an arc tube support piece 51 made of a quartz glass plate material and a fixed pile 52 made of a nickel alloy rod-shaped member. The arc tube support piece 51 is a part of a quartz glass plate having a length (p) of 23 mm, a width (q) of 15 mm, and a thickness (r) of 10 mm, as shown in FIG. It was cut out so as to form a part. The fixed pile 52 has a rod-shaped body that is inserted into the partition wall 3 through the arc tube support piece 51, has an outer diameter of 10 mm, and a length that can penetrate the partition wall 3, for example, 55 mm. The end projecting from the arc tube support piece 51 is formed to have a large diameter like the head of a nail, and the other end is threaded so that it can be screwed.

The arrangement of the main constituent members of this apparatus was as follows. That is, in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 1, the lamp arc tube 11 is disposed at a position where the distance a between the side surface of the partition wall 3 on the side of the ventilation tube portion and the central axis is 32 mm while maintaining a gap of 3 mm with the partition wall 3. . The vertical reflectors 2 and 2 were arranged at positions where the opening width b of the ventilation opening 26 was 50 mm, the opening width c of the irradiation opening 25 was 93 mm, the spread h was 57 mm, and t was 32 mm. The width of the vent hole 31 provided in the partition wall 3 was 5 mm.

The arrangement of the arc tube support was as follows. That is, the arc tube supports 5 and 5 have a distance w between the central axes of the fixed piles 52 and 52 of 42 mm on the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 1 (projection onto a plane perpendicular to the tube axis of the arc tube). The distance s between the side surface and the lower end of the partition wall 3 on the side of the ventilation cylinder is 46 mm. Further, in the projection view onto the plane parallel to the tube axis 14, the distances Lf and Lg in the longitudinal direction between the symmetry surface 55 of the arc tube support piece 51 and the center point 15 are both 70 mm.

The cooling method of the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 10 of a present Example is an air-water cooling combined type. The cooling air flow rate was about 8 m ³ / min, and the cooling water flow rate was about 10 liters / min.

In the ultraviolet irradiation device 10 of the present example, no drooping heat deformation of the lamp arc tube 11 was confirmed even after the rated lighting of the ultraviolet lamp 1 had elapsed for a total of 1000 hours.

[Example 2]
FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a UV irradiation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The UV irradiation direction is downward. Three sets of UV lamps 1 and vertical reflectors 2 and 2 are arranged in the UV light source unit 8 so that the tube axes 14 of the UV lamps 1 are parallel to each other (perpendicular to the paper surface). Configured. Specifications such as dimensions and shapes of each lamp, each reflecting mirror, and each arc tube support were the same as those in Example 1. The power supply mechanism 7 is connected so as to support both ends of each of the plurality of lamps and to supply electric energy to the lamps, but is not shown in FIG.

Among the three lamp arc tubes, the outer surface of the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the arc tube located at the center is higher by several tens of degrees Celsius than that of the ultraviolet irradiation device equipped with one lamp. However, no drooping heat deformation was observed in the three lamps even after the cumulative lamp lighting of 1000 hours had elapsed.

The ultraviolet irradiation device of the present invention has a long tube type ultraviolet lamp, and can be suitably used for an ultraviolet irradiation device used for processing such as drying and curing of a surface coating on a film having a long width.

It is the figure which showed the ultraviolet irradiation device of the Example of this invention with the typical schematic sectional drawing in the surface orthogonal to the tube axis | shaft of a long tube | pipe type ultraviolet lamp. It is the figure which showed the ultraviolet irradiation device of the Example of this invention with the typical schematic sectional drawing in the surface containing the tube axis | shaft of a long tube | pipe type ultraviolet lamp. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the positional relationship of an arc tube support body in an ultraviolet lamp tube axial direction. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the support method of the arc_tube | light_emitting_tube by an arc_tube | light_emitting_tube support body on sectional drawing of the direction orthogonal to an ultraviolet lamp tube axis | shaft. It is a schematic diagram which shows the ultraviolet irradiation direction of the ultraviolet irradiation device of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline | summary of the structure of a luminous tube support body. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating operation | movement of a vertical reflector. It is a figure for demonstrating the typical positional relationship of the lamp | ramp luminous tube in a ultraviolet irradiation device which has a long tube | pipe type ultraviolet lamp, a saddle type reflecting mirror, and the partition which partitions off a light source part. It is the figure which showed the ultraviolet irradiation device of the Example of this invention provided with two or more long tube type ultraviolet lamps in parallel arrangement with the typical schematic sectional drawing in the surface orthogonal to the tube axis of a long tube type ultraviolet lamp. .

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Long tube type ultraviolet lamp 2 ... Vertical reflector 3 ... Bulkhead 4 ... Housing 5 ... Arc tube support body 6 ... Tube end support part 7 ... Power supply mechanism 8 ... Light source part 9 ... Ventilation cylinder part 10 ... Ultraviolet light Irradiation device 11 ... arc tube 12 ... electrode 13 ... lamp base 14 ... arc tube central axis (tube axis)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 ... Center point 21 ... Water cooling pipe 25 ... Irradiation opening 25A ... Ventilation opening 26 ... Ventilation opening 26A ... Opening 31 ... Vent hole 32 ... Water cooling pipe 51 ... Arc tube support piece 52 ... Fixed pile 53 ... Contact surface 54 ... Penetration hole 55 ... Symmetry plane 56 ... Protrusion 57 ... End

Claims (9)

An ultraviolet lamp that radiates ultraviolet rays, consisting of a straight tube-type long arc tube with electrodes respectively sealed at both ends;
For the ventilation of the light emitting tube, the light emitting tube is arranged symmetrically with respect to the tube axis of the light emitting tube so as to surround the light emitting tube along the longitudinal direction of the light emitting tube. A pair of vertical reflectors that are partially separated so as to be formed to face each other through the lamp, and that reflect ultraviolet rays on the concave surface side,
On the outer periphery of the central portion of the arc tube, in contact with at least a part of the outer surface of the arc tube to support the central portion of the arc tube, and on a projection view onto a plane perpendicular to the tube axis of the arc tube A pair of arc tube supports, wherein a contact surface with the arc tube outer surface is disposed in a positional relationship orthogonal to the ultraviolet irradiation direction and facing the arc tube;
A light source unit that has a vent hole that is formed to be opposed to and penetrated from the vent opening formed by the pair of reflecting mirrors, and that includes the lamp, the reflecting mirror, and the arc tube support; A partition that separates the ventilation tube portion through which the cooling air after the air-cooling of the arc tube circulates;
A housing configured to house the light source unit, the ventilation tube unit, and the partition;
A power supply mechanism that includes tube end support portions for supporting both ends of the arc tube, and supplies electric energy to the arc tube;
An ultraviolet irradiation device comprising:
The arc tube support has a concave contact surface with the outer surface of the arc tube and is made of a highly heat-resistant translucent material. The arc tube support piece is penetrated and fixed. In addition, it is composed of a fixed pile made of a highly heat-resistant and highly thermally conductive metal material that is inserted into and held in the partition wall through the ventilation opening of the reflecting mirror. An ultraviolet irradiation device. The pair of arc tube supports are not arranged in a positional relationship facing each other through the arc tube on a projection view on a plane parallel to the tube axis of the arc tube. UV irradiation device. The distance between the center point of the tube axis of the arc tube and the arc tube support in the longitudinal direction of the arc tube does not exceed 5% of the effective luminous length of the arc tube. 2. The ultraviolet irradiation device according to 2. 4. The ultraviolet irradiation according to claim 1, wherein a contact surface of the arc tube support piece with the arc tube outer surface is entirely in contact with the arc tube outer surface. apparatus. 5. The ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein the arc tube support piece is made of a material that is not reactive with the arc tube due to heat generated when the lamp is turned on. 6. The ultraviolet irradiation according to claim 1, wherein the fixed pile is made of a metal or an alloy that is not reactive with the arc tube support piece due to heat when the lamp is turned on. apparatus. The partition wall is configured to be thick and has a cooling water flow path therein, and has a proximity portion with the arc tube, and the vent hole is a continuous slot extending along the longitudinal direction of the arc tube The ultraviolet irradiation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation device is formed. The ultraviolet irradiation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the vertical reflector is configured to be thick and includes a cooling water flow path therein. The housing includes a plurality of the ultraviolet lamps arranged in parallel, and the power supply mechanism supports both ends of each of the plurality of lamps and can supply electric energy to each of the lamps. It is comprised, The ultraviolet irradiation device of any one of Claim 1-8 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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