Air purging device and air purging method

Abstract

To provide an air purge device and an air purge method with which it is possible to suppress the intrusion of foreign matter such as suspended matter into the inside of a case.SOLUTION: An air purge device 1 comprises a base body 11. The case body 11 is capable of accommodating an object 1 to be protected in the inside, and is provided with an opening 12 at a position facing the object 1 to be protected. The case body 11 can be supplied with purge air in the inside from an air supply unit 13. A shield for shielding the flow of the purge air is provided between the air supply unit 13 and the opening 12. By arranging the shield between the air supply unit 13 and the opening 12 to ensure that the purge air does not flow directly to the opening 12, occurrence of an inward turbulent flow in the vicinity of the opening 12 is suppressed, and the intrusion of foreign matter, etc. from the opening 12 due to the turbulent flow can be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air purge device and an air purge method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a camera cover device provided to prevent dust, dirt, etc. from adhering to the lens of a camera is known. For example, in Patent Document 1, the camera cover device includes a purge mechanism, and by supplying air to the closed space between the lens cover and the cover, fine particles such as mist and fine powder are prevented from entering from the outside of the case body and adhering to the lens.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when supplying air in front of the camera as in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that external mist may be sucked in due to inward intrusion, and floating substances may enter the inside of the case.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an air purge device and an air purge method capable of suppressing the intrusion of foreign substances such as floating substances into the inside of the case.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The air purging device of the present invention comprises a case body (11, 21, 31, 41, 51) capable of housing an object to be protected (1, 2) inside, with openings (12, 22, 32, 42, 52) located opposite the object to be protected. The case body is capable of supplying purge air to the interior from an air supply unit (13, 23, 33, 43, 53), and a shield is provided between the air supply unit and the opening to block the flow of purge air. The wall portion (312) having the opening is formed with an opening cover portion (35) that extends from the opening towards the object to be protected.

[0007] The air purging method of the present invention comprises a case body (11, 21, 31, 41, 51) capable of housing objects to be protected (1, 2) inside, with openings (12, 22, 32, 42, 52) located opposite the objects to be protected, and the case body is capable of supplying purge air to the interior from an air supply unit (13, 23, 33, 43, 53), with a shield provided between the air supply unit and the opening to block the flow of purge air. The wall portion (312) having an opening is formed with an opening cover portion (35) that extends from the opening toward the object to be protected. The system uses an air purging device and includes an air supply step of supplying purging air from an air supply unit.

[0008] By providing a barrier between the air supply unit and the opening, and positioning it so that purge air does not flow directly into the opening, the generation of inward turbulence near the opening can be suppressed, thereby preventing the entry of foreign matter such as floating debris from the opening due to turbulence. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing an air purging device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing an air purging device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the VV line. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing an air purging device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 7]It is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] It is a perspective view showing an air purge device according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] It is a perspective view showing an air purge device according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI of FIG. 10. [Figure 12] It is a sectional view showing an air purge device according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 13] It is a sectional view showing an air purge device according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 14] It is a perspective view showing an air purge device according to a reference example. [Figure 15] It is a sectional view taken along line XV-XV of FIG. 14.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an air purge device and an air purge method according to the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In a plurality of embodiments, substantially the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

[0011] (First Embodiment) The first embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. FIGS. 1 and the like are all schematic diagrams, and the flow of air is indicated by arrows. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the air purge device 10 includes a case body 11, and a protected object 1 such as a camera is housed therein. The air purge device 10 is provided, for example, inside a production facility, and protects the protected object 1 from floating substances such as oil mist and dust in the facility.

[0012] The case body 11 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape by, for example, resin or the like, but it may be formed of metal or the like other than resin, or may be formed in a shape corresponding to the protected object 1. The case body 11 is provided with an opening 12 and an air supply portion 13.

[0013] The opening 12 is provided on the front wall portion 112 which is one wall surface of the case main body 11. When the object to be protected 1 is a camera, the opening 12 is provided according to the shape of the lens so that the inside of the equipment can be imaged. In the present embodiment, the front surface of the lens is arranged to be substantially in the same position as the inner surface of the front wall portion 112, and the opening 12 is formed larger than the outer diameter of the lens.

[0014] The air supply portion 13 is provided at the center of the rear wall portion 113 which is the wall surface on the opposite side of the opening 12 with the object to be protected 1 interposed therebetween. Hereinafter, the side where the opening 12 is provided is referred to as the front, and the side where the air supply portion 13 is provided is referred to as the rear as appropriate. The air supply portion 13 is connected to an air pipe via a joint (not shown), and compressed air is supplied from an air supply device.

[0015] Here, a reference example is shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. In the air purge device 90 according to the reference example, the air supply portion 93 is provided on the top plate 915 of the case main body 91, and in the air curtain type in which compressed air is supplied to the front of the object to be protected 1 from above as indicated by an arrow Ac.

[0016] In the case of the air curtain method, if the pipe diameter is increased to ensure the air flow rate or the air pressure is adjusted as it goes, there is a risk of consuming a large amount of air. Also, if the wind speed near the opening 92 is high, there is a risk that floating substances including surrounding oil mist and dust may enter the inside of the case main body 91 due to the generation of inward turbulent flow caused by the entrainment of air (arrow Ar). When oil mist or dust enters the case, there is a risk that the object to be protected 1 may malfunction or that maintenance such as cleaning may be required in a short period of time.

[0017] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, air is supplied from an air supply unit 13 located on the rear wall 113, which is on the opposite side of the protected object 1 from the front wall 112 where the opening 12 is provided (arrow Ab). In this embodiment, the protected object 1 is relatively large compared to the air supply unit 13, so by using the protected object 1 itself as a shield to form an outward laminar flow (arrow Ao), compressed air supplied from the outside does not flow directly into the opening 12. By making the flow of purged air an outward laminar flow, the intrusion of mist from the opening 12 can be suppressed. In addition, by minimizing the opening 12 and optimizing the air piping, the flow rate of supplied air, and the pressure, air consumption can be suppressed.

[0018] As described above, the air purging device 10 includes a case body 11. The case body 11 is capable of housing the object to be protected 1 inside, and an opening 12 is provided at a position facing the object to be protected 1. Purge air can be supplied to the inside of the case body 11 from the air supply unit 13. A shield is provided between the air supply unit 13 and the opening 12 to block the flow of purge air.

[0019] In this embodiment, a shield is provided between the air supply unit 13 and the opening 12, and is positioned so that air does not flow directly into the opening 12. This configures the air from the air supply unit 13 to flow out of the opening 12 as an outward laminar flow that flows outside the shield. This suppresses the generation of inward turbulence near the opening 12, and prevents mist from entering the opening 12 due to turbulence.

[0020] In this embodiment, the shielding is the object to be protected 1. By using the object to be protected 1 itself as the shielding, an outward laminar flow can be formed without increasing the number of parts, and the intrusion of mist from the opening 12 can be suppressed.

[0021] Furthermore, the air purging method of this embodiment includes an air supply step in which an air purging device 10 is used to supply purging air from an air supply unit 13. Since a shield is provided between the air supply unit 13 and the opening 12, an outward laminar flow is formed by supplying air from the air supply unit 13. As a result, even in such an air purging method, the intrusion of mist from the opening 12 can be suppressed.

[0022] (Second embodiment, third embodiment) A second embodiment is shown in Figures 4 and 5. The air purging device 20 of the second embodiment comprises a case body 21, with an opening 22 formed in the front wall portion 212 and an opening 23 formed in the rear wall portion 213.

[0023] In this embodiment, the object to be protected 1 is positioned offset rearward from the front wall portion 212 by a gap G. Furthermore, the opening 22 is approximately equal in area to the front end face of the object to be protected 1 (for example, the lens if the object to be protected 1 is a camera), and is relatively smaller than the opening 12 in the first embodiment.

[0024] In this embodiment, by making the opening 22 as small as possible and positioning the object to be protected 1 to the rear, it is possible to prevent water droplets from adhering to the object to be protected 1 in environments where water droplet scattering is a concern.

[0025] A third embodiment is shown in Figures 6 and 7. The air purging device 30 of the third embodiment comprises a case body 31, with an opening 32 formed in the front wall portion 312 and an air supply portion 33 provided in the rear wall portion 213.

[0026] In the third embodiment, similar to the second embodiment, the front wall portion 312 is offset to the rear to avoid the adhesion of water droplets. In addition, the case body 31 of this embodiment has a cylindrical opening cover portion 35 that extends inward from the opening 32. In this embodiment, the opening cover portion 35 is provided around the entire circumference of the opening 32, but depending on the installation environment of the air purging device 30, it does not necessarily have to be provided around the entire circumference, and its shape is not limited to cylindrical. By providing the opening cover portion 35, the object to be protected 1 can be protected from water droplets more effectively.

[0027] In this embodiment, the front wall portion 312, which is the wall surface where the opening 12 is provided, has an opening cover portion 35 that extends from the opening 32 towards the object to be protected 1. This allows the object to be protected 1 to be properly protected even in environments where water droplet scattering is a concern. The second and third embodiments also provide the same effects as the above embodiment.

[0028] (Fourth embodiment, fifth embodiment) A fourth embodiment is shown in Figures 8 and 9. In the fourth and fifth embodiments, the object to be protected 2 is a relatively small device, such as a photoelectric sensor. The air purging device 40 of the fourth embodiment comprises a case body 41, with an opening 42 formed in the front wall portion 412 and an air supply portion 43 provided in the rear wall portion 413. The opening 42 in this embodiment is formed to be relatively smaller than in the above embodiment, with a size that allows light from the photoelectric sensor to pass through (for example, about 5 mm in diameter).

[0029] A fifth embodiment is shown in Figures 10 and 11. The air purging device 50 of the fifth embodiment comprises a case body 51, with an opening 52 formed in the front wall portion 512 and an air supply portion 53 provided in the rear wall portion 513. In this embodiment, a protective wall 55 is provided between the object to be protected 2 and the front wall portion 412. Holes 56 are formed in the protective wall 55. The holes 56 are provided coaxially with the optical axis of the photoelectric sensor and the opening 52. By providing the protective wall 55, the adhesion of mist to the object to be protected 2 can be further suppressed.

[0030] In this embodiment, a protective wall 55 is provided between the front wall portion 512, which is the wall surface in which the opening 52 is provided, and the object to be protected 2, with a hole 56 formed at a location where the opening 52 is projected toward the object to be protected 2. By providing the protective wall 55, the object to be protected 2 can be protected more effectively from mist and water droplets. Furthermore, the fourth and fifth embodiments also provide the same effects as the above embodiments.

[0031] (Sixth Embodiment) The sixth embodiment is shown in Figures 12 and 13. Figure 12 corresponds to Figure 2 of the first embodiment, and Figure 13 corresponds to Figure 3. The air purging device 60 of this embodiment comprises a case body 11 and a shielding wall 65. Here, an example of the case body 11 of the first embodiment is described, but the case body and the object to be protected may be those of the second to fifth embodiments.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the object to be protected 1 itself was used as a shield to form an outward laminar flow. In contrast, in this embodiment, a shielding wall 65 is provided inside the case body 11 separately from the object to be protected 1. The shielding wall 65 is made of, for example, a metal plate and is positioned opposite the air supply unit 13.

[0033] The shielding wall 65 is positioned at any location that allows for the formation of an outward laminar flow with respect to the air supplied from the air supply unit 13. In Figure 12, the vertical direction of the paper is defined as the width direction, and this is the width W of the internal space of the case body 11. For example, if the width of the shielding wall 65 is formed to be (2 / 3)W and positioned in the center in the width direction, then air passages that form an outward laminar flow can be secured on both sides of the shielding wall 65, each with an air passage of (1 / 6)W.

[0034] Furthermore, in Figure 13, the left-right direction of the paper is defined as the depth direction, and the up-down direction of the paper is defined as the height direction, with the depth D and height H being the internal space of the case body 11. The shielding wall 65 is provided at a distance (for example, (1 / 6)D) from the inner wall of the rear wall portion 113 of the case body 11 so as not to obstruct the air supply portion 13. Also, for example, by setting the height of the shielding wall 65 to about (2 / 3)H, it is possible to secure an air passage of about (1 / 3)H above the shielding wall 65.

[0035] Depending on the shape and size of the object to be protected 1, it may not be possible to form an outward laminar flow by using itself as a shield. In this embodiment, since the shielding wall 65 is provided separately from the object to be protected 1, an outward laminar flow can be formed regardless of the shape of the object to be protected 1. Furthermore, compared to the case where the object to be protected 1 itself is used as a shield, there is a greater degree of design freedom, so the flow of air supplied from the air supply unit 13 can be optimized by designing the shape and installation position of the shielding wall according to the shape of the case body 11. This makes it possible to optimally minimize the pressure and flow rate of the purged air, contributing to energy saving.

[0036] In this embodiment, the shielding is a shielding wall 65 provided between the air supply unit 13 and the object to be protected 1. This allows for the appropriate formation of outward laminar flow regardless of the size and shape of the object to be protected 1, thereby suppressing the intrusion of mist from the opening 12. Furthermore, it achieves the same effects as in the above embodiment.

[0037] (Other embodiments) In the above embodiment, the air supply unit is located in the center of the rear wall. In other embodiments, the air supply unit may be located off-center from the rear wall, depending on the position and shape of the shielding, as long as it is in a position that can form an outward laminar flow. Furthermore, the object to be protected and the shielding wall should be located and shaped in a way that can form an outward laminar flow of purge air. If a shielding wall is provided, the object to be protected may be placed in any position that can avoid adhesion from mist or water droplets from the opening. Moreover, the position, shape, and number of the opening cover and protective wall can be designed so as not to hinder detection by the protected equipment and to protect the protected equipment from water droplets, etc. In summary, the present invention is not limited in any way to the above embodiments and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 1, 2... Protected objects 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60... Air purge devices 11, 21, 31, 41, 51... Case body 12, 22, 32, 42, 52... openings 13, 23, 33, 43, 53... Air supply unit 12, 22, 32, 42, 52... openings 35. Opening cover section 55...Protective wall 56...Hole 65...shielding wall

Claims

1. The case comprises a case body (11, 21, 31, 41, 51) capable of housing objects to be protected (1, 2) inside, with openings (12, 22, 32, 42, 52) provided at positions facing the objects to be protected, The case body is capable of supplying purge air to the interior from air supply units (13, 23, 33, 43, 53), and shields (1, 2, 65) are provided between the air supply units and the openings to block the flow of purge air. An air purging device wherein the wall portion (312) having the opening has an opening cover portion (35) formed thereon that extends from the opening toward the object to be protected.

2. The air purging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding object is the object to be protected.

3. The air purging device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding object is a shielding wall (65) provided between the air supply unit and the object to be protected.

4. The case comprises a case body (11, 21, 31, 41, 51) capable of housing objects to be protected (1, 2) inside, with openings (12, 22, 32, 42, 52) provided at positions facing the objects to be protected, An air purging method using an air purging device, wherein the case body is capable of supplying purge air to the interior from air supply units (13, 23, 33, 43, 53), a shield (1, 2, 65) is provided between the air supply units and the opening to block the flow of purge air, and an opening cover (35) is formed in the wall portion (312) where the opening is provided, extending from the opening towards the object to be protected. An air purging method comprising an air supply step of supplying purge air from the aforementioned air supply unit.

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