JP6325271B2 - Light irradiation apparatus and printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a light irradiation apparatus and a printing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, ultraviolet irradiation apparatuses are widely used for the purpose of fluorescence reaction observation in medical and bio fields, sterilization applications, adhesion of electronic components, curing of ultraviolet curable resins and inks, and the like. In particular, the UV light source lamp light source used for curing UV curable resins used for bonding small parts in the field of electronic components, etc., and UV curable ink used for printing, etc. Mercury lamps and metal halide lamps are used.

  In recent years, there has been a strong desire to reduce the global environmental load on a global scale, and there has been an active movement to adopt an ultraviolet light emitting element as a lamp light source capable of suppressing the generation of ozone with a relatively long life, energy saving. .

  However, when the ultraviolet irradiation device is lengthened and increased in size, the cost of the member is greatly increased by increasing the length and size of the protective member through which light emitted from the ultraviolet light emitting element is transmitted accordingly. The problem of increasing arises.

Utility Model Registration No. 3158033

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a light irradiation apparatus and a printing apparatus that can suppress an increase in cost even if the light irradiation apparatus is made longer and larger.

  The light irradiation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a light irradiation device in which a plurality of light emitting units each having at least one light emitting element are arranged in a staggered pattern on one main surface, and the light irradiation device And a top cover having a protective member that is located through the gap with the main surface and through which light emitted from the plurality of light emitting portions is transmitted. The protective member includes a first member and a first cover that are adjacent to each other. Two members, and in a top view, a boundary between the first member and the second member is the plurality of light emitting portions and constitutes one of a staggered row or column. It passes over each light emitting part.

  A printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a printing unit that performs printing on a recording medium, and the light irradiation apparatus that irradiates light onto the printed recording medium.

According to the light irradiation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the protection member has the first member and the second member adjacent to each other, and the first member and the second member in a top view. The boundary is a plurality of light emitting portions and passes over each light emitting portion constituting one of the staggered rows or columns. Therefore, even when the light irradiation device becomes longer and larger, it is possible to suppress a significant increase in member cost by configuring the protective member with a plurality of members. Even when the protective member is constituted by a plurality of members, the irradiance to the outside depending on the part is set by setting the positional relationship between the boundaries of the first member and the second member and the plurality of light emitting portions as described above. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of variations.

It is a top view which shows an example of the form of the light irradiation apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the flow path of the member for thermal radiation. It is a figure explaining the light irradiation device which comprises the light irradiation apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the 3I-3I line | wire of the light irradiation device shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the modification of the light irradiation device shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the modification of the light irradiation device shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the modification of the light emitting element of the light irradiation apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view of the printing apparatus using the light irradiation apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view of the printing apparatus shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of a light irradiation apparatus and a printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following examples illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the examples of these embodiments.

<Embodiment of light irradiation apparatus>
A light irradiation apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is incorporated in a printing apparatus such as an offset printing apparatus or an inkjet printing apparatus that uses an ultraviolet curable ink, and the object (recording medium) is coated with the ultraviolet curable ink. By irradiating with ultraviolet rays later, it functions as an ultraviolet ray generating light source for curing the ultraviolet curable ink.

  The light irradiation apparatus 1 includes a plurality of light irradiation modules 2 and a housing 4 that houses at least a part of the plurality of light irradiation modules 2 arranged. Here, the light irradiation apparatus 1 is set to, for example, a width of 50 to 200 mm and a length of 700 to 1500 mm.

  First, the light irradiation module 2 will be described.

<Light irradiation module 2>
The light irradiation module 2 includes a light irradiation device 3 in which a plurality of light emitting elements 20 are disposed on one main surface 11a of the substrate 10, a heat radiation member 5 in which the light irradiation device 3 is disposed on a first main surface 5a, and a heat radiation member. The supply cooling pipe 6a and the flow for supplying the refrigerant to the flow path 5c provided in the heat radiating member 5 connected to the second main surface 5b located on the opposite side of the first main surface 5a. Opposite to the discharge cooling pipe 6b for discharging the refrigerant from the passage 5c, the electrical wiring 7 connected to the light irradiation device 3 for supplying power to the light irradiation device 3, and the second main surface 5b And a cover 8 arranged.

  The light irradiation device 3 has a plurality of light emitting elements 20 and functions as an ultraviolet light generation light source. Here, the light irradiation device 3 is set to a width of 10 to 40 mm and a length of 20 to 50 mm, for example. Moreover, the light emitting element 20 is set to 0.3 to 1.5 mm square, for example.

  The heat radiating member 5 functions as a support for the light irradiation device 3 and also as a heat radiator that radiates heat generated by the light irradiation device 3 to the outside. The material for forming the heat radiating member 5 is preferably a material having a high thermal conductivity, and examples thereof include various metal materials, ceramics, and resin materials. The heat radiating member 5 of this embodiment is formed of copper.

FIG. 2 shows the heat radiating member 5. Inside the heat radiating member 5, a flow path 5 c is provided for flowing a refrigerant for enhancing heat dissipation. The flow path 5c of this embodiment is provided so as to meander inside the heat radiating member 5, and a supply port 5d for supplying a refrigerant and a discharge port 5e for discharging the refrigerant are provided at both ends of the flow path 5c. Are provided on the second main surface 5b side of the heat dissipating member 5, respectively. In addition, what is necessary is just to adjust suitably the shape of the flow path 5c, the number of the supply port 5d, the discharge port 5e, etc. according to the cooling state of the light irradiation device 3. FIG.

  A supply cooling pipe 6a and a discharge cooling pipe 6b are connected to the supply port 5d and the discharge port 5e provided on the second main surface 5b of the heat radiation member 5, respectively.

  The cover 8 is disposed to face the second main surface 5b, and has a through-hole 8a through which the supply cooling pipe 6a and the discharge cooling pipe 6b connected to the second main surface 5b and the electric wiring 7 pass. doing. The electrical wiring 7 may be provided on both sides of the cover 8 via electrical wiring terminals that penetrate the through holes 8a. The cover 8 is brought into contact with the housing 4 to be described later, so that the light irradiation device 3, the heat radiation member 5, a part of the supply cooling pipe 6 a and the discharge cooling pipe 6 b, and a part of the electrical wiring 7 are covered. It has a function of protecting the light irradiation device 1 from the external environment.

  The cover 8 of this embodiment is made of flat aluminum. The shape of the cover 8 may be any shape as long as it is in contact with the housing 4 described later. The material is not limited to aluminum, and may be a metal material such as iron or stainless steel, and is not limited to a metal material, but may be a resin. However, the light irradiation device 1 can be reduced in weight, heat dissipation, and corrosion resistance. From the viewpoint, in this embodiment, aluminum is adopted as the material of the cover 8.

  Here, the light irradiation device 3 will be described.

<Light irradiation device 3>
3 and 4 includes a substrate 10 having a plurality of openings 12 on one main surface 11a, a plurality of connection pads 13 provided in each opening 12, and each opening of the substrate 10. A plurality of light emitting elements 20 disposed in the portion 12 and electrically connected to the connection pad 13, a plurality of sealing materials 30 filled in each opening 12 and covering the light emitting elements 20, and each opening 12 and the optical lens 16 corresponding to Twelve.

(Substrate 10)
The substrate 10 includes a stacked body 40 in which a first insulating layer 41 and a second insulating layer 42 are stacked, and an electrode wiring 50 that connects the light emitting elements 20 to each other. The light emitting element 20 is supported in an opening 12 provided on the one main surface 11a.

  The first insulating layer 41 is made of, for example, a ceramic such as an aluminum oxide sintered body, an aluminum nitride sintered body, a mullite sintered body, and a glass ceramic, and a resin such as an epoxy resin and a liquid crystal polymer (LCP). It is formed.

  The electrode wiring 50 is formed in a predetermined pattern by a conductive material such as tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu), and the current to the light emitting element 20 or the light emitting element It functions as a power supply wiring for supplying current from 20.

  In the second insulating layer 42 stacked on the first insulating layer 41, an opening 12 that penetrates the second insulating layer 42 is formed.

Each shape of the opening 12 is such that the inner peripheral surface 14 is inclined so that the hole diameter is larger on the one main surface 11a side of the substrate 10 than the mounting surface of the light emitting element 20. It has a circular shape. The opening shape is not limited to a circular shape, and may be a rectangular shape.

  Such an opening 12 has a function of reflecting light emitted from the light emitting element 20 upward on the inner peripheral surface 14 to improve light extraction efficiency.

  In order to improve the light extraction efficiency, the material of the second insulating layer 42 is a porous ceramic material having a relatively good reflectivity with respect to light in the ultraviolet region, such as an aluminum oxide sintered body, an oxide It is preferable to form a zirconium sintered body and an aluminum nitride sintered body. Further, from the viewpoint of improving the light extraction efficiency, a metal reflection film may be provided on the inner peripheral surface 14 of the opening 12.

  Such openings 12 are arranged vertically and horizontally over the entire main surface 11 a of the substrate 10. For example, the light-emitting elements 20 are arranged in a staggered pattern, that is, arranged in a zigzag manner in a plurality of rows. With this arrangement, the light-emitting elements 20 can be arranged at a higher density, and per unit area. The illuminance can be increased. Here, being arranged in a staggered pattern is synonymous with being arranged so as to be positioned at the grid points of the diagonal grid.

  In the present embodiment, the number of light emitting elements 20 arranged in one opening 12 is one, but a plurality of light emitting elements 20 are arranged in one opening 12 as shown in FIG. May be.

(Manufacturing process of substrate 10)
The substrate 10 including the stacked body 40 composed of the first insulating layer 41 and the second insulating layer 42 as described above is a case where the first insulating layer 41 and the second insulating layer 42 are made of ceramics or the like. If there is, it is manufactured through the following steps.

  First, a plurality of ceramic green sheets manufactured by a conventionally known method are prepared. A hole corresponding to the opening is formed in the ceramic green sheet corresponding to the opening 12 by a method such as punching. Next, after the metal paste to be the electrode wiring 50 is printed (not shown) on the green sheet, the printed metal paste is positioned between the green sheets and at the position corresponding to the other main surface 11b of the substrate 10. Laminate green sheets as follows. Examples of the metal paste that becomes the electrode wiring 50 include a paste containing a metal such as tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu). Next, the board | substrate 10 which has the electrode wiring 50 and the opening part 12 can be formed by baking the said laminated body and baking together a green sheet and a metal paste.

  Further, if the first insulating layer 41 and the second insulating layer 42 are made of a resin, for example, the following method can be considered as a method of manufacturing the substrate 10.

  First, a precursor sheet of a thermosetting resin is prepared. Next, a plurality of precursor sheets are laminated so that lead terminals made of a metal material to be the electrode wiring 50 are disposed between the precursor sheets and the lead terminals are embedded in the precursor sheets. Examples of the material for forming the lead terminal include copper (Cu), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe) -nickel (Ni) -cobalt (Co) alloy, and iron (Fe) -nickel (Ni ) Metal materials such as alloys can be mentioned. And after forming the hole corresponding to the opening part 12 in a precursor sheet | seat by methods, such as a laser processing and an etching, the board | substrate 10 is completed by thermosetting this. In addition, when forming the opening part 12 by laser processing, you may process after thermosetting a precursor sheet | seat.

  On the other hand, in the opening 12 of the substrate 10, a connection pad 13 electrically connected to the light emitting element 20 and a bonding material 15 such as solder, gold (Au) wire, aluminum (Al) wire, etc. are connected to the connection pad 13. And the sealing material 30 for sealing the light emitting element 20 are provided.

(Connection pad 13)
The connection pad 13 is formed of a metal layer made of a metal material such as tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu). If necessary, a nickel (Ni) layer, a palladium (Pd) layer, a gold (Au) layer, or the like may be further laminated on the metal layer. The connection pad 13 is connected to the light emitting element 20 by a bonding material 15 such as solder, gold (Au) wire, or aluminum (Al) wire.

(Light emitting element 20)
The light emitting element 20 is a light emitting element in which a p-type semiconductor layer and an n-type semiconductor layer made of a semiconductor material such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) or gallium nitride (GaN) are stacked on an element substrate 21 such as a sapphire substrate. A diode or a semiconductor layer is composed of an organic EL element made of an organic material.

  The light emitting element 20 is connected to a semiconductor layer 22 having a light emitting layer and a connection pad 13 disposed on the substrate 10 via a bonding material 15 such as solder, gold (Au) wire, aluminum (Al) wire, or the like. And device electrodes 23 and 24 made of a metal material such as silver (Ag), and are wire-bonded to the substrate 10. The light emitting element 20 emits light having a predetermined wavelength in accordance with the current flowing between the element electrodes 23 and 24 with a predetermined luminance, and emits the light to the outside directly or via the element substrate 21. As is well known, the element substrate 21 can be omitted. Further, the connection between the element electrodes 23 and 24 of the light emitting element 20 and the connection pad 13 may be performed by a conventionally known flip chip connection technique using solder or the like as the bonding material 15.

  In the present embodiment, an LED that emits UV light having a wavelength spectrum peak of 250 to 410 [nm] or less is employed. That is, in this embodiment, a UV-LED element is employed as the light emitting element 20. The light emitting element 20 is formed by a conventionally known thin film forming technique.

  And this light emitting element 20 is sealed with the sealing material 30 mentioned above.

(Encapsulant 30)
The sealing material 30 is made of an insulating material such as a light-transmitting resin material. By sealing the light emitting element 20 satisfactorily, entry of moisture from the outside can be suppressed, or from the outside. The light emitting element 20 is protected by absorbing an impact.

  Further, a material having a refractive index between the refractive index of the element substrate 21 constituting the light emitting element 20 (in the case of sapphire: 1.7) and the refractive index of air (about 1.0) is used as the sealing material 30, for example By using a silicone resin (refractive index: about 1.4) or the like, the light extraction efficiency of the light emitting element 20 can be improved.

  The sealing material 30 is formed by mounting the light emitting element 20 on the substrate 10, filling a precursor such as a silicone resin into the opening 12, and curing it.

(Optical lens 16)
The optical lens 16 is disposed on the sealing material 30 so as to cover the light emitting element 20 via the lens adhesive 17. In the light irradiation device 3 of the present embodiment, a plano-convex lens is used as the optical lens 16. That is, in the optical lens 16 of the present embodiment, one main surface is convex and the other main surface is flat, and the cross-sectional area decreases from the other main surface toward the one main surface.

  The optical lens 16 is formed of, for example, a silicone resin and has a function of collecting light emitted from the light emitting element 20. In addition to the silicone resin described above, the optical lens material is a thermosetting resin such as a urethane resin or an epoxy resin, or a plastic such as a thermoplastic resin such as a polycarbonate resin or an acrylic resin, or sapphire or inorganic glass. Can be mentioned. The optical lens 16 can be omitted if the light irradiation device 3 and the object are close to each other if the light does not need to be collected.

  As described above, the light irradiation device 3 of the present embodiment is a surface light emitting type in which a plurality of light emitting elements 20 are arranged vertically and horizontally over the entire one main surface 11a of the substrate 10. 20 may be a line light emitting type in which one main surface 11a of the substrate 10 is arranged in a line, or the light emitting element 20 may be composed of one.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of light irradiation modules 2 having such a light irradiation device 3 are arranged to constitute a large light irradiation apparatus 1.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, it is the elongate light irradiation apparatus 1 which arranged the three light irradiation devices 3 in a line. Note that the arrangement method of the light irradiation devices 3 is not particularly limited, and may be a single row, or may be arranged in a plurality of rows, and the number of arrangements of the light irradiation devices 3 in each row may be different. What is necessary is just to adjust suitably according to irradiation performance. Note that the light irradiation apparatus 1 may be composed of one light irradiation device 3. In the present specification, when there are a plurality of light irradiation devices 3 as described above, each of them is expressed as a light irradiation device piece 3a as shown in FIG. May be collectively expressed as the light irradiation device 3.

(Case 4)
The housing 4 accommodates at least a part of the plurality of light irradiation modules 2 arranged in this way. In the present embodiment, the “part” specifically refers to a region including the light irradiation device 3 and the cover 8. That is, the supply cooling pipe 6 a, the discharge cooling pipe 6 b and the electrical wiring 7 that penetrate the cover 8 and are located on the opposite side of the light irradiation device 3 of the cover 8 are not accommodated in the casing 4. It will be placed outside.

The housing 4 is connected to each of the plurality of side covers 4a and the side covers 4a disposed so as to surround the plurality of light irradiation modules 2 along the direction from the light irradiation device 3 side to the cover 8 side. Each of the covers 8 comes into contact with the supply cooling pipe 6a, the discharge cooling pipe 6b, and the under cover 4b having a plurality of first openings 4c through which the electric wiring 7 passes. Note that the side cover 4a has a plurality of side members. Each of the plurality of side members may be indicated by 4a in the figure. The light irradiation module 2 is connected to at least one of the side cover 4 a and the under cover 4 b that constitute the housing 4. In the present embodiment, the side cover 4a and the end surfaces 5f connected to the first main surface 5a and the second main surface 5b of the heat radiation member 5 constituting the light irradiation module 2 are screwed. In the case of the present embodiment, each of the light irradiation devices 3 is screwed at two locations on two end faces along the arrangement direction of the light irradiation devices 3. Adjacent side covers 4a are also connected to each other by screwing, and the side covers 4a and the side covers 4a and the under cover 4b are connected. Therefore, the housing 4 is a support that supports the light irradiation module 2. And the function of accommodating the supply cooling pipe 6a, the discharge cooling pipe 6b and the electric wiring 7, and the function of protecting the light irradiation module 2 from the external environment. In the present embodiment, the shape of the side cover 4a and the under cover 4b is a flat plate shape, but is not limited to a flat plate shape, and may be any shape as long as the above functions of the housing 4 are fulfilled.

  As a material of the side cover 4a and the under cover 4b which comprise the housing | casing 4, it consists of metal materials, such as aluminum, iron, and stainless steel. The side cover 4a and the under cover 4b are not limited to a metal material, but may be a resin or the like. However, in this embodiment, aluminum is used as the material of the housing 4 from the viewpoint of weight reduction, heat dissipation, and corrosion resistance of the light irradiation device 1. Adopted.

  In the present embodiment, aluminum is used as the material of the housing 4, and the side cover 4a constituting the housing 4 and the heat radiation member 5 of the light irradiation module 2 are screwed. Even when the air inside the housing 4 is warmed by the heat generated by the light irradiation module 2 or when the electric wiring 7 generates heat, it has a function of radiating these heats. ing.

  In this way, as a structure in which the supply cooling pipe 6 a, the discharge cooling pipe 6 b, and the electrical wiring 7 are provided in each of the light irradiation modules 2, the cover 8 of the light irradiation module 2 is configured from the inside of the casing 4 to the configuration of the casing 4. Therefore, when performing maintenance such as replacement of the light emitting element 20 and replacement of the light irradiation device 3 in the light irradiation apparatus 1, work is performed in units of the light irradiation module 2. Therefore, maintenance work can be easily performed in a short time without removing the entire light irradiation device 1.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1A, the housing 4 further includes a top cover 4 d that is connected to each of the plurality of side covers 4 a and is disposed to face the light irradiation device 3. A second opening 4f is provided at a position corresponding to the plurality of light emitting elements 20 of the light irradiation device 3 in the top cover 4d, and the light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements 20 is transmitted at a position corresponding to the second opening 4f. A member 9 is attached. The material of the protection member 9 of this embodiment is quartz. The protective member 9 may be made of a material other than quartz as long as it has a high ultraviolet transmittance and is less deteriorated by ultraviolet rays. By having such a top cover 4d, the light irradiation device 3 can be prevented from being contaminated, and the intensity of the light emitted from the light irradiation device 3 can be suppressed from decreasing due to the contamination.

  Here, in this embodiment, the protection member 9 has the 1st member 9a and the 2nd member 9b which mutually adjoin, as shown in FIG.1 (c). For example, the first member 9a and the second member 9b are set to have a width of 40 to 70 mm, a length of 300 to 700 mm, and a thickness of 1.0 to 2.5 mm. According to this, even if the light irradiation device 1 is lengthened and enlarged, the protective member 9 is not lengthened and enlarged, so that a significant increase in member cost can be suppressed. That is, the protective member 9 is not a single long and large member, but is composed of a plurality of members, ie, the first member 9a and the second member 9b, which are relatively small and inexpensive, thereby significantly increasing the member cost. Can be suppressed.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1C, the boundary 9B between the first member 9a and the second member 9b has a plurality of openings (light emission) when viewed from above (when viewed from the one main surface 11a side). Section) 12 and passes over each opening (light emitting section) 12 constituting one of the staggered rows or columns. According to this, as described above, even when the protective member 9 is composed of a plurality of members, the first member 9a and the second member 9b, it is possible to suppress variation in irradiance to the outside depending on the part. it can. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1C and FIG. 3, the boundary 9B1 between the first member 9a and the second member 9b is formed along one of the staggered rows or columns. Since the structure is such that the openings (light emitting parts) 12 and the adjacent two openings (light emitting parts) 12 pass in order (alternately), the irradiance to the outside is increased and decreased by the site. The influence, that is, variation in irradiance to the outside due to the site can be reduced. Therefore, the light irradiation apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can effectively improve the irradiance at a site where the irradiance to the outside is the lowest, which can be an evaluation standard for product characteristics. Note that the boundary 9B between the first member 9a and the second member 9b means a portion or region adjacent to each other of the members 9a and 9b, and when the members 9a and 9b are joined to each other, In the case where the members 9a and 9b are arranged with a gap (intervening member) between them, the joining portion of the above is assumed to indicate a region occupied by the gap (intervening member).

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the plurality of openings (light emitting portions) 12 are arranged in a staggered pattern rather than a so-called rectangular grid. Therefore, a plurality of openings (light emitting portions) 12 are arranged in a rectangular lattice shape, and a plurality of openings in which the boundary between the first member 9a and the second member 9b constitutes one of rows or columns. The illumination intensity of the emitted light from the part located under the boundary of the opening (light emitting part) 12 is reduced and the both sides of the opening (light emitting part) 12 are designed so as to pass over the part (light emitting part) 12. In this case, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of variations in that the irradiance to the outside increases. Similarly, a plurality of openings (light emitting portions) 12 are arranged in a rectangular lattice shape, and the boundary between the first member 9a and the second member 9b constitutes two adjacent rows or columns among the rows or columns. The irradiance from the opening (light emitting unit) 12 to the outside increases at the boundary as in the case where it is designed to pass between the plurality of openings (light emitting unit) 12, and both sides thereof are connected to the outside. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of variation that the irradiance decreases.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1C and FIG. 3, the boundaries 9B and 9B1 between the first member 9a and the second member 9b are a plurality of openings (light emitting portions) 12 as viewed from above. However, it is set so as to pass through substantially the center of each opening (light emitting portion) 12 constituting one of the rows or columns in a staggered pattern. It is possible to more effectively reduce variations in irradiance to the outside.

  In addition, the 1st member 9a and the 2nd member 9b can be mutually joined using the resin material in between (to the boundary 9B). As the resin material, a material having high ultraviolet transmittance and little deterioration due to ultraviolet rays can be used, and examples thereof include silicone resins. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the amount of light that is irregularly reflected by the side surfaces (outer peripheral surfaces) of both members 9a and 9b and cannot be emitted to the outside. In addition, by attaching a member that transmits the light emitted from the light emitting unit 12 to the surface of the light irradiation device 3 at the boundary 9B between the first member 9a and the second member 9b, It is possible to effectively reduce the amount of light that cannot be emitted to the outside due to irregular reflection on the side surface of the member.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, in the top view, the boundary 9B between the first member 9a and the second member 9b may extend at least partially in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the protective member 9. Good. According to this, since the dimension of the protective member can be reduced in the longitudinal direction, even if the light irradiation device is lengthened, a significant increase in cost due to the length of the protective member is suppressed. can do. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1C, the boundary 9 </ b> B between the first member 9 a and the second member 9 b extends in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the protection member 9. According to this, it becomes possible to suppress the above-mentioned cost increase more effectively.

  Next, a modified example of the protection member 9 and related configurations will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in a top view, a boundary 9B2 between the first member 9a and the second member 9b is a plurality of openings (light emitting portions) 12 and is adjacent in a staggered row or column. You may make it pass on each light emission part 12 which comprises both two rows or columns, and also in this case, the dispersion | variation in the external irradiance resulting from a site | part can be reduced effectively. .

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, when viewed from above, the boundaries 9B3 and 9B4 between the first member 9a and the second member 9b are a plurality of openings (light emitting portions) 12 having a staggered pattern. In this case, it may pass over each light emitting part constituting one of two adjacent rows or columns of the rows or columns and not pass over each light emitting part constituting the other. The variation in the irradiance to the outside due to the part can be effectively reduced.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of openings (light emitting units) 12 include a plurality of first light emitting units and a plurality of second light emitting units that are different in size from the plurality of first light emitting units. The first light emitting unit constitutes one of two adjacent rows or columns among the staggered rows or columns, and the plurality of second light emitting units constitute the other. Even in such a configuration, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, each opening (light emitting unit) 12 has a plurality of light emitting elements, and the plurality of light emitting elements in the top view are each opening (light emitting unit). ) You may make it position on a point object on the basis of 12 midpoints 12C. In that case, in the top view, each opening 9B, which is a boundary 9B between the first member 9a and the second member 9b, is a plurality of light emitting portions and constitutes one of a staggered row or column. What is necessary is just to pass above the midpoint 12C of the part (light emission part) 12.

<Embodiment of Printing Apparatus>
As an example of the embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention, the printing apparatus 200 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 will be described as an example. The printing apparatus 200 includes a conveying unit 210 for conveying the recording medium 250, a printing unit 220 as a printing mechanism for printing on the conveyed recording medium 250, and an ultraviolet ray for the recording medium 250 after printing. The light irradiation device 1 that irradiates light and the control mechanism 230 that controls the light emission of the light irradiation device 1 are provided. The recording medium 250 corresponds to the above-described object.

  The transport unit 210 is for transporting the recording medium 250 so as to pass through the printing unit 220 and the light irradiation device 1 in this order. The transport unit 210 and the mounting table 211 are opposed to each other and are rotatably supported. And a roller 212. The transport unit 210 is for sending the recording medium 250 supported by the mounting table 211 between the pair of transport rollers 212 and rotating the transport roller 212 to feed the recording medium 250 in the transport direction. .

  The printing unit 220 has a function of attaching a photosensitive material to the recording medium 250 conveyed via the conveying unit 210. The printing unit 220 is configured to eject droplets containing the photosensitive material toward the recording medium 250 and attach the droplets to the recording medium 250. In the present embodiment, ultraviolet curable ink is employed as the photosensitive material. Examples of the photosensitive material include, in addition to the ultraviolet curable ink, a photosensitive resist or a photocurable resin.

In the present embodiment, a line-type printing unit is employed as the printing unit 220. The printing unit 220 includes a plurality of ejection holes 220a arranged in a line, and is configured to eject ultraviolet curable ink from the ejection holes 220a. The printing unit 220 ejects ink from the ejection holes 220a to the recording medium 250 conveyed in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement of the ejection holes 220a, and deposits the ink on the recording medium, thereby applying the recording medium to the recording medium. Printing is performed.

  In this embodiment, the line-type printing unit is exemplified as the printing mechanism. However, the printing mechanism is not limited to this. For example, a serial-type printing unit may be employed, and the line-type or serial-type printing unit may be used. Alternatively, an ejection head (for example, an inkjet head) may be employed. Further, as the printing mechanism, an electrostatic head that accumulates static electricity on the recording medium 250 and attaches the photosensitive material with the static electricity may be employed. Alternatively, the recording medium 250 may be immersed in a liquid photosensitive material and the photosensitive medium may be used. An immersion apparatus for attaching a conductive material may be employed. Further, a brush, a brush, a roller, or the like may be employed as a printing mechanism.

  In the printing apparatus 200, the light irradiation apparatus 1 has a function of exposing the photosensitive material attached to the recording medium 250 conveyed via the conveying unit 210. The light irradiation device 1 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the printing unit 220. In the printing apparatus 200, the light emitting element 20 has a function of exposing the photosensitive material attached to the recording medium 250.

  The control mechanism 230 has a function of controlling the light emission of the light irradiation device 1. The memory of the control mechanism 230 stores information indicating the characteristics of light that makes it relatively good to cure the ink droplets ejected from the printing unit 220. Specific examples of the stored information include wavelength distribution characteristics suitable for curing ejected ink droplets, and numerical values representing emission intensity (emission intensity in each wavelength range). In the printing apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, by including the control mechanism 230, the magnitude of the drive current input to the plurality of light emitting elements 20 can be adjusted based on the stored information of the control mechanism 230. From this, according to the printing apparatus 200 of this embodiment, light can be irradiated with the appropriate ultraviolet irradiation energy according to the characteristic of the ink to be used, and the ink droplet can be cured with relatively low energy light. Can do.

  In the printing apparatus 200, the transport unit 210 transports the recording medium 250 in the transport direction. The printing unit 220 discharges the ultraviolet curable ink to the recording medium 250 being conveyed, and causes the ultraviolet curable ink to adhere to the surface of the recording medium 250. At this time, the ultraviolet curable ink to be attached to the recording medium 250 may be attached to the entire surface, partially attached, or attached in a desired pattern. In the printing apparatus 200, the ultraviolet curable ink attached to the recording medium 250 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays emitted from the light irradiation device 1 to cure the ultraviolet curable ink.

  According to the printing apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, the above-described effects of the light irradiation apparatus 1 can be achieved.

  As mentioned above, although the example of specific embodiment of this invention was shown, this invention is not limited to this, A various change is possible within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

  Further, the example of the embodiment of the printing apparatus 200 is not limited to the example of the above embodiment. For example, a so-called offset printing type printer that rotates a shaft-supported roller and conveys a recording medium along the roller surface may exhibit the same effect.

In the example of the above-described embodiment, an example in which the light irradiation device 1 is applied to the printing device 200 using an ink jet head as the printing unit 220 is shown. The present invention can also be applied to curing various types of photo-curing resins, such as a dedicated device for curing the photo-curing resin. Moreover, you may use the light irradiation apparatus 1 for the irradiation light source etc. in an exposure apparatus, for example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light irradiation apparatus 2 Light irradiation module 3 Light irradiation device 3a Light irradiation device piece 4 Case 4a Side cover (side member)
4b Under cover 4c 1st opening 4d Top cover 4f 2nd opening 5 Heat radiation member 5a 1st main surface 5b 2nd main surface 5c Flow path 5d Supply port 5e Discharge port 5f End surface 6a Supply cooling pipe 6b Discharge cooling pipe 7 Electrical wiring 8 Cover 8a Through hole 9 Protective member 9a First member 9b Second member 9B Boundary 10 Substrate 11a One main surface 11b The other main surface 12 Opening (light emitting portion)
12C Midpoint 13 Connection pad 14 Inner peripheral surface 15 Bonding material 16 Optical lens 17 Lens adhesive 20 Light emitting element 21 Element substrate 22 Semiconductor layer 23, 24 Element electrode 30 Sealing material 40 Laminate 41 First insulating layer 42 Second Insulating layer 50 Electrode wiring 60 Module base 70a Control board 70b Counter board 70c Driving board 80 Constant current generating device 200 Printing device 210 Conveying means 211 Mounting table 212 Conveying roller 220 Printing means 220a Discharge hole 230 Control mechanism 250 Recording medium

Claims (9)

On the other hand, a light irradiation device in which a plurality of light emitting portions each having at least one light emitting element are arranged in a staggered pattern on the main surface,
A protective member that is positioned through the gap with the one main surface of the light irradiation device, and that transmits light emitted from the plurality of light emitting units, and
The protective member has a first member and a second member adjacent to each other,
In a top view, the boundary between the first member and the second member extends in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the protective member, and is a plurality of light emitting portions in a staggered row or column. one row or column, or only through the region above each light-emitting portion constituting the two adjacent rows or columns, the light irradiation device, of the.   In a top view, the boundary between the first member and the second member is a center of each of the plurality of light emitting units and constituting one of the staggered rows or columns. The light irradiation apparatus of Claim 1 which passes. The plurality of light emitting units include a plurality of first light emitting units and a plurality of second light emitting units different in size from the plurality of first light emitting units,
The plurality of first light emitting units constitutes one of two adjacent rows or columns of a staggered row or column, and the plurality of second light emitting units constitute the other. Item 3. The light irradiation device according to any one of Items 1 and 2 . There are a plurality of the light emitting elements,
Wherein the plurality of light emitting elements, in top view, wherein are respectively at the midpoint of the plurality of light emitting portions located in point symmetry with respect, light irradiation device according to any one of claims 1-3. The boundary between the first member and the second member is the plurality of light emitting portions only on each light emitting portion constituting one row or column of a staggered row or column. When passing
In a top view, the boundary between the first member and the second member is the plurality of light emitting portions, and the middle of each light emitting portion constituting one of a staggered row or column. The light irradiation apparatus of Claim 4 which passes on a point. Wherein the first member and the second member, wherein are bonded via the resin material at the boundary, the light irradiation device according to any one of claims 1-5. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein a boundary between the first member and the second member extends in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the protection member. The light irradiation device has a plurality of light emitting device pieces, light irradiation device according to any one of claims 1-7. Printing means for printing on a recording medium;
Light irradiation and a device, a printing device according to any one of claims 1-8 for radiating light against printed the recording medium.

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