JP2006185758A - Ion generator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a space distance from a discharge part to a part which may be touched by a person while keeping a creeping distance required for insulation. <P>SOLUTION: First and second discharge parts 12 and 13 are connected to two secondary windings 202b and 202c of a transformer 202, respectively. The primary side and the secondary side of the transformer 202 are insulated from each other by connecting both the discharge parts 12 and 13 to each other by interlaying a diode 209 between them. Discharge electrodes 12a and 13a of the discharge parts 12 and 13 are handled as basically insulated metal parts, and it is enough that the electrodes are only additionally insulated from a part that may be touched by a person. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion generator that releases positive ions and negative ions into space in order to inactivate bacteria, fungi, viruses, and the like floating in the air.

  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.

  However, the conventional ion generator using the discharge phenomenon generates negative ions mainly by a negative potential direct current high voltage method, and the purpose thereof is to promote a relaxing effect. Therefore, in such an ion generator, negative ions can be replenished in the air, but airborne bacteria and the like in the air cannot be positively removed.

  Therefore, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose ion generators that can inactivate and decompose bacteria, fungi, and harmful substances floating in the air by releasing positive ions and negative ions into the space. ing. This ion generator is mounted on electrical equipment such as an air conditioner, a dehumidifier, a humidifier, an air cleaner, a refrigerator, and a vacuum cleaner.

In the ion generator, positive ions H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m and negative ions O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (m and n are natural numbers) are generated in the air. Both ions surround airborne fungi and viruses in the air and inactivate fungi and the like by the action of hydroxyl radicals (.OH) of the active species generated at that time.

The ion generation device includes an ion generation element that generates ions and a voltage application circuit that applies a high voltage to the ion generation element. The ion generating element includes a discharge part having a discharge electrode and an induction electrode, and a dielectric. The discharge electrode is arranged outside and the induction electrode is arranged inside the dielectric, and the discharge electrode and the induction electrode are connected to the secondary side of the transformer of the voltage application circuit. By applying an AC voltage to the discharge part by the voltage application circuit, positive ions and negative ions are generated, and the ions are released into the space by the wind of the fan.
JP 2003-47651 A JP 2002-319472 A

  In the ion generator, a high voltage is applied to the discharge part. By the way, according to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard, the outer discharge electrode of the discharge part of the ion generator is treated as a charging part, and it is strengthened from a part that may be touched by a person. Insulation is required. Reinforced insulation is a single insulation that can provide the same level of protection against electric shock as insulation that consists of both basic insulation and additional insulation.

  Although it is conceivable to provide an insulator as the reinforced insulation, since a new member is provided, the structure becomes complicated, and the cost is increased and the size is increased. Therefore, using air as an insulator, a necessary distance may be set from the outer discharge electrode in the discharge portion to a portion that may be touched by a person. In this case, the creepage distance, which is the shortest distance between the discharge electrode and a portion that may be touched by a person, is defined by the standard. However, the creepage distance in the reinforced insulation is twice the creepage distance in the additional insulation. Therefore, securing the necessary creepage distance is a difficult design problem in an ion generator that is required to be downsized, and also affects the downsizing design of the electrical equipment on which the ion generator is mounted.

  Therefore, in view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an ion generation device that can reduce the size of the device itself and the electrical equipment on which the device is mounted while ensuring a creepage distance necessary for insulation.

  The present invention includes an ion generating element having a discharge part for generating ions, and a voltage applying circuit for applying a high voltage to the ion generating element, the voltage applying circuit supplying a voltage from a power source to a transformer. The discharge circuit is connected to the secondary side of the transformer, and the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer are insulated.

  Specifically, the ion generating element has a positive side discharge part that generates positive ions and a negative side discharge part that generates negative ions. Each discharge part is individually connected to the secondary side of the transformer, and both discharge parts are connected to insulate the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer. A diode is interposed between the two discharge units so as to allow a current flow from the negative discharge unit to the positive discharge unit.

  As a result, the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer are insulated. For this reason, the discharge electrode of the discharge part is handled as a base-insulated charging part, and it is required to provide additional insulation from a portion that may be touched by a person. Since the creepage distance in the additional insulation may be half of the creepage distance in the reinforced insulation, the distance from the discharge electrode to a portion that may be touched by a person can be shortened.

  According to the present invention, by insulating the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer, the insulation defined by the standard can be added. Therefore, when insulation is performed using air as an insulator, the distance from the outer discharge electrode to a portion that may be touched by a person in the discharge portion can be shortened, and the ion generator can be downsized. As a result, when the ion generator is mounted on an electric device, the ion generator can be arranged in a limited space, which contributes to miniaturization of the electric device.

  An ion generator of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The present ion generator suppresses neutralization and disappearance of the generated positive ions and negative ions in the vicinity of the electrode of the ion generating element 10 and effectively releases the generated bipolar ions into the space. Rather than generating positive ions and negative ions alternately at a predetermined cycle with a single ion generator, a method of generating positive ions and negative ions individually and releasing them independently into the room (hereinafter referred to as ion independent emission) (Referred to as a method).

  That is, the ion generator includes an ion generation element 10 including a plurality of, for example, two discharge units 12 and 13 that generate ions, and a voltage application circuit 20 that applies a predetermined voltage to the ion generation element 10. ing.

  The ion generating element 10 includes a dielectric 11, a first discharge part 12, a second discharge part 13, and a coating layer 14. The dielectric 11 is composed of an upper dielectric 11a and a lower dielectric 11b. The first discharge unit 12 includes a discharge electrode 12a, an induction electrode 12b, a discharge electrode contact 12c, an induction electrode contact 12d, connection terminals 12e and 12f, and connection paths 12g and 12h. The second discharge unit 13 includes a discharge electrode 13a, an induction electrode 13b, a discharge electrode contact 13c, an induction electrode contact 13d, connection terminals 13e and 13f, and connection paths 13g and 13h.

  By applying a voltage between the first discharge electrode 12a and the induction electrode 12b, and between the second discharge electrode 13a and the induction electrode 13b, and performing discharge in the vicinity of the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a, positive ions are obtained. , Generate negative ions.

  The dielectric 11 is formed by bonding a substantially rectangular parallelepiped upper dielectric 11a and a lower dielectric 11b. For example, it is 15 mm long × 37 mm wide × 0.45 mm thick. 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 further, it is preferable to use ceramics in view of formability and ease of electrode formation.

  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.

  In addition, the shape of the dielectric 11 may be a disc shape, an elliptical plate shape, a polygonal plate shape, or the like other than a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and may be a cylindrical shape. In view of productivity, it is preferable to use a flat plate shape (including a disk shape and a rectangular parallelepiped shape) as in this embodiment.

  The first and second discharge parts 12 and 13 are arranged diagonally with respect to the dielectric 11 that is a rectangular parallelepiped base so that the first and second discharge parts 12 and 13 do not line up with each other. That is, even if the air flow is sent from any direction to the ion generating element 10, the arrangement direction of the first and second discharge units 12 and 13 is orthogonal to the air flow, in other words, It arrange | positions so that the airflow which passed on one discharge part may not pass on the other 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 the attenuation of ions generated in both the discharge portions 12 and 13.

  The discharge electrodes 12a and 13a are formed integrally with the upper dielectric 11a on the surface of the upper dielectric 11a. The material for the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a can be used without particular limitation as long as it has conductivity, such as tungsten.

  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. As a result, the insulation resistance between the discharge electrodes 12a, 13a and the induction electrodes 12b, 13b can be made uniform to stabilize the discharge state, and positive ions and / or negative ions can be suitably generated. 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, thereby making the distance between the electrodes constant. it can.

  As the material of the induction electrodes 12b and 13b, as in the case of the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a, any material having conductivity, such as tungsten, can be used without any particular limitation. The condition is not to wake up.

  The connection terminals 12e and 13e are provided on the same surface as the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a, that is, the surface of the upper dielectric 11a, and the discharge electrode contacts 12c and 13c are provided on the lower surface of the lower dielectric 11b. The connection paths 12g and 13g are formed using through holes formed in the upper dielectric 11a and the lower dielectric 11b. The discharge electrode contacts 12c and 13c are electrically connected to the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a via the connection terminals 12e and 13e and the connection paths 12g and 13g. 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, the other end of the lead wire is connected to the voltage application circuit 20, and the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a and the voltage application circuit 20 are electrically connected. Is electrically conducted.

  The induction electrode contacts 12d and 13d are connected to the induction electrodes 12b and 13b via connection terminals 12f and 13f and connection paths 12h and 13h provided on the same surface as the induction electrodes 12b and 13b, that is, the surface of the lower dielectric 11b. It is electrically connected. 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 20 are connected. Electrically conducted.

  Furthermore, discharge electrode contacts 12c and 13c and induction electrode contacts 12d and 13d are all surfaces other than the surface of dielectric 11 where discharge electrodes 12a and 13a are provided (hereinafter referred to as the upper surface of 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 air flow from the fan (not shown) is hardly disturbed, and the effect of the independent ion generation method is maximized. It becomes possible.

  Considering the above, in the ion generator 10 of the present embodiment, the discharge electrode contacts 12c and 13c and the induction electrode contacts 12d and 13d are all surfaces facing the upper surface of the dielectric 11 (hereinafter referred to as the dielectric 11). (Referred to as the lower surface).

  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. Of course, patterns other than those described above may be used as long as the electric field can be concentrated.

  FIG. 2 shows another form of ion generating element. Here, due to the size restriction of the dielectric 11, the discharge portions of the first and second discharge portions 12 and 13 are not arranged diagonally, and the first and second discharge portions 12 and 13 are arranged side by side. Has been.

  The first discharge electrode 12a includes a first discharge portion 12j that causes electric field concentration to cause discharge, a first conductive portion 12k that surrounds or partially surrounds the first discharge portion 12j, and a connection terminal portion 12e. 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 12e.

  The first discharge portion 12j generates positive ions at a positive potential, and the second discharge portion 13j generates negative ions at a negative potential. If the first and second discharge parts 12 and 13 cannot be arranged diagonally with respect to the shape of the dielectric 11 so that they are not aligned with each other in the direction of the wind, positive ions are discharged into the second discharge by blowing. It is presumed to be neutralized by being captured by the region 13j.

  Therefore, first and second conductive portions 12k and 13k surrounding the periphery or part of the first and second discharge portions 12j and 13j that cause discharge are provided. As described above, since the first conductive portion 12k having the same voltage as the first discharge portion 12j surrounds or surrounds the first discharge portion 12j, the positive ions generated from the first discharge portion 12j have a reverse polarity. Before reaching the second discharge portion 13j having a negative potential, it can be prevented from being repelled by the first conductive portion 12k having a positive potential and reaching the second discharge portion 13j. The same applies to the second discharge site 13k.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the voltage application circuit 20 includes a primary side drive circuit for supplying a voltage from the input power source 201 to the transformer 202, and the first and second discharge units 12 are included in the secondary side circuit of the transformer 202. , 13 are connected. The primary side drive circuit includes an input resistor 204, a rectifier diode 206, a transformer driving switching element 212, a capacitor 211, and a diode 207.

  When the input power source 201 is an AC commercial power source, the capacitor 211 is charged by the voltage of the input power source 201 via the input resistor 204 and the rectifier diode 206. When the voltage exceeds the specified voltage, the transformer driving switching element 212 is turned on. A voltage is applied to the primary side winding 202a of the transformer 202. Immediately after that, the energy charged in the capacitor 211 is discharged through the primary side winding 202a of the transformer 202 and the switching element 212 for driving the transformer, the voltage of the capacitor 211 returns to zero, is charged again, and is charged and discharged at a specified cycle. repeat. The transformer driving switching element 212 employs a gateless two-terminal thyristor (Sidac [manufactured by Shindengen Electric Co., Ltd.]), but a thyristor (SCR) may be used by using a slightly different circuit. Further, even if the input power source 201 is a DC power source, it does not matter if it is a circuit that can obtain the same operation as described above. That is, the primary side drive circuit of the voltage application circuit 20 is not particularly limited as long as the circuit can obtain the same operation.

  The transformer 202 includes two secondary windings 202b and 202c, and each of the secondary windings 202b and 202c is connected to the first and second discharge units 12 and 13, respectively. It is formed. That is, one end of one secondary winding 202b is connected to the first discharge electrode 12a, and the other end is connected to the first induction electrode 12b. Similarly, one end side of the other secondary winding 202c is connected to the second discharge electrode 13a, and the other end side is connected to the second induction electrode 13b. When the transformer driving switching element 212 of the primary side drive circuit is turned on, the primary side energy is transmitted to the secondary windings 202b and 202c of the transformer 202, and an impulse voltage is generated.

  The secondary circuits are connected to each other and insulated from the primary side of the transformer 202. That is, an intermediate point between one end side of the secondary winding 202b and the first discharge electrode 12a is connected to an intermediate point between one end side of the secondary winding 202c and the second discharge electrode 13a, and the diode 209 is interposed therebetween. It is intervened. The anode of the diode 209 is connected to the first discharge electrode 12a, and the cathode is connected to the second discharge electrode 13a.

As described above, by inserting the diode 209 between the discharge portions 12 and 13, a bias voltage is applied from the second discharge portion 13 to the first discharge portion 12, and the first discharge is performed. The potential of the portion 12 is displaced to the plus side, and the potential of the second discharge portion 13 is displaced to the minus side. Accordingly, the first discharge unit 12 generates more positive ions than the negative ions, and the second discharge unit 13 generates more negative ions. The positive ion is H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m and the negative ion is O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n . m and n are natural numbers and mean that a plurality of H ₂ O molecules are attached.

The ions generated from the first discharge part 12 become positive ions, and the negative ions generated from the second discharge part 13 generate positive and negative ions of substantially the same amount. By releasing approximately the same amount of H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n in the air, these ions surround and surround the airborne fungi and viruses in the air. It becomes possible to inactivate by the action of the active species hydroxyl group radical (.OH).

That is, by applying an alternating 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). Ions mainly composed of _m (m is an arbitrary natural number) and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (n is an arbitrary natural number) are generated. These are discharged 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) which is 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, from the above formulas (1) to (3), the same action can be produced even on the surface of harmful substances in the air. Active species hydrogen peroxide H ₂ O ₂ or hydroxyl radical (OH) oxidizes or decomposes harmful substances and turns chemical substances such as formaldehyde and ammonia into harmless substances such as carbon dioxide, water and nitrogen By converting, it is possible to make the harmful substances substantially harmless.

  Therefore, by driving the fan, positive ions and negative ions generated by the ion generating element 10 can be sent out of the main body. And, by the action of these positive ions and negative ions, it is possible to inactivate fungi and the like in the air and suppress their growth. In addition, 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.

  In addition, the above-mentioned ion generator is mounted on electrical equipment such as an air conditioner, a dehumidifier, a humidifier, an air cleaner, a refrigerator, a fan heater, a microwave oven, a washing dryer, a vacuum cleaner, and 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.

  By the way, an ion generator is built in a case for insulation, is prevented from being touched by people from the outside, and is mounted on an electric device. The creeping distance from the discharge electrodes 12a, 13a of the ion generating element 10 to a portion that may be touched by a person must be a distance determined by the IEC standard. As described above, in the ion generator, since the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer 202 are insulated, that is, fundamentally insulated, the discharge electrodes 12a and 13a are handled as a charged part that is fundamentally insulated. . For this reason, it is required to provide additional insulation from a portion that may be touched by a person.

  The basic insulation is insulation that provides basic protection against electric shock, and the additional insulation is independent insulation provided in addition to the basic insulation to provide protection against electric shock when the basic insulation breaks down.

  The creepage distance for additional insulation may be half of the creepage distance for reinforced insulation. Therefore, even if a necessary creepage distance is secured, the distance from the discharge electrode to a portion that may be touched by a person can be shortened as compared with the case where the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer are not insulated. Therefore, the ion generator can be reduced in size, and the degree of freedom in arrangement is increased and the design is facilitated when the ion generator is mounted on an electrical device.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Of course, many corrections and changes can be added to the said embodiment within the scope of the present invention. In the above embodiment, there are two discharge units, but the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer are similarly insulated even if there are three or more or one.

Schematic of the ion generator of the present invention Plan view of another form of ion generating element Configuration diagram of voltage application circuit

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ion generating element 12 1st discharge part 12a 1st discharge electrode 12b 1st induction electrode 13 2nd discharge part 13a 2nd discharge electrode 13b 2nd induction electrode 20 Voltage application circuit 201 Input power supply 202 Transformer 209 diode

Claims (2)

An ion generating element having a discharge section for generating ions, and a voltage applying circuit for applying a high voltage to the ion generating element, the voltage applying circuit being a primary side for supplying a voltage from a power source to a transformer An ion generator comprising a circuit, wherein the discharge unit is connected to a secondary side of the transformer, and a primary side and a secondary side of the transformer are insulated. An ion generating element having a positive discharge part for generating positive ions and a negative discharge part for generating negative ions, and a voltage application circuit for applying a high voltage to the ion generation element, the voltage application circuit comprising: A primary side circuit for supplying a voltage from a power source to the transformer, the positive side discharge part and the negative side discharge part are individually connected to the secondary side of the transformer, and both discharge parts are connected; A primary side and a secondary side of the transformer are insulated from each other, and a diode is interposed between both discharge parts so as to allow a current flow from the negative side discharge part to the positive side discharge part. A featured ion generator.

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