JPH03200102A - Optical unit and photoirradiating device to be joined therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow photoirradiation with uniform illuminance by providing a section which integrally fixes and holds optical fiber bundled in such a manner that the end faces on an incident side are one round shape and the shape of the end faces on an exit side has the shape different from the shape of the end faces on the incident side and projecting the exit end faces of the optical fibers to the irradiation surface or near the irradiation surface by means of projecting lenses. CONSTITUTION:The optical fibers 18 bundled in such a manner that the end faces on an incident side are one round shape and the shape of the end faces on an exit side has the shape different from the shape of the end faces on the incident side and the projecting lenses 20, 22 disposed to project the exit end faces of the optical fibers 18 to the irradiation surface or near the irradiation surface are provided. Further, this optical unit has the section 19 which integrally fixes and holds the optical fibers 18 and a lens barrel 15 which houses the projecting lenses 20, 22. The photoirradiation device is provided with an optical unit joining part 16 which joins the optical unit in such a manner that the position of the end faces on the incident side of the optical unit is brought to the position of the 2nd focus of an elliptical condenser mirror 12. The efficient photoirradiation with the uniform illuminance to meet the shape of the object to be subjected to the photoirradiation is executed in this way.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a light irradiation device and an optical unit used for light processing such as curing processing of a photocurable resin.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, for example, a light irradiation device used for curing photocurable resins collects light from a short-arc discharge lamp such as an ultra-high-pressure mercury lamp using an elliptical condensing mirror. Devices for irradiation are known.

On the other hand, in consideration of versatility, such as when the object to be irradiated with light is in a narrow space, an optical unit made of an optical fiber is joined to a light irradiation device to guide light.

There are various shapes of objects to be irradiated with light, and if objects of various shapes can be irradiated with light using one device and optical unit, it will be extremely versatile. In order to obtain various shapes of light irradiation, it is sufficient to use a single stage such as an averte V or a mask that blocks part of the light, but the light utilization efficiency decreases. The speed of the curing process for photocurable resins is affected by the illuminance (energy density) on the irradiated surface, so it is possible to obtain the desired shape of light projection without blocking the light. , Takami 5, collecting light well
It should be irradiated at regular intervals.

In this regard, it is known that the WJ Microgawa light irradiation device uses a technique that condenses light from a halogen lamp using a mirror condenser and guides it to the output side or to an optical fiber bundled in a link shape. become.

Figure 5 (a) shows a conventional halogen lamp l equipped with a mirror condenser 2, and an optical unit consisting of optical fibers 3 bundled in a link shape at the output end.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an optical unit and an optical device for obtaining an irradiation surface 5 having the shape of .

Also, the 6th r7! i (A) is an optical unit that uses a short arc discharge lamp and an elliptical condenser mirror, and obtains an irradiation surface 5 in the shape of a ring 4 by using an optical unit consisting of optical fibers 3 bundled in a ring shape from the output end. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the illuminance distribution on the irradiation surface of FIG.

[Invention or problem to be solved] Referring to the light irradiation technology for a microscope shown in Figure 5 (a), it is possible to obtain various shapes of light irradiation without reducing the aforementioned light utilization efficiency. Therefore, it is sufficient to use an optical fiber whose output side is terminated in accordance with the desired shape of light irradiation (for example, a link shape).

However, since a halogen lamp with a mirror condenser enters the optical fiber with a fairly uniform light distribution, the illuminance at each point in the ring-shaped light irradiation area is almost uniform, as shown in Figure 4 (b). On the other hand, when a short-arc discharge lamp is focused using an elliptical condenser mirror, Figure 5 (a)
As shown in the figure, the light enters the optical fiber in a hollow state, so on the irradiation surface far from the output end, the light enters the optical fiber in a hollow state in the link-shaped light irradiation area, as shown in the figure (b). The illuminance becomes uneven.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and is capable of irradiating objects of various shapes with light without reducing the efficiency of light use, and of using light from short-arc discharge lamps. An object of the present invention is to provide an optical unit and a light irradiation device that can irradiate light with uniform illuminance even when condensing light using an elliptical condenser mirror.

[L stage for solving the problem] [In order to achieve the object, the optical unit of the present invention has one round end face on the input side, and a shape of the end face on the output side or the end face on the input side. It has a configuration comprising optical fibers bundled to have different shapes, and a projection lens arranged to project the output end face of the optical fiber onto the irradiation surface or near the irradiation surface, and further includes For example, this optical unit includes a mold member for integrally fixing and holding the optical fiber and a lens barrel housing a projection lens, and the light irradiation device includes an end face on the incident side of the optical unit according to claim (1) or (2). and an optical unit joint portion for joining the optical unit according to claim (1) or (2) so that the position of the optical unit is the second focal point of the elliptical condensing mirror.

[Function] By having the above configuration, it is possible to efficiently irradiate light with uniform illuminance according to the shape of the object to be irradiated with light.

[Example] Figure 1 (A) is a side sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the main part of an optical unit which is an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 1 (B) shows the shape of the light irradiation in Figure 1 (A). FIG.

In Fig. 1, work 4 is a short arc type discharge lamp 1.
1. Elliptical condenser mirror 12. In the lamp bodies each having a plane mirror 13 inside, the arc position of the discharge lamp 11 is determined by the elliptical condensing mirror 12.
The first focal point of the lens is located at or near the first focal point of the lens. Here, "nearby" means that it may be slightly shifted within the range where the same technical effect can be achieved. 15
is a lens barrel, and inside thereof, the end face on the incident side is formed in a single round shape, and the optical fibers 18. are bundled so that the end face on the exit side is formed into a ring shape. A lens 20, a plane mirror 21, and a projection lens 22 are provided to constitute an optical unit. This optical unit is connected to the optical unit joint 16.
The optical unit is joined to the optical unit joint 6 by fitting the tip of a set screw 17 into the concave portion of the lens barrel 15 .

Furthermore, since the optical unit joint 16 is set to be located on the side of the lamp body 14 and at or near the second focal point of the elliptical condenser mirror 12, the end face of the optical fiber 18 on the incident side is located at the second focal point of the elliptical condenser mirror 12 or in the vicinity thereof. When the lens barrel 15 constituting the optical unit 1- is attached to the optical unit joint 16 with the 11-female screw 17, the optical unit and the lamp body 14 are aligned. The meaning of "nearby" is the case of the first focal point.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, lens 20. Since the projection lens 22 is provided to project the image of the output side end face of the optical fiber 18 onto the irradiation surface, the illuminance on the irradiation surface becomes substantially uniform. That is, since the optical fiber 18 outputs light while maintaining the incident angle, the light emitted from the optical fiber 18 spreads in the same way as when it is incident, resulting in a non-uniform distribution as shown in FIG. but,
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the emitted light is focused onto the irradiation surface S by the projection lenses 20 and 22, so that the illuminance is uniform. If the image of the end face on the output side of the optical fiber 18 is completely formed, an image of the strand will be reflected, and the illuminance will become uneven, and the object will be slightly shifted from the image formation position. It would be better to place it in a position where it is a little blurry.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the main parts of an optical unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and 24 is an optical fiber 28.
25 is a profile for fixing the optical fiber 28 in the metal fitting 27, and 16 is an optical unit joint for connecting the metal fitting 27 to the lamp body 14.

The optical unit of this second embodiment is used when the object to be irradiated with light is located in a narrow space within the apparatus, or when the object is located far away.

Although it is possible to bend the optical fiber as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the following problems arise. That is,
Typically, the input and output sides of optical fibers such as light guide fibers are bundled by scraping off the protective coating of the strands.

If the protective coating is removed and the fiber is bent as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, if it is a bare wire or a large diameter fiber such as quartz fiber, it will break very easily. Therefore, the only option is to bend it without removing the protective coating, or it is difficult to manufacture. In addition, if there is a protective coating, the area of the part that transmits (transmits) light (the total area M of the core) relative to the entire area of the end face on the output side of the optical fiber will be correspondingly lower, and therefore the light emitted from the end face will be smaller. The energy density of The optical units of the embodiments shown in the first [4 and second UA] do not have this drawback and can emit light with high energy density. Furthermore, by using the +i surface 21, the direction of irradiation can be changed.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the main parts of an optical unit showing a third embodiment of the present invention, in which a projection lens 20, 22 is provided on the output side of the optical fiber of the optical unit shown in FIG. It is something that As is clear from the above description, since the protective coating cannot be removed, the energy density of the emitted light is slightly lower than in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but in the case shown in FIG. Compared to the above, it is preferable because it allows light to be irradiated with uniform illuminance.

In FIG. 3, the output side of the optical fiber 38 is connected to the lens barrel 35.
The end face on the exit side is bent in a shape different from the end face on the input side and fixed with a mold member 39, and the lens 20. is attached to the end face on the output side. A projection lens 22 is provided so that an image of the end face of the optical fiber on the output side is formed on the light irradiation surface.

According to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, since the end face on the output side of the optical fiber 38 is bent within the lens barrel 35 with respect to the irradiation surface, it is possible to create the optical fiber without providing a plane mirror. Also, in some cases, optical fibers do not need to be particularly bent.
There is no need for a movable mirror, so it can be used as an optical system tailored to the needs of the user.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the shape of the end face on the incident side and the shape of the end face on the exit side in each of the embodiments listed in L.

FIG. 4(a) shows the shape of the end face on the incident side in each of the above embodiments, and FIG. 4(b) shows the shape of the end face on the exit side in each of the above embodiments. Moreover, the same figure (c) - (e) shows the shape of the end surface on the output side in other Examples.

In FIG. 4, optical fibers such as light guide fibers are made of elemental MA made of quartz glass or multi-component glass.
181 is usually made up of several hundred bundles.

At this time, the shape of the end face on the incident side is large as shown in FIG. 4(a).

This is because when the light from a short-arc discharge lamp is focused using an elliptical condensing mirror, the shape of the beam at the condensing position (second focal point) is round. This is because it is best to leave it there for the most efficiency.

On the other hand, the shape of the end face on the emission side is in the form of a link, as shown in FIG. 4(b). This is because in the case of a target object to be irradiated with light (the shape varies depending on the workpiece, for example, a ring shape such as a motor part or an optical disk), it is necessary to irradiate the light in a ring shape. In this way, by aligning the strands on the output side of the optical fiber in accordance with the shape of the object to be irradiated with light, it is possible to irradiate light in the same shape as the object. That is, if you want to irradiate light in a mouth shape, as shown in Figure 4 (C), if you want to irradiate light in an L shape, as shown in Figure 4 (d), and if you want to irradiate light in a scattering pattern, use the same figure. As shown in (e), the wires 181 on the output side may be bundled and the shape of the end face may be shaped.

Each of the optical units in the embodiments shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. The joining structure of each optical unit to the optical unit joining portion 16 may be made the same so that the end face on the input side of each optical fiber is located at the same position. This allows different optical units to be replaced and attached to the same light irradiation device as appropriate.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above in 1-1, according to the optical unit of the present invention, it is possible to irradiate light in a shape that matches the shape of the object to be irradiated with light. At this time, there is no need to use a means to block light such as an aperture, so the light utilization efficiency does not decrease, and since the projection lens projects the image of the end face on the exit side, the light is uniform and efficient. Can be irradiated with light.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 [A (a) is a side sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the main part of the optical unit which is an example of this IJI, and the same figure (b) is
The second [A] shows the shape of the light irradiation in the same figure (A).
3 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of -L main parts of an optical unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows a schematic structure of main parts of an optical unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The side sectional views and FIGS. 4(a) to 4(e) are diagrams showing the shape of the end face on the incident side and the shape of the end face on the exit side in each example. Figure 5 (a) shows an optical unit and optical unit that uses a conventional halogen lamp with a mirror condenser to obtain a ring-shaped irradiation surface using an optical unit consisting of optical fibers bundled in a ring shape at the output end. An explanatory diagram of the device. Figure 6 (B) shows the illuminance distribution on the work surface in Figure 6 (A). Figure 6 (A) shows the ring-shaped irradiation surface when the light source is a short arc lamp. An explanatory diagram of an optical unit and an optical device for obtaining the same. Figure (B) is a diagram showing the illuminance distribution on the work surface of Figure (A). In the figure. 1]: Discharge lamp L, 21: Plane mirror 15/lens barrel 17: Ih female screw I9: Shape 12: Elliptical condensing mirror 14: Light body 16: Optical unit joint 18: Optical fiber 20. 22: Imaging lens

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Optical fibers that are bundled so that the end face on the input side is round and the shape of the end face on the output side is different from the end face on the input side, and a shaped material that fixes and holds the optical fibers together. , a projection lens arranged to project the output end face of the optical fiber onto the irradiation surface or near the irradiation surface,
An optical unit comprising: a mold member that integrally holds the optical fiber; and a lens barrel that houses a projection lens. (2) A short-arc discharge lamp, an elliptical condensing mirror arranged so that the arc of the discharge lamp is at or near the first focal point, and a lamp housing the discharge lamp and the elliptical condensing mirror. The optical unit according to claim (1), such that the position of the end face on the incident side of the optical unit according to claim (1) is at or near the second focal point of the elliptical condensing mirror. 1. A light irradiation device comprising: an optical unit joining section for joining together.