JP2009129549A - Apparatus for generating ion - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for generating ion capable of preventing and recovering degradation of ion performance due to sticking of dust and dirts by the apparatus itself. <P>SOLUTION: In the apparatus, a high voltage is applied between a discharge needle 1 and an induction electrode 13 so that corona discharge is generated at the tip of the discharge needle 1, for generating ion. It includes a cleaning means for cleaning the discharge needle 1, and the cleaning means includes a movable part 7 which reciprocates by a solenoid 3 and a resetting spring 4, and a brush 2 so fitted to the movable part 7 as to contact the tip of the discharge needle 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion generator that generates ions in air.

  In recent years, ion generators have been provided that generate positive ions and negative ions to provide sterilization, deodorization, a refresh function, and the like.

  As a method of generating ions, a method of generating electricity electrically by applying a high voltage to an electrode is generally known, and this phenomenon is called corona discharge. Specifically, the needle electrode has at least one needle electrode supported by the holding body and a ground electrode similarly supported by the holding body, and a high voltage is applied between the needle electrode and the ground electrode. An ion generator that generates corona discharge at the tip and generates ozone and negative ions by this corona discharge has been disclosed and proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In such an ion generator using corona discharge, the tip of the discharge needle as the discharge electrode is likely to attract dust due to static electricity. If dust is adsorbed and deposited on the needle tip of the discharge needle, corona discharge is less likely to occur and ion performance is reduced. Therefore, it is desirable to periodically clean the needle tip of the discharge needle. Has been.

However, in the conventional ion generator, the cleaning of the discharge needle is left to the user's own work, and the device itself has not been structured to prevent and recover the deterioration of ion performance due to its own dirt. .
JP 2004-183348 A (paragraph [0007], FIG. 1)

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and provides an ion generator that can prevent and recover the deterioration of ion performance due to deposits such as dust. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, an ion generator according to the present invention has a discharge needle and an induction electrode connected to a high-voltage power supply, and a high voltage is applied between the discharge needle and the induction electrode. In an ion generator that generates corona discharge and generates at least one of positive ions and negative ions, the ion generator includes a cleaning unit that cleans the discharge needle, and the cleaning unit is attached to the movable unit and the movable unit The movable portion is configured to reciprocate by a solenoid and a return spring so that the brush touches the needle tip of the discharge needle.

  Moreover, the ion generator which consists of the said structure is good also as the said cleaning means cleaning the discharge needle by a wiper operation | movement.

  In the ion generating apparatus having the above-described configuration, in the cleaning unit, the movable portion is provided with a connecting portion to which a rotating shaft, the solenoid, and the spring are attached, and the wiper operation is performed on the rotating shaft. The rotation shaft has a length from the tip of the brush provided at one end of the movable portion to the rotation shaft from the connecting portion provided at the other end of the movable portion. It is good also as providing so that it may become longer than the length to a rotating shaft.

  In addition, the ion generator having the above-described configuration may perform cleaning of the discharge needle at the start of operation of the ion generator.

  According to the present invention, when dust or the like adheres to the needle tip of the discharge needle due to discharge, the apparatus itself does not deteriorate the ion performance due to the dirt of the discharge needle without the user voluntarily cleaning the discharge needle. Can be prevented / recovered.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an ion generator in one embodiment of the present invention.
The ion generator of the present invention includes a discharge needle 1 for generating ions, and an induction electrode 13 is provided in the vicinity of the discharge needle 1. The discharge needle 1 and the induction electrode 13 are connected to a high voltage generation circuit 14, and when a high voltage is applied between the discharge needle 1 and the induction electrode 13, corona discharge occurs and ions are generated.

  In the ion generator of the present invention, a brush 2 for cleaning the discharge needle 1 is attached to one end of the brush movable part 7, and a brush connecting part 10 is provided near the other end of the brush movable part 7. Yes. Further, the brush movable portion 7 is provided with a brush rotation shaft 5, and the brush movable portion 7 and the brush 2 attached to one end of the brush movable portion are moved around the brush rotation shaft 5 to perform a wiper motion. 2 touches the needle tip of the discharge needle 1.

  The brush connecting portion 10 is connected to the spring 4 and is connected to the plunger 11 of the solenoid 3 via the brush solenoid connecting shaft 8. Further, one end of the brush solenoid connecting shaft 8 is connected to the brush movable portion 7 by the brush connecting portion 10 and the other end is connected to the plunger 11 of the solenoid 3 by the solenoid connecting portion 9.

  In the brush connection portion 10, one end of the spring 4 and the brush solenoid connection shaft 8 is rotatably attached, and in the solenoid connection portion 9, the other end of the brush solenoid connection shaft 8 is rotatably attached.

  In FIG. 1, a state diagram drawn with a solid line shows a normal state when the energization of the solenoid 3 is OFF, and a state diagram drawn with a dotted line shows an operation state when the energization of the solenoid 3 is ON. Yes. The operation when the energization of the solenoid 3 is ON and OFF will be described below.

  When the energization of the solenoid 3 is OFF, the brush connecting portion 10 provided in the brush movable portion 7 is pulled by the spring 4 and stopped at the initial position by the stopper 6.

  On the other hand, when energization of the solenoid 3 is turned on, the plunger 11 is attracted by the solenoid 3 and the solenoid connecting portion 9 is pulled in the direction of the solenoid 3 by the length L1. As a result, the brush movable unit 7 performs a wiper operation around the brush rotation shaft 5, and the brush 2 moves in the direction of the discharge needle 1 by the length L <b> 2 to wipe and clean the needle tip of the discharge needle 1.

    The energization time of the solenoid 3 is about 1 second, and when the energization of the solenoid 3 is turned off, the plunger 11 is not attracted. A wiper operation is performed in the direction opposite to that when the energization is turned on, and the stopper 6 stops at the initial position. Then, when the energization of the solenoid 3 is switched from ON to OFF and the brush movable unit 7 returns to the initial position, the brush 2 touches the needle tip of the discharge needle 1 again for cleaning. As described above, when the energization of the solenoid 3 is turned ON / OFF, the brush 2 reciprocates, so that the discharge needle 1 can be cleaned twice with a single energization.

  FIG. 2 is a side view of the discharge needle 1 and the brush 2 of FIG. The brush 2 is attached so as to touch the needle tip portion of the discharge needle 1 when the energization of the solenoid 3 is turned ON and when the energization of the solenoid 3 is changed from the ON state to the OFF state.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the brush rotating shaft 5, the brush connecting portion 10, and the brush 2 attached to the brush movable portion 7 in the brush movable portion 7 of FIG. 1. The brush rotation shaft 5 is provided closer to the brush connection portion 10 than the midpoint of the distance between the tip portion of the brush 2 and the brush connection portion 10, and the distance L4 between the brush rotation shaft 5 and the tip of the brush 2 is the brush It is longer than the distance L3 between the rotating shaft 5 and the brush connecting portion 10.

  When the energization of the solenoid 3 is OFF and the brush movable portion 7 is in the initial position by the stopper 6, the brush 2 must be in a position where it does not touch the discharge needle 1, and the energization of the solenoid 3 is performed. When the is turned ON, in order to clean the discharge needle cleaning means, it is necessary to ensure that it touches the needle tip of the discharge needle 1 during the wiper movement. It needs to be long to some extent.

  Therefore, as in this embodiment, the distance L4 between the brush rotation shaft 5 and the tip of the brush 2 is centered on the brush rotation shaft 5 provided so as to be longer than the distance L3 between the brush rotation shaft 5 and the brush connecting portion 10. In addition, since the brush moving part performs a wiper operation, the brush moving distance L2 can be increased even with a small stroke L1 of the solenoid, so that the solenoid can be reduced in size and the cleaning means can be reduced in size. Become.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram of another example showing the configuration of the ion generator in one embodiment of the present invention, and shows a case where there are a plurality of discharge needles. In this embodiment, a case is shown in which two discharge needles 1-1 for generating negative ions and a discharge needle 1-2 for generating positive ions are provided.

  The discharge needle 1-1 is connected to the negative high voltage generation circuit 15, and the discharge needle 1-2 is connected to the positive high voltage generation circuit 16. Further, the induction electrode 13 is connected to the high voltage generation circuit 14, and when a high voltage is applied between each of the discharge needles and the induction electrode 13, corona discharge is generated, and positive ions and negative ions are respectively generated. It is generated separately from the discharge needle.

  In the ion generator of the present embodiment, the brush 2-1 and the brush 2-2 for cleaning the discharge needle 1-1 and the discharge needle 1-2 are formed by the brush movable portion 7-1 and the brush movable portion 7-2. The brush movable part 7-1 and the brush movable part 7-2 are connected to each other via a brush connecting shaft 12. One end of the brush connecting shaft 12 is connected to the brush movable portion 7-1 by the brush connecting portion 10-1, and the other end is connected to the brush movable portion 7-2 by the brush connecting portion 10-2.

  The brush movable portion 7-1 is connected to the plunger 11 of the solenoid 3 via the brush solenoid connecting shaft 8 at the brush connecting portion 10-1, and the brush solenoid connecting shaft 8 has one end thereof connected to the brush connecting portion 10-. 1 is connected to the brush movable portion 7-1 and the other end is connected to the plunger 11 of the solenoid 3 by the solenoid connecting portion 9. Moreover, the brush movable part 7-2 is connected with the spring 4 by the brush connection part 10-2.

  In the brush connecting portion 10-1, one end of the brush connecting shaft 12 and one end of the brush solenoid connecting shaft 8 are rotatably attached. In the solenoid connecting portion 9, the other end of the brush solenoid connecting shaft 8 is freely rotatable. It is attached. Moreover, in the brush connection part 10-2, the other end of the spring 4 and the brush connection shaft 12 is attached rotatably.

The operation when the energization of the solenoid 3 is ON and OFF will be described below.
When the energization of the solenoid 3 is OFF, the brush coupling portion 10-2 provided in the brush movable portion 7-2 is pulled by the spring 4, and the brush coupling portion 10-1 provided in the brush movable portion 7-1. Is pulled through the brush connecting shaft 12, and the brush movable portion 7-1 and the brush movable portion 7-2 are stopped at their initial positions by the stopper 6-1 and the stopper 6-2, respectively.

  On the other hand, when the energization of the solenoid 3 is turned on, the plunger 11 is attracted by the solenoid 3 and the solenoid connecting portion 9 is pulled in the direction of the solenoid 3, and the brush movable portion 7-1 is wiped around the brush rotating shaft 5-1. In addition to the operation, the brush movable portion 7-2 is pulled by the brush coupling shaft 12 and performs a wiper operation around the brush rotation shaft 5-2. Thereby, the brush 2-1 and the brush 2-2 move in the direction of the discharge needle 1-1 and the discharge needle 1-2, and respectively clean the needle tips of the discharge needle 1-1 and the discharge needle 1-2.

  The energization time of the solenoid 3 is about 1 second. When the energization of the solenoid 3 is turned off, the plunger 11 is not attracted, the brush connecting part 10-2 is pulled by the spring 4, and the brush movable part 10-1 is Pulled by the brush connecting shaft 12, the brush movable portion 7-1 and the brush movable portion 7-2 are opposite to when the energization is turned on around the brush rotation shaft 5-1 and the brush rotation shaft 5-2, respectively. The wiper is operated in the direction, and stopped at the initial positions by the stopper 6-1 and the stopper 6-2.

  When the energization of the solenoid 3 is switched from ON to OFF, and the brush movable part 7-1 and the brush movable part 7-2 return to the initial positions, the brush 2-1 and the brush 2-2 are again connected to the discharge needle 1-1. Touch the needle tip of the discharge needle 1-2 to clean it. As described above, when the energization of the solenoid 3 is turned ON / OFF, the brush 2 reciprocates, so that the discharge needle 1-1 and the discharge needle 1-2 can be cleaned twice with a single energization.

  Therefore, as in the present embodiment, when there are a plurality of discharge needles, cleaning can be performed simultaneously with one solenoid by connecting the brush connecting portions of the plurality of brush movable portions with the brush connecting shaft. The means can be reduced in size.

  As described above, cleaning of the needle tip of the discharge needle is performed by ON / OFF operation of energizing the solenoid 3, but the timing of energizing the solenoid can be performed at an arbitrary timing, for example, Cleaning may be performed at the start of the operation of the ion generator. By doing so, cleaning is performed each time the operation of the ion generator is started, so that cleaning can be performed without increasing the cleaning interval.

  In other words, dust or other adhering matter adhering to the needle tip of the discharge needle is easy to wipe off immediately after adhering, but it becomes difficult to wipe off when the needle tip is covered after a long time has passed since adhering. Therefore, if the cleaning is performed at the start of the operation of the ion generator, the cleaning is performed without leaving an interval, and the deposits such as dust can be easily wiped off, and the cleaning effect is enhanced.

  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.

These are figures which show the example of 1 structure of the ion generator of this invention. These are the figures which looked at the discharge needle and brush of this invention from the side. These are figures which show the positional relationship of the brush of this invention, a brush rotating shaft, and a brush connection part. These are figures which show the other structural example of the ion generator of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Discharge needle 2 Brush 3 Solenoid 4 Spring 5 Brush rotating shaft 6 Stopper 7 Brush movable part 8 Brush solenoid connecting shaft 9 Solenoid connecting part 10 Brush connecting part 11 Plunger 12 Brush connecting shaft 13 Induction electrode 14 High voltage generating circuit 15 Negative high Voltage generation circuit 16 Positive high voltage generation circuit

Claims (4)

A discharge needle connected to a high-voltage power supply and an induction electrode, and a corona discharge is generated by applying a high voltage between the discharge needle and the induction electrode to generate at least one of positive ions and negative ions In the generated ion generator,
A cleaning means for cleaning the discharge needle, the cleaning means is composed of a movable part and a brush attached to the movable part,
The ion generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable portion reciprocates by a solenoid and a return spring so that the brush touches the needle tip of the discharge needle.   The ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit cleans the discharge needle by a wiper operation. In the cleaning means, the movable part is provided with a rotating shaft and a connecting part to which the solenoid and the spring are attached,
The wiper operation is performed around the rotation axis, and the rotation axis has a length from the tip of the brush provided at one end of the movable part to the rotation axis on the other end side of the movable part. The ion generator according to claim 2, wherein the ion generator is provided so as to be longer than a length from the provided connecting portion to the rotating shaft.   The ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the discharge needle is cleaned at the start of operation of the ion generator.

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