Segmented Deflecting Mirror for UV-IR Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current UV radiation sources for UV-hardening lacquers suffer from inefficiencies due to excessive visible and infrared radiation, leading to increased processing times and costs, as well as incomplete hardening due to reduced UV intensity, especially on complex surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A deflecting mirror composed of plane mirror strips with adjustable angles, coated to optimize UV radiation transmission while minimizing visible and infrared radiation, allowing for flexible adjustment to ensure uniform exposure on 3D workpieces, and synchronous modulation of UV light power with workpiece movement to maintain desired dose distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a gas discharge lamp is used as UV radiation source, then UV radiation is emitted for hardening lacquers, but visible and infrared radiation also emitted causing temperature rise
Solution Approach 1:
The deflecting mirror is segmented into multiple mirror strips that can be independently adjusted. This segmentation allows selective deflection of UV radiation while minimizing deflection of visible and infrared radiation, thereby separating the useful UV component from the harmful thermal radiation components.
Solution Approach 2:
The mirror strips are made adjustable and movable, allowing dynamic optimization of the optical path. By adjusting the angle and position of individual mirror strips, the system can maximize UV radiation delivery to the application area while minimizing the deflection of visible and infrared radiation that causes temperature rise.
2Power
If a reflector element is used to collect UV radiation, then UV radiation intensity is increased, but visible and infrared radiation also reflected towards application-area
Solution Approach 1:
The deflecting mirror strips selectively extract and deflect only the UV radiation component towards the application area, while leaving the visible and infrared radiation components to pass through or be absorbed by the lamp structure. This extraction separates the useful UV radiation from the harmful thermal radiation.
Solution Approach 2:
The deflecting mirror strips act as intermediary elements between the gas discharge lamp and the application area. They mediate the radiation by selectively deflecting UV radiation while allowing visible and infrared radiation to follow different paths, thus protecting the workpiece from excessive thermal radiation.
3Temperature
If additional deflecting mirror is added to attenuate VIS and IR radiation, then temperature rise is reduced, but UV radiation intensity is decreased
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the optical path are treated differently by the mirror strips. The strips are positioned and angled to provide strong deflection for UV radiation while providing minimal deflection for visible and infrared radiation. This local quality differentiation allows simultaneous optimization of both UV intensity delivery and thermal radiation control.
4Manufacturing precision
If mirror strips are made adjustable for uniform exposure on 3D workpieces, then hardening uniformity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The deflecting mirror is divided into multiple independently adjustable mirror strips. Each strip can be individually positioned and angled to optimize the deflection of UV radiation onto different regions of complex 3D workpiece surfaces. This segmentation enables precise control of UV intensity distribution without requiring a completely complex reconfigurable system.
Solution Approach 2:
The mirror strips are designed to be adjustable and movable, allowing the optical path to be dynamically optimized for different workpiece geometries. This dynamic capability enables uniform exposure on complex 3D surfaces while maintaining a relatively simple mechanical adjustment mechanism for each strip.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Significantly increases UV radiation intensity in the application area without increasing unwanted visible and infrared radiation, enabling faster and more uniform hardening of UV-sensitive lacquers, reducing processing time and costs, and allowing for efficient handling of complex surface geometries.
Implementation Method 1
A deflecting mirror should reflect UV radiation as well as possible, should reflect the VIS and IR radiation to a smallest possible degree
Implementation Method 2
the reflector element may be provided with a coating which reflects the VIS and IR radiation to a less possible extend. This may be realized by an absorbing layer, but is preferably realized as a dichroic thin film coating which, on one hand, highly reflects the UV component and transmits VIS and IR
Data Source
AI summary
A device for applying UV radiation to substrates in a field of application. The device includes: a radiation source, which emits both UV radiation and visible light and infrared radiation in a spatial angle; and a radiation-selective deflecting mirror, which mostly reflects the UV radiation and mostly transmits the VIS and IR radiation. The deflecting mirror includes at least two flat mirror strips, which are tilted with respect to each other.