IP Library Granted Patent US 11,857,686
Granted Patent B2
US 11,857,686 · App. 18/089,990 · Granted Jan 2, 2024

UV emitter module and use thereof

Inventors: Johannes Kraft (Linsengericht, DE); Silke Schloemp (Dortmund, DE); Jan Winderlich (Hanau, DE)
Assignee: HERAEUS NOBLELIGHT GMBH
A61L2/10H01J61/523H01J61/72
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,857,686
App. No.
18/089,990
Granted
Jan 2, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A UV lamp module for the ultraviolet irradiation of a substrate includes a lamp arrangement, a waterproof housing, and first and second airflow zones. The lamp arrangement includes multiple low-pressure mercury lamps each having a longitudinal axis. The waterproof housing surrounds the lamp arrangement and has a bottom side, a top side and at least two side walls connecting the bottom side and the top side to each other, and a beam exit opening on the bottom side which is closed by a beam exit window. The first airflow zone is formed in the housing and has an air supply duct with at least one air-guide for the supply of cooling air to the lamp arrangement. The second airflow zone is separated from the first airflow zone, and is formed in the housing and has an exhaust air duct for the discharge of heated cooling air. When viewed in a cross-section through the housing perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the low-pressure mercury lamps and in a viewing direction from the bottom side to the top side, the beam exit window, the lamp arrangement and the airflow zones are arranged one after the other.

Claims (32)

1. A UV lamp module for the ultraviolet irradiation of a substrate, comprising:

a lamp arrangement that includes multiple low-pressure mercury lamps each having a longitudinal axis;

a waterproof housing surrounding the lamp arrangement and having a bottom side, a top side and at least two side walls connecting the bottom side and the top side to each other, and a beam exit opening on the bottom side which is closed by a beam exit window;

a first airflow zone formed in the housing and having an air supply duct with at least one air-guide for the supply of cooling air to the lamp arrangement; and

a second airflow zone, which is separated from the first airflow zone, formed in the housing and having an exhaust air duct for the discharge of heated cooling air,

wherein, viewed in a cross-section through the housing perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the low-pressure mercury lamps and in a viewing direction from the bottom side to the top side, the beam exit window, the lamp arrangement and the airflow zones are arranged one after the other; and

wherein the lamp arrangement has a center, and in that the supply air duct extends along the housing from an end connector to a gas distribution chamber arranged in the middle of the housing and above the center of the lamp arrangement.

2. The UV lamp module according to claim 1 , wherein the gas distribution chamber is provided with a plurality of openings through which the cooling air flows into a space in which the lamp arrangement is located.

3. The UV lamp module according to claim 1 , wherein a lower connector of the air supply duct and an upper connector of the exhaust air duct protrude from one closing wall of the housing.

4. The UV lamp module according to claim 1 , wherein, viewed in the cross-section through the housing perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the low-pressure mercury lamps and in a viewing direction from the bottom side to the top side, the first airflow zone is arranged upstream of the second airflow zone.

5. The UV lamp module according to claim 1 , wherein the housing has a central plane which extends perpendicular to the beam exit window and wherein the housing exhibits mirror symmetry in relation to the housing central plane.

6. The UV lamp module according to claim 1 , wherein the air supply duct of the first airflow zone has an inner diameter and the second airflow zone has an exhaust air duct with an inner diameter, and the exhaust air duct inner diameter differs by less than +/−10% from the air supply duct inner diameter.

7. The UV lamp module according to claim 1 , wherein in a cross-section through the housing perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the low-pressure mercury lamps the housing top side exhibits a curvature.

8. The UV lamp module according to claim 7 , wherein the at least two side walls fit closely with the curvature of the top side and form an angle with each other in the range of between 5 and 40 degrees.

9. The UV lamp module according to claim 1 , wherein the beam exit opening has a peripheral shoulder, to which the beam exit window is adhesively bonded.

10. The UV lamp module according to claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal axes of the low-pressure mercury lamps extend in a common lamp plane and the lamp arrangement is configured to produce a UV irradiation intensity of at least 100 mW/cm 2 on the substrate measured at a distance of 48 mm from the lamp plane.

11. The UV lamp module according to claim 1 , further comprising a reflector and wherein the lamp arrangement has a side facing away from the beam exit window and is at least partially surrounded by the reflector on its side facing away from the beam exit window.

12. The use of a UV lamp module according to claim 1 in a disinfection system for the ultraviolet irradiation of packaging material for food or medicines.

13. The UV lamp module according to claim 7 , wherein the exhaust air duct inner diameter and the air supply duct inner diameter are identical.

14. A UV lamp module for the ultraviolet irradiation of a substrate, comprising:

a lamp arrangement that includes multiple low-pressure mercury lamps each having a longitudinal axis;

a waterproof housing surrounding the lamp arrangement and having a bottom side, a top side and at least two side walls connecting the bottom side and the top side to each other, and a beam exit opening on the bottom side which has a peripheral shoulder and is closed by a beam exit window adhesively bonded to the peripheral shoulder;

a first airflow zone formed in the housing and having an air supply duct with at least one air-guide for the supply of cooling air to the lamp arrangement; and

a second airflow zone, which is separated from the first airflow zone, formed in the housing and having an exhaust air duct for the discharge of heated cooling air,

wherein, viewed in a cross-section through the housing perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the low-pressure mercury lamps and in a viewing direction from the bottom side to the top side, the beam exit window, the lamp arrangement and the airflow zones are arranged one after the other and the first airflow zone is arranged upstream of the second airflow zone, and

wherein a lower connector of the air supply duct and an upper connector of the exhaust air duct protrude from one closing wall of the housing.

15. The UV lamp module according to claim 14 , wherein the lamp arrangement has a center, and in that the supply air duct extends along the housing from an end connector to a gas distribution chamber arranged in the middle of the housing and above the center of the lamp arrangement.

16. The UV lamp module according to claim 14 , wherein the gas distribution chamber is provided with a plurality of openings through which the cooling air flows into a space in which the lamp arrangement is located.

17. The UV lamp module according to claim 14 , wherein the housing has a central plane which extends perpendicular to the beam exit window and wherein the housing exhibits mirror symmetry in relation to the housing central plane.

18. The UV lamp module according to claim 14 , wherein the exhaust air duct inner diameter and the air supply duct inner diameter are identical.

19. The UV lamp module according to claim 14 , further comprising a reflector and wherein the lamp arrangement has a side facing away from the beam exit window and is at least partially surrounded by the reflector on its side facing away from the beam exit window.

20. The use of a UV lamp module according to claim 14 in a disinfection system for the ultraviolet irradiation of packaging material for food or medicines.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 1, 2024
From: HERAEUS NOBLELIGHT GMBH
To: EXCELITAS NOBLELIGHT GMBH
Reel/Frame 067288/0100 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 28, 2022
From: KRAFT, JOHANNES; SCHLOEMP, SILKE; WINDERLICH, JAN
To: HERAEUS NOBLELIGHT GMBH
Reel/Frame 062229/0489 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2018 102 928.4 · Feb 9, 2018 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 16961708
Related Publication 20230139861A1 · May 4, 2023