JP7708718B2 - Environmental Test Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an environmental testing device equipped with a test chamber, a high-temperature chamber, and a low-temperature chamber.

As disclosed in the following Patent Document 1, an environmental test device is known that includes a test chamber having a test area, a high-temperature chamber that generates hot air, and a low-temperature chamber that generates cold air, and is capable of performing high-temperature exposure in which a sample is exposed to a high-temperature environment and low-temperature exposure in which a sample is exposed to a low-temperature environment. In this type of environmental test device, as shown in FIG. 9, a high-temperature chamber 92 is adjacent to one side of a test chamber 91 having a test area TA in which a sample is placed, and a low-temperature chamber 93 is adjacent to the other side of the test chamber 91. During high-temperature exposure, air is heated in the high-temperature chamber 92 while circulating heated air between the space in the high-temperature chamber 92 and the test area TA, and during low-temperature exposure, air is cooled in the low-temperature chamber 93 while circulating cooled air between the space in the low-temperature chamber 93 and the test area TA. This allows the sample placed in the test area TA to be alternately placed in a high-temperature environment and a low-temperature environment.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1-274039

The insulating wall 94 separating the low-temperature chamber 93 and the test chamber 91 is formed with an inlet 94a for introducing low-temperature air from the low-temperature chamber 93 and an outlet 94b for discharging air from the test area TA into the low-temperature chamber 93. During exposure to low temperatures, an airflow is generated in the test area TA from the inlet 94a toward the outlet 94b. For this reason, there is a risk of temperature unevenness occurring between the vicinity of the inlet 94a and the vicinity of the outlet 94b in the test area TA during exposure to low temperatures.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional technology, and its purpose is to prevent temperature unevenness from occurring between the vicinity of the inlet and the vicinity of the outlet in the test area during low-temperature exposure.

To achieve the above object, the environmental testing device of the present invention comprises a test tank having a test area, a high-temperature tank for heating air for heating the test area, a low-temperature tank for cooling air for cooling the test area, an airflow generating unit for generating an airflow in the test area from an inlet for introducing cooling air from the low-temperature tank to the test area toward an outlet for discharging air from the test area to the low-temperature tank, and a wall surface cooling means for flowing a cooling gas so that an area of the wall surface partitioning the test area that is closer to the outlet than the inlet is cooled more than an area closer to the inlet than the outlet.

In the environmental testing device according to the present invention, the airflow generated by the airflow generating unit is an airflow in the direction from the inlet to the outlet in the test area. Therefore, during low-temperature exposure in which cooling air is introduced from the low-temperature tank into the test area, the cooling air introduced from the inlet into the test area flows from the inlet to the outlet. For this reason, without the wall cooling means, the area near the inlet in the test area is more likely to be cooled than the area near the outlet. Therefore, by providing a wall cooling means that flows a cooling gas so that the area of the wall surface that divides the test area that is closer to the outlet than the inlet is cooled more than the area closer to the inlet than the outlet, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a difference in the degree of cooling between the area near the outlet and the area near the inlet in the test area. Moreover, since the wall cooling means cools the wall surface of the test area, the air in the test area is cooled accordingly as the wall surface is cooled. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness in the air in the test area during low-temperature exposure.

The wall cooling means may be configured to flow the cooling gas in a direction from the outlet to the inlet along the wall that defines the test area.

In this embodiment, the wall surface cooling means causes the cooling gas to flow in the direction from the outlet to the inlet along the wall surface that defines the test area, so that the cooling gas that has cooled the area of the wall surface near the outlet cools the area near the inlet. Therefore, even if the cooling air introduced from the inlet into the test area during low-temperature exposure flows from the inlet to the outlet, the area of the wall surface near the outlet can be cooled more than the area near the inlet, so that it is possible to prevent temperature unevenness in the air in the test area during low-temperature exposure.

The wall cooling means may be disposed around the periphery of the test area in at least a region closer to the outlet than the inlet, and may include a gas jacket through which the cooling gas flows.

In this embodiment, as the cooling gas flows through the gas jacket, the area of the wall defining the test area that is closer to the outlet than to the inlet is cooled more than the area that is closer to the inlet than to the outlet.

The gas jacket may have an inlet for allowing the cooling gas to flow into the gas jacket. In this case, the inlet may be located closer to the outlet than the inlet.

In this embodiment, the cooling gas before cooling the wall surface flows into the gas jacket through an inlet that is closer to the outlet than the inlet. Therefore, the area of the wall surface that defines the test area that is closer to the outlet than the inlet is cooled more.

The gas jacket may have an outlet for discharging the cooling gas from within the gas jacket to the test area. In this case, the outlet may be located at least closer to the inlet than the outlet.

In this embodiment, when the cooling gas flows from the inlet to the outlet inside the gas jacket, the cooling gas flows from the outlet side to the inlet side. Therefore, the area of the wall surface that defines the test area that is closer to the outlet than to the inlet is cooled more.

The wall surface cooling means may include a wind guide plate that causes the cooling gas to flow along the wall surface in a direction from the outlet to the inlet.

In this embodiment, the presence of the air guide plate causes the cooling gas to flow from the outlet to the inlet along the wall surface that defines the test area, so that the cooling gas that has cooled the area of the wall surface near the outlet cools the area near the inlet. Therefore, the area of the wall surface near the outlet can be cooled more than the area near the inlet, making it possible to prevent uneven air temperatures in the test area during low-temperature exposure.

The wall surface cooling means may be disposed in thermal contact with or along the wall surface at least in a region closer to the outlet than the inlet, and may include a heat transfer tube through which the cooling gas flows.

In this embodiment, as the cooling gas flows through the heat transfer tube, the area of the wall defining the test area that is closer to the outlet than to the inlet is cooled more than the area that is closer to the inlet than to the outlet.

The test area may be provided with an exhaust port that uses the cooling gas to exhaust the air in the test area to the outside.

In this embodiment, when the air temperature in the test area is high due to high-temperature exposure, in which heated air obtained in the high-temperature chamber is introduced into the test area, and the test area is transitioned to low-temperature exposure, in which cooled air obtained in the low-temperature chamber is introduced into the test area, the high-temperature air can be discharged from the exhaust port by the cooling gas. Therefore, the cooling load in the low-temperature chamber can be reduced compared to a configuration in which high-temperature air flows into the low-temperature chamber when low-temperature exposure begins.

The exhaust port may be opened between a high-temperature exposure, which introduces heated air obtained in the high-temperature chamber into the test area, and a low-temperature exposure, which introduces cooled air obtained in the low-temperature chamber into the test area.

In this manner, the high-temperature air in the test area during high-temperature exposure is discharged to the outside before low-temperature exposure is performed, shortening the time it takes to transition from high-temperature exposure to low-temperature exposure.

The wall cooling means may spray the cooling gas onto an area of the wall defining the test area that is closer to the outlet than the inlet.

In this embodiment, the cooling gas is sprayed onto an area of the wall surface that defines the test area that is closer to the outlet than the inlet, and the area is cooled by the cooling gas. Therefore, even if the cooling air introduced into the test area from the inlet flows from the inlet toward the outlet during low-temperature exposure, it is possible to prevent the area of the wall surface near the outlet from being difficult to cool. As a result, it is possible to prevent uneven air temperature in the test area during low-temperature exposure.

As described above, the present invention can prevent temperature unevenness from occurring between the vicinity of the inlet and the vicinity of the outlet in the test area during low-temperature exposure.

1 is a diagram illustrating an environmental testing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a diagram for explaining a flow of a cooling gas in the environmental testing device according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an environmental testing device according to a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an environmental testing device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an environmental testing device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an environmental testing device according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an environmental testing device according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an environmental testing device according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional environmental test device.

The following describes in detail the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
1, an environmental testing device 10 according to this embodiment includes a test chamber 12 that defines a test area TA, a high-temperature chamber 14 for raising the temperature inside the test area TA, and a low-temperature chamber 16 for lowering the temperature inside the test area TA. This environmental testing device 10 is configured as a thermal shock testing device that exposes a sample placed in the test area TA alternately to low-temperature air and high-temperature air, thereby applying a thermal load to the sample.

The high temperature chamber 14 is adjacent to the upper side of the test area TA, and the low temperature chamber 16 is adjacent to the lower side of the test area TA, but the positional relationship between the high temperature chamber 14, the test area TA, and the low temperature chamber 16 is not limited to this. In short, it is sufficient that the high temperature chamber 14 and the low temperature chamber 16 are adjacent to the test area TA.

The test chamber 12, the high temperature chamber 14, and the low temperature chamber 16 are formed hollow by insulating walls. The insulating walls include a high temperature side partition wall 21 that separates the high temperature chamber 14 from the test chamber 12, and a low temperature side partition wall 22 that separates the low temperature chamber 16 from the test chamber 12. That is, the high temperature side partition wall 21 is an insulating wall that forms one side (top surface) of the test chamber 12, and the low temperature side partition wall 22 is an insulating wall that forms the other side (bottom surface) of the test chamber 12 that faces the one side.

The high-temperature side partition wall 21 is provided with an inlet (high-temperature inlet 21a) and an outlet (high-temperature outlet 21b) for connecting the test area TA to the space inside the high-temperature chamber 14. The high-temperature inlet 21a and the high-temperature outlet 21b are each opened and closed by a damper 24. Note that while FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which the damper 24 is disposed inside the high-temperature chamber 14, the damper 24 may also be disposed in the test area TA.

The low-temperature side partition wall 22 is provided with an inlet (low-temperature inlet 22a) and an outlet (low-temperature outlet 22b) for connecting the test area TA to the space inside the low-temperature chamber 16. The low-temperature inlet 22a and the low-temperature outlet 22b are each opened and closed by a damper 24. Note that while FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which the damper 24 is disposed inside the low-temperature chamber 16, the damper 24 may also be disposed in the test area TA.

In the high-temperature chamber 14, a heater 26 for heating the air and a blower 27 for circulating the heated air between the high-temperature chamber 14 and the test area TA are provided. In the low-temperature chamber 16, a cooler 28 for cooling the air, an auxiliary heater 29, a dehumidifier 30, and a blower 31 for circulating the cooled air between the low-temperature chamber 16 and the test area TA are provided. When the blower 31 of the low-temperature chamber 16 is operated, the cooled air in the low-temperature chamber 16 is blown out from the low-temperature inlet 22a to the test area TA, and an airflow is generated in the test area TA from the low-temperature inlet 22a to the low-temperature outlet 22b. In other words, the blower 31 arranged in the low-temperature chamber 16 functions as an airflow generating unit 33 that generates an airflow in the test area TA that flows from the low-temperature inlet 22a to the low-temperature outlet 22b.

The test area TA is provided with a gas jacket 35 that forms a flow space FS through which the cooling gas flows. The gas jacket 35 is disposed within the test area TA so as to be aligned with the insulating wall 37 that divides the test area TA. In other words, the gas jacket 35 is disposed on the periphery of the test area TA.

The gas jacket 35 forms a flow space FS between itself and the insulating wall 37. That is, the gas jacket 35 is arranged to form a gap of a predetermined width between itself and the insulating wall 37. Therefore, when the cooling gas flows through the flow space FS, the cooling gas flows through the flow space FS while coming into contact with the insulating wall 37.

The gas jacket 35 is formed in a rectangular box shape with one side open. Specifically, the gas jacket 35 is formed to follow the top, bottom, left and right side surfaces, and rear side surface of the wall surface 37a of the heat insulating wall 37 that divides the test area TA and faces the test area TA. On the other hand, the gas jacket 35 does not follow the front surface of the wall surface 37a that divides the test area TA, where a door (not shown) for opening and closing the test area TA is provided. In other words, the front surface, which is the front side of FIG. 1, is provided with a door for opening the test area TA to insert and remove samples, so the gas jacket 35 does not have a portion that follows the side wall on the front side of the test chamber 12. Note that, if the door is provided only on a part of the front side, the gas jacket 35 may also be provided on the side wall on the front side other than the door.

The gas jacket 35 has communication holes 35a at positions corresponding to the high temperature inlet 21a, the high temperature outlet 21b, the low temperature inlet 22a, and the low temperature outlet 22b so as not to block these. The communication hole 35a corresponding to the high temperature inlet 21a penetrates the gas jacket 35 in the thickness direction so as to connect the test area TA and the high temperature inlet 21a to each other. The other communication holes 35a are similarly formed to penetrate the gas jacket 35 in the thickness direction.

A gas source 39 for introducing a cooling gas into the flow space FS is connected to the gas jacket 35. The gas source 39 has a tank 39a in which the cooling gas is stored, a pipe 39b connected to the tank 39a, and a valve 39c provided on the pipe 39b. For example, liquid nitrogen gas or liquid carbon dioxide gas is used as the cooling gas. Note that, when the test area TA is heated to a temperature much higher than room temperature during high-temperature exposure in which high-temperature air is supplied from the high-temperature tank 14 to expose the sample to high temperature, air may be used as the cooling gas. In this case, the gas source 39 may have a pipe 39b connected to the gas jacket 35 and a blower (not shown) that blows air into the pipe 39b.

The pipe 39b penetrates the insulating wall 37 that divides the test area TA, and the tip of the pipe 39b opens into the flow space FS. The part where the tip of the pipe 39b opens becomes an inlet 35b that flows the cooling gas into the gas jacket 35. This inlet 35b is located closer to the low-temperature outlet 22b than the low-temperature inlet 22a. More specifically, the inlet 35b is located in the insulating wall 37 that constitutes the left side surface of the test area TA in FIG. 1. Note that a plurality of inlets 35b that flow the cooling gas into the gas jacket 35 may be provided. Also, the inlet 35b does not have to be provided in the insulating wall 37 that constitutes the left side surface in FIG. 1. In other words, the inlet 35b should be positioned so that, as the cooling gas circulates within the gas jacket 35, the area of the wall surface 37a defining the test area TA that is closer to the outlets 21b, 22b than the inlets 21a, 22a is cooled preferentially over the area that is closer to the inlets 21a, 22a than the outlets 21b, 22b.

The gas jacket 35 is also provided with an outlet 35c that allows the cooling gas that has flowed through the flow space FS to flow out into the test area TA. The outlet 35c is located closer to the low-temperature inlet 22a than the low-temperature outlet 22b. More specifically, the outlet 35c is located on the right side in FIG. 1 of the wall surface 37a that defines the test area TA, that is, on the side opposite to the side on which the inlet 35b is located. In the flow space FS, the cooling gas flows from the inlet 35b toward the outlet 35c.

The outlet 35c may be located not only on the right side of the wall 37a in FIG. 1, but also on the top, bottom, and rear side. As long as the outlet 35c is located closer to the low-temperature inlet 22a than the low-temperature outlet 22b, it may be located on the top, bottom, and rear side, rather than on the right side. The number of outlets 35c is not limited to one, and multiple outlets may be provided. The outlet 35c does not need to open into the test area TA, and may open so as to discharge the cooling gas to the outside of the test chamber 12 through the insulating wall 37, for example.

The introduction of the cooling gas into the circulation space FS is performed, for example, during low-temperature exposure, when the cooling air obtained in the low-temperature chamber 16 is introduced into the test area TA. That is, the valve 39c of the gas source 39 is opened during low-temperature exposure. During low-temperature exposure, as shown in FIG. 2, the low-temperature inlet 22a and the low-temperature outlet 22b are opened by the damper 24, and the high-temperature inlet 21a and the high-temperature outlet 21b are closed by the damper 24. Therefore, the cooling air blown out from the blower 31 in the low-temperature chamber 16 is introduced into the test area TA through the low-temperature inlet 22a, and this cooling air flows from the region on the right side of the figure where the low-temperature inlet 22a is located to the region on the left side of the figure where the low-temperature outlet 22b is located. Therefore, in the low-temperature side partition wall 22 and the high-temperature side partition wall 21, the left side of the figure tends to be slightly more difficult to cool than the right side of the figure.

On the other hand, the cooling gas supplied from the gas source 39 to the flow space FS in the gas jacket 35 flows in the flow space FS in the direction from the inlet 35b to the outlet 35c. Since the inlet 35b is located near the low-temperature outlet 22b and the outlet 35c is located near the low-temperature inlet 22a, the cooling gas flows along the wall surface 37a (the high-temperature side partition wall 21 and the low-temperature side partition wall 22) that divides the test area TA in the direction from the outlets 21b, 22b to the inlets 21a, 22a. At this time, the cooling gas flows while cooling the wall surface 37a, so that the temperature gradually rises. As a result, the area of the low-temperature side partition wall 22 that is closer to the low-temperature outlet 22b than the low-temperature inlet 22a is cooled more than the area that is closer to the low-temperature inlet 22a than the low-temperature outlet 22b. In addition, since the positional relationship between the low-temperature inlet 22a and the low-temperature outlet 22b is the same as the positional relationship between the high-temperature inlet 21a and the high-temperature outlet 21b, the area of the high-temperature side partition wall 21 closer to the high-temperature outlet 21b than the high-temperature inlet 21a is cooled more than the area closer to the high-temperature inlet 21a than the high-temperature outlet 21b. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness in the air in the test area TA during low-temperature exposure. In other words, the gas jacket 35 functions as a wall surface cooling means 41 that flows a cooling gas so that the area of the wall surface 37a that divides the test area TA closer to the low-temperature outlet 22b than the low-temperature inlet 22a is cooled more than the area closer to the low-temperature inlet 22a than the low-temperature outlet 22b.

The introduction of cooling gas may be performed at the stage of transition from high-temperature exposure, in which heated air obtained in the high-temperature tank 14 is introduced into the test area TA, to low-temperature exposure. At this transition, all dampers 24 are closed, so no airflow occurs in the test area TA. However, during the subsequent low-temperature exposure, the left-hand side of the low-temperature side partition wall 22 and the high-temperature side partition wall 21 in the figure tends to be slightly harder to cool than the right-hand side, so by preferentially cooling the areas on the outlet ports 21b and 22b side, it is possible to prevent temperature unevenness in the test area TA during low-temperature exposure.

As described above, in this embodiment, the airflow generated by the blower 31 of the low-temperature chamber 16 flows from the inlets 21a, 22a to the outlets 21b, 22b in the test area TA. Therefore, during low-temperature exposure when cooling air is introduced from the low-temperature chamber 16 to the test area TA, the cooling air introduced from the low-temperature inlet 22a into the test area TA flows from the low-temperature inlet 22a to the low-temperature outlet 22b. For this reason, without the wall cooling means 41, the area near the inlets 21a, 22a in the test area TA is more likely to be cooled than the area near the outlets 21b, 22b. Therefore, by providing the wall cooling means 41, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a difference in the degree of cooling between the area near the outlets 21b, 22b and the area near the inlets 21a, 22a in the test area TA. Moreover, because the wall surface cooling means 41 cools the wall surface 37a of the test area TA, the air in the test area TA is cooled accordingly as the wall surface 37a is cooled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent temperature unevenness in the air in the test area TA from occurring during low-temperature exposure.

In addition, in this embodiment, the wall surface cooling means 41 flows the cooling gas in the direction from the outlets 21b, 22b toward the inlets 21a, 22a along the wall surface 37a that defines the test area TA, so that the cooling gas that has cooled the area of the wall surface 37a near the outlets 21b, 22b cools the area near the inlets 21a, 22a. Therefore, even if the cooling air introduced into the test area TA from the low-temperature inlet 22a flows from the low-temperature inlet 22a toward the low-temperature outlet 22b during low-temperature exposure, the area of the wall surface 37a near the outlets 21b, 22b can be cooled more than the area near the inlets 21a, 22a, so that the occurrence of temperature unevenness in the air in the test area TA during low-temperature exposure can be suppressed.

In addition, in this embodiment, as the cooling gas flows through the gas jacket 35, the area of the wall surface 37a that defines the test area TA, which is closer to the outlets 21b, 22b than the inlets 21a, 22a, is cooled more than the area closer to the inlets 21a, 22a than the outlets 21b, 22b.

In this embodiment, the positional relationship between the low-temperature inlet 22a and the low-temperature outlet 22b is the same as the positional relationship between the high-temperature inlet 21a and the high-temperature outlet 21b, but the positional relationship between the low-temperature inlet 22a and the low-temperature outlet 22b may be the opposite of the positional relationship between the high-temperature inlet 21a and the high-temperature outlet 21b. That is, the high-temperature inlet 21a may be located on the left side of FIG. 1, and the high-temperature outlet 21b may be located on the right side of FIG. 1. Even in this case, the cooling gas flows in the gas jacket 35 from the low-temperature outlet 22b side toward the low-temperature inlet 22a side, so that the area near the low-temperature outlet 22b in the low-temperature side partition wall 22 and the high-temperature side partition wall 21 can be further cooled.

In this embodiment, the gas jacket 35 is provided over the entire range of the low-temperature side partition wall 22 and the high-temperature side partition wall 21, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the gas jacket 35 may be formed to be large enough to be disposed near the low-temperature outlet 22b, but not to extend to the vicinity of the low-temperature inlet 22a. In this case, the outlet 35c opens toward the side of the test chamber 12 on the low-temperature inlet 22a side at the end of the gas jacket 35 on the low-temperature inlet 22a side. Therefore, the cooling gas that flows through the flow space FS in the gas jacket 35 flows along the wall surface 37a in the direction toward the low-temperature inlet 22a. Even in this case, the areas near the outlets 21b, 22b in the low-temperature side partition wall 22 and the high-temperature side partition wall 21 can be cooled more than the areas near the inlets 21a, 22a. The outlet 35c does not need to open toward the side of the test chamber 12 on the low-temperature inlet 22a side, but may open toward the center of the test area TA at the end of the gas jacket 35 on the low-temperature inlet 22a side.

Second Embodiment
4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The environmental testing device 10 of the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the test chamber 12 is provided with an exhaust port 43. The exhaust port 43 is an opening for discharging the air in the test area TA to the outside of the test chamber 12, and is provided in the insulating wall 37 that constitutes the side opposite the outlet 35c in the gas jacket 35, among the insulating walls 37 that divide the test area TA. Therefore, when the cooling gas flows out from the gas jacket 35 into the test area TA, the cooling gas discharges the air in the test area TA to the outside.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when transitioning from a high temperature state in the test area TA due to high temperature exposure in which heated air obtained in the high temperature chamber 14 is introduced into the test area TA to low temperature exposure in which cooled air obtained in the low temperature chamber 16 is introduced into the test area TA, the high temperature air can be discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 43 by the cooling gas. Therefore, the cooling load in the low temperature chamber 16 can be reduced compared to a configuration in which high temperature air flows into the low temperature chamber 16 when low temperature exposure begins.

In FIG. 4, the pipe 39b connected to the tank 39a is bifurcated, but this is not limited to the configuration. As in the first embodiment, the pipe 39b may be connected to the gas jacket 35 without being bifurcated.

The other configurations, actions, and effects will not be described here, but the explanation of the first embodiment can be applied to the second embodiment.

Third Embodiment
5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, a gas supplied from a gas source 39 separate from the cooling air obtained in the low-temperature tank 16 is used as the cooling gas, whereas in the third embodiment, the cooling air obtained in the low-temperature tank 16 is used as the cooling gas, which is different from the first embodiment. Since the cooling air is used as the cooling gas, the timing for flowing the cooling gas into the flow space FS of the gas jacket 35 is when the high-temperature exposure is transitioning to the low-temperature exposure.

The gas jacket 35 is formed in a square tube shape so as to form a space (flow space FS) between the high-temperature side partition wall 21 and the low-temperature side partition wall 22, and the outlet 35c of the gas jacket 35 opens at one end in the tube axis direction. The outlet 35c is located at a position closer to the inlets 21a and 22a than the outlets 21b and 22b in the high-temperature side partition wall 21 and the low-temperature side partition wall 22. The inlet 35b of the gas jacket 35 is located at a position closer to the outlets 21b and 22b than the inlets 21a and 22a in the high-temperature side partition wall 21 and the low-temperature side partition wall 22. A damper 45 is also provided to open and close the inlet 35b. In addition, when the gas jacket 35 extends to the side surface of the low-temperature inlet 22a side of the test chamber 12, the outlet 35c may be located adjacent to the side surface of the inlets 21a and 22a side of the test chamber 12, as in the configuration of FIG. 1. Additionally, an auxiliary blower 46 is provided at the inlet 35b to assist the airflow, but the auxiliary blower 46 can be omitted.

In this configuration, the cooling air (cooling gas) sent out from the blower 31 in the low-temperature chamber 16 flows into the flow space FS of the gas jacket 35 through the inlet 35b located near the low-temperature outlet 22b, and flows out into the test area TA through the outlet 35c located near the inlets 21a, 22a. This allows the area of the wall surface 37a that defines the test area TA, which is closer to the outlets 21b, 22b than the inlets 21a, 22a, to be cooled preferentially. Moreover, unlike the first embodiment, the gas source 39 is not required.

Note that the explanation of other configurations, actions, and effects will be omitted, but the explanations of the first and second embodiments can be applied to the third embodiment.

Fourth Embodiment
6 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, the wall cooling means 41 is provided with a gas jacket 35 that forms a flow space FS through which the cooling gas flows, whereas in the fourth embodiment, the wall cooling means 41 does not form a clear flow space FS but is provided with an air guide plate 48 that guides the cooling gas in a predetermined direction. The air guide plate 48 guides the cooling gas introduced into the test area TA through the inlet 37b, which is an opening at the end of the pipe 39b in the insulating wall 37.

The air guide plate 48 is made of a plate-like member bent into a predetermined shape, and has a low-temperature side guide portion 48a that guides the cooling gas from the inlet 37b, which introduces the cooling gas from the piping 39b of the gas source 39 into the test area TA, toward the low-temperature outlet 22b of the low-temperature side partition wall 22. The air guide plate 48 also has a high-temperature side guide portion 48b that guides the cooling gas from the inlet 37b toward the high-temperature outlet 21b of the high-temperature side partition wall 21.

Due to the presence of the low-temperature side guide 48a, part of the cooling gas flows from the low-temperature outlet 22b side to the low-temperature inlet 22a side along the low-temperature side partition wall 22 in the test area TA. In addition, due to the presence of the high-temperature side guide 48b, the other part of the cooling gas flows from the high-temperature outlet 21b side to the high-temperature inlet 21a side along the high-temperature side partition wall 21 in the test area TA.

In addition, holes may be formed in the low-temperature side guide portion 48a of the air guide plate 48 so as not to impede the air in the test area TA from moving toward the low-temperature outlet 22b during low-temperature exposure. In addition, holes may be formed in the high-temperature side guide portion 48b of the air guide plate 48 so as not to impede the air in the test area TA from moving toward the high-temperature outlet 21b during high-temperature exposure.

In this embodiment, due to the presence of the air guide plate 48, the cooling gas flows from the outlets 21b, 22b toward the inlets 21a, 22a along the wall surface 37a that defines the test area TA, so that the cooling gas that has cooled the area of the wall surface 37a near the outlets 21b, 22b cools the area near the inlets 21a, 22a. Therefore, since the area of the wall surface 37a near the outlets 21b, 22b can be cooled more than the area near the inlets 21a, 22a, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness in the air in the test area TA during low-temperature exposure.

Note that the explanation of other configurations, actions, and effects will be omitted, but the explanations of the first to third embodiments can be applied to the fourth embodiment.

Fifth Embodiment
7 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the fifth embodiment, the wall surface cooling means 41 includes a heat transfer tube 50 through which cooling gas flows. The heat transfer tube 50 is disposed in the insulating wall 37 that divides the top, bottom, and rear (rear side in FIG. 7) sides and left and right sides (left and right sides in FIG. 7) of the test area TA, and is in thermal contact with the wall surface 37a that divides the test area TA. That is, the heat transfer tube 50 is routed within the insulating wall 37 so as to run along the wall surface 37a that divides the test area TA. Note that a portion of the heat transfer tube 50 does not need to be in thermal contact with the wall surface 37a.

The heat transfer tube 50 is connected to the pipe 39b at the insulating wall 37 on the side closer to the low temperature outlet 22b, and is opened as an outlet 50a for discharging the cooling gas into the test area TA at the insulating wall 37 on the side closer to the low temperature inlet 22a. The connection port between the heat transfer tube 50 and the pipe 39b functions as an inlet 50b for allowing the cooling gas to flow into the heat transfer tube 50. The outlet 50a does not have to open into the test area TA. In this case, the heat transfer tube 50 may be configured to be drawn to the outside of the test chamber 12 through the insulating wall 37 and to discharge the cooling gas outside the test chamber 12.

The heat transfer tube 50 is formed to meander on the top, bottom and rear side. Therefore, the cooling gas flows through the heat transfer tube 50 from a region closer to the outlets 21b, 22b than the inlets 21a, 22a, to a region closer to the inlets 21a, 22a than the outlets 21b, 22b, while meandering toward the front and back of FIG. 7. Therefore, as the cooling gas flows through the heat transfer tube 50, the region of the wall surface 37a that defines the test area TA that is closer to the outlets 21b, 22b than the inlets 21a, 22a is cooled more than the region closer to the inlets 21a, 22a than the outlets 21b, 22b.

As shown in FIG. 7, the heat transfer tube 50 is provided along the wall surface 37a except for the side surface on the front side, but it is not necessary to provide it over the entire surface. For example, the heat transfer tube 50 may be provided along the left side surface on which the inlet 50b is provided, and may be provided on the wall surface 37a in an area closer to the outlets 21b, 22b than the inlets 21a, 22a on the top, bottom, and back side surfaces. In other words, the heat transfer tube 50 may be provided at least in an area closer to the outlets 21b, 22b than the inlets 21a, 22a on the wall surface 37a that defines the test area TA. The heat transfer tube 50 does not have to be serpentine. For example, the heat transfer tube 50 may be branched into multiple parts at the upper edge, lower edge, and back edge of the left side surface on which the inlet 50b is provided, and multiple heat transfer tubes 50 may extend along the top, bottom, and back side surfaces.

In addition, the heat transfer tube 50 may not be provided inside the insulating wall 37, but may be arranged outside the insulating wall 37 (inside the test area TA) so as to run along the wall surface 37a. When the heat transfer tube 50 is arranged inside the test area TA, it is desirable that the heat transfer tube 50 be in thermal contact with the wall surface 37a, but a part or all of the heat transfer tube 50 may not be in thermal contact with the wall surface 37a.

Other configurations, actions, and effects will not be described here, but the explanations of the first to fourth embodiments can be applied to the fifth embodiment.

Sixth Embodiment
8 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The sixth embodiment differs from the first to fifth embodiments in that the wall surface cooling means 41 has a nozzle 52 that sprays cooling gas.

The pipe 39b of the gas source 39 penetrates the insulating wall 37 of the test chamber 12 and extends into the test area TA. A nozzle 52 is provided at the tip of this pipe 39b. The nozzle 52 is positioned so as to spray the cooling gas onto an area of the low-temperature side partition wall 22 that is closer to the low-temperature outlet 22b than the low-temperature inlet 22a.

The nozzle 52 may be positioned to blow the cooling gas from the area close to the low-temperature outlet 22b toward the area close to the low-temperature inlet 22a. Although not shown in the figure, a nozzle 52 may be added to blow the cooling gas toward the high-temperature side partition wall 21.

In this embodiment, the cooling gas is sprayed onto the area of the wall surface 37a that defines the test area TA that is closer to the low-temperature outlet 22b than the low-temperature inlet 22a, and the area is cooled by the cooling gas. That is, the wall surface cooling means 41 is configured to cool the area of the wall surface 37a that is closer to the outlets 21b and 22b more than the area of the wall surface 37a that is closer to the inlets 21a and 22a. Therefore, even if the cooling air introduced into the test area TA from the low-temperature inlet 22a flows from the low-temperature inlet 22a toward the low-temperature outlet 22b during low-temperature exposure, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the area of the wall surface 37a near the low-temperature outlet 22b is difficult to cool. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness in the air in the test area TA during low-temperature exposure.

Note that the explanation of other configurations, actions, and effects will be omitted, but the explanations of the first to fifth embodiments can be applied to the sixth embodiment. In the first to fifth embodiments, a plurality of inlets 35b, 37b, 50b may be provided. In this case, the flow rate of the cooling gas flowing to each inlet 35b, 37b, 50b may be controlled. In this case, a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the wall surface 37a may be provided, and the flow rate may be controlled according to the detection value of this temperature sensor.

Reference Signs List 10: Environmental test device 12: Test chamber 14: High temperature chamber 16: Low temperature chamber 21a: High temperature inlet 21b: High temperature outlet 22a: Low temperature inlet 22b: Low temperature outlet 33: Air flow generating section 35: Gas jacket 35b: Inlet 35c: Outlet 37: Insulating wall 37a: Wall surface 41: Wall surface cooling means 43: Outlet 48: Air guide plate 50: Heat transfer tube TA: Test area

Claims (10)

a test chamber having a test area;
a high temperature chamber for heating air for heating the test area;
a cryostat for cooling air for cooling the test area;
an airflow generating unit that generates an airflow in the test area from an inlet that introduces cooling air from the low temperature chamber to the test area toward an outlet that discharges air from the test area to the low temperature chamber;
a wall surface cooling means for allowing a cooling gas to flow so that a region of a wall surface partitioning the test area that is closer to the outlet than the inlet is cooled more than a region that is closer to the inlet than the outlet;
Equipped with an environmental test device. The environmental testing device according to claim 1, wherein the wall cooling means is configured to flow the cooling gas in a direction from the outlet to the inlet along the wall that defines the test area. The environmental testing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wall cooling means is disposed on the periphery of the test area in at least an area closer to the outlet than the inlet, and is provided with a gas jacket through which the cooling gas flows. the gas jacket has an inlet for allowing the cooling gas to flow into the gas jacket,
The environmental testing device according to claim 3 , wherein the inlet is located closer to the outlet than the inlet. the gas jacket has an outlet for allowing the cooling gas to flow from within the gas jacket to the test area;
The environmental testing device according to claim 4 , wherein the outlet is located closer to the inlet than the outlet. The environmental testing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wall surface cooling means includes a wind guide plate that causes the cooling gas to flow along the wall surface in a direction from the outlet toward the inlet. The environmental testing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wall surface cooling means is disposed so as to be in thermal contact with or along the wall surface at least in an area closer to the outlet than the inlet, and includes a heat transfer tube through which the cooling gas flows. The environmental testing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the test area is provided with an exhaust port for exhausting the air in the test area to the outside by the cooling gas. The environmental testing device according to claim 8, wherein the exhaust port is opened between a high-temperature exposure section that introduces heated air obtained in the high-temperature chamber into the test area and a low-temperature exposure section that introduces cooled air obtained in the low-temperature chamber into the test area. The environmental testing device according to claim 1, wherein the wall cooling means sprays the cooling gas onto an area of the wall defining the test area that is closer to the outlet than the inlet.