JP2003320274A - Apparatus and method for removing ion - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To remove plus ions in the air by using an ionization wire and a counter electrode housed in a casing. <P>SOLUTION: Ground potential is applied to a frame 14 to bring the surface of a casing 13 to a ground potential state to prevent the casing 13 from being electrified by plus ions, whereby a plus ion 19 contained in an air stream 18 is transported into an ion removing apparatus 6 without receiving Coulomb force (repulsive force) from the casing 13 and the transported plus ion 19 can be drawn to a counter electrode 17 to which the ground potential is applied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ion removing apparatus and an ion removing method, and is particularly suitable for use in removing ions in a space such as a closed space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a technique of charging floating substances (mainly floating dust) in a space by collecting them. Briefly explaining such a technique, by applying a potential difference to the ionization line and a counter electrode arranged to face the ionization line,
A corona discharge space is generated between the ionization line and the counter electrode.

In this case, positive discharge is often used in consideration of charging efficiency and the like when corona discharge is performed with a linear body like the above-mentioned ionization line. Then, the floating substances contained in the air flow passing between the ionization line and the counter electrode are positively charged in the corona discharge space, and electrostatically generated by the dust collecting electrode arranged on the downstream side of the air flow. To collect dust.

Further, according to such a technique, the ionization line, the counter electrode, the dust collecting electrode, etc. are housed in a case having a structure in which the user cannot easily touch the ionization line, and the above-mentioned operation is performed. The suspended matter in the space is electrostatically collected.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, in order to improve the workability, the safety of electrical insulation, and the charging efficiency of the corona discharge space for the floating substance, The case is formed of a material having an insulating property. Therefore, since the corona discharge space is a positive space, the surface of the case is positively charged.

When the surface of the case is positively charged in this way, positive ions traveling toward the case by the air current receive Coulomb force in the direction of repulsion with the case and repel without entering the case. It will be pushed back into the space.

Therefore, in the conventional technique for producing a positive corona discharge space, which has the effects of extending the life of the ionizing wire and increasing the charging efficiency by using the ionizing wire housed in the case and the counter electrode, However, there is a problem that positive ions in the atmosphere (indoor), which are said to adversely affect the above, cannot be taken into the case, so that the positive ions in the atmosphere cannot be removed at all.

The air that a person breathes and is in direct contact with the skin usually contains ions, which act directly on the person and have a great influence on human mental strength and judgment. It is generally known to give. In particular, negative ions have a positive effect of activating human cell tissues and improving behavior and mood, whereas positive ions have a negative effect of increasing irritability, nervousness and stomach upset. It has been known.

In recent years, it has been often practiced to equip a room air conditioner with a negative ion generator, but the negative ions released indoors are unevenly distributed in the air to increase the concentration of negative ions in the entire room. This is aimed at the above-mentioned positive effect.

However, in the room, a large amount of floating dust such as automobile exhaust gas, pollen, bacteria, oil smoke from cooking, smoke from smoking cigarettes, and viruses is present as floating dust, and However, smoking cigarettes produces a large amount of positive ions continuously (for example, cigarette 1
It is known that smoking a book increases the number of positive ions from 3000 to 5000 / cm ³ .

Negative ions emitted from the negative ion generator neutralize these positive ions and positively charged dust in a masking manner, and the concentration in the space thereof does not increase. There was a problem that could not be obtained.

[0012] Further, if only generating a large amount of negative ions, the humidity is further lowered when the humidity of the air is low, and the floor and the wall are negatively charged due to too many ions. On the contrary, there is also a problem that the above-mentioned dust is electrostatically attracted to the vicinity of the air conditioner in which the negative ion generator is installed and polluted.

The present inventor has changed not only the method of simply generating more negative ions but also the idea to solve the above-mentioned problems such as wall stains, and surely remove positive ions in the atmosphere. The present invention has been achieved as a result of earnest research aimed at achieving the above.

That is, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems comprehensively, and it is possible to remove positive ions in the atmosphere by using an ionization wire and a counter electrode housed in a case. The purpose is to

[0015]

An ion removing apparatus of the present invention is provided with a case having an air passage for passing an air flow, an ionization wire disposed in the air passage of the case, and an ionization wire disposed opposite to the ionization wire. An ion removal device including a counter electrode provided, wherein an electric field is generated between the ionization line and the counter electrode while preventing the surface of the case from being positively charged, and the air flow path It is characterized by further including ion removing means for removing ions contained in the inflowing airflow. Another feature of the present invention is that a case having a ventilation passage for passing an air flow, an ionization wire disposed in the ventilation passage of the case, and a facing member disposed so as to face the ionization wire. Attached to the electrode and the surface of the above case,
And a frame having a volume resistivity lower than that of the above case.

Further, the ion removing method of the present invention comprises an ionizing wire arranged in the ventilation passage formed by the case,
An ion removal method for removing an ion contained in an air stream flowing into the ventilation path by applying an electric field between the counter electrode arranged to face the ionization line and a corona discharge space, It is characterized by including an electric field control process for applying an electric field between the ionization line and the counter electrode while preventing the case from being positively charged.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION (First Embodiment) Next, a first embodiment of an ion removing apparatus and an ion removing method will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, an example is given in which the ion removing device also functions as an electrostatic dust collector, and the ion removing device (with electrostatic dust collecting function) is installed in an indoor unit of an air conditioner. To explain.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a schematic structure of an indoor unit of an air conditioner equipped with an ion removing device (electrostatic dust collector) of this embodiment. In FIG. 1, an indoor unit body 1 of an air conditioner has a front panel 2, a top panel 3 and a rear panel 4.

The front panel 2 is disposed on the front surface of the indoor unit body 1 and has a suction port for sucking air in the atmosphere. Further, the upper panel 3 is disposed on the upper surface of the indoor unit body 1, and like the front panel 2,
It has a suction port for sucking air.

The rear panel 4 is a molded plate in which both side surfaces of the indoor unit body 1, a back surface, and a part of the bottom surface are integrally formed. These front panel 2, top panel 3,
Also, the indoor unit body 1 is formed in a horizontally long box shape by the rear panel 4.

Inside the indoor unit body 1,
A pre-filter 5, an ion removing device 6, a heat exchanger 7, a blower 8 and a louver 9 are arranged.

The pre-filter 5 is disposed inside the front panel 2 and the upper panel 3, and dust or dust contained in the air sucked through the suction ports provided in the front panel 2 and the upper panel 3. It is a filter that captures suspended solids such as resin, and is often made of resin.

The ion removing device 6 is arranged inside the pre-filter 5 arranged on the front panel 2 side, collects the suspended matter which could not be captured by the pre-filter 5, and through the front panel 2. It has a function of removing (collecting) ions contained in the sucked air.

The heat exchanger 7 has a function of bringing the air, from which suspended substances and ions are removed by the prefilter 5 and the ion removing device 6, to a predetermined temperature by a heat exchange action.
The blower 8 has a function of blowing the air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 7 to the outside. The louver 9 is provided at the outlet 10 of the air blown from the blower 8 and has a function of adjusting the wind direction of the air blown from the blower 8.

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram showing an example of the configuration of the ion removing apparatus 6 of the present embodiment mounted on the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner as described above. In addition, FIG.
It is the figure which showed typically the structure of the ion removal apparatus 6, and the outline of an electrical connection. Further, FIG. 4 shows an ion removing device 6
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an electric field distribution in the charging section 11 and a state in which ions move.

First, the function of each part in the ion removing device 6 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the ion removing device 6 according to the present embodiment includes a charging unit 11, a dust collecting unit 12, a case 13, a frame 14, an ion removing potential applying unit, and a dust collecting potential applying unit. And a power supply device 15 arranged as.

The charging unit 11 includes an ionizing ray 16 (16a,
16b) and the counter electrodes 17 (17a to 17c) arranged so as to face the ionization line 16 and remove the ions carried from the outside by riding on the air flow 18 and also riding on the air flow 18. It has the function of positively charging floating substances carried from the outside.

The specific function will be described. Ionization line 1
By applying a positive electric potential to 6 and a ground electric potential to the counter electrode 17, as shown in FIG.
The positive ions 19 carried from the outside by riding on 8 and part of the positively charged floating substances are attracted and removed by the counter electrode 17 to which the ground potential is applied, and
Similarly, the negative ions 20 carried from the outside by riding on the air flow 18 are attracted to the ionization line 16 to which a positive potential is applied to remove the negative ions.

Then, a corona discharge space is generated by the ionization line 16, and the floating substance carried from the outside on the air flow 18 is positively charged.

Returning to FIG. 3, the dust collecting portion 12 has a non-dust collecting electrode 21 (21a, 21b) and a dust collecting electrode 22 which are arranged to face each other on the downstream side of the air flow 18 with respect to the charging portion 11.
(22a to 22c), and has a function of collecting floating substances positively charged by the charging unit 11.

Explaining the specific function, the non-dust collecting electrode 2
By applying a positive potential to 1 and a ground potential to the dust collecting electrode 22, between the non-dust collecting electrode 21 and the dust collecting electrode 22,
An electric field caused by the potential difference is generated. Then, by the action of this electric field, the floating substances positively charged in the charging unit 11 are attracted to the dust collecting electrode 22 by electrostatic force to collect the dust.

The case 13 has a structure that forms an air passage through which the air flow 18 passes, and the ionization wire 1 is placed in this air passage.
6, counter electrode 17, non-dust collecting electrode 21, and dust collecting electrode 22
Is housed. Note that FIG. 3 shows only the portion of the case 13 that protects the ionization wire 16.

The frame 14 serves to prevent the case 13 from being positively charged by applying a predetermined potential (ground potential) to the surface of the case 13.

The power supply device 15 has a function of applying a predetermined positive potential to the ionization line 16 and the non-dust collecting electrode 21, and a ground potential to the frame 14, the counter electrode 17, and the dust collecting electrode 22.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, a specific structure of the ion removing device 6 of the present embodiment having the above-mentioned function will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the ion removing apparatus 6 of the present embodiment, a plurality of ionization lines 16 are formed by processing a metal wire such as tungsten having a diameter of about 90 μm. More specifically, by processing the metal wire into a meandering shape, a plurality of ionized wires 16 having a predetermined length are formed in parallel at predetermined intervals (for example, equal intervals).

Further, the plurality of counter electrodes 17 and the plurality of dust collecting electrodes 22 are integrally formed. More specifically, a plurality of counter electrodes 17 are arranged with a predetermined dimension so that the electrode surfaces are opposed to each other, and a plurality of dust collecting electrodes are arranged with a predetermined dimension so that the electrode surfaces are opposed to each other. 22
And are integrally formed. In the following, the plurality of counter electrodes 17 and the plurality of dust collecting electrodes 22 that are integrally formed will be referred to as a first electrode group, if necessary.

Further, a plurality of non-dust collecting electrodes 21 are also integrally formed. Specifically, a plurality of non-dust collecting electrodes 21 arranged at equal intervals with predetermined dimensions so that their electrode surfaces face each other.
Are integrally formed. In the following, if necessary,
The plurality of non-dust collecting electrodes 21 integrally formed are referred to as a second electrode group.

As shown in FIG. 2, the case 13 includes a guard 1
It has 3a, an upper frame 13b, and a lower frame 13c.

The upper frame 13b has a rectangular shape in which the upper end on the long side is tapered, and the upper and lower surfaces are open. Then, it internally has a structure for accommodating and holding the plurality of ionization wires 16 formed as described above.

The guard 13a is a pillar-shaped protection bar 13a.
1 is a lid shaped like a fence by the slit 13a2 between the protective bar 13a1 and the protective bar 13a1, and is fitted into the upper opening of the upper frame 13b. Then, due to the slit 13a2, the air flow 1 in the ion removing apparatus 6 of the present embodiment.
8 inflow ports are formed.

The lower frame 13c has a rectangular shape, and its upper and lower surfaces are open. And, it has a structure for accommodating and holding the first electrode group (counter electrode 17, dust collecting electrode 22) and the second electrode group (non-dust collecting electrode 21) therein. In addition, the opening 13c1 on the lower surface of the lower frame 13c
Thus, the discharge port of the air flow 18 in the ion removing device 6 of the present embodiment is formed.

The guard 13a, the upper frame 13b, and the lower frame 13c of this embodiment all have a volume resistivity of 10 ¹⁵ Ω · cm or more, and are insulative in terms of electrical safety. It has the property.

The frame 14 has a lattice shape,
It has a structure that can be closely mounted on the upper surface of the guard 13a.
It The frame 14 of this embodiment has 10⁸Ω · cm or less
Top 10^{1 Five}Volume resistivity of less than Ω · cm, preferably 10^Ten
Ω · cm or more 10¹⁴Volume resistivity in the range of less than Ω · cm
It has a semi-insulating property.

More specifically, for example, a synthetic resin in which a hygroscopic resin is mixed with a thermoplastic resin such as ABS resin in an appropriate amount can be used in the above range (10 ¹⁰ Ω · cm or more and 10 ¹⁴ Ω · c).
The frame 14 having a volume resistivity of less than m) is formed.

The shape of the frame 14 is not limited to the lattice shape. That is, any shape may be used as long as it can be mounted on the upper surface of the guard 13a and does not close the slit 13a2 when mounted on the guard 13a.

For example, let the size of the grid of the frame 14 be
Slit 13a2 opened as an inlet for the air flow 18
The size may be about the same as the size. Also, the slit 13a
It is also possible to cover the guard 13a with a frame having a shape that covers the surface of the guard 13a on the air flow inlet side without being blocked (a shape that matches the edge of the guard 13a and the edge of the slit 13a2). In this way, by mounting the frame 14 on the guard 13a so as to surround the airflow inlet of the case 13, positive ions are removed by the frame 14 and
Of the lines of electric force from the ionization line 16, those that are about to diverge toward the air flow 18 are not focused on the frame 14 and do not hinder the ion removal in the ion removal device 6.

Further, as in this embodiment, 10 ¹⁰ Ω.
If the frame 14 is made of a semi-insulating resin having a volume resistivity in the range of 10 cm Ω · cm or more and less than 10 ¹⁴ Ω · cm, the speed at which positive ions that collide with the guard 13a escape to the ground, in other words, the guard 13a. In order to allow the electric charge accumulated in the airflow inflow side to gradually escape to the ground, when viewed from the airflow inflow side of the guard 13a, it is in a state where it is not positively charged. Thereby, the ions can be efficiently removed. Further, when viewed from the ionization line 16 side, it is maintained at a certain low potential which is close to the ground potential but not the same as the ground potential. As a result, the line of electric force from the ionization line 16 receives repulsive force,
As a result, they are concentrated on the counter electrode 17, and the charging efficiency is increased.

Further, in the present embodiment, in consideration of moldability, flame retardancy, heat resistance and impact resistance, the frame 1 is made of resin.
However, it is not always necessary to form the frame 14 of resin.

Here, a method of assembling the ion removing device 6 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the second non-dust collecting electrode 21 is formed so as to be arranged in parallel at a predetermined equal interval.
The electrode group of 1 is housed in the lower frame 13c through a metal body having a U-shaped cross section having a power feeding function. As a result, a plurality of non-dust collecting electrodes 21 arranged to stand upright in the depth direction (air flow inflow direction) of the lower frame 13c are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the lower frame 13c. .

Subsequently, the plurality of dust collecting electrodes 22 and the plurality of counter electrodes 17 are integrally formed so that the dust collecting electrodes 22 are arranged between the respective non-dust collecting electrodes 21 housed in the lower frame 13c. The formed first electrode group is mounted on the lower frame 13c. As a result, a plurality of dust collecting electrodes 22 arranged to face the non-dust collecting electrodes 21 are arranged with a predetermined interval in the width direction of the lower frame 13c, and in the width direction of the lower frame 13c. A plurality of opposed electrodes 17 are arranged so as to stand upright at a predetermined interval in the depth direction of the lower frame 13c.

In this way, the lower frame 13c in which the counter electrode 17, the non-dust collecting electrode 21 and the dust collecting electrode 22 are housed,
The upper frame 13b accommodating the ionization wire 16 is attached. Thereby, the ionization line 16 and the counter electrode 17 are arranged to face each other above the non-dust collecting electrode 21 and the dust collecting electrode 22 (upstream side of the air flow 18).

Subsequently, the guard 13a is attached to the upper opening of the upper frame 13b. When the guard 13a is attached to the opening on the upper surface side of the upper frame 13b, the protection bar 13a1 moves to the upper frame 13b.
It opposes the ionization wire 16 housed in, and it becomes impossible to directly touch the ionization wire 16. Then, the frame 14 is attached to the guard 13a.

The ion removing device 6 of the present embodiment
Is the frame 14 and the first electrode group (counter electrodes 17,
The dust collecting electrode 22) is configured to be in electrical contact with the frame 14, the counter electrode 17, and the dust collecting electrode 22 to simplify the connection process for applying a potential.

The ionization line 16, the counter electrode 17, and the non-dust collecting electrode 2 of the ion removing device 6 assembled in this manner
1, the dust collecting electrode 22, and the frame 14 are connected to a power supply device 15 arranged at a predetermined position outside the case 13 (see FIG. 3).

Then, the power supply unit 15 is used to apply a predetermined positive potential to the ionization line 16 and the non-dust collecting electrode 21, and a ground potential to the counter electrode 17, the dust collecting electrode 22, and the frame 14, respectively. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, an electric field (line of electric force) 23 from the ionization line 16 to the counter electrode 17 is generated, a corona discharge space is formed, and positive ions are generated.

By applying the ground potential to the frame 14, part of the case 13 becomes the ground potential as described above. Further, as described above, since the indoor unit body 1 of the air conditioner, the pre-filter 5, and the case 13 of the ion removing device 6 are in contact with each other via the frame 14, the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner is
And the pre-filter 5 also becomes the ground potential.

By the action of the ion removing device 6 as described above, the positive ions 19 contained in the air flow 18 are converted into the case 1
It is carried to the charging unit 11 of the ion removing device 6 without being subjected to Coulomb force (repulsive force due to electrostatic force) from 3 (see FIG. 4). Then, the carried positive ions 19 are attracted and removed by the counter electrode 17 according to the action of the electric field (electric force line) 23, and the negative ions 20 are attracted and removed by the ionization line 16.

As described above, in the present embodiment, by applying the ground potential to the frame 14, the surface of the case 13, the surface of the protective bar 13a1 and the vicinity of the opening edge of the slit 13a2 are set to the ground potential to prevent positive charging. Since this is done, the positive ions 19 contained in the air flow 18, which could not be removed by the conventional electrostatic dust collector, can be removed by being attracted to the counter electrode 17. Thereby, for example, the number of positive ions generated indoors by smoking can be reliably reduced.

Further, by using the ion removing device 6 of the present embodiment, positive ions in the atmosphere can be reliably removed without complicating the structure of the power supply device as in the embodiments described later.

When the ion removing device 6 is applied as an electrostatic dust collector as in the present embodiment, both ions and suspended substances in the air can be removed, which is preferable. The charging unit 11 of 6 may be configured as a single unit, and the ions in the atmosphere may be removed as described above. In this case, since it is not necessary to consider the charging efficiency for the suspended matter, a case having a volume resistivity in the range of, for example, 10 ¹⁰ Ω · cm or more and less than 10 ¹⁴ Ω · cm is formed without using the frame 14. A ground potential may be applied to the case to prevent the surface of the case from being positively charged.

Although the ion removing device 6 incorporating the power supply device 15 has been described in the present embodiment, the power supply device 15 does not necessarily have to be incorporated in the ion removing device 6. For example, the power supply device for the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1 may be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, the non-dust collecting electrode 21 and the dust collecting electrode 22 are provided so that the suspended matter contained in the air flow 18 is collected by the action of the electric field generated between the electrodes 21 and 22. However, it is not always necessary to use an electrode for the dust collecting part 12. For example, you may apply to the dust collection part 12 the filtration filter which performed the process which can apply a voltage.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the ion removing apparatus and the ion removing method will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Also in the present embodiment, the case where the ion removing device is applied as an electrostatic dust collector will be described as an example.

In the above-described first embodiment, the negative ions are removed in addition to the positive ions, but in the present embodiment, only the positive ions are removed and the negative ions are not removed. .

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration and electrical connection of the ion removing apparatus of this embodiment.
Further, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an electric field distribution in the charging part of the ion removing apparatus of the present embodiment and a state in which ions move. The same parts as those in the first embodiment described above are designated by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 4, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ion removing apparatus 51 of the present embodiment has a charging unit 11, a dust collecting unit 12, a case 13, a frame 14, an ion removing potential applying means and a dust collecting unit. The power supply device 52 is provided as a potential applying means.

The ion removing apparatus 51 of this embodiment and the ion removing apparatus 6 of the first embodiment described above are changed so that the potentials applied to the frame 14 are different, and the other configurations are the same.

More specifically, the ground potential is applied to the frame 14 in the first embodiment, but a negative potential is applied to the frame 14 in the present embodiment.

When a negative potential is applied to the frame 14 as described above, an electric field (electric force line) 53 is generated from the upstream side of the air flow 18 toward the frame 14 as shown in FIG.
The negative ions 20 contained in 8 receive the Coulomb force in the direction opposite to the direction of the electric field (line of electric force) 53.

Therefore, the negative ions 20 contained in the air flow 18 are pushed back by the repulsive force so as to be repulsed by the electric field (electric force line) 53, do not enter the case 13 and are not attracted to the ionization line 16.

Further, since the frame 14 is given a negative potential, the case 13 is prevented from being positively charged. Therefore, the positive ion ions 19 contained in the air flow 18 enter the charging unit 11 without receiving Coulomb force (repulsive force) from the case 13, and are attracted and removed by the counter electrode 17 by the action of the electric field 23. At this time, case 1
Needless to say, in addition to 3, the indoor unit body 1 and the pre-filter 5 are eventually charged to a negative potential.

If the frame 14 is made of a semi-insulating resin having a volume resistivity in the range of 10 ¹⁰ Ω · cm or more and less than 10 ¹⁴ Ω · cm as in the present embodiment, the guard 13a can be formed.
Has a negative potential, it is possible to remove positive ions efficiently. In addition, even if an electrically conductive floating substance adheres to the indoor unit body 1 of the air conditioner and the pre-filter 5 and even if a potential is applied to the guard 13a under the condition that it is likely to be electrically connected due to moisture or the like, the frame 14 is semi-insulating. Since it is formed of resin, the charge transfer speed is delayed, in other words, the charge transfer is limited, so that problems such as short circuits can be avoided.

As described above, by using the ion removing device 51 of the present embodiment, it is possible to reliably remove only positive ions without removing negative ions in the atmosphere.

Further, the ion removing device 51 of the present embodiment.
Is used, the Coulomb force toward the downstream side of the air flow 18 is
It can be given to the positive ions 19 carried on the air flow 18. Therefore, the positive ions 19 contained in the air flow 18 can be more surely attracted and removed by the counter electrode 17.

The charging unit 11 of the ion removing device 51 may be configured as a single unit, as in the first embodiment. Further, the fact that the power supply device 52 does not necessarily have to be incorporated in the ion removing device 51 is the same as in the above-described first embodiment.

(Third Embodiment) Next, the third embodiment of the ion removing apparatus and the ion removing method will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Also in the present embodiment, the case where the ion removing device is applied as an electrostatic dust collector will be described as an example.

As described above, high humidity (for example, 40% or more)
In the environment of, the presence of negative ions in the room has a good effect on the human body, but in the environment of low humidity (for example, less than 40%), on the contrary, the presence of negative ions causes the floor and walls of the room to become dirty. It is known that such an adverse effect occurs.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, positive ions are removed regardless of the external humidity, and negative ions are selected to be removed or not depending on the external humidity.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration and electrical connection of the ion removing apparatus of this embodiment.
The same parts as those in the first and second embodiments described above are designated by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 6, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the ion removing device 71 of the present embodiment is provided with a charging section 11, a dust collecting section 12, a case 13, a frame 14, and a selecting means (ion removing potential applying means). And a power supply device 72 arranged as a dust collecting potential applying means, and a humidity sensor 73 arranged as a selecting means (humidity detecting means, switch means).

The ion removing device 71 of the present embodiment and the ion removing devices 6 of the first and second embodiments described above,
51 is the same as the other components except that the potential is applied to the frame 14.

More specifically, the ground potential is applied to the frame 14 in the first embodiment and the negative potential is applied to the frame 14 in the second embodiment, but in the present embodiment, the frame 14 is applied. In addition, either the ground potential or the negative potential is applied depending on the ambient humidity.

Therefore, the frame 14 of this embodiment is
Is connected to a power supply device 72 disposed outside the case 13 via a humidity sensor 73.

The humidity sensor 73 has a humidity detecting section for detecting the ambient humidity and a changeover switch section for performing a switch operation according to the result of the humidity detection in the humidity detecting section, the frame 14 and the power source. It is connected to the device 72.

Explaining the specific function, the changeover switch section controls the ambient humidity to 40% by the humidity detecting section.
When it is detected that it is less than%, the switch operation is performed so as to connect the frame 14 to the ground potential terminal of the power supply device 72, and the frame 14 is supplied with the ground potential.

On the other hand, when it is detected that the ambient humidity is 40% or more, a switch operation is performed so that the frame 14 is connected to the negative potential terminal of the power supply device 72, and a negative potential is applied to the frame 14. To do so.

That is, in the ion removing device 71 of the present embodiment, when the humidity is less than 40%, as in the first embodiment described above, the ionization line 16 is provided with negative ions and the counter electrode 17 is provided with positive ions. Positive ions 1 contained in the air flow 18 so as to attract ions respectively
Make sure to remove 9 and negative ions 20.

On the other hand, when the humidity is 40% or more,
Similar to the above-described second embodiment, the counter electrode 17 is made to attract the positive ions 19 so that only the positive ions 19 contained in the air flow 18 are reliably removed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the changeover switch section is used to switch whether the frame 14 is supplied with the ground potential or the negative potential.
Since both the positive ions 19 and the negative ions 20 are surely removed when the ambient humidity is low, and only the positive ions 19 are surely removed when the ambient humidity is high, one ion removing device 71 is more comfortable. It is possible to provide a user with a different environment.

Needless to say, the reference humidity at which the changeover switch section performs the switching operation is not limited to 40%. Also, the ion removing device 7
It is the same as in the first and second embodiments that the single charging unit 11 may be configured as a single unit. Furthermore, the fact that the power supply device 72 does not necessarily have to be incorporated in the ion removing device 71 is the same as in the above-described first and second embodiments.

[0093]

As described above, according to the present invention, a case forming an air passage for passing an air flow, an ionization wire arranged in the air passage of the case, and an ionization wire disposed opposite to the ionization wire. When the ions contained in the airflow flowing into the ventilation passage are removed by using the counter electrode provided, the case is prevented from being positively charged, so that it is attempted to flow into the ventilation passage. The positive ions contained in the air flow are allowed to flow into the ventilation passage without receiving a repulsive force from the case, and the positive ions contained in the air flow can be reliably attracted to the counter electrode. This allows
Positive ions in the atmosphere can be reliably removed.

Further, according to another feature of the present invention, the air passage is provided by using an ionization wire arranged in the air passage of the case and a counter electrode arranged opposite to the ionization wire. At the time of removing the ions contained in the air flow flowing into, since the frame mounted on the surface of the case and having a lower volume resistivity than the case is further used,
Even when the case is made of a material having an insulating property, positive ions contained in the airflow can be reliably attracted to the counter electrode, and positive ions in the atmosphere can be reliably removed. You can

According to another feature of the present invention, a positive potential is applied to the ionization line, a ground potential is applied to the counter electrode, and a negative potential is applied to the frame. Upon removal, an electric field can be generated from the upstream side of the air flow toward the frame. As a result, only positive ions can be removed without removing negative ions.

Further, according to the other features of the present invention, whether the negative potential or the ground potential is applied to the frame is selected according to the value of the ambient humidity. Whether to remove or not can be selected according to the ambient humidity. As a result, a more comfortable environment can be provided to the user.

Further, according to another feature of the present invention, the non-dust collecting electrode disposed in the direction along the air flow on the downstream side of the ventilation path with respect to the ionization line and the counter electrode, and the non-collecting electrode. The dust collecting electrode arranged to face the dust electrode is used to collect the positively charged suspended matter by the action generated between the ionization line and the counter electrode. In addition to removing the ions contained in the air stream flowing into the air, the floating substances contained in the air stream can be collected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of the present invention and showing a configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner equipped with an ion removing device.

FIG. 2 shows the first embodiment of the present invention and is a structural diagram showing an example of a configuration of an ion removing device.

FIG. 3 shows the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of an ion removing device and an outline of electrical connection.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the first embodiment of the present invention, showing an electric field distribution in a charging part of an ion removing apparatus and a state of ions moving.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention and schematically showing the configuration of an ion removing device 6 and an outline of electrical connection.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention, showing an electric field distribution in a charging unit of an ion removing apparatus and a state of ions moving.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention and schematically showing the configuration of an ion removing device 6 and an outline of electrical connection.

[Explanation of symbols]

6,51,71 Ion remover 11 Charged part 12 Dust collector 13 cases 14 frames 15, 52, 72 Power supply 16 Ionization line 17 Counter electrode 18 airflow 19 positive ion 20 negative ion 21 Non-dust collecting electrode 22 Dust collecting electrode

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) F24F 1/00 H01T 19/00 H01T 19/00 F24F 1/00 371B

Claims (23)

[Claims] 1. An ion removing device comprising: a case having a ventilation passage through which an air flow is passed; an ionization wire disposed in the ventilation passage of the case; and a counter electrode disposed opposite to the ionization wire. And removing the ions contained in the airflow flowing into the ventilation passage by generating an electric field between the ionization line and the counter electrode while preventing the surface of the case from being positively charged. An ion removal device, further comprising means. 2. The ion removing means applies a predetermined potential to the surface of the case to prevent the case from being positively charged. Ion removal device. 3. A case having an air passage for passing an air flow, an ionization wire arranged in the air passage of the case, a counter electrode arranged so as to face the ionization wire, and a surface of the case. An ion removing device, comprising: a frame mounted and having a volume resistivity lower than that of the case. 4. The frame is 10 ¹⁰ Ω · cm or more 1
4. The ion removing device according to claim 3, having a volume resistivity within a range of less than 0 ¹⁴ Ω · cm. 5. The ion removing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the frame is made of resin. 6. The ion removing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the frame is mounted on a surface of the case on the air flow inlet side. 7. The frame is mounted so as to surround the airflow inlet of the case.
The ion removal device according to any one of 1. 8. The ionization line and the counter electrode are provided in plural, and the ionization line and the counter electrode are alternately arranged so that the ionization line is sandwiched between the counter electrodes. 7. The ion removing device according to any one of 7. 9. The ion removing potential applying means for applying a positive potential to the ionization line and applying a ground potential to the counter electrode and the frame is further included. Ion removal device according to. 10. An ion removing potential applying means for applying a positive potential to the ionization line, a ground potential to the counter electrode, and a negative potential to the frame. The ion removal device according to any one of 3 to 8. 11. The method according to claim 3, further comprising selection means for selecting whether to apply a negative potential or a ground potential to the frame according to ambient humidity. The ion removal device according to item 1. 12. The selecting means performs a switch operation when the humidity detecting means detects the ambient humidity and the humidity detecting means detects that the ambient humidity reaches a predetermined value. For removing ions by applying a positive potential to the switch means and the ionization line, a ground potential to the counter electrode, and a negative potential or a ground potential to the frame according to the switch operation by the switch means. The ion removing device according to claim 11, further comprising a potential applying means. 13. A corona discharge space is generated by the ionization line and the counter electrode to charge a floating substance contained in an airflow flowing into the ventilation passage, and at least electrostatically collect the charged floating substance. The ion removal device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that. 14. A non-dust collecting electrode arranged in a direction along the air flow downstream of the ionization line and the counter electrode with respect to the air flow, and a collector arranged opposite to the non-dust collecting electrode. The ion removal device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising a dust electrode. 15. The ion removing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the dust collecting electrode and the counter electrode are integrally formed. 16. The ion according to claim 14, further comprising dust collecting potential applying means for applying a positive potential to the non-dust collecting electrode and applying a ground potential to the dust collecting electrode. Removal device. 17. An electric field is applied between an ionization wire arranged in a ventilation passage formed by a case and a counter electrode arranged so as to face the ionization wire to generate a corona discharge space, An ion removal method for removing ions contained in an airflow flowing into the ventilation passage, which is an electric field control process for applying an electric field between the ionization line and a counter electrode while preventing the case from being positively charged. A method for removing ions, comprising: 18. The electric field control process according to claim 17, wherein a predetermined electric potential is applied to the surface of the case to prevent the case from being positively charged. Ion removal method. 19. The electric field control process applies a positive potential to the ionization line and a ground potential to the frame mounted on the case and the counter electrode. The described ion removal method. 20. The electric field control process is characterized in that a positive potential is applied to the ionization line, a ground potential is applied to the counter electrode, and a negative potential is applied to a frame mounted on the case. Claim 17 or 1
8. The method for removing ions according to item 8. 21. Whether a negative potential or a ground potential is applied to the frame mounted on the case,
The ion removal method according to claim 17 or 18, further comprising a selection process of selecting according to ambient humidity. 22. The selection process performs a switch operation when the humidity detection process detects the ambient humidity and the humidity detection process detects that the ambient humidity reaches a predetermined value. The switching process is performed, and the electric field control process applies a positive potential to the ionization line, a ground potential to the counter electrode, and a negative potential or a ground potential to the frame according to the switching operation by the switching process. 22. The ion removing method according to claim 21, wherein any one of them is given. 23. The electric field control process applies a positive potential to a non-dust collecting electrode disposed on the downstream side of the air flow with respect to the ionization line and the counter electrode, and opposes the non-dust collecting electrode. The ion removal method according to any one of claims 17 to 22, wherein the dust collecting electrode provided is provided with a ground potential.