JP2008047348A - Transformer for ion generating device, ion generating device, and electric equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transformer for an ion generating device capable of securing a large coupling factor with a winding capacity suppressed, and suited for a compact, thin ion generating device, and to provide an ion generating device using the transformer, and electric equipment using the ion generating device. <P>SOLUTION: The transformer 20 for the ion generating device is provided with a core 28a with a magnetic body, a bobbin 29 with the core 28 inserted inside, and a primary winding 21a and a secondary winding 22a insulated from each other. The bobbin 29 is so structured that winding areas of the secondary winding 22a are divided into sections with the number of 5 or more and 15 or less. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transformer for an ion generator, an ion generator, and an electric device, and more particularly, a transformer for an ion generator that supplies a boosted voltage to generate ions in an ion generation electrode, and an ion generator using the same And electrical equipment.

  There are two types of high-voltage transformers. One of them is a winding transformer having a structure in which at least two windings of a primary winding and a secondary winding are wound around a resin bobbin having a core made of a magnetic material inserted therein. A winding transformer is simply called a transformer or a step-up transformer that directly boosts alternating current, and the ratio of the output voltage to the input voltage is determined by the turn ratio of the secondary winding to the primary winding. There is a switching transformer that is driven by an impulse waveform in a discharge circuit. The latter can be reduced in size, and the output voltage is adjusted by the size of the connected load, the primary and secondary inductances, and the constants of the high-voltage transformer driving circuit for driving the high-voltage transformer.

  The other is a piezoelectric transformer that applies the piezoelectric phenomenon of ceramics. An example of an ion generator that employs this piezoelectric transformer is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-374670. In this ion generator, a piezoelectric transformer for supplying a high voltage to an ion generating electrode and a drive circuit for driving the piezoelectric transformer are mounted in a case.

  In addition, the differences and advantages and disadvantages of piezoelectric transformers and winding transformers are described for high-voltage transformers. With piezoelectric transformers, the transformer itself can be made more compact than winding transformers, but the peripheral circuit is complicated and the input power supply is reduced. It is described that it is limited to DC power supply.

  As for the winding transformer, for example, there is one described in International Publication No. WO 02/015647. This document describes a bobbin shape of a secondary winding that is divided into a plurality of sections on the outside of a core as an internal structure of a high voltage generation transformer used in a lighting device such as a lamp. .

  With respect to the ion generator, normally, a high voltage of several kV is required in order to apply a high voltage to the ion generating electrode and generate ions. For this purpose, the secondary winding usually requires several thousand turns as a winding transformer, and a corresponding size is required. Usually, the secondary winding is wound by dividing the total number of turns into several sections. The reason is that if several thousand turns are wound around one place as in the above case, there is a possibility that the winding start and the winding end where a potential difference of several kV is generated are close to each other, and the coating on the surface of the winding breaks down. Therefore, the total number of turns is divided into several sections as a measure to avoid it. Furthermore, insulation is reinforced by measures such as molding.

  The types of ion generating elements are roughly classified into two types. One of them is a metal wire, a metal plate having an acute angle portion, a needle-shaped metal or the like as a discharge electrode, and a ground potential metal plate or grid as a counter electrode, or a counter electrode as a ground, especially a counter electrode. Is not placed. In this type of ion generating element, air serves as an insulator. This ion generating element is a method in which, when a high voltage is applied to an electrode, electric field concentration occurs at the tip of the electrode having an acute angle, and the air near the tip breaks down to cause a discharge phenomenon. .

  The other is composed of a pair of an induction electrode embedded in a high-voltage dielectric and a discharge electrode disposed on the dielectric surface. This type of ion generating element is a method in which when a high voltage is applied to an electrode, electric field concentration occurs in the vicinity of the outer edge of the discharge electrode on the surface, and the air in the immediate vicinity breaks down to cause a discharge phenomenon. is there.

Many ion generators using the discharge phenomenon have been put into practical use. These ion generators generally include an ion generating element for generating ions, a winding type or piezoelectric element type high voltage transformer for supplying a high voltage to the ion generating element, and a high voltage transformer for driving the high voltage transformer. A drive circuit and a power input unit such as a connector are included.
JP 2002-374670 A International Publication No. 02/015647

  In the piezoelectric transformer as described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, in principle, a certain length is required, the output load is limited, the drive circuit is complicated, and the number of parts increases. is there.

  Further, in the winding transformer described in Patent Document 2, the winding is divided and wound for each section of the bobbin, but a capacitance component is generated between the windings, and the capacitance component collected in one section. Will occur. This winding capacity becomes a load on the high-voltage transformer, and as the winding capacity increases, the output voltage decreases, which becomes an obstacle to miniaturization of the transformer.

  In order to realize a compact and thin ion generator that fits within the specified size, high-voltage transformers are also required to be compact and thin. In addition to the winding capacity, it is necessary to consider the coupling coefficient between the primary winding and the secondary winding as an element of the winding transformer.

  In addition to being small and thin as described above, high voltage output for discharging connected ion generating elements can be obtained with low input power as performance desired for high voltage transformers mounted on ion generators. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the capacitance component on the secondary side while securing an appropriate coupling coefficient.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transformer for an ion generator suitable for a small and thin ion generator that can suppress a winding capacitance and can ensure a large coupling coefficient. And an ion generator using the transformer, and an electric device using the ion generator.

  The ion generator transformer of the present invention is an ion generator transformer that boosts and supplies a voltage to generate ions in an ion generating electrode, and includes a core having a magnetic body and the core inserted therein. A bobbin, and a primary winding and a secondary winding wound around the bobbin and insulated from each other. The bobbin is divided into a number of sections in which the winding area of the secondary winding is 5 or more and 15 or less. It is characterized by having a configuration.

  According to the transformer for an ion generator of the present invention, the winding area of the secondary winding is divided into 5 or more and 15 or less sections, so that the winding capacity can be reduced and the coupling coefficient can be reduced. A large amount can be secured, and further downsizing and thinning can be achieved.

  When the number of divisions of the winding region of the secondary winding is less than 5, the winding capacity per section becomes too large, and a high voltage output for discharging the ion generating element can be obtained with low input power. Can not be. If the number of divisions of the winding region of the secondary winding exceeds 15, the coupling coefficient becomes too small to be suitable for the ion generator, and the transformer becomes too large to be suitable for miniaturization and thinning. The manufacturing time is further increased.

  The ion generator according to the present invention is configured to apply positive ions by applying the above-described transformer for an ion generator, a transformer driving circuit for driving the transformer upon receiving power supply from an input power source, and a voltage boosted by the transformer. And an ion generating element for generating at least one of negative ions.

  According to the ion generator of the present invention, since the above-described transformer for the ion generator is provided, a high voltage output for discharging the ion generating element can be obtained with a small input power, and the size and thickness can be reduced. Can be

  The electrical device of the present invention includes the above-described ion generator and a blower unit for sending at least one of positive ions and negative ions generated by the ion generator in a blown airflow.

  According to the electric equipment of the present invention, ions generated by the ion generator can be sent on the airflow by the blower, so that, for example, ions can be released to the outside in the air conditioner, and in the refrigerator equipment. Ions can be released inside or outside.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the winding region of the secondary winding is divided into a number of sections of 5 or more and 15 or less, the winding capacity can be kept small, a large coupling coefficient can be secured, and An ion generator transformer suitable for a small and thin ion generator can be obtained. Therefore, a high voltage output for discharging the ion generating element can be obtained with a small input power, and a small and thin ion generating device can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to mount on electrical equipment that could not be equipped with ion generators due to size restrictions so far, and it is possible to expand applications to electrical equipment equipped with ion generators and increase the degree of freedom of mounting locations. It becomes possible.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of a transformer for an ion generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a view showing the core inside the transformer shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, high-voltage transformer 20 of the present embodiment is composed of, for example, a winding transformer. The winding transformer 20 is a transformer for an ion generator that boosts and supplies a voltage to generate ions at an ion generating electrode (not shown), and includes a bobbin 29, a core (iron core) 28a, 1 It mainly has a secondary winding 21a and a secondary winding 22a.

  The bobbin 29 is made of resin, for example, and has a primary winding portion 21 and a secondary winding portion 22. A separation wall 25 is provided between the primary winding portion 21 and the secondary winding portion 22. The secondary winding portion 22 is separated into a plurality of sections by a plurality of separation walls 26.

  The core 28a is made of a material having a magnetic material, for example, a material such as ferrite. The core 28 a is inserted into the bobbin 29 so as to penetrate the primary winding part 21 and the secondary winding part 22 of the bobbin 29.

  The primary winding 21a is wound around the primary winding portion 21 of the bobbin 29 a predetermined number of times, and its winding start portion is electrically connected to the primary winding winding start terminal 23a, and its winding end portion. Is electrically connected to the primary winding end terminal 23b.

  The secondary winding 22a is wound around the secondary winding portion 22 of the bobbin 29 and is insulated from the primary winding 21a. The secondary winding 22a is wound around the first section 27a a specified number of times, then wound around the adjacent section through the notch 26a of the separation wall 26, and similarly, after being wound a specified number of times for each section, The final section 27b is wound a specified number of times. The winding start portion of the secondary winding 22a is electrically connected to the secondary winding winding start terminal 24a, and the winding end portion is electrically connected to the secondary winding winding end terminal 24b.

  In the above-described winding transformer 20, the bobbin 29 has a configuration in which the secondary winding portion 22 is divided into a number of sections of 5 to 15 by the separation wall 26. 1 and 2 show a configuration in which the secondary winding portion 22 is divided into, for example, 10 sections by the separation wall 26.

  The core 28a used in the winding transformer 20 has a rod-like shape as shown in FIG. 4. However, the dimensions of the core 28a are larger than the rod-like portion at the rod-like end as shown in FIG. The shape which has the flange part 28b may be sufficient. As shown in FIG. 6, by using the core 28a having the flange portion 28b for the winding transformer 20, the coupling coefficient between the primary winding 21a and the secondary winding 22a can be slightly increased.

  Next, the reason why the number of section divisions is 5 or more and 15 or less in the high-voltage transformer of the present embodiment will be described.

  As elements of the winding transformer, there are an inductance, a resistance component, a winding capacity, and a coupling coefficient of the primary winding and the secondary winding.

  The inductance value is a value generated by winding a winding around a bobbin in which a core, which is a magnetic material, is arranged. The resistance component is a resistance component of the winding itself wound around the bobbin, and is a value that increases in proportion to the number of turns, that is, the wire length. The capacitance component is a set of capacitance generated between the windings when the winding is wound around the bobbin.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining that the capacitive component is a set of electrostatic capacitances generated between the windings, and is a diagram showing a cross section of, for example, the region R1 in FIG. Referring to FIG. 7, secondary windings 22 a are wound in several layers while being aligned for each section of bobbin 29. For this reason, the capacitance component C2 is generated between the secondary windings 22a, and the capacitance component C1 collected in one section is generated.

  Moreover, when the above-mentioned content regarding a winding transformer is described with a simple equivalent circuit, it will be as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 8 and 9, since the primary winding 21a generally has a very small number of turns, the resistance component and the capacitance component are very small and can be ignored. However, the secondary winding 22a usually requires several thousand turns, and in addition to the inductance component L, a resistance component R generated in proportion to the wire length exists in series, and the capacitance component C between the windings is It becomes the form which entered parallel. The resistance component R and the capacitance component C become a load on the high-voltage transformer like the ion generating element connected to the outside. That is, the high-voltage transformer itself has a load.

  FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the secondary side capacitance and the output voltage in a combination of circuit constants as an example. As can be seen from FIG. 10, when the secondary-side capacitance increases, the output voltage decreases, and an increase in the capacitance component becomes an obstacle to miniaturization of the transformer.

  Here, the inductance is necessary for driving the ion generating electrode, and the number of turns (that is, the wire length) for that purpose is necessary. For this reason, reducing the resistance component generated in proportion to the wire length only reduces the number of turns, and is difficult with a high-voltage transformer alone. However, the capacity component can be reduced by devising how to wind the bobbin.

  As will be described in the following examples, the inventors of the present application have confirmed that the winding capacity of the entire secondary winding can be reduced by increasing the number of section divisions. This is because the capacity of the entire section divided into a large number is considered to be a series connection of the capacity components of each section. Therefore, it is considered that the capacity of the entire section decreases as the number of section divisions increases.

  In addition, by reducing the number of turns per section, the height of the separation wall 26 that serves as a partition for each section of the bobbin can be reduced, so that the high-voltage transformer can be reduced in size and thickness.

  However, if the number of section divisions is increased, an adverse effect also occurs. One is a decrease in the coupling coefficient between the primary winding and the secondary winding. The second is to increase the overall length of the transformer. Thirdly, the manufacturing time becomes longer and the manufacturing efficiency becomes worse. In consideration of these points, in the high-voltage transformer of the present embodiment, the number of section divisions is 5 when the number is small and 15 at most.

  As described above, according to the high-voltage transformer of the present embodiment, the secondary winding portion 22 is divided into 5 or more and 15 or less sections by the separation wall 26, so that the winding capacity can be kept small. In addition, a large coupling coefficient can be secured, and further reduction in size and thickness can be achieved.

  If the capacitance on the secondary side of the high-voltage transformer is reduced, the output voltage of the transformer can be increased even with the same input power. If the output voltage of the transformer increases, the inductance can be reduced in some cases, that is, the number of turns can be reduced, and further miniaturization can be achieved.

  Therefore, by using the transformer of this embodiment for an ion generator, a high voltage output for discharging the ion generating element can be obtained with a small input power, and the size and thickness can be reduced.

  In addition, by using this ion generator in an electrical device, the ions generated in the ion generator can be sent on an air current by a blower, so that, for example, ions can be released outside the machine in an air conditioner, In addition, ions can be released in the refrigerator or out of the refrigerator.

Next, an ion generator using the above-described high-voltage transformer will be described.
FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a configuration of an ion generator using the high-voltage transformer. FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of the ion generator shown in FIG. 11 with the lid removed. FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG.

  With reference to FIGS. 11-13, the ion generator 50 of this Embodiment is the high voltage circuit 5 (FIG. 13), the ion generating element 10, the high voltage transformer 20, and the high voltage transformer drive circuit 30 (FIG. 13). And a power input connector 30b (FIG. 13) and an exterior case 40.

  The high-voltage transformer drive circuit 30 is for receiving the input voltage from the outside and driving the high-voltage transformer 20. As described above, the high-voltage transformer 20 is driven by the high-voltage transformer drive circuit 30 to boost the input voltage. The ion generating element 10 generates at least one of positive ions and negative ions by applying a voltage boosted by the high-voltage transformer 20.

  The exterior case 40 includes a main body 40a and a lid body 40b. The inside of the main body 40a includes an ion generating element block 40A for arranging the ion generating element 10, a high voltage transformer block 40B for arranging the high voltage transformer 20, and a high voltage transformer driving circuit for arranging the high voltage transformer driving circuit 30. It is partitioned in a plane with the block 40C. Each of the blocks 40A, 40B, and 40C is partitioned by walls 41, 42, and 43 disposed in the main body 40a, for example.

  The ion generating element 10 is accommodated in the ion generating element block 40A in a state where the constituent elements of the high voltage circuit 5 are attached. The high voltage transformer 20 is accommodated in the high voltage transformer block 40B without being mounted on the substrate. The high-voltage transformer drive circuit 30 and the power input connector 30b are accommodated in the high-voltage transformer drive circuit block 40C while being mounted on the substrate 31. A part of the power input connector 30b is exposed to the outside of the outer case 40, and has a structure in which a power source can be connected to the connector from the outside.

  Each functional element housed in the main body 40a is appropriately electrically connected and molded as will be described later, and finally a lid 40b is attached so as to close the upper opening of the main body 40a. . The lid 40b is provided with a hole 44 for ion emission.

  Next, each functional element will be specifically described in the order of the ion generating element 10 and the high-voltage transformer driving circuit 30.

  14 and 15 are an exploded perspective view and a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the ion generating element used in the ion generating apparatus shown in FIGS. 11 to 13. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI of FIG.

  Referring to FIGS. 14 to 16, ion generating element 10 is for generating at least one of positive ions and negative ions by corona discharge, for example, induction electrode 1, discharge electrode 2, and support substrate. 3.

  The induction electrode 1 is made of an integral metal plate and has a plurality of through holes 1b provided in the top plate portion 1a corresponding to the number of discharge electrodes 2. This through hole 1 b is an opening for discharging ions generated by corona discharge to the outside of the ion generating element 10.

  In the present embodiment, the number of through holes 1b is two, for example, and the planar shape of the through hole 1b is, for example, a circle. The peripheral portion of the through hole 1b is a bent portion 1c obtained by bending a metal plate with respect to the top plate portion 1a by a method such as drawing. Due to this bent portion 1c, as shown in FIG. 16, the thickness T1 of the peripheral wall portion of the through hole 1b is thicker than the plate thickness T2 of the top plate portion 1a.

Further, the induction electrode 1 has, for example, substrate insertion portions 1d formed by bending a part of the metal plate with respect to the top plate portion 1a at both ends. The substrate insertion portion 1d has a wide support portion 1d ₁ and a narrow insertion portion 1d ₂ . One end of the support portion 1d ₁ is connected to the top plate portion 1a, the other end is connected to the insertion portion 1d _2.

The induction electrode 1 may have a substrate support portion 1e in which a part of a metal plate is bent with respect to the top plate portion 1a. The substrate support portion 1e is bent in the same direction (lower side in FIG. 14) as the bending direction of the substrate insertion portion 1d. The bending direction of the length of the substrate support portion 1e is bent direction of the support portion 1d ₁ of substrate insertion portion 1d is the length substantially the same.

  The bent portion 1c may be bent in the same direction as the substrate insertion portion 1d and the substrate support portion 1e (lower side in FIG. 14), or in the direction opposite to the substrate insertion portion 1d and the substrate support portion 1e (in FIG. 14). It may be bent to the upper side. The bent portion 1c, the substrate insertion portion 1d, and the substrate support portion 1e are bent, for example, at a substantially right angle with respect to the top plate portion 1a.

The discharge electrode 2 has a needle-like tip. Supporting substrate 3 has a through hole 3a for insertion of discharge electrode 2 and a through hole 3b for insertion of insertion portion 1d ₂ of substrate insertion portion 1d.

  The acicular discharge electrode 2 is supported by the support substrate 3 in a state of being inserted or press-fitted into the through hole 3 a and penetrating the support substrate 3. Thus, one needle-like end of the discharge electrode 2 protrudes to the front surface side of the support substrate 3, and the other end protruding to the back surface side of the support substrate 3 leads to the lead by the solder 4 as shown in FIG. It is possible to electrically connect lines and wiring patterns.

The insertion portion 1d ₂ of the induction electrode 1 is supported by the support substrate 3 in a state of being inserted into the through hole 3b and penetrating the support substrate 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 16, a lead wire or a wiring pattern can be electrically connected to the tip of the insertion portion 1 d ₂ protruding to the back surface side of the support substrate 3 by solder 4.

In a state where the induction electrode 1 is supported by the support substrate 3, the stepped portion at the boundary between the support portion 1 d ₁ and the insertion portion 1 d ₂ comes into contact with the surface of the support substrate 3. As a result, the top plate portion 1 a of the induction electrode 1 is supported with a predetermined distance from the support substrate 3. The tip of the substrate support portion 1 e of the induction electrode 1 is in contact with the surface of the support substrate 3 in an auxiliary manner. That is, the induction electrode 1 can be positioned in the thickness direction with respect to the support substrate 3 by the substrate insertion portion 1d and the substrate support portion 1e.

  Further, in a state where the induction electrode 1 is supported by the support substrate 3, the discharge electrode 2 has its needle-like tip positioned at the center C of the circular through hole 1b as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the peripheral portion of the through hole 1b is disposed so as to be positioned within the range of the thickness T1 (that is, the bent length of the bent portion 1c). Further, the constituent elements of the high-voltage circuit 5 are attached to the back surface (solder surface) of the support substrate 3 as shown in FIG.

  As an example of the dimension, the thickness of the peripheral portion of the through hole 1b (that is, the bending length of the bent portion 1c) T1 is about 1 mm to 2 mm, and the plate thickness T2 of the plate-like induction electrode 1 is 0.5 mm to 1 mm. It is about the following. The thickness from the upper surface of the support substrate 3 to the surface of the induction electrode 1 is about 2 mm or more and 4 mm or less. Thereby, the thickness of the ion generator 50 which accommodated this ion generating element 10 in the inside can be thinned to about 5 mm or more and 8 mm or less.

  Referring to FIG. 13, high-voltage transformer drive circuit 30 receives power from power supply input connector 30b, charges the capacitor, and charges the capacitor using a semiconductor switch or the like when the voltage reaches a specified voltage or higher. It has a function of discharging electric charges and supplying current to the primary side of the high-voltage transformer 20. The element 30 a constituting the high voltage transformer drive circuit 30 is attached to the back surface of the substrate 31. A part or all of the power input connector 30b is attached to the back surface of the substrate 31. The power supply input connector 30b is configured to be electrically connected to the outside of the outer case 40 in a state where the substrate 31 on which the high voltage transformer drive circuit 30 and the power supply input connector 30b are mounted is disposed in the high voltage transformer drive circuit block 40C. Has been.

  In this embodiment, the solder surface of the substrate 31 of the high-voltage transformer drive circuit block 40C is the upper side of FIG. 13, the component surface (component mounting surface) is the lower side of FIG. 13, and the power input connector 30b is the lower side of FIG. Is exposed.

  Referring to FIG. 13, the lid 40 b of the outer case 40 has an ion emission hole 44 in the wall portion facing the through hole 1 b of the ion generating element 10. Thereby, ions generated in the ion generating element 10 are released to the outside of the ion generating device 50 through the holes 44. As described above, since one discharge electrode 2 of the ion generating element 10 generates positive ions and the other discharge electrode 2 generates negative ions, one hole provided in the outer case 40 is provided. 44 becomes a positive ion generation part, and the other hole 44 becomes a negative ion generation part.

  In order to prevent an electric shock, the ion emission hole 44 is set to have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the through hole 1b of the induction electrode 1 so that the hand does not directly touch the induction electrode 1 which is a current-carrying part. Further, the tip position of the discharge electrode 2 is also (total thickness of the lid 40b of the outer case 40) + (thickness of the top plate portion 1a of the induction electrode 1) + (bending length of the induction electrode 1). The depth of the outer case 40 is about 0.0 mm. As described above, the diameter of the ion emission hole 44 needs to be set small so that the tips of the induction electrode 1 and the discharge electrode 2 do not touch. However, if the diameter is too small, the amount of ion emission decreases. For example, the size is 6 mm.

  Although the ion generator 50 has a thickness of 5 mm or more and 8 mm or less as described above, it may of course have a thickness larger than that.

Next, the state of electrical connection of each functional element will be described.
FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram of the ion generator according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing electrical connection of each functional element. Referring to FIG. 17, as described above, ion generator 50 is arranged in exterior case 40, ion generating element 10 and high voltage circuit 5 arranged in ion generating element block 40A, and high voltage transformer block 40B. The high-voltage transformer 20, the high-voltage transformer drive circuit 30 disposed in the high-voltage transformer drive circuit block 40C, and a power input connector 30b are provided. Note that a part of the power input connector 30b is disposed in the high-voltage transformer drive circuit block 40C, and the other part is exposed to the outside of the outer case 40, so that the power can be connected to the connector from the outside. ing.

  The power input connector 30b is a portion that receives supply of DC power or commercial AC power as input power. The power input connector 30b is electrically connected to the high voltage transformer drive circuit 30. The high-voltage transformer drive circuit 30 is electrically connected to the primary side of the high-voltage transformer 20. The high-voltage transformer 20 boosts the voltage input to the primary side and outputs it to the secondary side. One side of the secondary side of the high-voltage transformer 20 is electrically connected to the induction electrode 1 of the ion generating element 10, and the other side of the secondary side is electrically connected to the discharge electrode 2 through the high-voltage circuit 5.

  The high voltage circuit 5 applies a positive high voltage to the induction electrode 1 to the discharge electrode 2 that generates positive ions, and a negative high voltage to the induction electrode 1 for the discharge electrode 2 that generates negative ions. Is applied. Thereby, positive and negative bipolar ions can be generated. Of course, only positive ions or only negative ions can be generated by the configuration of the high-voltage circuit 5.

  As a specific connection configuration, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the high-voltage transformer 20 includes primary-side terminals 23a and 23b and secondary-side terminals 24a and 24b. The terminals 23a and 23b are high-voltage terminals. The surface (solder surface) of the substrate 31 on which the transformer drive circuit 30 is mounted is directly connected by solder connection, and the terminals 24a and 24b are directly connected to the back surface (solder surface) of the support substrate 3 on which the high voltage circuit 5 is mounted by solder connection. It is connected. Further, the above connection may be made by a lead wire regardless of the terminals 23a, 23b, 24a, 24b.

  Further, the power input connector 30b and the high-voltage transformer drive circuit 30 are electrically connected by a lead wire or a wiring pattern (not shown) while being mounted on the substrate 31, as shown in FIG. Further, the high-voltage transformer 20, the ion generating element 10, and the high-voltage circuit 5 are electrically connected by a lead wire or a wiring pattern (not shown) while being mounted on the support substrate 3 as shown in FIG. 13.

Next, the mold will be described.
As described above, each functional element is appropriately molded in a state of being housed in the outer case and electrically connected. Here, since the ion generating element block 40A and the high-voltage transformer block 40B are high-voltage parts, the back surface side (soldering) of the supporting substrate 3 is excluded except for the ion generating part (front surface side of the supporting substrate 3) in the ion generating element block 40A. It is desirable to insulate the surface side) and the high-voltage transformer block 40B with a resin mold (for example, epoxy resin). In addition, when the high-voltage transformer 20 is placed in a case (not shown) and then accommodated in the high-voltage transformer block 40B, it is preferable to mold the inside of the case independently. As shown in FIG. 11, when the high-voltage transformer 20 is housed alone in the high-voltage transformer block 40B, it is preferable to mold the high-voltage transformer 20 together with the back side of the support substrate 3 of the ion generating element block 40A.

  In the latter case, the outer case 40 is provided with a wall 41 so that the mold from the high-voltage transformer block 40B does not flow into the high-voltage transformer drive circuit block 40C, while the input terminal 23 of the high-voltage transformer 20 is driven by the high-voltage transformer. It is also necessary to pass a connecting portion (such as a lead wire) for connecting to the circuit 30. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, it is preferable to provide a notch 41a for passing the connecting portion in a part of the wall 41.

  The high-voltage transformer drive circuit block 40C may also be molded depending on the usage environment of the ion generator 50. Basically, since the applied voltage is a household power supply voltage, the block 40C has a lower voltage than other blocks and is covered by the outer case 40 unless it is in a special environment such as high humidity or high dust. Therefore, there is a case where the mold is not required, and a structure that can select the mold (a moldable structure) can be obtained.

  Here, the structure in which a mold can be selected (a moldable structure) is that the substrate 31 on which the high-voltage transformer driving circuit 30 and the power input connector 30b are mounted is disposed in the high-voltage transformer driving circuit block 40C. 31 means that it can be turned from the front surface side (lid side) of 31 to the back surface side (bottom side of the main body 40a), and the molding material does not leak from the bottom of the main body 40a of the outer case 40. To do.

  In other words, since the molding is performed after each functional element is arranged in the exterior case 40, even if the mold material is injected from the front surface side of the substrate 31, the exterior of the mold material wraps around to the back surface side which is the component mounting surface. Case 40 and substrate 31 must be constructed. In addition, since the molding material is liquid at the time of injection, it leaks to the outside of the outer case 40 if the bottom of the outer case 40 is not sealed, so that the molding material is prevented from leaking. It is necessary to make the bottom part a sealed structure.

  In the above description, the case of providing the ion emission hole 44 in the lid 40b of the outer case 40 has been described. However, the hole 44 may be provided in the bottom surface of the main body 40a of the outer case 40. That is, the lid 40b may be on the side where the ion emission hole 44 is provided, or may be on the side where the ion emission hole 44 is not provided.

  In the case of generating ions of either positive ions or negative ions in the ion generator, the needle-like tip position of the discharge electrode 2 for generating ions is aligned with the center of the through hole 1b of the induction electrode 1, And by arrange | positioning in the range of the thickness T1 of the through-hole 1b of the induction electrode 1, the induction electrode 1 and the acicular tip of the discharge electrode 2 are made to oppose on both sides of air space.

  Further, in order to release positive ions and negative ions, both the acicular tip position of the discharge electrode 2 generating positive ions and the acicular tip position of the discharge electrode 2 generating negative ions are provided. Are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other, aligned with the center of the through-hole 1b of the induction electrode 1 and within the thickness T1 of the through-hole 1b of the induction electrode 1. The needle-like tip of the discharge electrode 2 is opposed to the air space.

  In the ion generating element 10, the plate-like induction electrode 1 and the needle-like discharge electrode 2 are arranged with a predetermined distance as described above, and a high voltage is applied between the induction electrode 1 and the discharge electrode 2. Is applied, corona discharge occurs at the tip of the needle-like discharge electrode 2. At least one of positive ions and negative ions is generated by the corona discharge, and the ions are released from the through-hole 1 b provided in the induction electrode 1 to the outside of the ion generating element 10. Furthermore, it becomes possible to discharge | release ion more effectively by adding ventilation.

  When both positive ions and negative ions are generated, positive corona discharge is generated at the tip of one discharge electrode 2 to generate positive ions, and negative corona discharge is generated at the tip of the other discharge electrode 2 to generate negative ions. Generate ions. The applied waveform is not particularly limited here, and is a high voltage such as a direct current, an alternating current waveform biased positively or negatively, or a pulse waveform biased positively or negatively. The voltage value is sufficient to generate a discharge, and a voltage region in which a predetermined ion species is generated is selected.

Here, the positive ion is a cluster ion in which a plurality of water molecules are attached around a hydrogen ion (H ⁺ ), and is represented as H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m (m is an arbitrary natural number). Negative ions are cluster ions in which a plurality of water molecules are attached around oxygen ions (O ₂ ⁻ ), and are expressed as O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (n is an arbitrary natural number).

In the case of releasing both positive ions and negative ions, H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m (m is an arbitrary natural number) in the air and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (where n is an arbitrary natural number) is generated in an approximately equivalent amount so that both ions surround the mold fungus and virus floating in the air, and the hydroxyl radicals of the active species generated at that time Due to the action of (.OH), it is possible to remove floating fungi and the like.

  Next, the structure of an air cleaner will be described as an example of an electric device using the above ion generator.

  FIG. 18 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of an air purifier using the ion generator shown in FIGS. 11 to 13. FIG. 19 is an exploded view of the air cleaner showing an ion generator arranged in the air cleaner shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, air cleaner 60 has a front panel 61 and a main body 62. A blow-out port 63 is provided at the upper rear portion of the main body 62, and clean air containing ions is supplied into the room from the blow-out port 63. An air intake 64 is formed at the center of the main body 62. The air taken in from the air intake port 64 on the front surface of the air cleaner 60 is cleaned by passing through a filter (not shown). The purified air is supplied to the outside from the outlet 63 through the fan casing 65.

  An ion generator 50 shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 is attached to a part of a fan casing 65 that forms a passage path for purified air. The ion generator 50 is arranged so that ions can be discharged into the air flow from the hole 44 serving as the ion generator. As an example of the arrangement of the ion generator 50, positions such as a position P1 and a position P2 that are relatively far from the outlet 63 in the air passage path are conceivable. Thus, by allowing the air to pass through the ion generator 44 of the ion generator 50, the air purifier 60 can have an ion generation function of supplying ions to the outside together with clean air from the air outlet 63. .

  According to the air purifier 60 of the present embodiment, the ions generated in the ion generator 50 can be sent on the airflow by the blower (air passage route), so that the ions can be released outside the apparatus. it can.

  In the present embodiment, an air purifier has been described as an example of an electric device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the electric device includes an air conditioner (air conditioner), a refrigerator, A vacuum cleaner, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, an electric fan heater, etc. may be sufficient, and what is necessary is just an electric equipment which has a ventilation part for carrying ions on an airflow.

  In the above, the power source (input power source) input to the ion generator 50 may be either a commercial AC power source or a DC power source. When the input power source is a commercial AC power source, it is necessary to provide a legal distance between components constituting the high-voltage transformer driving circuit 30 that is a primary side circuit and between patterns of the printed circuit board. In addition, a component that can ensure a withstand voltage against the power supply voltage is required, leading to an increase in size, but the circuit configuration can be simplified and the number of components can be reduced. On the other hand, when the input power source is a DC power source, the distance between the components constituting the high-voltage transformer drive circuit 30 serving as the primary side circuit and the pattern of the printed circuit board is greatly relaxed compared to the case of the commercial AC power source. Although it can be arranged at a distance and the component itself can be a small product such as a chip component, and high-density arrangement is possible, the circuit for realizing a high-voltage drive circuit becomes complicated, and the number of components is the same as that of the commercial AC power supply. More than the case.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
First, the inventor of the present application changes the winding capacity of the secondary winding and the primary-secondary coupling coefficient when the number of divided sections (number of divided sections) of the secondary winding portion is changed. investigated. In this examination, the following prototype measurements were performed.

  A bobbin 59 in which a primary winding 51 and a secondary winding 52 are separated by a separation wall 55 and the secondary winding 52 is divided into a plurality of sections by a separation wall 56 as shown in FIG. A winding transformer 60 having a primary winding 51a wound around the primary winding portion 51 and secondary windings 52a wound around a plurality of sections of the secondary winding portion 52 was used. Both the primary winding 51a and the secondary winding 52a have the same total number of turns, and only the secondary winding portion 52 changes the number of section divisions.

  In the measurement, the total number of turns of the secondary winding 52 is 1200 turns, one of the number of section divisions is 2 sections (600 turns × 2 sections: prototype A), and the other is 4 sections (300 turns × 4 sections: prototype B). ), The coupling coefficient and the winding capacity were measured. In all cases, the size of the bobbin 59 was 15 mm in length, 15 mm in width, and 18 mm in height.

  As a result of the above measurement, as compared with the prototype A, the prototype B has a larger number of divisions of the sections of the secondary winding 52 and the end of the secondary winding 52a is moved away from the primary winding 51a. Although the coupling coefficient was reduced by 8%, the winding capacity was reduced by 30%. From this, it was confirmed that even if the secondary winding 52 has the same total number of turns, the winding capacity can be reduced by increasing the number of section divisions.

  Based on this result and this result, the relationship between the secondary winding capacity and the coupling coefficient with respect to the number of section divisions when the number of section divisions was 2 to 18 and the total number of turns was fixed at 1200 turns was examined. The result is shown in FIG. FIG. 21 shows that the capacity decreases as the number of section divisions increases. Similarly, the coupling coefficient decreases as the number of section divisions increases. However, it can be seen that the rate of change is larger when the capacity is decreased and the coupling coefficient is smaller.

  In addition, the relationship between the total length of the transformer and the manufacturing time relative to the number of section divisions was also examined. The result is shown in FIG. The numerical values on the vertical axis in FIG. 22 indicate lengths of 10 mm, 20 mm,..., 100 mm in the case of “transformer overall length”, and ratios of 10, 20,. Is shown. FIG. 22 shows that the total length of the transformer increases in proportion to the number of section divisions on the assumption that a length of 2.5 mm per section is required. In addition, the manufacturing time is described as a ratio with respect to an increase in the number of divisions of a section, where 1 is 1 section. The winding work is usually automated, but after the winding work of one section is completed, to move to the winding work of the next section, it is necessary to reduce the winding speed to near the stop once, as shown in FIG. It is necessary to move to the winding work in the adjacent section through the notch 26a of the separation wall 26. Therefore, as with the overall length of the transformer, the manufacturing time increases in proportion to the number of section divisions.

  Based on the basic experiments shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, it is desirable that the number of section divisions is large as the capacity. However, since the number of section divisions is better as the coupling coefficient, the overall transformer length, and the working time, the number of section divisions is better. Was 5 or more and 15 or less.

  That is, if the number of section divisions is smaller than 5, the winding capacity increases rapidly, so the section division number needs to be 5 or more. If the number of section divisions exceeds 15, the total length of the transformer exceeds 55 mm, making it difficult to accommodate the transformer in a small ion generator, and the coupling coefficient and manufacturing time are also suitable for a practical ion generator. Therefore, the number of section divisions needs to be 15 or less.

  As a final shape, a desired output voltage could be obtained with a small and thin winding transformer having a length of 35 mm, a width of 6 mm, and a height of 4 mm (excluding the terminal portion). In terms of volume, the bobbin size used in the experiment could be reduced to about 1/4.

  By dividing the secondary winding into a large number of sections, the voltage per section originally implemented was reduced to the applied voltage / number of sections, and the insulation was further improved. Furthermore, higher insulation performance can be obtained by performing molding or the like.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied particularly advantageously to a transformer for an ion generator, an ion generator, and an electric device that increase the voltage to generate ions at an ion generation electrode.

It is a top view which shows roughly the structure of the transformer for ion generators in one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the core inside the transformer shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the transformer of FIG. 2 viewed from the direction of arrow A. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a core roughly. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the core which provided the flange part in the rod-shaped edge part. FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of a transformer using the core shown in FIG. 5. It is a figure for demonstrating that a capacity | capacitance component is a collection of the electrostatic capacitance which generate | occur | produces between windings, and is a figure which shows the cross section of area | region R1 of FIG. It is a circuit diagram which shows the primary winding and secondary winding of a coil | winding transformer. It is a figure which shows the secondary winding of a winding transformer with a simple equivalent circuit. It is the figure which made the graph the relationship between the secondary side capacity | capacitance and output voltage in the combination of a certain circuit constant as an example. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows schematically the structure of the ion generator using the high voltage | pressure transformer shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of the ion generator shown in FIG. 11 with a lid removed. It is a schematic sectional drawing which follows the XIII-XIII line | wire of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the ion generating element used for the ion generator shown in FIGS. It is a top view which shows roughly the structure of the ion generating element used for the ion generator shown in FIGS. It is a schematic sectional drawing in alignment with the XVI-XVI line of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the ion generator in one embodiment of the present invention, and is a figure showing electrical connection of each functional element. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the air cleaner using the ion generator shown in FIGS. It is an exploded view of the air cleaner which shows a mode that the ion generator was arrange | positioned to the air cleaner shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the transformer used for examination of the change of the winding capacity | capacitance of a secondary winding, and a primary-secondary coupling coefficient when changing the division | segmentation number of the sections of a secondary winding part. It is a figure which shows the mode of a change of the winding capacity | capacitance of a secondary winding, and a primary-secondary coupling coefficient when changing the division | segmentation number of the sections of a secondary winding part. It is a figure which shows the mode of a change with the full length of a transformer, and manufacturing time when the division | segmentation number of the sections of a secondary winding part is changed.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Induction electrode, 1a Top plate part, 1b Through hole, 1c Bending part, 1d Substrate insertion part, 1e Substrate support part, 2 Discharge electrode, 3 Support substrate, 3a, 3b Through hole, 4 Solder, 5 High voltage circuit, 10 ions Generating element, 20 High voltage transformer (winding transformer), 21 Primary winding part, 21a Primary winding, 22 Secondary winding part, 22a Secondary winding, 23a, 23b, 24a, 24b Terminals, 25, 26 Separation wall, 28a core, 28b flange, 29 bobbin, 30 high voltage transformer drive circuit, 30a element, 30b power input connector, 31 substrate, 31a through hole, 32 lead wire, 40 exterior case, 40a body, 40b lid, 40A Ion generating element block, 40B high voltage transformer block, 40C high voltage transformer drive circuit block, 41, 42, 43 wall, 41a, 4 1b Notch, 44 Ion release hole, 50 Ion generator, 60 Air cleaner, 61 Front panel, 62 Main body, 63 Air outlet, 64 Air intake, 65 Fan casing

Claims (3)

A transformer for an ion generating device that boosts and supplies a voltage to generate ions in an ion generating electrode;
A core having a magnetic material;
A bobbin having the core inserted therein;
A primary winding and a secondary winding wound around the bobbin and insulated from each other;
The bobbin is a transformer for an ion generator having a configuration in which a winding region of the secondary winding is divided into 5 or more and 15 or less sections. The ion generator transformer according to claim 1;
A transformer driving circuit for receiving power supply from an input power source and driving the transformer;
An ion generation apparatus comprising: an ion generation element for generating at least one of positive ions and negative ions by applying a voltage boosted by the transformer. The ion generator according to claim 2,
An electric device comprising: a blower for sending at least one of positive ions and negative ions generated in the ion generator on a blown airflow.

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