JP7580079B2 - Heating unit and heating device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heating unit and a heating device, and in particular to a heating unit and a heating device for heating a preform by irradiating it with light.

Non-contact heating devices using light mainly use infrared light from halogen lamps or the like, and are used in a variety of fields. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a means for heating preforms, which are intermediate products of PET bottles.

Patent No. 6292275

In conventional heating devices, multiple halogen lamps are installed so that light is irradiated from the side of the preform. In addition, to increase the efficiency of light use, a typical configuration is one in which a reflector 91 is placed on the back side of the multiple halogen lamps 9, as shown in FIG. 9(a). However, in conventional configurations, light is prone to diffusion, making it difficult to efficiently heat the target preform P.

On the other hand, in order to increase the light utilization efficiency of halogen lamps, it is possible to consider a device configuration in which each lamp is equipped with a reflector 92, as shown in Figure 9 (b), but this is difficult to realize due to the following problems.

First, if each lamp is equipped with a reflector 92, the directionality of the light emitted from the lamp becomes too high. This can easily lead to uneven heating of the preform P.

In addition, the inclusion of a reflector 92 creates the problem that the distance between the lamps tends to become large. When the distance between the lamps becomes large, the light emission sources become discrete, which creates the problem that uneven heating of the preform P is likely to occur.

The finished resin containers come in a variety of sizes, and the preforms P also come in a variety of sizes. Therefore, there is a demand for appropriate heating treatment depending on the size of the preform P.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a heating unit and a heating device that can more appropriately heat-treat preforms.

A heating unit according to the present invention is a heating unit including a halogen lamp having a straight arc tube and a reflector extending along an axis of the arc tube,
The reflector has a concave surface that reflects light emitted from the halogen lamp,
The halogen lamp is disposed opposite the concave surface,
The center of the tube axis of the light emitting tube is disposed so as to protrude beyond the opening of the concave surface in a direction away from the concave surface.

With this configuration, the diffuse light emitted from the halogen lamp is mixed with the highly directional light that is reflected by the concave surface, achieving both efficient and uniform heating. In addition, the size of the reflector can be reduced, allowing for a compact design of the heating unit. This allows for a small separation distance between heating units even when multiple heating units are arranged, suppressing uneven heating of the preform. As a result, the heating unit of the present invention can heat the preform more appropriately.

In the heating unit of the present invention, the concave surface may be a curved surface or a polygonal surface.

In this specification, a "curved surface" refers to a curved surface whose cross-sectional shape is a part of a circle, an ellipse, or a parabola. In addition, in this specification, a "polygonal surface" refers to a curved surface whose cross-sectional shape is a broken line.

In the heating unit of the present invention, the concave surface may be configured to have an arc-shaped cross section.

This configuration makes it easier to maintain the light distribution of the halogen lamp itself.

In the heating unit of the present invention, the arc tube may have an exhaust pipe remnant, and the exhaust pipe remnant may be arranged on the surface opposite the surface facing the concave surface.

This configuration allows the concave surface to be placed close to the light emitting tube, improving heating efficiency.

A heating device according to the present invention is a heating device including a plurality of heating units each including a halogen lamp having a straight arc tube and a reflector extending along an axis direction of the arc tube, the plurality of heating units being arranged along a first direction perpendicular to the axis direction of the arc tube,
Each of the reflectors has a concave surface that reflects light emitted from the halogen lamp;
The halogen lamps are disposed opposite the concave surfaces,
The center of the tube axis of the light emitting tube is disposed so as to protrude beyond the opening of the concave surface in a direction away from the concave surface.

The heating device according to the present invention can heat-treat preforms more appropriately, similar to the heating unit described above.

The heating device of the present invention may be configured to include a variable arrangement mechanism that changes the arrangement of the multiple heating units in the first direction.

This configuration allows preforms of various sizes to be appropriately heat treated.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a heating device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the heating device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the rear side; Plan view, front view, and side view of a heating unit Cross-sectional view of the heating unit cut along a plane perpendicular to the tube axis direction A schematic diagram showing the state of light emitted from a halogen lamp FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a heating unit according to a second embodiment, taken along a plane perpendicular to the tube axis direction. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a heating unit according to a second embodiment, taken along a plane perpendicular to the tube axis direction. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a heating unit according to another embodiment; FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional heating device;

Embodiments of a heating unit and a heating device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following drawings are schematic illustrations, and the dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match the actual dimensional ratios, and the dimensional ratios between the drawings do not necessarily match.

In the following, the XYZ coordinate system will be referred to as appropriate. In addition, in this specification, when expressing a direction, if a distinction is made between positive and negative directions, the direction will be described with a positive or negative sign, such as "+X direction" and "-X direction". In addition, when a direction is expressed without distinguishing between positive and negative directions, it will simply be described as "X direction". In other words, in this specification, when it is simply described as "X direction", both the "+X direction" and the "-X direction" are included. The same applies to the Y direction and the Z direction.

[First embodiment]
A first embodiment of a heating unit and a heating device according to the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a heating device 100 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the heating device 100 shown in Fig. 1 as seen from the rear side.

The heating device 100 includes multiple heating units 1. The multiple heating units 1 are arranged along the Y direction (the first direction of the present invention), and in the first embodiment, nine heating units 1 are arranged along the Y direction. The heating device 100 is arranged with the Y direction as the up-down direction. The heating device 100 is used to heat an object to be heated, such as a preform P (see FIG. 1), placed on the -Z side.

The heating device 100 includes a variable positioning mechanism 101 that changes the positioning of the multiple heating units 1 in the Y direction. The variable positioning mechanism 101 has multiple support rails 102 that support the heating units 1. The multiple support rails 102 are arranged along the X direction. Each support rail 102 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is the Y direction. A long rail groove 102a is formed in the support rail 102 along the Y direction. The rail groove 102a penetrates the support rail 102 in the Z direction.

The variable positioning mechanism 101 has screws 103 for fixing the rear side (+Z side) of the heating unit 1 to the rail groove 102a. This allows each heating unit 1 to be fixed to any position in the Y direction relative to the support rail 102 by the screws 103, so the distance between the heating units 1 can be set appropriately. Multiple heating units 1 may be fixed at any position, but two to three heating units 1 may also be fixed as a set.

Figure 3 shows a plan view, a front view, and a side view of the heating unit 1.

The heating unit 1 includes a halogen lamp 2, which is a heat source, and a reflector 3, which reflects the light emitted from the halogen lamp 2.

The halogen lamp 2 has a straight arc tube 21 with both ends sealed. The arc tube 21 is cylindrical and elongated in the X direction. The direction in which the arc tube 21 extends (X direction) is called the tube axis direction. The dimensions of the arc tube 21 are, for example, an outer diameter of 8 to 15 mm and a length of 150 to 1000 mm.

The arc tube 21 is made of, for example, quartz glass. The interior of the arc tube 21 is filled with halogen gas for carrying out a halogen cycle, together with an inert gas such as nitrogen. The arc tube 21 has an exhaust tube remainder 21a. The exhaust tube remainder 21a is also called a tip, and is the remainder of the exhaust tube for exhausting the inside of the arc tube 21 during the lamp manufacturing process. The exhaust tube remainder 21a is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube 21, on the side opposite the surface facing the reflector 3.

A filament 22 extending along the tube axis direction is disposed at the tube axis center 21c of the light-emitting tube 21. The filament 22 is a coil-shaped current-carrying body and can serve as a heating source. The filament 22 is made of, for example, tungsten.

A base 23 is provided on each end of the light-emitting tube 21. The base 23 is made of, for example, steatite. A lead wire 24 extends from the base 23. The lead wire 24 is electrically connected to the filament 22 in the light-emitting tube 21.

The reflector 3 extends along the axial direction of the light-emitting tube 21. The reflector 3 has a concave surface 31 that reflects the light emitted from the halogen lamp 2. The halogen lamp 2 is disposed facing the concave surface 31. The distance between the outer circumferential surface of the light-emitting tube 21 and the concave surface 31 is approximately 3 mm. The reflector 3 is made of aluminum, for example, and the concave surface 31 is mirror-finished.

A base holder 32 is provided on each end of the reflector 3 in the X direction. The base holder 32 supports the base 23 of the halogen lamp 2. The base holder 32 is fixed to the reflector 3 with a screw 33.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the heating unit 1 cut along a plane perpendicular to the X direction.

The concave surface 31 according to the first embodiment is a curved surface. The cross section of the concave surface 31 is formed by a smooth curve and may be a part of a circle, an ellipse, or a parabola, but is preferably a part of a circle. The cross section of the concave surface 31 according to the first embodiment is a part of a circle. In other words, the concave surface 31 has an arc-shaped cross section. In this specification, the term "circle" includes not only a perfect circle, but also a circle whose radius varies by, for example, about ±30%.

The tube axis center 21c of the light-emitting tube 21 is disposed so as to protrude in a direction away from the concave surface 31 beyond the opening 31a of the concave surface 31. Here, the opening 31a of the concave surface 31 is a plane passing through the edges 31b, 31c of the concave surface 31, and is located on the XY plane. Since the tube axis center 21c of the light-emitting tube 21 is disposed so as to protrude in a direction away from the concave surface 31 beyond the opening 31a of the concave surface 31, the concave surface 31 covers an area of less than 180 degrees of the outer circumferential surface of the light-emitting tube 21, in other words, an area of less than 50%. In the first embodiment, the concave surface 31 covers an area of about 100 degrees (about 28% of the outer circumferential surface of the light-emitting tube 21). As a result, the height of the reflector 3 in the Y direction can be reduced compared to the reflector 92 shown in FIG. 9B, for example, and therefore the heating unit 1 can be designed compactly. As a result, even when multiple heating units 1 are arranged, the distance between the heating units 1 can be reduced, which makes it possible to suppress uneven heating of the preform P.

The remaining exhaust pipe 21a is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the light emitting tube 21 opposite the surface facing the concave surface 31. This allows the concave surface 31 to be disposed close to the light emitting tube 21. It also prevents the heat rays from the lamp from being excessively irradiated to the remaining exhaust pipe 21a.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the state of light emitted from the halogen lamp 2. As described above, the filament 22 is disposed at the axial center 21c of the light-emitting tube 21, and the filament 22 radiates light when heated by an electric current. That is, light is emitted from the axial center 21c of the light-emitting tube 21. The diffuse light emitted from the filament 22 and the highly directional light resulting from the diffuse light being reflected by the concave surface 31 are mixed together, making it possible to achieve both heating efficiency and uniformity.

[Second embodiment]
A second embodiment of the heating unit and heating device according to the present invention will be described, focusing mainly on differences from the first embodiment. Note that components common to the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

Figures 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of the heating unit 1 according to the second embodiment, cut along a plane perpendicular to the X direction. The concave surface 31 according to the second embodiment is a polygonal surface. The cross section of the concave surface 31 is configured as a polygonal broken line having bent corners. In the example shown in Figure 6, the cross section of the concave surface 31 is a broken line having three corners. In the example shown in Figure 7, the cross section of the concave surface 31 is a broken line having six corners.

The cross section of the concave surface 31 is preferably a curved shape, more preferably a circular arc shape. The cross section of the concave surface 31 is preferably a broken line with three or more corners, more preferably a broken line with six or more corners.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration should not be considered to be limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is indicated not only by the description of the above embodiments but also by the claims, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

The structures used in the above embodiments can be used in any other embodiment. The specific configurations of each part are not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the heating unit 1 according to the above embodiment, the reflector 3 has only the concave surface 31 as a reflective surface that reflects the light emitted from the halogen lamp 2, but is not limited to this. FIG. 8 is a side view of the heating unit 1 according to another embodiment. In addition to the concave surface 31, the reflector 3 may further have a reflector 34 for increasing directivity. The reflector 34 is connected to the edge 31b of the concave surface 31. When arranging a plurality of heating units 1 in the Y direction, the heating unit 1 arranged on the most +Y side can have a different directivity with respect to the heated object by providing the reflector 34 on the +Y side of the concave surface 31. In the example of FIG. 8, the reflector 34 is provided on the +Y side of the concave surface 31, but the reflector 34 can also be provided on the -Y side of the concave surface 31 in the heating unit 1 arranged on the most -Y side.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1: Heating unit 2: Halogen lamp 3: Reflector 21: Arc tube 21a: Remaining part of exhaust tube 21c: Tube axis center 22: Filament 31: Concave surface 31a: Opening 31b: Edge 31c: Edge 34: Reflector 100: Heating device 101: Position change mechanism 102: Support rail 102a: Rail groove 103: Screw P: Preform

Claims (6)

A heating unit including a halogen lamp having a straight arc tube and a filament disposed at the center of the axis of the arc tube , and a reflector extending along the axis of the arc tube,
The reflector has a concave surface that reflects light emitted from the halogen lamp,
The halogen lamp is disposed opposite the concave surface,
the concave surface has a cross section in the shape of a circular arc centered on the axial center of the light-emitting tube,
The heating unit is arranged so that the center of the tube axis of the light emitting tube protrudes in a direction away from the concave surface beyond an opening of the concave surface. The heating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the concave surface is a polygonal surface whose cross section follows a circular arc . The heating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the concave surface covers an area of less than 180 degrees of the outer circumferential surface of the arc tube. The heating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the concave surface covers an area of about 100 degrees of the outer circumferential surface of the light emitting tube. A heating device including a halogen lamp having a straight arc tube and a filament disposed at the center of the axis of the arc tube , and a plurality of heating units each including a reflector extending along the axis of the arc tube, the plurality of heating units being arranged along a first direction perpendicular to the axis of the arc tube,
Each of the reflectors has a concave surface that reflects light emitted from the halogen lamp;
The halogen lamps are disposed opposite the concave surfaces,
the concave surface has a cross section in the shape of a circular arc centered on the axial center of the light-emitting tube,
a tube axis center of the light emitting tube is disposed so as to protrude in a direction away from the concave surface beyond an opening of the concave surface; The heating device according to claim 5 , wherein in the heating unit among the plurality of heating units that is located at the end in the first direction, the reflector comprises a reflecting plate connected to an edge of the concave surface in the first direction .