Ultrasonic curtain device

Abstract

The disclosed ultrasonic curtain device according to the present invention blocks, by means of ultrasonic waves, the inflow of contaminants into a work space, and comprises: a plurality of ultrasonic wave generating units that are provided in the work space and generate ultrasonic waves; and a control unit that controls the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic wave generating units to gather together to form an interference pattern, or controls the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic wave generating units to cause destructive interference to limit the movement of contaminants present in the work space. According to the present invention, since the inflow of contaminants can be effectively prevented by means of ultrasonic waves generated by an ultrasonic wave generating unit on one side or both sides, the present invention can be applied to a semiconductor process sensitive to contaminants such as dust or water droplets, can be used to filter foreign substances such as dust or water droplets even in daily life, and can be installed in various installation spaces and thus can be effectively utilized.

Description

Ultrasonic curtain device

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic curtain apparatus, and more particularly, to a curtain apparatus that blocks the inflow of contaminated outside air through ultrasonic waves.

[0002] Recently, in cutting-edge industries such as semiconductors, electronics, medicine, and food processing that require ultra-precision and high cleanliness, various experiments and manufacturing operations are being conducted in conditions that are free from the influence of impurities in the air.

[0003] For example, a curtain device is used to block the inflow of impurities in the air.

[0004] Here, the curtain device refers to a device that prevents polluted outside air from entering the interior by spraying air to form an air curtain.

[0005] Technology related to such curtain devices has been proposed in Korean Patent Publication No. 2021-0128747.

[0006] However, Patent Document 1 blocks the inflow of dust or harmful substances through the sprayed air, but there was a problem in that when a worker's hand or tool passes through, the air flow is blocked from the lower side, creating a passage through which impurities can be introduced.

[0007] [Prior Art Literature]

[0008] [Patent Document]

[0009] (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Publication No. 2021-0128747 (October 27, 2021)

[0010] The present invention has been conceived in consideration of the above points, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic curtain device capable of forming an interference pattern of ultrasonic waves or blocking the inflow of contaminants without gaps by air vibration caused by ultrasonic waves.

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the ultrasonic curtain device (100, 200) according to the present invention is an ultrasonic curtain device that blocks the inflow of contaminants into a work space (110, 210) by ultrasonic waves, and may be characterized by including: a plurality of ultrasonic generators (120, 220) provided in the work space (110, 210) to generate ultrasonic waves; and a control unit that controls ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic generators (220) to come together to form an interference pattern or ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic generators (120) to cause destructive interference to limit the movement of contaminants present in the work space (110, 220).

[0012] The above ultrasonic generator (120, 220) may be provided in a symmetrical state in parallel or symmetrically inclined state within the work space (110, 210), or may be provided on one side of the work space (110) with a reflective member (120') positioned on the other side.

[0013] The above ultrasonic generator (120, 220) may be characterized by being arranged in the up-down direction or the left-right direction.

[0014] The above work space (110) may be characterized in that the installation surface of the ultrasonic generator (120) has a straight or curved structure.

[0015] The above work space (110) may be characterized by being provided with a structure in which an opening (112) is formed, or a structure without an opening.

[0016] According to the present invention, the inflow of contaminants can be effectively prevented through ultrasonic waves generated from ultrasonic generators on one or both sides, so it can be applied to semiconductor processes that are sensitive to contaminants such as dust or water droplets, and can also be used in everyday life to filter out foreign substances such as dust or water droplets, and it has the advantage of being able to be installed in various installation spaces, so that it can be effectively utilized.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a front view schematically illustrating a state in which symmetrical ultrasonic generators are provided on both sides of a square-shaped working space in an ultrasonic curtain device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a front view schematically illustrating a state in which an ultrasonic generator and a reflector are provided on both sides of a square-shaped working space in an ultrasonic curtain device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a front view schematically illustrating a state in which symmetrical ultrasonic generators are provided on both sides of a circular working space in an ultrasonic curtain device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically illustrating a state in which symmetrical ultrasonic generators are provided on both sides of a working space where an opening is formed in an ultrasonic curtain device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a control unit is connected to an ultrasonic generator in an ultrasonic curtain device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating an example in which a structure is applied in which an ultrasonic generator is individually moved back and forth for each layer in an ultrasonic curtain device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 7 is a front view schematically illustrating a state in which symmetrical ultrasonic generators are provided on both sides of a square-shaped working space in an ultrasonic curtain device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view partially illustrating a structure for adjusting the angle of a symmetrical ultrasonic generator in an ultrasonic curtain device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] The above-described objects, features, and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, an ultrasonic curtain device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, an ultrasonic curtain device (100) according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes an ultrasonic generator (120) and a control unit (130), and is a device installed in a work space (110) to block the inflow of air through ultrasonic waves, thereby preventing the inflow of contaminated external air.

[0027] Here, the work space (110) is a space where work such as semiconductor processing is performed, and is formed in a cross-section in the shape of the letter "ㅁ", and an ultrasonic generator (120) is placed on each side (see FIG. 1), or an ultrasonic generator (120) is placed on one side and a reflective member (120') is placed on the opposite side (see FIG. 2).

[0028] At this time, the reflective member (120') is made of acrylic or iron plate, and has the function of reflecting ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic generator (120).

[0029] Moreover, the work space (110) can be provided so that the installation surface on which the ultrasonic generator (120) is installed has a straight or curved structure.

[0030] For example, the workspace (110) can be formed in a cross-section in the shape of the letter "ㅁ" when the installation surface on which the ultrasonic generator (120) is installed is straight, and can be formed in a cross-section in the shape of the letter "o" when the installation surface on which the ultrasonic generator (120) is installed is curved (see FIG. 3).

[0031] In addition, the workspace (110) can be provided with a structure in which an opening (112) is formed (see FIG. 4) or not. In this case, if an opening is formed, the workspace (110) can be provided with a box structure with one side opened, and an ultrasonic generator (120) is installed at both ends of the opening.

[0032] The ultrasonic generator (120) is provided in the work space (110) as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 to generate ultrasonic waves, and is placed on each of the two inner sides of the work space (110), or is placed on only one side and a reflective member (120') is placed on the opposite side.

[0033] At this time, the ultrasonic generator (120) is exemplified as being provided on both sides of the work space (110), but is not limited thereto and may also be provided in the vertical direction.

[0034] Moreover, when the ultrasonic generator (120) is provided on both sides of the work space (110), it transmits sound waves of the same amplitude and frequency to each side.

[0035] Meanwhile, the ultrasonic generator (120) is equipped with a small speaker structure and is arranged in a number of horizontal and vertical directions on the connecting member of the plate structure.

[0036] In this way, since the ultrasonic generator (120) is provided with a small-sized speaker structure, installation is possible even if the installation surface of the work space (110) is not a flat surface but an irregular surface, such as a curved surface.

[0037] In addition, as shown in Fig. 6, the ultrasonic generators (120) are arranged in multiple horizontal and vertical directions, and the rear sides arranged in the horizontal direction are simultaneously connected by the connecting parts (122) arranged in parallel, and each connecting part (122) is driven in the front-back direction by the driving part (124), so that the spacing for each layer can be adjusted.

[0038] In this way, when the spacing of the ultrasonic generators (120) varies for each layer, the wavelength of the standing wave may vary, and the speed of the ultrasonic waves is constant, so it is necessary to adjust the frequency of the ultrasonic waves according to the change in the spacing of the ultrasonic generators (120). Accordingly, the frequency of the ultrasonic waves is adjusted so that a standing wave can be formed between the ultrasonic generators (120) according to the change in the spacing of the ultrasonic generators (120) by the control of the control unit (130).

[0039] When the spacing of the ultrasonic generators (120) decreases, the control unit (130) adjusts the frequency so that a standing wave can be formed according to the spacing of the ultrasonic generators (120).

[0040] As the spacing of the ultrasonic generator (120) decreases, the wavelength of the standing wave must also decrease, and since the speed of the ultrasonic wave is constant, the control unit (130) increases the frequency of the ultrasonic wave as much as the wavelength of the standing wave decreases.

[0041] That is, as the oscillation frequency increases, the wavelength of the standing wave becomes shorter and the number of nodes (N) increases.

[0042] In this way, as the spacing of the ultrasonic generator (120) is adjusted for each layer, the number of nodes (N) can also be adjusted for each layer, so the distribution of contaminants becomes different.

[0043] The control unit (130) controls the ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic generator (120) as illustrated in FIG. 5 to cause destructive interference and minimize the air flow at the node (N: Node) of the standing wave, thereby limiting the movement and agglomeration of contaminants existing in the work space (110).

[0044] Here, nodes ((N)) refer to the parts where the medium does not move in the standing wave, and the spacing of nodes (N) can vary depending on the ultrasonic frequency. In addition, at nodes (N) of the standing wave, equal pressure is applied from both directions by superimposed ultrasonic waves, but when light pollutants such as dust or water droplets are located at nodes (N), the pressure acts greater than gravity, causing the dust or water droplets to float.

[0045] Moreover, the control unit (130) can operate at a constant frequency by adjusting the frequency of the ultrasonic waves so that a standing wave is generated in advance according to the distance between the ultrasonic generators (120) on both sides or the distance between the ultrasonic generator (120) on one side and the reflector (120') on the other side. Since a standing wave is generated when a transmitted signal has the same phase and period as a signal reflected from an object, the distance can be determined when the oscillation frequency is selected.

[0046] In this way, the control unit (130) controls the frequency of the ultrasonic waves, thereby generating a standing wave by the two ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic generators (120) on both sides. In addition, the standing wave is generated by the ultrasonic waves generated from one ultrasonic generator (120) and the ultrasonic waves reflected by the reflecting member (120') on the other side.

[0047] Accordingly, the ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic generator (120) have opposite phases and cause mutual cancellation and interference, minimizing the flow of air in the wave node (N) portion of the standing wave, thereby causing contaminants such as dust to become buoyant.

[0048] The ultrasonic curtain device (100) according to the first embodiment of the present invention is provided with ultrasonic generators (120) in a symmetrical structure on both sides of the workspace (110), or with ultrasonic generators (120) and reflectors (120') in a symmetrical structure on one and the other sides. When power is applied to the ultrasonic generator (120), the control unit (130) causes two ultrasonic waves or reflected ultrasonic waves to cancel each other out and minimize the air flow in the node (N) portion of the standing wave, so that contaminants existing in the workspace (110) are floated while being aggregated, and thus are prevented from entering the workspace (110). As a result, a phenomenon occurs in which contaminants are prevented from entering the workspace (110) and become airborne due to the pressure difference between the belly of the standing wave and the node (N) portion.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 7, an ultrasonic curtain device (200) according to a second embodiment of the present invention includes an ultrasonic generator (220) and a control unit (230), and is a device installed in a work space (110) to block the inflow of air through ultrasonic waves, thereby preventing the inflow of contaminated external air.

[0050] Here, the workspace (210) has the same structure and function as that of the previous embodiment, so a detailed description is omitted.

[0051] The ultrasonic generator (220) is provided in the work space (210) as shown in Fig. 7 to generate ultrasonic waves, and is arranged at an angle on each of the inner sides of the work space (210).

[0052] At this time, the ultrasonic generator (220) is formed in a symmetrical inclination direction and the angle is adjusted in both directions to form an interference pattern by combining ultrasonic waves, thereby preventing the inflow of contaminants.

[0053] The interference pattern is generated by precisely synchronizing or adjusting the phase of the waves emitted from the ultrasonic generator (220). By appropriately setting the phase difference, the waves combine, reinforcing each other in some places and canceling each other out in others. This combination of sound waves creates a kind of force field, called an interference pattern, that can lift small objects.

[0054] Meanwhile, the ultrasonic generator (220) is provided with a small speaker structure and is arranged in a number of horizontal and vertical directions on the connecting member of the plate structure.

[0055] Here, the ultrasonic generator (220) can be applied to an acoustic tractor beam, which is a device that generates an acoustic hologram that can pick up or transport an object using high-frequency sound waves.

[0056] Moreover, although not shown in the drawing, the ultrasonic generator (220) can be adjusted in angle as a whole or individually.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 8, when the angle of each ultrasonic generator (220) can be adjusted, a first support member (212) provided at each location where the ultrasonic generator (220) is installed in the workspace (210) and a second support member (224) provided on the installation surface of the workspace (210) for each ultrasonic generator (220) are connected in an overlapping state, and first and second ratchets (214, 224) are provided on the opposing surfaces of the first support member (212) and the second support member (224).

[0058] Moreover, the first support member (212) and the second support member (224) are fastened with a bolt (B) and a nut (N) to the perforated center, and a spring (not shown in the drawing) is inserted into the opposite surfaces of the first and second ratchets (214, 224).

[0059] In this way, when the angle of the ultrasonic generator (220) needs to be adjusted, by rotating the first support member (212) while the nut (N) is loosened, the first ratchet (214) can be finely adjusted in rotation angle through the process of separating and joining from the second ratchet (224), and then when the nut (N) is tightened, the gap with the bolt (B) is narrowed, the spring is compressed, and the loosening of the first and second ratchets (214, 224) is prevented by the restoring force.

[0060] The control unit controls the ultrasonic waves generated in an oblique direction from the ultrasonic generators (220) on both sides to form an interference pattern.

[0061] Ultimately, under the control of the control unit (230), the ultrasonic waves emitted by the two ultrasonic generators (220) on both sides form an area where the amplitude alternates between maximum and minimum, and the recombined ultrasonic waves form a specific interference pattern having minimum and maximum pressure amplitudes, so that contaminants do not move to either side of the work space (110).

[0062] The configurations included in the various embodiments described above may also be implemented as embodiments of various other possible combinations of changes not exemplified above, as long as the combinations are not clearly mutually exclusive in terms of implementation.

[0063] [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 100, 200: Ultrasonic curtain device 110, 210: Workspace

[0065] 120, 220: Ultrasonic generator 130, 230: Control unit

Claims

1. An ultrasonic curtain device that blocks the inflow of contaminants into the work space using ultrasonic waves. A plurality of ultrasonic generators provided within the above work space to generate ultrasonic waves; and An ultrasonic curtain device characterized by including a control unit that controls ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic generator to come together to form an interference pattern or ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic generator to cause destructive interference and thereby limit the movement of contaminants present in the work space.

2. In paragraph 1, An ultrasonic curtain device characterized in that the ultrasonic generator is provided in a parallel or symmetrically inclined state in a symmetrical state within the work space, or is provided on one side of the work space and a reflecting member is positioned on the other side.

3. In paragraph 2, An ultrasonic curtain device characterized in that the ultrasonic generator is arranged in the up-down direction or the left-right direction.

4. In paragraph 1, The above work space is an ultrasonic curtain device characterized in that the installation surface of the ultrasonic generator has a straight or curved structure.

5. In paragraph 1, An ultrasonic curtain device characterized in that the above working space is provided with a structure having an opening or a structure without an opening.

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