Substrate or sheet surface cleaning apparatus

• US 6,237,176 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1999
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rayon Industrial Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Rayon Industrial Company Limited
• Inventors: Mariyama, Shouhei, Egoshi, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Application Number:
  US09/391,465
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 15/3, 15/100, 15/102, 15/104.002, 15/256.52
• US Class Current: 15/3
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/0028 by adhesive surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/26 Cleaning or polishing of the conductive pattern

Abstract

A substrate or sheet surface cleaning apparatus is provided with at least one tacky rubber roller and at least one adhesive tape roll which is brought into close contact with the tacky rubber roller. The roller and roll are rotatably supported at opposite ends of their shafts by bearings which are slidable in a vertical direction. Pressed rods are arranged integrally on the slidable bearings for the roll. By urging the pressed rods with pressing rods driven by d.c. motors via gear trains while controlling the d.c. motors by a position sensor, the pressure between the roll and the roller and the pressure between the roller and the substrate or sheet are optimized so that dirt or particles can be efficiently removed from an opposing surface of the substrate or sheet. Another substrate or sheet surface cleaning apparatus is provided two tacky rubber rollers arranged in an up-and-down parallel relationship and two adhesive tape rolls arranged above the upper roller and below the lower roller, respectively. Position adjusters with one or more springs disposed therein are arranged between slidable bearings supporting the upper roller and fixed bearings supporting the lower roller to correct tilting, if any, of the upper roller.

Claims

1. A pressing control mechanism suitable for use in cleaning a surface of a substrate or sheet, comprising:

a frame,

a tacky rubber roller slidably supported at opposite ends thereof on said frame such that said tacky rubber roller can be operably brought into direct close contact with said surface of said substrate or sheet to capture dirt or particles from said surface of said substrate or sheet onto a surface of said tacky rubber roller,

an adhesive tape roll supported at opposite ends thereof slidably in a vertical direction on said frame via slidable bearings such that said adhesive tape roll can be separably brought into close contact with said surface of said tacky rubber roller to capture and transfer said captured dirt or particles from said surface of said tacky rubber roller onto a surface of said adhesive tape roll,

pressed rod supports arranged integrally with said slidable bearings, respectively,

pressed rods supported on said pressed rod supports via compression springs, respectively, and

pressing rods movable by rotation of corresponding motors transmitted via gear trains connected to motor shafts of said corresponding motors such that said pressing rods urge said pressed rods, respectively,

wherein sliding of said adhesive tape roll toward or away from said tacky rubber roller makes it possible to increase or decrease a pressure between said adhesive tape roll and said tacky rubber roller, which are arranged at an interval therebetween in a beginning, and via said adhesive tape roll, a pressure between said tacky rubber roller and said substrate or sheet, which are arranged at an interval therebetween in the beginning, as desired.

2. A pressing control mechanism according to claim 1, wherein each of said pressed rods and its corresponding one of said pressing rods are integrally connected together into a single rod.

3. A substrate or sheet surface cleaning apparatus comprising;

a frame,

two tacky rubber rollers rotatably supported in a spaced up-and-down parallel relationship on said frame, at least one of said tacky rubber rollers being operably rotated by a feed motor to cause a substrate or sheet to pass through a space between said tacky rubber rollers while being brought into contact with said tacky rubber rollers, whereby dirt or particles adhered on opposite surfaces of said substrate or sheet passing through said space are captured and transferred,

two adhesive tape rolls rotatably supported on said frame such that said adhesive tape rolls can be brought into close contact with said tacky rubber rollers to capture, transfer and remove said dirt or particles from said tacky rubber rollers, respectively,

first slidable bearings arranged at opposite ends of at least one of said tacky rubber rollers such that said first slidable bearings are integral with said at least one tacky rubber roller and support said at least one tacky rubber roller slidably in a vertical direction,

second slidable bearings arranged at opposite ends of a shaft of one of said adhesive tape rolls, said one adhesive tape roll corresponding to said at least one tacky rubber roller, such that said second slidable bearings are integral with said shaft of said corresponding adhesive tape roll and support said shaft of said corresponding adhesive tape roll slidable in a vertical direction to separably bring said corresponding adhesive tape roll into close contact with said at least one tacky rubber roller,

pressed rod supports arranged integrally with said second slidable bearings, respectively,

pressed rods supported on said pressed rod supports via compression springs, respectively,

pressing rods arranged movably by rotation of corresponding pressure control motors transmitted via gear trains connected to motor shafts of said corresponding pressure control motors such that said pressing rods can urge said pressed rods, respectively,

a position sensor arranged on one of said pressed rod supports,

a sensed target arranged integrally with one of said pressed rods, said one pressed rod being arranged via its corresponding compression spring on one of said pressed rod supports, said one pressed rod support carrying said position sensor arranged thereon, and

return mechanisms for automatically causing said at least one tacky rubber roller and its corresponding adhesive tape roll to return to positions, where said at least one tacky rubber roller and its corresponding adhesive tape roll are arranged at an interval therebetween in a beginning, when urging forces by said pressing rods are released,

wherein, when said pressing rods urge their corresponding pressed rods, a difference between a stroke of said one pressed rod support occurred as a result of compression by its corresponding compression spring and a stroke of its corresponding pressed rod occurred as a result of said compression by the same compression spring is detected by said position sensor and said sensed target, and urging forces from said pressing rods to their corresponding pressed rods are controlled based on results of said detection such that said adhesive tape roll corresponding to said at least one tacky rubber roller is caused to slide to an optimal position via said respective pressed rod supports and their corresponding slidable bearings to increase or decrease a pressure between said at least one tacky rubber roller and its corresponding adhesive tape roll, which are arranged at said interval therebetween in the beginning, and via said corresponding adhesive tape roll, a pressure between said at least one tacky rubber roller and said surface of said substrate or sheet, which are arranged at an interval therebetween in the beginning, as desired.

4. A pressing control mechanism according to claim 3, wherein each of said pressed rods and its corresponding one of said pressing rods are integrally connected together into a single rod.

5. A substrate or sheet surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a frame,

two tacky rubber rollers rotatably supported in a spaced up-and-down parallel relationship on said frame, at least one of said tacky rubber rollers being operably rotated by a feed motor to cause a substrate or sheet to pass through a space between said tacky rubber rollers while being brought into contact with said tacky rubber rollers, whereby dirt or particles adhered on opposite surfaces of said substrate or sheet passing through said space are captured and transferred,

two adhesive tape rolls rotatably supported on said frame such that said adhesive tape rolls can be brought into close contact with said tacky rubber rollers to capture, transfer and remove said dirt or particles from said tacky rubber rollers, respectively,

fixed bearings rotatably supporting said lower tacky rubber roller at opposite ends thereof on said frame,

first slidable bearings rotatably supporting said upper tacky rubber roller at opposite ends thereof on said frame such that said upper tacky rubber roller is slidable in a vertical direction,

second slidable bearings rotatably supporting said upper adhesive tape roll at opposite ends thereof on said frame such that said upper adhesive tape roll is slidable in said vertical direction,

pressure control mechanisms for bringing said upper and lower tacky rubber rollers into close contact with their corresponding upper and lower adhesive tape rolls, respectively,

a return mechanism for allowing said upper adhesive tape roll to separate from its corresponding upper tacky rubber roller, and

position adjusters arranged between said first slidable bearings, which support said upper tacky rubber roller at said opposite ends thereof, and said fixed bearings, which support said lower tacky rubber roller at said opposite ends thereof, respectively, and said position adjusters being provided on lower sides thereof with flange portions fixed on said frame and on upper sides thereof with urging portions and also provided with at least one spring inserted between said flange portions and said urging portions, respectively, such that said springs are compressible in said vertical direction.