Sandy particle removal device and sandy particle removal method

Abstract

To provide a sandy particle removal device and a sandy particle removal method with which a removal effect of sandy particles attached to an object is improved compared to prior art, in an environment of a planet surface or a satellite surface where gravity is smaller than on the earth.SOLUTION: A device 10 and a method for removing sandy particles 12 attached to an object 11, by radiating an electronic beam toward a surface of the object 11, in an environment of a planet surface or a satellite surface where gravity is smaller than on the earth, comprise: a covering material 13 disposed on a sandy particle attachment surface side of an object 11; and vibration applying means 14 for applying vibration to the covering material 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sand-like particle removing device and a sand-like particle removing method for removing sand-like particles adhering to an object in an environment on the surface of a planet or a satellite where the gravity is smaller than that of the Earth.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, exploration of the lunar surface, which is a satellite of the Earth, has attracted attention. However, there are many places on the lunar surface covered with sand (sand-like particles) called regolith, and it is considered that fine sand of about several micrometers to several millimeters accumulates in places by several meters to several tens of meters, which has become one of the technical problems to be overcome in lunar exploration. This is because regolith contains particles coated with glass and glass beads, etc., which easily adhere to any surface, and for example, it causes a series of problems such as deterioration of panels for power generation by sunlight, reduction of visibility from window glass, and damage to robots and exploration machines performing various operations.

[0003] Therefore, as technologies for removing regolith adhering to the surface, the technologies of Non-Patent Document 1, Patent Documents 1 and 2 shown below have been proposed.

[0004] Non-Patent Document 1 describes that since the orientation of microcavities between dust particles is random, by changing the incident angle of an electron beam, more microcavities are exposed to improve the cleaning effect. Therefore, in order to change the incident angle of the electron beam, a plurality of electron beam sources are simultaneously irradiated at different angles with respect to a fixed sample surface. A variety of surface material samples including insulating samples (such as solar power generation panels) and conductive samples (aluminum) are used for the samples. In this way, it has been shown that by using a plurality of electron beam sources, the cleaning effect is improved by 10 to 30% compared with the case of using a single fixed beam.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a dust reduction system for spacesuits and the like, and more specifically, a dust reduction system using conductive fibers. This dust reduction system includes a fabric material having a front surface and a back surface, a plurality of conductive fibers within the fabric material, and a plurality of input nodes generally adjacent to the back surface or the front surface of the fabric material. The plurality of conductive fibers are generally parallel in a first direction along the fabric material and generally adjacent to the front surface of the fabric material. The plurality of input nodes are configured to communicate with the plurality of conductive fibers and receive an alternating current (''AC'') voltage signal from an input signal source. The plurality of conductive fibers are configured to generate an electric field on the front surface of the fabric material in response to the plurality of input nodes receiving the AC voltage signal from the input signal source, and generate a traveling wave that travels in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction along the front surface of the fabric material (from the electric field).

[0006] Patent Document 2 discloses a dust removal device, a vehicle, and a dust removal method capable of ensuring the gas used for the dust removal regardless of the environment where the dust removal is performed. The dust removal device includes a recovery unit that recovers the gas present inside a work chamber that is separated in a state where the flow of internal and external gases is impossible, and a compression unit that compresses the gas recovered by this recovery unit. Further, the dust removal device is provided in a space outside the work chamber, and includes an injection unit into which the gas compressed by the compression unit is injected, and an ionizer unit that is provided between the compression unit and the injection unit and mixes ions into the gas injected from the injection unit when a voltage is applied.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Non-Patent Documents

[0008]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] However, in the technologies described in Non-Patent Document 1, Patent Documents 1 and 2, it was difficult to say that the removal effect of regolith, which is sandy particles, was sufficient.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a sandy particle removal device and a sandy particle removal method that improve the removal effect of sandy particles adhering to an object in an environment on the surface of a planet or a satellite where the gravity is smaller than that of the Earth, as compared with the prior art.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] The inventors of the present invention conducted intensive studies to achieve the above problems and came up with the present invention shown below.

[0012] [1] A device for removing sandy particles adhering to an object by irradiating an electron beam toward the surface of the object in an environment on the surface of a planet or a satellite where the gravity is smaller than that of the Earth, comprising: a coating material disposed on the side of the sandy particle adhesion surface of the object; vibration applying means for applying vibration to the coating material. A sandy particle removal device characterized by comprising the above.

[0013] [2] The sandy particle removal device according to [1], further comprising electron beam irradiation means for irradiating the electron beam.

[0014] [3] The sandy particle removal device according to [1] or [2], characterized in that a mesh electrode for generating an electric field in a planar shape is disposed on the side of the sandy particle adhesion surface of the coating material.

[0015] [4] Comprising the sandy particle removal device according to any one of [1] to [3] and a panel for generating electricity with sunlight as the object. The coating material having translucency is attached with a gap on the side of the panel where sand-like particles adhere. A solar cell, wherein the vibration applying means is attached to the object side of the coating material.

[0016] [5] The satellite is the moon, the sand-like particles are regolith, the material of the coating material is dimethylpolysiloxane, and the vibration applying means includes a piezo element or a piezo film. The solar cell according to [4], characterized in that.

[0017] [6] A method for removing sand-like particles adhering to an object in an environment on the surface of a planet or satellite where the gravity is smaller than that on the earth, An electron beam irradiation step of irradiating an electron beam toward the sand-like particle adhesion surface of a coating material arranged with a gap on the sand-like particle adhesion surface side of the object; A vibration applying step of vibrating the coating material, A sand-like particle removing method, characterized by comprising.

[0018] [7] The sand-like particle removing method according to [6], further comprising an electric field generating step of generating an electric field in a planar shape on the sand-like particle adhesion surface side of the coating material.

[0019] [8] The sand-like particle removing method according to [6] or [7], further comprising an ultraviolet ray irradiation step of irradiating ultraviolet rays toward the sand-like particle adhesion surface of the coating material.

Advantages of the Invention

[0020] According to the sand-like particle removing device and the sand-like particle removing method of the present invention, it is possible to improve the effect of removing sand-like particles adhering to an object in an environment on the surface of a planet or satellite where the gravity is smaller than that on the earth, as compared with the prior art.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Subsequently, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described to facilitate understanding of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a sand-like particle removing device 10 according to the present invention (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a removing device) is a device for removing sand-like particles 12 adhering to an object 11 by irradiating an electron beam toward the surface of the object 11 in an environment on the surface of a planet or a satellite where the gravity is smaller than that on the Earth. The following will be described in detail.

[0023] The sand-like particle removing device 10 preferably has a coating material 13 disposed on the side of the sand-like particle adhering surface of the object 11, vibration applying means 14 for applying vibration to the coating material 13, further has electron beam irradiation means 15 for irradiating an electron beam, and a mesh electrode 16 for generating an electric field in a planar shape.

[0024] Examples of planets or satellites with a gravity smaller than that on the Earth where the sand-like particle removing device 10 is used include, for example, Mars (planet) and the Moon (satellite). In particular, the Moon is preferable in that there are many regoliths, which are sand-like particles, on its surface, and thus the effect of removing sand-like particles of the present invention becomes remarkable.

[0025] The object 11 is installed on the surface of the above-described planet or satellite or used on the surface. Examples include a panel for generating electricity using sunlight (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a panel), window glass, robots and exploration machines for performing various operations, etc. In particular, a panel is preferable.

[0026] As the granular particles 12, for example, those containing granular and / or powdery particles (dust and dirt) with a particle size of about several millimeters (several mm) or less, and more preferably about several tens of micrometers (several tens of μm) or less can be mentioned. If the object using the granular particle removing device 10 is the moon, regolith can be mentioned. Regolith contains small particles of several tens of micrometers or less, and the adhesive force acting between the particles becomes large due to the gravity of the moon. In addition, when the particles are charged, the adhesive force may be further increased. Therefore, when such fine regolith adheres to an object, it is difficult to remove it from the object.

[0027] The coating material 13 can reduce the contact area with the granular particles adhering to its surface and facilitate the removal of the granular particles. For example, a sheet-like (thin plate-like) material with fine lotus leaf-shaped irregularities formed on its surface can be used. The coating material 13 is arranged with a space (gap) with respect to the object 11 without being in close contact with the object 11. The space is preferably, for example, 5 cm or less, more preferably 3 cm or less, and even more preferably 2 cm or less. Examples of the coating material 13 include polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, also referred to as dimethylpolysiloxane), which is a type of silicone, and polyimide (Kapton (registered trademark)). However, when the object is a panel, window glass, etc., transparent polydimethylsiloxane having light transmittance is preferable. That is, depending on the object, it may not be necessary to have light transmittance.

[0028] The vibration applying means 14 applies vibration to the granular particles 12 adhering to the coating material 13 by applying vibration to the coating material 13. By vibrating the granular particles 12 through the coating material 13 in this way, the closely adhered granular particles 12 are temporarily separated, the adsorption force between the granular particles 12 can be reduced, and the granular particles 12 are more likely to float from the coating material 13. The configuration of the vibration applying means 14 is not particularly limited as long as it can apply vibration to the coating material 13. However, it preferably includes a piezoelectric body 17 attached (stuck) to the coating material 13, and a configuration (inverse piezoelectric effect) in which the piezoelectric body 17 vibrates at a constant frequency by passing an electric current through it. Here, examples of the piezoelectric body 17 include a piezo element (piezoelectric element) or a piezo film (piezoelectric film) attached (stuck) to the object side of the coating material 13.

[0029] The electron beam irradiation means 15 is an irradiation source that irradiates an electron beam (hereinafter, also simply referred to as an electron) toward the sand-like particle adhesion surface of the coating material 13. This electron beam irradiation means 15 is arranged on the sand-like particle adhesion surface side of the coating material 13 with a space from the coating material 13. The space is not particularly limited as long as the electron beam can be irradiated toward the sand-like particle adhesion surface of the coating material 13. However, depending on the irradiation intensity of the electron beam, etc., for example, 20 cm or less is preferable, 15 cm or less is more preferable, and 10 cm or less is even more preferable. Regarding the lower limit of the space, considering the irradiation range of the electron beam, for example, 3 cm is preferable, and 5 cm is more preferable.

[0030] When electrons are irradiated onto the sand-like particles, secondary electrons are generated due to the collision of the electrons with the sand-like particles, and a repulsive force is generated between the sand-like particles. When this repulsive force exceeds the adhesive force and gravity between the sand-like particles, the sand-like particles float from the coating material. On the other hand, when the outermost surface of the sand-like particles is negatively charged, an electric field is generated in a direction that obstructs the irradiated electrons, so the force of the electrons colliding with the sand-like particles is attenuated, the generation of secondary electrons necessary to float the sand-like particles is weakened, and the floating of the sand-like particles is weakened. Therefore, by irradiating the sand-like particles with ultraviolet rays, photoelectrons can be emitted from the sand-like particles, so that the electron beam can reach the sand-like particles, and the repulsive force generated between the sand-like particles can be maintained.

[0031] The mesh electrode 16 generates an electric field in a planar shape to greatly move the charged and floating sand-like particles. Specifically, an electric field is generated between the surface of the sand-like particles and the mesh electrode, and a Coulomb force is applied to the charged sand-like particles. This not only helps the sand-like particles to float but also further accelerates the floating sand-like particles and enables them to fly far away. The mesh electrode 16 is on the sand-like particle adhesion surface side of the coating material 13, is disposed between the coating material 13 and the above-described electron beam irradiation means 15, and is arranged in parallel with a gap (space) with respect to the coating material 13 without being in close contact with the coating material 13. The gap is preferably, for example, 2 cm or less, more preferably 1 cm or less, and even more preferably 0.7 cm or less. Here, examples of the mesh electrode 16 include a net-like one or a plate-like one with a large number of openings, which is made of a conductive material such as stainless steel, titanium, copper, platinum, or gold.

[0032] In the above-described configuration, it is further preferable to irradiate ultraviolet rays toward the sand-like particle adhesion surface of the coating material 13 in a vacuum environment. This ultraviolet ray irradiation can be carried out by sunlight, but if necessary, ultraviolet ray irradiation means 18 such as an ultraviolet lamp may be provided. As described above, if the sand-like particles are continuously irradiated with an electron beam, the surface of the sand-like particles becomes largely negatively charged and the electron beam cannot reach the sand-like particles. Therefore, by irradiating ultraviolet rays, photoelectrons can be emitted from the sand-like particles, so that the electron beam can reach the sand-like particles. The ultraviolet ray irradiation of the sand-like particles can be variously changed according to the irradiation intensity of the ultraviolet rays and the adhesion state of the sand-like particles to the coating material, and is not particularly limited. It may be continuously performed for several minutes before the electron beam irradiation, may be intermittently (intermittently) performed for several minutes during the electron beam irradiation, or may be intermittently performed from before the electron beam irradiation to the end of the electron beam irradiation.

[0033] Subsequently, the sand-like particle removal method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 using the above-described sand-like particle removal apparatus 10. The method for removing granular particles according to the present invention is a method for removing granular particles 12 adhering to an object 11 in an environment on the surface of a planet or satellite where the gravity is smaller than that on the Earth. An electron beam irradiation step of irradiating an electron beam toward the granular particle adhesion surface of a coating material 13 arranged at an interval on the granular particle adhesion surface side of the object 11; A vibration applying step of vibrating the coating material 11; It is characterized by having.

[0034] The method for removing granular particles of the present invention includes steps other than the above-described electron beam irradiation step and vibration applying step. Specifically, a preparation step of arranging the coating material 13 on the granular particle adhesion surface side of the object 11, which will be described later, an electric field generation step of generating an electric field in a planar shape on the granular particle adhesion surface side of the coating material 13, an ultraviolet ray irradiation step of irradiating ultraviolet rays toward the granular particle adhesion surface of the coating material 13, etc. It is preferable to further have, but it may not be necessary depending on the circumstances. Hereinafter, each step will be specifically described.

[0035] [Preparation Step] The coating material 13 is arranged above the object 11 on the granular particle adhesion surface side, at an interval from the object 11 and parallel to the surface of the object 11. Note that a piezoelectric body 17 of the vibration applying means 14 is attached in advance to the object side of the coating material 13. Next, a mesh electrode 16 is arranged above the coating material 13 on the granular particle adhesion surface side, at an interval and parallel to the coating material 13. Then, the electron beam irradiation means 15 is arranged above the mesh electrode 16 so that the electron beam can be irradiated toward the granular particle adhesion surface of the coating material 13. Note that the ultraviolet ray irradiation means 18 may or may not be installed according to the amount of ultraviolet rays irradiated by sunlight.

[0036] [Vibration Applying Step] By passing an electric current through the piezoelectric body 17 of the vibration applying means 14, the coating material 13 is vibrated at a constant frequency. Here, the frequency of the vibration is, for example, about 100 Hz to 10 kHz, preferably 100 Hz to 5 kHz, more preferably 500 Hz to 5 kHz, and even more preferably 500 Hz to 2 kHz.

[0037] [Electric field generation step] By applying a voltage to the mesh electrode 16, an electric field is generated in a planar shape. Here, the voltage applied to the mesh electrode 16 is, for example, about 100 V to 1000 V or -100 V to -1000 V, preferably 100 V to 700 V or -100 V to -700 V, more preferably 200 V to 700 V or -200 V to -700 V, and even more preferably 200 V to 500 V or -200 V to -500 V.

[0038] [Electron beam irradiation step] The electron beam irradiation means 15 irradiates an electron beam toward the surface of the coating material 13 where the granular particles adhere. Here, the energy of the electron beam is, for example, about 100 eV to 1000 eV, preferably 100 eV to 700 eV, more preferably 200 eV to 700 eV, and even more preferably 200 eV to 500 eV.

[0039] [Ultraviolet irradiation step] The ultraviolet irradiation means 18 or sunlight irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the surface of the coating material 13 where the granular particles adhere in a vacuum environment. Here, the irradiation time of the ultraviolet rays is not particularly limited and can be performed continuously or intermittently (intermittently) when removing the granular particles 12 from the coating material 13, but it is preferably performed for 1 minute or more, more preferably 3 minutes or more, and even more preferably 5 minutes or more.

[0040] The order of performing the above-described steps may be that after performing the preparation step first, the electron beam irradiation step, the vibration application step, and the electric field generation step may be performed simultaneously, or after performing the preparation step and the electron beam irradiation step sequentially, the vibration application step and the electric field generation step may be performed simultaneously, or either one may be performed first. Note that the ultraviolet irradiation step may be performed before the electron beam irradiation step, simultaneously with the electron beam irradiation step, or may be performed from before the electron beam irradiation step until the end of the electron beam irradiation step.

[0041] By performing each of the above steps, the following operational effects can be obtained. First, by using the coating material 13, the contact resistance with the granular particles can be reduced, making it easier to float the granular particles. By performing the electron beam irradiation step and the ultraviolet irradiation step, the granular particles deposited on the coating material 13 can be blown off and removed from the coating material 13. Normally, when only the electron beam is constantly irradiated, the floating of the granular particles can be confirmed only at the moment of irradiation. However, by further performing the vibration application step, it becomes possible to continuously float the granular particles on the coating material 13. Also, by performing the above-described ultraviolet irradiation step and emitting photoelectrons from the granular particles, the electron beam can reach the granular particles more easily. Furthermore, by performing the electric field generation step, the charged and floating granular particles can be moved significantly. Note that the timing of implementing the above-described series of steps, which is the method for removing granular particles according to the present invention, can be variously changed according to the adhesion state of the granular particles to the coating material. For example, the adhesion amount (thickness) of the granular particles to the coating material can be visually confirmed, or it can be performed automatically (regularly) at a preset date and time.

[0042] Next, the solar cell 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The solar cell 20 includes a granular particle removing device and a panel (an example of an object) 21 for generating electricity using sunlight. The coating material 13 having translucency is attached to the side of the panel 21 where granular particles adhere, with an interval. The vibration applying means 14 is attached to the object side of the coating material 13, which is characterized. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals will be given to the same constituent members as those of the above-described granular particle removing device 10, and a brief description will be given.

[0043] The panel 21 is flat, and a thin plate-shaped coating material 13 is attached and fixed to the side of the sand-like particle adhesion surface thereof via a spacer 22. A plurality of piezoelectric bodies 17 of the vibration applying means 14 are attached and fixed to the object side of the coating material 13. A mesh electrode 16 is attached and fixed to the sand-like particle adhesion surface side of the coating material 13 via a spacer 23. The above-described panel 21, coating material 13, and piezoelectric body 17 of the vibration applying means 14 are integrally configured so as not to be separable. By configuring in this way, it can be made into a usable state only by transporting this solar cell 20 to the installation location, but if necessary, a part or all of it can also be configured to be separable.

[0044] Note that the electron beam irradiation means 15 may or may not be included in the configuration of the solar cell 20. For example, in the case of not being included in the solar cell, the electron beam irradiation means previously possessed can be used. Also, the ultraviolet irradiation means may or may not be included in the configuration of the solar cell 20. For example, in the case of not being included in the solar cell, it is conceivable to use sunlight, but when the ultraviolet rays from sunlight are insufficient, an ultraviolet irradiation means can be separately prepared and used.

Example

[0045] Next, an example conducted to confirm the operation and effect of the present invention will be described. Here, in order to confirm the effect of the present invention, a sand-like particle removing device having the configuration shown in FIG. 3 was used, and the removal conditions were changed in a vacuum environment to attempt to remove silica dust (sand-like particles) having a particle size of 100 μm or more adhering to the surface of the coating material covering the sand-like particle adhesion surface side of the object. Regarding the sand-like particle removing device shown in FIG. 3, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent members as those of the sand-like particle removing device 10 shown in FIG. 1.

[0046] The test was carried out by irradiating ultraviolet rays towards the surface of the coated material where sand-like particles adhered for 5 minutes, then stopping the irradiation of ultraviolet rays, and simultaneously performing the irradiation of an electron beam, the application of vibration to the coated material, and the generation of an electric field by a mesh electrode. Here, the vibration was applied at 1 kHz. Table 1 shows the test conditions and results when a positive bias was applied to the mesh electrode, and Table 2 shows the test conditions and results when a negative bias was applied to the mesh electrode. Note that E1, E2, and E3 in Table 1 and Table 2 correspond to E1, E2, and E3 in Figure 3, respectively.

[0047]

Table 1

[0048]

Table 2

[0049] In Table 1 and Table 2, the evaluation of the floating of silica dust from the coated material was as follows: when the floating rate of silica dust was more than 0% and less than 30%, it was marked as "△"; when it was 30% or more and 50% or less, it was marked as "〇"; when it was more than 50%, it was marked as "◎". That is, the evaluation of "△" means that although it was not sufficient, the floating of silica dust was confirmed; the evaluation of "〇" means that the floating of silica dust was confirmed to the extent that there was no problem in using the object; the evaluation of "◎" means that the floating of silica dust was significantly confirmed.

[0050] From Table 1 and Table 2, it was found that as the kinetic energy of E2 increased, the floating effect of silica dust tended to improve. In particular, it was confirmed that when a negative bias was applied to the mesh electrode, the floating effect of silica dust could be further improved.

[0051] Here, Figure 4 shows a photograph of the silica dust removal situation before and after the irradiation of the electron beam by the sand-like particle removal method according to the conventional example, and Figure 5 shows a photograph of the silica dust removal situation before and after the irradiation of the electron beam by the sand-like particle removal method according to the example. In the conventional example, only electron beam irradiation was performed. In the example, ultraviolet rays were irradiated onto the surface of the coating material where sand-like particles adhered for 5 minutes, and then the irradiation of ultraviolet rays was stopped. Subsequently, electron beam irradiation, vibration application to the coating material, and electric field generation by the mesh electrode were performed simultaneously. Here, the energy of the electron beam was 500 eV, the vibration frequency was 1 kHz, and the voltage applied to the mesh electrode 16 was -300 V.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 4, when only electron beam irradiation was performed, there was almost no change in the adhesion state of silica dust to the coating material before electron beam irradiation in the left figure of FIG. 4 and after electron beam irradiation in the right figure of FIG. 4. On the other hand, as shown in the right figure of FIG. 5, when ultraviolet rays were irradiated onto the surface of the coating material where sand-like particles adhered for 5 minutes, and then the irradiation of ultraviolet rays was stopped, and electron beam irradiation, vibration application to the coating material, and electric field generation by the mesh electrode were performed simultaneously, it was confirmed that a large amount of silica dust had fallen from the coating material. Note that the right figure of FIG. 5 shows the adhesion state of silica dust to the coating material when, following the right figure of FIG. 4, ultraviolet rays were irradiated onto the surface of the coating material where sand-like particles adhered for 5 minutes, then the irradiation of ultraviolet rays was stopped, and electron beam irradiation, vibration application to the coating material, and electric field generation by the mesh electrode were performed simultaneously. The left figure of FIG. 5, which is before electron beam irradiation, corresponds to the right figure of FIG. 4.

[0053] In the above-described example, the case where all of ultraviolet ray irradiation, electron beam irradiation, vibration application to the coating material, and electric field generation by the mesh electrode were performed was explained. However, when both electron beam irradiation and vibration application to the coating material were performed, and also when either one or both of ultraviolet ray irradiation and electric field generation by the mesh electrode were further performed, although the sand-like particle removal effect as good as that of the above-described example could not be obtained, a better sand-like particle removal effect than that of the conventional example was obtained.

[0054] From the above, it was confirmed that the sand-like particle removal device and method of the present invention can improve the removal effect of sand-like particles adhering to an object as compared with the prior art.

[0055] As described above, the present invention has been explained with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments at all, and includes other embodiments and modifications that can be considered within the scope of the matters described in the claims. For example, when configuring the sand-like particle removing device and the sand-like particle removing method of the present invention by combining a part or all of the above-described embodiments and modifications, it is also included in the scope of the rights of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the case where the sand-like particle removing device has a coating material, a vibration applying means, an electron beam irradiation means, and a mesh electrode has been described. However, it is sufficient to have at least a coating material and a vibration applying means, and depending on the installation environment and use environment of the object, and the adhesion state of sand-like particles to the object, etc., an electron beam irradiation means or a mesh electrode may be further provided.

Industrial Applicability

[0056] The present invention can provide a sand-like particle removing device and a sand-like particle removing method that improve the effect of removing sand-like particles adhering to an object in an environment on the surface of a planet or satellite where the gravity is smaller than that of the Earth, and thus is industrially useful.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0057] 10: Sand-like particle removing device, 11: Object, 12: Sand-like particles, 13: Coating material, 14: Vibration applying means, 15: Electron beam irradiation means, 16: Mesh electrode, 17: Piezoelectric body, 18: Ultraviolet irradiation means, 20: Solar cell, 21: Panel (object), 22, 23: Spacer

Claims

1. An apparatus for removing sand-like particles adhering to an object by irradiating an electron beam toward the surface of the object in an environment on the surface of a planet or satellite where the gravity is less than that on the Earth, comprising: a coating material disposed on the side of the sand-like particle adhesion surface of the object; and vibration applying means for applying vibration to the coating material. The sand-like particle removing apparatus is characterized by having the above.

2. The sand-like particle removing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising electron beam irradiating means for irradiating the electron beam.

3. The sand-like particle removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a mesh electrode for generating an electric field in a planar shape is disposed on the side of the sand-like particle adhesion surface of the coating material.

4. A solar cell comprising the sand-like particle removing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and a panel for generating electricity using sunlight as the object, wherein the coating material having translucency is attached to the side of the sand-like particle adhesion surface of the panel with a space therebetween, and the vibration applying means is attached to the object side of the coating material.

5. The solar cell according to claim 4, wherein the satellite is the moon, the sand-like particles are regolith, the material of the coating material is dimethylpolysiloxane, and the vibration applying means includes a piezo element or a piezo film.

6. A method for removing sand-like particles adhering to an object from the object in an environment on the surface of a planet or satellite where the gravity is less than that on the Earth, comprising: an electron beam irradiation step of irradiating an electron beam toward the sand-like particle adhesion surface of a coating material disposed with a space on the side of the sand-like particle adhesion surface of the object; and a vibration applying step of vibrating the coating material. The sand-like particle removing method is characterized by having the above.

7. The method for removing sand-like particles according to claim 6, further comprising an electric field generation step of generating an electric field in a planar shape on the side of the sand-like particle adhesion surface of the coating material.

8. The method for removing sand-like particles according to claim 6, further comprising an ultraviolet irradiation step of irradiating ultraviolet rays toward the sand-like particle adhesion surface of the coating material.

Images