JP2005028324A - Electrostatic atomizing apparatus and air conditioner provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to change a water atmization quantity per unit time in accordance with a condition. <P>SOLUTION: This electrostatic atomizing apparatus is provided with: a water holding part 6 for holding water to be atomized; an impressing electrode 2 for impressing voltage to the water; a water absorption body 4 which is in contact with the water and provided with an atomizing part on one; end and a counter electrode 3 facing the atomizing part of the water absorption body 4, thereby atomizing the water in the atomizing part of the water absorption body. The electrostatic atomizing apparatus is further provided with a control part C for changing the water atomization quantity per unit time, thereby changing the water atomization quantity per unit timein accordance with the condition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrostatic atomizer that atomizes liquid (water) and an air conditioner including the same.

As an atomizing apparatus that atomizes water and generates mist, there is an electrostatic atomizing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3260150 (Patent Document 1). This includes a water tank containing water, a water absorbing body that sucks water in the water tank by capillary action and leads it to a needle-shaped atomizing portion at the tip, a counter electrode that faces the needle-shaped atomizing portion of the water absorbing body, It consists of a high voltage circuit that applies a voltage to the water in the tank or the water held by the water absorber through the applied electrode, and is present in the needle-like atomization part of the water absorber that becomes the discharge point between the counter electrode The mist is generated by causing Rayleigh splitting in the water to be atomized and atomizing.
Japanese Patent No. 3260150

  In conventional electrostatic atomizers, the amount of atomization per unit time is constant, so it takes a long time to spread mist to every corner in a large room, or it cannot be spread In addition, since the amount of water consumption is constant, it has not been possible to reduce the amount of atomization to reduce water consumption.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, The place made into the objective is the electrostatic atomizer which can change the atomization amount per unit time according to a condition, and air provided with this To provide a harmony machine.

  An electrostatic atomizer according to the present invention includes a water holding unit that holds water for atomization, an application electrode that applies a voltage to the water, and an atomization unit at one end that is in contact with the water. In an electrostatic atomizer that includes a water absorbing body and a counter electrode facing the atomizing portion of the water absorbing body, and electrostatically atomizes water in the atomizing portion of the water absorbing body. It is characterized in that a control unit for changing the amount of atomization is provided, and the amount of atomization per unit time can be changed according to the situation.

  In this case, a controller that changes the output voltage of the high-voltage circuit that supplies a high voltage to the application electrode and the counter electrode can be suitably used. A plurality of atomization units may be provided, and the control unit may change the atomization amount by turning on and off the plurality of electrostatic atomization units.

  In the case of a device equipped with a dirt sensor that detects air dirt, the control unit changes the atomization amount according to the dirt level detected by the dirt sensor, or the dirt level detected by the dirt sensor is a predetermined value. When the value exceeds the value, the atomization amount is changed to the maximum. When the contamination level detected by the contamination sensor exceeds a predetermined value, the control unit can increase the previous atomization amount.

  An air blowing fan having a variable air flow rate may be provided, and the control unit may change the atomization amount according to the air flow rate by the fan.

  And the air conditioner which concerns on this invention has the characteristics in having the electrostatic atomizer of any one of Claims 1-7.

  In the electrostatic atomizer according to the present invention, since the amount of atomization per unit time can be changed, the amount of atomization can be increased or decreased depending on the situation, For this reason, it is possible to spread mist in a large room at an early stage, or to reduce water consumption when the amount of mist required is small.

  And in the air conditioner which concerns on this invention, the mist by electrostatic atomization can be generated and the generation amount of mist can be changed according to a condition.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an example of the embodiment. The electrostatic atomizer 1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 has a negative ion generation function in addition to the electrostatic atomization function. A holder 10 having a cylindrical shape and ventilation holes 12 on the peripheral surface; a counter electrode 3 disposed on the upper part of the holder 10; and an application electrode 2 that is fitted to the lower part of the holder 10 and applies a voltage to water. It is composed of a plurality of rod-shaped water absorbent bodies 4 held by the application electrode 2, an ionization needle 5 also held by the application electrode 2, and a water tank 6 containing water to be atomized. The water tank 6 which is formed in a cup shape and constitutes the water holding portion is provided on the outer peripheral flange portion 21 of the application electrode 2 in which the protrusion 60 on the outer surface of the upper end opening edge is attached to the lower portion of the holder 10. Engaging recess It is attached by bayonet engagement to 29.

  Both the counter electrode 3 and the application electrode 2 are made of a synthetic resin mixed with a conductive material such as carbon or a metal such as SUS, and are electrically conductive. As shown in FIG. 4, the electrode 3 is grounded through a ground contact plate 71 that contacts the outer surface of the connecting projection 30 formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The applied electrode 2 which is fitted and fixed in the lower part of the holder 10 and is pressed and fixed by the rib 11 on the inner surface of the holder 10 is also high through a contact plate 72 which contacts the outer surface of the connecting projection 20 formed on the outer peripheral surface. Connected to voltage source.

  The rod-shaped water absorbing body 4 is formed of a porous ceramic and has a needle-like atomizing portion whose upper end is pointed like a needle, and a plurality of water absorbing bodies 4 in the illustrated example are applied to the application electrode 2. Is attached. These water absorbing bodies 4 are arranged at equal intervals on a concentric circle centered on an ionization needle 5 disposed in the center of the application electrode 2, the upper part projects upward from the application electrode 2, and the lower part projects downward and the water Contact with water contained in the tank 6.

  In the figure, reference numeral 22 denotes a cylindrical skirt projecting downward from the application electrode 2 and surrounds the outside of the plurality of water absorbent bodies 4, and the lower ends thereof are located below the lower ends of the water absorbent bodies 4. The opening is covered with a lattice-like protective cover 17. The skirt 22 in the application electrode 2 applies a high voltage to the water by making contact with the water contained in the water tank 6, and at the same time, protects the water absorbing body 4 formed of ceramic together with the lattice-shaped protective cover 17. I do.

  Here, when the water tank 6 is connected, the application electrode 2 substantially seals the upper surface opening of the water tank 6 so that the water in the water tank 6 does not leak even when tilted. Therefore, a slit 23 extending in the vertical direction of the skirt 22 is provided in a part of the skirt 22 in the circumferential direction, and the skirt 22 is surrounded by the slit 23 when the water tank 6 filled with water is mounted. The air in the space is evacuated to allow the inflow of water into the skirt 22.

  The counter electrode 3 mounted so as to close the upper surface opening of the holder 10 has an opening 31 in the center as shown in FIG. 3, and the edge of the opening 31 when viewed from above, the plurality of water absorptions. A plurality of arcs R having the same diameter centered on the needle-like portion at the upper end of the body 4 are smoothly connected by other arcs r. When the counter electrode 3 is grounded and a high voltage generating source is connected to the application electrode 2 and the water absorber 4 is sucking up water by capillary action, the needle-like atomization portion at the upper end of the water absorber 4 is on the side of the application electrode 2 At the same time, the arc R of the counter electrode 3 functions as a substantial electrode. Note that the opening 31 is covered with the lattice-shaped protective cover 16, thereby preventing fingers and the like from coming into contact with the ionization needle 5 and the water absorbent 4 through the opening 31.

  Now, a water tank 6 containing water is attached, and water is brought into contact with the skirt 22 of the application electrode 2. At the same time, the water absorption body 4 is sucked up by capillary action, and the counter electrode 3 is grounded and the application electrode. When a high voltage generating source is connected to 2 and a negative voltage is applied to the application electrode 2, if this voltage is a high voltage that can cause Rayleigh splitting in water, a needle-like mist on the upper end of the water absorber 4 The water that has reached the vaporizing section is subjected to electrostatic atomization that causes Rayleigh splitting and atomization of nanometer-sized particles.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 1, a negative voltage is simultaneously applied to the ionization needle 5 held by the application electrode 2, and negative ions are generated by corona discharge with the counter electrode 3. At this time, if the distance between the electrodes is the same, the voltage required for electrostatic atomization is higher than the voltage required for generating negative ions. Electrostatic atomization is more likely to occur by making the distance L2 from the ionization needle 5 to the counter electrode 3 considerably longer than the distance L1 to the counter electrode 3. However, if the water in the water tank 6 disappears and the water held by the water absorbing body 4 is not atomized, only the negative ions are continuously generated.

  5 and 6 show an air conditioner (air purifier) 7 provided with the electrostatic atomizer 1. A fan composed of a fan 82 driven by the motor 83 and a wind tunnel 70 is provided, and the air sucked from the suction port 76 on the front surface is filtered by the filter unit 81 and then discharged to the outside from the blowing port 77. Of the air flow path from the suction port 76 to the blowout port 77 in the air cleaner 7, the electrostatic atomizer 1 is disposed in the wind tunnel 70 of the blower and in the vicinity of the blowout port 77. ing.

  Nano-size mist, which is a mist of nanometer-size particle diameter generated by electrostatic atomization, is originally highly diffusive, but it is more diffusible because it spreads on the air blown by the blower. Therefore, the deodorizing function for the odor components in the indoor air and the deposits on the indoor wall surface due to the active species possessed by the nano-size mist can be effectively utilized. In particular, in the example shown in the figure, when the electrostatic atomizer 1 is disposed in the housing recess 73 provided in a part of the wind tunnel 70, the contact between the contact plates 71 and 72 and the connecting projections 20 and 30 is prevented. A part of the inside of the electrostatic atomizing device 1 is opened through an opening 74 (see FIG. 4) opened on the wall surface of the storage recess 73 and the ventilation hole 12 in the holder 10 of the electrostatic atomizing device 1 to make it possible. Since the wind flows in, the atomization is promoted to increase the amount of atomization, and the mist is easily scattered on the wind.

  In addition, although the electrostatic atomizer 1 is arranged in the wind tunnel 70, the air passing through the vicinity of the electrostatic atomizer 1 is clean air filtered by the filter unit 81. The sizing apparatus 1 is not soiled, and a part of the wind enters the electrostatic filtration device 1 as described above, but the electrostatic atomization hardly occurs due to the soiling.

Here, the electrostatic atomizer 1 can change the electrostatic atomization amount (mist generation amount) per unit time. FIG. 1 shows a block circuit diagram of the electrostatic atomizer 1, in which VC is a power supply unit, and HV is a high voltage that applies a high voltage to an electrostatic atomization unit comprising an application electrode 2 and a counter electrode 3. A voltage circuit C is a control unit that sends a control signal for controlling a high voltage generated by the high voltage circuit HV. The high voltage circuit H is an electrostatic fog according to a control signal V _PLS sent from the control unit C. The amount of atomization is changed by changing the duty ratio of the high voltage supplied to the conversion unit.

An example of the high voltage circuit H is shown in FIG. 7, and its operation is shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, T is a step-up transformer, H1 is a voltage doubler rectifier circuit, _VH is a high voltage (negative voltage) applied to the application electrode 2, and Q is a switching element. Duty control is performed via the switching element Q by causing the self-excited circuit block H2 to oscillate and stop by high / low of the control signal V _PLS . Note that the duty control here includes a case of a long cycle in which the electrostatic atomization stop state is continued for 4 minutes.

As shown in FIG. 9, the intermittent output voltage may be directly controlled by the control signal V _PLS without using the self-excited circuit block H2.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, whether or not the resistor R2 of the resistors R1 and R2 is bypassed is controlled by a control signal V _PLS sent from the control unit C, so that the high voltage circuit HV The atomization amount may be changed by changing the value of the output voltage V _H.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of electrostatic atomizers are provided, and when it is desired to increase the amount of atomization, a high voltage is supplied to both electrostatic atomizers, and when it is desired to reduce the atomization amount, A high voltage may be supplied only to one of the electrostatic atomizers, and in particular, if a plurality of electrostatic atomizers having different atomization amounts per unit time are used, electrostatic atomization Even if there are two parts, multi-stage adjustment of the amount of atomization can be performed.

  And the change of the atomization amount by sending a control signal from the control unit C is performed based on the user's switch operation for changing the atomization amount, as well as detecting dirt in the air as shown in FIG. It is also possible to provide a sensor S that performs the operation according to the output of the sensor S.

  FIG. 14 shows an example of control in this case, and the atomization amount (electrostatic atomization generation amount) is increased in two stages from the stop (zero) according to the two threshold values A and B relating to the contamination detection. ing.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 15, if even a little dirt is detected, control for maximizing the amount of atomization may be performed. In the case of dirt caused by cigarettes, it is possible to prevent the dirt from spreading into the room by performing such control. Further, as shown in FIG. 16 or FIG. 17, electrostatic atomization with a minimum atomization amount is always performed so that residual odors can be removed, and if the contamination is detected, the atomization amount is increased. You may make it do.

  In any case, the greater the threshold value for the dirt level, the better. It is more effective to change the atomization amount steplessly.

  The sensor S is not dirty, and may be one that detects dust, one that detects gas, one that detects people, and the like. If dust or gas is detected, a comfortable space can be produced by increasing the amount of electrostatic atomization. In addition, even if allergens such as pollen and camellia spores that have fallen on the floor due to human movement soar, by detecting the person with heat etc. and increasing the amount of electrostatic atomization, problems caused by allergens can be solved. Can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, in the thing provided with the fan for ventilation which made ventilation volume variable (equivalent to what integrated the electrostatic atomizer 1 in the air conditioner), the atomization quantity is set according to the ventilation quantity by the said fan. You may make it perform control to change. 18 to 20 show a plurality of examples relating to the change of the atomization amount with respect to the change of the air blowing amount.

It is a block circuit diagram of an example of an embodiment of the invention. It is sectional drawing same as the above. It is a top view of the state which removed the lattice-like cover same as the above. It is sectional drawing same as the above. It is a longitudinal section of an example of an air harmony machine concerning the present invention. It is a cross-sectional view same as the above. It is the schematic of an example of a high voltage circuit same as the above. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing same as the above. It is the schematic of the other example of the high voltage circuit same as the above. It is the schematic of other example of the high voltage circuit same as the above. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing same as the above. It is a block circuit diagram of another example. It is a block circuit diagram of another example. It is explanatory drawing of an example of operation | movement same as the above. It is explanatory drawing of the other example of operation | movement same as the above. It is explanatory drawing of the other example of operation | movement same as the above. It is explanatory drawing of another example of operation | movement same as the above. It is explanatory drawing of another example of operation | movement same as the above. It is explanatory drawing of the other example of operation | movement same as the above. It is explanatory drawing of the other example of operation | movement same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrostatic atomizer 2 Applied electrode 3 Counter electrode 4 Water absorbing body 6 Water tank C Control circuit HV High voltage circuit

Claims (8)

  A water holding part for holding water for atomization; an application electrode for applying a voltage to the water; a water absorber that is in contact with the water and provided with an atomizing part at one end; An electrostatic atomizer that electrostatically atomizes water in the atomizer of the water absorbent body, and includes a control unit that changes the amount of atomization per unit time. An electrostatic atomizer characterized by comprising:   The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the controller changes an output voltage of a high voltage circuit that supplies a high voltage to the application electrode and the counter electrode.   A plurality of electrostatic atomization units each including an application electrode, a water absorbent, and a counter electrode are provided, and the control unit changes the atomization amount by turning on and off the plurality of electrostatic atomization units. Item 1. The electrostatic atomizer according to Item 1.   The dirt sensor which detects dirt of air is provided, and a control part changes the amount of atomization according to the dirt level detected by a dirt sensor, any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The electrostatic atomizer described in 1.   2. A dirt sensor for detecting dirt of air is provided, and when the dirt level detected by the dirt sensor exceeds a predetermined value, the control unit changes the atomization amount to the maximum. The electrostatic atomizer of any one of -3.   2. A dirt sensor for detecting dirt of air is provided, and when the dirt level detected by the dirt sensor exceeds a predetermined value, the control unit increases the amount of atomization up to that point. The electrostatic atomizer of any one of -3.   4. The fan according to claim 1, further comprising an air blowing fan having a variable air blowing amount, wherein the control unit changes the atomization amount according to the air blowing amount by the fan. The electrostatic atomizer described in 1.   An air conditioner comprising the electrostatic atomizer according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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