Rotating Cleaning Elements for Ionizer Emitter Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The ion production efficiency of emitters in ionizers used to neutralize static electricity during flat panel display manufacturing decreases over time due to particle attraction and chemical gas reactions, requiring manual cleaning with foam plastic and isopropyl alcohol, which is time-consuming and delays the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning apparatus with a housing, driving mechanism, and cleaning elements that rotate to simultaneously and quickly clean the emitters, utilizing a belt-driven system with adjustable positioners to maintain distance and prevent damage, and can be modified with different materials and designs for effective cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual cleaning with foam plastic and isopropyl alcohol is used, then ion production efficiency is recovered, but time and effort are increased, delaying the manufacturing process
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning apparatus enables automated self-service cleaning of emitters through a rotating cleaning element that contacts and cleans multiple emitters simultaneously. The system performs cleaning operations automatically without requiring manual intervention, thus recovering ion production efficiency while minimizing time loss in the manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning element is divided into multiple cleaning portions, each corresponding to a different emitter. This segmentation allows simultaneous cleaning of multiple emitters in one rotation cycle, dramatically reducing the total cleaning time compared to manual cleaning of each emitter individually while maintaining effective cleaning for ion production efficiency
2Object-generated harmful factors
If manual cleaning is performed on each emitter, then contamination is removed, but additional time and effort are required
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple cleaning functions are merged into a single rotating cleaning element that contacts and cleans multiple emitters simultaneously. This consolidation reduces the overall cleaning effort required compared to manually cleaning each emitter separately, while effectively removing contamination from all emitter tips
3Productivity
If emitters are cleaned manually, then ion production efficiency is recovered, but the manufacturing process is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating cleaning element continuously contacts and cleans multiple emitters in sequence during a single rotation, enabling continuous cleaning action without interruption. This continuous operation recovers ion production efficiency across all emitters while minimizing the total time required, preventing delays in the manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning element is segmented into multiple cleaning portions that correspond to different emitters, allowing simultaneous cleaning of multiple emitters in one rotation cycle. This segmentation enables parallel cleaning operations that recover ion production efficiency across all emitters while dramatically reducing the total cleaning time and preventing manufacturing delays
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning apparatus comprises a housing, a driving mechanism and a plurality of cleaning elements. The driving mechanism is disposed in the housing. The cleaning elements are connected to the driving mechanism. The driving mechanism rotates the cleaning elements to clean the emitters.