Air curtain unit

Abstract

To provide an air curtain unit capable of protecting a worker from hot air (atmospheric gas) in a processing space when an opening / closing door of a thermostat is opened by post-installation, and improving safety of the thermostat at low cost.SOLUTION: This air conditioner is provided with a fan 33 which can be easily arranged after a thermostat 2 for heating or cooling an object to be treated and discharges air in a fixed direction so as to cover the entire surface of the 2H of a front opening part along the 2H of the front opening part corresponding to the opening of the opening / closing door 3 of the thermostat 2, and a control panel 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air curtain unit for an incubator that heat-treats materials to be treated. [Background technology]

[0002] An incubator is used to house an object to be treated and perform heat treatment inside the furnace, such as the clean oven disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0003] An air curtain is used to divide a space by creating a wall of air blown by a fan. For example, this refers to the air curtain device disclosed in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-271126 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7108335 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] To use the incubator, an operator opens the door, places the material to be treated inside the furnace, closes the door, heat-treats the material inside the furnace, and then opens the door again to remove the heat-treated material.

[0006] For example, when an operator opens the door to remove a heated object, the hot air (high-temperature atmospheric gas) remaining in the furnace from the heat treatment leaks out, and in the worst case scenario, the leaked hot air could hit the operator directly. Also, in order to safely remove the hot air, it is necessary to use a cooling mechanism or heat exhaust mechanism to cool it down, which takes time.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and its purpose is to provide an air curtain unit that can prevent the hot air inside the furnace from directly hitting the worker when the door of the incubator is opened, eliminating the need to shorten the cooling time by keeping the door of the incubator closed, and that has a structure that can be easily installed later, making it possible to simply improve the safety of a pre-made incubator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, an aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it can be easily placed later on an incubator that heats or cools the material to be treated, and has a blower that emits air in a certain direction along the opening of the incubator that corresponds to when the door of the incubator is opened, covering the entire surface of the opening, and is equipped with a control panel.

[0009] According to an aspect of the present invention, an air curtain unit can be easily retrofitted to an incubator, and when the incubator door is opened, the air curtain unit forms an air curtain in front of the opening leading to the furnace (processing space). This makes it possible to easily add an air curtain function to an existing incubator without modifying the incubator. Therefore, even if the existing incubator is inexpensive and has a general-purpose configuration, it is possible to significantly improve safety by preventing hot air from hitting an operator directly inside the furnace when the incubator door is opened. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, an air curtain unit can be provided that can be easily installed later and can easily improve the safety of a pre-fabricated incubator, for example, by preventing the hot air inside the furnace from directly hitting an operator when the incubator door is opened. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]1 is a front view of a system showing an example of an incubator to which an air curtain unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention has been retrofitted. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a system showing an example of an incubator to which an air curtain unit according to a first embodiment has been retrofitted. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the system, showing an example of an incubator to which the air curtain unit according to the first embodiment has been retrofitted. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of an incubator to which an air curtain unit according to a first embodiment is retrofitted. FIG. [Figure 5] 1A, 1B, and 1C are diagrams illustrating the configuration of an air curtain unit according to a first embodiment, in which FIG. 1A is a front view, FIG. 1B is a plan view, and FIG. 1C is a side view. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the air curtain unit in the system according to the first embodiment, with FIG. 1A being a front view of the system and FIG. 1B being a side view of the system. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a comparison of temperature changes near the front opening when there is an air curtain and when there is no air curtain in the system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] As a second embodiment of the present invention, this figure shows a system using an incubator to which an air curtain unit has been retrofitted, to explain the operation of the air curtain unit, with Figure (a) being a front view of the system and Figure (b) being a side view of the system. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a comparison of temperature changes near the front opening when an air curtain is present and when it is not present in the system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] As a third embodiment of the present invention, this figure shows the operation of an air curtain unit in a system that uses an incubator to which an air curtain unit has been retrofitted, with Figure (a) being a front view of the system and Figure (b) being a side view of the system. [Figure 11]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a comparison of temperature changes in the processing space SP when there is an air curtain and when there is no air curtain in the system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] 10A, 10B, and 10C show an example of the configuration of an air curtain unit according to a fourth embodiment, in which FIG. 10A is a front view, FIG. 10B is a plan view, and FIG. 10C is a side view. [Figure 13] This is shown to explain the operation of the air curtain unit of the fourth embodiment, where Figure (a) is a front view of the system, Figure (b) is a plan view of the system, and Figure (c) is a side view of the system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an air curtain unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, although the present invention will be described in terms of its application to an incubator for heating treatment (constant temperature incubator), it is not limited to this and can also be applied to an incubator for cooling treatment, etc.

[0013] First embodiment Fig. 1 is a front view of a processing system 1 illustrating a case where an air curtain unit 30 according to the first embodiment is applied to a general-purpose incubator 2 for heat treatment. Fig. 2 is a plan view (top view) of the processing system 1, and Fig. 3 is a right side view of the processing system 1.

[0014] The general-purpose incubator 2 is a ready-made product, and refers to an inexpensive incubator that is mainly equipped with a heater for heat treatment and a circulation fan, and does not exhaust air to the outside.

[0015] That is, the processing system 1 in this embodiment is composed of a general-purpose incubator 2 and an air curtain unit 30 attached to the general-purpose incubator 2, as shown in, for example, FIGS.

[0016] In this processing system 1, the general-purpose incubator 2 is a ready-made incubator having a box-shaped vessel (chamber or furnace) made of heat-resistant metal.

[0017] The incubator 2 has a right-opening door 3 on the front surface 2F of the main body, and is configured to be able to seal the inside of the box-shaped main body (processing space). That is, the main body of the incubator 2 is a rectangular parallelepiped box member having a top surface 2A, a bottom surface 2B, a left side surface 2C, a right side surface 2D, a back surface 2E, and a front surface 2F. The inside of the main body forms a rectangular parallelepiped processing space SP where the object to be processed can be heat-processed at a predetermined temperature, for example, under atmospheric pressure.

[0018] The bottom surface 2B of the incubator 2 is provided with leg members 2G for supporting the main body at four corner positions.

[0019] A rectangular front opening 2H is provided in the front portion 2F of the incubator 2, corresponding to the processing space SP. The opening / closing door 3 is provided so as to be able to close the front opening 2H in a sealed state. This prevents the hot air (atmospheric gas) in the processing space SP of the main body from leaking out through the front opening 2H to the outside.

[0020] The door 3 has a heat-resistant glass window 3G through which the inside of the processing space SP can be observed.

[0021] One end 3A of the door 3 is attached by a hinge member HB to the front end portion of the left side surface 2C of the incubator 2. This allows the door 3 to open around the hinge member HB in the direction of the arrow RR (see FIG. 2).

[0022] A handle (opening / closing handle) 5 is provided on the surface of the other end 3B of the opening / closing door 3. An operator can hold the handle 5 and open the opening / closing door 3 in the direction of the arrow RR in the figure, thereby placing (setting) the object to be treated in the treatment space SP of the main body through the front opening 2H. In addition, an operator can hold the handle 5 to open the opening / closing door 3 and remove the heat-treated object from the treatment space SP to the outside of the main body through the front opening 2H.

[0023] A control panel (operation display unit) 7 operated by an operator is disposed, for example, at the lower part of the front surface 2F of the incubator 2. This control panel 7 has, for example, a display unit for the set temperature and the temperature inside the tank, an operation start button, an operation stop button, etc.

[0024] 1 to 3, an air curtain unit 30 is fixed to the upper surface 2A of the incubator 2 via mounting members 32. This air curtain unit 30 is for forming an air curtain AS (see FIG. 6) that serves as a wall of air across the entire front opening 2H of the main body when the opening / closing door 3 is open. By forming the air curtain AS between the worker and the processing space SP, it is possible to prevent hot air (atmospheric gas) in the processing space SP from being forcefully blown out toward the worker from the front opening 2H when the opening / closing door 3 is opened.

[0025] That is, the air curtain unit 30 can be attached and detached to the top surface 2A of the incubator 2 afterward. Therefore, even in an inexpensive, general-purpose incubator 2 that is not equipped with an air curtain function, it is possible to easily protect workers from the hot air used for heating treatment when the door is opened, without having to modify the main body.

[0026] In particular, it is easy to add an air curtain function to an existing incubator, and an already owned general-purpose incubator 2 can be easily equipped with an air curtain function.

[0027] Moreover, the air curtain unit 30 can be reused among a plurality of thermostats, which allows for significant cost reduction.

[0028] Next, the internal structure of the main body of the incubator 2 in the processing system 1 will be further described with reference to Fig. 4. In Fig. 4, the internal structure of the incubator 2 is shown in a see-through state through a right side surface 2D of the main body.

[0029] A heater H is disposed in the main body to heat-treat the workpiece MD set in the processing space SP at a predetermined temperature. For convenience, one heater H is illustrated in FIG. 4, but the heater H may be configured, for example, in a panel shape and disposed on the upper wall 14A, lower wall 14B, left and right side walls (not shown), and rear wall 14C that form the processing space SP. If necessary, the heater H may also be disposed on the inner surface of the opening / closing door 3. The power supply (on / off) of the heater H is controlled by an incubator control unit (not shown).

[0030] In this embodiment, several objects to be processed MD are set in the processing space SP via one or more detachable shelf-shaped mounting tables (not shown), for example.

[0031] Furthermore, a circulation path 14 serving as an air passage is arranged in the main body along the outer periphery of the processing space SP, excluding the front opening 2H on the side of the opening / closing door 3. The circulation path 14 is formed, for example, by an upper wall portion 14A, a lower wall portion 14B, left and right wall portions (not shown) of the processing space SP, and a rear wall portion 14C.

[0032] 4, the main body has a rectangular parallelepiped processing space SP. For example, the ambient gas circulating through the circulation path 14 is supplied to the processing space SP so as to flow in from the rear wall 14C side.

[0033] On the other hand, a heater H and a circulation fan 145 are provided in this order from the opening / closing door 3 side in the lower horizontal path 142 of the circulation path 14 on the side of the lower wall portion 14B that forms the processing space SP. The heater H heats the ambient gas for the heating process to a predetermined temperature during the heating process. The circulation fan 145 is driven by a drive motor 145M and circulates the ambient gas for the heating process into the processing space SP during the heating process.

[0034] That is, during the heat treatment, the ambient gas in the processing space SP is guided by the circulation fan 145 to the lower horizontal path 142 of the circulation path 14, heated by the heater H, and then sent to the rear wall portion 14C side of the circulation path 14. In this way, during the heat treatment, the ambient gas in the processing space SP is repeatedly supplied so as to circulate back to the processing space SP.

[0035] The circulation path 14 formed by the left and right wall portions (not shown) may also function as part of the air flow path.

[0036] In this embodiment, when the processing object MD is heated, the control unit (not shown) controls the heater H and the drive motor 145M of the circulation fan 145, so that the ambient gas in the main body is heated and repeatedly supplied into the processing space SP.

[0037] On the other hand, when removing the processed material MD, after the heating process is completed, the worker grasps the handle 5 and opens the opening / closing door 3, allowing the processed material MD, which has been heated, to be removed from the processing space SP to the outside of the main body through the front opening 2H.

[0038] In the processing system 1 of this embodiment, for example, the main body of the incubator 2 and the control panel 7 receive power from a commercial power source.

[0039] Next, the air curtain unit 30 according to this embodiment will be described in more detail. Figure 5 shows an example of the configuration of the air curtain unit 30 that can be easily attached to the incubator 2 later, with (a) being a front view, (b) being a plan view, and (c) being a side view.

[0040] As shown in Figures 5(a) to 5(c), the air curtain unit 30 of this embodiment is configured to include a housing that is detachably attached to the upper surface 2A of the incubator 2 by an attachment member 32, and is equipped with a fan 33 and a motor 36 that drives the fan 33 as an air blowing mechanism.

[0041] The housing is, for example, a rectangular box wider than the front surface 2F of the incubator 2, with an inlet 34 provided on the rear side and an outlet 35 provided on the bottom side. The outlet 35 is an opening that is wider in the longitudinal direction of the housing than the front opening 2H of the incubator 2, and is sized to completely cover the entire width of the front opening 2H, for example. The outlet 35 and the inlet 34 may be provided with multiple slits to ensure safety.

[0042] The fan 33 is driven to rotate by a motor 36, and forcibly blows air taken in through the intake port 34 out of the outlet port 35. The motor 36 is controlled by an air curtain control circuit (not shown), and, for example, rotates the fan 33 in one direction at a constant speed. As a result, as shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), for example, when the opening / closing door 3 is open, an air curtain AS, which serves as a wall of air, can be formed in front of (approximately 20 mm from) the front opening 2H of the incubator 2. Furthermore, the air blowing mechanism does not have to be a motor and fan; instead, the air curtain AS can be formed by a nozzle using compressed air or the like.

[0043] In Figures 6(a) and 6(b), for convenience, the air curtain AS is shown as multiple arrows pointing in a fixed direction from top to bottom, but in reality it is a uniform wall made up of a specified amount of air.

[0044] 5(a) to 5(c), an operation display unit (control panel) 31 is disposed on the front of the housing of air curtain unit 30. This operation display unit 31 is equipped with a start button that starts forming the air curtain AS by driving fan 33, a stop button that ends the formation of the air curtain AS, an automatic button that adapts to the automatic start of formation of the air curtain AS in conjunction with various sensors, an air volume adjustment button that changes the air volume of the air curtain AS by changing the rotation speed of the motor, an operation button for door stopper device 37, and a display that shows when the air curtain AS is being formed (not shown).

[0045] A door stopper device 37 is provided on the front surface of the housing of the air curtain unit 30 to prevent the opening and closing door 3 of the incubator 2 from being opened when the air curtain AS is not formed. When it is confirmed that the fan 33 is operating, that is, when it is confirmed that the air curtain AS is formed, the stopper member 37a of this door stopper device 37 moves in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Then, the stopper member 37a is retracted outside the area where the opening and closing door 3 is opened and closed, and is stored inside the main body of the door stopper device 37.

[0046] The stopper member 37a may be configured so that it can be manually stored in the main body of the door stopper device 37 when the incubator 2 is not in operation.

[0047] In addition, contact sensor (detection sensor) 25 is connected by a signal line to the bottom or side of the housing of air curtain unit 30. This contact sensor 25 can be attached to the handle at a position that serves as the axis of rotation when opening and closing the door. When an operator touches contact sensor 25 on handle 5, a contact signal is output to an air curtain unit control unit (not shown). This allows the air curtain AS to be automatically formed when contact sensor 25 detects that an operator is trying to open the door.

[0048] The underside of the housing of the air curtain unit 30 is provided with an air outlet 35 of the air curtain AS and a contact or non-contact door detection sensor for detecting the open state of the door 3 of the incubator 2. The door detection sensor 38 is mounted by attaching a detection component 6 to the top of the door 3 of the incubator 2 depending on the type of sensor. The detection component 6 may be attached using a magnet or adhesive tape so that the sensor 38 can be easily adjusted to a position where it responds. This allows the air curtain AS to be automatically formed when the door detection sensor 38 detects that the door 3 of the incubator 2 is open.

[0049] The method of fixing the air curtain unit 30 to the incubator 2 may be by screws, magnets, clamps, or the like, as long as it is adjustable in the front-to-rear direction.

[0050] Here, a mounting member 32 is provided on the back (rear side) of the housing and fixed with screws. The mounting member 32 has a substantially L-shape consisting of a support surface for the housing and a mounting surface for mounting to the incubator 2. The mounting surface of the mounting member 32 for mounting to the incubator 2 has multiple (three in the illustration) elongated holes 32a formed in a direction along the front and rear of the incubator 2.

[0051] These elongated holes 32a make it possible to adjust the position of the housing relative to the front-to-rear direction of the incubator 2 when the air curtain unit 30 is screwed and fixed to the top surface 2A of the incubator 2 via the mounting members 32. That is, the air curtain unit 30 is mounted and fixed with the housing positioned such that, for example, the door detection sensor 38 provided on the bottom surface of the housing is positioned opposite the opening door 3 of the incubator 2. This allows the position of the air outlet 35 relative to the front opening 2H to be suitably positioned to form an air curtain AS that follows the front opening 2H while maintaining a certain distance (interval) from the front surface 2F of the incubator 2.

[0052] In the air curtain unit 30 according to this embodiment, for example, the operation display unit 31, the motor 36, etc. are operated by receiving power supply from a commercial power source.

[0053] In this embodiment, the door stopper device 37 or the door detection sensor 38 is not an essential component, and may be prepared as one of the options that can be added to the air curtain unit 30.

[0054] Next, the operation of the air curtain unit 30 according to this embodiment will be described. Note that Fig. 6 is shown to explain the operation of the air curtain unit 30, with Fig. 6(a) being a front view of the processing system 1 and Fig. 6(b) being a side view of the processing system 1.

[0055] In the incubator 2 of this embodiment, when a predetermined heat treatment is completed on the treatment object MD set in the treatment space SP, the worker removes the heat-treated treatment object MD by opening the door 3. If there is not enough time for cooling between the end of the heat treatment and the opening of the door 3, the atmospheric gas HW in a high temperature state remaining in the treatment space SP may become hot air HWa and be forcefully blown out from the front opening 2H toward the worker as the door 3 is opened.

[0056] As a measure to prevent workers from being exposed to such hot air HWa, the air curtain unit 30, which has a structure that can be easily attached to the incubator 2 later, as in the processing system 1 of this embodiment, is very useful.

[0057] When the opening operation of the openable door 3 is detected by the contact sensor 25 of the handle 5 or the door detection sensor 38, the air curtain unit 30 is driven, and the motor 36 is controlled by an air curtain control circuit (not shown), which in turn rotates the fan 33 in the direction of the arrow R. As a result, air is blown downward from the air outlet 35 of the air curtain unit 30, forming a uniform air curtain AS along the front opening 2H of the incubator 2.

[0058] In the case of the contact sensor 25, the lock on the opening / closing door 3 by the stopper member 37a of the door stopper device 37 is released.

[0059] Meanwhile, in the incubator 2, the opening and closing door 3 is opened by an operator.

[0060] In this way, when the door 3 is opened, an air wall, which is an air curtain AS, can be formed between the front opening 2H of the main body and the operator (not shown) (for example, at a distance of about 20 mm). This makes it possible to reduce the temperature of hot air HWa to about one-third (HWb) even if hot air HWa is forcefully blown out toward the operator as the door 3 is opened.

[0061] Here, Figure 7 shows a comparison of the temperature change near the front opening 2H when the air curtain AS is formed (present) and the temperature change near the front opening 2H when the air curtain AS is not formed (absent) in the processing system 1 of this embodiment.

[0062] Here, the vertical axis is temperature [°C] and the horizontal axis is time [seconds], and the figure shows an example of the temperature change 50 mm in front of the front opening 2H when the temperature during heating treatment is 260°C and the opening / closing door 3 is opened.

[0063] As is clear from this figure, when the air curtain AS is formed by the air curtain unit 30, the temperature rise near the front opening 2H can be made smaller (maximum of approximately 38.0°C) compared to when the air curtain AS is not formed (maximum of approximately 108.6°C). The temperature difference is most noticeable immediately after the opening and closing door 3 is opened.

[0064] Therefore, if an air curtain unit 30 is provided on the upper surface 2A of the incubator 2 and an air curtain AS is formed in conjunction with the opening operation of the opening / closing door 3, it is possible to prevent the hot air HWa from the front opening 2H from directly hitting the worker.

[0065] In particular, by blocking a portion of the hot air HWa being blown out by the air curtain AS, even if a portion of the object to be treated MD is contained in the hot air HWa from within the treatment space SP, the force of the object to be treated MD being blown out can be reduced.

[0066] As described above, the air curtain unit 30 according to this embodiment has a structure that can be easily attached later, and it is possible to simply improve the safety of a ready-made incubator 2.

[0067] That is, the air curtain unit 30 can be easily added to the upper surface 2A of the main body facing the opening / closing door 3 of the incubator 2, and when the opening / closing door 3 is open, an air curtain AS is formed along the front opening 2H leading to the processing space SP. This makes it possible for the air curtain AS to act as a wall of air, preventing the hot air HWa used for heating treatment from being forcefully blown out toward the worker from within the processing space SP when the opening / closing door 3 is opened. Therefore, even a general-purpose incubator 2 not equipped with an air curtain function can protect the worker from the hot air HWa used for heating treatment, thereby significantly improving the safety of a pre-fabricated incubator 2.

[0068] Moreover, the air curtain unit 30 has a simple configuration and is very compact, so it can be easily attached to and detached from various commercially available incubators without requiring any special modifications.

[0069] Second embodiment 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating the operation of an air curtain unit 30 in a processing system 1 in which an air curtain unit 30 is retrofitted to an incubator 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 8A being a front view of the processing system 1 and FIG. 8B being a side view of the processing system 1. Here, an example is shown in which an exhaust unit 11 is provided on the upper surface 2A of the main body of the incubator 2. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and therefore detailed explanations will be omitted here.

[0070] 9 shows the temperature change in the processing space SP when the air curtain AS is formed (present) and when it is not formed (absent) in the processing system 1 of this embodiment, compared with the temperature change when the open / close door 3 is closed. The vertical axis represents temperature [°C] and the horizontal axis represents time [seconds], and this is an example where the temperature during heat treatment in the incubator 2 is 200°C, the exhaust unit 11 is open, and the heater H is off.

[0071] As is clear from this figure, when an air curtain AS is formed when the opening / closing door 3 is opened, the temperature in the treatment space SP drops more quickly, making it possible to increase the heat dissipation rate, compared to when the opening / closing door 3 is not opened.

[0072] In addition, when an air curtain AS is formed when the opening / closing door 3 is opened, the temperature drop in the processing space SP is slower than when an air curtain AS is not formed when the opening / closing door 3 is opened, which is thought to be because the heat exhaust from the front opening 2H side is suppressed.

[0073] Therefore, even if the temperature inside the processing space SP is high or the operation of the circulation fan 145 cannot be stopped in the incubator 2, the heat exhaust rate can be increased, and the opening and closing door 3 can be safely opened.

[0074] That is, in the case of the processing system 1 of this embodiment, the same effects as those of the processing system 1 of the first embodiment described above can be obtained, such as protecting workers from the hot air HWa for heating processing from within the processing space SP when the opening / closing door 3 of the incubator 2 is opened.

[0075] Third embodiment Figure 10 is a third embodiment of the present invention, showing the operation of the air curtain unit 30 in a processing system 1 in which the air curtain unit 30 is retrofitted to an incubator 2, where Figure 10(a) is a front view of the processing system 1 and Figure 10(b) is a side view of the processing system 1.

[0076] Here, an example will be described in which the position of the air curtain AS formed by the air curtain unit 30 is slightly forward (approximately 50 mm) compared to the first embodiment described above. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, so detailed explanations will be omitted here.

[0077] 11 is a diagram showing the temperature change near the top of the front opening 2H when the air curtain AS is formed (present) during the opening operation in the processing system 1 of this embodiment, compared with the temperature change near the top of the front opening 2H when the air curtain AS is not formed (absent). The vertical axis represents temperature [°C] and the horizontal axis represents time [seconds], and this is an example where the temperature during the heating process in the incubator 2 is 200°C.

[0078] As is clear from this figure, the temperature above the front opening 2H is more likely to rise when the air curtain AS is formed immediately after the opening door 3 is opened. In other words, when the air curtain AS is formed about 50 mm away from the front opening 2H (see Figure 10), an appropriate space is created between the front opening 2H and the air curtain AS, making it possible to exhaust some of the hot air HW from there.

[0079] Therefore, even if the temperature inside the processing space SP is high or the operation of the circulating fan 145 cannot be stopped in the incubator 2, the opening and closing door 3 can be safely opened while ensuring an escape route for the hot air HW.

[0080] That is, in the case of the processing system 1 of this embodiment, the same effects as those of the processing system 1 of the first embodiment described above can be obtained, such as protecting workers from the hot air HWa for heating processing from within the processing space SP when the opening / closing door 3 of the incubator 2 is opened.

[0081] Fourth embodiment 12 shows another application example of an air curtain unit as a fourth embodiment of the present invention, with (a) being a front view, (b) being a plan view, and (c) being a side view. Here, a case will be described in which the air curtain unit 30 having the above-described configuration is attached to the top of a free-standing stand (rack) 130. Note that the configurations of the air curtain unit 30 and the incubator 2 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0082] That is, the processing system 1 of this embodiment is configured to include an air curtain unit 30 attached to the top of a freestanding stand 130, and a ready-made incubator 2, as shown in, for example, Figures 12(a) to 12(c).

[0083] The stand 130 has, for example, two legs 132, 132 and a rack part 131 provided between the legs 132, 132 and having the air curtain unit 30 attached and fixed to its upper surface. The air curtain unit 30 is attached to the upper surface of the rack part 131 so that the air outlet 35 provided on the underside of the housing is detached from the rack part 131.

[0084] The legs 132, 132 are each provided with a pair of casters 133, 133 for movement, and are also provided with height adjustment sections 135, 135 that can raise and lower the rack section 131 together with the air curtain unit 30 in the vertical direction via handles 134, 134.

[0085] 13(a) to 13(c), for example, the height adjustment parts 135, 135 adjust the height position of the air curtain unit 30 in accordance with the height of the incubator 2, and the pair of casters 133, 133 move the stand 130 to a predetermined location that surrounds the entire incubator 2. Then, with the air outlet 35 of the air curtain unit 30 installed in a location corresponding to the front (for example, approximately 20 mm) of the front opening 2H of the incubator 2, the stand 130 is fixed in place by stoppers (not shown) provided on the pair of casters 133, 133.

[0086] In this state, the incubator 2 performs a predetermined heating process on the material to be treated MD, and when the material to be treated MD is removed, for example, an air curtain AS is formed by the air curtain unit 30 mounted on the stand 130 as the opening operation of the door 3 of the incubator 2 is performed. This allows the air curtain unit 30 to be installed later, and makes it possible to safely open the door 3 even if the temperature inside the treatment space SP is high or the operation of the circulation fan 145 cannot be stopped in the incubator 2.

[0087] That is, in the case of the processing system 1 of this embodiment, the same effects as those of the processing system 1 of the first embodiment described above can be obtained, such as protecting workers from the hot air HWa for heating processing from within the processing space SP when the opening / closing door 3 of the incubator 2 is opened.

[0088] Moreover, a processing system having substantially the same configuration as the processing system 1 having the above-described configuration can be easily constructed without attaching the air curtain unit 30 to the upper surface 2A of the incubator 2.

[0089] In particular, with the configuration of this embodiment, the air curtain unit 30 can be easily moved when it is not needed, meaning that one air curtain unit 30 can be easily shared by multiple incubators 2 without the need for cumbersome work such as attaching or detaching it to or from the incubator 2.

[0090] In the above-described embodiments, the invention has been described with reference to an example in which the invention is applied to an incubator 2 that performs a predetermined heating process on the object to be treated MD, but is not limited to this and can be similarly applied to, for example, an incubator that performs a predetermined cooling process on the object to be treated MD. In this case, the formation of the air curtain AS can prevent cold air (low-temperature atmospheric gas) from leaking out of the treatment space from the front opening of the incubator.

[0091] In addition, in any of the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to an incubator with a right-opening door, but can also be applied to an incubator with a left-opening door or a double-door (double-swinging) door.

[0092] There are also various types of incubators, and the present invention can be applied to various types of incubators, such as a constant temperature dryer, a constant temperature dryer, and a constant temperature and humidity chamber.

[0093] The above describes aspects of the present invention by illustrating an embodiment, but this is only an example, and the scope of the invention described in the claims can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1 Processing System 2 Temperature chamber 2A Top part 2H Front opening (opening) 3 Opening and closing doors 7. Control Panel 30 Air curtain unit 31 Operation display unit (control panel) 32 Mounting material 33 Fan (blower) 34 Intake port 35 Air outlet 36 Motor 37 Door stopper device (stopper) 37a Stopper member 38 Door detection sensor (detection sensor) 130 Stand (freestanding rack) 135 Height adjustment unit (height adjustment mechanism) AS Air Curtain SP Processing Space

Claims

1. An air curtain unit that can be easily installed later on an incubator that heats or cools the material to be treated, and is characterized by having a blower that emits air in a certain direction along the opening of the incubator that corresponds to the opening when the door of the incubator is opened, covering the entire surface of the opening, and is equipped with a control panel.

2. The air curtain unit according to claim 1 , wherein the blower forms a wall of air in front of the opening of the incubator.

3. 2. The air curtain unit according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper that prevents the opening of the door when the blower is not driven.

4. 2. The air curtain unit according to claim 1, further comprising a detection sensor for detecting an opening operation of the opening / closing door.

5. 2. The air curtain unit according to claim 1, wherein the air curtain unit is attached and fixed to the upper surface of the incubator via an attachment member.

6. 2. The air curtain unit according to claim 1, wherein the air curtain unit is mounted on a freestanding rack and disposed above the incubator.

7. 7. The air curtain unit according to claim 6, wherein the freestanding rack is provided with a height adjustment mechanism that enables the position of the freestanding rack to be changed according to the height of the upper surface of the incubator.

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