High-temperature endoscope preventing impurities of ingot growth apparatus from being deposited

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12585109-B2
Application number	US-202218260063-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2022
Priority date	Sep 10, 2021
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

A high-temperature endoscope preventing impurities of an ingot growth apparatus from being deposited, according to one embodiment of the present invention, may comprise: a frame extending to the inside of a chamber of the ingot growth apparatus and having a gas discharge port provided at an end portion thereof through which an inert gas is discharged; a lens installed at the center of the end portion of the frame and protected by the inert gas discharged from the gas discharge port; and a guide tube installed on an outer surface of the frame and having a guide portion extending from the end portion of the frame so as to guide the inert gas to prevent impurities from being deposited on the lens by increasing a flow rate of the inert gas.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A high-temperature endoscope for preventing impurities of an ingot growth apparatus from being deposited, comprising:
a frame extending to the inside of a chamber of the ingot growth apparatus and having at least one gas discharge port provided at an end portion thereof through which an inert gas is discharged; a lens installed at the center of the end portion of the frame and protected by the inert gas discharged from the at least one gas discharge port; and a guide tube installed on an outer surface of the frame and having a guide portion extending from the end portion of the frame so as to guide the inert gas to prevent impurities from being deposited on the lens by increasing a flow rate of the inert gas, wherein an inner surface of an end portion of the guide tube has a reduced diameter portion protruding toward a longitudinal central axis of the guide tube, wherein the reduced diameter portion has an inner diameter linearly reduced from a first diameter to a second diameter toward the end portion of the guide tube, wherein an inner diameter of the guide tube at a position where the lens is located is relatively greater than the first diameter of the reduced diameter portion, and wherein a difference between the inner diameter of the guide tube at the position where the lens is located and the first diameter is relatively smaller than a difference between the first diameter and the second diameter.

2 . The high-temperature endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas discharge port is installed at one side of the end portion of the frame, and is disposed such that the direction of the discharged gas faces toward the center of the lens.

3 . The high-temperature endoscope of claim 1 , wherein a heat insulating material for insulating the frame is installed on the guide tube.

4 . The high-temperature endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the guide tube is inserted into the outer surface of the frame, and has a plurality of piece holes formed at the top to be assembled and disassembled by a plurality of pieces in the frame.

5 . The high-temperature endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the end portion of the guide tube has the form of a long hole on a plane.

6 . The high-temperature endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the guide tube has a one-way protrusion formed to protrude inward on one side at the end portion.

7 . The high-temperature endoscope of claim 6 , wherein the one-way protrusion of the guide tube is installed in front of the at least one gas discharge port such that the discharged inert gas collides with the opposite partition wall to form a vortex.

Assignees

• Hanwha Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Jeon Han Woong
• Park Jin Sung
• Kim Keun Ho
• Lee Young Min

Classifications

• G02B23/2492 Primary

  Arrangements for use in a hostile environment, e.g. a very hot, cold or radioactive environment · CPC title

• G02B23/24

  Instruments {or systems} for viewing the inside of hollow bodies, e.g. fibrescopes · CPC title

• C30B15/26 Primary

  using television detectors; using photo or X-ray detectors · CPC title

• G02B27/0006 Primary

  with means to keep optical surfaces clean, e.g. by preventing or removing dirt, stains, contamination, condensation (G02B1/18 takes precedence; cleaning in general B08B) · CPC title