JP2003151718A - Ion generator, and device and vehicle mounting the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an improved ion generator for enhancing security. SOLUTION: In this ion generator, one-sided electrodes 101 of a radiation electrode generating creeping discharge are arranged in a position contacting the atmosphere. The other one-sided electrode 103 facing the one-sided electrodes 103 are arranged to sandwich a dielectric 102 with the electrodes 101. The other one-sided electrode 103, electrical wires 105, 106, and a circuit 109 for generating supply voltage are covered with a box 104.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ion generator that can be mounted in a device such as a vehicle or an electric appliance, and more specifically, it may cause a damage to a human body or other equipment due to electric shock or current leakage. The present invention relates to an improved ion generator that can be prevented. This invention also
The present invention relates to a device and a vehicle equipped with such an ion generator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art By discharging in air, ions and ozone are generated to give a person a relaxing feeling,
Techniques for sterilization or air purification are commonly used. In such a technique, a voltage of about 1 kV or several kV is usually applied to the needle electrode or the creeping discharge electrode.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an ozone generator described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-338505.

The discharge electrode 501 is provided on the ground electrode 503 so as to sandwich the dielectric 502. The ground electrode 503 is embedded in the insulator 504.

The voltage applied to the discharge electrode 501 is supplied through the resonance transformer 505, and the resonance transformer 505 receives the voltage.
A current generated from the switching circuit 509 connected to the battery 510 is applied to the.

When handling such a high voltage, in order to prevent electric shock to the human body and damage to electronic equipment, an ion generator is provided inside the apparatus and placed in an inaccessible place, or in electronic equipment. It is necessary to arrange the wiring so that it does not come close to the high voltage portion, and in this conventional technique, the ozone generating unit 511 is not touched by a person,
It is designed to increase safety. The source gas 506 is
Enter the ozone generation unit 511 and enter the ozone gas 50
It goes out as 7.

[0007]

However, when the above method is applied to ion generation or ozone generation using the atmosphere, it is not sufficient to simply place the high voltage portion inside the device as a safety measure. . For example, for in-vehicle use,
Considering the case where the vehicle body is flooded or the vehicle body is damaged in an accident, a current leak from the high-voltage section may cause damage to the human body or electronic equipment. Also,
There is a similar possibility when applied to home appliances. Such a problem is not limited to the case of the device in FIG. 6, but may occur in a device that applies a high voltage to the needle electrode in the atmosphere to generate ions. Therefore, it is necessary to devise a method for preventing the current leakage even if water or a human body touches the discharge part while generating ions or ozone by discharge in the atmosphere.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an improved ion generator for improving safety.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved ion generator which does not cause current leakage even if water or a human body touches the discharge part.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a vehicle equipped with such an ion generator.

[0011]

In the ion generator according to the first aspect of the present invention, one electrode on one side of the discharge electrode for generating a creeping discharge is arranged at a position in contact with the atmosphere. The other one side electrode facing the one side electrode and sandwiching the dielectric, the wiring thereof, and the circuit for generating a voltage applied to the one side electrode and the other side electrode are in a box. Is covered.

An ion generator according to a second aspect of the present invention is the ion generator according to the first aspect, wherein the one electrode on one side and the electrode on the other side are connected to a secondary side of a transformer. An AC generating circuit is installed on the primary side.

An ion generator according to a third aspect of the present invention is the ion generator according to the first aspect, wherein the one electrode on one side is connected to a ground electrode of the ion generator.

An ion generator according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the ion generator according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the other electrode on one side and the applied voltage generating circuit are in a closed space. It is housed in or is molded with an insulator, so that it is waterproofed so that water does not enter from the outside, and power is supplied to the applied voltage generating circuit from the outside.

An ion generator according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the ion generator according to the first aspect, wherein the ion generator is provided with a cover for preventing foreign matter from entering the ion blower outlet. The distance from the ion outlet to the one electrode on one side is 8 cm or more.

An ion generator according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the ion generator according to the fourth aspect, wherein an external power supply for externally supplying power to the applied voltage generating circuit exceeds 30V with reference to ground. There is no direct current or alternating current power supply.

An ion generator according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the ion generator according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the one side electrode between the one side electrode and the other side electrode is the other side. An alternating voltage or a positive / negative pulse voltage is applied to the positive electrode to generate positive ions and negative ions.

The invention according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the first aspect.
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a vehicle equipped with the ion generator according to any one of the aspects 1 to 7.

The invention according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the first aspect.
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a vehicle equipped with the ion generator according to any one of the aspects 1 to 7 and connected to the ion generator via a common grounding portion.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ion generator according to the first embodiment.

This is an ion generator using a creeping discharge, and the electrode 101 for generating a creeping surface is made of a conductor formed with a mesh pattern so that ions can be generated from each part. Further, although the counter electrode 103 is an example of a planar conductive electrode, it may be a conductor having a net-like pattern pattern formed therein.

It should be noted that these electrodes 101 and 103 sandwich the dielectric 102, and these discharge parts are incorporated in a box 104, the electrode 101 is outside the housing, while the counter electrode 103 is inside the box 104. Is located in.

The two electrodes 101 and 103 are connected to the electric wire 1
At 05 and 106, the high voltage generation circuit 107 is connected. Inside the high voltage generation circuit 107, the secondary side of the high voltage transformer 108 is connected to the output section, and the primary side thereof is connected to the AC generation circuit 109.

The AC generating circuit 109 is powered by a battery or a generator 112 outside the box.

The battery or generator 112,
The alternating-current generation circuit 109 is connected to the housing equipped with this ion generator at a common ground 110.

Next, details of each part when the apparatus is driven will be described. First, the AC voltage or pulse voltage generated by the high voltage generator 107 is applied to the electrodes 101 and 103. As a result, the electrode 101 becomes the dielectric 102.
A discharge is generated between the electrodes 103 facing each other with the electrode sandwiched in between, and the atmosphere in the vicinity is ionized. Therefore, by sending the wind near the electrode 101, the wind including the ions can be sent in the intended direction.

Next, the inside of the high voltage generator 107 is composed of a high voltage transformer 108 and an alternating current generation circuit 109.
The AC generation circuit 109 is a battery or a generator 112.
The voltage received from the converter can be converted into an alternating voltage or a pulse voltage, which can be boosted by the high voltage transformer 108 and sent to the discharge unit.

The battery or generator 112 is mounted on the housing 111 and is connected to the high voltage generating circuit via the ground 110.

Now, it is important that the human body and electronic equipment do not come into contact with the discharge electrode. However,
When a finger of a human body, a wire, wiring of an electronic device, water, or the like enters the inside of the device, in the conventional device shown in FIG. 6, the wiring of the electrode for creeping discharge is in the same space, and thus a short circuit may occur between them. It is easy to cause an accident.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, a high voltage is generated between the electrode 101 and the electrode 103, but unless the box 104 is broken, even if the human finger touches it, only the electrode 101 is present, and the high voltage portion You don't have to touch both ends of the to keep it safe.

Since the high voltage transformer 108 is insulated from the primary side and the secondary side, the discharge electrode 101 and the casing 1 are
It is possible to prevent a large DC current from flowing between the ground portion 11 and the ground portion, and to ensure safety.

Further, by waterproofing the box 104 and taking measures to prevent water from entering the inside of the box, it is possible to prevent leakage due to slight intrusion of water.

Further, in the present embodiment, alternating current or pulse voltage is applied to the electrodes which generate the creeping discharge. By doing so, both positive ions and negative ions are emitted from the electrode 101, so that one charge is not accumulated in the dielectric 102 in the vicinity of the electrode 101 (charge-up). First, there is an advantage that even if a human body or a part of other electronic equipment approaches near the electrode 101 and the dielectric 102, discharge or the like does not occur.

In order to make the above effect more effective, it is important to prevent a leak current due to a high voltage from occurring between the electrodes extending from the box 104 to the outside. By setting the voltage supplied from the machine 112 so that it does not exceed DC or 30 V, it is possible to maintain safety for the human body and to provide a highly reliable device.

Although the present embodiment is designed to emit positive ions and negative ions, it is possible to change the voltage pulse pattern to change the balance of positive ions or negative ions, Alternatively, even if only negative ions are generated, the effect of preventing electric shock can be obtained by adjusting the configuration to the specifications of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, the electrodes 101 and 1 are
Reference numeral 03 denotes the AC generator 10 via the high voltage transformer 108.
9 is galvanically isolated, so that even if the electrode 101 is touched, it is possible to prevent the direct current from flowing to the human body. However, even when the primary side and the secondary side of the high voltage transformer 108 are partially connected by a resistor or a semiconductor element, the electrodes 101 and 10
Since neither of 3 and 3 touches the human body, the effect of the present invention that the electric shock can be suppressed can be expected. In that case, if the current flowing to the human body is about 20 mA or more, there is a risk of causing an electric shock with severe pain or a sequelae.
Is the DC component of the current flowing from the primary side to the secondary side of the high-voltage transformer at least limited to 10 mA or less,
Alternatively, it is desirable to design a circuit in which the voltage appearing at the electrode 101 does not affect the human body, for example, 30 V or less.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 2 shows the configuration of an ion generator according to Embodiment 2.

Similar to the first embodiment, this is an ion generator using creeping discharge, and includes electrodes 201 and 203 for generating creeping discharge. The electrode 201 is made of a conductor in which a net-like pattern is formed, and ions can be generated from each part.

Further, although the counter electrode 203 is shown as an example of a flat conductive electrode, it may be a conductor having a net-like pattern. In addition, those electrodes 2
01 and 203 sandwich the dielectric 202, these discharge parts are incorporated in the box 204, the electrode 201 is outside the box 204, while the electrode 203 is located inside the box 204.

The electrode 203 is covered with the insulator 215 and the dielectric 202 so as not to come into contact with air. The insulator 215 may be a material integrated with the dielectric 202, for example, the dielectric 202 and the insulator 215 may be formed of ceramics and the electrode 203 may be embedded therein.

Next, the two electrodes 201 and 203 are
The wires 205 and 206 are connected to the high voltage generation circuit 207. The high voltage generation circuit 207 is a high voltage transformer 20.
8 is connected to the primary side of the AC generating circuit 209.
It is connected to the. In addition, the AC generation circuit 209 is a box 2
Power is taken from a battery or generator 212 outside 04.

The electrode 201, the battery or generator 212, and the AC generation circuit 209 are connected to the common ground 2
At 10, it is connected to a housing 211 equipped with this ion generator.

Next, details of each part when the present apparatus is driven will be described. First, the electrodes 201 and 203 are applied with an AC voltage or a pulse voltage generated by the high voltage generation circuit 207. As a result, the electrode 201 becomes the dielectric 202.
A discharge is generated between the electrodes 203 facing each other with the electrode sandwiched in between, and the atmosphere in the vicinity is ionized. Therefore, by sending the wind near the electrode 201, the wind including the ions can be sent in the intended direction.

Next, the inside of the high voltage generating circuit 207 is composed of a high voltage transformer 208 and an AC generating circuit 209.
The AC generation circuit 209 is a battery or a generator 212.
The voltage received from the converter can be converted into an alternating-current or pulse-shaped voltage, boosted by the high-voltage transformer 208, and sent to the discharge unit.

The battery or generator 212 is
It is mounted on the housing 211 and is connected to the high voltage generation circuit via the ground 210.

In the present embodiment, as in the case of the first embodiment, when a finger of a human body, a wire, wiring of an electronic device, water, or the like enters the inside of the device, an accident is prevented by the following action. be able to.

First, referring to FIG. 2, a high voltage is generated between the power source 201 and the electrode 203. However, as long as the human body's finger does not touch the box unless the box is broken, only the electrode 201 is present.
Since 01 is grounded to the casing, no high voltage is applied to the human body, and safety is maintained.

In this embodiment, the high voltage transformer 20 is used.
8 and the high-voltage generating portion are only covered by the box 204, but they may be covered by a resin. In that case, current leakage does not occur even if there is a gap in the box.
It can be a safer device.

The electrode 203 which causes the creeping discharge is surrounded by the dielectric 202 and the insulator 215. With such an arrangement, ion generation and ozone generation do not occur near the electrode 203. Therefore, mechanical deterioration of the electric circuit and the constituent elements due to ozone can be prevented, so that current leakage can be suppressed.

Further, as in the first embodiment, since an alternating or pulsed voltage is applied between the electrodes 201 and 203, both positive ions and negative ions are emitted, so that the dielectric in the vicinity of the electrode 201 is reduced. Since the body 202 does not accumulate one charge (charge-up),
Even if a human body or a part of other electronic equipment approaches the vicinity of the electrode 201 and the dielectric 202, there is an advantage that discharge or the like does not occur.

Embodiment 3 Next, FIGS. 3 and 4 show the case where the present invention is installed in a vehicle air conditioner.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the wind tunnel and the ion generating portion when the vehicle is equipped with an ion generator.

In a box 301 containing an ion generator, a plate-shaped dielectric 302, a mesh electrode 303, and an electrode 304 sandwiching the plate-shaped dielectric 302 are formed. In addition, two electrodes are provided on them, and the high voltage pulse generation circuit 305 is provided through the covered electric wire.
And a pulse voltage having a peak value of 1.4 kV composed of positive and negative voltages is applied. Further, a covered power cable 306 is drawn out of the box 301 from the high-voltage pulse generation circuit so that a direct current of 12 V is applied. The electrode 304 is connected to the ground wire of the power cable 306.

Although a cross section is shown in the drawing, the box 301 is formed of a plastic resin-closed box so that water or an object does not enter from the outside. Has been waterproofed.

Although not shown in the figure, the box 301 may be sealed with a resin to cover the electrodes, the high-voltage portion and the electric wires, thereby further preventing current leakage.

Next, the box 30 constituting this ion generator
The reference numeral 1 is provided at a jet outlet for an air conditioner of a car.

In FIG. 3, the air whose temperature is adjusted is the wind tunnel 30.
7, the air is sent in the direction indicated by the arrow 309, is ionized by the electrode 303, and the wind direction is adjusted by the wind direction adjuster 308.
It is sent in the direction indicated by arrow 310.

FIG. 4 shows an organization chart when the ion generator and the wind tunnel portion are mounted together with an air conditioner of a car.

The car is equipped with a car case 401, an ion generator 402, and a battery 406 for generating ions, and the battery 406 is grounded to the case. The vehicle also includes a temperature control unit 403, a blower, a valve 404 for taking in outside air, and a valve 405 for circulating inside air.

In this system, switching between outside air and inside air, temperature adjustment, wind force adjustment, and ion generation intensity adjustment can be performed as desired.

Also, with this system, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, even when a vehicle is flooded due to heavy rain or flood, the electrode 303 is kept at the ground potential, so that the human body and other electronic devices are not affected. There is no risk of damage due to the current leak in the. Further, even if an object or a human body enters the wind tunnel 307 due to some accident, the same damage can be avoided.

In the third embodiment, the electrode portion 304 is set to the ground potential. However, even when the high voltage transformer and the electrode portion are galvanically isolated by using the circuit shown in the first embodiment, the above-mentioned accident occurs. Therefore, the damage can be suppressed without generating a large leak current.

Further, since the AC voltage or the positive and negative pulse voltage is applied to the discharge electrode, it is possible to prevent the dielectric material sandwiching the discharge electrode from being charged up to one of the electric charges. It is possible to suppress electric discharge and prevent electric shock or electrical damage.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram when the present invention is mounted on a vehicle according to the fourth embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the ion generator is mounted on the air blower of the vehicle, and can be combined with an air conditioner or an air purifier.

Referring to FIG. 5, the vehicle has a driver's seat 60 inside the vehicle.
1, driver 602, steering wheel 603, all windows 6
04, including inner walls 605, 606 inside the vehicle. Further, the vehicle includes a box 607 accommodating the high-pressure part of the ion generator, an ion generating electrode 608, and a cover 609 for preventing foreign matter intrusion that includes a wind direction adjusting plate. A distance 610 between the wind direction adjusting plate and the ion generating electrode is entered in the figure.

In the present embodiment, the air sent from the fan (not shown) passes near the electrode 608, and the wind direction is adjusted by the wind direction adjusting plate 609 to blow the ions into the vehicle.

In FIG. 5, the wind containing ions is blown toward the driver so that human beings can receive the sterilizing effect or deodorizing effect of ions and the comfortable environment.

The distance 610 to the cover 609 for preventing foreign matter intrusion, which is composed of the ion generating electrode 608 and the wind direction adjusting plate, is 8c.
It has become m. The wind direction adjusting plate 609 needs to allow air to pass through, but it is important that the hole is of a size that human fingers cannot pass through as much as possible. However, depending on the condition of the wind direction adjusting plate, a human finger may pass therethrough. Therefore, it is important for safety to set the distance 610 to 8 cm or more so that the finger does not reach the electrode.

Further, it is desirable that the distance 610 is equal to or less than the distance calculated by the average life of the ions × wind speed so that the ions can be efficiently blown into the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the wind speed is 1 m and the life of the ions is about 3. Since it is second, distance 6
10 is preferably about 3 m or less.

The present invention can be used not only for vehicles, but also for all kinds of vehicles such as trains, airplanes, ships, and air conditioners, air purifiers, blowers, and air purifiers for home and business use.

Further, the present invention can be used not only as an ion generator but also as an ozone generator.

The embodiments disclosed this time are to be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description but by the claims, and is intended to include meanings equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the scope.

[0075]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In an ion generator that uses a creeping discharge, only one electrode is placed outside, the high voltage part is housed inside the generator, and the discharge part is either insulated from the power supply or the external discharge part is set to the ground electrode. Therefore, even if the external discharge electrode is touched, it is possible to suppress the damage caused by the discharge.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an ion generator according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an ion generator according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an ion generator according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration in which an ion generator according to a third embodiment is mounted on a vehicle.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration in which an ion generator according to a fourth embodiment is mounted on a vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional ozone generator.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 one side electrode of the discharge electrode, 102 dielectric,
103 the other side of the discharge electrode, 104 box, 10
5,106 electric wire, 109 AC generating circuit.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kazuo Nishikawa             22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Inside the company F-term (reference) 4G042 CA01 CC04 CC09 CC10 CC16                       CD01

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A one-sided electrode of a discharge electrode for generating a creeping discharge is arranged at a position in contact with the atmosphere, and the other one-sided electrode facing the one-sided electrode and sandwiching a dielectric is provided. The wiring, and the circuit for generating a voltage applied to the one electrode on one side and the one electrode on the other side,
Ion generator covered in a box. 2. The ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the one electrode on one side and the electrode on the other side are connected to a secondary side of a transformer, and an AC generating circuit is installed on a primary side of the transformer. . 3. The ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the one electrode on one side is connected to a ground electrode of the ion generator. 4. The other electrode on one side and the applied voltage generating circuit are housed in a closed space or molded with an insulating material so as to be waterproofed to prevent water from entering from the outside. The power supply is externally supplied to the applied voltage generation circuit.
An ion generator according to item. 5. The ion generator is provided with a cover for preventing foreign matter from entering the ion outlet, and the distance from the ion outlet to the one electrode on one side is 8 cm or more. The ion generator according to claim 1. 6. The ion generator according to claim 4, wherein an external power supply for externally supplying power to the applied voltage generation circuit is a DC or AC power supply that does not exceed 30 V with respect to ground. 7. The alternating current voltage or positive / negative pulse voltage is applied between the one-sided electrode on one side and the one-sided electrode on the other side to generate positive ions and negative ions. The ion generator according to item 1. 8. An apparatus and a vehicle equipped with the ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. An apparatus and a vehicle equipped with the ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and connected to the ion generator via a common ground portion.