Dust removal device and dust removal method

Abstract

A dust removal device 1 includes a casing 10, a dust removal roll 20, and a drive source 30, and removes dust adhering to the surface of a workpiece, wherein: a plurality of roll grooves 20a extending in the axial direction are formed on the surface of the dust removal roll 20; the casing 10 includes an accommodating portion 11 that accommodates the dust removal roll 20, an opening portion 12 that opens the accommodating portion 11 toward the surface of the workpiece, and a communicating portion 16 that provides communication between the inside and the outside of the accommodating portion 11; on a wall surface of the accommodating portion 11 are formed an introducing portion 13 that widens a gap to the surface of the dust removal roll 20 stepwise in the direction of rotation of the dust removal roll 20, and a throttling portion 14 that gradually narrows the gap from the introducing portion 13 in the direction of rotation of the dust removal roll 20; and the communicating portion 16 has a slit-shaped cross section parallel to a rotating shaft 21 and is formed such that the slit width is smaller than the gap of the introducing portion 13. The dust removal device 1 further includes a suction portion 15 for sucking the inside of the accommodating portion 11 on the downstream side in the direction of rotation of the dust removal roll 20 with respect to the opening portion 12.

Description

Dust removal device and dust removal method

[0001] The present invention relates to a dust removal device and a dust removal method.

[0002] In order to improve the yield of workpieces such as electronic substrates and optical films, a dust removal device that removes dust adhering to the surface of the workpiece is widely used. There are two types of dust removal devices: contact type and non-contact type. When the dust removal target is an electronic substrate or an optical film, etc., a non-contact dust removal device is generally used to suppress a decrease in product yield due to fine scratches.

[0003] As a conventional non-contact dust removal device, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a dust removal roll having a plurality of fine roll grooves is accommodated in a housing portion of a casing, and air is jetted from an opening of the casing by rotational driving of the dust removal roll to remove dust adhering to the workpiece surface. In the housing portion of the casing, a throttle portion is formed in which the gap with the surface of the dust removal roll gradually decreases toward the opening.

[0004] The dust removal device disclosed in Patent Document 1 compresses the accompanying air flow accompanying the rotation of the dust removal roll at the throttle portion, and reduces the pressure of the accompanying air flow at the timing when the roll groove is exposed from the throttle portion to the opening, thereby causing pulsation in the air flow blown onto the workpiece surface through the opening. As a result, even when the fine dust adhering to the workpiece exists inside the boundary layer (a layer with a thickness of about 0.01 to 0.1 mm formed by the viscous resistance of air) formed on the workpiece surface, it is possible to easily break or peel off the boundary layer by the blowing of the air flow, and the fine dust can be surely lifted and detached from the workpiece surface. Therefore, it can be suitably used as a dust removal device for workpieces with high dust removal needs such as electronic substrates and optical films.

[0005] Japanese Patent No. 7465036

[0006] The dust removal device described in Patent Document 1 above has a communication section that connects the housing section of the casing to the outside, which is provided on the upstream side of the rotation direction of the dust removal roll relative to the opening of the casing. By rotating the dust removal roll, outside air can be introduced into the housing section through the communication section. This dust removal device can further improve its dust removal effect without changing the basic configuration of the dust removal device by increasing the flow rate introduced from the communication section and thereby increasing the flow velocity of the airflow blown onto the workpiece. In this respect, there was room for further improvement.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a dust removal device and a dust removal method that can enhance the dust removal effect on a workpiece while maintaining miniaturization and energy saving.

[0008] The object of the present invention is achieved by a dust removal device for removing dust adhering to a work surface, comprising a casing, a dust removal roll rotatably supported within the casing around a horizontal rotation axis, and a drive source for rotationally driving the dust removal roll, wherein the surface of the dust removal roll has a plurality of roll grooves formed along the axial direction, the casing comprises a housing portion for housing the dust removal roll, an opening that opens the housing portion toward a work surface positioned below, and a communication portion that connects the inside of the housing portion to the outside of the casing, the wall surface of the housing portion has an introduction portion that widens the gap with the surface of the dust removal roll in a stepped manner in the rotation direction of the dust removal roll, and a constriction portion that gradually narrows the gap from the introduction portion in the rotation direction of the dust removal roll, the communication portion has a slit-shaped cross section parallel to the rotation axis, and the slit width is formed to be smaller than the gap of the introduction portion, and the dust removal device further comprises a suction portion that sucks the inside of the housing portion downstream of the opening in the rotation direction of the dust removal roll.

[0009] In this dust removal device, the gap in the introduction section is preferably 1.5 to 2 mm, and the slit width in the communication section is preferably 0.2 to 1 mm.

[0010] The casing comprises a main body made of a rectangular parallelepiped housing and a lid covering the lower part of the main body, wherein the opening is preferably formed on the lower surface of the lid, and the communication portion is preferably formed between the main body and the lid.

[0011] Preferably, a plurality of opposing grooves are formed on the wall surface of the constricted portion, facing the roll groove.

[0012] Preferably, the casing includes a retention section for retaining the accompanying airflow generated by the rotation of the dust removal roll inside the housing section, and a static elimination section for eliminating static electricity inside the retention section.

[0013] Furthermore, the aforementioned object of the present invention is a method for removing dust from a workpiece in a closed space using the dust removal device described above, wherein gas in the closed space is introduced into the casing from the communication section by rotating the dust removal roll and blown onto the workpiece, dust detached from the workpiece is collected by a dust collector connected to the suction section, and the exhaust from the dust collector is returned to the closed space.

[0014] According to the dust removal device and dust removal method of the present invention, it is possible to enhance the dust removal effect on the workpiece while maintaining miniaturization and energy saving.

[0015] This is a plan view of a dust removal device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1. This is a plan view of the main part of the dust removal device shown in Figure 1. This is an enlarged view of the main part in Figure 2. This is a diagram showing a modified example of the main part shown in Figure 3. This is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a dust removal method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a plan view of a dust removal device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the dust removal device 1 comprises a casing 10, a dust removal roll 20 housed within the casing 10, and a drive source 30 that rotates the dust removal roll 20, and can efficiently remove dust (especially fine dust with a size of 0.005 mm or less) adhering to the surface of a workpiece W to be dusted. The drive source 30 comprises, for example, a motor powered by electricity or compressed air and a reduction gear mechanism.

[0017] The dust removal roll 20 is rotatably supported around a rotating shaft 21 that extends horizontally within the casing 10. As shown in the plan view in Figure 3, numerous (for example, 100 to 1000) roll grooves 20a, each consisting of a minute cross-section extending parallel to the axis of the rotating shaft 21, are formed on the surface of the dust removal roll 20 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the roll grooves 20a is triangular, but other shapes such as rectangular or semicircular may also be used. As shown in Figure 1, the length of each roll groove 20a in the longitudinal direction (rotating shaft direction) is preferably at least greater than the width of the workpiece W, and in this embodiment, it is formed over the entire longitudinal direction of the dust removal roll 20, which is longer than the width of the workpiece W.

[0018] The casing 10 consists of a rectangular parallelepiped housing, with the lower part of the main body 10a covered by flat plates 10b and 10c. The casing 10 includes a housing section 11 for housing the dust removal roll 20, an opening 12 formed on the lower surface of the casing 10 that opens the housing section 11 toward the surface of the workpiece W positioned below, an introduction section 13 and a constriction section 14 formed between the surface of the dust removal roll 20 and the wall surface of the housing section 11, a suction section 15 capable of sucking up dust detached from the surface of the workpiece W, and a communication section 16 that connects the housing section 11 to the outside of the casing 10.

[0019] The housing section 11 consists of a cylindrical space, and houses the dust removal roll 20 with a gap between it and the wall surface of the housing section 11. At the top of the housing section 11, a retention section 11a is formed by cutting out a part of the wall surface of the housing section 11, and extends over substantially the entire length of the dust removal roll 20. The accompanying airflow generated inside the housing section 11 by the rotation of the dust removal roll 20 accumulates in the retention section 11a.

[0020] The stagnant section 11a is provided with a static elimination section 17 that eliminates static electricity inside the stagnant section 11a. The static elimination section 17 consists of a wire-shaped or ribbon-shaped conductor made of microfiber or carbon fiber, and by grounding it to the casing 10, it can eliminate static electricity from the air near the tip of the conductor.

[0021] The opening 12 is formed between the lids 10b and 10c, which are separated to the left and right in Figure 2. The lids 10b and 10c may be integrated by joining their ends along the rotation axis 21.

[0022] The introduction section 13 is a portion of the wall surface of the housing section 11 where the gap between it and the surface of the dust removal roll 20 widens, and it is formed in a curved shape so that the gap gradually narrows towards the constricted section 14 on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the dust removal roll 20.

[0023] The constricted section 14 is located between the introduction section 13 and the opening 12, and is formed on the wall surface of the housing section 11 in an arc-shaped cross-section. Multiple opposing grooves 14a are formed in the constricted section 14 at intervals in the rotation direction C of the dust removal roll 20, and consist of fine grooves that extend parallel to the axis of rotation of the dust removal roll 20 and face the roll groove 20a. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the opposing grooves 14a is triangular, but other shapes such as rectangular or semicircular may also be used. The length of the opposing grooves 14a is preferably greater than the width of the workpiece W.

[0024] The arc-shaped curvature of the constricted portion 14 differs from the curvature of the surface of the dust removal roll 20. Assuming that there are no opposing grooves 14a and roll grooves 20a, the constricted portion 14 is formed such that the gap between the surface of the dust removal roll 20 and the wall surface of the housing portion 11 gradually decreases toward the opening 12.

[0025] The suction section 15 consists of a flow path formed within the casing 10 and is connected to the suction port of a vacuum pump (not shown) to suck air downstream of the dust removal roll 20 in the rotation direction C near the opening 12. The suction section 15 is formed parallel to the rotation axis 21 and extends substantially over the entire length of the dust removal roll 20, and can suck air from inside the housing section 11 to the outside of the casing 10 through a suction port 15a formed in the longitudinal center.

[0026] The communication section 16 consists of a flow path formed inside the casing 10 and is formed to open into the introduction section 13. As shown in Figure 1, the communication section 16 is formed in a slit shape parallel to the rotation axis 21 and extends over substantially the entire length of the dust removal roll 20, and is positioned horizontally between the main body 10a and the lid 10b of the casing 10 by cutting out a portion of the upper surface of the lid 10b. The communication section 16 may also be formed by cutting out a portion of the lower surface of the main body 10a, or it may be formed at another location on the casing 10. At the base end of the communication section 16 (the side communicating with the outside of the casing 10), the slit width in the vertical direction gradually widens from the inside to the outside of the casing 10. The communication section 16 may be a single section, or it may be formed by a plurality of slits divided along the rotation axis 21. When the communication section 16 is formed by a plurality of slits, the main body 10a and the lids 10b and 10c can be fastened together with bolts using bolt holes formed between each slit.

[0027] Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the main part of Figure 2, showing the vicinity of the tip side of the communication section 16 (the side that opens to the housing section 11). As shown in Figures 2 and 4, an introduction section 13 is formed on the wall surface of the housing section 11, which widens the gap with the surface of the dust removal roll 20 in a stepped manner toward the rotation direction C of the dust removal roll 20. As shown in Figure 4, the gap S0 of the housing section 11 upstream of the introduction section 13 in the rotation direction widens at the introduction section 13 to become gap S1, and then gradually narrows toward the constriction section 14. Then, at the constriction section 14, it is further narrowed toward the rotation direction C, becoming gap S2 at the edge of the opening 12. The gaps S0, S1, and S2 are the radial distances of the dust removal roll 20 formed between the surface of the dust removal roll 20 and the wall surface of the housing section 11, assuming that there are no roll grooves 20a and opposing grooves 14. The gap S0 is preferably 0.1 to 3 mm, and more preferably 0.1 to 0.7 mm. The gap S1 is preferably 1 to 2.5 mm, and more preferably 1.5 to 2 mm. The gap S2 is preferably 0.05 to 0.5 mm, and more preferably 0.05 to 0.1 mm.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4, the tip end of the communication section 16 opens into the introduction section 13 with a slit width W1 smaller than the slit width S1 in the introduction section 13. The communication section 16 is formed between an upper surface 16a and a lower surface 16b that are opposite to each other. The upper surface 16a is connected to the housing section 11 at the connection section 18, while the lower surface 16b is connected to the introduction section 13. The gap S1 is the gap at the connection section 18, where the size of the gap widens in a stepped manner. The slit width W1 of the communication section 16 is preferably 0.2 to 1 mm, and more preferably 0.2 to 0.8 mm. The slit width W1 is the minimum width of the slit-shaped cross-section of the communication section 16 (length in the vertical direction in Figure 4).

[0029] Next, the operation of the dust removal device 1 having the above configuration will be described. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the dust removal device 1 of this embodiment is positioned near a sheet-like workpiece W being conveyed in the direction indicated by arrow B by a backup roll R, with the opening 12 facing the surface (upper surface) of the workpiece W, to remove dust and other particles adhering to the surface of the workpiece W. The minimum gap formed between the surface of the dust removal roll 20 and the surface of the workpiece W is preferably 0.01 to 0.5 mm, and more preferably 0.05 to 0.1 mm. Examples of workpiece W include electronic substrates and optical films, but may also be other products where the adhesion of fine dust is a problem. Instead of conveying the workpiece W by the backup roll R, it may be conveyed along the upper surface of a flat backup plate. Alternatively, instead of conveying the workpiece W, the dust removal device 1 can be moved relative to a fixed workpiece W to remove dust from the surface of the workpiece W.

[0030] When the dust removal roll 20 is rotated in the direction indicated by arrow C, an accompanying airflow is generated in the containment section 11 due to the rotation of the dust removal roll 20. This accompanying airflow passes through the throttling section 14 and is then blown onto the surface of the workpiece W through the opening 12. The surface peripheral speed of the dust removal roll 20 is not necessarily limited, but it is preferably 25 m / s or more to generate a high-speed accompanying airflow.

[0031] In the throttling section 14, the velocity of the accompanying airflow of the dust removal roll 20 gradually increases, resulting in a Venturi effect that reduces the pressure in the throttling section 14. This pressure reduction in the throttling section 14 promotes the introduction of outside air from the communication section 16 that opens into the introduction section 13, thereby increasing the flow rate and velocity of the airflow blown in from the opening 12. In the introduction section 13, the gap S1 widens in a stepped manner, while the communication section 16 opens into the introduction section 13 with a slit width W1 smaller than this gap S1. Therefore, the introduction of outside air from the communication section 16 due to the Venturi effect described above can be reliably promoted, thereby easily improving the dust removal effect on the workpiece W.

[0032] The accompanying airflow caused by the rotation of the dust removal roll 20 is compressed as it passes through the throttling section 14. However, since a roll groove 20a is formed on the surface of the dust removal roll 20, the pressure of the accompanying airflow decreases at the moment when the roll groove 20a is exposed from the throttling section 14 to the opening 12 due to the rotation of the dust removal roll 20. This causes pulsation in the airflow blown onto the surface of the workpiece W. Even if fine dust adhering to the workpiece W is located inside the boundary layer formed on the surface of the workpiece W, the blowing airflow easily breaks or peels off the boundary layer. Combined with the effect of increasing the airflow velocity described above, this ensures that the fine dust is reliably lifted and removed from the surface of the workpiece W. The dust removed from the surface of the workpiece W is sucked up by the suction section 15 through the gap between the surface of the dust removal roll 20, which spreads downstream in the rotational direction of the opening 12, and the wall surface of the housing section 11, and is removed from the surface of the workpiece W.

[0033] If the cross-sectional area of ​​the roll groove 20a of the dust removal roll 20 is too large, most of the pressure of the accompanying air compressed by the throttling section 14 will be released by the roll groove 20a. On the other hand, if it is too small, the significance of forming the roll groove 20a will be diminished, and in either case, it will be difficult to generate an effective pulsating airflow. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the roll groove 20a should be 0.03 to 0.3 mm. ２ Preferably, it is 0.05 to 0.1 mm ２ It is preferable that it be so.

[0034] In this embodiment, the dust removal device 1 has multiple opposing grooves 14a formed on the wall surface of the housing section 11 that forms the constriction section 14. Therefore, due to the synergistic effect with the roll grooves 20a of the dust removal roll 20, a pulsating airflow can be generated more reliably. The cross-sectional area of ​​the opposing grooves 14a is 0.03 to 0.3 mm, similar to the cross-sectional area of ​​the roll grooves 20a. ２ Preferably, it is 0.05 to 0.1 mm ２ It is more preferable that this is the case. The cross-sectional area of ​​each opposing groove 14a may be the same size as the others, but it is preferable that it becomes smaller towards the downstream side in the rotational direction of the dust removal roll 20. Note that the opposing grooves 14a of the housing section 11 are not essential in the present invention, and the wall surface of this section may be a smooth curved surface without irregularities.

[0035] When a pulsating airflow is blown onto the surface of the workpiece W, the accompanying airflow generated by the rotation of the dust removal roll 20 inside the containment section 11 becomes charged, which may cause fine dust that has temporarily detached from the surface of the workpiece W to reattach to the surface of the workpiece W. In this embodiment, the accompanying airflow temporarily lingers in the stagnant section 11a inside the containment section 11, and the air in the stagnant section 11a is de-staticized by the de-staticization section 17. This ensures that the air circulating within the containment section 11 due to the rotation of the dust removal roll 20 is de-staticized, and the fine dust detached from the workpiece W can be reliably sucked and removed by the suction section 15. As shown in Figure 2, the suction section 15 may be configured not only to suck air downstream of the opening 12 in the direction of rotation of the dust removal roll 20, but also to directly suck air from the stagnant section 11a via the connection section 11b.

[0036] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the specific aspects of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the roll groove 20a formed on the surface of the dust removal roll 20 is parallel to the rotation axis 21 in this embodiment, but it is sufficient if it is formed along the rotation axis 21, and it is not necessarily required to be parallel to the rotation axis 21. For example, as shown in Figure 5, by forming the roll groove 20a of the dust removal roll 20 in a V-shaped double helical shape in plan view, and rotating the dust removal roll 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow, dust lifted from the surface of the workpiece can be guided and sucked from both sides in the longitudinal direction of the dust removal roll 20 toward the center, thereby enabling more reliable dust removal from the workpiece.

[0037] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a workpiece dust removal method using the dust collector 1 of this embodiment shown in Figure 1, etc. The dust collector 1 is installed in a closed space within the housing 101 together with a processing device 120 that performs processing on the workpiece W, such as forming a coating, applying adhesive, printing, and laminating. In this workpiece dust removal method, the workpiece W, which is made of a strip-shaped film or the like, is fed from the feed roll 110 into the housing 101 and supplied to the dust collector 1.

[0038] The dust collector 1 rotates the dust removal roll 20 using the drive source 30, introducing gas from inside the housing 101 into the casing 10 through the communication section 16 and blowing it onto the surface of the workpiece W to be processed. The dust detached from the workpiece W and collected inside the casing 10 passes through the suction line 104 from the suction port 15a and is sucked up by a known dust collector 103, such as a bag filter type dust collector, installed outside the housing 101, and collected in a dust box inside the dust collector 103. The exhaust gas from which the dust has been removed in the dust collector 103 is returned to the closed space inside the housing 101 via the exhaust line 105.

[0039] In this way, the workpiece W, from which dust has been removed from the surface to be processed, is guided to the processing apparatus 120 via the guide roll 112, and after predetermined processing such as the formation of a coating film is performed on the surface to be processed, it is discharged from the housing 101 and wound up by the winding roll 111.

[0040] The dust removal method for workpieces in this embodiment does not involve blowing gas onto the workpiece from the outside using a blower, as in conventional dust removal methods. Instead, it uses a rotating dust removal roll to draw in air from within a closed space and blow it onto the workpiece. This allows the gas used for dust removal to circulate within the closed space. Therefore, even if there is insufficient space to install the dust collection device 103 within the closed space, dust removal from the workpiece can be reliably performed without introducing outside air into the closed space. This makes it easy and reliable to maintain the closed space in a desired environment, such as an inert or dehumidified environment.

[0041] For example, since it is desirable to maintain a dehumidified environment inside manufacturing equipment for sulfide-based solid batteries and perovskite solar cells, the dust removal method for workpieces of this embodiment can be suitably used for dust removal of workpieces inside the enclosure that constitutes the manufacturing equipment. In the dust removal method of the present invention, the enclosed space does not need to be completely isolated from the outside, but only needs to be enclosed to the extent that the desired environment inside can be maintained. Furthermore, the enclosed space may be not only inside the enclosure, but also in a room or the like.

[0042] 1 Dust removal device 10 Casing 11 Storage section 11a Accumulation section 12 Opening 13 Inlet section 14 Constriction section 14a Opposing groove 15 Suction section 16 Communication section 17 Static elimination section 20 Dust removal roll 20a Roll groove 21 Rotating shaft 30 Drive source W Work

Claims

1. A dust removal device for removing dust adhering to a workpiece surface, comprising a casing, a dust removal roll rotatably supported within the casing around a horizontal rotation axis, and a drive source for rotationally driving the dust removal roll, wherein a plurality of roll grooves are formed on the surface of the dust removal roll along the axial direction, the casing comprises a housing section for housing the dust removal roll, an opening that opens the housing section toward the workpiece surface located below, and a communication section that connects the inside of the housing section to the outside of the casing, the wall surface of the housing section is formed with an introduction section that widens the gap with the surface of the dust removal roll in a stepped manner in the rotation direction of the dust removal roll, and a constriction section that gradually narrows the gap from the introduction section in the rotation direction of the dust removal roll, the communication section has a slit-shaped cross-section parallel to the rotation axis, and the slit width is formed to be smaller than the gap of the introduction section, and the dust removal device further comprises a suction section that sucks the inside of the housing section downstream of the opening in the rotation direction of the dust removal roll.

2. The dust removal device according to claim 1, wherein the gap in the introduction portion is 1.5 to 2 mm, and the slit width of the communication portion is 0.2 to 1 mm.

3. The dust removal device according to claim 1, wherein the casing comprises a main body made of a rectangular parallelepiped housing and a lid covering the lower part of the main body, the opening is formed on the lower surface of the lid, and the communication portion is formed between the main body and the lid.

4. The dust removal device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of opposing grooves are formed on the wall surface of the constriction portion, facing the roll groove.

5. The dust removal device according to claim 1, wherein the casing comprises a retention section for retaining the accompanying airflow generated by the rotation of the dust removal roll inside the housing section, and a static elimination section for eliminating static electricity inside the retention section.

6. A method for removing dust from a workpiece in a closed space using the dust removal device described in claim 1, wherein gas in the closed space is introduced into the casing from the communication section by rotating the dust removal roll and blown onto the workpiece, dust detached from the workpiece is collected by a dust collector connected to the suction section, and the exhaust from the dust collector is returned to the closed space.

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