KR102023642B1 - Fine particle measurement device - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a fine particle measurement apparatus for selecting and extracting only fine particles having a specific size among charged fine particles using a difference in electric mobility in an electric field and measuring the number thereof. The fine particle measurement apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a charging unit for charging incoming fine particles; a classification unit for classifying and extracting fine particles of a specific size from the charged fine particles using a difference in electric mobility in the electric field; a counting unit for measuring the number of fine particles of a specific size extracted from the classification unit; a shielding unit made of conductive metal provided to surround the classification unit and the counting unit; and an outer housing of an insulating resin material surrounding the shielding unit.

Description

Fine Particle Measuring Equipment {FINE PARTICLE MEASUREMENT DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a fine particle measuring apparatus, and more particularly, to a fine particle measuring apparatus for classifying fine particles using a difference in electric mobility in an electric field, extracting only fine particles of a specific size, and measuring the number thereof.

In general, processes requiring high precision, such as semiconductor processes or LCD processes, are conducted in clean facilities such as clean rooms to maintain product cleanliness, and to detect contaminants that are fatal factors of product defects. Various types of particle measuring devices that can measure particles are being used.

Such a particle measuring device may be classified into various types according to the size or measuring method of the particles that can be measured. For example, the particle measuring apparatus may be classified into a particle measuring apparatus using an optical measuring method, a particle measuring apparatus using a gas dynamic measuring method, and a particle measuring apparatus using an electrical measuring method.

A typical example of an optical particle measuring device is a light absorption type particle measuring device disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58063 (2011.06.01.). It is characterized by detecting the amount of light absorbed and extinguished by the particles, and measuring the distribution of particles flowing in the chamber.

However, the particle measuring apparatus using the conventional light absorption method is expensive, and as the line width of the semiconductor becomes smaller, the size of the polluted particles to be controlled is also kept decreasing so that it is possible to accurately detect the polluted particles having a small size. There is a limit to the construction of a system with high measurement accuracy.

On the contrary, since the particle measuring device using the electric measuring method charges the particles using an electron gun and classifies and measures the particles according to the size by using the property of the charged particles reacting to the electric force, conventional light absorption is achieved. It has a higher measurement accuracy than the method or the gas dynamic measurement method.

However, most of the particle measuring apparatuses of the conventional electrical measurement method are complicated and large in size. Therefore, the use environment is limited and the product mass production is disadvantageous. In addition, due to the complex configuration of the product is difficult to disassemble / assemble, maintenance is not easy, and the manufacturing cost is expensive, there is a disadvantage that the price competitiveness.

Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1585024 (Notice date 2016. 01. 13)

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a fine particle measuring apparatus having a high measurement accuracy by classifying and measuring the fine particles using the electric mobility difference in the electric field.

Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a small particle measuring apparatus that can achieve the device miniaturization through the modularization of each component, easy disassembly / assembly, and can reduce the production cost and maintenance cost.

Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a fine particle measuring apparatus that can measure the fine particles in the air in real time at a desired place irrespective of the use environment.

According to the embodiment of the present invention as a means of solving the problem,

A charging unit for charging the incoming fine particles;

A classification unit configured to classify and extract only fine particles having a specific size among charged fine particles using the electric mobility difference in the electric field; And

It provides a fine particle measuring apparatus comprising a; counting unit for measuring the number of fine particles of a specific size extracted from the classification unit.

According to another embodiment of the present invention as a means of solving the problem,

A charging unit for charging the incoming fine particles;

A classification unit for classifying and extracting fine particles of a specific size from charged fine particles using the electric mobility difference in the electric field;

A counting unit for measuring the number of fine particles of a particular size extracted from the sorting unit;

A shielding unit made of a conductive metal provided to surround the sorting unit and the counting unit; And

It provides a fine particle measuring device comprising a; an outer housing made of an insulating resin surrounding the shield unit.

Here, the charging unit may be configured to charge a positive charge on the surface of the fine particles by forming a corona discharge.

The charging unit applied to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably,

A unit housing made of an insulating resin material;

A rod-shaped first electrode having a circular or rectangular cross section disposed in a horizontal direction in the center of the unit housing;

And a flat plate-shaped second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode in parallel to the left and right sides of the first electrode.

The fine particles may be introduced between the second electrodes facing each other in the unit housing through the introduction tube at the upper end of the unit housing, and the charged fine particles may be injected into the sorting unit through the injection tube at the opposite lower end.

In addition, the classification unit applied to an embodiment of the present invention,

A front cover of an insulating resin material having an inner space formed therein so that the charged fine particles can flow along the laminar air flowing in a horizontal direction from one side;

A pair of parallel conductive metal electrodes installed at a rear end of the front cover and having an electric field applied to the fine particles moved to the other side according to the laminar flow of the laminar flow to accelerate in a vertical direction;

An electrode bolt connected to each of the pair of metal electrodes to supply electrical energy for generating a potential difference between the two metal electrodes;

It is connected to the rear end of the front cover to surround the conductive metal electrode to protect the inside, there is formed a flow path through which the charged fine particles flow in accordance with the flow of laminar flow, the rear cover of insulating resin material having the particle outlet Including;

A charged particle inlet through which charged fine particles flow into one side of an upper surface of the front cover may be formed, and a charged particle outlet may be formed on a lower surface of the rear cover spaced apart in a diagonal direction from the charged particle inlet.

The sorting unit may also further comprise a laminar flow screen for removing and laminarizing vortices from air entering the front cover.

In this case, the laminarization screen may be installed in the front cover in front of the charged particle inlet on the basis of the flow of air flowing into the front cover.

In addition, the distal edge of the lower metal electrode of the pair of metal electrodes and one surface of the charged particle discharge port may be configured to be aligned on the same line.

In addition, the pair of metal electrodes may be flat plate electrodes that are disposed to face up and down parallel to the horizontal direction.

In addition, the counting unit applied to an embodiment of the present invention,

And a particle counting electrode for measuring the number of fine particles extracted from the sorting unit, wherein an upper case and a lower case of an insulating resin material are interposed between the upper and lower parts with the particle counting electrode interposed therebetween to count the counting electrode. It can be configured to protect wealth.

Here, a counting unit inlet is formed at the center of the upper end of the upper case, and a counting unit outlet is formed at the center of the lower lower side of the opposite case to allow the counted fine particles to exit, connecting the inlet, the counter and the outlet in a straight line. A passage may be formed inside the upper case and the lower case so that one flow path is partitioned.

In addition, the particle counting electrode may include a rod-shaped output end that is electrically connected to one side of the outer surface of the input unit and the counting unit having a metal mesh filter installed inside the ring-shaped input end and extends out of the case.

In addition, the particle counting electrode may be configured to capture particles using a metal mesh filter and output a small current from the charge the particles have.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an insulation space for electrical insulation may be formed between the shield unit and the outer housing.

Preferably, the insulating powder may be filled in the insulating space.

According to another aspect of the present invention as a means of solving the problem,

It provides a pollutant monitoring system in the air including the fine particle measuring apparatus described above.

According to the fine particle measuring apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, by using the flat electrode, the intensity of the electric field is maintained the same regardless of the position in the flow path, the fine particles by using the electric mobility difference in the same electric field By classifying and measuring, we can contribute to improving the accuracy of real-time particle classification and measurement.

Moreover, due to the double shielding structure through the shielding unit and the outer housing, perfect disconnection from the outside can be achieved to minimize the influence (noise) of the external static electricity on the device. As a result, the accuracy of particle sorting according to the size through the particle sorting unit and particle counting through the particle counting unit can be further improved to provide a highly reliable fine particle measuring apparatus.

In addition, it is a compact structure that modularizes each part configuration, easy disassembly / assembly, easy to maintain the device, and simple structure achieves advantages in terms of mass production of the product, reduction in production cost and miniaturization of the device The advantage is that you can.

In addition, it has excellent portability and accessibility, so it can be used in various environments (air pollution measurement, fine dust measurement of semiconductor process, engine PM measurement, etc.) without regard to a specific environment. Since it is possible, it can be customized according to the demands of the users such as performance and use required such as various target particle diameters and concentrations, so that it can meet various demands of the market with simple structure and low production cost.

1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the fine particle measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a partially separated perspective view of the fine particle measuring device shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a charging unit of the fine particle measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a side cross-sectional view of the charging unit of FIG. 3.
5 is a perspective view illustrating a classification unit of the apparatus for measuring fine particles according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a rear cover omitted from the sorting unit of FIG. 5; FIG.
7 is a side sectional view of the sorting unit.
8 is an operational conceptual diagram of a classification unit for explaining the particle classification and extraction process performed by the classification unit.
9 is a perspective view of the counting unit applied to the fine particle measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a side sectional view of the counting unit shown in FIG. 9;
11 is a perspective view illustrating particle counting electrodes constituting the counting unit;

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

The terms "comprise" or "have" herein are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof described on the specification, and that one or more other features It should be understood that it does not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

In addition, terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

In addition, the terms “… unit”, “… unit”, “… module”, etc. described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. Can be.

In the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and duplicate description thereof will be omitted. In the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a combined perspective view showing the overall configuration of a fine particle measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a partially separated perspective view of the fine particle measuring apparatus shown in FIG.

1 to 2, the fine particle measuring apparatus 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has a size of a charged unit 10 and a charged fine particle P that charge the fine particle P to be measured. Sorting unit 20 for classifying and extracting according to, and counting unit 30 for measuring the number of the extracted fine particles. It also has a shielding unit 40 and an outer housing 50 for protecting the sorting unit 20 and the counting unit 30 from the external environment.

The charging unit 10 charges the measurement target fine particles P introduced from one side and injects the fine particles P into the sorting unit 20, and the sorting unit 20 is one of the charged fine particles using a difference in electric mobility in the electric field. The fine particles of a certain size are classified and extracted. The counting unit 30 accurately measures the number from the minute current generated by the fine particles of a particular size extracted from the sorting unit 20.

The shielding unit 40 is formed of a conductive metal so as to surround the sorting unit 20 and the counting unit 30 to electrically shield the inside and the outside of these units so that an external electromagnetic field or static electricity change does not affect measurement accuracy. The outer housing 50 is made of an insulating resin material surrounding the shielding unit 40 to minimize the influence of external static electricity received by the shielding unit 40 and to protect the device.

The sorting unit 20 loads the charged fine particles in a laminar flow flowing in at a constant speed from one side and moves them in an electric field where the intensity is uniformly maintained, so that the charged fine particles P move the electric field. By using the characteristics accelerated in the direction (longitudinal) facing the electrode by the electric field, only the particles of a specific size among the charged fine particles of various sizes are selected, classified and extracted.

The fine particles P charged through the charging unit 10 are introduced into the fractionation unit 20 through the charged particle inlet 22 on one side of the upper surface of the fractionation unit 20 and are moved to the other side by being loaded in the laminar flow. . The fine particles classified through the sorting unit 20 are discharged through the charged particle outlet 27 on the other side of the bottom surface of the sorting unit 20 spaced apart from the charged particle inlet 22 by a predetermined distance in an oblique direction. Provided to the counting unit 30.

To this end, the charged unit 10 is installed at the charged particle inlet 22 side of the sorting unit 20, and the counting unit 30 is installed at the charged particle outlet 27 side of the opposite side. The charging unit 10 applies a high voltage to charge a positive charge on the surface of the fine particles by corona discharge, and the counting unit 30 receives a small current generated from the charge rotor of the fine particles. Configured to detect and measure quantities.

Main components of the fine particle measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail for each component.

Charged unit

3 is a perspective view illustrating a charging unit of the fine particle measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the charging unit of FIG.

As mentioned above, the charging unit 10 applies a high voltage to the surface of the microparticle to be measured to apply the correct amount of positive charge through corona discharge, and at the same time, positive The charge charged fine particles are injected into the sorting unit 20. To this end, the high voltage electrode of the charging unit 10 is electrically connected to an external high voltage conversion circuit (not shown).

3 and 4, the charging unit 10 includes two electrodes installed in the unit housing 12 made of an insulating resin material. One is a rod-shaped first electrode 14 having a circular or rectangular cross section disposed in a horizontal direction at the center of the unit housing 12, and the other is a first electrode spaced apart from the first electrode 14. It is a plate-shaped 2nd electrode 16 arrange | positioned parallel to the left and right sides of (14).

 The first electrode 14 is a discharge electrode made of a conductive metal such as copper (Cu), and the second electrode 16 is a ground electrode made of a conductive metal such as copper (Cu). The first electrode 14, which is a discharge electrode, and the second electrode 16 corresponding to the ground electrode are electrically connected to a high voltage conversion circuit (not shown), and adjust the magnitude of the voltage applied from the high voltage conversion circuit (variable voltage). By adjusting the amount of charge and distribution for the fine particles.

In this case, the voltage applied to the first electrode 14 and the second electrode 16 may vary from 1000 to 10000V depending on the size or property of the particle to be measured or the device application.

When a pair of parallel second electrodes 16 are disposed to face each other with the rod-shaped first electrodes 14 interposed therebetween, when a high voltage direct current (DC) voltage is applied to the first electrodes 14. Corona discharge is generated in the outer surface of the first electrode 14, and positive charge is applied to the fine particles P by attaching the ions generated by the corona discharge to the surface of the fine particles. Can be charged.

More specifically, when a high-voltage direct current (DC) voltage is applied to the first electrode 14, electrons are accelerated in the corona range around the first electrode 14, and the accelerated electrons collide with molecules of the air to Molecules separate into ions and electrons. At this time, the generated ions are attached to the fine particles P passing between the first electrode 14 and the second electrode 16 to form charged particles.

The second disposed in parallel to face each other in the unit housing 12 through the introduction pipe 17 of the upper end of the unit housing 12 which is an insulator in which the first electrode 14 and the second electrode 16 are installed. The fine particles P are introduced between the electrodes 16, and the charged fine particles P are injected into the sorting unit 20 described later through an injection tube 18 formed at the bottom of the unit housing 12.

On the other hand, the unit housing 12, as shown in the drawing, the front and rear housings 12a and 12b in a two-divided configuration are connected by bolts (not shown). 12a, 12b) may be configured to maintain the internal configuration by separating from each other.

Sorting unit

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a classifying unit of a fine particle measuring apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a rear end cover of the classifying unit of FIG. 5. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the sorting unit.

As described above, the sorting unit 20 moves the electric field maintained at a uniform intensity by loading the charged fine particles into the laminar air flowing at a constant speed from one side, so that the charged fine particles move the electric field. By using the characteristics accelerated in the direction in which the electrode facing (vertical direction) by selecting only the particles of a specific size from among the various sizes of charged fine particles, and extracted.

5 to 7, the sorting unit 20 has a front cover 21 made of an insulating resin material in which an inner space 210 is formed so that charged fine particles can flow along a laminar flow type air flowing from one side to a horizontal direction. ) And a pair of parallel conductive metal electrodes 24a and 24b which are installed at a rear end of the front cover 21 and are accelerated in a vertical direction by applying an electric field to the fine particles moving to the other side according to the laminar flow. Include.

The charged particle inlet 22 is formed at one side of the upper surface of the front cover 21. The charged particle inlet 22 has an elongated slit shape with respect to the width direction of the front cover 21 such that charged fine particles are injected into the inner space 210 in a uniform distribution with respect to the width direction of the sorting unit 20. The charging unit 10 may be coupled to the front cover 21 by a bolt in a structure in which the injection pipe 18 of the charging unit 10 is inserted into the charged particle inlet 22.

The inner space 210 is formed inside the front cover 21, and an air inlet pipe 212 communicating with the inner space 210 is formed at one side (left side in the drawing). Air is introduced into the interior from the outside of the front cover 21 at a constant speed through the air inlet pipe 212, the introduced air is a laminar flow screen 23 is disposed in place of the inner space (210) After mixing with the laminarized and charged fine particles, the charged fine particles are loaded and moved to the other side.

The laminar flow screen 23 serves to remove laminar flow and laminarize air from the air introduced into the front cover 21 through the air inlet pipe 212. The laminar flow screen 23 is installed in the inner space 210 in front of the charged particle inlet 22 based on the flow of air flowing into the front cover 21, and has a small thickness inside the outer frame partitioning the border. The plurality of horizontal bars may be in the form of a grill disposed vertically spaced apart at a predetermined interval.

The pair of conductive metal electrodes 24a and 24b are installed in the rear end of the front cover 21 so as to extend to a predetermined length. Specifically, as shown in the drawing, the plate is elongated in the longitudinal direction and installed in a structure that is arranged to face up and down in parallel with the horizontal direction.

At this time, the pair of metal electrodes 24a and 24b have one end and the other end inside of the front cover 21 and the rear cover 26 by a plurality of bolts B fastened from the upper and lower parts of the front cover and the upper and lower parts of the rear cover, respectively. It may be assembled in a form that is firmly fixed to the upper and lower surfaces, so that the distal edge of the lower metal electrode 24b of the pair of metal electrodes 24a and 24b and one surface of the charged particle outlet 27 are aligned on the same line. Can be configured.

Each of the pair of metal electrodes 24a and 24b is connected with electrode bolts 25a and 25b for supplying electrical energy for generating a potential difference between the corresponding metal electrodes 24a and 24b, respectively. ) Is electrically connected to an external power source to supply electrical energy to the corresponding metal electrodes 24a and 24b. Here, the upper metal electrodes 24a and 24b of the pair of metal electrodes 24a and 24b may be a power supply electrode (+), and the opposite lower metal electrodes 24a and 24b may be ground electrodes (−).

According to such a configuration, when a power source (electrical energy) is applied to the upper metal electrodes 24a and 24b which are power electrodes, a potential difference is generated between the two metal electrodes 24a and 24b, and thus the two metal electrodes 24a. , An electric field of uniform intensity is formed over all the sections in which 24b) face each other in parallel.

In this case, the voltage applied to the metal electrodes 24a and 24b to form an electric field is preferably set in the range of 0 to 2000V to prevent arc discharge between the metal electrodes, and is determined according to the size of the fine particles to be extracted and measured. The range (0 ~ 2000V) can be applied variably.

The voltage applied to the metal electrodes 24a and 24b may be adjusted between 0 and 2000V depending on the size of the fine particles to be extracted and measured.

Reference numeral 26 denotes a rear cover which is coupled to the rear end of the front cover 21. The rear cover 26 is formed of an insulating resin material and is connected to the rear end of the front cover 21 to surround and protect the conductive metal electrodes 24a and 24b.

The metal electrodes 24a and 24b are installed on the inner upper surface and the lower surface of the rear cover 26 so as to face each other up and down, and an inner flow path 260 through which fine particles charged in accordance with the flow of the laminar air flows. Is formed.

The charged particle outlet 27 is formed on a lower surface of the rear cover 26 spaced apart from the charged particle inlet 22 on the one side of the upper surface of the front cover 21 by a predetermined distance in an oblique direction. At this time, the horizontal distance between the charged particle inlet 22 and the charged particle outlet 27 is not limited to a specific value because it may vary in the field of application of the device, the environment of use, or the demand of the consumer.

Preferably, the overall length of the sorting unit 20, which is a major factor in determining the size and sorting performance of the particles to be extracted and measured, is varied by varying the lengths of the metal electrodes 24a, 24b and the rear cover 26. And it can respond to a request.

On the other hand, the air discharge pipe 262 is formed at the rear end of the rear cover 26 to face the aforementioned air inlet pipe 212 of the front cover 21. Accordingly, the air introduced into the interior from the outside of the front cover 21 at a constant speed through the air inlet pipe 212 is laminarized through the laminar flow screen 23 described above and then carried the charged fine particles. It moves to the discharge pipe side and exits out of the sorting unit 20 through the air discharge pipe 262.

8 is an operational conceptual diagram of the classification unit for explaining the particle classification and extraction process performed by the classification unit.

Referring to FIG. 8, when charged fine particles are loaded in laminar flow air to move an electric field between two metal electrodes 24a and 24b in a horizontal direction, both metals are caused by the electric field between two metal electrodes 24a and 24b. Acceleration occurs in the direction in which the electrodes 24a and 24b face each other (vertical direction in the drawing). At this time, the longitudinal velocity of the particle in the vertical direction varies according to the size of the fine particles and the size of the electric force.

That is, the charged fine particles are loaded in the laminar flow and are accelerated in the longitudinal direction (the direction in which the upper metal electrode and the lower metal electrode are connected vertically) by the electric field while moving in the horizontal direction between the two metal electrodes 24a and 24b. As a result, the charged fine particles have a flow flowing downward in a diagonal direction from the charged particle inlet 22 toward the charged particle outlet 27 in the electric field as illustrated in the drawing.

In this process, some of the charged fine particles fall to the lower metal electrode 24b side before reaching the charged particle outlet 27, and another part of the charged fine particles falls past the charged particle outlet 27. And only the specific size of the charged fine particles of various sizes is extracted out of the sorting unit 20 by reaching the charged particle outlet 27 position.

In this case, when the magnitude of the voltage applied to the metal electrodes 24a and 24b is changed, the acceleration in the longitudinal direction (the direction in which the upper metal electrode and the lower metal electrode are vertically connected) of the charged fine particles in the electric field is also changed. The size of the fine particles reaching the charged particle outlet 27 in the electric field is changed.

The fine particle measuring apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, in view of this point, by adjusting the intensity of the electric field through the voltage adjustment applied to the metal electrodes (24a, 24b), of a specific size having a desired electric mobility (Z) By classifying and extracting only the particles and measuring the quantity through the counting unit 30 which will be described later, it is intended to accurately grasp the concentration of particles having a specific size among the particles to be measured.

For reference, the aforementioned electrical mobility Z may be calculated by Equation 1 below.

[Equation 1]

Z = UΔ ² / LV

Here, U is the moving speed of the air introduced into the sorting unit 20 in the horizontal direction, Δ is the distance between the pair of metal electrodes 24a, 24b in the sorting unit 20, L is the charged particle inlet 22 And the horizontal distance between the charged particle outlets 27, V is the voltage.

Counting unit

9 is a perspective view of a counting unit applied to a fine particle measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the counting unit shown in FIG. 9. 11 is a perspective view showing the particle counting electrode 32 constituting the counting unit.

9 to 11, the counting unit 30 includes a particle counting electrode 32 that measures the number of fine particles extracted from the sorting unit 20, and intersects the particle counting electrode 32. The upper case 34 and the lower case 36 of the insulating resin material may be coupled to each other so as to accommodate the counter 320 of the particle counting electrode 32.

At the center of the upper end of the upper case 34 is formed a counting unit inlet 35 in communication with the charged particle outlet 27 described above. And the counting unit outlet 37 through which the counted fine particles exit is formed at the bottom center of the opposite lower case 36. In addition, a passage (not shown) is formed inside the upper case 34 and the lower case 36 so that one flow path connecting the inlet 35, the counter 320, and the outlet 37 in a straight line is partitioned. .

According to this configuration, fine particles of a specific size sorted and extracted through the sorting unit 20 are supplied into the counting unit 30 through the counting unit inlet 35, and the upper case 34 and the lower case ( After passing through the counter 320 which is installed at the boundary of 36, it is discharged out of the counter unit 30 through the counter unit outlet 37 opposite the inlet. In this process, the quantity is measured by a predetermined counting process through the counting unit 320.

The particle counting electrode 32, which is a key component for counting, may have a configuration including a counter 320 and an output terminal 326, as shown in FIG. 11.

The counter 320 may be a configuration in which the conductive metal mesh filter 324 electrically connected to the input end 322 is installed inside the input end 322 of a ring-shaped conductive metal material. The rod-shaped structure electrically connected to one side of the outer surface of the input end 322 and extending out of the case may be a conductive metal.

The counting unit 30 having such a configuration operates on the principle of detecting the small current generated when the charged fine particles pass through the metal mesh filter 324 and measuring the number thereof. That is, the fine particles charged by the metal mesh filter 324 are collected, and the number of particles is measured by sensing the movement of electric charges due to the physical contact between the charged particles and the metal mesh filter 324 and the resulting small current.

On the other hand, the charge of the particles passing through the counting unit 30 and the microcurrent generated therefrom are very small in size. Because of this, external electromagnetic or static electricity changes can greatly affect measurement accuracy. Accordingly, the present invention is configured to completely surround the sorting unit 20 and the counting unit 30 using the above-described shielding unit 40 made of a conductive metal material to minimize the influence from external noise.

On the other hand, although not shown, forming an insulating space for electrical insulation between the shielding unit and the outer housing or filling the insulating powder with the insulating powder provides more perfect shielding performance, which is more advantageous for improving particle classification and measurement accuracy. .

According to the fine particle measuring apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, by using a flat electrode, the intensity of the electric field is maintained the same regardless of the position in the flow path, and fine by using the electric mobility difference in the same electric field By classifying and measuring particles, we can contribute to improving the accuracy of real-time particle classification and measurement.

Moreover, due to the double shielding structure through the shielding unit and the outer housing, perfect disconnection from the outside can be achieved to minimize the influence (noise) of the external static electricity on the device. As a result, the accuracy of particle sorting according to the size through the particle sorting unit and particle counting through the particle counting unit can be further improved to provide a highly reliable fine particle measuring apparatus.

In addition, it is a compact structure that modularizes each part configuration, easy disassembly / assembly, easy to maintain the device, and simple structure achieves advantages in terms of mass production of the product, reduction in production cost and miniaturization of the device The advantage is that you can.

In addition, since it is excellent in portability and accessibility, it can be used in various environments without regard to a specific environment, and it can be partially disassembled and replaced by modularization. It can be customized to meet various market demands with its simple structure and low manufacturing cost.

The fine particle measuring apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, the air pollution measurement, the measurement of the fine particles of the semiconductor process to detect and measure the contaminating particles, which is a fatal factor of product defects in the semiconductor process, air pollution generated by the engine It can be applied in various forms to various environments such as PM (Particulate matter) measurement.

In the detailed description of the present invention, only specific embodiments thereof have been described. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the specific forms referred to in the description, but rather includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Should be.

1: fine particle measuring device
10: charge unit 12: unit housing
14: first electrode 16: second electrode
17: introduction tube 18: injection tube
20: sorting unit 21: front cover
22: charged particle inlet 23: laminar flow screen
24a, 24b: metal electrode 25a, 25b: electrode bolt
26: rear cover 27: charged particle outlet
30: counting unit 32: particle counting electrode
34: upper case 35: counting unit entrance
36: lower case 37: counting unit outlet
210: internal space 212: air inlet pipe
262: air discharge pipe
320: counting unit 322: input terminal
324: metal mesh filter 326: output stage

Claims (16)

A charging unit for charging the incoming fine particles;
A classification unit configured to classify and extract only fine particles having a specific size among charged fine particles using the electric mobility difference in the electric field; And
A counting unit for measuring the number of fine particles of a specific size extracted from the sorting unit; each comprising a modularized configuration,
The charging unit,
A unit housing made of an insulating resin material;
A rod-shaped first electrode having a circular or rectangular cross section disposed in a horizontal direction in the center of the unit housing;
And a flat plate-shaped second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode in parallel to the left and right sides of the first electrode.
Fine particles are introduced between the second electrodes facing each other in the unit housing through an introduction tube at the upper end of the unit housing, and charged fine particles are injected into the sorting unit through an injection tube at the opposite lower end.
The sorting unit,
A front cover of an insulating resin material having an inner space formed therein so that the charged fine particles can flow along the laminar air flowing in a horizontal direction from one side;
A pair of parallel conductive metal electrodes installed at a rear end of the front cover and having an electric field applied to the fine particles moved to the other side according to the laminar flow of the laminar flow to accelerate in a vertical direction; ,
An electrode bolt connected to each of the pair of metal electrodes to supply electrical energy for generating a potential difference between the two metal electrodes;
A rear cover made of an insulating resin material connected to a rear end of the front cover to surround and protect the conductive metal electrode, and having an inner flow path through which charged fine particles flow according to the flow of laminar air;
A charged particle inlet is formed on one side of the upper surface of the front cover, the charged particle inlet is formed, the charged particle outlet is formed on the lower surface of the rear cover spaced apart from the charged particle inlet in a diagonal direction,
The charged particle inlet is fine particle measuring apparatus is formed in the shape of a long slender with respect to the width direction of the front cover so that the charged particles flow into the front cover in a uniform distribution.
A charging unit for charging the incoming fine particles;
A classification unit for classifying and extracting fine particles of a specific size from charged fine particles using the electric mobility difference in the electric field;
A counting unit for measuring the number of fine particles of a particular size extracted from the sorting unit;
A shielding unit made of a conductive metal provided to surround the sorting unit and the counting unit; And
And an external housing made of an insulating resin material surrounding the shielding unit.
The charging unit,
A unit housing made of an insulating resin material;
A rod-shaped first electrode having a circular or rectangular cross section disposed in a horizontal direction in the center of the unit housing;
And a flat plate-shaped second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode in parallel to the left and right sides of the first electrode.
Fine particles are introduced between the second electrodes facing each other in the unit housing through an introduction tube at the upper end of the unit housing, and charged fine particles are injected into the sorting unit through an injection tube at the opposite lower end.
The sorting unit,
A front cover of an insulating resin material having an inner space formed therein so that the charged fine particles can flow along the laminar air flowing in a horizontal direction from one side;
A pair of parallel conductive metal electrodes installed at a rear end of the front cover and having an electric field applied to the fine particles moved to the other side according to the laminar flow of the laminar flow to accelerate in a vertical direction; ,
An electrode bolt connected to each of the pair of metal electrodes to supply electrical energy for generating a potential difference between the two metal electrodes;
A rear cover made of an insulating resin material connected to a rear end of the front cover to surround and protect the conductive metal electrode, and having an inner flow path through which charged fine particles flow according to the flow of laminar air;
A charged particle inlet is formed on one side of the upper surface of the front cover, the charged particle inlet is formed, the charged particle outlet is formed on the lower surface of the rear cover spaced apart from the charged particle inlet in a diagonal direction,
The charged particle inlet is fine particle measuring apparatus is formed in the shape of a long slender with respect to the width direction of the front cover so that the charged particles flow into the front cover in a uniform distribution.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The charging unit is a fine particle measuring device for forming a corona discharge (Corona discharge) to charge a positive charge on the surface of the fine particles.
delete delete The method of claim 1,
And a laminar flow screen for removing laminar flow and laminarization from air introduced into the front cover.
The method of claim 6,
And the laminar flow screen is installed in the front cover in front of the charged particle inlet on the basis of the flow of air flowing into the front cover.
The method of claim 1,
The fine particle measuring device of the pair of metal electrodes, the distal edge of the lower metal electrode and one surface of the charged particle discharge port is aligned on the same line.
The method of claim 1,
The pair of metal electrodes is a fine particle measuring device that is a flat plate electrode arranged in parallel up and down with respect to the horizontal direction.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The counting unit,
And a particle counting electrode for measuring the number of fine particles extracted from the sorting unit, wherein the upper and lower cases of an insulating resin material are coupled between upper and lower portions with the particle counting electrode interposed therebetween to count the counting particles. Fine particle measuring device configured to protect the part.
The method of claim 10,
A counting unit inlet is formed at the center of the upper end of the upper case, and a counting unit outlet is formed at the center of the bottom of the opposite lower case to allow the fine particles to be discharged.
And a passage is formed inside the upper case and the lower case so that one flow path connecting the inlet, the counter, and the outlet in a straight line is partitioned.
The method of claim 10,
The particle counting electrode,
The counting unit having a metal mesh filter installed inside a ring-shaped input end; And
And a rod-shaped output end electrically connected to one side of an outer surface of the input end and extending out of the case.
The method of claim 12,
The particle counting electrode collects the particles using a metal mesh filter and outputs a minute current from the charge of the particles.
The method of claim 2,
An apparatus for measuring fine particles, wherein an insulation space for electrical insulation is formed between the shield unit and the outer housing.
The method of claim 14,
An apparatus for measuring fine particles, in which an insulating powder is filled in the insulating space.
Airborne pollutant monitoring system comprising the fine particle measuring device of claim 1.

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