KR20210078717A - Portable plasma device having changeable tip modules - Google Patents

Abstract

One objective of the present invention is to provide a portable plasma generation device having a changeable tip module, capable of generating plasma at various frequency bands depending on a working environment and a working object, by designing a tip module to be changeable. According to the present invention, the portable plasma generation device having a changeable tip module includes: a main body housing; a push member positioned on one surface of the main body housing to adjust ejection of a plasma frame; a mounting member provided on an opposite surface to the one surface on which the push member are mounted; an external grounding connection unit provided in the main body housing; and a tip module detachably coupled to a lower portion of the main body housing.

Description

Tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator {PORTABLE PLASMA DEVICE HAVING CHANGEABLE TIP MODULES}

The technology to be described below relates to a portable plasma generator with a tip module exchangeable.

Plasma is mainly used in the fields of surface modification and coating of materials, and environmental purification. In recent years, research on the application potential of the biomedical field has been gradually expanded. The electrode structure of the tip applied to the device that generates low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasma in the region of 50° C. or less is mostly needle-shaped needle electrode structure, and it is made in various configurations and methods depending on the power supply device. The method of using the tip is to generate plasma by mainly injecting an inert gas from the outside and applying a high voltage to the needle electrode structure.

Since the atmospheric pressure plasma generator generates plasma under atmospheric pressure without using an expensive vacuum device, the effect of cost reduction is large, and since the process is performed in an open space, there is no restriction on the space to which the plasma is applied. In addition, there is an advantage that a continuous process is possible in real time. For reasons such as these advantages, research on surface treatment using atmospheric pressure plasma is being actively conducted.

However, in the case of atmospheric pressure plasma, since it has very different physical characteristics from the existing low pressure plasma, it is very difficult to adjust the atmospheric pressure plasma to suit the process field to be applied, and there are various problems to be solved before being applied to various fields. Therefore, it is possible to control the plasma state by freely adjusting the plasma generation frequency as well as the discharge conditions such as plasma electron temperature, electron density, gas temperature, input voltage or gas flow rate, etc., for generating plasma suitable for each use. skills are required

Meanwhile, in order to actively utilize plasma in the biomedical field, miniaturization, portability, and ease of control of the device are required. However, the existing portable atmospheric pressure plasma generators are mainly developed for skin care, the intensity of plasma is weak, and the shape or plasma generation method is not suitable for use in the field of bio research. In addition, in conventional plasma devices for surface treatment used in the biomedical field, it is difficult to control the intensity of a plasma flame according to a user's intention, and due to the size of the device itself, it is difficult to There is a problem in that it is not easy to evenly localize the inner surface of the structure.

Korean Patent No. 10-1577207 Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0057809

One object of the present invention is to provide a portable plasma generator that can generate plasma in a variety of frequency ranges according to the working environment and purpose by designing the plasma generating tip in a modular fashion, and the tip module can be exchanged.

Another object of the present invention is that it is convenient to carry and has excellent performance, and it is possible to easily and evenly localize the inner surface of a microstructure such as a micro well plate because it is easy to control the plasma flame. It is to provide a plasma generator with

Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable plasma generator capable of selecting a remote method and a direct method according to the user's needs.

In order to achieve the above object,

The present invention is a body housing; a push member positioned on one surface of the main housing and controlling emission of a plasma flame; a holding member provided on the opposite surface of the one surface on which the push member is installed; an external grounding connection part provided in the main body housing; and a tip module that is detachably coupled to a lower portion of the main housing housing; provides a tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator comprising a.

The tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator of the present invention can provide a tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator capable of generating plasma in various frequency ranges according to the working environment and purpose by designing a module that emits plasma as an exchangeable type. have. In addition, it is convenient to carry, excellent in performance, and easy to control the plasma flame, so that the internal surface of a microstructure such as a micro-well plate can be conveniently and evenly localized.

1 is a perspective view of a tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 shows the side of the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 shows the top surface of the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 shows the detachable state of the tip module of the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating a method of exchanging a tip module of a tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a plasma emitting unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is an enlarged view of a plasma emission unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The technology to be described below may have various changes and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the technology described below to specific embodiments, and it should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the technology described below.

Terms such as first, second, A, and B may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the above terms, and only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components. used only as For example, a first component may be named as a second component, and similarly, a second component may also be referred to as a first component without departing from the scope of the technology to be described below. and/or includes a combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

In terms of the terms used herein, the singular expression should be understood to include a plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, and terms such as "comprises" refer to the described feature, number, step, operation, and element. , parts or combinations thereof are to be understood, but not to exclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Prior to a detailed description of the drawings, it is intended to clarify that the classification of the constituent parts in the present specification is merely a division according to the main function each constituent unit is responsible for. That is, two or more components to be described below may be combined into one component, or one component may be divided into two or more for each more subdivided function. In addition, each of the constituent units to be described below may additionally perform some or all of the functions of the other constituent units in addition to the main function it is responsible for, and may additionally perform some or all of the functions of the other constituent units. Of course, it may be carried out by being dedicated to it.

In addition, in performing the method or method of operation, each process constituting the method may occur differently from the specified order unless a specific order is clearly described in context. That is, each process may occur in the same order as specified, may be performed substantially simultaneously, or may be performed in the reverse order.

1 to 3 are diagrams showing a tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 to 3, the tip module replaceable portable plasma generator 10 of the present invention is a body housing 100, a push member positioned on one surface of the body housing 100 and controlling the emission of a plasma flame (200), the mounting member 300 provided on the opposite side of the one surface on which the push member 200 is installed, the external grounding connection part 400 provided in the main body housing 100, and the housing 100 are detachable from the lower part. It includes a tip module 500 coupled to do so.

The main body housing 100 is basically a hollow shape extending in the axial direction having an inner space, and may be divided into a gripping part, an upper part, and a lower part. The "holding part" is a part held by the user's hand in the main body housing 100 when the user uses the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator 10 . The “upper” is a portion located above the gripping portion in the main housing 100 when the user grips the gripping part of the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator 10 by hand. The “lower” is a portion located below the gripping portion of the main body housing 100 when the user grips the gripping part of the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator 10 by hand.

The main body housing 100 has a gas inlet 111 , a charging terminal 112 , a power button 113 , a setting button 114 for setting the output intensity of the plasma flame, and a display unit indicating the setting/operational state Any one or more of (115) may be included.

The gas inlet 111 is a part for receiving a gas required for plasma discharge from the outside, and may be connected to a container, a gas cylinder, or a container containing a gas. The connection may be performed using a hose, tube, tube, or the like.

The charging terminal 112 may be connected to an external power source to charge the battery 121 . The power button 113 may turn on/off the plasma generator.

The setting button 114 may set the output intensity of the plasma flame. The display unit 115 may display information necessary for the operation of the plasma generator, such as the remaining amount of the battery 121 in addition to displaying the set intensity.

The external power button 113 , the setting button 114 , and the display unit 115 are preferably located on the upper part of the hand held by the user in the main body housing 100 . Accordingly, the user can easily and freely operate the power button 113 and the setting button 114 with only the finger of the hand gripped in the state of holding the body housing 100, and the signal of the display unit 115 responding to the operation of the button can be seen clearly.

The inner space of the main body housing 100 may include a battery 121 , a gas tube 123 , a valve 124 , and a control circuit 125 .

The battery 121 may be connected to the charging terminal 112 to be charged and discharged, and may be detachable. The gas tube 123 is connected to the gas inlet 111 to transfer the gas introduced from the outside to the discharge electrode 521 of the tip module 500 . The valve 124 is connected to a part of the gas tube 123 to control the movement of gas by an opening/closing operation. The control circuit 125 includes a power button 113 , a setting button 114 , a display unit 115 , a battery 121 , a voltage generator 122 , an external ground connection unit 400 , a transformer 512 , a valve ( 124), the emission electrode 521, the internal ground electrode 522, etc. are connected to the circuit, and the ON/OFF of the plasma generator, the emission intensity setting of the plasma flame, the opening and closing of the valve 124, the external grounding connection part 400 operation , controls the overall setting and operation of the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator 10 such as the operation of the emission electrode 521 and the setting of the internal ground electrode 522 .

The push member 200 may be provided on one surface of the main body housing 100 to control emission of a plasma flame. The push member 200 may be provided to be movable downward in the longitudinal direction of the main body housing 100 . According to the above configuration, the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator 10 of the present invention may emit a plasma flame through the plasma emission part of the tip module 500 by the downward movement of the push member 200 . The downward movement is controlled by a downward thumb force applied by the user on the push member 200 while the user is holding the body housing 100 . The push member 200 may further include an elastic member (not shown) for returning the position of the push member 200 moved to the original position in response to a downward force.

The mounting member 300 is provided on the opposite surface of one surface of the body housing 100 provided with the push member 200 . Since the holding member 300 is in close contact with a portion of the user's index (or middle finger) finger, when a force is applied to the push member 200, the body housing 100 can be stably gripped. In a specific embodiment, the holding member 300 may have a curved shape so as to be in close contact with some surfaces of the user's index (or middle finger) finger.

By using the push member 200 and the mounting member 300 , the user can operate the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator 10 by applying an appropriate force to the push member 200 . Therefore, it is possible to stably and easily control the emission of the plasma flame. In addition, even in a state in which the user holds the body housing 100 with one hand and a vial, test tube, well plate, etc. with the other hand, the user uses only the fingers of the hand holding the body housing 100 on the upper part of the housing 100 . An operating member such as the provided power button 113 or setting button 114 can be operated easily and freely.

Therefore, the tip module interchangeable portable plasma generator 10 of the present invention allows the user to freely use it for a time required for operation without unduly stressing the user's thumb, so that the plasma generator ( 10) can be operated accurately and repeatably.

The external ground connection part 400 may be provided in the main body housing 100 . A ground wire (not shown) may be connected to the external ground connection part 400 to be grounded to a ground electrode (not shown) provided outside. The ground electrode provided outside may be provided in the form of a plate made of metal. In this way, when the external grounding connection part 400 and the externally provided grounding electrode are connected with a grounding wire, the emission intensity of the plasma flame is increased, and the inner surface of a vial, a test tube, a well plate, etc. can The external electrode is made of a conductive material, and a plasma flame emission target such as a vial, a test tube, or a well plate may be positioned between the external ground electrode and the plasma emission unit 520 . In this way, when the external ground connection part 400 and the external ground electrode are connected, the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator 10 can form a direct plasma.

4 and 5 , the tip module 500 may be detachably coupled to the lower portion of the body housing 100 . The tip module 500 may be variously changed according to the plasma frequency required for the working environment, and the shape and configuration of the tip module.

5, in one embodiment according to the present invention, the replaceable tip module 500 may have a symmetrical shape with respect to the central axis in the longitudinal direction, or to one side with respect to the central axis in the longitudinal direction. It can be a skewed asymmetrical shape. When the tip module 500 is asymmetrical as described above, the user can easily and easily grasp the emission state of the plasma flame while using the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator 10 by holding it. In addition, when holding the portable plasma generating device in one hand and holding the vial, test tube, etc. in the other hand, it is convenient to tilt the portable plasma generating device in a natural posture. In addition, it is possible to prevent contamination of the electrode by increasing the separation distance from the surrounding objects when mounted after use.

Meanwhile, the tip module 500 may include an oscillator 511 , a transformer 512 , a signal transmission unit 513 , a gas tube 514 , and a plasma emission unit 520 .

The oscillator 511 receives DC power from the battery as an oscillator and outputs AC power to adjust the frequency of plasma. The transformer 512 converts the level of AC power output from the oscillator 511 with a transformer. The signal transmission unit 513 may transmit information on the types of the tip module 500 , the oscillator 511 , and the transformer 512 mounted to the control circuit 124 provided in the main body housing 100 . Based on the information, the control circuit 124 supplies and regulates a suitable gas according to the type of the combined tip module 500 , and a voltage suitable for the type of the oscillator 511 and the transformer 512 provided in the tip module 500 . This can be approved. Such information of the tip module 500 may be input in advance to the control circuit 124, and only by coupling the tip module 500 to the appropriate setting value for the tip module 500, the tip module exchangeable portable plasma The generator 10 can be made to operate.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the plasma emission unit 520 may include an emission electrode 521, an internal ground electrode 522 and a dielectric wall 523 at the distal end from which the plasma is emitted. can

The emission electrode 521 is not limited thereto, but may be made of a material such as gold, platinum, silver, copper, molymanganese, aluminum, stainless steel, or an alloy thereof, and various conductive metals may be used. The emission electrode 521 may be connected to the gas tube 123 to receive gas introduced through the gas inlet 111 . Plasma discharge is performed by generating and emitting a plasma flame by applying a voltage to the gas supplied as described above. The emission electrode 521 may be in the form of a hollow tube or tube through which gas can move into the electrode. By adjusting the shape of the emission electrode 521 and the size of the inner hollow, the shape of the emitted plasma flame can be adjusted.

In a specific embodiment, when the emission electrode 521 is in the form of a hollow tube or tube, in order to generate a plasma flame suitable for processing the inner surface of a microstructure such as a micro well plate, Although not limited thereto, it is preferable that the inner diameter of the tube or tube is 0.05 to 3.0 mm.

The internal ground electrode 522 may be spaced apart to surround the periphery of the emission electrode 521 . The internal ground electrode 522, like the emission electrode 521, is not limited thereto, but may be made of a material such as gold, platinum, silver, copper, molymanganese, aluminum, stainless steel, or an alloy thereof, and various conductors. A metal may be used. In addition, it may be formed of a material such as plastic, acrylic, resin, ceramic or quartz, and coated with the metal material on the surface of the plastic material.

The dielectric 523 is positioned between the emission electrode 521 and the internal ground electrode 522 to prevent direct contact between the emission electrode 521 and the internal ground electrode 522 . The dielectric 523 may be made of a material such as plastic, acrylic, resin, ceramic, or quartz, and may be coated on any one or more of the emission electrode 521 and the internal ground electrode 522 .

By the configuration of the plasma emission unit 520 as described above, a plasma (remote plasma) flame may be generated by the operation of the emission electrode 521 and the internal ground electrode 522 . The emitted plasma flame contains radicals and ions. The generated radicals and ions may modify, coat, or sterilize the inner surface of a microstructure such as a micro well plate.

On the other hand, when a grounding wire is connected to the external grounding connection part 400 and connected to an external metal plate (external ground), the internal grounding electrode 522 is stopped, and the emission electrode 521 and the external metal plate are mutually operated to provide an external grounding. A direct plasma flame may be discharged to the plasma processing target placed between the electrodes (metal plate).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7 , a transparent member 524 may be further included at the distal end of the plasma emitting part 400 . The transparent member 524 may be made of a material such as plastic, acrylic, resin, ceramic, or quartz. By providing the transparent member 524, the user can easily grasp the emission state of the plasma flame.

On the other hand, the discharge of the discharge electrode 521 may be performed after a predetermined time has elapsed after the valve 124 is opened. When the discharge electrode 521 is discharged with a time difference in this way, it _{reacts with nitrogen (N 2} ) in the atmosphere to prevent the plasma flame from being generated, and uses only the gas to be used purely to create the desired type of plasma flame. can cause In addition, since the discharge is performed after the gas is released, unnecessary power consumption can be reduced, and impurities such as fine dust present on the surface of the vial, test tube, and well plate can be removed by the pressure of the emitted gas, and plasma The initial emission intensity of the flame can be constantly adjusted. In a specific embodiment, the time required for discharge after opening may be adjusted through the setting of the control circuit 124 .

This embodiment and the drawings attached to this specification only clearly show a part of the technical idea included in the above-described technology, and within the scope of the technical idea included in the specification and drawings of the aforementioned technology, those skilled in the art can easily It will be apparent that all inferred modified examples and specific embodiments are included in the scope of the above-described technology.

10: tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator
100: body housing 111: gas inlet
112: charging terminal 113: power button
114: setting button 115: display unit
121: battery 122: gas tube
123: valve 124: control circuit
200: push member 300: holding member
400: external ground connection 500: tip module
511: oscillator 512: transformer
513: signal transmission unit 520: plasma emission unit
521: emission electrode 522: internal ground electrode
523: dielectric 524: transparent member

Claims (8)

body housing;
a push member positioned on one surface of the main housing and controlling emission of a plasma flame;
a holding member provided on the opposite surface of the one surface where the push member is installed;
an external grounding connection part provided in the main body housing; and
A tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator comprising a; a tip module detachably coupled to the lower portion of the main housing housing. The method of claim 1,
The push member is installed movably downward in the longitudinal direction of the body housing to control the emission of the plasma flame according to the moving distance of the tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator. The method of claim 1,
The body housing includes a gas inlet; charging terminal; power button; a setting button for setting the output intensity of the plasma flame; And a display unit indicating the setting and operating state; Tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator comprising any one or more. The method of claim 1,
The tip module is
oscillators; transformers; signal transmission unit; and a plasma emitting unit; a tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator comprising a. 5. The method of claim 4,
The plasma emission unit may include an emission electrode; an internal grounding electrode spaced apart to surround the emission electrode; and a dielectric positioned between the emission electrode and the ground electrode. 6. The method of claim 5,
The dielectric is a tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator that is coated on any one or more of the emission electrode and the ground electrode. The method of claim 1,
A tip module exchangeable portable plasma generator provided with a transparent member at the distal end of the tip module from which plasma is emitted. The method of claim 1,
When the external grounding connection part is connected to the externally provided grounding electrode, the operation of the internal grounding electrode is stopped and a direct plasma is formed between the emission electrode and the externally provided grounding electrode.

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