Curing Device Comprising a Lamp that Produces UV Light
The invention relates to a curing apparatus having at least one UV module ( 3 ), wherein the UV module ( 3 ) has at least one UV light source ( 6 ) for irradiating the inner wall of a pipe ( 1 ), wherein the UV module ( 3 ) that has been introduced into the pipe ( 1 ) is connected, by means of a cable ( 7 ), to a control device ( 9 ) that is situated outside of the pipe ( 1 ). It is an object of the invention to provide a curing apparatus in which the cable ( 7 ) for connecting the UV modules ( 3 ) to the control device ( 9 ) has a cross section that is reduced in comparison with the prior art. As a result, longer pipeline portions should be able to be renovated in one piece. Moreover, the electrical power losses in the cable ( 7 ) should be reduced. To this end, the invention suggests that at least one operating appliance ( 10 ) that is connected to the cable ( 7 ) and the UV light source ( 6 ) is arranged at each UV module ( 3 ), wherein the control device ( 9 ) actuates the operating appliance ( 10 ) by way of the cable ( 7 ) for the purposes of operating the UV light source ( 6 ).
1 . A curing apparatus having at least one UV module ( 3 ), wherein the UV module ( 3 ) has at least one UV light source ( 6 ) for irradiating the inner wall of a pipe ( 1 ), wherein the UV module ( 3 ) that has been introduced into the pipe ( 1 ) is connected, by means of a cable ( 7 ), to a control device ( 9 ) that is situated outside of the pipe ( 1 ), characterized in that each UV module ( 3 ) has at least one operating appliance ( 10 ) that is connected to the cable ( 7 ) and the UV light source ( 6 ), wherein the control device ( 9 ) actuates the operating appliance ( 10 ) by way of the cable ( 7 ) for the purposes of operating the UV light source ( 6 ).
2 . The curing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the operating appliance ( 10 ) has an ignition device for igniting the UV light source ( 6 ) that is embodied as a discharge lamp.
3 . The curing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the operating appliance ( 10 ) has a power supply circuit which controls or regulates the operating current of the UV light source.
4 . The curing apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that the cable ( 7 ) has two or more wires as a power supply line ( 11 ) and two or more further wires as a data line ( 12 ).
5 . The curing apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , characterized in that two or more operating appliances ( 10 ) are connected in parallel with the wires of the power supply line ( 11 ) and the wires of the data line ( 12 ).
6 . The curing apparatus as claimed in either of claims 4 and 5 , characterized in that the operating appliance ( 10 ) has a serial data interface ( 21 ), preferably an RS 485 interface, which uses the wires of the data line ( 12 ) for data transfer between the operating appliance ( 10 ) and the control device ( 9 ).
7 . The curing apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6 , characterized in that the operating appliance ( 10 ) has an input-side rectifier ( 17 ) that is connected to the power supply line ( 11 ), and an inverter ( 18 ) that is connected to the rectifier ( 17 ) and actuated by microcontroller ( 19 ), said inverter being connected on the output side to the UV light source ( 6 ).
8 . The curing apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , characterized in that the inverter ( 18 ) is connected, on the output side, to a voltage overshoot circuit (L, C), the latter producing at the input of the UV light source ( 6 ) an ignition voltage that has overshot an operating voltage of the UV light source ( 6 ), depending on the frequency of the output voltage of the inverter ( 18 ).
9 . The curing apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , characterized in that the inverter ( 18 ) is connected, on the output side, to a voltage overshoot circuit ( 20 ) that, by way of an impulsive discharge of a capacitor (C) via an additional winding of a choke (L) connected on the output side to the inverter ( 18 ), produces an ignition voltage that has overshot an operating voltage of the UV light source ( 6 ) at the UV light source ( 6 ).
10 . The curing apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , 8 or 9 , characterized in that the operating appliance ( 10 ) has a current measuring device (A) that is connected to, or integrated in, the microcontroller ( 19 ), said current measuring device measuring the current flowing through the UV light source ( 6 ).
11 . The curing apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 , characterized in that the cable ( 7 ) is embodied as a pull cable, by means of which a plurality of similar UV modules ( 3 ) that are strung in succession and coupled to one another are movable through the pipe ( 1 ).
12 . The curing apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 , characterized in that each UV module ( 3 ) has one or more temperature detectors that are connected to, or integrated in, the operating appliance ( 10 ).
13 . The curing apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , characterized in that the temperature detectors measure the surface temperature of the inner wall of the pipe ( 1 ).
14 . The curing apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 , characterized in that the operating appliance ( 10 ) has further sensors that are connected to, or integrated in, the microcontroller ( 19 ), to be precise a photosensor for measuring the produced UV light intensity, a temperature sensor for measuring the system temperature of the respective UV module ( 3 ) or the air temperature in the surroundings of the UV module ( 3 ), a spatial orientation sensor for capturing the longitudinal or transverse tilt of the UV module ( 3 ), and/or a position sensor for capturing the position of the respective UV module in the pipe ( 1 ).