JP2006059711A - Ion generating device, and electric device equipped therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ion generating device which keeps an ion quantity ratio at a desired value at any time when an ion control mode is selected, and allows improvement in the reliability of a relay and the suppression of the noise of the device, and to provide an electric device equipped therewith. <P>SOLUTION: The ion generating device comprises an ion generating element equipped with first and second dischargers 12, 13, and a voltage applying circuit 20 connected with the ion generating element. The voltage applying circuit 20 is constituted of a first voltage applying means (a relay 203, a diode 209, etc.) to select either of an alternating impulse voltage (c) and its positively biased voltage (d, e) and to apply the one to the first discharger 12, and a second voltage applying means (a diode 208, etc.) to apply a negatively biased voltage (f, g) of the alternating impulse voltage (c) to the second discharger 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion generator that can inactivate bacteria, fungi, harmful substances, etc. floating in the air by releasing positive ions and negative ions into the space, and an electric apparatus equipped with the same It is about. In addition, as an example applicable to the above-mentioned electrical equipment, it is mainly a closed space (inside a house, one room in a building, a hospital room or operating room, a car, an airplane, a ship, a warehouse, a refrigerator, etc.) And air conditioners, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, air purifiers, refrigerators, fan heaters, microwave ovens, washing / drying machines, vacuum cleaners, sterilizers, and the like.

  In general, in a sealed room with little ventilation, such as an office or a conference room, if there are many people in the room, air pollutants exhausted by breathing, cigarette smoke, dust, and other air pollutants increase. The negative ions, which have the effect of relaxing, decrease from the air. In particular, when tobacco smoke is present, the negative ions may be reduced to about 1/2 to 1/5 of the normal amount. Therefore, various ion generators have been commercially available in order to supply negative ions in the air.

In addition, as a result of the diligent research conducted by the present inventors, conventionally, both positive ions and negative ions can be generated at the same time and released into the air to inactivate floating fungi in the air. Has been found. That is, both ions are generated by generating approximately equal amounts of positive ions H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m and negative ions O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (m and n are natural numbers) in the air. Surrounds the airborne fungi and viruses in the air, and the fungi can be inactivated by the action of the hydroxyl radical (.OH) of the active species generated at that time.

  As described above, an ion generator that can generate approximately the same amount of positive ions and negative ions has already been disclosed and proposed by the applicant of the present application (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). reference). The invention has already been put into practical use by the applicant of the present application, and the practical machine includes an ion generator having a structure in which a discharge electrode is disposed on the outside and an induction electrode is disposed on the inside, with a ceramic dielectric sandwiched therebetween, and There are air cleaners and air conditioners installed.

  However, positive ions have the property of stressing humans. For this reason, if positive ions and negative ions are generated simultaneously, the relaxation effect of the negative ions is diminished. Therefore, in order to obtain an effect according to the purpose of use, there are some ion generators capable of generating both positive ions and negative ions that have a clean mode and an ion control mode as their operation modes. .

  The clean mode is a first operation mode that generates substantially equal amounts of positive ions and negative ions and inactivates floating fungi and the like, as described above. On the other hand, the ion control mode is a second operation mode in which more negative ions are generated than positive ions and the indoor environment is adjusted to the natural ion balance. That is, when it is desired to obtain an inactivation effect such as floating mold, the clean mode is selected, and when it is desired to obtain a relaxation effect, the ion control mode may be selected.

  Moreover, the result of investigating the example by the past gazette regarding the other ion generator is as follows.

  Patent Document 3 describes an ion generator that generates negative ions or generates negative ions and positive ions by applying an alternating high voltage to a discharge plate having a discharge line or an acute angle portion. However, the generation method and means are only described as an AC high voltage unit. The field of use is air conditioners, and the effects are comfort and relaxation for people.

  In Patent Document 4, a pair of electrodes is formed by sandwiching an insulator, a discharge electrode and a dielectric electrode, and a high-voltage power source that applies a high-frequency and high-frequency voltage to both ends thereof is provided. The high-voltage power supply is described that diodes are arranged at both ends of the electrode, and a negative potential power supply or a positive potential power supply is selected depending on the orientation thereof, but the switching function is not described. The field of application of the present technology is described as corona discharge equipment such as an ozone generator, a charging device, and an ion generator, and the effect of the present technology includes the generation of ions.

  In Patent Document 5, a large number of electrodes each having a pair of needle-like discharge electrodes and conductive ground grids or ground rings are arranged in a two-dimensional manner in a direction crossing the flow of clean air. A biased high voltage of AC sine wave is applied to a certain discharge electrode, and a positive biased high voltage of AC sine wave is applied to a discharge electrode. A discharge electrode is formed. It has a control means to adjust the bias voltage, and adjusts the amount of positive ions and negative ions. As a field of use, there is a charge removal equipment in a clean room.

In Patent Document 6, it is described that the applied voltage is variable by a power source for positive electrode discharge and negative electrode discharge. The electrode is an ionization line and a dust collector, and is configured to be charged to dust and collected on the dust collector. The field of use is an electric dust collector for air conditioners, and it is specified that the inside is sterilized by ozone generated during discharge.
JP 2002-319472 A JP 2003-47651 A JP-A-4-90428 JP-A-8-217412 JP-A-3-230499 JP-A-9-610

  Certainly, if it is an ion generator equipped with a clean mode and an ion control mode, whether to give priority to the inactivation effect of floating mold or the like, or to give priority to the relaxation effect, depending on the user's purpose of use. It is possible to select appropriately.

  However, as shown in FIG. 3, the conventional ion generator includes a single discharge part A that generates ions and a relay B that switches whether or not the discharge part A is negatively biased. When the relay is off, an impulse waveform of an alternating voltage is applied to the discharge part A, and positive ions and negative ions are simultaneously generated at substantially the same amount in a predetermined cycle. On the other hand, when the relay is on, the alternating voltage is negatively biased. Is applied, and only negative ions are generated in a predetermined cycle. In the conventional ion generation apparatus, when the clean mode is selected, the relay B is always turned off to generate approximately equal amounts of positive ions and negative ions in the discharge part A as shown in FIG. When the ion control mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 5B, the relay B is intermittently operated on / off to generate more negative ions than positive ions.

  For example, the amount of positive ions generated and the amount of negative ions generated when the relay is off is about 30 [10,000 / cc], respectively, and the amount of negative ions generated when the relay is on is about 80 [10,000 / cc]. Then, by repeating the ON / OFF intermittent operation of 1 set 20 [min] with 16 [min] relay on and 4 [min] relay off, the ion amount ratio (the negative ion generation amount with respect to the positive ion generation amount) is obtained as one set total. The ratio of positive ion generation amount: negative ion generation amount = about 120 [10,000 pieces / cc]: about 1400 [10,000 pieces / cc], and the adjustment was made almost close to the natural world.

  Therefore, with a conventional ion generator, it is only possible to adjust the total ion amount ratio of one set to a desired value, and the ion amount ratio at any time is approximately equal to positive ions and negative ions at a certain point in time. Also, at some point, it was only negative ions, and it was not as intended.

  Further, in the conventional ion generator, the relay B used for the operation mode switching control has a limit in the number of on / off switching lifetimes, and in order to ensure the reliability of the relay over a long period of time, In order to reduce the number of times of on / off switching, one set time of the above on / off intermittent operation has to be set as long as possible, and the above-described problem has become more remarkable.

  Further, in the conventional ion generator, when the ion control mode is selected, the relay B must be turned on / off. Therefore, the switching sound of the relay B generated during the control becomes annoying for the user, and the environment is quiet. There was also a risk of hindrance when used underneath.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an ion generator capable of maintaining the ion amount ratio at a desired value at any time when the ion control mode is selected, and improving the reliability of the relay and reducing the noise of the device, and An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical apparatus provided with the same.

  In order to achieve the above object, an ion generating apparatus according to the present invention comprises an ion generating element including first and second discharge units, and a voltage application circuit connected to the ion generating element. An ion generator, wherein the voltage application circuit selects either one of an AC impulse voltage or a voltage obtained by positively biasing the AC impulse voltage and applies the first voltage application unit to the first discharge unit; And a second voltage applying means for applying a voltage obtained by negatively biasing the AC impulse voltage to the second discharge part. With such a configuration, when the ion control mode is selected, the ion amount ratio can be adjusted to the natural ion balance without requiring intermittent ON / OFF operation of the relay. Therefore, when the ion control mode is selected, it is possible to maintain the ion amount ratio at a desired value as needed, improve the reliability of the relay, and reduce the noise of the device.

  The ion generation apparatus according to the present invention is an ion generation apparatus including an ion generation element including first and second discharge units, and a voltage application circuit connected to the ion generation element. The voltage application circuit may be configured to perform an operation in which an AC impulse voltage is applied to the first discharge unit and a voltage in which the AC impulse voltage is negatively biased is applied to the second discharge unit. With such a configuration, as described above, the ion amount ratio can be adjusted to the natural ion balance without requiring intermittent relay on / off operation. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the ion amount ratio at a desired value as needed, improve the reliability of the relay, and reduce the noise of the device.

  In addition, an electrical apparatus according to the present invention includes an ion generator having the above-described configuration, and a sending unit that sends positive ions and negative ions generated by the ion generator into the air. By adopting such a configuration, in addition to the original function of the device, it is possible to change the amount of ions in the air and the ion balance with the installed ion generator, and to bring the indoor environment into a desired atmosphere state.

In addition, the electrical equipment having the above configuration generates H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m as positive ions and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (m and n are natural numbers as negative ions, and H ₂ O molecules Means that a plurality of are attached). In this way, by generating approximately equal amounts of H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n in the air, both ions are attached to airborne bacteria in the air. The floating bacteria can be inactivated by the action of the hydroxyl radical (.OH) of the generated active species.

  As described above, if the ion generating apparatus according to the present invention and the electric apparatus equipped with the ion generating apparatus, the ion amount ratio is maintained at a desired value at any time when the ion control mode is selected, and the reliability of the relay is improved. It is possible to reduce noise.

  Below, the structure of the ion generator which concerns on this invention is demonstrated in detail, referring FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an ion generator according to the present invention. FIGS. 1A and 1B are a top plan view and a front sectional view of the ion generator according to the present invention, respectively. This is shown schematically.

  As shown in the figure, the ion generator of the present embodiment includes an ion generating element 10 including a plurality of discharge units (in the present embodiment, two first and second discharge units 12 and 13) that generate ions. And a voltage applying circuit 20 for applying a predetermined voltage to the ion generating element 10.

  In addition, as a form of the ion generating element 10, a configuration using a needle-like electrode may be adopted, but in this drawing, a discharge electrode provided on the surface of the dielectric 11 and an inside of the dielectric 11 are provided. A description will be given by taking as an example a configuration in which a pair of electrodes is formed with the buried induction electrode.

  The ion generating element 10 includes a dielectric 11 (upper dielectric 11a and lower dielectric 11b) and a first discharge part 12 (discharge electrode 12a, induction electrode 12b, discharge electrode contact 12c, induction electrode contact 12d, connection terminal part 12e. 12f and connection paths 12g and 12h) and the second discharge part 13 (discharge electrode 13a, induction electrode 13b, discharge electrode contact 13c, induction electrode contact 13d, connection terminal parts 13e and 13f, and connection paths 13g and 13h). And a coating layer 14, and applying a voltage described later between the first discharge electrode 12a and the induction electrode 12b and between the second discharge electrode 13a and the induction electrode 13b, By performing discharge in the vicinity of the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a, positive ions and negative ions are generated, respectively.

  That is, the ion generator of the present embodiment is not a method in which positive ions and negative ions are simultaneously generated in a predetermined cycle in a single discharge unit, but positive ions and negative ions are individually generated in a plurality of discharge units, Is independently configured to be released indoors (hereinafter referred to as an ion independent emission method). With such a configuration, the generated positive ions and negative ions are prevented from neutralizing and disappearing in the vicinity of the electrode of the ion generating element 10, and the generated bipolar ions are effectively discharged into the space. It becomes possible.

  The dielectric 11 is formed by bonding a substantially rectangular parallelepiped upper dielectric 11a and lower dielectric 11b (for example, 15 [mm] in length × 37 [mm] in width × 0.45 [mm] in thickness). If an inorganic substance is selected as the material of the dielectric 11, ceramics such as high-purity alumina, crystallized glass, forsterite, and steatite can be used. In addition, if an organic material is selected as the material of the dielectric 11, a resin such as polyimide or glass epoxy having excellent oxidation resistance is suitable. However, in view of corrosion resistance, it is desirable to select an inorganic material as the material of the dielectric 11, and it is preferable to form using ceramic in view of formability and ease of electrode formation described later. .

  In addition, since it is desirable that the insulation resistance between the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a and the induction electrodes 12b and 13b is uniform, the material of the dielectric 11 is such that the density variation is small and the insulation rate is uniform. Is preferred.

  The shape of the dielectric 11 may be other than a substantially rectangular parallelepiped (such as a disk, an ellipse, or a polygon), and may be a cylinder, but considering productivity. As in the present embodiment, it is preferable to have a flat plate shape (including a disk shape and a rectangular parallelepiped shape).

  The discharge electrodes 12a and 13a are formed integrally with the upper dielectric 11a on the surface of the upper dielectric 11a. As a material for the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a, any material can be used without particular limitation as long as it has conductivity, such as tungsten. However, it does not cause deformation such as melting by discharge. .

  The first discharge electrode 12a is classified into a first discharge portion 12j that causes discharge by concentrating an electric field, a first conductive portion 12k that surrounds or partially surrounds the first discharge portion 12j, and the connection terminal portion 12e. However, these are all on the same pattern, and the applied voltages are equal. Similarly, the second discharge electrode 13a includes a second discharge portion 13j, a second conductive portion 13k, and a connection terminal portion 13e.

  In other words, in the ion generating element 10 of the present embodiment, the first and second conductive parts having the same voltage as each of the first and second discharge parts 12j and 13j that cause discharge are surrounded so as to surround the periphery or part thereof. 12k and 13k are arranged. With this configuration, positive ions generated from the first discharge part 12j are repelled by the first conductive part 12k having a positive potential before reaching the second discharge part 13j having a negative polarity and a negative potential. become. The same applies to the second discharge site 13k. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generated positive ions and negative ions from neutralizing and disappearing.

  The induction electrodes 12b and 13b are provided in parallel with the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a with the upper dielectric 11a interposed therebetween. With this arrangement, the distance between the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a and the induction electrodes 12b and 13b (hereinafter referred to as the interelectrode distance) can be made constant, so that the insulation resistance between the two electrodes can be made uniform. It becomes possible to stabilize the discharge state and to suitably generate ions. In the case where the dielectric 11 is cylindrical, the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder, and the induction electrodes 12b and 13b are provided in an axial shape so that the distance between the electrodes is constant. Can do.

  As the material for the induction electrodes 12b and 13b, as in the case of the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a, any material can be used without particular limitation as long as it has conductivity, such as tungsten. It is a condition not to cause.

  The discharge electrode contacts 12c and 13c penetrate through the connection terminal portions 12e and 13e provided on the same formation surface as the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a (that is, the surface of the upper dielectric 11a), and the upper dielectric 11a and the lower dielectric 11b. Are electrically connected to the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a via the connection paths 12g and 13g. Therefore, if one end of a lead wire (such as a copper wire or an aluminum wire) is connected to the discharge electrode contacts 12c and 13c and the other end of the lead wire is connected to the voltage application circuit 20, the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a and the voltage application circuit are connected. 20 can be made electrically conductive.

  The induction electrode contacts 12d and 13d include connection terminal portions 12f and 13f provided on the same formation surface as the induction electrodes 12b and 13b (that is, the surface of the lower dielectric 11b), and a connection path 12h that penetrates the lower dielectric 11b, It is electrically connected to the induction electrodes 12b and 13b via 13h. Accordingly, if one end of a lead wire (such as a copper wire or an aluminum wire) is connected to the induction electrode contacts 12d and 13d and the other end of the lead wire is connected to the voltage application circuit 20, the induction electrodes 12b and 13b and the voltage application circuit are connected. 20 can be made electrically conductive.

  The discharge electrode contacts 12c and 13c and the induction electrode contacts 12d and 13d are all surfaces other than the surface of the dielectric 11 where the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a are provided (hereinafter referred to as the upper surface of the dielectric 11). It is desirable to provide in. With such a configuration, unnecessary lead wires or the like are not provided on the upper surface of the dielectric 11, so that the ion generating element 10 is provided from a fan (not shown) provided as means for sending generated ions into the air. This is because the air flow sent to the air is less likely to be disturbed, and the effect of the ion independent discharge method can be maximized.

  In consideration of the above, in the ion generating element 10 of the present embodiment, the discharge electrode contacts 12c and 13c and the induction electrode contacts 12d and 13d are all back to the top surface of the dielectric 11 (hereinafter referred to as the bottom surface of the dielectric 11). Provided).

  In the ion generating element 10 of the present embodiment, the first discharge electrode 12a and the second discharge electrode 13a have an acute angle portion, and an electric field is concentrated at the portion to cause local discharge. However, as long as the electric field can be concentrated, patterns other than the electrodes shown in this figure may be used.

  The first and second discharge units 12 and 13 are arranged so that the arrangement direction thereof is orthogonal to the air flow from the fan, in other words, the air flow that has passed over one discharge unit is the other. It is good to make it the structure which does not pass on the discharge part. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to perform efficient and well-balanced ion emission by making use of the effect of the ion independent emission method and suppressing neutralization of ions generated in both discharge parts 12 and 13.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the voltage application circuit 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram (a) and (b) showing an embodiment of the voltage application circuit 20 and its operating voltage waveforms (c) to (g). As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the voltage application circuit 20 according to the present embodiment includes an input power source 201, a switching transformer 202, a switching relay (one make relay) 203, resistors 204 and 205, and a diode. 206 to 209, a capacitor 211, and a transformer driving switching element (gate-free two-terminal thyristor; Sidac [Shindengen product]) 212.

  One output terminal of the input power supply 201 is connected to the anode of the rectifying diode 206 via the resistor 204. The cathode of the diode 206 is connected to one end of the first coil 202 a constituting the primary side of the transformer 202 and one end of the capacitor 211. The other end of the first coil 202 a is connected to the cathode of the diode 207 and one end of the Sidac 212. The other end of the capacitor 211, the anode of the diode 207, and the other end of the Sidac 212 are all connected to the ground or the other output terminal of the input power source 201.

  One end of the second coil 202b constituting the secondary side of the transformer 202 is connected to the discharge electrode 12a of the first discharge unit 12 and the cathode of the diode 209, respectively, and the other end of the second coil 202b is connected to the first discharge. It is connected to the induction electrode 12b of the part 12. The anode of the diode 209 is connected to the selection terminal (normally open terminal) 203a of the switching relay 203. One end of the third coil 202c constituting the secondary side of the transformer 202 is connected to the discharge electrode 13a of the second discharge unit 13 and the anode of the diode 208, respectively, and the other end of the third coil 202c is connected to the second discharge. It is connected to the induction electrode 13 b of the part 13. Both the common terminal 203 b of the switching relay 203 and the cathode of the diode 208 are connected to the ground or the other output terminal of the input power source 201 via the resistor 205.

  When the input power source 201 is an AC commercial power source, other output terminals are grounded in Japan. Therefore, even if an electric device without a ground terminal is connected to the other output terminal of the input power source 201, it is equivalent to grounding. An effect can be obtained. The resistor 205 is for protection, and even if it is not present (even if it is short-circuited), there is no problem in operation.

  In the voltage application circuit 20 having the above configuration, when electric power is supplied from the input power supply 201, the capacitor 211 is charged with electric charge via the input resistor 204 and the rectifier diode 206. When the voltage across the capacitor 211 exceeds a predetermined value, the transformer driving switching element 212 is turned on and a voltage is applied to the first coil 202 a of the transformer 202. Immediately thereafter, the charge charged in the capacitor 211 is discharged through the first coil 202a and the transformer driving switching element 212, and the voltage of the capacitor 211 returns to zero. Thereafter, charging of the capacitor 211 is started again, and charging / discharging is repeated at a predetermined cycle. When the transformer drive switching element 212 of the primary side drive circuit is turned on, the primary side energy is transmitted to the second and third coils 202b and 202c of the transformer 202, and an impulse voltage is generated on the secondary side. To do.

  In the above description, a case where a gate-free two-terminal thyristor (Sidac [Shindengen product]) is employed as the transformer driving switching element 212 is exemplified, but the configuration of the present invention is limited to this. If a circuit slightly different from the above is used, a general thyristor (SCR) can be used. Even if the input power supply 201 is a DC power supply, this is not a problem as long as the circuit can obtain the same operation as described above. In other words, the primary side drive circuit of the voltage application circuit 20 may have any circuit configuration as long as the same operation as described above can be obtained.

  Here, the ion generator of the present embodiment has a first operation mode (clean mode) that generates approximately the same amount of positive ions and negative ions, and a second operation that generates more negative ions than positive ions. Mode (ion control mode), and the operation mode can be appropriately switched according to the user operation or the indoor environment. Therefore, the operating voltage waveform of the voltage application circuit 20 having the above-described configuration will be described in detail for each of the ion generator in the clean mode and the ion control mode.

  First, the operating voltage waveform of the voltage application circuit 20 in the clean mode will be described. As shown in FIG. 2A, when the operation mode is selected, the switching relay 203 is normally closed (relay on state), and the first discharge unit 12 is positively connected via the diode 209. Will be biased. As a result, the voltage waveforms of the first discharge electrode 12a and the induction electrode 12b viewed from the ground terminal (in the present embodiment, the other output terminal of the input power supply 201 to which the anode of the diode 209 is connected) are shown in FIG. As shown in (d) and (e), a voltage waveform is obtained by positively biasing an AC impulse voltage (see FIG. 2C) described later, and the potentials are both positive. Accordingly, in the vicinity of the first discharge unit 12, corona discharge occurs, the surrounding air is ionized, and only positive ions are generated.

  On the other hand, the second discharge unit 13 is always negatively biased via the diode 208 regardless of the open / close state of the switching relay 203. Therefore, the voltage waveforms of the second discharge electrode 13a and the induction electrode 13b viewed from the ground terminal (in the present embodiment, the other output terminal of the input power supply 201 to which the cathode of the diode 208 is connected) are shown in FIG. As shown in f) and (g), a voltage waveform is obtained by negatively biasing an AC impulse voltage (see FIG. 2C) described later, and the potential is negative. Accordingly, in the vicinity of the second discharge unit 13, corona discharge occurs, the surrounding air is ionized, and only negative ions are generated.

  As described above, when the ion generator is in the clean mode, each of the positive and negative ions in the vicinity of the first and second discharge parts 12 and 13 has a substantially equal amount (for example, about 90 [10,000] / Cc]) at the same time.

More specifically, the ion generator of this embodiment generates H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m as the positive ions and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (m, n is a natural number, meaning that there are a plurality of H ₂ O molecules). In this way, by generating approximately the same amount of H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n in the air, both ions are attached to airborne fungi, etc. The floating bacteria can be inactivated by the action of the hydroxyl radical (.OH) of the active species generated at this time.

The above description will be described in detail. By applying an AC voltage between the electrodes constituting the first and second discharge parts 12 and 13, oxygen or moisture in the air is ionized by receiving energy by ionization, and H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m ( M is an ion mainly composed of an arbitrary natural number) and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (n is an arbitrary natural number), and these are released into the space by a fan or the like. 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) as an active species. Since H ₂ O ₂ or (.OH) shows extremely strong activity, they can surround and inactivate airborne bacteria in the air. Here, (.OH) is one kind of active species, and represents radical OH.

Positive and negative ions chemically react on the cell surface of the floating bacteria as shown in the formulas (1) to (3) to generate hydrogen peroxide H ₂ O ₂ or hydroxyl radical (.OH) as active species. Here, in Formula (1)-Formula (3), m, m ', n, and n' are arbitrary natural numbers. Thereby, floating bacteria are destroyed by the action of decomposing active species. Therefore, airborne bacteria in the air can be inactivated and removed efficiently.

^{_{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)
By the above mechanism, the inactivation effect of floating bacteria and the like can be obtained by the release of the positive and negative ions.

Further, since the above formulas (1) to (3) can cause the same action even on the surface of harmful substances in the air, hydrogen peroxide H ₂ O ₂ or hydroxyl radical (.OH) which is an active species. However, by oxidizing or decomposing harmful substances and converting chemical substances such as formaldehyde and ammonia into harmless substances such as carbon dioxide, water and nitrogen, it is possible to make them substantially harmless.

  Therefore, by driving the blower fan and sending out positive ions and negative ions generated by the ion generating element 10 to the outside of the main body, it is possible to inactivate the fungi in the air and suppress their growth.

  As other effects, positive ions and negative ions have a function to inactivate viruses such as Coxsackie virus and polio virus, and can prevent contamination due to contamination of these viruses.

  In addition, it has been confirmed that positive ions and negative ions have a function of decomposing molecules that cause odors, and can be used to deodorize spaces.

  Next, the operating voltage waveform of the voltage application circuit 20 in the ion control mode will be described. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the operation mode is selected, the switching relay 203 is always open (relay off state). As a result, an alternating voltage impulse waveform as shown in FIG. 5C is applied to both ends of the second coil 202b. Therefore, in the vicinity of the first discharge part 12, corona discharge occurs, the surrounding air is ionized, and both positive ions and negative ions are generated at substantially the same amount in a predetermined cycle.

  On the other hand, the second discharge unit 13 is always negatively biased via the diode 208 regardless of the open / close state of the switching relay 203. Therefore, the voltage waveforms of the second discharge electrode 13a and the induction electrode 13b viewed from the ground terminal (in the present embodiment, the other output terminal of the input power supply 201 to which the cathode of the diode 208 is connected) are shown in FIG. As shown in f) and (g), the above-described AC impulse voltage (see FIG. 2C) is negatively biased, and the potential is negative. Accordingly, in the vicinity of the second discharge unit 13, corona discharge occurs, the surrounding air is ionized, and only negative ions are generated.

  Here, in the 1st discharge part 12, since both a positive ion and a negative ion generate | occur | produce simultaneously, a part of ion of both polarities neutralizes and disappears with the generation | occurrence | production. On the other hand, in the second discharge unit 13, neutralization of ions does not occur, and negative ions are efficiently generated. That is, in the ion generator of this embodiment, a lot of negative ions are inevitably generated as compared with positive ions.

  Therefore, by appropriately setting the characteristic parameters of the ion generator (the peak value of the impulse voltage, the input period, the capacitance of the dielectric 11, the shape of the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a, etc.), the ion content ratio in the indoor environment is desired. The value can be maintained at any time.

For example, in the ion generator of this embodiment, the peak value of an impulse voltage with a frequency of about 100 [kHz] is about 3 [kV ₀ p], the input period is 1/60 [second], and the dielectric 11 is electrostatically charged. As a result of setting the capacity to about 3 [pF], the amount of positive ions generated in the ion control mode is adjusted to about 7 [10,000 / cc] and the amount of negative ions generated is about 80 [10,000 / cc]. The ion amount ratio (ratio of negative ion amount to positive ion generation amount) is maintained at any time in a state close to the natural world. Therefore, with the ion generator of the present embodiment, it is possible to maintain the indoor ion balance in a state like a natural forest as needed, and obtain a continuous relaxation effect.

  In addition, since the ion generator of this embodiment does not require intermittent ON / OFF operation of the switching relay 203 even in the ion control mode, it is not necessary to worry about the switching life, and the switching sound is annoying to the user. There is no risk that it will cause any trouble when used in a quiet environment.

  As described above, the ion generation apparatus according to the present invention includes the ion generation element 10 including the first and second discharge units 12 and 13 and the voltage application circuit 20 connected to the ion generation element 10. The voltage application circuit 20 is a first voltage application unit that selects either the AC impulse voltage or a voltage positively biased from the AC impulse voltage and applies the selected voltage to the first discharge unit 12. (Relay 203, diode 209, etc.) and second voltage applying means (diode 208, etc.) for applying a voltage obtained by negatively biasing the AC impulse voltage to the second discharge unit 13 are provided. With such a configuration, when the ion control mode is selected, the ion amount ratio can be adjusted to the natural ion balance without requiring intermittent ON / OFF operation of the relay. Therefore, when the ion control mode is selected, it is possible to maintain the ion amount ratio at a desired value as needed, improve the reliability of the relay, and reduce the noise of the device.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an ion generator having a clean mode and an ion control mode has been described as an example. However, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to an ion generator having only an ion control mode. That is, an ion generator according to the present invention is an ion generator comprising an ion generator having first and second discharge units, and a voltage application circuit connected to the ion generator, The voltage application circuit may be configured to perform an operation in which an AC impulse voltage is applied to the first discharge unit and a voltage in which the AC impulse voltage is negatively biased is applied to the second discharge unit. With such a configuration, the ion amount ratio can be adjusted to the natural ion balance without requiring intermittent ON / OFF operation of the relay as in the above embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the ion amount ratio at a desired value at any time, improve the reliability of the relay, and reduce the noise of the device.

  Further, the ion generator according to the present invention may be mounted on an electric device such as an air conditioner, a dehumidifier, a humidifier, an air purifier, a refrigerator, a fan heater, a microwave oven, a washing / drying machine, a vacuum cleaner, or a sterilizer. . In such an electric device, in addition to the original function of the device, the ion generation device and the ion balance in the air can be changed by the mounted ion generator, and the indoor environment can be brought into a desired atmosphere state.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is a technique useful for improving the ion amount control performance, extending the life, and reducing the noise of an ion generator.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of an ion generator according to the present invention. These are the circuit diagram which shows one Embodiment of the voltage application circuit 20, and its operating voltage waveform. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a conventional example of an ion generator.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ion generating element 11 Dielectric 11a Upper dielectric 11b Lower dielectric 12, 13 1st, 2nd discharge part 12a, 13a Discharge electrode 12b, 13b Induction electrode 12c, 13c Discharge electrode contact 12d, 13d Induction electrode contact 12e, 13e Connection terminal part 12f, 13f Connection terminal part 12g, 13g Connection path 12h, 13h Connection path 12j, 13j Discharge part 12k, 13k Conductive part 14 Coating layer 20 Voltage application circuit 201 Input power supply (commercial AC power supply)
202 switching transformer 202a, 202b, 202c 1st, 2nd, 3rd coil 203 Switching relay (1 make relay)
203a Selection terminal (normally open terminal)
203b Common terminal 204, 205 Resistor 206, 207, 208, 209 Diode 211 Capacitor 212 Transformer driving switching element (gate-free 2 terminal thyristor)

Claims (4)

  An ion generating apparatus comprising: an ion generating element including first and second discharge units; and a voltage applying circuit connected to the ion generating element, wherein the voltage applying circuit includes an alternating impulse voltage or A first voltage applying unit that selects one of the positively biased voltages of the AC impulse voltage and applies it to the first discharge unit, and a voltage that is negatively biased of the AC impulse voltage is applied to the second discharge unit. And an ion generator.   An ion generating apparatus comprising: an ion generating element including first and second discharging units; and a voltage applying circuit connected to the ion generating element, wherein the voltage applying circuit includes the first discharging unit. An ion generator is characterized in that an AC impulse voltage is applied to the second discharge section and a voltage obtained by applying a negative bias to the AC impulse voltage is applied to the second discharge part.   An electric apparatus comprising: the ion generator according to claim 1 or 2; and a sending means for sending positive ions and negative ions generated by the ion generator into the air. 4. The positive ion is H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m (m is a natural number), and the negative ion is O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (n is a natural number). Electrical equipment as described in.

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