JP7414269B2 - How to assemble an electron beam irradiation device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method of assembling an electron beam irradiation device, and more particularly, to a method of assembling a window foil portion for transmitting and sealing an electron beam.

An electron beam irradiation device performs a predetermined process by irradiating an object with an electron beam (electron beam) from an opening window of the device body. Such electron beam irradiation equipment makes at least the internal space of the main body of the equipment in a vacuum state during electron beam irradiation, and the opening window is designed to seal the internal space while allowing the electron beam to pass through. window foil is assembled (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 6343154

Window foil is a very thin film-like member. Therefore, when assembling the window foil to the opening window part, the window foil is likely to be misaligned or wrinkled, and if the window foil is not assembled in the desired position or condition, it can lead to vacuum leaks at the window foil part. . In this case, there is a possibility that the degree of vacuum in the internal space of the apparatus main body cannot be maintained at a high level, and in some cases, there is a possibility that the generation of electron beams may be affected.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its object is to provide an electron beam irradiation device that can improve the workability of assembling a window foil member for transmitting and sealing electron beams. The objective is to provide an assembly method.

A method for assembling an electron beam irradiation device that solves the above problem is to allow the transmission of the electron beam in an electron beam irradiation device that performs a predetermined process on an object to be irradiated with an electron beam through an opening window of the device body. A method for assembling an electron beam irradiation device in which a thin film-like window foil for sealing an internal space of the device main body is assembled to the opening window portion, the method comprising: assembling a thin film-like window foil to the opening window portion for sealing the internal space of the device main body, the method comprising: A sealing member is installed on at least one side of the mounting base and the mounting frame forming a structure, and the mounting base and the mounting frame are assembled so as to sandwich the peripheral edge of the window foil in a manner including the sealing member. An assembly jig that is interposed between the mounting base and the mounting frame and that deforms itself is used, and the window foil and the sealing member are connected to each other before the mounting frame is mounted to the mounting base. The mounting frame is supported with respect to the mounting base using the assembly jig so as not to come into contact with each other, and then the mounting frame is deformed so as to be brought close to the mounting base, thereby attaching the window foil and the seal. While the mounting frame is supported by the seal member against the mounting base due to contact with the member, the assembly jig is removed from between the mounting base and the mounting frame, and then the mounting jig is removed from between the mounting base and the mounting frame. The mounting frame is assembled so as to sandwich the window foil.

According to the above aspect, when the mounting base of the device main body and the mounting frame are attached, an assembly jig that can be deformed itself is interposed between the mounting base and the mounting frame. With the assembly jig, the mounting frame is supported with respect to the mounting base so that the window foil and the sealing member do not come into contact with each other. Next, the assembly jig itself is deformed to bring the mounting frame closer to the mounting base, and further, the window foil and the sealing member are brought into contact with each other, and the sealing member supports the mounting frame relative to the mounting base. During this time, the assembly jig is removed from between the mounting base and the mounting frame, and then the main assembly is performed in which the window foil is held between the mounting base and the mounting frame. As a result, when attaching the mounting frame to the mounting base, great care must be taken to ensure that the window foil does not become misaligned or wrinkled when the thin window foil and sealing member come into contact. By using an assembly jig instead of having the operator do it, it becomes possible to do it easily and stably. This is particularly useful when the mounting frame is long and heavy and multiple workers are working on it.

In the method for assembling an electron beam irradiation device described above, it is preferable that the assembling jig is a tube jig capable of introducing a fluid into the inside and discharging the introduced fluid to the outside.

According to the above aspect, since a tube jig that can introduce fluid into the interior and discharge it to the outside is used as the assembly jig, the assembly jig of the mounting frame to the mounting base can be realized with a simple configuration. be. Further, when attaching the mounting frame to the mounting base, it is necessary to deform the assembly jig itself, but this can be easily done with a tube jig.

In the method for assembling an electron beam irradiation device described above, the opening window has a substantially rectangular shape, the mounting base has a substantially rectangular ring shape surrounding the opening window, and the pair of assembly jigs are used. It is preferable that the mounting bases are arranged on long sides of the mounting base having a substantially rectangular annular shape.

According to the above aspect, since the mounting frame is mounted by placing the mounting jigs on the long sides of the mounting base, the mounting frame can be stabilized by arranging a small number of mounting jigs at appropriate locations. It is possible to support and displace the If the number of assembly jigs installed can be reduced, the burden of installation work can be reduced as much as possible.

According to the method for assembling an electron beam irradiation device of the present invention, it is possible to improve the workability of assembling a window foil member for transmitting and sealing an electron beam.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electron beam irradiation device in one embodiment. FIG. 3 is an end view for explaining the configuration of a window foil portion. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the configuration of a window foil portion. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view for explaining how the window foil portion is assembled. FIG. 3 is an end view for explaining the manner in which the window foil portion is assembled. FIG. 3 is an end view for explaining the manner in which the window foil portion is assembled. FIG. 3 is an end view for explaining the manner in which the window foil portion is assembled.

An embodiment of a method for assembling an electron beam irradiation device will be described below.
The electron beam irradiation device 10 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a scanning type electron beam irradiation device. The electron beam irradiation device 10 includes a filament 11 made of, for example, tungsten that emits thermionic electrons. The filament 11 emits electrons by heating itself based on the power supply from the filament power supply 12. The filament 11 is provided on the upper end side of the acceleration tube 13.

The acceleration tube 13 has a cylindrical shape with a closed upper end where the filament 11 is placed. The accelerating tube 13 has a plurality of accelerating electrodes 14 arranged in parallel in the axial direction of the accelerating tube 13. The accelerating electrode 14 generates an electric field that converges the electrons emitted from the filament 11 and accelerates them downward based on the power supply from the accelerating electrode power source 15. That is, in the accelerating tube 13, the electric field generated at the accelerating electrode 14 causes an electron flow directed downward in the tube axis direction, that is, an electron beam e. A scanning tube 16 is connected to the acceleration tube 13 at its lower end. The acceleration tube 13 and the scanning tube 16 communicate with each other through an internal space 17, and the electron beam e advances from the accelerating tube 13 toward the scanning tube 16 in the internal space 17.

The scanning tube 16 has a shape that is narrow at the upper end and widens toward the bottom. The scan tube 16 is provided with a scan coil 18 at its narrow upper end. The scanning coil 18 deflects the direction of the electron beam e generated by the accelerator tube 13 based on the energization thereof, that is, scans the electron beam e.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a substantially rectangular opening window 19 is provided at the lower end of the scanning tube 16, and a substantially rectangular window foil 20 is assembled to the opening window 19. There is. The window foil 20 has a very thin film shape of several micrometers (thickness is exaggerated in FIG. 2 etc.), and is made of a material that allows the electron beam e to pass therethrough and seals the opening window 19. It is something that In other words, the internal space 17 spanning the acceleration tube 13 and the scanning tube 16 is configured as a closed space. The internal space 17 is kept in a vacuum state, for example, by driving a vacuum pump 21 connected to the scanning tube 16, at least during the period when the electron beam e is generated.

The filament power source 12, accelerating electrode power source 15, scanning coil 18, and vacuum pump 21 described above are controlled by a control device 22. The control device 22 adjusts the output of the electron beam e through the power supplies 12 and 15, controls the scanning of the electron beam e through the scanning coil 18, and controls the internal space 17 of the acceleration tube 13 and the scanning tube 16 through the vacuum pump 21. Perform vacuum adjustments.

Then, the electron beam e emitted through the window foil 20 attached to the opening window portion 19 is irradiated onto the irradiated object 24 that is transported in the transport direction x by the transport device 23, for example. Perform predetermined processing. In this case, the electron beam irradiation device 10 is arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the substantially rectangular opening window 19 faces the direction y perpendicular to the transport direction of the transport device 23, and the electron beam irradiation device 10 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the approximately rectangular opening window 19 faces the direction y perpendicular to the transport direction y of the transport device 23. A predetermined scan of e is performed, and a substantially rectangular irradiation area A corresponding to the opening window portion 19 is irradiated. The effect of irradiating the object 24 with the electron beam e can be expected to be, for example, improving the properties of the material, adding functionality, and sterilizing/sterilizing the material.

Next, a manner of assembling the window foil 20 will be described.
[Detailed configuration of window foil 20]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a substantially rectangular annular mounting base 31 is provided around the opening window 19 at the lower end of the scanning tube 16 on the main body side of the electron beam irradiation device 10. A mounting frame 32 having a substantially rectangular annular shape similar to the mounting base 31 is attached to the mounting surface 31 a of the mounting base 31 . The mounting frame 32 is attached to the mounting base 31 using a fastening member (not shown) or the like.

The mounting surface 31a of the mounting base 31 is provided with a substantially rectangular annular housing groove 31b that surrounds the opening window 19 at a portion facing the mounting frame 32. A sealing member 33 having, for example, a substantially rectangular annular shape and a circular cross section is accommodated in the accommodation groove 31b. The seal member 33 protrudes from the mounting surface 31a of the mounting base 31 before the mounting frame 32 is mounted (see FIG. 5). The window foil 20 has its own peripheral edge 20a sandwiched between the mounting base 31 and the mounting frame 32. Specifically, the mounting base 31 also has a mounting surface 31a including the sealing member 33 and an opposing surface 32a of the mounting frame 32 facing thereto. They are sandwiched and assembled over the entire circumference of the peripheral edge portion 20a. The sealing member 33 is compressively deformed when the mounting frame 32 is attached to the mounting base 31, and seals the window foil 20 that closes the opening window 19 around the opening window 19.

[Assembling method of window foil 20 portion and detailed configuration of assembly jig]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, for example, the partial components of the device 10, including the mounting base 31, are arranged so that the mounting surface 31a of the mounting base 31 faces upward and is horizontal. On the mounting base 31 side, the seal member 33 is accommodated in the accommodation groove 31b of the mounting surface 31a. On the other hand, on the mounting frame 32 side, the window foil 20 is temporarily fixed to the opposing surface 32a of the mounting frame 32 facing the mounting base 31. The peripheral edge 20a of the window foil 20 is attached to the mounting frame 32 using, for example, adhesive tape. In this case, it is preferable that the window foil 20 be temporarily fixed to the mounting frame 32 at a desired position and in a desired state without any defects such as wrinkles.

Next, in this embodiment, two tube jigs 34 and 35 having the same configuration are used as jigs for assembling the mounting frame 32 to the mounting base 31. The tube jigs 34 and 35 are made of flexible tube members such as silicone, and have a cylindrical appearance. The tube jigs 34 and 35 are capable of introducing and discharging air into themselves. Note that gases other than air or other fluids including liquids such as water may be introduced into the tube jigs 34 and 35 as the case may be. The tube jigs 34 and 35 maintain a cylindrical appearance when the inside is filled with air, and can be slightly contracted and deformed in the vertical direction when the air inside is discharged to the outside.

Further, on the mounting surface 31a of the mounting base 31 having a substantially rectangular annular shape, tube jigs 34, 35 are provided at the outer edges of the pair of long sides 31x, that is, outside the sealing member 33 installed in the accommodation groove 31b. are placed respectively. In this case, it is preferable that the tube jigs 34 and 35 be temporarily fixed so as not to be movable using a fixture or the like (not shown). The tube jigs 34 and 35 are installed in a straight line over substantially the entire length of each long side 31x of the mounting surface 31a. In other words, the tube jigs 34 and 35 have their own longitudinal lengths set to be equal to the length of the long side portions 31x. On the other hand, no assembly jig such as the tube jigs 34 and 35 is arranged on the pair of short sides 31y of the attachment surface 31a of the attachment base 31. The tube jigs 34 and 35 are arranged such that the distance between the mounting surfaces 31a in the transverse direction is larger than the length of the window foil 20 in the same direction, that is, the tube jigs 34 and 35 do not come into contact with the window foil 20 during assembly.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the mounting frame 32 is assembled to the mounting base 31, the tube jigs 34, 35 are inflated to a predetermined state by introducing a certain amount of air. It is used by placing the mounting frame 32 on top. In this case, the height H1 of the tube jigs 34 and 35 from above the mounting surface 31a of the mounting base 31 is set to be larger than the protrusion height H2 from the mounting surface 31a of the seal member 33 accommodated in the accommodation groove 31b. is set to . In other words, the diameters of the tube jigs 34 and 35 and the amount of air introduced are set so that the heights H1 and H2 are set as described above.

As shown in FIG. 5, on the tube jigs 34 and 35 in a predetermined inflated state installed at the edge of each long side 31x of the mounting surface 31a of the mounting base 31, the tube jigs 34 and 35 are positioned on the mounting base 31 side. The mounting frame 32 is placed thereon. The mounting frame 32 is supported by the tube jigs 34 and 35 so that the opposing surface 32a of the mounting frame 32 is also horizontal with respect to the mounting base 31 arranged so that the mounting surface 31a is horizontal. Further, in this state, the window foil 20 temporarily fixed to the opposing surface 32a of the mounting frame 32 is not in contact with the sealing member 33 on the mounting base 31 side.

Next, the tube jigs 34 and 35 discharge the introduced air to the outside. At that time, the pair of tube jigs 34 and 35 are similarly contracted, and the tube jigs 34 and 35 are contracted in order to bring the mounting frame 32 close to the mounting surface 31a of the mounting base 31 while maintaining the horizontality of the opposing surface 32a. It is preferable to discharge the air at No. 35 in the same manner. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the tube jigs 34 and 35 are connected to each other by a connecting pipe 36, and air is discharged from a common exhaust port 37 provided in the connecting pipe 36.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the air in the tube jigs 34 and 35 is discharged, the window foil 20 comes into contact with the seal member 33, and the mounting frame 32 is placed on the seal member 33.
Here, the electron beam irradiation device 10 is a relatively large device, and the mounting frame 32 has a length of about several meters in the longitudinal direction, and is a long and heavy object that can be lifted by a plurality of workers. In the conventional assembly of the mounting frame 32, multiple workers worked together to arrange the mounting frame 32 on the seal member 33 without using an assembly jig such as the tube jigs 34 and 35. . Therefore, after the mounting frame 32 is placed on the sealing member 33 (after contacting it), it may be moved to a desired position, and the mounting frame 32 may not be brought into uniform contact over the entire circumference of the sealing member 33. Due to these factors, the window foil 20 temporarily fixed to the mounting frame 32 may shift from a desired position or wrinkle. This can lead to vacuum leaks in the window foil 20 portion, so it is desirable to avoid it as much as possible, and it has become a troublesome work that requires great care for the operator.

On the other hand, when the mounting frame 32 is placed on the seal member 33 using the tube jigs 34 and 35 as in this embodiment, the mounting frame 32 can be placed at a desired position, and after the placement (after contact) It is also possible to uniformly contact the mounting frame 32 over the entire circumference of the sealing member 33. Therefore, the occurrence of misalignment and wrinkles in the window foil 20, which may cause vacuum leaks in the window foil 20 portion, is sufficiently reduced. In addition, since the work of placing the mounting frame 32 on the seal member 33 only involves removing air from the tube jigs 34 and 35, it can be easily performed by a single worker.

As shown in FIG. 7, the height H3 of the tube jigs 34 and 35, which have been slightly compressed and deformed in the vertical direction, is the height H3 of the seal member 33, which has been slightly compressed due to the mounting frame 32 being placed thereon, and the height H3 of the seal member 33, which is slightly compressed when the mounting frame 32 is placed thereon. When the height becomes smaller than H4, the tube jigs 34 and 35 are removed. After that, the mounting frame 32 is attached to the mounting base 31 using a fastening member (not shown) or the like, and the mounting surface 31a of the mounting base 31 including the sealing member 33 and the opposing surface 32a of the mounting frame 32 are connected to the window foil. The main assembly is performed in which the parts 20 are clamped. After the main assembly is performed, the sealing member 33 is further compressed and deformed (see FIG. 2), and the sealing performance of the peripheral edge 20a of the window foil 20 is improved. Note that the window foil 20 described above is assembled at the time of new assembly or maintenance of the device 10.

The effects of this embodiment will be explained.
(1) When attaching the mounting base 31 and the mounting frame 32 at the lower end of the scanning tube 16 on the apparatus main body side, a tube jig is used as an assembly jig that can itself be deformed between the mounting base 31 and the mounting frame 32. Tools 34 and 35 are interposed. The mounting frame 32 is supported by the tube jigs 34 and 35 with respect to the mounting base 31 so that the window foil 20 and the sealing member 33 do not come into contact with each other. Next, the air in the tube jigs 34 and 35 is removed, and the tube jigs 34 and 35 are contracted and deformed to bring the mounting frame 32 closer to the mounting base 31, and further, while bringing the window foil 20 and the seal member 33 into contact with each other, the seal member 33 The mounting frame 32 is supported with respect to the mounting base 31. During this time, the tube jigs 34 and 35 are removed from between the mounting base 31 and the mounting frame 32, and then the main assembly in which the window foil 20 is sandwiched between the mounting base 31 and the mounting frame 32 is performed. As a result, when attaching the mounting frame 32 to the mounting base 31, care must be taken to avoid misalignment or wrinkles in the window foil 20 when the thin window foil 20 and the sealing member 33 come into contact. This can be done easily and stably by having the tube jigs 34 and 35 do this instead of being done by an operator. In particular, it is useful to apply the present invention to an electron beam irradiation apparatus 10 such as the present embodiment, which is a long and heavy object and requires a plurality of workers to attach the attachment frame 32.

(2) As the assembly jig, tube jigs 34 and 35 that can introduce air into the interior and exhaust it to the outside are used, so the assembly jig for the mounting frame 32 to the mounting base 31 is simple in this embodiment. This is achieved through the configuration. Further, when attaching the attachment frame 32 to the attachment base 31, it is necessary to deform the assembly jig itself, but this can be easily done in this embodiment using the tube jigs 34 and 35.

(3) Since the mounting frame 32 is mounted by placing the tube jigs 34 and 35 on the long sides 31x of the mounting base 31, the mounting can be accomplished by placing a small number of tube jigs 34 and 35 at appropriate locations. The frame 32 can be stably supported and displaced. If the number of tube jigs 34 and 35 installed can be reduced, the burden on the installation work can be reduced as much as possible.

(4) Since the pair of tube jigs 34 and 35 are configured to deform in the same manner in conjunction with each other, the mounting frame 32 can be stably supported and displaced.
This embodiment can be modified and implemented as follows. This embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.

- Although the tube jigs 34 and 35 were expanded and contracted by introducing and discharging air, gases other than air, or other fluids including liquids such as water may be used in some cases.
- The shape, number, and arrangement of the tube jigs 34 and 35 may be changed as appropriate. The tube jigs 34 and 35 may have a polygonal columnar shape, a hemispherical shape, a spherical shape, an annular shape, a polygonal annular shape, etc. other than the cylindrical shape in appearance. Further, although the two tube jigs 34 and 35 are arranged on the long side 31x of the mounting base 31, they may be arranged on the short side 31y. Further, it may be arranged on both the long side portion 31x and the short side portion 31y. In this case, a tube jig may be installed on each side, or an annular tube jig may be installed. Alternatively, it may be installed at a corner between the long side 31x and the short side 31y.

- Although the sealing member 33 and tube jigs 34 and 35 were installed on the mounting base 31 and the window foil 20 was temporarily fixed on the mounting frame 32, the arrangement of these may be changed as appropriate. For example, the seal member 33 may be temporarily fixed to the mounting frame 32 side, and the window foil 20 may be temporarily fixed to the mounting base 31 side. Further, tube jigs 34 and 35 may be installed on the mounting frame 32 side.

- Assembly jigs other than the tube jigs 34 and 35 may be used. For example, other than a hollow member such as a tube jig, a member made of a deformable material like the tube jigs 34 and 35 may be used. In this case, it may be a solid member. A member softer than the seal member 33 may be used. Further, a member that can be deformed based on an electric signal may be used.

- Although the configuration of the electron beam irradiation device 10 is such that the traveling direction of the electron beam e is set downward, it may be upward, horizontal, or diagonal.
- Applied to a scanning type electron beam irradiation device 10 that forms an electron beam e from electrons emitted from a single filament 11 and scans it with a scanning coil 18 to irradiate the irradiation area A, but it corresponds to the irradiation area. The present invention may also be applied to an area type electron beam irradiation device using a plurality of filaments and omitting a scanning coil.

The technical ideas that can be understood from the above embodiment and modification examples will be described.
(a) A method for assembling an electron beam irradiation device, in which a plurality of assembly jigs are used, and the plurality of assembly jigs are linked and deformed in the same way.

(b) A method for assembling an electron beam irradiation device, in which a window foil is temporarily fixed to a mounting frame, and a sealing member and an assembly jig are installed to a mounting base.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Electron beam irradiation device 17... Internal space 19... Opening window part 20... Window foil 24... Irradiated object 31... Mounting base 31x... Long side part 32... Mounting frame 33... Seal member 34, 35... Tube jig (assembly) attachment jig)
e...Electron beam

Claims (3)

In an electron beam irradiation device that performs predetermined processing by irradiating an irradiated object with an electron beam from an opening window of the device body, a thin film for sealing an internal space of the device body while allowing the transmission of the electron beam. A method for assembling an electron beam irradiation device in which a shaped window foil is assembled to the opening window portion, the method comprising:
A sealing member is installed on at least one side of an annular mounting base and a mounting frame around the opening window in the apparatus main body, and in a manner including the sealing member, the mounting base and the mounting frame seal the window foil. It is assembled so as to sandwich the periphery,
Using an assembly jig which is interposed between the mounting base and the mounting frame and which deforms itself, the window foil and the sealing member do not come into contact with each other before the mounting frame is mounted to the mounting base. The mounting jig supports the mounting frame relative to the mounting base, and then deforms itself so as to bring the mounting frame close to the mounting base, thereby attaching the window foil and the sealing member. The assembly jig is removed from between the mounting base and the mounting frame while the mounting frame is supported by the sealing member relative to the mounting base due to the contact between the mounting base and the mounting frame. A method for assembling an electron beam irradiation device, wherein the frame is assembled so as to sandwich the window foil. 2. The method for assembling an electron beam irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein the assembling jig is a tube jig capable of introducing a fluid into the inside and discharging the introduced fluid to the outside. The opening window has a substantially rectangular shape, and the mounting base has a substantially rectangular ring shape surrounding the opening window,
3. The method of assembling an electron beam irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein a pair of said assembling jigs are used, and each of said assembling jigs is disposed on a long side of said mounting base having a substantially rectangular ring shape.