JP2004164918A - Ion generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ion generating device capable of removing dust adhered to a discharging face by blowing off, dispersing with a special tool nor needing labor for cleaning or wiping. <P>SOLUTION: A voltage higher than a normal voltage is impressed on the discharge face 210A of an ion generating element 210 for removing the dust accumulated thereon. The normal voltage is set at a pulse voltage with a peak value at 3 to 4 kV taking ozone generation, reduction of noise, power saving or the like into consideration, but the peak value of the voltage can be made higher by boosting by a transformer. For instance, when a voltage boosted by 1.2 to 1.5 times (a peak value) is impressed on an electrode, a fine vibration is generated on the discharging face 210A, the accumulated dust is exfoliated and released from tangling to become fine dusts, and the dusts are scattered from and floats around the discharging face 210A. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ion generator.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, an ion generator has been used to purify, sterilize, or deodorize indoor air. Most of them are provided with an ion generating electrode and discharge positive ions and negative ions (hereinafter collectively referred to as positive and negative ions) generated by corona discharge from an ion discharge port formed in a housing. These positive and negative ions have the effect of purifying air, deodorizing or sterilizing.
[0003]
If such an ion generator is used for a long time, dust and other contaminants contained in the airflow will adhere to the ion generation electrode, and eventually the discharge surface will be covered with those contaminants. I will. In such a state, corona discharge for ion generation is significantly hindered, which may lead to a reduction in ion generation efficiency or, in extreme cases, to stop ion generation.
[0004]
In view of this, by causing the ion generating electrode to generate resistance heat, the deposits attached to the ion generating electrode are burned off (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-15834 (pages 11 to 12, FIG. 15)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
According to the above publication, the deposits are burned off, but in fact, they do not disappear without a trace after burning, and the burned deposits become ash and burn to the ion generating electrode, or burned ash and ash fall and there Since it is scattered and needs to be periodically cleaned, it is extremely poor in practical use. In addition, an electrical cleaning means must be separately provided to cause the ion generating electrode to generate resistance heat, which has caused an increase in the product price of the ion generating device.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and provides an ion generator that can remove dust attached to a discharge surface by removing dust attached to a discharge surface without the need for a special device and without the need for cleaning and wiping. Aim.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a dielectric, a first electrode provided on a discharge surface of the dielectric, and a first electrode provided to face the first electrode so that a material of the dielectric intervenes. In an ion generating apparatus including an ion generating element including a second electrode and a high-voltage generating circuit that applies a predetermined voltage between the electrodes, the predetermined voltage is between the first and second electrodes. It is characterized in that different voltages can be applied.
[0009]
According to this configuration, even if dust adheres to the discharge surface and the dust accumulates, by applying a voltage for scattering the dust, the discharge surface vibrates, and the dust can be separated and removed from the discharge surface. .
[0010]
In this case, the different voltage is preferably a voltage that is 1.2 to 1.5 times higher than the predetermined voltage at the peak value.
[0011]
Further, when the application of the predetermined voltage reaches a predetermined time in total, it is convenient to apply the different voltage so that the discharge surface can be automatically cleaned. Then, complete automation can be achieved by setting to end automatically after a predetermined time.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of an air cleaner 10 including the ion generator 1. Inside the air purifier 10, an L-shaped air passage 15 is formed from the air inlet 13 on the front surface of the housing 12 to the air outlet 14 on the upper surface, and the ion generator 1 is provided in the air passage 5. Have been. Further, a blower fan 16 is provided in the housing 12, and the driving of the blower fan 16 generates an airflow as shown by an arrow which enters through the inlet 13, passes through the blower passage 15, and exits to the outlet 14. .
[0013]
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the ion generator 1. A rectangular opening is formed in the upper surface of the box-shaped case 2, and a flat-plate ion generating element 210 is provided in this opening. The discharge surface 210A on the upper surface of the ion generating element 210 matches the upper surface 2A of the case 2. A high-voltage pulse driving circuit 3 for driving the ion generating element 210 is accommodated below the inside of the case 2.
[0014]
FIG. 3 shows a perspective view (A) and a sectional view (B) of the ion generating element 210. The ion generating element 210 includes a surface electrode 213 provided on the surface of a flat dielectric 211, a surface electrode contact 215 provided on the surface of the dielectric 211 for supplying power to the surface electrode 213, and a dielectric 211. And an internal electrode 212 provided in parallel with the surface electrode 213 and an internal electrode contact 214 provided on the surface of the dielectric 211 to supply power to the internal electrode 212. The dielectric 211 includes an upper plate 211a, a lower plate 211b, and a surface protection plate 211c. The internal electrode contact 214 and the surface electrode contact 215 are connected to the output terminal of the high voltage pulse drive circuit 3 (see FIG. 2) via a lead wire (not shown).
[0015]
Here, the reason that the surface electrode 213 is a grid-shaped electrode is to increase the amount of ions generated with the application of the driving voltage as much as possible. Further, the internal electrode 212 is formed so as to be centered with the surface electrode 213, and is a strip-shaped electrode having a smaller length and width than the surface electrode 213, and this shape also contributes to an increase in the amount of generated ions.
[0016]
For example, a line width of 0.25 mm is formed on the surface of a dielectric 211 having a size of about 15 mm × 37 mm × 0.9 mm formed by stacking an upper plate 211 a and a lower plate 211 b both having a thickness of about 0.45 mm. A grid-shaped surface electrode 213 having a size of about 10.4 mm × 28 mm is formed vertically and horizontally at a pitch of 0.8 mm, while a size of about 6 mm × 24 mm is provided between the upper plate 211 a and the lower plate 211 b. When a high-voltage driving voltage having a frequency of 3 to 4 kV (peak value) and a frequency of 100 kHz is applied by the high-voltage pulse driving circuit 3 between the two electrodes 212, , 213 were measured at a position 25 cm away from the discharge surface 210A of the ion generating element 210. Positive ions and negative ions more than a million pieces / cc has been confirmed to occur. This amount of generated ions is an amount sufficient to function as air purification for a living room of a general size.
[0017]
When an AC high voltage is applied between the electrodes 212 and 213, oxygen or moisture in the air receives energy by ionization to ionize, and H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m (m is an arbitrary natural number) O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (where n is an arbitrary natural number) is mainly generated, and these ions are emitted into the space by the blower fan 16 (see FIG. 1). These H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n adhere to the surface of the floating bacteria and chemically react to generate H ₂ O ₂ or .OH, which is an active species. Since H ₂ O ₂ or OH exhibits extremely strong activity, they can surround and inactivate airborne bacteria in the air. Here, .OH is one of the active species, and indicates OH of a radical.
[0018]
Positive and negative ions undergo a chemical reaction on the cell surface of the floating bacteria as shown by the formulas (1) to (3), and generate hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) or a hydroxyl radical (.OH) as an active species. I do. Here, in Expressions (1) to (3), m, m ', n, and n' are arbitrary natural numbers. Thereby, the suspended bacteria are destroyed by the decomposing action of the active species. Therefore, airborne bacteria in the air can be efficiently inactivated and removed.
_{^{H + (H 2 O) m}} + O 2 - (H 2 O) n → · OH + 1 / 2O 2 + (m + n) H 2 O ··· (1)
_{^{H + (H 2 O) m}} + H + (H 2 O) m '+ O 2 - (H 2 O) n + O 2 - (H 2 O) n' → 2 · OH + O 2 + (m + m '+ n + n') H 2 O ... (2)
_{^{H + (H 2 O) m}} + H + (H 2 O) m '+ O 2 - (H 2 O) n + O 2 - (H 2 O) n' → H 2 O 2 + O 2 + (m + m '+ n + n') H ₂ O (3)
[0019]
By the above mechanism, the effect of inactivating floating bacteria and the like can be obtained by releasing the positive and negative ions.
[0020]
In addition, since the above formulas (1) to (3) can produce the same action on the surface of a harmful substance in the air, hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ), which is an active species, or a hydroxyl radical (. OH) can oxidize or decompose harmful substances and convert chemical substances such as formaldehyde and ammonia into harmless substances such as carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen, etc. is there.
[0021]
By the way, since the air flowing through the air passage 15 is air containing a lot of dust and dust, the dust adheres to the discharge surface 210A of the ion generating element 210 which is charged with static electricity by discharge, and the dust easily accumulates. When the dust accumulates, the discharge is hindered, or the generated positive and negative ions are absorbed by the dust, and the amount of generated ions decreases.
[0022]
Therefore, in the present invention, a voltage higher than usual is applied to blow dust accumulated on the discharge surface 210A. The normal voltage is set to a pulse voltage of 3 to 4 kV in consideration of ozone generation, reduction of noise, power saving, withstand voltage, and the like. It can be even higher. For example, when the voltage is increased to 1.2 to 1.5 times (peak value) and applied between the electrodes 212 and 213, a minute vibration is generated on the discharge surface 210A, and the accumulated dust is peeled off and the unity is formed. The dust is broken up and becomes fine dust, which scatters from the discharge surface and floats around. Therefore, by driving the blower fan 16 to create an air flow, the floating dust can be blown off to the outside of the housing 12 and removed. Thereby, the discharge surface 210A can be cleaned.
[0023]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the air cleaner 10, and particularly shows cooperation of parts related to cleaning of the discharge surface 210A. The control unit 18 is connected to a switch 17 for switching an applied voltage and an output of an ion sensor 19 for detecting an ion concentration. Then, the control unit 18 controls the high-voltage pulse drive circuit 3 and the blower fan 16 based on these outputs, and energizes a lamp 20 for notifying a decrease in the amount of generated ions.
[0024]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the air purifier 10. When the operation of the air purifier is started, a normal voltage is applied as in step # 10, and positive and negative ions generated from the ion generating element 210 are released by the blower fan 16 to inactivate airborne bacteria in the air. . Then, in step # 11, the ion sensor 19 detects the amount of positive and negative ions generated near the discharge surface 210A. When the control unit 18 determines in step # 12 that the amount of generated positive and negative ions has been significantly reduced, the control unit energizes and turns on the lamp 20 in step # 13. The ion sensor 19 continuously detects the amount of generated ions.
[0025]
As described above, since the lamp 20 is turned on when the ion generation amount is extremely reduced, the user can know that the discharge surface 210A needs to be cleaned. When the user who notices the lighting of the lamp 20 switches the switch in step # 14, a voltage higher than usual is applied in step # 15 as described above, and the discharge surface 210A is cleaned. As a result, the amount of generated ions is restored, and the lamp 20 is turned off again in step # 16. Thereafter, the process returns to step # 10, and the same operation as described above is repeated.
[0026]
Although the case where the switch 17 is turned on manually has been described, when the timer drives the ion generating element 210 at a normal voltage for a total of a predetermined time, the switch 17 is automatically turned on and the predetermined time passes. Alternatively, it may be automatically turned off when the ion amount recovers. In this case, by applying a voltage higher than normal for a predetermined time and then automatically returning to normal voltage, complete automation can be achieved, and the operation of the air purifier can be continued without discomfort. The time may be freely set. For example, if the emphasis is on removing dust from the air rather than the inactivation of airborne bacteria, make the setting time longer, or in dusty rooms, the dust accumulates quickly so change it depending on your mood and location. If you can, it will be easier to use.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when it is necessary to remove dust accumulated on the discharge surface of the ion generating element, one switch or automatically applies a higher voltage than normal to cause vibration on the discharge surface. Since the dust can be peeled off and removed, there is no need for cleaning and wiping the discharge surface, which is very convenient.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a configuration of an air purifier provided with an ion generator according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the ion generator.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view (A) and a cross-sectional view (B) showing an ion generating element.
FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the air purifier.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the air purifier.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Ion generator 210 Ion generator 210A Discharge surface 211 Dielectric 212 Internal electrode (second electrode)
213 Surface electrode (first electrode)
10 air purifier 16 blower fan

Claims (4)

An ion generating element comprising: a dielectric; a first electrode provided on a discharge surface of the dielectric; and a second electrode provided to face the first electrode so that the dielectric material is interposed therebetween; A high-voltage generating circuit that applies a predetermined voltage between the electrodes,
An ion generator characterized in that a voltage different from the predetermined voltage can be applied between the first and second electrodes. 2. The ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the different voltage has a peak value that is 1.2 to 1.5 times higher than the predetermined voltage. 3. 2. The ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the application of the different voltage is performed when the application of the predetermined voltage reaches a predetermined time in total. The ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the different voltages are applied for a predetermined time.

Images