U.S. patent application number 11/940860 was filed with the patent office on 2008-12-25 for dust eliminator.
This patent application is currently assigned to PREMIER IMAGE TECHNOLOGY(China) LTD.. Invention is credited to CAN-MING HUANG, DONG-FANG LI, JIA-JUN TIAN, HUI ZHANG.
Application Number | 20080313848 11/940860 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40134987 |
Filed Date | 2008-12-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080313848 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ZHANG; HUI ; et al. |
December 25, 2008 |
DUST ELIMINATOR
Abstract
An exemplary dust eliminator includes a housing which houses a
bracket, a holder for holding components, an actuator and a blower.
The holder is moveably supported on the bracket. The actuator is
connected with the holder. The actuator is capable of moving
relative to the bracket and actuating the holder to move on the
bracket. The blower is fixed relative to the bracket and directs to
the holder so as to blow the components on the holder.
Inventors: |
ZHANG; HUI; (Foshan, CN)
; TIAN; JIA-JUN; (Foshan, CN) ; HUANG;
CAN-MING; (Foshan, CN) ; LI; DONG-FANG;
(Foshan, CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PCE INDUSTRY, INC.;ATT. CHENG-JU CHIANG
458 E. LAMBERT ROAD
FULLERTON
CA
92835
US
|
Assignee: |
PREMIER IMAGE TECHNOLOGY(China)
LTD.
Foshan City
CN
HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
Tu-Cheng
TW
|
Family ID: |
40134987 |
Appl. No.: |
11/940860 |
Filed: |
November 15, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/405 ;
248/309.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B08B 15/02 20130101;
B08B 5/02 20130101; B08B 11/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/405 ;
248/309.1 |
International
Class: |
A47L 25/00 20060101
A47L025/00; A47B 96/06 20060101 A47B096/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 20, 2007 |
CN |
200710200842.1 |
Claims
1. A dust eliminator for cleaning components, comprising: a
housing; a bracket secured in the housing; a holder for holding the
components, the holder moveably supported on the bracket; an
actuator positioned in the housing and connected with the holder,
the actuator being configured for moving relative to the bracket
and actuating the holder to move on the bracket; and a blower fixed
relative to the bracket and directed at the holder so as to blow
air toward the components on the holder.
2. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing
comprises a base, a cover, and sidewalls between the base and the
cover, and wherein the bracket is secured to the base of the
housing.
3. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bracket
comprises a guiding member and a sliding member, and wherein the
sliding member is secured to the holder and is slidable on the
guiding member.
4. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bracket
further comprises a support member standing in the housing.
5. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 4, wherein the guiding
member comprises two parallel rails supported by the support
member.
6. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sliding
member comprises four sliding blocks and wherein each of the rails
has two sliding blocks mounted thereon.
7. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 3, wherein the holder
comprises a mount and a tray mounted on the mount for holding the
components.
8. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 7, wherein the mount
comprises two slats secured to the sliding member and a beam
secured to the actuator, and wherein the tray is supported on the
slats.
9. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 7, wherein the tray
defines a plurality of slots for providing access to airflow from
the blower to the components on the tray.
10. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 9, wherein the tray
forms plural sets of tabs, and wherein each set of tabs cooperate
to enclose one of the components.
11. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 7, wherein the holder
further comprises a louver covering the components held on the
tray, for preventing the components from escaping from the tray,
and wherein the louver defines slits therein for ventilation.
12. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 3, wherein the blower
is secured to the guiding member and comprises a tank and a plate
covering the tank.
13. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 12, wherein the tank
defines a chamber therein and a line of spaced nozzles, and wherein
the nozzles are communicated with interior and exterior of the tank
and face the tray.
14. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plate
overlays the chamber of the tank, and defines two apertures therein
communicating with the tank and an air supply.
15. A dust eliminator, comprising: a bracket; a holder for holding
components, being moveable on the bracket; an actuator positioned
onto the bracket and connected with the holder, the actuator
positioned onto the bracket and connected with the holder to
actuate the holder to move on the bracket; and a blower secured to
the bracket and directing to the holder so as to blow the
components on the holder.
16. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 16, wherein the
actuator is a piston of an air cylinder.
17. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 17, wherein the
actuator has a free distal end connected with the holder so that
the actuator can actuate the holder to move.
18. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 16, wherein the bracket
comprises two parallel rails and each of the rails has two sliding
blocks spanning thereon, and wherein the holder is secured to the
sliding blocks.
19. The dust eliminator as claimed in claim 19, wherein the holder
comprises a mount secured to the sliding blocks and the actuator
respectively, a tray mounted on the mount for holding the
components and a louver covering the components on the tray, and
wherein the tray defines a plurality of slots therein for air of
accessing the components to pass through.
20. An apparatus for cleaning components, comprising: a housing; a
pair of guide rails arranged in the housing; an air blower having a
plurality of aligned nozzles facing upward for blowing air toward
the components; a tray slidably mounted on the guide rails and
located above the air blower, the tray comprising an array of
through holes and a plurality of retaining members, the through
holes being arranged in columns and rows in a manner such that the
through holes in each of the rows can be vertically aligned with
the respective nozzles of the blower; and an actuator configured
for driving the tray to slide on the guide rails.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates to dust cleaning and,
particularly, to a dust eliminator for cleaning components with
air.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Many kinds of components, such as lenses, need to be cleaned
before use or encapsulation. For example, lenses are crucial in
many optical instruments, such as digital still cameras, digital
video cameras (DVC), projectors, mobile phones, or monitors etc.
However, matter, such as dust, particles etc. are likely to come
into contact with the lenses and contaminate the surfaces of the
lenses. Contamination of lenses is a most adverse factor for
encapsulation of the lenses, and finally influences the attribute
of the optical instruments. Thus, keeping the lenses clean before
being encapsulated is especially important in making desirable
optical instruments.
[0005] To remove the dust etc. from the lens surfaces, the lenses
generally are cleaned manually by one of the following two ways.
One way is that each lens is wiped by a worker using cotton swabs
under a microscope. Another way is that each lens is held in a
worker's hand and cleaned with an air gun. Either way is
inconvenient and time-consuming. Furthermore, manual operation
creates a risk of cross-contamination with subsequently handled
lenses.
[0006] What is needed, therefore, is a dust eliminator that can
clean a batch of components at the same time and avoid
cross-contamination.
SUMMARY
[0007] In accordance with a present embodiment, a dust eliminator
includes a housing, a holder for holding components, an actuator,
and a blower. The holder is moveably supported on the bracket. The
actuator is positioned in the housing and connected to the holder.
The actuator is capable of moving relative to the bracket and
actuating the holder to move on the bracket. The blower is fixed
relative to the bracket and directed at the components on the
holder.
[0008] Other advantages and novel features will be drawn from the
following detailed description of at least one preferred
embodiment, when considered in conjunction with the attached
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Many aspects of the present dust eliminator can be better
understood with reference to the following drawings. The components
in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis
instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of
the present camera module. Moreover, in the drawings, like
reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the
several views.
[0010] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a dust eliminator, according
to a present embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 2 is isometric view of part of the dust eliminator of
FIG. 1
[0012] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of FIG. 2;
[0013] FIG. 4 is an enlarged, isometric view of a blower of the
dust eliminator of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of FIG. 4; and
[0015] FIG. 6 is an exploded, isometric view of the blower and a
components holder of the dust eliminator of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] Embodiments of the present dust eliminator will now be
described in detail below and with reference to the drawings.
[0017] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a dust eliminator 100 according to a
present embodiment comprises a housing 10, which houses a bracket
20, a holder 30, an actuator 40, and a blower 50. The bracket 20 is
secured in the housing 10. The holder 30 for holding components to
be cleaned, for example lenses 70, is moveably supported on the
bracket 20. The actuator 40 is positioned on the bracket 20 and
connected to the holder 30. The actuator 40 is capable of moving
relative to the bracket 20 so as to actuate the holder 30 to move
on the bracket 20. The blower 50 is secured to the bracket 20, and
is directed at the holder 30 so as to blow air at the lenses 70 on
the holder 30.
[0018] The housing 10 comprises a base 102, a cover 104, and
sidewalls 106 between the base 102 and the cover 104. A through
hole 1022 is defined in the base 102 and a through hole 1042 is
defined in the cover 104. The through holes 1022, 1042 are
respectively connected with ventilating pipes (not shown) for
allowing air to pass through the housing 10. In the preferred
embodiment, the through holes 1022, 1042 are coaxially aligned. One
sidewall 106 is capable of being opened, for moving the lenses 70
into or out of the housing 10. The housing 10 may be made of
translucent antistatic glass.
[0019] The bracket 20 is secured to the base 102. In the preferred
embodiment, the bracket 20 comprises a support member securely
standing on the base 102, a guiding member supported on the support
member and a sliding member slidably mounted on the guiding member.
The support member comprises four posts 22 and the guiding member
comprises two rails 24. The rails 24 are supported respectively by
two of the posts 22, and are parallel to each other. Each rail 24
has two sliding blocks 26 slidably spanning thereon, for assisting
the holder 30 to slide on the rail 24. The sliding blocks 26
function as the sliding member. In other embodiments, the guiding
member can be grooves, allowing sliding blocks 26 to be slidably
received therein. It is feasible that the support member can be
omitted, and the guiding member is directly supported on the base
102 of the house 10.
[0020] The holder 30 comprises a tray 32 for holding the lenses 70
thereon and a mount 34 whereon the tray 32 is rested. The mount 34
is secured to the sliding member. The mount 34 defines an orifice
3442 for allowing the mount 34 to be connected to the actuator 40,
so that the holder 30 can move relative to the guiding member along
with the slide of the sliding member under a force of the actuator
40. In the preferred embodiment, the mount 34 comprises two slats
342 secured to the sliding blocks 26 and a beam 344 connecting the
slats 342 to each other. The orifice 3442 is defined in the beam
344. The tray 32 is rested on the slats 342. The tray 32 forms
plural sets of tabs 322 thereon and in the preferred embodiment
each set of tabs 322 cooperate to enclose a lens 70 thereamong.
Slots 324 are defined in the tray 32 for allowing airflow from the
blower 50 to the lenses 70. Each slot 324 corresponds to one set of
tabs 322. In the preferred embodiment, the slots 324 are spaced and
arranged in several lines.
[0021] The holder 30 can additionally comprise a louver 39 which
covers the lenses 70, for preventing the lenses 70 from escaping
from the tray 32 when the lenses 70 are subjected to airflow. The
louver 39 defines slits 392 therein, corresponding to the lines of
the slots 324 in the tray 32 for ventilation.
[0022] The actuator 40 in the present embodiment is a piston of an
air cylinder (not shown), which is positioned at a side of the
bracket 20 and moveable back and forth in a direction parallel to
the guiding member of the bracket 20. A distal end of the actuator
40 is provided with a connector 42, which is engaged in the orifice
3442 of the mount 34 so as to connect the mount 34 to the actuator
40. The movement of the actuator 40 drives the mount 34, which is
secured to the sliding member, so that the mount 34, the tray 32,
the lenses 70 on the mount 34, move along with the actuator 40,
relative to the bracket 20. In practice, the actuator 40 can be
positioned to the base 102, cover 104 or sidewalls 106 of the
housing 10, so long as it can move relative to the bracket 20 and
drive the mount 34 of the holder 30 to move the holder 30 on the
guiding member of the bracket 20 back and forth.
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 3-6, the blower 50 is secured between the
rails 24 of the bracket 20 in the preferred embodiment, and
comprises a tank 52 and a plate 54 covering the tank 52. The tank
52 defines a chamber 56 therein and a line of spaced nozzles 58.
The nozzles 58 are communicated with interior and exterior of the
tank 52, and face the tray 32. The lines of slots 324 in the tray
32, by turns, align with the nozzles 58 when the holder 30 moves on
the bracket 20, so that the lenses 70 are alternately blown by the
air from the nozzles 58. The plate 54 overlays the chamber 56 of
the tank 52, and defines two apertures 524 therein. The apertures
524 communicate with the tank 52 and an air supply (not shown). In
the preferred embodiment, the plate 54 faces the nozzles 58.
Feasibly, the blower 50 can be secured at a certain position in the
housing 10, for example, the blower 50 is secured at the base 102
of the housing 10, so long as it can blow toward the tray 32 to
clean the lenses 70.
[0024] In using the dust eliminator of the preferred embodiment,
the lenses 70 are held on the tray 32, respectively among the sets
of tabs 322. The tray 32 is rested on the slats 342 of the mount
34. Then the actuator 40 urges the mount 34 to move so that the
sliding blocks 26 secured to the mount 34 slide on the rails 24 of
the bracket 20 back and forth. Simultaneously, the mount 34 and the
tray 32 having the lenses 70 held thereon move along with the
sliding blocks 26, so that the lines of slots 324, by turns, align
with the nozzles 58. The air from the air supply (not shown) enters
the chamber 56 via the apertures 524 and is then blown to the tray
32 via the nozzles 58. After reaching the tray 32, the air passes
through the slots 324 and cleans the lenses 70, then flows out
along with dust or particles via the slits 392 of the louver 39.
The tray 32 and the mount 34 move relative to the bracket 20 back
and forth, until the lenses 70 on the tray 32 are clean. The blower
50 blows air at the tray 32, until the lenses 70 on the tray 32 are
clean.
[0025] It is understood that the actuator 40 and the blower 50 can
be regulated by a controller which is not shown and may be any
conventional controller or its equivalents.
[0026] It will be understood that the above particular embodiments
and methods are shown and described by way of illustration only.
The principles and features of the present invention may be
employed in various and numerous embodiments thereof without
departing from the scope of the invention as claimed. The
above-described embodiments illustrate the scope of the invention
but do not restrict the scope of the invention.
* * * * *