JP2009298336A - On-vehicle ion generator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle ion generator that distributes ions efficiently around passengers in a cabin. <P>SOLUTION: The on-vehicle ion generator includes front-seat blowout ports and rear-seat blowout ports corresponding to front seats and rear seats, respectively, and an air blower and an ion generating element for the front seats and that for the rear seats, which are driven independently, blow ion wind from around the center of a vehicle ceiling toward the front seats and the rear seats, respectively. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle ion generator.

  Conventionally, ion generators for emitting negative ions for vehicle occupants are known. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a method in which a negative ion generator is disposed inside a map lamp module attached to a ceiling portion in front of a vehicle, behind a sun visor, or inside a mirror structure (claim 1). To 4). Also, the same document proposes a method of arranging an ion generator at the outlet of a vehicle air conditioner provided in front of the vehicle (see claim 5).

  However, if a negative ion generator is placed inside the map lamp module, behind the sun visor, or inside the mirror structure, the ions will not move backward unless the vehicle accelerates, and will accumulate near the ion generator. It is difficult to say that ions are effectively gathered around the passengers. In addition, when an ion generator is arranged at the air outlet of the vehicle air conditioner, most of the ions move on the air flow of the air conditioner, so the ion distribution in the passenger compartment depends on the direction of the louvers in the air outlet. . However, since the louver at the air outlet often does not face the occupant, it is difficult to effectively collect ions around the occupant in the passenger compartment. Furthermore, when the number of occupants is two or more, it is practically impossible to keep the direction of the louver at the air outlet toward the occupant.

Here, negative ions have an effect of relaxing a person, but it cannot be expected to create clean air by sterilizing airborne bacteria in the air. Therefore, as described in Non-Patent Document 1, positive ions (H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m ) and negative ions (O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) are provided at the air outlet of the vehicle air conditioner provided in front of the vehicle. ) A method of arranging an ion generator for emitting _n ) has been proposed. These ions are known to have effects such as sterilization of airborne bacteria, static elimination, and reduction of odor.

  However, as long as the ion generator is disposed at the outlet of the vehicle air conditioner, there is a problem similar to that of the conventional negative ion generator described above.

  By the way, when the passenger gets out of the vehicle and closes the door in winter when the air is dry, an electric shock may occur and the user may feel uncomfortable. This phenomenon is caused by static electricity accumulating (charging) when the occupant is seated on the seat and the clothes being worn rub against the seat. Therefore, it is expected that if charged ions are generated by an ion generator, and the static electricity is discharged in advance by spraying these ions on passengers, it will contribute to prevention of electrostatic shock.

  People are charged positively or negatively depending on the clothes and the material of the seat. Therefore, it is preferable to generate positive and negative ions so that both positive and negative static electricity can be handled.

  However, since the ion generator described in Patent Document 1 generates only negative ions, it is inevitably only positive static electricity that can be neutralized, and cannot cope with static elimination of negative static electricity. It is difficult to obtain a desired effect even if it is applied to these applications.

  In addition, as in Non-Patent Document 1, when positive ions and negative ions are generated, if both ions are dense, there is a problem that a neutralization reaction occurs and the ions disappear. Therefore, it is necessary to quickly diffuse ions away from the source.

On the other hand, the person is hardly charged while holding the handle or leaning against the seat, and is charged at a moment when it is away from the seat, sometimes generating an electrostatic shock. Therefore, in order to prevent electrostatic shock from occurring, it is necessary to concentrate many ions at once around a person when the person gets off the vehicle. However, the above-described conventional technique has a problem that the air conditioner is also stopped when the engine is stopped, so that even if ions are generated, the ions cannot be diffused into the passenger compartment.
JP 2004-217032 (Claim 1, FIG. 1) http://www.nissan.co.jp/OPTIONAL-PARTS/EXTERIOR_INTERIOR/PURETRON/index.html

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle ion generator capable of efficiently distributing ions around passengers in a vehicle interior. It is another object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle ion generator that can reliably remove static electricity charged to a passenger by concentrating a large amount of ions around a door when a person gets out of a vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an in-vehicle ion generator installed in the vicinity of the center of a vehicle ceiling, the housing, a suction opening formed in the housing, and an opening formed in the front portion of the housing. A front-seat air outlet corresponding to the front seat of the vehicle, an opening formed in the rear part of the housing, and a rear-seat air outlet corresponding to the seat on the rear side of the vehicle. A front seat duct that guides the air in the vehicle compartment sucked in from the front seat outlet to the front seat outlet, and a rear seat that is arranged in the housing and guides the air in the vehicle compartment sucked from the inlet to the rear seat outlet A duct for a front seat, a blower for a front seat, which is provided in the housing and blows out the air in the vehicle compartment sucked from the inlet through the duct for the front seat into the vehicle compartment from the outlet for the front seat, How A rear seat blower that is provided inside the housing and blows out the air in the vehicle compartment sucked from the suction port into the vehicle compartment from the rear seat outlet through the rear seat duct, and is provided in the housing. A front seat ion generating element that generates positive ions and negative ions in the front seat duct; and a rear seat ion that is provided in the housing and generates positive ions and negative ions in the rear seat duct. Each of the front seat and rear seat blowers and the front seat and rear seat ion generation devices are individually controlled.

  According to this configuration, if the front seat blower and the ion generating element are driven, and the rear seat blower and the ion generating element are stopped, the air in the vehicle cabin sucked from the suction port by the front seat blower is Then, the air is blown out from the front seat outlet through the front seat duct (front seat concentrated ion supply mode). Therefore, positive ions and negative ions can be efficiently distributed around the passenger sitting in the front seat. On the other hand, if all the front seat and rear seat blowers and the front seat and rear seat ion generating elements are driven, the air in the vehicle cabin sucked from the suction port by the front seat blower is The air in the passenger compartment, which is blown out from the front seat outlet through the front seat duct and is sucked in from the inlet by the rear seat blower, passes through the rear seat duct from the rear seat outlet. It is blown into the passenger compartment (all seats ion supply mode). Therefore, positive ions and negative ions can be efficiently distributed around the occupants sitting on the front and rear seats.

  Further, in the present invention, a plurality of the outlets for the front seats and the rear seats are provided according to the number of seats, and the ducts for the front seats and the rear seats corresponding to the number of seats, the front seats and the rear seats are correspondingly provided. A plurality of the ion generating elements for the blower and the front seat and the rear seat are provided.

  According to this configuration, positive ions and negative ions are reliably delivered to the occupants sitting in the front and rear seats. Therefore, positive ions and negative ions can be more efficiently distributed around the passenger.

  Further, the present invention is provided in the front seat duct, and is provided in the front seat outlet area changing means for changing the opening area of the front seat outlet, the rear seat duct, Rear seat outlet area changing means for changing the opening area of the seat outlet, and the outlet area changing means for the front seat and the rear seat are individually controlled. It is said.

  According to this configuration, if the opening area of the front and rear seat outlets is individually changed by the front seat and rear seat outlet changing means, the passenger seats in the front and rear seats The speed of the ion wind sent is changed. Usually, the distance from the front seat outlet to the occupant sitting on the front seat is short, and the distance from the rear seat outlet to the occupant sitting on the rear seat is far away. If the opening area of the rear side is widened and the opening area of the rear side outlet is controlled to be narrowed by the rear side outlet area changing means, a slow ion wind is sent to the occupant sitting in the front seat, and the rear seat A fast ion wind is sent to the passengers sitting in the car. Therefore, positive ions and negative ions can be reliably distributed around the passenger regardless of the distance from the outlet to the passenger.

  Further, in the present invention, a plurality of the outlets for the front seats and the rear seats are provided according to the number of seats, and the ducts for the front seats and the rear seats corresponding to the number of seats, the front seats and the rear seats are correspondingly provided. A plurality of each of the blower, the ion generating elements for the front seat and the rear seat, and the air outlet area changing means for the front seat and the rear seat are provided.

  According to this configuration, positive ions and negative ions are reliably delivered to the occupants sitting in the front and rear seats. Therefore, positive ions and negative ions can be more efficiently distributed around the passenger.

  Further, in the present invention, all the blowers for front seats and rear seats, all-seat ion supply mode for driving all the ion generating elements for front seats and rear seats, the blower for front seats, and the above-mentioned The ion generating element is driven, and the rear seat blower and the front seat concentrated ion supply mode for stopping the ion generating element are provided.

  According to this configuration, in the all-seat ion supply mode, positive ions and negative ions can be efficiently distributed around the occupants sitting on the front and rear seats. On the other hand, in the front seat concentrated ion supply mode, positive ions and negative ions can be efficiently distributed around the occupant sitting in the front seat.

  Further, in the present invention, all the blowers for front seats and rear seats, all-seat ion supply mode for driving all the ion generating elements for front seats and rear seats, the blower for front seats, and the above-mentioned A switch for manually switching between the all-seat ion supply mode and the front-seat concentrated supply mode, comprising: a blower for a rear seat; and a front-seat concentrated ion supply mode for stopping the ion-generating element. It is characterized by having.

  According to this configuration, the all-seat ion supply mode and the front-seat concentrated ion supply mode can be manually switched by the occupant by a switch operation.

  The present invention further includes rear seat occupant detection means for detecting whether there is a passenger in the rear seat, and based on the detection result of the rear seat occupant detection means, the all-seat ion supply mode and the front seat concentrated supply It is characterized by automatically switching between modes.

  According to this configuration, when no occupant is seated in the rear seat, the front-seat concentrated ion supply mode is automatically set, and when the occupant is seated in the rear seat, the all-seat ion supply mode is automatically set.

  In the present invention, in the all-seat ion supply mode, an opening area of the front seat outlet is increased by the front seat outlet area changing means, and the rear seat outlet area changing means is used for the rear seat. It is characterized by narrowing the opening area of the air outlet.

  According to this configuration, in the all-seat ion supply mode, a slow ion wind is sent to the passenger sitting on the front seat, and a fast ion wind is sent to the passenger sitting on the rear seat. Therefore, positive ions and negative ions can be reliably distributed around the passenger regardless of the distance from the outlet to the passenger.

  Further, in the present invention, provided in the front seat duct, provided in the front seat blowing direction changing means for changing the direction of the ion wind blown from the front seat outlet, and provided in the rear seat duct, Rear seat blowing direction changing means for changing the direction of the ion wind blown from the rear seat outlet, and the blowing direction changing means for the front seat and the rear seat are individually controlled. It is characterized by that.

  According to this structure, the direction of the ion wind blown out from the front and rear seat outlets is individually changed by the blowing direction changing means for the front seat and the rear seat. Therefore, normally, the ion wind sent toward the passenger | crew who seats on the front side seat and the rear side seat can be sent in a direction different from that.

  The present invention further includes door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of a vehicle door, and when the door is opened based on a detection result of the door opening / closing detection means, the blower for the front seat and the rear seat. And the direction of the ionic wind blown from the outlet for the front seat and the rear seat by the blowing direction changing means for driving the front seat and the rear seat for driving the ion generating elements for the front seat and the rear seat It is characterized by having a static elimination mode that changes the direction to the door.

  According to this configuration, when the vehicle door is opened, ion wind is sent in the direction of the door, and the occupant takes an ion shower when exiting the vehicle from the door. Therefore, static electricity charged on the passenger can be surely removed.

  The present invention further includes a sheet charging polarity detection means for detecting the charging polarity of the seat of the seat, and has the same polarity as the charging polarity of the sheet based on the detection result of the sheet charging polarity detection means in the static elimination mode. Ions are generated from the ion generating elements for the front seat and the rear seat.

  According to this configuration, when the vehicle door is opened, an ionic wind having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the seat is sent in the direction of the door, and when the passenger exits the vehicle from the door, what is his charged polarity? You will be taking a reverse polarity ion shower. Therefore, static electricity charged on the occupant can be removed more reliably. However, if the unipolar ions continue to be exposed, there is a risk that they will be charged to that polarity. Therefore, it is desirable to shift to a mode in which positive and negative ions are generated after a certain period of time.

  The on-vehicle ion generator of the present invention includes front and rear blowers for front seats and rear seats corresponding to the front and rear seats, and blowers and ion generators for front seats and rear seats that are driven individually. Thus, the ion wind is blown out from the vicinity of the center of the vehicle ceiling toward the front seat and the rear seat, so that ions can be efficiently distributed around the passenger in the vehicle interior. Further, when the vehicle door is opened, the ionic wind is blown out toward the door, so that the occupant takes an ion shower when going out of the vehicle from the door. Therefore, static electricity charged on the occupant can be removed more reliably.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a passenger car equipped with an in-vehicle ion generator as viewed from the side. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the passenger compartment as viewed from above.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two front seats 2 and 3 are installed side by side in a passenger compartment 1 a of the passenger car 1, and two rear seats 4 and 5 are installed side by side. Yes. A vehicle-mounted ion generator 6 is installed near the center of the vehicle ceiling, which is located above the area between the front and rear seats 2 and 3.

  The passenger car 1 includes a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) for detecting the speed of the vehicle, a door sensor (not shown) for determining whether the door is open or closed, and a seat for determining whether an occupant is sitting on the seat. A pressure sensor (not shown) and a sheet charging sensor (not shown) for determining the charged state (potential) of the seat in the seat are provided.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the on-vehicle ion generator, and shows the parts installed in the housing apart from the housing. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the in-vehicle ion generator. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the in-vehicle ion generator 6 is configured as a unit in which ducts 13 to 16, blowers 17 to 20, and ion generating elements 31 to 34 are built in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 7. ing. A suction port 8 is formed in the center of one of a pair of opposing side surfaces (a pair of upper and lower side surfaces in FIG. 4) (a side surface on the upper side in FIG. 4) forming the longitudinal direction of the housing 7. The air outlet 8 may be provided on both of a pair of opposing side surfaces that form the longitudinal direction of the housing 7. At the four corners where a pair of opposing side faces (a pair of left and right side faces in FIG. 4 in FIG. 4) and a pair of opposing side faces forming the longitudinal direction intersect with each other, the outlets 9, 10, 11, An opening 12 is formed. The air outlets 9 and 10 are provided corresponding to the front seats 2 and 3 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), respectively. The air outlets 11 and 12 are provided corresponding to the rear seats 4 and 5 (FIGS. 1 and 2), respectively.

  Reference numerals 13 and 14 denote front seat ducts for guiding the air in the passenger compartment 1a sucked from the suction port 8 to the front seat outlets 8 and 9, respectively. Reference numerals 15 and 16 denote front seat ducts for guiding the air in the passenger compartment 1a sucked from the suction port 8 to the front seat outlets 8 and 9, respectively. The ducts 13 to 16 include inlets 13 a to 16 a that open toward the central portion in the housing 7, and outlets 13 b to 16 b that are arranged in accordance with the air outlets 9 to 12 formed in the housing 7. The ducts 13 to 16 have different shapes on the intake side and the exhaust side, and the intake side has a rectangular tube shape having the same cross section as the inlets 13a to 16a, but the exhaust side faces the outlets 13b to 16b from the downstream end of the rectangular tube portion. It has a skirt shape with a wide cross-sectional area.

  Reference numerals 17 and 18 respectively denote front seat blowers for blowing the air in the passenger compartment 1a sucked from the inlet 8 through the front seat ducts 13 and 14 from the front seat outlets 9 and 10 to the passenger compartment 1a. It is. 19 and 20 are rear seat blowers for blowing the air in the passenger compartment 1a sucked from the suction port 8 through the rear seat ducts 15 and 16 and from the rear seat outlets 11 and 12 to the passenger compartment 1a. It is. The blowers 17 to 20 include fan casings 171 to 201 having intake ports 171a to 201a on an upper surface and exhaust ports 171b to 201b on a side surface, a centrifugal fan (not shown) provided inside the fan casings 171 to 201, and a centrifugal fan. A fan motor (not shown) for rotationally driving the motor. The air inlets 171 a to 201 a of the fan casing are opened inside the housing 7. The exhaust ports 171b to 201b of the fan casing are inserted into the duct inlets 13a to 16a. When each centrifugal fan is rotationally driven by each fan motor in this configuration, the air in the passenger compartment 1a is sucked into the housing 7 from the common suction port 8, and the fan casings 171 to 201 and the ducts 13 to 16 are connected. Through the inside, the air is blown out from the air outlets 9 to 12 into the vehicle interior 1a.

  In the vicinity of the outlets 13b to 16b of the ducts 13 to 16, two hinge-shaped vertical louvers (first louvers 22, 24, 26, 28, and 2) that are independently rotated by a vertical rotation shaft. Louvers 23, 25, 27, 29) are provided respectively.

  FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the vicinity of the duct outlet. In FIG. 5, only the rear seat duct 16 is illustrated, but the same applies to the other ducts 13 to 15. As shown in FIG. 5, the rotation axis of the second louver 29 is coaxially inserted into the cylindrical rotation axis of the first louver 28, and each axis is controlled by a separate stepping motor or the like. It is attached to a motor shaft of a motor (not shown) and can be independently rotated to a predetermined position.

  FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the duct showing variations in the louver posture. In FIG. 6, only the rear seat duct 16 is illustrated as in FIG. 5, but the same applies to the other ducts 13 to 15.

  The 1st and 2nd louver comprises the blower outlet area change means which changes the opening area of a blower outlet by opening and closing the flow path near the exit of a duct by half.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, the first and second louvers 28 and 29 are located at positions A1 and B1 in FIG. When facing the center, the flow of ion wind toward the outlet 16b (that is, the rear outlet 12) of the rear outlet 16 is not hindered, so the rear outlet 12 is the same as being open.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the first and second louvers 28 and 29 are located at positions A1 and B2 in FIG. 5, respectively, and the first louver 28 is substantially at the outlet 16b of the rear duct 16. Although directed toward the center, when the tip of the second louver 29 approaches or abuts the inner surface of the side wall of the rear duct 16, the ionic wind toward the outlet 16b of the rear outlet 16 (that is, the rear outlet 12) Since the flow is interrupted by half, the rear outlet 12 is the same as being half closed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6C, the first and second louvers 28 and 29 are located at positions A2 and B2 in FIG. 5, respectively, and their tips are close to the inner surface of the side wall of the rear duct 16 or When abutting, the flow of ion wind toward the outlet 16b of the rear outlet 16 (that is, the rear outlet 12) is completely hindered, so that the rear outlet 12 is the same as being closed.

  The first and second louvers also serve as blowing direction changing means for changing the blowing direction of the ionic wind blown from the blowing outlet by changing the flow direction of the ionic wind near the outlet of the duct. .

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6D, the first and second louvers 28 and 29 are located at positions A3 and B1, respectively, and the first louver 28 is connected to the inner surface of the side wall of the rear duct 16. When the front end of the second louver 29 is close to or in contact with the inner surface of the side wall of the rear duct 16, the ion wind toward the outlet 16b of the rear outlet 16 (that is, the rear outlet 12) becomes substantially parallel. The flow is changed to the direction in which the first louver 28 faces, and the blowing direction of the ion wind blown from the blowout port can be changed from the direction toward the rear seat to the direction toward the door.

  As shown in FIG. 4, ion generating elements 30 to 33 that generate positive ions and negative ions are provided in the ducts 13 to 16. Reference numerals 30 and 31 denote front seat ion generating elements for generating positive ions and negative ions in the front seat ducts 13 and 14, respectively. 32 and 33 are rear seat ion generating elements for generating positive ions and negative ions in the rear seat ducts 15 and 16, respectively.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of an electrode portion of the ion generating element. FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit block diagram of the ion generating element. As shown in FIG. 7, the electrode of the ion generating element includes two needle-like discharge electrodes 34 and 35 and a plate-like induction electrode 36. As shown in FIG. 8, a positive high voltage generation circuit 42 and a negative high voltage generation circuit 43 are connected to the discharge electrodes 34 and 35, respectively. The dielectric electrode 36 is connected to a constant potential (for example, ground potential) point of the high voltage generation circuit 39 and is maintained at a constant potential. The drive circuit 38 supplied with the voltage from the power input connector 37 connected to the battery drives the high voltage generation circuit 39 to boost the input voltage and generate a high voltage of several kilovolts. The high voltage generation circuit 39 applies a positive high voltage to the discharge electrode 34 through the positive high voltage generation circuit 42. Similarly, a negative high voltage is applied to the discharge electrode 35 through the negative high voltage generation circuit 43.

  That is, a positive high voltage and a negative high voltage are applied to the two needle-like discharge electrodes 34 and 35 of the ion generating element, respectively, so that positive ions and negative ions are generated from the respective needle tips. It has become. Normally, both positive ions and negative ions are generated. However, when the negative high voltage control circuit 41 suppresses the generation of a negative high voltage, only the positive ions are positively increased by the positive high voltage control circuit 40. When voltage generation is suppressed, only negative ions are generated. By controlling in this way, it is possible to switch between modes in which only positive ions are generated, only negative ions are generated, and both positive ions and negative ions are generated.

The main ion species generated at this time are positive ions H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m (m is an arbitrary natural number) and negative ions O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (n is an arbitrary natural number). is there. In a mode in which both positive ions and negative ions are generated, if positive ions and negative ions are released into the passenger compartment 1a by a blower, it is possible to obtain a bactericidal effect on airborne bacteria in the air and a static elimination effect on static electricity charged on the passenger. . Further, in a mode in which only positive ions are generated or only negative ions are generated, discharging positive ions or negative ions to the passenger compartment 1a by a blower can remove static electricity from the passenger.

H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n adhere to the surface of the floating bacteria and chemically react to generate H ₂ O ₂ or .OH as an active species. Since H ₂ O ₂ or .OH exhibits a very 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 react chemically on the cell surface of airborne bacteria as shown in formulas (1) to (3) to generate hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) or hydroxyl radical (.OH) as active species. To do. 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 + _1/2 O 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)

  Due to the above mechanism, the inactivation effect of floating bacteria and the like can be obtained by releasing the positive ions and the negative ions.

In addition, since the above formulas (1) to (3) can produce the same action even on the surface of harmful substances in the air, hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) or hydroxyl radical (. OH) can oxidize or decompose harmful substances and convert chemical substances such as formaldehyde and ammonia into harmless substances such as carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen, thereby making them virtually harmless. is there.

  In FIG. 3, the housing 7 containing the ducts 13 to 16, the fans 17 to 18, and the ion generating elements 31 to 34 is finally sealed with a lid (not shown) attached to the upper surface opening portion. When the vehicle-mounted ion generator 6 is installed at a position where a passenger car room lamp is located, an illumination device such as an LED may be incorporated on the lower surface of the housing 7.

  FIG. 9 is a control block diagram of the on-vehicle ion generator. The ion generator control unit 21 is arranged inside a dashboard in which electric components for passenger cars such as instruments and air conditioners are centrally installed. As shown in FIG. 9, on the input side of the ion generator control unit 21, a vehicle speed sensor 44 that detects the vehicle speed, a door sensor 45 that detects the opening and closing of the door, and a pressure applied to the seat of the seat to detect the passenger A seat pressure sensor 46 for detecting whether or not there is a seat and a sheet charging sensor 47 for detecting the potential of the seat of the seat are connected. A plurality of door sensors 45 are provided according to the number of doors, and a plurality of seat pressure sensors 46 and sheet charging sensors 47 are provided according to the number of seats, but only one is shown in the figure.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, on the output side of the ion generator control unit 21, fan motors 48 and 49 for the front seat fans 17 and 18 (fan motors for the front seat) and fans for the rear seats 19 and 20 are provided. Fan motors (rear seat fan motors) 50 and 51, control motors for first louvers 22 and 24 provided in front seat ducts 13 and 14 (first louver control motor for front seats) 52 and 53, front seats Control motors (second louver control motors for front seats) 54 and 55 of the second louvers 23 and 25 provided in the ducts 13 and 14, and first louvers 26 provided in the ducts 15 and 16 for the rear seats, 28, control motors (first louver control motor for rear seats) 56, 57, control motors for second louvers 27, 29 provided in the rear seat ducts 15, 16 (second louver control motor for rear seats) 58 , 59 are connected There.

  Based on the detection results of the various sensors 44 to 47, the ion generator control unit 21 performs front seat and rear seat blowers 17 to 20, front seat and rear seat ion generation elements 31 to 34, front The first louvers 22, 24, 26, and 28 for the seat and the rear seat, and the second louvers 23, 25, 27, and 29 for the front seat and the rear seat are individually controlled. .

  The vehicle-mounted ion generator 6 configured as described above includes an all-seat ion supply mode, a front-seat concentrated ion supply mode, and a static elimination mode. Each mode will be described.

<All seats ion supply mode>
In the all-seat ion supply mode, all the front-seat and rear-seat blowers 17 to 20 and all the front-seat and rear-seat ion generating elements 31 to 34 are driven to sit on the front and rear seats. In this mode, positive ions and negative ions are efficiently distributed around the passenger. At this time, the ion generating elements 31 to 34 for the front seat and the rear seat are set to a mode in which both positive ions and negative ions are generated.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an in-vehicle ion generator for explaining the flow of ion wind blown from the blowout outlet in the all-seat ion supply mode. In this figure, the fans 17 to 20 are omitted. The thickness of the arrow indicates the wind speed.

  Usually, the distance from the front seat outlets 9 and 10 to the occupants sitting in the front seats 2 and 3 is short, and the distance from the rear seat outlets 11 and 12 to the occupants sitting in the rear seats 4 and 5 is long. Therefore, if ion wind is blown out from the front and rear seat outlets at the same wind speed, sufficient positive ions and negative ions can reach the occupants sitting in the rear seats 4 and 5 that are far away. I can't.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the rear seat ducts 15 and 16 are made while the louvers of the front seat ducts 13 and 14 are set to the posture shown in FIG. The louver is set to the posture shown in FIG. 6B, and the rear seat outlets 11 and 12 are controlled to be halved. As a result, a slow ion wind is sent to the passenger sitting in the front seats 2 and 3, and a fast ion wind is sent to the passenger sitting in the rear seats 4 and 5. Therefore, positive ions and negative ions can be reliably distributed around the passenger regardless of the distance from the outlet to the passenger.

<Front seat concentrated ion supply mode>
In the front seat concentrated ion supply mode, the front seat fans 17 and 18 and the front seat ion generation elements 31 and 32 are driven, and the rear seat blowers 19 and 20 and the rear seat ion generation elements 31 and 32 are stopped. In this mode, positive ions and negative ions are distributed efficiently by concentrating around the passenger sitting in the front seat. At this time, the front seat ion generating elements 31 and 32 are set to a mode in which both positive ions and negative ions are generated.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an in-vehicle ion generator for explaining the flow of ion wind blown from the outlet in the front seat concentrated ion supply mode. In this figure, the fans 17 to 20 are omitted. The thickness of the arrow indicates the wind speed.

  In this mode, since the rear seat blowers 19 and 20 are stopped, the ion wind is not blown out from the rear seat outlets 11 and 12, but the rear seat outlets 11 and 12 are opened. Then, the air in the passenger compartment 1a may flow backward.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the louvers of the front seat ducts 13 and 14 are set to the posture shown in FIG. The louver is set to the posture shown in FIG. 6C and the rear seat outlets 11 and 12 are controlled to be closed. As a result, a slow ion wind is sent to the passenger sitting in the front seats 2 and 3, and a fast ion wind is sent to the passenger sitting in the rear seats 4 and 5. Therefore, positive ions and negative ions can be reliably distributed around the passenger regardless of the distance from the outlet to the passenger.

  Switching between the all-seat ion supply mode and the front-seat concentrated supply mode can be performed manually or automatically. When switching manually, for example, if a switch (not shown) is provided on the dashboard of the passenger car, the occupant can arbitrarily switch between the all-seat ion supply mode and the front-seat concentrated ion supply mode by a switch operation. When switching automatically, the all-seat ion supply mode and the front-seat concentrated supply mode are automatically switched based on the detection result of the seat pressure sensor. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, when no occupant is sitting in the rear seat (NO in step S1), the front seat concentrated ion supply mode is automatically entered (step S2), and the occupant is sitting in the rear seat. If it is present (YES in step S1), the all-seat ion supply mode is automatically set (step S3).

<Static elimination mode>
The static elimination mode is a mode in which, when the door of the passenger car 1 is opened, the direction of the ion wind blown from the blowout port by the louver is changed to the door direction while driving the blower and the ion generating element. In the following explanation, it is assumed that occupants are sitting in all of the front and rear seats, and ionic wind is blown out from all the outlets. Change the combination of the blowout outlets.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an in-vehicle ion generator for explaining the flow of ion wind blown from the outlet in the static elimination mode. In this figure, the fans 17 to 20 are omitted. The thickness of the arrow indicates the wind speed.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the static elimination mode, the blowers 17 to 20 and the ion generating elements 31 to 34 are driven, and the louvers of the ducts 13 to 16 are brought into the posture shown in FIG. Change the direction of the blown ion wind to the door direction. At this time, since the air outlets 9 to 12 are half closed by the second louvers 23, 25, 27, and 29, ions can be rapidly released.

  According to this static elimination mode, when the door of the vehicle is opened, ion wind is sent in the direction of the door, and the occupant takes a large amount of ion shower when going out of the vehicle from the door. Therefore, static electricity charged on the passenger can be surely removed.

  A specific operation in the static elimination mode will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the passenger car stops in step S11 and the vehicle speed sensor 44 determines that the speed of the passenger car is zero (YES in step S11), it is determined whether or not the door is opened by the door sensor 45 in step S12. When opened (YES in step S12), emission of ions in the door direction is started (step S13).

  Then, when the passenger leaves the seat to get off and the seat pressure sensor 46 no longer detects (NO in step S14), ion release is continued until a predetermined time elapses (step S15). Ion emission is terminated (step S16).

  When the door is closed (NO in step S17) while detecting the occupant of the seat pressure sensor 47 in step S14 (YES in step S15), the ion release is terminated (step S18), and the process returns to step S11. The above operation is repeated.

  When the emission of ions is started in step S13, the ion generating elements 31 to 34 are driven in a mode in which only positive ions are generated or only negative ions are generated. As to which mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 15, the seat charging sensor 47 detects the seat potential of the seat. In other words, when the sheet potential is positive (YES in step S21), the mode is set to generate only positive ions (step S22). When the sheet potential is negative (NO in step S21), only negative ions are generated. Mode.

  As a result, an ion wind having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the seat is sent in the door direction, and the occupant takes an ion shower having a polarity opposite to his own charging polarity when going out of the vehicle from the door. Therefore, static electricity charged on the occupant can be removed more reliably. However, if the unipolar ions continue to be exposed, there is a risk that they will be charged to that polarity. Therefore, it is desirable to shift to a mode in which positive and negative ions are generated after a certain period of time.

  By applying the front-seat concentrated ion supply mode described above, it is possible to realize a rear-seat concentrated ion supply mode that supplies ions only to the rear seat and a right-seat concentrated ion supply mode that supplies ions only to the right seat. . Further, the number of sets including a set of ducts, blowers, and ion generating elements is not limited to two for the front seat and two for the rear side, and may be increased or decreased according to the number of seats. The air outlet area changing means and the air blowing direction changing means are not limited to the louver, and may be a movable nozzle that can enlarge or reduce the flow path. The means for detecting the presence or absence of a passenger sitting on the seat is not limited to the seat pressure sensor, and an infrared sensor or the like can be used.

These are the schematic sectional drawings which looked at the passenger car carrying the vehicle-mounted ion generator from the side. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the passenger compartment as viewed from above. These are the schematic perspective views of a vehicle-mounted ion generator, and show the components installed in a housing away from a housing. These are top views of a vehicle-mounted ion generator. These are horizontal sectional drawings of the exit vicinity of a duct. [Fig. 5] is a horizontal sectional view of a duct showing variations in postures of louvers. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of an electrode portion of an ion generating element. These are the schematic circuit block diagrams of an ion generating element. These are the control block diagrams of a vehicle-mounted ion generator. These are the schematic sectional drawings of the vehicle-mounted ion generator explaining the flow of the ion wind which blows off from a blower outlet in all seat ion supply mode. These are schematic sectional drawings of the vehicle-mounted ion generator explaining the flow of the ion wind which blows off from a blower outlet in front seat concentrated ion supply mode. These are the flowcharts which show the example of a switching between all seat ion supply mode and front seat concentrated ion supply mode. These are schematic sectional drawings of the vehicle-mounted ion generator explaining the flow of the ion wind which blows off from a blower outlet in the static elimination mode. These are the flowcharts which show the operation example of static elimination mode. These are the flowcharts which show the example of selection of the mode which generates only positive ions, and the mode which generates only negative ions.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2, 3 Front seat 4, 5 Rear seat 6 In-vehicle ion generator 7 Housing 8 Suction port 9, 10 Front seat outlet 11, 12 Rear seat outlet 13, 14, Front seat duct 15, 16 Rear seat ducts 17, 18 Front seat blowers 19, 20 Rear seat blowers 22, 24, 26, 28 First louvers (outlet area changing means, blowing direction changing means)
23, 25, 27, 29 Second louver (outlet area changing means, blowing direction changing means)
31, 32 Front seat ion generating element 33, 34 Rear seat ion generating element 46 Seat pressure sensor (rear seat occupant detection means)
47 Sheet charging sensor (sheet charging polarity detection means)

Claims (12)

An in-vehicle ion generator installed near the center of the vehicle ceiling,
A housing;
A suction opening formed in the housing;
An opening formed in a front portion of the housing, and a front seat outlet corresponding to a front seat of the vehicle;
An opening formed in the rear part of the housing, and a rear seat outlet corresponding to a seat on the rear side of the vehicle;
A front seat duct that is arranged in the housing and guides the air in the vehicle compartment sucked from the suction port to the front seat outlet;
A rear seat duct that is disposed in the housing and guides the air in the vehicle compartment sucked from the suction port to the rear seat outlet;
A front seat blower that is provided in the housing and blows out the air in the passenger compartment sucked from the inlet through the front seat duct into the passenger compartment from the front seat outlet;
A rear seat blower that is provided in the housing and blows out the air in the passenger compartment sucked from the inlet through the rear seat duct into the passenger compartment from the rear seat outlet;
A front seat ion generating element that is provided in the housing and generates positive ions and negative ions in the front seat duct;
A rear seat ion generating element that is provided in the housing and generates positive ions and negative ions in the rear seat duct;
With
A vehicle-mounted ion generator, wherein the blower for the front seat and the rear seat, and the ion generating elements for the front seat and the rear seat are individually controlled.   A plurality of air outlets for front seats and rear seats are provided according to the number of seats, and correspondingly the ducts for front seats and rear seats, the blowers for front seats and rear seats, and for front seats The in-vehicle ion generator according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of each of the ion generating elements for the rear seat and the rear seat. The front seat outlet area changing means for changing the opening area of the front seat outlet, provided in the front seat duct,
Rear seat outlet area changing means for changing the opening area of the front seat outlet, provided in the rear seat duct,
With
The in-vehicle ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the air outlet area changing means for the front seat and the rear seat are individually controlled.   A plurality of air outlets for front seats and rear seats are provided according to the number of seats, and correspondingly the ducts for front seats and rear seats, the blowers for front seats and rear seats, and for front seats The in-vehicle ion generator according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of the ion generating elements for the rear seat and the air outlet area changing means for the front seat and the rear seat. An all-seat ion supply mode for driving all the blowers for front and rear seats and all the ion generating elements for front and rear seats;
A front-seat concentrated ion supply mode for driving the blower for the front seat and the ion generating element and stopping the blower for the rear seat and the ion generating element;
The in-vehicle ion generator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising: An all-seat ion supply mode for driving all the blowers for front and rear seats and all the ion generating elements for front and rear seats;
A front-seat concentrated ion supply mode for driving the blower for the front seat and the ion generating element and stopping the blower for the rear seat and the ion generating element;
With
The in-vehicle ion generator according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the rear seat outlet is closed by the rear seat outlet area changing means in the front seat concentrated ion supply mode.   The on-vehicle ion generator according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising a switch for manually switching between the all-seat ion supply mode and the front-seat concentrated supply mode. A rear seat occupant detection means for detecting whether there is a passenger in the rear seat;
The in-vehicle ion generator according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the all-seat ion supply mode and the front seat concentrated supply mode are automatically switched based on a detection result of the rear seat occupant detection means.   In the all-seat ion supply mode, the front seat outlet area changing means widens the opening area of the front seat outlet, and the rear seat outlet area changing means increases the opening area of the rear seat outlet. The in-vehicle ion generator according to claim 6, wherein the ion generator is narrowed. A front-seat blowing direction changing unit that is provided in the front-seat duct and changes a direction of an ion wind blown from the front-seat outlet;
A rear seat blowing direction changing means provided in the rear seat duct for changing the direction of ion wind blown from the rear seat outlet;
With
The in-vehicle ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the blowing direction changing means for the front seat and the rear seat are individually controlled. A door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of a vehicle door;
Based on the detection result of the door opening / closing detection means, when the door is opened, the blower for the front seat and the rear seat and the ion generating element for the front seat and the rear seat are driven, The discharge mode change means which changes the direction of the ion wind blown from the blow outlet for the front seat and the rear seat to the door direction by the blowing direction changing means for the rear seat. In-vehicle ion generator. A sheet charging polarity detection means for detecting the charging polarity of the seat of the seat;
In the static elimination mode, ions having the same polarity as the charge polarity of the sheet are generated from the ion generating elements for the front seat and the rear seat based on the detection result of the sheet charge polarity detection means. The in-vehicle ion generator according to claim 11.

Images