JP5712256B2 - Water droplet refining apparatus and water droplet refining method - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a water droplet refining apparatus and a water droplet refining method.

  There is known an apparatus that decomposes fog water droplets to remove fog by irradiating the fog with infrared rays. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a transmittance meter that measures the absorption rate of measurement light to measure the state of fog generation in the propagation space of the measurement light, a lamp unit that emits infrared light in a tunnel, and a lamp unit. An anti-fogging device is described that includes a power supply unit that supplies electric power and a control unit that controls lighting or extinguishing of the lamp unit according to the measurement result of the transmittance meter. The lamp unit includes a halogen lamp and a far infrared radiation ceramic coated on the surface of the halogen lamp, and the far infrared radiation ceramic absorbs visible light and near infrared radiation emitted from the halogen lamp. By generating heat, infrared rays having a peak wavelength of 3 μm are generated.

  Mist is an aggregate of minute water droplets formed by water vapor adhering to fine particles in the air. For example, when relatively large water droplets having a particle diameter of about 10 to 100 μm are present in the space at a high density, visible light is hardly transmitted, and visibility in the space is reduced. Here, when infrared rays are irradiated to the foggy water droplets, the water droplets absorb the infrared rays, thereby increasing the heat or kinetic energy of the water droplets. Thereby, the balance between the internal energy of the water droplet and the surface tension is lost, and the water droplet is split. The device described in Patent Document 1 improves the visibility in the tunnel by irradiating infrared rays onto the mist water droplets in this way to refine the mist water droplets.

JP 2010-116689 A

  By the way, although the water molecule which comprises a water droplet resonates or a resonance phenomenon arises by irradiation of the infrared rays which have a specific wavelength, and absorbs infrared energy, the infrared absorption spectrum of a water droplet changes with the particle sizes of a water droplet. For example, a minute water droplet having a particle size of about 1 μm close to the molecular level has a property of strongly absorbing infrared rays having a wavelength of 2 to 6 μm. Here, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since infrared rays having a peak wavelength of 3 μm are irradiated, a part of the irradiated infrared rays is absorbed by minute water droplets divided to the molecular level. Become. For this reason, the infrared rays irradiated from the lamp unit are attenuated by minute water droplets, and the infrared rays may not be sufficiently absorbed by water droplets having a large particle diameter, which is a main factor that deteriorates visibility. For this reason, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to efficiently miniaturize water droplets.

  Therefore, in this technical field, a water droplet refining apparatus and a water droplet refining method capable of efficiently refining water droplets in a space are required.

  A water droplet miniaturization apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes an excitation light source that outputs near-infrared light, and a light-transmitting member that has at least a part of the surface coated with a light-emitting layer. An infrared irradiation unit that receives light with the light transmissive member and irradiates water droplets with infrared rays generated in the light emitting layer, and the light emitting layer contains silicon dioxide, germanium, and germanium oxide.

  In the water droplet refining device according to one aspect of the present invention, a light emitting layer containing silicon dioxide, germanium, and germanium oxide is disposed on the surface of a light transmissive member that is irradiated with near-infrared light that is excitation light. When germanium contained in the light emitting layer is irradiated with near-infrared rays, electrons (holes) in the valence band of germanium are excited and transition to the conduction band. Then, when a hole or electron transition occurs between a heavy hole band having a heavy valence band and a light hole band, light including a wavelength component in an infrared region (including a mid-infrared region) is emitted. A water droplet having a relatively large particle size absorbs light of all components in the mid-infrared region, but there is an infrared component that is difficult to be absorbed by minute water droplets at the molecular level. Infrared rays emitted from the water droplet refining device contain a wavelength component that is difficult to be absorbed by minute water droplets at the molecular level and is easily absorbed by water droplets having a relatively large particle size. Therefore, the infrared rays irradiated to the water droplets from the water droplet refining device will successively decompose the water droplets in front without being attenuated even after the water droplets are decomposed. As a result, water droplets in the space can be efficiently miniaturized.

  In one embodiment, the light emitting layer may be formed by applying a mixture containing glaze containing silicon dioxide and germanium, and heating and melting the mixture. By comprising in this way, a light emitting layer can be easily formed in the surface of a light transmissive member.

  In one embodiment, the light transmissive member may be made of quartz glass and may have a cylindrical shape. When the light transmissive member is made of quartz glass, it can transmit near-infrared light as excitation light and propagate to the light emitting layer. Further, by forming the light transmissive member in a cylindrical shape, the amount of the light emitting layer formed on the surface can be increased.

  In one embodiment, the light transmissive member has a closed lid at one end and an opening at the other end, and a translucent protrusion extending from the closed lid in a direction coinciding with the near-infrared optical axis. The part may be formed inside the light transmissive member, and the surface of the protrusion may be covered with the light emitting layer. In this case, since the high intensity excitation light is irradiated to the light emitting layer provided in the protrusion, the output intensity of infrared rays emitted from the light emitting layer can be increased.

  In one embodiment, the infrared irradiation unit may include a plurality of light transmissive members, and the plurality of light transmissive members may be provided in a bundled state. By comprising in this way, the quantity of germanium which discharge | releases infrared rays can be increased, As a result, the output intensity of the infrared rays discharge | released from an infrared irradiation part can be raised.

  In one embodiment, the infrared irradiation unit may further include a concave reflecting plate, and the reflecting plate may receive infrared rays generated in the light emitting layer and reflect the received infrared rays toward water droplets. By comprising in this way, the infrared rays discharge | released from the light transmissive member can be irradiated toward the space where a water droplet exists.

  In one embodiment, the inner surface of the light transmissive member may be covered with a light emitting layer, and the outer surface of the light transmissive member may be covered with a light shielding film that blocks infrared rays generated in the light emitting layer. In this case, since infrared rays are prevented from being emitted from the side surface of the light transmissive member, the infrared rays can be emitted from the end portion of the light transmissive member.

  In one embodiment, the monitoring device that measures the light transmittance in the space irradiated with infrared rays from the infrared irradiation unit, and the intensity of the near infrared ray output from the excitation light source based on the transmittance measured by the monitoring device. And a control unit for controlling. With this configuration, the intensity of the excitation light is adjusted when the light transmittance in the space is reduced due to the presence of water droplets having a relatively large particle size in the space at a high density. Thereby, the output intensity of infrared rays emitted from the infrared irradiation unit changes. Therefore, the output intensity of infrared rays emitted from the infrared irradiation unit can be adjusted according to the amount of water droplets having a relatively large particle size that needs to be miniaturized.

  In one embodiment, an optical fiber that is connected to the excitation light source and propagates near infrared rays output from the excitation light source to the light transmissive member may be further provided. By comprising in this way, the near-infrared ray from an excitation light source can be appropriately irradiated to the target site | part of a light transmissive member.

  In one embodiment, an infrared irradiation part may irradiate the light of a wavelength range of 3-14 micrometers. Moreover, in one Embodiment, an infrared irradiation part may irradiate the light which further contains red visible light. By comprising in this way, the water droplet in space can be refined | miniaturized efficiently.

  The water droplet miniaturization method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a step of outputting near-infrared light from an excitation light source, and a light-transmitting member in which at least part of the surface of the near-infrared light output from the excitation light source is coated with a light emitting layer And irradiating water droplets with infrared rays generated in the light emitting layer, and the light emitting layer contains silicon dioxide, germanium, and germanium oxide. According to this water droplet refinement method, the water droplets in the space can be efficiently refined as described above.

  As described above, according to various aspects and embodiments of the present invention, a water droplet refining apparatus and a water droplet refining method capable of efficiently refining water droplets in a space are provided.

It is a mimetic diagram showing roughly the water droplet refining device concerning one embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the infrared rays light emission part which concerns on one Embodiment schematically. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the microparticles | fine-particles which exist in a light emitting layer. It is a figure which shows the spectrum of the middle infrared rays discharge | released from a light emission part. It is a flowchart of the water droplet refinement | miniaturization method which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the infrared absorption spectrum of a water droplet. It is a figure which shows the band structure of germanium. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the infrared rays light emission part which concerns on the modification 1 roughly. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the infrared rays light emission part which concerns on the modification 2 roughly. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the infrared rays light emission part which concerns on the modification 3 roughly. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the infrared rays light emission part which concerns on the modification 4 roughly. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the infrared rays light emission part which concerns on the modification 5 roughly. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the infrared rays light emission part which concerns on the modification 6 roughly.

  Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Further, the dimensional ratios in the figure do not necessarily match those in the description.

  Drawing 1 is a mimetic diagram showing roughly the water droplet refining device concerning one embodiment. A water droplet refining device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a device that irradiates a space S with a mid-infrared ray and refines water droplets in the space S. In the space S, water droplets generated naturally or artificially exist in high density, and the water droplets constitute a mist.

  The water droplet refining apparatus 1 according to an embodiment includes an infrared irradiation unit 10 and an excitation light source 12. The excitation light source 12 outputs near infrared rays as excitation light. The near infrared ray output from the excitation light source 12 has a wavelength of 0.8 μm to 1.2 μm, for example. As the excitation light source 12, for example, a laser diode (LD (Laser Diode)) that emits near infrared rays is used. One end of an optical fiber OF is connected to the excitation light source 12, and the excitation light source 12 outputs excitation light to the infrared irradiation unit 10 via the optical fiber OF. A power source 12 a is connected to the excitation light source 12. The power source 12 a supplies power for generating excitation light to the excitation light source 12. The power supplied from the power source 12a can be, for example, less than 10W.

  FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the infrared irradiation unit 10 according to the embodiment. The infrared irradiation unit 10 includes a light emitting unit 14 and a reflection plate 20. The light emitting unit 14 includes a light transmissive member 16 having a cylindrical shape with the cylindrical axis Z as the center. The light transmissive member 16 is disposed so that its cylindrical axis Z coincides with the optical axis of the excitation light output from the other end (output end) of the optical fiber OF. One end of the light transmissive member 16 is a closed lid 16a that closes the end. The lid portion 16a may be formed in a curved shape that protrudes toward the outside of the light emitting portion 14. The other end of the light transmissive member 16 is an opening 16b. The light transmissive member 16 is made of a material with high near-infrared translucency, such as quartz glass.

  In one embodiment, the hollow tube 17 is connected to the closing lid portion 16a. The hollow tube 17 is a hollow quartz glass tube having an inner diameter larger than that of the optical fiber OF, and extends to the outside of the light transmitting member 16 along the cylindrical axis Z direction. An optical fiber OF is inserted into the internal space of the hollow tube 17. The output end of the excitation light of the optical fiber OF is disposed so as to be opposed to the closed lid portion 16a. As a result, the excitation light output from the optical fiber OF propagates through the light transmissive member 16 while being dispersed in the closed lid portion 16 a of the light transmissive member 16. In one embodiment, the hollow tube 17 is not provided, and the output end of the optical fiber OF may be welded or inserted into the closed lid portion 16a.

The inner side surface 16 c and the outer side surface 16 d of the cylindrical light transmissive member 16 are covered with a light emitting layer 18. The light emitting layer 18 is a thin film or a thick film containing silicon dioxide and germanium. The light emitting layer 18 may further contain germanium oxide. In one embodiment, the light emitting layer 18 is formed from a mixture of germanium in a molten glaze. As the glaze, for example, a material mainly composed of silicon dioxide can be used. For example, the light emitting layer 18 may be formed by applying a mixture containing silicon dioxide and germanium fine particles to the inner side surface 16c and the outer side surface 16d of the light transmitting member 16, and heating and melting the mixture. By heating and melting the mixture in this way, as shown in FIG. 3, the surface of the germanium fine particles in the light emitting layer 18 is oxidized, and the germanium fine particles are covered with germanium oxide. This germanium oxide is, for example, germanium monoxide (GeO) or germanium dioxide (GeO ₂ ). In addition, the light emitting layer 18 can be made into the film thickness of about 1-2 mm. The diameter of the germanium fine particles may be about 100 angstroms, and the germanium fine particles may be present in the light emitting layer 18 at a concentration of about 1 to 10%.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting layer 18 can be formed so as to cover the entire surface of the light transmissive member 16 except for the portion where the hollow tube 17 is formed. This prevents excitation light propagating through the light transmissive member 16 from leaking to the outside of the light emitting unit 14. Moreover, the shape of the light transmissive member 16 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be an arbitrary cylindrical shape, or a cylindrical shape or a polygonal prism shape.

  Excitation light output from the excitation light source 12 propagates through the light transmissive member 16 and is applied to the light emitting layer 18 that covers the light transmissive member 16. Since the excitation light is near-infrared light, it passes through the germanium oxide covering the glaze and germanium fine particles contained in the light transmissive member 16 and the light emitting layer 18 and reaches germanium in the light emitting layer 18. Then, the excitation light excites electrons in the valence band of germanium and makes a transition to the conduction band. Then, when a hole or electron transition occurs between a heavy hole band having a heavy valence band and a light hole band, light including a wavelength component in an infrared region (including a mid-infrared region) is generated. Light generated in germanium passes through other germanium fine particles or excites electrons in the valence band of other germanium to generate light in the mid-infrared region. Further, since the interval between adjacent germanium fine particles in the light emitting layer 18 is smaller than the wavelength of the excitation light, the light generated in germanium propagates in the light emitting layer 18 by the tunnel effect, and finally the outside of the light emitting layer 18. To be released. In this manner, infrared light including a mid-infrared region (for example, 3 to 14 μm) is emitted from the light emitting unit 14.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an emission spectrum of light emitted from the light emitting unit 14. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents the wave number (cm ⁻¹ ), and the vertical axis represents the light intensity at each wave number. Graphs G1, G2, and G3 in FIG. 4 show emission spectra of light emitted from the light emitting unit 14 when the power supplied from the power source 12a to the light emitting unit 14 is 5 W, 1 W, and 0 W, respectively. . As shown in FIG. 4, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 14 is mid-infrared having a wavelength band (wavelength range) of 3 to 14 μm as a main component. When the power supplied from the power supply 12a is 1 W, mid-infrared light having a peak at a wavelength of 10 μm (wave number 1000 cm ⁻¹ ) is emitted (see graph G2). In addition, the intensity of the mid-infrared ray increases as the power supplied from the power source 12a increases, and the wavelength decreases (see graph G1). This is because the light emission energy of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 14 increases as the power supplied from the power source 12a to the light emitting unit 14 increases.

  Returning to the description of FIGS. 1 and 2, the reflecting plate 20 is a concave mirror having a parabolic reflecting surface inside. The reflector 20 is provided so that the focal position thereof coincides with the installation position of the light transmissive member 16, receives the mid-infrared light emitted from the light emitting unit 14 on the reflection surface, and reflects the received mid-infrared light. Then, the infrared rays are irradiated as parallel light toward water droplets in the space S. With the reflector 20, the mid-infrared light emitted from the light emitting unit 14 can be condensed and projected into the space S.

  In addition, the water droplet refining device 1 according to the embodiment may further include a monitoring device 22. The monitoring device 22 is provided in the vicinity of the space S, and measures the light transmittance in the space S. The monitoring device 22 can measure the transmittance in the space S using an arbitrary measurement method. For example, the monitoring device 22 includes an imaging element, and can measure the transmittance in the space S from the luminance value of the image data obtained by imaging the space S. Further, the monitoring device 22 may irradiate the reference light in the space S and measure the transmittance of the light in the space S based on the amount of transmitted light. Here, the low transmittance in the space S indicates that water droplets having a relatively large particle diameter exist in the space S at a high density. The monitoring device 22 outputs data indicating the light transmittance of the space S obtained by measurement to the control unit 24.

  The control unit 24 receives data indicating the light transmittance in the space S from the monitoring device 22 and controls the intensity of the excitation light output from the excitation light source 12 based on the result. For example, when the light transmittance of the space S is lower than the reference value, the control unit 24 outputs a control signal for increasing the power supplied from the power supply 12a to the power supply 12a, and the excitation light from the excitation light source 12 is output. Increase output intensity. On the other hand, for example, when the light transmittance of the space S is higher than the reference value, the control unit 24 outputs a control signal for maintaining the power supplied from the power source 12a to the power source 12a. Maintain the output intensity of the excitation light. As described above, in the water droplet refining device 1, by providing the monitoring device 22 and the control unit 24, water droplets having a relatively large particle size are densely distributed in the space, and the light transmittance in the space is reduced. In this case, the intensity of the excitation light is adjusted. Thereby, the output intensity of the infrared rays emitted from the infrared irradiation unit 10 changes. Therefore, the output intensity of the infrared rays emitted from the infrared irradiation unit 10 can be adjusted according to the amount of water droplets having a relatively large particle size that needs to be miniaturized.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the water droplet refinement | miniaturization method of one Embodiment using the above-mentioned water droplet refinement | purification apparatus 1 is demonstrated. Steps S1 to S6 described later are repeatedly executed at a preset cycle. In one embodiment, first, in step S <b> 1, near-infrared light that is excitation light is output from the excitation light source 12 to the light emitting unit 14. Next, in step S <b> 2, the light emitting unit 14 receives the excitation light, emits mid-infrared rays, and irradiates the mid-infrared rays on water droplets in the space S. Subsequently, in step S <b> 3, the monitoring device 22 measures the light transmittance in the space S.

  Thereafter, in step S4, it is determined whether or not the light transmittance in the space S is lower than a predetermined threshold value TH. When the light transmittance in the space S is lower than the predetermined threshold TH, the output intensity of the excitation light output from the excitation light source 12 is increased in step S5. On the other hand, when the light transmittance in the space S is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold TH, the output intensity of the excitation light output from the excitation light source 12 is maintained in step S6. When step S5 or step S6 is completed, one cycle of the water droplet refinement method according to an embodiment is completed.

  Next, the effect of the water droplet refinement | purification apparatus 1 which concerns on one Embodiment is demonstrated. The excitation light output from the excitation light source 12 excites germanium contained in the light emitting layer 18 and emits infrared light having a wavelength band in the mid-infrared region from the light emitting layer 18. The mid-infrared rays emitted from the light emitting layer 18 that covers the inner side surface 16 c of the light transmissive member 16 are reflected on the inner side surface 16 c of the light transmissive member 16 and propagate to the opening 16 b side to the outside of the light emitting portion 14. It is emitted and irradiated toward the space S. Further, the mid-infrared ray emitted from the light emitting layer 18 covering the outer surface 16 d is reflected on the parabolic reflecting surface of the reflecting plate 20 and is applied to the space S.

  When the mid-infrared rays are irradiated to the water droplets in the space S, the water droplets absorb the mid-infrared rays and the heat or kinetic energy of the water droplets increases. When the internal energy of the water droplet increases, the balance between the internal energy of the water droplet and the surface tension is lost, and the water droplet is split. The water droplets irradiated with the mid-infrared rays are finally split to the molecular level by repeating the splitting, and change into a state in which visible light can be easily transmitted.

  FIG. 6 shows infrared absorption spectra of liquid water, ice, and minute water droplets having a particle diameter of about 1 μm. As shown in FIG. 6, the minute water droplets have an absorption band in the 2 to 6 μm band, but the infrared absorptance is lowered in the vicinity of wavelengths of 6.3 μm and 10 μm. On the other hand, liquid water and ice have a high absorptance with respect to infrared rays having wavelength bands near 6.3 μm and 10 μm. Since the water droplet having a large particle diameter has an infrared absorption spectrum close to that of liquid water, the infrared light having a wavelength peak of 10 μm emitted from the light emitting portion 14 is selectively absorbed by the water droplet having a large particle diameter. Will be. For this reason, according to the water droplet refining apparatus 1, it is suppressed that infrared rays attenuate | damp by a micro water droplet, and infrared rays are irradiated to a far water droplet. Thereby, the water droplet in space can be refined | miniaturized efficiently.

  Further, in the water droplet refining apparatus 1 according to the embodiment, the surface of germanium fine particles is covered with germanium oxide as shown in FIG. Germanium oxide and silicon dioxide have a lower refractive index than germanium (germanium has a refractive index of about 4 whereas germanium oxide and silicon dioxide have a refractive index of 1.2 to 1.5. ). For this reason, when the light emitting layer 18 contains germanium and germanium oxide, the mid-infrared rays emitted from germanium are efficiently emitted to the outside of the light emitting layer 18.

  In addition, the water droplet miniaturization apparatus 1 according to the embodiment includes a monitoring device 22 that measures the light transmittance in the space S, and a near infrared ray that is output from the excitation light source 12 based on the transmittance measured by the monitoring device 22. And a control unit 24 for controlling the intensity of the image. For this reason, when the light transmittance in the space is reduced due to the presence of a large amount of water droplets having a relatively large particle size in the space, the intensity of the excitation light is adjusted and emitted from the infrared irradiation unit 10. The output intensity of infrared rays can be changed. Therefore, the output intensity of infrared rays emitted from the infrared irradiation unit can be adjusted according to the density of water droplets having a relatively large particle size that need to be miniaturized.

  Here, for reference, the principle and mechanism by which germanium generates infrared light including mid-infrared will be described below.

FIG. 7 shows the band structure of germanium. As shown in FIG. 7, germanium has two types of hole bands, a heavy hole band and a light hole band. Here, for example, near-infrared light having a wavelength of 0.1 μm has energy of 1.24 eV. Therefore, when germanium is irradiated with near-infrared light having a wavelength of 0.1 μm, electrons in the valence band are E _r1 (0.8 eV ) To be excited. This creates holes in the heavy and light hole bands. This causes a hole or electron transition between the heavy hole band of the valence band and the light hole band, and when electrons fall from the heavy hole band to the holes of the light hole band, Infrared rays having a wavelength band in the middle infrared region are emitted.

In this heavy hole band and light hole band, there are many holes in the width of 0.026 eV (kT, k = 1.38 × 10 ⁻³⁴ , T = 300 K) in a thermal equilibrium state, The electron is running low. Here, since the energy of the near infrared ray irradiated to germanium is larger than _Er1, electrons are excited from the lower energy side in the light hole band. Since the difference between the near-infrared energy and E _r1 is 0.44 eV, the electrons that fall from the heavy hole band to the light hole band are 0.104 eV (4 kT, k = 1) corresponding to a wavelength of 12 μm. .38 × 10 ⁻³⁴ , T = 300 K). Accordingly, by irradiating germanium with 1 μm of near-infrared rays, mid-infrared rays in the vicinity of a wavelength of 12 μm are emitted.

  In addition, the water droplet refinement | miniaturization apparatus 1 can irradiate the light containing the wavelength band different from a mid-infrared area | region by changing the light output from the excitation light source 12. FIG. For example, when the excitation light source 12 outputs near infrared rays with a high power of 10 W or more (for example, 10 W to 100 W), light including a wavelength band in the visible light region in addition to the above-described mid-infrared region is output from the infrared irradiation unit 10. Is done. This is a phenomenon that occurs when two near-infrared rays are irradiated and two photons are absorbed when transitioning to an excited state. This visible light is red visible light having a wavelength near 0.7 μm. This red visible light is emitted by irradiating germanium monoxide or germanium dioxide covering the germanium fine particles with high-power near-infrared rays. In recent years, it has been known that red visible light having this wavelength band affects human bodies and plants, and it is conceivable to apply this red visible light to treatment of human bodies and plants. Such red visible light is used when the concentration of germanium contained in the light emitting layer 18 is small (for example, 1% or less) or when the output of the excitation light source 12 is small. This occurs when the thickness is small (for example, 1 μm or less).

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above shows an example of the water droplet refinement | miniaturization apparatus based on this invention. The water droplet refining apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, the infrared irradiation unit 10 can be modified into various configurations. Below, the modification of the infrared irradiation part 10 is demonstrated.

(Modification 1)
First, the infrared irradiation unit 10A according to Modification 1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the infrared irradiation unit 10A. The infrared irradiation unit 10 </ b> A does not include a reflector, but includes a light emitting unit 14 </ b> A instead of the light emitting unit 14. Below, only the part which is different from the light emission part 14 about 14 A of light emission parts is demonstrated, and the description about the same part is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the light emitting portion 14 </ b> A, the light emitting layer 18 is formed only on the inner side surface 16 c which is a part of the surface of the light transmissive member 16. A light shielding film 30 that blocks mid-infrared rays is provided on the outer surface 16 d of the light transmissive member 16. Examples of the light shielding film 30 include silver foil. In the infrared irradiation unit 10 </ b> A, the excitation light from the excitation light source 12 is reflected toward the inside of the light transmissive member 16 by the light shielding film 30, so that germanium in the light emitting layer 18 can be strongly excited. Since the mid-infrared light generated in the light-transmitting member 16 is prevented from passing through the side wall of the light-transmitting member 16, the mid-infrared light is emitted from the opening 16b. Therefore, according to the infrared irradiation unit 10 </ b> A, it is possible to irradiate infrared rays in the direction of the space S without using the reflection plate 20.

(Modification 2)
Next, an infrared irradiation unit 10B according to Modification 2 will be described. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the infrared irradiation unit 10B. The infrared irradiation unit 10B includes a light emitting unit 14B and a reflection plate 20. Below, only the part different from the light emission part 14 about the light emission part 14B is demonstrated, and the description about the same part is abbreviate | omitted.

  The light emitting portion 14B is provided with a long projection 26 extending along the cylindrical axis Z from the lid portion 16a. That is, the extending direction of the protruding portion 26 coincides with the optical axis of the excitation light that enters the light emitting portion 14A via the optical fiber OF. As the material of the protrusion 26, the same material as the light transmissive member 16 can be used, for example, quartz glass can be used. The surface of the protrusion 26 is covered with a light emitting layer 28. The light emitting layer 28 can be made of the same material as the light emitting layer 18. That is, the light emitting layer 28 contains silicon dioxide, germanium, and germanium oxide.

  In the light emitting unit 14B according to the modification, the light emitting layer 28 that covers the protrusion 26 is irradiated with the excitation light that has entered the light emitting unit 14B through the optical fiber OF. The excitation light excites germanium contained in the light emitting layer 28 to emit infrared rays including a wavelength band in the middle infrared region. At this time, since the protrusions 26 are arranged along the optical axis of the excitation light, the light emitting layer 28 covering the protrusions 26 is irradiated with excitation light having a high intensity, and the light emission layer 28 is high. Intense infrared radiation is emitted as parallel light. Further, the excitation light propagating through the light transmissive member 16 excites the light emitting layer 18 covering the inner side surface 16c and the outer side surface 16d of the light transmissive member 16 to emit mid-infrared rays. As described above, in the light emitting portion 14A, the mid-infrared light is emitted from the light emitting layer 18 and the light emitting layer 28, so that the output intensity of the infrared light can be increased.

(Modification 3)
Next, an infrared irradiation unit 10C according to Modification 3 will be described. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the infrared irradiation unit 10C. The infrared irradiation unit 10 </ b> C does not include the reflecting plate 20, and includes a light emitting unit 14 </ b> C instead of the light emitting unit 14. Below, only the part which is different from the light emission part 14 about the light emission part 14C is demonstrated, and the description about the same part is abbreviate | omitted.

  Similarly to the light emitting part 14B, the light emitting part 14C is provided with a long protrusion 26 extending along the cylindrical axis Z from the closed cover part 16a. Further, in the light emitting portion 14C, the light emitting layer 18 is formed only on the inner side surface 16c of the light transmissive member 16, and the light shielding film 30 that blocks mid-infrared rays is provided on the outer side surface 16d of the light transmissive member 16. Yes. In the infrared irradiation unit 10C, the light shielding film 30 prevents the mid-infrared light generated in the light-transmitting member 16 from being transmitted through the side wall of the light-transmitting member 16, and thus the mid-infrared light is opened in the opening 16b. Will be released from. Therefore, according to the infrared irradiation unit 10 </ b> C, it is possible to irradiate infrared rays in the direction of the space S without using the reflection plate 20.

(Modification 4)
Next, an infrared irradiation unit 10D according to Modification 4 will be described. FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the infrared irradiation unit 10D. The infrared irradiation unit 10 </ b> D includes a light emitting unit 14 </ b> D and a reflection plate 20. Below, only the part different from the light emission part 14 about the light emission part 14D is demonstrated, and the description about the same part is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the light emitting part 14 </ b> D, the light emitting layer 18 is formed only on the outer side surface 16 d of the light transmissive member 16. The light transmissive member 16 is disposed so that the opening 16b faces the output end of the excitation light of the optical fiber OF. That is, in the light emitting portion 14D, the end on the input side of the excitation light is the opening 16b. And the edge part on the opposite side of the opening part 16b is made into the closed cover part 16a. In the light emitting unit 14 </ b> D, the excitation light output from the optical fiber OF passes through the light transmissive member 16 and is irradiated to the light emitting layer 18 that covers the outer surface 16 d of the light transmissive member 16. In the light emitting part 14D, the mid-infrared light is emitted from the light-emitting layer 18 covering the outer surface 16d of the light transmissive member 16, so that the mid-infrared light is easily emitted in all directions around the light emitting part 14B. The emitted mid-infrared light is reflected toward the direction of the space S by the reflecting plate 20.

  In one embodiment, a plurality of light emitting units 14D may be bundled to form one light emitting unit. With this configuration, the amount of germanium that emits infrared rays can be increased, and thus the output intensity of the emitted infrared rays can be increased. In this case, the excitation light output from the excitation light source 12 may be branched, and the branched excitation light may be output to the plurality of light emitting units 14D.

(Modification 5)
Next, an infrared irradiation unit 10E according to Modification 5 will be described. FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the infrared irradiation unit 10E. The infrared irradiation unit 10E includes a light emitting unit 14E and a reflection plate 20. Below, only the part different from the light emission part 14 is demonstrated about the light emission part 14E, and the description about the same part is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the light emitting portion 14E, both end portions of the light transmissive member 16 are covered with the closing lid portion 16a. Further, the light emitting layer 18 is formed only on the outer surface 16 d of the light transmissive member 16. In the light emitting unit 14E, the excitation light output from the optical fiber OF propagates through the light transmissive member 16 and is irradiated onto the light emitting layer 18 that covers the outer surface 16d of the light transmissive member 16. In the light emitting layer 18, the mid-infrared ray is emitted toward the outer side of the light emitting portion 14 </ b> E when irradiated with excitation light. The emitted mid-infrared light is reflected toward the direction of the space S by the reflecting plate 20.

(Modification 6)
Next, the infrared irradiation unit 10F according to Modification 6 will be described. FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the infrared irradiation unit 10F. The infrared irradiation unit 10F includes a light emitting unit 14F and a reflection plate 20.

  The light transmissive member 16 of the light emitting portion 14F is configured by connecting a first portion 32 having a small diameter and a second portion 34 having a large diameter. The internal spaces of the first portion 32 and the second portion 34 are in communication with each other. One end of the first portion 32 is open. The other end of the first portion 32 is connected to one end of the second portion 34 so that the internal spaces of the first portion 32 and the second portion 34 communicate with each other. The other end of the second portion 34 is a closing portion 16a. A light emitting layer 18 is formed on the outer surface 16 d of the light transmissive member 16.

  The optical fiber OF is inserted into the internal space of the first portion 32 and the second portion 34, and the output end thereof is disposed in the internal space of the second portion 34. In the light emitting unit 14F, the excitation light output from the output end of the optical fiber OF passes through the light transmissive member 16 and is irradiated on the light emitting layer 18 that covers the outer surface 16d of the light transmissive member 16. In the light emitting layer 18, the mid-infrared rays are emitted toward the outer side of the light emitting portion 14F when irradiated with excitation light. The emitted mid-infrared light is reflected toward the direction of the space S by the reflecting plate 20.

  In the above-described embodiment, the water droplet refining device 1 irradiates the water droplets with infrared rays. However, the water droplet refining device 1 can irradiate any droplets with infrared rays to refine the water droplets. . For example, the water droplet refiner 1 may refine liquid cosmetics, paints, incense materials, agricultural chemicals, and the like. By miniaturizing liquid cosmetics and coatings, liquid particles can be activated and the cosmetics and coatings can be uniformly attached to the adherend regardless of the surface state of the adherend. In particular, the light containing the mid-infrared region and the visible light region emitted by irradiating the light-emitting unit 14 with high-power near-infrared light can efficiently refine the droplets of the lotion. Moreover, since the water molecules refined by the water droplet refiner 1 increase in energy, the refined droplets can be activated. For this reason, the insecticidal effect of an agrochemical can be improved, for example by refine | miniaturizing an agrochemical.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Water droplet refinement | miniaturization apparatus, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F ... Infrared irradiation part, 12 ... Excitation light source, 12a ... Power supply, 14, 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D, 14E, 14F ... Light emission part, 16 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Light transmissive member, 16a ... Closing part, 16b ... Opening part, 16c ... Inner side surface, 16d ... Outer side surface, 18 ... Light emitting layer, 20 ... Reflecting plate, 22 ... Monitoring apparatus, 24 ... Control part, 26 ... Protrusion Part, 28 ... light emitting layer, 30 ... light shielding film, OF ... optical fiber, S ... space, Z ... cylindrical axis.

Claims (13)

An excitation light source that outputs near infrared radiation;
A light transmissive member having at least a part of the surface covered with a light emitting layer is included, near infrared light output from the excitation light source is received by the light transmissive member, and infrared light generated in the light emitting layer is irradiated to water droplets. An infrared irradiation unit;
With
The light emitting layer contains silicon dioxide, germanium, and germanium oxide,
The light transmissive member is made of quartz glass, has a cylindrical shape,
The light transmissive member has one end as a closed lid and the other end as an opening.
A translucent protrusion extending in the direction matching the optical axis of the near-infrared ray from the closed lid is formed on the inner side of the light transmissive member,
The surface of the protrusion is covered with the light emitting layer,
Water droplet refiner. An excitation light source that outputs near infrared radiation;
A light transmissive member having at least a part of the surface covered with a light emitting layer is included, near infrared light output from the excitation light source is received by the light transmissive member, and infrared light generated in the light emitting layer is irradiated to water droplets. An infrared irradiation unit;
With
The light transmissive member is made of quartz glass,
The light emitting layer contains silicon dioxide, germanium, and germanium oxide,
The infrared irradiation unit includes a plurality of the light transmissive members, and the plurality of the light transmissive members are provided in a bundled state.
Water droplet refiner. An excitation light source that outputs near infrared radiation;
A light transmissive member having at least a part of the surface covered with a light emitting layer is included, near infrared light output from the excitation light source is received by the light transmissive member, and infrared light generated in the light emitting layer is irradiated to water droplets. An infrared irradiation unit;
With
The light emitting layer contains silicon dioxide, germanium, and germanium oxide,
The light transmissive member is made of quartz glass and has a cylindrical shape,
The inner surface of the light transmissive member is covered with the light emitting layer,
The outer surface of the light transmissive member is covered with a light shielding film that blocks infrared rays generated in the light emitting layer,
Water droplet refiner. An excitation light source that outputs near infrared radiation;
A light transmissive member having at least a part of the surface covered with a light emitting layer is included, near infrared light output from the excitation light source is received by the light transmissive member, and infrared light generated in the light emitting layer is irradiated to water droplets. An infrared irradiation unit;
An optical fiber that is connected to the excitation light source and propagates near-infrared light output from the excitation light source to the light transmissive member;
With
The light transmissive member is made of quartz glass,
The light emitting layer contains silicon dioxide, germanium, and germanium oxide,
Water droplet refiner. The said light emitting layer is formed by apply | coating the mixture containing the glaze containing silicon dioxide, and germanium, and heat-melting this mixture, The water droplet refinement | purification apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-4. . The water droplet refinement apparatus according to claim 2 or 4 , wherein the light transmissive member has a cylindrical shape. The infrared irradiation unit further includes a concave reflector,
The water droplet refinement apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2 , 4 , and 6 , wherein the reflecting plate receives infrared rays generated in the light emitting layer and reflects the received infrared rays toward water droplets. A monitoring device for measuring the transmittance of light in a space irradiated with infrared rays from the infrared irradiation unit;
A control unit for controlling the intensity of near-infrared light output from the excitation light source based on the transmittance measured by the monitoring device;
The water droplet refinement apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: The water droplet refinement apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the infrared irradiation unit irradiates light in a wavelength range of 3 to 14 µm. The water droplet refining device according to claim 9 , wherein the infrared irradiation unit irradiates light further including red visible light. The light transmissive member has a cylindrical shape;
  The water droplet refining device according to claim 4, wherein a cylindrical axis of the light transmissive member is disposed so as to coincide with an optical axis of near infrared light output from an output end of the optical fiber. A power source for supplying the excitation light source with electric power for generating near infrared rays;
The water droplet refinement apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the power source supplies power of 10 W or more to the excitation light source. A water droplet removal method using the water droplet refining device according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
Outputting near infrared rays from an excitation light source;
Receiving near-infrared light output from the excitation light source with a light-transmitting member having at least a part of the surface coated with a light-emitting layer, and irradiating water droplets with infrared light generated in the light-emitting layer,
Water droplet refinement method.