JP2000105222A - Radiation hygrometer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out a continuous humidity measurement by a simple constitution without permitting a leakage current to flow between electrodes even if the humidity is high. SOLUTION: In this hygrometer, a left side flat plate 1 of right and left conduction flat plates 1, 2 vertically provided in parallel while keeping a predetermined space is earthed through an ampere meter 3; and two sheets of right and left conductive center flat plates 4, 5 are interposed in parallel to the right and left conductive flat plates 1, 2 between the right and left conductive flat plates 1, 2 in a state of connecting to a battery 6 such that the left side center flat plate 4 becomes an anode. The two sheets of right and left conductive center flat plates 4, 5 are provided with an ionization chamber levitated in an air by a magnetic levitation with the battery 6; a radiation source 7 disposed at a lower required position between a left side flat plate 1 and a left side center flat plate 4 of the ionization chamber; and a draft mechanism such that a wind is ventilated to a space between the left side flat plate 1 and the left side center flat plate 4 of the ionization box.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hygrometer capable of continuously measuring the humidity in air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In measuring humidity, there are a humidity meter using a psychrometer, a hair meter, a ceramic, a polymer, and the like. For measuring the absolute humidity, there are a weighing method for directly measuring the amount of water vapor with a flat balance or the like, and a heat conduction method using a thermistor.

[0003] By the way, water molecules originally have polarity. Accordingly, even in the air, unlike oxygen molecules and nitrogen molecules, they exist in a polar state. That is, the convex portion bent in a cashew state is polarized to +, and both ends of the concave portion are polarized to-. When radiation passes through air containing oxygen molecules, nitrogen molecules, water molecules, etc., each molecule is ionized. If an electrode is provided in this ionization space and there is a potential difference between the electrodes, the ionized positive and negative ions travel toward the electrode at high speed while repeatedly colliding with other molecules and ions on the way. Here, some ions are adsorbed on water molecules by colliding with non-ionized water molecules. That is, ions are surrounded by polar water molecules. If this is called a charge trap by water molecules,
When the amount of water molecules is large, that is, when the humidity is high, the number of charge traps increases, and as a result, the number of ions that reach the electrode without being trapped decreases. As the number of ions collected at the electrode decreases, the ionization current value decreases accordingly. That is, there is a correlation between the amount of water molecules (humidity) and the ionization current value. Experiments have shown that the ionization current decreases linearly with increasing relative humidity.

[0004]

As described above, the humidity can be measured by utilizing the correlation between the amount of water molecules in the air and the ionization current due to radiation. However, a conventional ionization chamber is used. In such a case, stable measurement cannot be performed. It is for the following reasons. That is, in a normal ionization chamber, the electrodes are mounted on a support base or a wall with an insulator interposed therebetween. Therefore, when a voltage is applied to the electrode and the humidity is high, a leak current flows through the insulator to the ammeter connected to the electrode. There is a problem that the leak current increases as the humidity increases, and the deflection of the pointer of the ammeter becomes large, making measurement impossible.

In the present invention, a new ionization chamber in which electrodes are magnetically levitated is used in place of a normal ionization chamber. It is an object of the present invention to provide a hygrometer capable of measuring humidity by continuously measuring current.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hygrometer according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the left and right conductive flat plates are vertically suspended at a certain interval. Is grounded via an ammeter, the right side plate is grounded as it is, and two conductive left and right center plates are connected to the battery between the left and right conductive plates so that the left center plate becomes an anode. The two left and right central flat plates are interposed in parallel with the left and right conductive flat plates, and the two left and right central flat plates are composed of an ionization chamber floated in the air by magnetic levitation with both batteries, and a left flat plate and a left central flat plate of the ionization chamber. The radiation hygrometer is provided with a radiation source disposed at a required lower portion therebetween and a ventilation mechanism provided so as to ventilate a space between a left flat plate and a left central flat plate of the ionization chamber.

In the hygrometer according to a second aspect of the present invention, the conductive outer cylinder is grounded via an ammeter, and the conductive inner cylinder is disposed inside the conductive outer cylinder. The conductive rod is disposed so as to be coaxial with the conductive outer cylinder, and a conductive rod is provided inside the conductive inner cylinder in a state insulated from the conductive inner cylinder, so that it is coaxial with the conductive inner cylinder. The conductive inner cylindrical body and the conductive rod are connected to a battery so that the conductive inner cylindrical body serves as an anode, and the conductive inner cylindrical body and the conductive rod are magnetically disposed together with the battery. An ionization chamber floated in the air by levitation, a radiation source disposed at a required position below the conductive outer cylinder of the ionization chamber, a conductive outer cylinder and a conductive inner cylinder of the ionization chamber Radiation hygrometer with a ventilation mechanism provided to allow ventilation in the space between That.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments, for the understanding of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a hygrometer in which a ventilation mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention is omitted, and left and right conductive flat plates 1 and 2 are vertically suspended at a certain interval. The left flat plate 1 is grounded via an ammeter 3 and the right flat plate 2 is grounded as it is. Inside the left and right conductive flat plates 1 and 2, two conductive left and right center flat plates 4 and 5 are connected to the battery 6 so that the left center flat plate 4 serves as an anode. These left and right central flat plates 4, 5 and the battery 6 are levitated in the air by a magnetic levitation device (not shown). A radiation source 7 composed of γ-rays or α-rays is provided below the space between the conductive left flat plate 1 and the left central flat plate 4. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the hygrometer according to the first embodiment, in which an air inlet 8 and an air inlet 9 for ventilating air to a space between the conductive left flat plate 1 and the left central flat plate 4. Are provided so as to be ventilated by a blower pump 8 ′ and an intake pump 9 ′, respectively. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an outline of the ventilation port 8.

In the above-described hygrometer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the air sent from the air outlet 8 is
The ions are ionized by the generated radiation to generate ions, which collect on the conductive left side plate 1 serving as a collecting electrode, and the ionization current can be measured by the ammeter 3 connected to the left side plate 1. In this case, the potential between the left flat plate 1 serving as a collecting electrode and the left central flat plate 4 serving as a high-voltage electrode is generated by application to the floating left and right central flat plates 4 and 5. That is, the device using this magnetic levitation electrode is:
By applying a voltage to the electrodes floating in the air, it is possible to apply a voltage directly between the electrodes of the apparatus without using a voltage directly between the electrodes of the apparatus.
A potential is generated indirectly by the electrostatic induction between the left and right central plates 4, so that ions between the left and right central plates 4 and 4 are collected by this potential and the ionization current is measured. In this method, there is no leakage current that occurs in the insulator between the electrodes, which occurs in a conventional ionization chamber that directly applies a voltage to the electrodes. Can be converted to humidity.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a hygrometer according to a second embodiment of the present invention, from which a ventilation mechanism is omitted, wherein a conductive outer cylindrical body 11 is grounded via an ammeter 12; Inside, a conductive inner cylindrical body 13 is disposed so as to be coaxial with the conductive outer cylindrical body 11. Further, inside the conductive inner cylinder 13, there is a conductive inner cylinder 13.
The conductive rod 14 is disposed so as to be coaxial with the conductive inner cylindrical body 13 in an electrically insulated state. The conductive inner cylindrical body 13 and the conductive rod 14 are connected to the battery 15 so that the conductive inner cylindrical body 13 serves as an anode. The rod 14 and the battery 15 are all floated in the air by a magnetic levitation device (not shown). A radiation source 16 composed of γ-rays or α-rays is provided below the conductive outer cylindrical body 11. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the hygrometer according to the second embodiment, and an air outlet for ventilating air into a space between the conductive outer cylindrical body 11 and the conductive inner cylindrical body 13. 17 and an intake port 18 are provided, and are configured to be ventilated by a blower pump 17 'and an intake pump 18', respectively. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an outline of a donut-shaped blower port 17 used in this embodiment.

In the above-described hygrometer according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the air sent from the air outlet 17 is ionized by the radiation generated from the radiation source 16 to generate ions, and the ions are collected by the collecting electrode. The ammeter 1 gathered on the conductive outer cylinder 11 and connected to the conductive outer cylinder 11
2, the ionization current can be measured and converted to humidity. Also in the case of the second embodiment, since a voltage is applied to the electrode floating in the air, there is no generation of a leak current as in the case of the first embodiment.

[0012]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since a battery and an electrode to which a voltage is applied use an ionization chamber that floats in the air by magnetic levitation, the collection electrode that collects the ionization current is separated from the high-voltage electrode. Therefore, there is no leakage current flowing from the high-voltage electrode into the ammeter, and the insulation is extremely enhanced. Therefore, continuous measurement is possible even in a high humidity atmosphere, and continuous measurement of humidity can be performed in real time. Therefore, it has excellent responsiveness to a change in humidity over time, and since the amount of water molecules in the air is directly involved in charge trapping, the output sensitivity is high even with a change in temperature (change in relative humidity). In the hygrometer of the present invention, since the electrode plate as a sensor uses a conductive conductor such as aluminum, a method using an electrolyte, a polymer, or a ceramic utilizing electric characteristics due to the adsorptivity of the sensor surface is used. Compared with this, the gas resistance and reproducibility are excellent, and the effect of being stable for a long time is exhibited.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an air outlet according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an air outlet according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Left flat plate 2 Right flat plate 3 Ammeter 4 Left center flat plate 5 Right center flat plate 6 Battery 7 Radiation source 8 Blow port 8 'Blow pump 9 Intake port 9' Suction pump 11 Conductive outer cylinder 12 Ammeter 13 Conductive inner cylinder Body 14 Conductive rod 15 Battery 16 Radiation source 17 Ventilation port 17 'Ventilation pump 18 Intake port 18' Intake pump

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. The left and right conductive plates, which are vertically suspended in parallel at a certain interval, are grounded via an ammeter, and the right side plate is grounded as it is, between the left and right conductive plates. Two conductive left and right central flat plates are interposed in parallel with the left and right conductive flat plates, respectively, with the left central flat plate connected to the battery such that the left central flat plate serves as an anode. An ionization chamber levitated in the air by magnetic levitation, a radiation source disposed at a required lower portion between the left flat plate and the left central flat plate of the ionization chamber, a left flat plate and a left central flat plate of the ionization chamber A radiation mechanism provided so as to ventilate a space between the radiation hygrometer and the radiation hygrometer. 2. A conductive outer cylinder is grounded via an ammeter, and a conductive inner cylinder is disposed inside the conductive outer cylinder so as to be coaxial with the conductive outer cylinder. Inside the conductive inner cylinder, a conductive rod is disposed insulated from the conductive inner cylinder so as to be coaxial with the conductive inner cylinder, and the conductive inner cylinder and the conductive The conductive inner cylinder and the conductive rod are connected to a battery so that the conductive inner cylinder becomes an anode, and the conductive inner cylinder and the conductive rod are connected to an ionization chamber floated in the air by magnetic levitation. A radiation source disposed at a required position below the conductive outer cylinder of the box, and a ventilation mechanism provided so as to ventilate a space between the conductive outer cylinder and the conductive inner cylinder of the ionization chamber. A radiation hygrometer comprising: