JP2005177684A - Electrostatic atomizer and air cleaner equipped with electrostatic atomizer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrostatic atomizer which is capable of enhancing the amount to be atomized of the electrostatic atomization by increasing the volume of capillary in the carrying part and making the compaction and reducing the cost. <P>SOLUTION: The electrostatic atomizer 5 is provided with a liquid reservoiring part 1, a conveying part 2 to carry the liquid of the liquid reservoiring part 1 to the top side located outside the liquid reservoiring part 1, an electrode 3 arranged so that it is coordinated with the conveying part 2 and a voltage application part 4 to apply high voltage between the conveying part 2 and the electrode 3. The electrostatic atomizer 5 atomizes the liquid of the conveying part 2 to generate mist by applying high voltage between the conveying part 2 and the electrode 3. At least the top side of the conveying part 2 is constituted from a porous ceramic and the liquid sucking force of the liquid reservoir part 1 side of the conveying part 2 is higher than that of the top side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrostatic atomizer and an air cleaner equipped with the electrostatic atomizer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many air purifiers including filters for capturing dust and dirt in the air and filters such as activated carbon for adsorbing odorous molecules have been provided. Moreover, what deodorizes using the technique of electrostatic atomization is also provided. Here, the electrostatic atomization in the electrostatic atomization method means that a high voltage is applied between a counter electrode and a liquid such as water held by a transport unit configured of a porous body such as ceramic, This is a phenomenon in which water carried to the tip of the transport unit by the capillary phenomenon is atomized toward the counter electrode.

  Further, an air cleaner provided with atomizing means for atomizing by an electrostatic atomization method is also known from Patent Document 1.

  By the way, the electrostatic atomizer as shown in Patent Document 1 as described above has the following problems.

In other words, the liquid to be atomized is pulled up to the tip of the conveying part made of ceramic by capillary action and atomized by an electric field, but considering the stability and strength of the conveying part shape, the porosity of the conveying part is Therefore, the amount of liquid supplied to the tip is small, and in order to secure the necessary amount of atomization, the number of transport units is increased. There was a problem that the cost was increased due to an increase in size.
JP 2003-79714 A

  The present invention has been invented in view of the above-described conventional problems, and can increase the amount of capillaries in the transport unit, improve the amount of atomization of electrostatic atomization, and facilitate downsizing and cost reduction. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrostatic atomizer and an air cleaner provided with the electrostatic atomizer.

  In order to solve the above problems, the electrostatic atomizer according to the present invention includes a liquid reservoir 1 that stores liquid, and a transport that transports the liquid in the liquid reservoir 1 to the front end side that is located outside the liquid reservoir 1. Unit 2, electrode 3 arranged so as to correspond to transport unit 2, and voltage application unit 4 that applies a high voltage between transport unit 2 and electrode 3, and includes transport unit 2 and electrode 3. The electrostatic atomizer 5 generates a mist by atomizing the liquid in the transport unit 2 by applying a high voltage therebetween, and at least the tip end side of the transport unit 2 is made of a porous ceramic. The liquid absorption force on the liquid reservoir 1 side of the transport unit 2 is higher than that on the tip side.

  By adopting such a configuration, the amount of capillary of the transport unit 2 can be increased and the atomization amount of electrostatic atomization can be improved while maintaining the stability and strength of at least the tip side of the transport unit 2 with ceramics. It is.

  The tip of the transport unit 2 is made of a ceramic liquid absorbing part 6 made of porous ceramic, and the liquid reservoir 1 side of the transport part 2 is made of a liquid absorbing material having higher liquid absorbency than the porous ceramic. It is preferable to use the high liquid absorption portion 7.

  With such a configuration, the high liquid-absorbing part 7 made of the liquid-absorbing material having higher liquid-absorbing property than the ceramic liquid-absorbing part 6 while securing the stability and strength of the transport unit 2 by the ceramic liquid-absorbing part 6 Thus, the amount of capillary that sucks up the liquid from the liquid reservoir 1 can be increased, and the atomization amount of electrostatic atomization can be improved.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the high liquid absorption part 7 is cylindrical and the ceramic liquid absorption part 6 is press-fitted and fixed to the cylindrical high liquid absorption part 7.

  By setting it as such a structure, the conveyance part 2 with many capillaries can be formed by simple structure called press-fit fixation.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the joint surface of the ceramic liquid absorption part 6 and the high liquid absorption part 7 is partially adhered so that the liquid can flow.

  By adopting such a configuration, even when the ceramic liquid-absorbing part 6 and the high liquid-absorbing part 7 are bonded, the liquid circulation can be ensured.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the ceramic liquid absorption part 6 and the high liquid absorption part 7 are integrally molded.

  By setting it as such a structure, the conveyance part 2 with many capillaries can be formed easily, and handling of the conveyance part 2 also becomes easy.

  An air cleaner provided with the electrostatic atomizer of the present invention includes a fan 8 for blowing air and a filter 9 for dust removal, and the downstream side of the fan 8 and the filter 9 includes the above claims 1 to 5. The electrostatic atomizer 5 according to any one of the above is disposed.

  By setting it as such a structure, since the air cleaner 10 which equipped the compact and cheap electrostatic atomizer can be comprised, the compactization and cost reduction of the air cleaner 10 can be aimed at.

  The present invention can increase the amount of capillaries in the transport unit while maintaining the stability and strength of the transport unit, and can improve the atomization amount of electrostatic atomization, which can reduce the number of transport units accordingly. Thus, there is an effect that a reduction in size and cost can be achieved.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in the principle diagram shown in FIG. 4, the electrostatic atomizer 5 includes a liquid reservoir 1 containing a liquid W such as water, a transport unit 2 that transports the liquid W from the liquid reservoir 1, and a transport unit 2. The electrode 3 is disposed so as to face the transport direction of the liquid W, and the voltage application unit 4 applies a high voltage between the transport unit 2 and the electrode.

  An example of the electrostatic atomizer 5 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. The electrostatic atomizer 5 is provided with a liquid tank 1a constituting the liquid reservoir 1 in the lower part, and has a cylindrical shape and a holder 12 in which a vent hole 11 is opened on the peripheral surface, and a holder 12 that is fitted and supported. A case 35; an electrode 3 disposed on the upper portion of the holder 12 (in the embodiment, since it is a counter electrode; hereinafter referred to as a counter electrode 3); and an application electrode 13 that is fitted in the lower portion of the holder 12 and applies a voltage to the liquid W The liquid tank 1a is composed of a plurality of rod-like liquid-absorbing liquids 2a constituting the transport unit 2 held by the application electrode 13, and the liquid tank 1a formed in a cup shape has a protrusion on the outer surface of the upper end opening edge. 15 is attached by bayonet engagement with an engagement recess 17 provided in a flange portion 16 on the outer periphery of the application electrode 13 mounted on the lower portion of the holder 12.

  The counter electrode 3 and the application electrode 13 are both made of a synthetic resin mixed with a conductive material such as carbon, or a metal such as SUS, and have conductivity. The counter electrode 3 is grounded through a grounding contact plate 18 that contacts the outer surface of the connection projection 19 formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The application electrode 13 fitted and fixed in the lower part of the holder 12 and pressed and fixed by the rib 20 on the inner surface of the holder 12 is also high through a contact plate 22 that contacts the outer periphery of the connecting projection 21 formed on the outer peripheral surface. It is connected to a voltage application unit 4 that applies a voltage.

  The bar-like liquid-absorbing liquid 2 a that is the transport unit 2 has a needle-like upper end, and a plurality of, in the illustrated example, six bar-shaped liquid-absorbing liquids 2 a are attached to the application electrode 13. These rod-like liquid-absorbing liquids 2a are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference, the upper part protrudes upward from the application electrode 13, and the lower part protrudes downward, like water contained in the liquid tank 1a. It is in contact with the liquid W.

  A skirt 23 is vertically suspended from the outer periphery of the lower surface of the application electrode 13 so as to surround the outer periphery of the plurality of rod-shaped liquid-absorbing liquids 2a described above. A lattice-shaped protective cover 24 is placed on the lower end opening of the skirt 23, which is positioned below the lower end. The skirt 23 provided on the application electrode 13 is in contact with the liquid W put in the liquid tank 1a, so that a high voltage is applied to the liquid W and at the same time, the rod-shaped liquid absorbing liquid 2a is protected together with the lattice protective cover 24. Is.

  Here, when the liquid tank 1a is connected, the application electrode 13 substantially seals the upper surface opening of the liquid tank 1a so that the liquid W in the liquid tank 1a does not leak even when tilted. In this relation, a slit 25 is provided in a part of the circumferential direction of the skirt 23 over the entire vertical length of the skirt 23, and the skirt 23 is provided by the slit 25 when the liquid tank 1a containing the liquid W is mounted. The air in the space surrounded by is discharged to allow the liquid W to flow into the skirt 23.

The counter electrode 3 mounted so as to close the upper surface opening of the holder 12 has an opening 26 in the center as shown in FIG. 3, and the edge of the opening 26 is viewed from above, and the plurality of the plurality of the electrodes A plurality of arcs R having the same diameter (radius L ₁ ) centered on the needle-like portion at the upper end of the rod-like liquid-absorbing liquid 2a are smoothly connected by other arcs r. When the counter electrode 3 is grounded and the voltage application unit 4 for applying a high voltage to the application electrode 13 is connected and the rod-like liquid-absorbing liquid 2a sucks up the liquid W such as water by capillary action, the rod-shaped liquid-absorbing liquid At the same time, the needle-like portion at the upper end, which is the tip of 2a, functions as a substantial electrode on the application electrode 13 side, and at the same time, the arc R of the counter electrode 3 functions as a substantial electrode to convey the liquid W. A high voltage is applied between the tip of the bar-shaped liquid-absorbing liquid 2 a and the counter electrode 3. The opening 26 is covered with a lattice-shaped protective cover 27, and the lattice-shaped protective cover 27 prevents fingers and the like from coming into contact with the rod-shaped liquid-absorbing liquid 2 a through the opening 26.

  Now, the liquid tank 1a containing the liquid W such as water is attached, and the liquid W is brought into contact with the skirt 23 of the application electrode 13, and at the same time, the rod-shaped liquid absorption 2a is sucked up by capillary action, When the counter electrode 3 is grounded, the application electrode 13 is connected to the voltage application unit 4, and a negative voltage is applied to the application electrode 13, a gap between the tip of the rod-shaped liquid absorbing liquid 2 a constituting the transport unit 2 and the counter electrode 3 is established. A high voltage is applied to. This voltage causes electrostatic atomization that causes Rayleigh splitting in the liquid W and causes atomization to become a mist M having a particle size of nanometer size.

  Here, in the present invention, at least the tip side of the rod-like liquid-absorbing liquid 2a constituting the transport unit 2 is made of porous ceramic. However, the amount of capillary in the transport unit 2 is increased and electrostatic atomization is atomized. In order to improve the amount, the liquid absorption force on the liquid reservoir 1 side of the transport unit 2 is made higher than that on the tip side, the amount of capillary in the transport unit 2 is increased, and the atomization amount of electrostatic atomization Can be improved. Thus, since the electrostatic atomization amount of the conveyance part 2 can be increased, the number of the conveyance parts 2 can be reduced correspondingly, and a compactness and cost reduction can be achieved.

  FIG. 5 (a) shows an example thereof. In the present embodiment, the upper part of the rod-like liquid-absorbing liquid 2a constituting the conveying part 2 is a ceramic liquid-absorbing part 6 made of porous ceramic, and the lower part (the liquid reservoir 1 side) is a ceramic liquid-absorbing part 6 made of porous ceramic. It is the high liquid absorption part 7 comprised with the liquid absorbing material with higher liquid absorptivity. Here, the reason for excluding the tip of the transport unit 2 as a place where the highly liquid-absorbing unit 7 is provided is that the tip of the transport unit 2 is pointed like a needle and this portion becomes a substantial electrode, so that the tip shape is stabilized. Since the strength is required, a hard ceramic material is optimal, and the upper part of the transport unit 2 is a ceramic liquid absorbing part 6 formed of a porous ceramic. In addition, examples of the material having high liquid absorption include porous felt, plastic, and sintered metal.

  Here, in the above embodiment, the upper ceramic liquid-absorbing part 6 and the lower high liquid-absorbing part 7 are bonded by, for example, an adhesive. In other words, the bonding surface partly bonds the bonding surface so that the liquid can flow from the bonding surface of the high liquid absorption part 7 to the bonding surface of the ceramic liquid absorption part 6. The parts are adhered partially, or the adhesive is sprayed onto the joint surface in the form of a mist to make point contact with countless fine adhesion points.

  FIG. 5B shows another embodiment of the transport unit 2. In the present embodiment, the high liquid absorption part 7 has a cylindrical shape, and the lower part of the ceramic liquid absorption part 6 made of porous ceramic is press-fitted and fixed to the cylindrical high liquid absorption part 7. In this embodiment, the ceramic liquid absorption part 6 whose tip is pointed like a needle is configured so as to reach the lower end of the transport part 2 or near the lower end, and the strength of the transport part 2 is strong. In this embodiment, the liquid W sucked up by the high liquid-absorbing part 7 having a high liquid-absorbing property smoothly flows through the ceramic liquid-absorbing part 6 and is atomized.

  FIG. 5C shows another embodiment of the transport unit 2. In the present embodiment, the upper portion of the highly liquid-absorbing portion 7 is a cylindrical portion 7a having a cylindrical shape, and the lower portion is a rod portion 7b having a solid shape. A ceramic liquid absorption portion 6 having a needle-like tip formed of porous ceramic is press-fitted and fixed to a cylindrical portion 7a above the high liquid absorption portion 7. In this example, the liquid W sucked up by the high liquid-absorbing part 7 having a high liquid-absorbing property flows smoothly through the ceramic liquid-absorbing part 6 and is electrostatically atomized.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 (b) and FIG. 5 (c), since it can be fixed by being press-fitted into the cylindrical portion, it is not always necessary to use an adhesive, but the embodiment described above can be used as necessary. Similarly, the bonding surface may be partially bonded with an adhesive. Of course, when the adhesive is fixed only by press-fitting, the adhesive is not used, so that the liquid can be circulated more smoothly on the joint surface.

  Moreover, when forming the conveyance part 2 of a form like Fig.5 (a) (b) (c), you may integrally mold the ceramic liquid absorption part 6 and the high liquid absorption part 7. FIG. In the integral molding, when the lower one of the ceramic liquid absorption part 6 or the high liquid absorption part 7 is molded, a molded product having a higher melting point formed in advance is inserted and integrally molded. For example, when the ceramic liquid absorption part 6 having a high melting point is formed in advance, and the high liquid absorption part 7 of a synthetic resin or sintered metal having a lower melting point is formed, the ceramic liquid absorption part 6 is insert-molded. It can be integrally molded. By integrally molding the ceramic liquid absorbing part 6 and the high liquid absorbing part 7 in this way, the liquid W pulled up by the high liquid absorbing part 7 smoothly flows to the ceramic liquid absorbing part 6 and electrostatic atomization is performed. In addition, the ceramic liquid-absorbing part 6 and the high liquid-absorbing part 7 are not separated, and handling of the transport part 2 is facilitated.

  6 and 7 show an air cleaner 10 provided with the electrostatic atomizer 5 having the above-described configuration. The air cleaner 10 includes a blower 30 including a fan 8 driven by a motor 28 and a wind tunnel 29 and a filter 9 for dust removal, and further includes a suction port 33 and a discharge port 31. . In the air cleaner 10, the air sucked from the front suction port 33 passes through the filter 9, and then is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 31. The air cleaner 10 discharges the air from the suction port 33 to the discharge port 31. The electrostatic atomizer 5 is disposed in the air channel 29 of the blower 30 and in the vicinity of the discharge port 31 in the air flow path 32 leading up to.

  However, nano-size mist, which is a mist having a nanometer-size particle diameter generated by electrostatic atomization, is originally highly diffusive, but further because the purified air spreads on the air flow blown by the blower 30. The diffusibility is good, and because it spreads on the flow of purified air, the nano-sized mist does not immediately come into contact with dirty air, but diffuses on the purified air far away, For this reason, it is possible to deodorize a wide range by effectively utilizing the deodorizing function of 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.

  In addition, the air passing through the vicinity of the electrostatic atomizer 5 is clean air filtered by the filter 9, and therefore the electrostatic atomizer 5 is not contaminated, and some of the wind is electrostatically atomized. Although it enters the device 5, it is rare that electrostatic atomization hardly occurs due to dirt.

  In the present invention, since the electrostatic atomizer 5 is compact and inexpensive as described above, the air cleaner 10 in which the electrostatic atomizer 5 is housed can also be reduced in size and cost.

It is sectional drawing of an electrostatic atomizer. It is principal part sectional drawing same as the above. It is a top view same as the above. It is a principle figure same as the above. (A) (b) (c) is sectional drawing which shows each example of a conveyance part same as the above. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the air cleaner provided with the electrostatic atomizer same as the above. It is front sectional drawing which shows the air cleaner provided with the electrostatic atomizer same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid storage part 2 Conveyance part 3 Electrode 4 Voltage application part 5 Electrostatic atomizer 6 Ceramic liquid absorption part 7 High liquid absorption part 8 Fan 9 Filter 10 Air cleaner

Claims (6)

  A liquid storage section for storing liquid, a transport section for transporting the liquid in the liquid storage section to the tip side located outside the liquid storage section, an electrode arranged to correspond to the transport section, and a transport section and an electrode An electrostatic atomizer that includes a voltage application unit that applies a high voltage between and generates a mist by atomizing the liquid in the transport unit by applying a high voltage between the transport unit and the electrode, An electrostatic atomizer characterized in that at least the front end portion side of the transport portion is made of porous ceramic and the liquid absorption force on the liquid reservoir side of the transport portion is higher than that of the front end portion side. .   The front end side of the transfer part is a ceramic liquid absorption part made of porous ceramic, and the liquid storage part side of the transfer part is a high liquid absorption made of a liquid absorbing material having higher liquid absorption than the porous ceramic. The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the electrostatic atomizer is a part.   3. The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 2, wherein the high liquid absorption part is cylindrical, and the ceramic liquid absorption part is press-fitted and fixed to the cylindrical high liquid absorption part.   3. The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 2, wherein a bonding surface between the ceramic liquid-absorbing part and the high liquid-absorbing part is partially bonded so that the liquid can flow.   The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 2, wherein the ceramic liquid absorption part and the high liquid absorption part are integrally formed. A fan for air blowing and a filter for dust removal are provided, and the electrostatic atomizer according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is disposed downstream of the fan and the filter. Air cleaner equipped with electrostatic atomizer.

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