Static electricity distribution measuring apparatus and static electricity distribution measuring method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9841450-B2
Application number	US-201414905591-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2014
Priority date	Jul 20, 2013
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A static electricity distribution measuring apparatus ( 1 ) according to the present disclosure measures the static electricity distribution on a measurement surface of a measurement target ( 200 ), and is provided with: an array antenna ( 2 ) that receives electric fields generated from each of a plurality of areas ( 211 ) on the measurement surface through vibration; a vibrator ( 3 ) that vibrates the measurement target ( 200 ) or the array antenna ( 2 ); a measurer ( 4 ) that measures at least one from among intensity, frequency and phase of the electric fields in each of the plurality of areas ( 211 ) received by the array antenna ( 2 ); a calculator ( 5 ) that calculates an amount of static electricity for each of the plurality of areas ( 211 ) based on measurement results by the measurer ( 4 ); and a drawer ( 6 ) that draws the static electricity distribution on the measurement surface based on the amount of static electricity in each of the plurality of areas ( 211 ). The array antenna ( 2 ) has a plurality of antenna elements ( 21 ) respectively corresponding to the plurality of areas ( 211 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A static electricity distribution measuring apparatus for measuring a static electricity distribution on a measurement surface of a measurement target, the static electricity distribution measuring apparatus comprising:
an array antenna that receives an electric field generated in each of a plurality of areas of the measurement surface through vibration;
a vibrator that causes the measurement target or the array antenna to vibrate;
a measurer that measures at least one from among intensity, frequency and phase of the electric field in each of the plurality of areas received by the array antenna;
a calculator that calculates an amount of static electricity for each of the plurality of areas, based on measurement results by the measurer; and
a drawer that draws the static electricity distribution on the measurement surface, based on the amount of static electricity in each of the plurality of areas;
wherein the array antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements respectively corresponding to the plurality of areas, and
the calculator calculates the amount of static electricity for each of the plurality of areas by calculating a reliability value based on a vibration amplitude of the measurement target or the array antenna, and weighting the reliability value by an electrical polarity calculated based on the phase of the electric field and the amount of static electricity calculated based on the intensity of the electric field.

2. The static electricity distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement target is a product element of any out of electronic parts, electronic elements, semiconductor integrated elements, electronic substrates, electronic equipment, machinery parts, transportation equipment, chemical products, foodstuffs, paper products, ceramic materials, plastic materials, polymer materials, film products, rubber products, resin products, metal products, pharmaceuticals and textile products, used at a manufacturing site.

3. The static electricity distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the product element flows on a manufacturing line at the manufacturing site.

4. The static electricity distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of areas are provided virtually in the measurement surface, which is a surface facing the array antenna, in the measurement target.

5. The static electricity distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of areas is sectioned by areas facing the plurality of antenna elements provided in the array antenna.

6. The static electricity distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein a surface area of each of the plurality of areas is determined based on a reception directionality of the antenna elements.

7. The static electricity distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of antenna elements are arranged in a prescribed lattice shape, and each of the plurality of areas is sectioned in correspondence with the prescribed lattice shape, in the measurement target.

8. The static electricity distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of antenna elements possesses directionality convergent on a surface area of the plurality of areas.

9. The static electricity distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the vibrator forms a state in which the measurement target and the array antenna vibrate relative to each other, by causing the measurement target to vibrate while the array antenna is in a fixed state, or by causing the array antenna to vibrate while the measurement target is in a fixed state.

10. The static electricity distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reliability value is smaller when the vibration amplitude of the array antenna or the measurement target is smaller, and is larger when the vibration amplitude of the measurement target is larger.

11. The static electricity distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display that displays the static electricity distribution on the measurement surface drawn by the drawer.

12. A static electricity distribution measuring apparatus for measuring a static electricity distribution on a measurement surface of a measurement target, the static electricity distribution measuring apparatus comprising:
an array antenna that receives an electric field generated in each of a plurality of areas of the measurement surface through vibration;
a vibrator that causes the measurement target or the array antenna to vibrate;
a measurer that measures at least one from among intensity, frequency and phase of the electric field in each of the plurality of areas received by the array antenna;
a calculator that calculates an amount of static electricity for each of the plurality of areas, based on measurement results by the measurer; and
a drawer that draws the static electricity distribution on the measurement surface, based on the amount of static electricity in each of the plurality of areas, wherein:
the array antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements respectively corresponding to the plurality of areas,
the calculator calculates the amount of static electricity for each of the plurality of areas, as an absolute value of that area, and
the drawer draws the static electricity distribution on the measurement surface of the measurement target by performing a prescribed interpolation on the amount of static electricity as absolute values in each of the plurality of areas.

13. The static electricity distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the prescribed interpolation includes linear interpolation.

14. A static electricity distribution measuring method for measuring a static electricity distribution on a measurement surface of a measurement target, the static electricity distribution measuring method including:
a receiving step of receiving by an array antenna an electric field generated in each of a plurality of areas of the measurement surface through vibration;
a vibration step of causing the measurement target or the array antenna to vibrate;
a measurement step of measuring at least one from among intensity, frequency and phase of the electric field in each of the plurality of areas received by the array antenna;
a calculation step of calculating an amount of static electricity for each of the plurality of areas, based on measurement results by the measurer; and
a drawing step of drawing the static electricity distribution on the measurement target, based on the amount of static electricity in each of the plurality of areas;
wherein the array antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements respectively corresponding to the plurality of areas, and
in the calculation step, the amount of static electricity for each of the plurality of areas is calculated by calculating a reliability value based on a vibration amplitude of the measurement target or the array antenna, and weighting the reliability value by an electrical polarity calculated based on the phase of the electric field and the amount of static electricity calculated based on the intensity of the electric field.

15. A static electricity distribution measuring method for measuring a static electricity distribution on a measurement surface of a measurement target, the static electricity distribution measuring method including:
a receiving step of receiving by an array antenna an electric field generated in each of a plurality of area

Assignees

• Aist

Inventors

• KIKUNAGA Kazuya
• Nonaka Kazuhiro

Classifications

• H10P95/00

  Generic processes or apparatus for manufacture or treatments not covered by the other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• G06T11/26

  Drawing of charts or graphs · CPC title

• G06F1/00

  Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 (architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76) · CPC title

• G01R29/14

  Measuring field distribution · CPC title

• G01H11/06

  by electric means · CPC title