ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATION SYSTEM, CURING REACTION DETECTOR USED FOR THE SAME AND CURING METHOD OF ULTRAVIOLET CURING RESIN USING THE CURING REACTION DETECTOR

• US 20080225270A1
• Filed: 03/06/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Imai, Kiyoshi, Senga, Tadashi
• Application Number:
  US12/043,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20080225270A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/64 Fluorescence; Phosphorescence

Abstract

A measured fluorescence amount and a previously set threshold value α1 are compared and when the measured fluorescence amount exceeds the threshold value α1, a message such as “curing reaction completion” is issued. Note that when this “curing reaction completion” is issued, an irradiation end instruction is given to a light source part from a curing reaction detector, and irradiation of a curing ultraviolet ray is stopped. Along with the stop of the curing ultraviolet ray, the irradiation of an exciting ultraviolet ray is also stopped.

Claims

1. An ultraviolet ray irradiation system for curing an ultraviolet curing resin containing a primary agent composed of at least either one of monomer and oligomer, and a photopolymerization initiator, comprising:

a light source device that irradiates a first ultraviolet ray for accelerating a curing reaction of the ultraviolet curing resin; and

a curing reaction detector, wherein

the curing reaction detector includes;

an irradiation part that irradiates a second ultraviolet ray for activating the ultraviolet curing resin;

a measurement part that receives the second ultraviolet ray irradiated by the irradiation part to measure a fluorescence amount emitted from the photopolymerization initiator; and

a determination part that determines a curing reaction state of the ultraviolet curing resin based on a time series behavior of the fluorescence amount measured by the measurement part.

2. The ultraviolet irradiation system according to claim 1, wherein the curing reaction detector starts irradiation of the second ultraviolet ray and measurement of the fluorescence amount when irradiation of the first ultraviolet ray is started from the light source device, and ends the irradiation of the second ultraviolet ray and the measurement of the fluorescence amount when the irradiation of the first ultraviolet ray from the light source device is ended.

3. The ultraviolet ray irradiation system according to claim 1, wherein the determination part gives an instruction of ending the irradiation of the first ultraviolet ray to the light source device when the measured fluorescence amount exceeds a prescribed threshold value.

4. The ultraviolet ray irradiation system according to claim 1, wherein the determination part gives an instruction of ending the irradiation of the first ultraviolet ray to the light source device when a variation amount of the measured fluorescence amount per unit time is below a prescribed threshold value.

5. The ultraviolet ray irradiation system according to claim 1, wherein

the light source device irradiates the first ultraviolet ray having approximately a constant intensity in time series;

the irradiation part irradiates the second ultraviolet ray with an intensity varied periodically;

the measurement part extracts the fluorescence amount out of the measured fluorescence amount as the fluorescence amount emitted from the photopolymerization initiator based on a cycle component corresponding to an intensity variation cycle of the second ultraviolet ray irradiated by the irradiation part.

6. A curing reaction detector for detecting a curing reaction generated when a first ultraviolet ray is received by an ultraviolet curing resin containing a primary agent composed of at least either one of monomer and oligomer and a photopolymerization initiator, comprising:

an irradiation part that irradiates a second ultraviolet ray for activating the ultraviolet curing resin;

a measurement part that receives the second ultraviolet ray irradiated by the irradiation part to measure a fluorescence amount emitted from the photopolymerization initiator; and

a determination part that determines a curing reaction state of the ultraviolet ray curing resin based on a time series behavior of the measured fluorescence amount by the measurement part.

7. The curing reaction detector according to claim 6, wherein the determination part determines a completion of the curing reaction when the measured fluorescence amount exceeds a prescribed threshold value.

8. The curing reaction detector according to claim 6, wherein the determination part determines a completion of the curing reaction when a variation amount of the measured fluorescence amount per unit time is below a prescribed threshold value.

9. The curing reaction detector according to claim 7, wherein the determination part gives an instruction of ending the irradiation of the first ultraviolet ray when the completion of the curing reaction is determined.

10. The curing reaction detector according to claim 6, wherein the determination part determines the curing reaction as abnormal when the measured fluorescence amount is below a prescribed threshold value, after elapse of a prescribed time from the start of irradiation of the first ultraviolet ray.

11. The curing reaction detector according to claim 6, wherein the determination part determines the curing reaction as abnormal when a variation amount of the measured fluorescence amount per unit time is outside of a prescribed range after elapse of a prescribed time from the start of irradiation of the ultraviolet ray.

12. The curing reaction detector according to claim 6, wherein the determination part refers to a time series behavior of a previously defined reference to determine a normality of the curing reaction from the measured fluorescence amount.

13. The curing reaction detector according to claim 12, further comprising a first display part for displaying the time series behavior of the reference and the time series behavior of the measured fluorescence amount on the same coordinate.

14. The curing reaction detector according to claim 13, wherein the first display part further displays the time series behavior of the deviation of the measured fluorescence amount with respect to the time series behavior of the reference.

15. The curing reaction detector according to claims 6, further comprising a second display part for displaying a progress degree of the curing reaction of the ultraviolet ray curing resin generated by receiving the first ultraviolet ray.

16. The curing reaction detector according to claim 15, wherein the second display part calculates the progress degree of the curing reaction based on a ratio of the measured fluorescence amount with respect to a reaction completed fluorescence amount, being a fluorescence amount regarded as a completion of the curing reaction.

17. The curing reaction detector according to claim 15, wherein the second display part displays the progress degree of the curing reaction by digits.

18. The curing reaction detector according to claim 15, wherein the second display part displays the progress degree of the curing reaction by indicators.

19. The curing reaction detector according to claim 15, wherein the second display part displays the progress degree of the curing reaction by using a color with a wavelength band provided in a position toward a longer wavelength side away from the wavelength bands of the first and second ultraviolet rays by a prescribed length or more.

20. The curing reaction detector according to claim 7, further comprising:

a threshold value setting part that sets a prescribed threshold value used for determining the completion of the curing reaction based on a time series behavior of the measured fluorescence amount.

21. The curing reaction detector according to claim 7, further comprising:

a threshold value setting part that sets a prescribed threshold value used for determining the completion of the curing reaction based on a fluorescence amount at a time point when a prescribed characteristic aspect is generated in the time series behavior of the measured fluorescence amount.

22. The curing reaction detector according to claim 10, further comprising:

a threshold value setting part that sets a prescribed threshold value used for determining a completion of the curing reaction based on the fluorescence amount at the time point when a prescribed time is elapsed from the start of the irradiation of the first ultraviolet ray in a time series behavior of a measured fluorescence amount.

23. The curing reaction detector according to claim 6, further comprising:

a visual notice part that visually informs a user about the irradiation of the second ultraviolet ray during a period when the second ultraviolet ray is irradiated by the irradiation part.

24. The curing reaction detector according to claim 6, further comprising:

a light source part that generates the first ultraviolet ray.

25. A curing method of an ultraviolet curing resin using an ultraviolet ray irradiation system, containing a primary agent composed of at least either one of monomer and oligomer and a photopolymerization initiator,

the ultraviolet ray irradiation system comprising a light source device and a curing reaction detector, and

the method comprising the steps of:

irradiating a first ultraviolet ray from the light source device for curing the ultraviolet curing resin;

irradiating a second ultraviolet ray from the curing reaction detector for activating the ultraviolet ray curing resin;

receiving the second ultraviolet ray to measure a fluorescence amount emitted from the photopolymerization initiator;

determining a curing reaction state of the ultraviolet curing resin based on a time series behavior of a measured fluorescence amount; and

controlling irradiation of the first ultraviolet ray based on the determined curing reaction state.