JP7312730B2 - Environment forming device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an environment forming device capable of placing an object such as an object to be processed or an object to be tested in a reduced pressure environment, and more particularly to an environment forming device capable of adjusting the temperature of the object by heating the object or the like.

A vacuum dryer capable of heating a specimen (article) under vacuum is known.
The vacuum dryer disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a sample mounting shelf installed in a vacuum chamber. A fluid channel through which a temperature-regulating fluid passes is provided inside the sample mounting shelf. A plug is provided at the entrance/exit of the fluid channel.
In the vacuum dryer disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plug is also provided on the inner wall of the vacuum chamber. Then, the plug on the sample mounting shelf side is directly connected to the plug on the vacuum chamber side, and the temperature control fluid is supplied to the sample mounting shelf from the outside to control the surface temperature of the sample mounting shelf.

In the vacuum dryer disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is also a fluid channel on the outer surface side of the side wall of the vacuum chamber, and the temperature control fluid that has passed through the fluid channel arranged outside the side wall is supplied to the sample mounting shelf.

Japanese Patent No. 5526338

A vacuum drier disclosed in Patent Document 1 vacuum-dries a sample placed on a sample placing shelf.
According to the vacuum dryer of Patent Document 1, the temperature of the sample is raised by thermal conduction due to contact with the sample mounting shelf. Moreover, in the vacuum dryer of Patent Document 1, the temperature of the sample is also raised by radiant heat from the inner wall of the vacuum chamber.

However, in the market, there is a demand for reducing the temperature variation of articles such as samples.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to develop an environment forming apparatus capable of placing an article in a reduced pressure environment and capable of reducing temperature variations of the article.

A mode for solving the above-described problems is an environment forming apparatus having a decompression tank in which the inside is decompressed, a mounting table installed in the decompression tank on which an article is placed, a fluid introduction section provided in the mounting table, and a heat medium being supplied to the fluid introduction section.

The fluid introduction part may be a pipe similar to that of the prior art, or may be a simple cavity.
In the environment forming device of this aspect, there is an internal pipe inside the decompression tank, and the heat medium passes through the internal pipe. Therefore, the heat medium passes through the internal pipe before being heat-exchanged on the mounting table. Therefore, heat is radiated from the internal piping itself, and the temperature variation of the article can be further reduced.

In the aspect described above, it is preferable that at least a part of the internal pipe is located on the side surface of the mounting table and above the mounting surface of the mounting table.
A specific embodiment for solving the above-described problems is an environment forming apparatus having a decompression tank in which the inside is decompressed, a mounting table installed in the decompression tank on which an article is placed, a fluid introduction part provided in the mounting table, and a heat medium being supplied to the fluid introduction part. is positioned above the mounting surface of the mounting table.

An article such as a specimen is placed on the mounting table. Here, in the environment forming apparatus of this aspect, at least part of the internal pipe is located on the side surface of the mounting table and above the mounting surface of the mounting table. The position of the internal pipe in this aspect is the position that comes to the side of the article when the article is placed on the placing table.
Therefore, an article such as a test piece receives radiant heat from the internal piping, and temperature variation is suppressed.
In the aspect described above, it is desirable that at least a part of the internal pipe is located at a side surface of the article when the article is placed on the table.

In each aspect described above, it is preferable that the decompression tank has a door, a rear wall is provided at a position facing the door, and the internal pipe is arranged from the rear wall toward the door.

According to this aspect, an article such as a specimen receives radiant heat from the side surface.

In each of the above-described modes, it is preferable that the inner pipe has the back wall as a base end and extends to the vicinity of the door.

The vicinity of the door is easily affected by the outside air, and the temperature variation of an article such as a test piece may be larger than that at other positions.
In the environment forming device of this aspect, since the internal piping reaches the vicinity of the door, the temperature variation in the vicinity of the door can be reduced.

In each aspect described above, the decompression chamber has a door, and in a state where the mounting table is installed in the decompression chamber, the heat medium is preferably supplied to the fluid introduction portion from the surface on the door side or a region close to the door.

According to the environment forming device of this aspect, it is possible to reduce temperature variations in the vicinity of the door.

In each of the above embodiments, it is desirable to have temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the inner wall of the decompression chamber.

According to this aspect, the temperature of the article is also adjusted by the radiant heat from the inner wall of the decompression chamber.

The environment forming apparatus of the present invention can reduce temperature variations in articles such as specimens.

1 is a perspective view of an environment forming device having a decompression chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the decompression tank portion of FIG. 1 taken along the line AA. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the decompression tank portion of FIG. 1 taken along the line BB. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the interior of the decompression tank portion of FIG. 1; 2 is a piping system diagram of the environment forming device of FIG. 1. FIG. (a) is a plan sectional view showing the piping layout of the decompression tank portion of FIG. 1, and (b) and (c) are plan sectional views showing the piping layout of the decompression tank portion of another embodiment. (a), (b), and (c) are plan sectional views showing the piping layout of the decompression tank portion of still another embodiment. (a), (b), and (c) are plan sectional views showing the piping layout of the decompression tank portion of still another embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a piping layout of a decompression tank portion of still another embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 1 shows an environment forming apparatus 1 having a decompression chamber 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. The environment forming device 1 of this embodiment is also used as an environmental test device.
In the environment forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a mechanical section 2 having a temperature control device, a vacuum pump, etc., is arranged in the lower part of the decompression chamber 10, and a control section 3, having a control device , a control panel, etc., arranged on the side of the decompression chamber 10.

The decompression tank 10 is an airtight housing including a main body box 13 and a door 15 as shown in FIGS.
The main body box 13 is a box whose front surface is open and whose other five surfaces are covered with walls. A door 15 is provided at the opening of the main body box 13 .
A window 12 is attached to the door 15 .

In this embodiment, the main body box 13 has a double structure, and the inner box 21 is arranged inside the outer box 8 forming the outer shell of the decompression tank 10 .
The space surrounded by the inner box 21 and the door 15 is substantially the inner surface of the decompression tank 10 .
The inner surface of the decompression tank 10 has, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a back wall 16, a top wall 17, a bottom wall 18, and left and right side walls 20a and 20b.

In the decompression tank 10 of this embodiment, a heater 25 is provided in the inner box 21 . The heater 25 is a known electric heater.
The outer box 8 is composed of heat insulating walls 26 .
In this embodiment, the door 15 is made of an insulating wall, but does not have a built-in heater.

A plurality of shelves 30 are provided inside the decompression tank 10 . In this embodiment, two shelves 30 are provided inside the decompression tank 10, but the number of shelves 30 may be three or more, or may be one.
Shelves 30 are preferably made of perforated plate such as punched metal, expanded metal or the like.

A mounting table 40 is installed on the shelf 30 .
The mounting table 40 is a metal member for setting a test piece (not shown) on its upper surface, and the upper surface 56 is flat as shown in FIG . The upper surface 56 serves as a mounting surface for mounting the specimen (article).
The member constituting the mounting table 40 is not limited to metal as long as it is a member having high thermal conductivity.

A fluid introducing portion 41 is provided inside the mounting table 40 . In this embodiment, the fluid introduction part 41 is a conduit. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a tube 45 made of a material such as copper having excellent heat conductivity is arranged inside the mounting table 40 .
The ducts forming the fluid introduction portion 41 are a single flow path, are laid out in a zigzag pattern, and are uniformly distributed on the back surface of the upper surface 56 .

The mounting table 40 has a rectangular shape in plan view as shown in FIG. 4, and an introduction pipe 46 and a discharge pipe 47 connected to the fluid introduction section 41 are connected to one side surface of the mounting table 40 . Both the introduction pipe 46 and the discharge pipe 47 are stainless steel pipes, and are provided with pipe connection members 50a and 50b such as couplers at their ends.
The mounting table 40 is installed on the shelf 30 via a heat insulating seat member 48, as shown in FIGS. There is a gap between the lower surface of the mounting table 40 and the shelf 30 .
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , a heat medium supply pipe 70 is connected to the introduction pipe 46 and a heat medium discharge pipe 71 is connected to the discharge pipe 47 .

In this embodiment, part of the heat medium supply pipe 70 and the heat medium discharge pipe 71 for supplying the heat medium pass through the interior of the decompression tank 10 . That is, in this embodiment, internal pipes 51 and 52 are arranged inside the decompression tank 10 . For convenience of explanation, one is referred to as an inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the other is referred to as a discharge-side internal pipe 52 .
As shown in FIG. 4 , the introduction-side internal pipe 51 has the back wall 16 as its base end, is arranged along the side wall 20 a on the left side of the drawing, and reaches the vicinity of the door 15 .
The height of the introduction-side internal pipe 51 is higher than the mounting surface (upper surface 56 ) of the mounting table 40 in La from the back wall 16 to the vicinity of the door side 53 of the mounting table 40 . The height of the introduction-side internal pipe 51 is within the height region of the shelf 30 on which the mounting table 40 is installed. Specifically, the introduction-side internal pipe 51 is installed at a height between the mounting table 40 and the upper shelf 30 or the top wall 17 .

A section La of the introduction-side internal pipe 51 is linear and substantially parallel to the left side wall 20 a and the shelf 30 .
The height of the introduction-side internal pipe 51 in the area of the section La is set to such a height as to face the side surface of the specimen (article) placed on the mounting table 40 . The tip of the introduction-side internal pipe 51 (on the side of the door 15 ) has approximately the same height as the side surface of the mounting table 40 .
A pipe member 55a that engages with the pipe connection member 50a is attached to the leading end of the introduction-side internal pipe 51. As shown in FIG. The pipe connection member 50a and the pipe member 55a are connected.

The layout of the discharge-side internal pipe 52 is substantially symmetrical to the introduction-side internal pipe 51, and as shown in FIG.
The height of the discharge side internal pipe 52 is also higher than that of the mounting table 40 in La from the back wall 16 to the vicinity of the door side 53 of the mounting table 40 . A section La of the discharge-side internal pipe 52 is linear and substantially parallel to the right side wall 20 b and the shelf 30 .
The height of the discharge-side internal pipe 52 in the area of section La is set to a height that faces the side surface of the test piece when the test piece is placed on the mounting table 40 . The tip of the discharge-side internal pipe 52 (on the side of the door 15 ) has approximately the same height as the side surface of the mounting table 40 .
A pipe member 55b that engages with the pipe connection member 50b is attached to the tip of the discharge-side internal pipe 52. As shown in FIG. The pipe connection member 50b and the pipe member 55b are connected.

Next, the overall flow of the heat medium will be explained with reference to FIG.
In this embodiment, temperature-controlled air is used as the heat medium.
In this embodiment, the piping system for the two mounting tables 40 is divided into individual heat medium supply piping 70 after the part branched from the compressed air supply source 60 .
The heat medium supply pipe 70 is a flow path from the compressed air supply source 60 to the fluid introduction portion 41 of the mounting table 40 via the on-off valve 61 and the heat exchanger 65, and the introduction side internal pipe 51 is located in the middle.
The heat exchanger 65 has, for example, a heater 66 provided in a pipeline. A current is supplied to the heater 66 from a temperature control device 67, and the P.I. I. D. controlled.
The heat medium discharge pipe 71 is a flow path for discharging the air discharged from the fluid introduction part 41 of the mounting table 40 to the outside, and the discharge side internal pipe 52 is located in the middle of the flow path.

Next, functions of the environment forming device 1 of this embodiment will be described.
As a preparatory step, the mounting table 40 is installed on the shelf 30 of the decompression chamber 10 via a heat-insulating seat member 48 . A heat medium supply pipe 70 is connected to the introduction pipe 46 , and a heat medium discharge pipe 71 is connected to the discharge pipe 47 . Then, the specimen (article) is placed on the mounting table 40 .

In this state, a vacuum pump (not shown) is started to reduce the pressure in the decompression chamber 10 to a vacuum state. Also, the heater 25 provided in the inner box 21 is energized to raise the temperature of the inner wall of the decompression chamber 10 from the outside, thereby heating the specimen by radiant heat.
At the same time, the on-off valve 61 of the heat medium supply pipe 70 is opened, the heater 66 of the heat exchanger 65 is energized, and the air heated by the heat exchanger 65 is supplied to the fluid introduction portion 41 of the mounting table 40 . The supplied high-temperature air flows from the introduction pipe 46 through the fluid introduction portion 41 composed of the pipe 45 , reaches the discharge pipe 47 , and is exhausted via the heat medium discharge pipe 71 .
While the high-temperature air passes through the fluid introduction part 41 , the heat of the air is conducted to the mounting table 40 and further heats the test piece in contact with the upper surface 56 of the mounting table 40 .

Here, in this embodiment, the specimen is also heated by the heat radiated from the inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52 .
Since the heat medium passes through the introduction-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52, their surfaces are in a high temperature state. In particular, the introduction-side internal pipe 51 has a high surface temperature because air passes therethrough before heat is taken away by the mounting table 40 . In addition, the inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52 are positioned to face one surface of the specimen, and the heat rays radiated from the inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52 irradiate the specimen.
Therefore, the test piece is also heated by the heat radiated from the inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52, and the temperature variation of the test piece is reduced.

In addition, in the decompression tank 10 of the present embodiment, the ends of the inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52 are located near the door 15 .
In particular, the leading end of the introduction-side internal pipe 51 reaches the vicinity of the door 15 .
Further, in the decompression chamber 10 of the present embodiment, the heat medium is introduced from the door side 53 of the mounting table 40 .
By adopting the above-described layout, the decompression chamber 10 of the present embodiment has the effect of reducing the temperature variation of the specimen.

According to the empirical rule of the present inventors, in the decompression chamber 10, the temperature of the test piece placed on the door side tends to be lower than that of the test piece placed on the back side. One of the reasons for this is presumed to be that the heat escapes from the sealing portion between the main body box 13 and the door 15 or the like, or that the door 15 has the window 12 .

Here, in the decompression tank 10 of the present embodiment, the leading end of the introduction-side internal pipe 51 reaches the vicinity of the door 15 .
Therefore, heat rays are emitted near the door 15 from the introduction side internal pipe 51 . In particular, the heat medium passing through the inlet-side internal pipe 51 is air before heat is taken away by the mounting table 40, and the temperature is high. That is, since the heat medium having a high temperature is supplied from the door side 53 of the mounting table 40, a large amount of heat is applied to the side of the mounting table 40 on the door 15 side.
In this way, thermal energy is supplied intensively to regions that tend to tend to be low temperature, and overall temperature variations tend to be eliminated.

As described above, by extending the introduction side internal pipe 51 to the vicinity of the door 15, the temperature variation of the specimen can be reduced.
In order to obtain this effect, it is desirable to position the leading end of the introduction-side internal pipe 51 closer to the door 15 than to the back wall 16 . More preferably, if the distance between the back wall 16 and the door 15 is L, the distance between the tip of the inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the door 15 should be L/3, more preferably L/5 or less.
It is desirable that the leading end of the introduction-side internal pipe 51 be at a position equivalent to the door side 53 of the mounting table 40 or at a position closer to the door 15 than that.
Moreover, the introduction position of the heat medium with respect to the mounting table 40 is desirably closer to the door 15 than the back wall 16 , and the most recommended introduction position is the side edge 53 of the door.

When the environmental test and drying of the specimen are completed, power supply to the heater 25 provided in the inner box 21 and power supply to the heater 66 of the heat exchanger 65 are stopped.
However, it is desirable to keep the on-off valve 61 open. By keeping the on-off valve 61 open, low-temperature outside air is introduced into the mounting table 40, and the temperature drop of the specimen can be accelerated.

FIG. 6A schematically shows the layout of the inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52 of the embodiment described above. Although the above layout is recommended, the present invention is not limited to the above layout.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, with the center of the back wall 16 as the base end, the introduction side internal pipe 51 and the discharge side internal pipe 52 may be arranged along the back wall 16, and the introduction side internal pipe 51 and the discharge side internal pipe 52 may be arranged along the side walls 20a and 20b, and the heat medium may be introduced to the mounting table 40 from the door 15 side.
As shown in FIG. 6C, the heat medium may be introduced into the mounting table 40 from the side walls 20a and 20b of the mounting table 40 in the vicinity of the door 15. FIG.
The layout may be such that a part of the introduction-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52 passes over the mounting table 40 .

As shown in FIG. 7A, the inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52 may have side walls 20a and 20b as base ends.
As shown in FIG. 7B, the heat medium may be discharged from the rear wall 16 side of the mounting table 40. FIG. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7(b), the inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52 are asymmetrical. That is, the layout of the introduction side internal pipe 51 and the discharge side internal pipe 52 may be asymmetrical.
As shown in FIG. 7(c), the inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52 may have base ends on the door 15 side of the side walls 20a and 20b, and the introduction-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52 may be arranged along the side walls 20a and 20b, and the heat medium may be introduced into the mounting table 40 from the back wall 16 side.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the introduction side internal pipe 51 may be extended along one side wall 20a (or 20b), bypassing the door side 53 of the mounting table 40, and introducing the heat medium from the vicinity of the other side wall 20b (or 20a) into the mounting table 40.
As shown in FIG. 8B, a portion of the fluid introducing portion 41 may be exposed from a portion of the mounting table 40. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8(c), it is possible to employ a piping layout in which at least part of the inlet-side internal piping 51 and at least part of the discharge-side internal piping 52 pass over the mounting table 40. FIG.
Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the inlet-side internal pipe 51 and the discharge-side internal pipe 52 may be used as reciprocating paths.

In the embodiments described above, air is used as the heat medium, but other gases may be used. A liquid heat transfer medium may also be used.
In the embodiments described above, the specimen is heated by exposing it to a reduced pressure, but the specimen may be cooled. In this case, low-temperature air or brine is used as the heat medium.
In the embodiment described above, the fluid introduction part 41 is configured by a conduit, but a cavity may be provided inside the mounting table 40 and the cavity may be used as the fluid introduction part 41 .
In the embodiment described above, the door 15 is not provided with a heat source, but the door 15 may be provided with a heat source.
In the embodiment described above, the inner wall of the decompression tank 10 is heated by the heater 25, but the inner wall of the decompression tank 10 may be heated by a heat medium.
In the above-described embodiment, the means for heating the inner wall of the decompression chamber 10 and the means for heating the mounting table 40 are separate means, so the temperatures are controlled individually, but there may be some relationship between them.
Since the mounting table 40 is detachable from the decompression chamber 10 of the present embodiment, the mounting table 40 having any shape, size, and heat capacity can be used according to the specimen.

In the decompression tank 10 of this embodiment, the mounting table 40 is installed on the shelf 30 via the heat-insulating seat member 48 , and there is a gap between the mounting table 40 and the shelf 30 . Therefore, heat from the mounting table 40 is less likely to be lost to the shelf 30 side.
The present invention does not deny the configuration in which the mounting table 40 is in direct contact with the shelf 30 . Alternatively, the mounting table 40 may also serve as the shelf 30 , and the mounting table 40 may be directly attached to the inner wall of the decompression chamber 10 .
In the decompression tank 10 of the present embodiment, the shelf 30 is made of a member having openings such as punching metal, so the contact area with the mounting table 40 is small, and the heat of the mounting table 40 is less likely to be lost to the shelf 30 side. However, the present invention does not deny that the shelf 30 is made of a material without openings.

In the embodiment described above, the shelf 30 is provided inside the decompression chamber 10, and the mounting table 40 is mounted on the shelf 30. However, the shelf 30 is not essential, and for example, the mounting table 40 may be mounted directly on the bottom wall 18 of the decompression chamber 10.

Although the environment forming device 1 has been described above as an environment test device, the environment forming device 1 may be a drying device or a heat treatment device.

1 environment forming device 10 decompression tank 15 door 16 back wall 20a side wall 20b side wall 30 shelf 40 mounting table 41 fluid introduction part 51 introduction side internal pipe 52 discharge side internal pipe 53 door side 70 heat medium supply pipe

Claims (6)

An environment forming apparatus having a decompression tank in which the inside is decompressed, a mounting table installed in the decompression tank on which an article is placed, a fluid introduction part being provided in the mounting table, and a heat medium being supplied to the fluid introduction part,
Having an internal pipe arranged inside the decompression tank, the heat medium is supplied to the fluid introduction part via the internal pipe ,
An environment forming apparatus, wherein at least a part of the internal pipe is arranged along a side wall in the decompression chamber, and is located on the side surface of the mounting table and above the mounting surface of the mounting table. 2. The environment forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the internal pipe is located at a side surface of the article placed on the placing table. 3. The environment forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the decompression tank has a door, a back wall is provided at a position facing the door, and the internal pipe is arranged from the back wall toward the door. 4. The environment forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the inner pipe has a base end at the inner wall and extends to the vicinity of the door. 5. The environment forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the decompression chamber has a door, and the heating medium is supplied to the fluid introduction portion from a surface on the door side or a region close to the door when the mounting table is installed in the decompression chamber. 6. An environment forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the inner wall of said decompression tank.

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