JP7622600B2 - Film cleaning device and film cleaning system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a film cleaning device and a film cleaning system.

In a process for producing a film such as a resin film, a film cleaning device is sometimes used to remove foreign matter adhering to the film. As a film cleaning device, a contact-type film cleaning device (see Patent Document 1) is known that removes foreign matter by contacting a rotating brush with the film.
Also, a non-contact cleaning device (see Patent Document 2) is known which blows gas onto the panel body to remove foreign matter adhering to the panel body.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 1-167383 Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5-080573

In a contact-type film cleaning device, when a foreign matter removal means such as a brush is brought into contact with the film surface, problems such as scratches on the film surface and foreign matter adhering to the foreign matter removal means re-adhering to the film surface may occur. In particular, when a functional layer is provided on the film by a coating method, these problems may cause a deterioration in the quality of the functional layer. Therefore, a non-contact type is preferable as a film cleaning device.
However, depending on the type of film supporting and transporting device used together with the film cleaning device, the film being transported may be prone to coming into contact with the film cleaning device.
In particular, when the film supporting and transporting device is a device that transports the film with a gap provided between the film supporting surface that supports the film and the film, the film may easily come into contact with the film cleaning device. The reason for this is that when the film is thin and lightweight and the transport tension is low, the film may float up from the film supporting and transporting device, making it impossible to maintain the desired transport position.

Therefore, there is a need for a film cleaning device that is unlikely to come into contact with the transported film; and a film cleaning system that includes a film cleaning device and in which the transported film is unlikely to come into contact with the film cleaning device.

As a result of intensive research aimed at solving the above problems, the inventors discovered that the above problems could be solved by providing a specific porous member on the film-facing portion of the film cleaning device, and thus completed the present invention.
That is, the present invention provides the following.

[1] A film cleaning device for cleaning a film being transported, comprising:
the film cleaning device has a film facing portion that faces the film,
the film cleaning device includes a gas discharge chamber, an ultrasonic generator provided in the gas discharge chamber, a porous member provided in the film facing portion and connected to an air compressor to blow gas toward the film, and an air intake chamber;
the gas discharge chamber includes an air outlet opening in the film facing portion and extending in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the film,
the air intake chamber includes an air intake port that opens to the film facing portion and extends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the film,
Film cleaning device.
[2] The film cleaning device described in [1], wherein the porous member is provided in the middle of the film facing portion in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the film, and the longitudinal direction of the porous member is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air intake.
[3] The film cleaning device according to [1] or [2], comprising at least two of the porous members, the longitudinal directions of the at least two of the porous members being parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air intake, and the air outlet and the air intake being provided between two of the at least two of the porous members.
[4] The film cleaning device according to any one of [1] to [3], comprising a plurality of the porous members, each of the plurality of porous members being arranged in a row between the air outlet and the air intake, spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal direction of the air intake, and the longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of porous members being parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air intake and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet.
[5] The film cleaning device according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the total length Lp of the porous member in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the film is 50% or more of the length Ls of the air intake port.
[6] The film cleaning device according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the gas exhaust chamber has two of the air outlets, the air intake chamber has one of the air outlets, and the one air intake is provided between the two air outlets.
[7] The film cleaning device according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the gas exhaust chamber has one of the air outlets, the air intake chamber has two of the air outlets, and the one of the air outlets is provided between the two air intakes.
[8] A film cleaning system comprising the film cleaning device according to any one of [1] to [7] and a film supporting and transporting device that supports and transports a film.
[9] The film cleaning system described in [8], wherein the film support and transport device includes a film support member having a film support surface formed of a perforated material, and an air pressure device connected to the film support member.
[10] The film cleaning system described in [9], wherein the film support surface of the film support member is formed of a porous material.

The present invention provides a film cleaning device that is unlikely to come into contact with the transported film; and a film cleaning system that includes a film cleaning device and is unlikely to come into contact with the transported film;

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view that diagrammatically shows a cross section of a film cleaning system according to a first embodiment, taken in a direction parallel to the film transport direction. FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view of the film cleaning device according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the film facing portion side. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view that diagrammatically shows a cross section of a film cleaning system according to a second embodiment, taken in a direction parallel to the film transport direction. FIG. 4 is a schematic bottom view of the film cleaning device according to the second embodiment, as viewed from the film facing portion side. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a cross section of a film cleaning system according to a third embodiment, taken in a direction parallel to the film transport direction. FIG. 6 is a schematic bottom view of the film cleaning device according to the third embodiment, as viewed from the film facing portion side. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view that diagrammatically shows a cross section of a film cleaning system according to a fourth embodiment, taken in a direction parallel to the film transport direction. FIG. 8 is a schematic bottom view of the film cleaning device according to the fourth embodiment, as viewed from the film facing portion side.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments and examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and examples shown below, and may be modified and implemented as desired without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents. The components of the embodiments shown below may be combined as appropriate. In addition, in the figures, the same components are given the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted.

In the following description, a "long" film refers to a film that is 5 times or more longer than its width, preferably 10 times or more longer, and specifically refers to a film that is long enough to be wound into a roll for storage or transportation. There is no particular upper limit to the length of the film, and it can be, for example, 100,000 times or less than its width.

In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the directions of elements as "parallel," "vertical," and "orthogonal" may include an error within a range that does not impair the effect of the present invention, for example, within a range of ±3°, ±2°, or ±1°.

[1. Overview of the film cleaning system]
A film cleaning system according to the present disclosure includes a film cleaning device and a film support and transport device that supports and transports the film.

2. Overview of the Film Cleaning Device
The film cleaning device according to the present disclosure is a device for cleaning a film that is being transported.
The film cleaning device has a film facing portion that faces the film.
The film cleaning device includes a gas exhaust chamber, an ultrasonic generator provided within the gas exhaust chamber, a porous member provided in the film facing portion and connected to an air compressor to spray gas toward the film, and an air intake chamber.
The gas discharge chamber includes an air outlet that opens into the film-facing portion and extends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the film.
The air intake chamber includes an air intake port that opens to the film-facing portion and extends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the film.

The film cleaning device of the present disclosure is provided with a porous member at the film facing portion that is connected to an air pressure device and sprays gas toward the film, so that the film being transported is pressed by the gas toward the film support member that supports and transports the film. This prevents the film being transported from being sucked into the air intake and coming into contact with the film facing portion.

The film cleaning device of the present disclosure may have only one gas exhaust chamber or may have multiple (e.g., two or three) gas exhaust chambers. The film cleaning device may have only one gas intake chamber or may have multiple (e.g., two or three) gas intake chambers.
The arrangement of the gas discharge chamber and the air intake chamber is arbitrary and is not limited to the arrangement in the first and second embodiments described below. For example, the gas discharge chamber and the air intake chamber may be arranged in the following order in the film transport direction:
(1) Gas discharge chamber, intake chamber, and gas discharge chamber (2) Intake chamber, gas discharge chamber, and intake chamber (3) Gas discharge chamber and intake chamber (4) Intake chamber and gas discharge chamber (5) Gas discharge chamber, gas discharge chamber, and intake chamber (6) Intake chamber, gas discharge chamber, and gas discharge chamber (7) Intake chamber, intake chamber, and gas discharge chamber (8) Gas discharge chamber, intake chamber, and intake chamber

[3. First embodiment]
A film cleaning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view that diagrammatically shows a cross section of a film cleaning system according to a first embodiment, taken in a direction parallel to the film transport direction.
FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view of the film cleaning device according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the film facing portion side.

The film cleaning system 1500 includes the film cleaning apparatus 100 and the film support and transport apparatus 1000 .
Film cleaning device 100 is a device that cleans surface 10U of long film 10 being transported.

The film cleaning device 100 has a film facing portion 101 that faces the film 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the inside of the film cleaning device 100 is divided into gas exhaust chambers 110a and 110b and an intake chamber 120. The gas exhaust chambers 110a and 110b and the intake chamber 120 are arranged in the conveying direction of the film 10 in the order of the gas exhaust chamber 110a, the intake chamber 120, and the gas exhaust chamber 110b.

An air outlet 111a opening into the film facing portion 101 is provided on the film facing portion 101 side of the gas discharge chamber 110a. An air outlet 111b opening into the film facing portion 101 is also provided on the film facing portion 101 side of the gas discharge chamber 110b.
As shown in FIG. 2, the air outlets 111a and 111b extend in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10, and each of the air outlets 111a and 111b has the shape of a continuous slit.

An ultrasonic generator 112a is provided inside the gas discharge chamber 110a near the gas outlet 111a. An ultrasonic generator 112b is provided inside the gas discharge chamber 110b near the gas outlet 111b. The ultrasonic generators 112a and 112b generate ultrasonic waves near the gas outlets 111a and 111b, respectively, to impart ultrasonic vibrations to the gas ejected from the gas outlets 111a and 111b. The gas to which ultrasonic vibrations have been applied and ejected from the gas outlets 111a and 111b is blown onto the film 10, and can effectively remove foreign matter adhering to the surface 10U of the film 10 from the film 10.

An air intake 121 that opens into the film facing portion 101 is provided on the side of the air intake chamber 120 facing the film facing portion 101. The air intake 121 extends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10 and has the shape of a single continuous slit.

An air compressor (not shown) is connected to the gas discharge chambers 110a and 110b directly or via a flow rate adjusting means such as a valve. An air intake chamber 120 is connected to an air intake device (not shown) directly or via a flow rate adjusting means such as a valve.
As a result, gas is ejected from the gas ejection ports 111 a and 111 b and sprayed onto the film 10 to which the foreign matter is attached, and the gas containing the foreign matter is sucked in through the gas intake port 121 to remove the foreign matter from the film 10 .

The film facing portion 101 is provided with porous members 130 a and 130 b that are connected to a compressed air device (not shown) and that eject gas toward the film 10 .
The porous members 130a and 130b are members formed from a porous material. Examples of the porous materials for forming the porous members 130a and 130b include porous carbon, porous alumina, porous ceramics, and metal sintered materials having porosity. Since the porous members 130a and 130b are formed from a porous material, when a gas pressure device is connected to the porous members 130a and 130b and gas is pumped, the gas is ejected from the holes on the surfaces of the porous members 130a and 130b to the outside of the porous members 130a and 130b. The porous members 130a and 130b are provided in the film facing portion 101 and are arranged to face the film 10. Therefore, the gas ejected from the holes on the surfaces of the porous members 130a and 130b is blown toward the film 10.

The porous members 130a and 130b are made of a porous material, which has the following advantages.
If an attempt is made to suppress contact between the film 10 and the film facing portion by pumping gas into a member with a large opening such as a slit nozzle, a large amount of gas is required, and since this would block the flow of gas to the intake port, collection of foreign matter from the intake port may be poor.
The gas ejected from the porous members 130a, 130b made of a porous material has little pulsation and a low flow rate, and therefore does not impede the collection of foreign matter from the intake port, and can stably prevent the film 10 from contacting the film facing portion 101. In addition, the amount of gas to be pumped to the porous members 130a, 130b can be small.

The average pore size of the porous member is preferably 0.1 μm or more, more preferably 0.5 μm or more, and is preferably 30 μm or less, more preferably 3.0 μm or less. If the pore size is too large, some of the pores may be blocked and gas may leak from other pores. However, if the pore size is below the upper limit, the pressure loss within the porous material is large, so that gas leakage can be prevented even if some of the pores are blocked.

2, the porous members 130a and 130b extend in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10, and the longitudinal directions of the porous members 130a and 130b are parallel to the longitudinal directions of the gas outlets 111a and 111b, respectively, and are also parallel to the longitudinal direction of the gas inlet 121. The porous members 130a and 130b are provided in an intermediate portion 101M of the film facing portion 101 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10. Here, the intermediate portion 101M is a portion that is between the end portions 101E and 101E of the film facing portion 101 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10, and includes a center 101C in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10.
By providing the porous members 130a, 130b in the intermediate portion 101M of the film facing portion 101, when the film supporting and conveying device 1000 described later is a device that conveys the film 10 while keeping the film supporting member 1010 and the film 10 separated from each other, the film 10 can be effectively prevented from coming into contact with the film facing portion 101 of the film cleaning device 100.
When the film 10 is transported in a state where there is a gap between the film support member 1010 and the film 10 (separated state), the distance between the film 10 and the film support surface 1011 of the film support member 1010 may be larger near the center of the width of the film 10 than the distance near the end of the film 10. That is, the center of the width of the film 10 may bulge toward the film facing portion 101 and move away from the film support member 1010. By providing the porous members 130a and 130b in the intermediate portion 101M, gas is ejected from the porous members 130a and 130b toward the center of the width of the film 10, and the center of the width of the film 10, in particular, is pushed back toward the film support surface 1011. This can effectively prevent the film 10 from contacting the film facing portion 101.

The total length Lp of the porous members in the same row in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction D of the film 10, i.e., the length L130a of the porous member 130a and the length L130b of the porous member 130b in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction D of the film 10, are each 50% or more of the length Ls of the air intake 121. In another embodiment, the lengths L130a and L130b are each 60% or more, 70% or more, 80% or more, or 90% or more, and 100% or less of the length Ls.
As a result, the porous members 130 a and 130 b can push the film 10 back toward the film support surface 1011 over the entire width of the film 10 , thereby effectively preventing the film 10 from contacting the film facing portion 101 .

In this embodiment, the air outlets 111a, 111b and the air intake 121 are provided between the two porous members 130a, 130b, and are arranged in the order of the porous member 130a, the air outlet 111a, the air intake 121, the air outlet 111b, and the porous member 130b in the transport direction D of the film 10 as viewed from the film facing portion 101. With this arrangement, the flow of gas ejected from the porous members 130a, 130b prevents foreign matter blown off the surface 10U of the film 10 by the gas ejected from the air outlets 111a, 111b from scattering outside the film cleaning device 100. As a result, the percentage of foreign matter sucked into the air intake 121 and collected can be increased.

The film support and transport device 1000 is a device that supports and transports the film 10. The film support and transport device 1000 includes a film support member 1010 having a film support surface 1011 formed of a perforated material, and an air pressure device 1020 connected to the film support member 1010.

Materials forming the film support surface 1011 include materials that have openings on the film support surface 1011, such as punched metal and porous materials. As punched metal, a metal plate with holes of any shape, such as circular holes, square holes, rectangular holes, or hexagonal holes, can be used. Examples of porous materials include the materials exemplified as materials for forming the porous members 130a and 130b.

The film support surface 1011 being made of a porous material has the following advantages.
The gas ejected from the porous material has reduced pulsation and a smaller flow rate than gas ejected from a slit nozzle or the like, and therefore can easily form a gas layer of a certain thickness between the film support surface 1011 and the film 10. Therefore, contact between the film support surface 1011 and the film 10 can be effectively suppressed.

The film supporting surface 1011 faces the film facing portion 101 of the film cleaning device 100 across the transported film 10. The film supporting surface 1011 is a curved surface, and the cross-sectional shape in the transport direction of the film 10 is an arc shape.
The radius R of the arc-shaped cross-sectional shape is preferably 20 mm or more from the viewpoint of facilitating the change of direction of the film 10 being transported, and is preferably 200 mm or less from the viewpoint of increasing the gap between the film 10 being transported and the film support surface 1011 and suppressing contact between the film 10 being transported and the film support surface 1011. By making the film support surface 1011 a curved surface and making the cross-sectional shape of the film 10 in the transport direction arc-shaped, the film 10 being transported has a shape having a curved cross-sectional shape of an arc. By keeping the cross-sectional shape of the film 10 as a curved cross-sectional shape of an arc, the film 10 on the film support surface 1011 can increase the second moment of area in the width direction, and as a result, the film 10 being transported is suppressed from being distorted, making it easy to improve the flatness of the film 10 after transport.

The compressed air device 1020 is a device that pressurizes gas, and specific examples include a pump, a fan, a blower, and a compressor. The compressed air device 1020 is connected to the film support member 1010 directly or indirectly via a flow rate control means such as a valve, and pressurizes gas to the film support member 1010. As a result, gas is blown out from the film support surface 1011 of the film support member 1010, and the film 10 moves away from the film support surface 1011. The film 10 is then supported by the film support surface 1011 of the film support member 1010 via a layer of gas.

The film support conveying device 1000 includes a film support member 1010 having a film support surface 1011 formed of a perforated material, so that the film 10 and the film support member 1010 can be conveyed in a spaced-apart state. When a conveying roller is used as the film support conveying device instead of the film support conveying device 1000, a tensioning means for applying tension to the film 10 may be required, and a contacting means (such as a suction roller) for contacting the film 10 with the conveying roller may be required. By being able to convey the film 10 and the film support member 1010 in a spaced-apart state, there is no need to provide a tensioning means and a contacting means, and it is possible to prevent defects in the film 10 caused by these means.

When the film 10 is transported in a spaced apart state, the film 10 may be sucked into the air intake 121 of the film cleaning device 100, which may cause the distance of the film 10 from the film support surface 1011 to vary. However, by providing the film cleaning device 100 with the porous members 130a and 130b, the film 10 can be prevented from coming into contact with the film facing portion 101 of the film cleaning device 100 even if the distance varies.

The flow rate of the gas blown out from the film support member 1010 may be constant across the width of the film support member 1010, or may have a distribution across the width of the film support member 1010. For example, the flow rate of the gas blown out from the center of the film support member 1010 in the longitudinal direction and the flow rate of the gas blown out from the end of the film support member 1010 in the longitudinal direction may be adjusted to be different. The flow rate of the gas blown out from the film support member 1010 may be adjusted, for example, by (1) dividing the film support member 1010 into a center and an end and adjusting the flow rate of the gas supplied to the center and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the end, or (2) forming the film support surface 1011 of the film support member 1010 from a porous material and making the average pore size of the porous material different between the center and the end. For example, the flow rate of the gas is adjusted so that the flow rate of the gas blown out from the center of the film support member 1010 is smaller than the flow rate of the gas blown out from the end of the film support member 1010.

The film 10 transported in a separated state vibrates as it is blown with ultrasonically vibrated gas ejected from the gas ejection ports 111a and 111b. The vibration generated at this time is greater than the vibration of the film 10 transported in contact with the film support surface 1011. Therefore, by including a film support member 1010 having a film support surface 1011 formed of a perforated material, the film support transport device 1000 can effectively shake off foreign matter from the film 10.

As the film supporting and transporting device, various film supporting and transporting devices can be used.
The film supporting and transporting device may be a device that transports the film 10 in a non-contact state.
In another embodiment, the film support and transport device 1000 may be replaced by a film support device having a slit nozzle for ejecting gas.
In another embodiment, instead of the film support and transport device 1000, a device that transports the film 10 and the film support surface while keeping them apart using magnetic or electromagnetic force may be used.
In another embodiment, instead of the film supporting and transporting device 1000, a device (ultrasonic levitation device) that applies ultrasonic vibrations to the film supporting surface to transport the film 10 while keeping it separated from the film supporting surface can be used.

As the film supporting and transporting device, a device that transports the film 10 in a contact state may also be used.
In another embodiment, a conveying roller may be used instead of the film support conveying device 1000. Examples of materials forming the surface of the conveying roller include rubber and metals such as stainless steel. When the conveying roller is used to convey the film 10, the film 10 tends to come into contact with the film facing portion 101 of the film cleaning device 100 less than when the film support conveying device 1000 is used. However, even when the conveying roller is used instead of the film support conveying device 1000, the film cleaning device 100 can suppress the film 10 from coming into contact with the film facing portion 101 of the film cleaning device 100 by providing the porous members 130a and 130b. Furthermore, the flow of gas ejected from the porous members 130a and 130b presses the film 10 against the conveying roller, so that the gripping force of the conveying roller when conveying the film 10 is increased, and the film 10 can be conveyed stably.

The film cleaning system 1500 is suitable for cleaning long resin films, among other films.
An example of the resin film is a film made of a thermoplastic resin. The thermoplastic resin includes a polymer. Examples of the polymer include an alicyclic structure-containing polymer, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, an acrylic polymer, a methacrylic polymer, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polystyrene, triacetyl cellulose, polyvinyl chloride, polyimide, polyphenylene sulfide, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyether ether ketone, polyether sulfone, aramid, and combinations thereof. Among these, an alicyclic structure-containing polymer is preferred from the viewpoint of excellent transparency, low moisture absorption, dimensional stability, and light weight. As the alicyclic structure-containing polymer, a norbornene-based polymer is more preferred.

The film may have a single layer structure or a multilayer structure. For example, the resin film may be a multilayer film in which a functional layer is provided on a substrate film made of a thermoplastic resin. Examples of functional layers include layers containing functional materials such as polymerizable liquid crystal compounds, polymerization initiators, crosslinking agents, monomers, antioxidants, and surfactants.

[4. Second embodiment]
A film cleaning system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view that diagrammatically shows a cross section of a film cleaning system according to a second embodiment, taken in a direction parallel to the film transport direction.
FIG. 4 is a schematic bottom view of the film cleaning device according to the second embodiment, as viewed from the film facing portion side.

The film cleaning system 2500 includes a film cleaning device 200 and a film support and transport device 1000. The film support and transport device 1000 is similar to the film support and transport device 1000 of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. In the description of the film cleaning systems 3500 and 4500 described below, a description of the film support and transport device 1000 will also be omitted.

The film cleaning device 200 is a device in which, instead of the porous members 130a and 130b of the film cleaning device 100 according to the first embodiment, a plurality of porous members 230a, a plurality of porous members 230b, a plurality of porous members 230c, and a plurality of porous members 230d are provided in the film facing portion 201. Like the porous members 130a and 130b, the porous members 230a, 230b, 230c, and 230d are each made of a porous material, and can be made of the same material as the porous material that makes up the porous members 130a and 130b.

In this embodiment, gas is sucked in between the film facing portion 201 and the film 10 through the air intake 121. Therefore, the film 10 is likely to come into contact with the film facing portion 201 at a position of the film 10 facing the air intake 121.
By arranging a plurality of porous members 230 b and a plurality of porous members 230 c along the air intake 121 , it is possible to effectively prevent the film 10 from coming into contact with the film facing portion 201 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the longitudinal direction of each of the porous members 230a, 230b, 230c, and 230d is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the intake port 121 and the longitudinal directions of the exhaust ports 111a and 111b. The porous members 230b are spaced apart from each other and arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the intake port 121 between the exhaust port 111a and the intake port 121. The porous members 230c are spaced apart from each other and arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the intake port 121 between the intake port 121 and the exhaust port 111b.

The multiple porous members 230a are spaced apart from one another and arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the gas outlet 111a. The multiple porous members 230d are spaced apart from one another and arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the gas outlet 111b.

In a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction D of the film 10, i.e., a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air intake 121, the total length Lp (230a) of the multiple porous members 230a in the same row is 50% or more of the length Ls of the air intake 121. Similarly, the total length Lp (230b) of the multiple porous members 230b, the total length Lp (230c) of the multiple porous members 230c, and the total length Lp (230d) of the multiple porous members 230d in the same row in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction D of the film 10 are each 50% or more of the length Ls of the air intake 121. The total length Lp (230a) of the multiple porous members 230a, the total length Lp (230b) of the multiple porous members 230b, the total length Lp (230c) of the multiple porous members 230c, and the total length Lp (230d) of the multiple porous members 230d are each preferably 80% or less, and more preferably 65% or less, of the length Ls of the intake port 121.

By providing multiple porous members 230b at a distance from each other, the degree to which the gas ejected from the porous members 230b interferes with the airflow from the nozzle 111a to the intake port 121 is reduced, and foreign matter can be efficiently taken in through the intake port 121. Similarly, by providing multiple porous members 230c at a distance from each other, the degree to which the gas ejected from the porous members 230c interferes with the airflow from the nozzle 111b to the intake port 121 is reduced, and foreign matter can be efficiently taken in through the intake port 121.

The multiple porous members 230b and the multiple porous members 230c are arranged so as to be alternately distributed on both sides of the short side of the intake port 121. When viewed from the film facing portion 201, the multiple porous members 230b and the multiple porous members 230c are arranged so as to have a positional relationship of point symmetry with the center point in the longitudinal direction of the intake port 121 as the center point, rather than a positional relationship of line symmetry with the longitudinal direction of the intake port 121 as the axis. As described above, the multiple porous members 230b are arranged at a distance from each other, and the multiple porous members 230c are arranged at a distance from each other, so that foreign matter can be efficiently taken in from the intake port 121. On the other hand, in the portion between the spaced porous members where the porous members 230b and 230c are not provided, the opposing film 10 is more likely to come into contact with the film facing portion 101 than in the portion where the porous members are provided. By arranging the multiple porous members 230b and the multiple porous members 230c so that they are alternately distributed on both sides of the air intake 121, it is possible to effectively prevent the film 10 from contacting the film facing portion 201 over the entire width direction of the film 10.

The multiple porous members 230a and the multiple porous members 230d are arranged so as to be alternately distributed on both sides of the short side of the blow hole 111a. The multiple porous members 230a and the multiple porous members 230b are arranged so as to be alternately distributed on both sides of the short side of the blow hole 111a. Furthermore, the multiple porous members 230c and the multiple porous members 230d are arranged so as to be alternately distributed on both sides of the short side of the blow hole 111b.

Therefore, in the transport direction D of the film 10, the multiple porous members 230a, 230b, 230c, and 230d, the intake port 121, and the exhaust ports 111a and 111b are arranged in the following order (1) or (2).
(1) Porous member 230a, blow hole 111a, intake port 121, porous member 230c, and blow hole 111b
(2) The gas outlet 111a, the porous member 230b, the intake port 121, the gas outlet 111b, and the porous member 230d

Arranging the multiple porous members 230a, 230b, 230c, and 230d alternately on both sides of the short side direction of the air outlets 111a and 111b or the air inlet 121 as described above has the following advantages.
A portion of the gas ejected from the gas outlet 111a is blown onto the film 10, and then is sucked into the gas intake 121 without being blocked by the flow of gas ejected from the porous member 230b. A portion of the gas ejected from the gas outlet 111a is blown onto the film 10 and flows in a direction away from the gas intake 121, but is blocked by the flow of gas ejected from the porous member 230a. This can increase the proportion of foreign matter contained in the gas that is sucked into and collected by the gas intake 121.
A portion of the gas ejected from the gas outlet 111b is blown onto the film 10 and then, without being blocked by the porous member 230c, is sucked into the gas inlet 121. A portion of the gas ejected from the gas outlet 111b is blown onto the film 10 and flows in a direction away from the gas inlet 121, but is blocked by the flow of gas ejected from the porous member 230d. This can increase the proportion of foreign matter contained in the gas that is sucked into the gas inlet 121 and collected.

[5. Third embodiment]
A film cleaning system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a cross section of a film cleaning system according to a third embodiment, taken in a direction parallel to the film transport direction.
FIG. 6 is a schematic bottom view of the film cleaning device according to the third embodiment, as viewed from the film facing portion side.

The film cleaning device 100 according to the first embodiment and the film cleaning device 200 according to the second embodiment are arranged in the order of the first gas exhaust chamber, the intake chamber, and the second gas exhaust chamber in the transport direction of the film 10, but the film cleaning device 300 according to the third embodiment is arranged in the order of the first intake chamber, the gas exhaust chamber, and the second intake chamber in the transport direction of the film 10. The same is true for the film cleaning device 400 according to the fourth embodiment described below.

The film cleaning system 3500 includes a film cleaning device 300 and a film support and transport device 1000. The film cleaning device 300 has a film facing portion 301 that faces the film 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the inside of the film cleaning device 300 is divided into a gas discharge chamber 310 and air intake chambers 320a and 320b. The gas discharge chamber 310 and the air intake chambers 320a and 320b are arranged in the order of the air intake chamber 320a, the gas discharge chamber 310, and the air intake chamber 320b in the transport direction of the film 10.

The intake chamber 320a is provided on the side of the film facing portion 301 with an intake port 321a that opens into the film facing portion 301. The intake port 320b is also provided on the side of the film facing portion 301 with an intake port 321b that opens into the film facing portion 301. As shown in FIG. 6, the intake ports 321a and 321b each extend in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10, and each has a continuous slit shape.

The gas discharge chamber 310 is provided on the side of the film facing portion 301 with air outlets 311 that open into the film facing portion 301. Each air outlet 311 extends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10, and has the shape of a single continuous slit.
Ultrasonic generators 312a and 312b are provided inside the gas discharge chamber 310 and near the gas ejection port 311. The ultrasonic generators 312a and 312b have the same functions as the ultrasonic generators 112a and 112b.

An air compressor (not shown) is connected to the gas discharge chamber 310 directly or via a flow rate adjusting means such as a valve. An air intake device (not shown) is connected to the air intake chambers 320a and 320b directly or via a flow rate adjusting means such as a valve.
As a result, gas is ejected from the gas ejection port 311 and sprayed onto the film 10 to which the foreign matter is attached, and the gas containing the foreign matter is sucked in through the gas intake ports 321a and 321b, removing the foreign matter from the film 10.

The film facing portion 301 is provided with porous members 330 a and 330 b that are connected to a compressed air device (not shown) and that eject gas toward the film 10 .
The porous members 330a and 330b are members formed from a porous material, similar to the porous members 130a and 130b, and can be formed from the same material as the porous material forming the porous members 130a and 130b.

As shown in FIG. 6, the porous members 330a and 330b extend in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10, and the longitudinal directions of the porous members 330a and 330b are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 311 and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air intakes 321a and 321b. The porous members 330a and 330b are provided in the intermediate portion 301M of the film facing portion 301 in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10. Here, the intermediate portion 301M is a portion that is between the ends 301E and 301E of the film facing portion 301 in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10, and includes the center 301C in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the film 10.

By providing the porous members 330a and 330b in the middle portion 301M, gas is ejected from the porous members 330a and 330b toward the widthwise center of the film 10, pushing back the widthwise center of the film 10 in particular toward the film support surface 1011. This effectively prevents the film 10 from coming into contact with the film facing portion 301.

The total length Lp of the porous members in the same row in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction D of the film 10, i.e., the length L330a of the porous member 330a and the length L330b of the porous member 330b in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction D of the film 10, are each 50% or more of the length Ls of the air intakes 321a and 321b. Here, the length of the air intake 321a and the length of the air intake 321b are formed to be equal. In another embodiment, the lengths L330a and L330b are each 60% or more, 70% or more, 80% or more, or 90% or more, and 100% or less, of the length Ls.
As a result, porous members 330 a and 330 b can push film 10 back toward film support surface 1011 over the entire width of film 10 , thereby effectively preventing film 10 from contacting film facing portion 301 .

In this embodiment, the air outlet 311 and the air intakes 321a and 321b are provided between the two porous members 330a and 330b, and are arranged in the order of the porous member 330a, the air intake 321a, the air outlet 311, the air intake 321b, and the porous member 330b in the transport direction D of the film 10 as viewed from the film facing portion 301. With this arrangement, the flow of gas ejected from the porous members 330a and 330b pushes back the foreign matter that has been blown off the surface 10U of the film 10 by the gas ejected from the air outlet 311 and carried to the vicinity of the porous members 330a and 330b to the air intakes 321a and 321b, preventing the foreign matter from scattering outside the film cleaning device 300. As a result, the percentage of foreign matter that is sucked into the air intakes 321a and 321b and collected can be increased.

[6. Fourth embodiment]
A film cleaning system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view that diagrammatically shows a cross section of a film cleaning system according to a fourth embodiment, taken in a direction parallel to the film transport direction.
FIG. 8 is a schematic bottom view of the film cleaning device according to the fourth embodiment, as viewed from the film facing portion side.

The film cleaning system 4500 includes a film cleaning device 400 and a film support and transport device 1000.

The film cleaning device 400 is a device in which, instead of the porous members 330a and 330b of the film cleaning device 300 according to the third embodiment, multiple porous members 430a, multiple porous members 430b, multiple porous members 430c, and multiple porous members 430d are provided in the film facing portion 401. Like the porous members 130a and 130b, the porous members 430a, 430b, 430c, and 430d are each made of a porous material, and can be made of the same material as the porous material that makes up the porous members 130a and 130b.

In this embodiment, gas is sucked from the air intakes 321a and 321b between the film facing portion 401 and the film 10. Therefore, the film 10 is likely to come into contact with the film facing portion 401 at the position of the film 10 facing the air intakes 321a and 321b.
By arranging a plurality of porous members 430b along the air intake 321a and arranging a plurality of porous members 430c along the air intake 321b, it is possible to effectively prevent the film 10 from coming into contact with the film facing portion 401.

As shown in FIG. 8, the longitudinal direction of each of the porous members 430a, 430b, 430c, and 430d is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the intake ports 321a and 321b and the longitudinal direction of the exhaust port 311. The porous members 430b are spaced apart from each other and arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the intake port 321a between the intake port 321a and the exhaust port 311. The porous members 430c are spaced apart from each other and arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the intake port 321b between the exhaust port 311 and the intake port 321b.

The multiple porous members 430a are spaced apart from one another and arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the air intake port 321a. The multiple porous members 430d are spaced apart from one another and arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the air intake port 321b.
Providing the plurality of porous members 430a or the plurality of porous members 430d so as to be spaced apart from each other has the following advantages.
The gas ejected from the plurality of porous members 430a or the plurality of porous members 430d can push the film 10 back toward the film support surface 1011 approximately uniformly over the entire width direction, so that it is possible to effectively prevent the film 10 from contacting the film facing portion 401 over the entire width direction of the film 10. Furthermore, the amount of compressed air used can be reduced compared to the case where only one porous member is provided continuously over the longitudinal direction of the air intake 321a or the air intake 321b.

In a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction D of the film 10, i.e., a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air intakes 321a and 321b, the total length Lp (430a) of the multiple porous members 430a in the same row is 50% or more of the length Ls of the air intakes 321a and 321b. Similarly, in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction D of the film 10, the total length Lp (430b) of the multiple porous members 430b, the total length Lp (430c) of the multiple porous members 430c, and the total length Lp (430d) of the multiple porous members 430d in the same row are each 50% or more of the length Ls of the air intakes 321a and 321b. The total length Lp (430a) of the multiple porous members 430a, the total length Lp (430b) of the multiple porous members 430b, the total length Lp (430c) of the multiple porous members 430c, and the total length Lp (430d) of the multiple porous members 430d are each preferably 80% or less, and more preferably 65% or less, of the length Ls of the intake ports 321a and 321b.

By providing multiple porous members 430b at a distance from each other, the degree to which the gas ejected from the porous members 430b interferes with the airflow from the gas ejection port 311 to the gas intake port 321a is reduced, and foreign matter can be efficiently taken in through the gas intake port 321a. Similarly, by providing multiple porous members 430c at a distance from each other, the degree to which the gas ejected from the porous members 430c interferes with the airflow from the gas ejection port 311 to the gas intake port 321b is reduced, and foreign matter can be efficiently taken in through the gas intake port 321b.

The multiple porous members 430b and the multiple porous members 430c are arranged so as to be alternately distributed on both sides of the short side of the blowout port 311. When viewed from the film facing portion 401, the multiple porous members 430b and the multiple porous members 430c are arranged so as to have a positional relationship of point symmetry with the center point in the longitudinal direction of the blowout port 311 as the center point, rather than a positional relationship of line symmetry with the longitudinal direction of the blowout port 311 as the axis. As described above, the multiple porous members 430b are arranged at a distance from each other, and the multiple porous members 430c are arranged at a distance from each other, so that foreign matter can be efficiently taken in from the intake ports 321a and 321b. On the other hand, in the portion between the spaced porous members where the porous members 430b and 430c are not provided, the opposing film 10 is more likely to come into contact with the film facing portion 401 than in the portion where the porous members are provided. By arranging the multiple porous members 430b and the multiple porous members 430c so that they are alternately distributed on both sides of the blowout port 311, it is possible to effectively prevent the film 10 from contacting the film facing portion 401 over the entire width direction of the film 10.

The multiple porous members 430a and the multiple porous members 430d are arranged so as to be alternately distributed on both sides of the short side of the blowout port 311. The multiple porous members 430a and the multiple porous members 430b are arranged so as to be alternately distributed on both sides of the short side of the intake port 321a. Furthermore, the multiple porous members 430c and the multiple porous members 430d are arranged so as to be alternately distributed on both sides of the short side of the intake port 321b.

Therefore, in the transport direction D of the film 10, the multiple porous members 430a, 430b, 430c, and 430d, the air intakes 321a and 321b, and the air outlet 311 are arranged in the following order (1) or (2).
(1) Porous member 430a, intake port 321a, blower port 311, porous member 430c, and intake port 321b
(2) Air intake 321a, porous member 430b, gas ejection port 311, air intake 321b, and porous member 430d

Arranging the multiple porous members 430a, 430b, 430c, and 430d alternately on both sides of the short side direction of the blower port 311 or the intake ports 321a and 321b as described above has the following advantages.
A portion of the gas ejected from the gas outlet 311 is blown onto the film 10, and then is sucked into the gas inlet 321a without being blocked by the flow of gas ejected from the porous member 430b. A portion of the gas ejected from the gas outlet 311 is blown onto the film 10, and then is sucked into the gas inlet 321b without being blocked by the flow of gas ejected from the porous member 430c. This can increase the proportion of foreign matter that is sucked into and collected by the gas inlets 321a and 321b.

7. Modification of the Fourth Embodiment
In the fourth embodiment, multiple porous members 430a, 430d are provided along the air intakes 321a, 321b, respectively. However, in a modified example, the multiple porous members 430a may be replaced by the porous members 330a of the third embodiment, and the multiple porous members 430d may be replaced by the porous members 330b of the third embodiment.
This allows the flow of gas ejected from the porous members 330a and 330b to push back the foreign matter carried to the vicinity of the porous members 330a and 330b to the intake ports 321a and 321b, preventing the foreign matter from scattering outside the film cleaning device. As a result, the rate at which the foreign matter is sucked into the intake ports 321a and 321b and collected can be increased.

10 Film 10U Surface 100 Film cleaning device 101 Film facing portion 101M Middle portion 101E End portion 101C Center 110a, 110b Gas discharge chamber 111a, 111b Air outlet 112a, 112b Ultrasonic generator 120 Air intake chamber 121 Air intake port 130a, 130b Porous member 200 Film cleaning device 201 Film facing portion 230a, 230b, 230c, 230d Porous member 300 Film cleaning device 301 Film facing portion 301M Middle portion 301E End portion 301C Center 310 Gas discharge chamber 311 Air outlet 312a, 312b Ultrasonic generator 320a, 320b Air intake chamber 321a, 321b Air intake 330a, 330b Porous member 400 Film cleaning device 401 Film facing portion 430a, 430b, 430c, 430d Porous member 1000 Film support transport device 1010 Film support member 1011 Film support surface 1020 Compressed air device 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500 Film cleaning system

Claims (10)

A film cleaning device for cleaning a film being transported, comprising:
the film cleaning device has a film facing portion that faces the film,
the film cleaning device includes a gas discharge chamber, an ultrasonic generator provided in the gas discharge chamber, a porous member provided in the film facing portion and connected to an air compressor to blow gas toward the film, and an air intake chamber;
the gas discharge chamber includes an air outlet opening in the film facing portion and extending in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the film,
the air intake chamber includes an air intake port that opens to the film facing portion and extends in a direction perpendicular to a transport direction of the film,
The film cleaning device includes at least two of the porous members, the longitudinal direction of the at least two of the porous members being parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air inlet, and the air outlet and the air inlet being provided between two of the at least two of the porous members .
Film cleaning device. 2. The film cleaning device of claim 1, comprising a plurality of said porous members, each of said plurality of porous members being arranged in a row between said air outlet and said air intake port, spaced apart from each other and along the longitudinal direction of said air intake port, and each of said plurality of porous members having a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of said air intake port and parallel to the longitudinal direction of said air outlet. A film cleaning device for cleaning a film being transported, comprising:
the film cleaning device has a film facing portion that faces the film,
the film cleaning device includes a gas discharge chamber, an ultrasonic generator provided in the gas discharge chamber, a porous member provided in the film facing portion and connected to an air compressor to blow gas toward the film, and an air intake chamber;
the gas discharge chamber includes an air outlet opening in the film facing portion and extending in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the film,
the air intake chamber includes an air intake port that opens to the film facing portion and extends in a direction perpendicular to a transport direction of the film,
The film cleaning device includes a plurality of the porous members, each of the plurality of porous members being provided between the air outlet and the air intake port, spaced apart from one another and arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the air intake port, and the longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of porous members being parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air intake port and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet .
Film cleaning device. The film cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the porous member is provided in a middle portion of the film facing portion in a direction perpendicular to the film transport direction, and the longitudinal direction of the porous member is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the air intake. The film cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the total length Lp of the porous member in the direction perpendicular to the film transport direction is 50% or more of the length Ls of the air intake. The film cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the gas discharge chamber has two of the air outlets, the air intake chamber has one of the air outlets, and one of the air outlets is provided between the two air outlets. The film cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the gas discharge chamber has one of the air outlets, the air intake chamber has two of the air intakes, and one of the air outlets is provided between the two air intakes. A film cleaning system comprising the film cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and a film support and transport device that supports and transports the film. The film cleaning system of claim 8, wherein the film support conveying device includes a film support member having a film support surface formed of a perforated material, and an air pressure device connected to the film support member. The film cleaning system of claim 9, wherein the film support surface of the film support member is formed of a porous material.

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