JP2010062036A - Ion generator and air cleaner as well as air conditioning unit equipped with it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ion generator, and an air cleaner as well as an air conditioner for detecting ion in high sensitivity and high accuracy through restraint of adverse effects of stain such as dust or humidity, and for narrowing down an occupied space including that for an ion detecting device. <P>SOLUTION: An ion detecting part 53 is integrally set in parallel with negative ion generating parts 51a, 51b at one of the sides crossing a parallel-set direction of positive ion generating parts 52a, 52b and the negative ion generating parts 51a, 51b, and a direction of the negative ion generating parts 51a, 51b headed toward the ion detecting part 53 is to be nearly matched to a ventilating direction of air flow. A laterally U-shaped protective electrode 533 of the ion detecting part 53 opened toward the ion generating parts 51a, 51b is to surround a collection electrode 532 for collecting ion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion generator having an ion detection function, and an air cleaner and an air conditioner including the ion generator.

  In recent years, a technique for purifying air in a living space by charging water molecules in the air with positive (plus) and / or negative (minus) ions has been actively used. For example, in an air purifier and an air conditioner, an ion generator that generates positive and negative ions is arranged in the middle of the internal ventilation path, and the generated ions are discharged together with air to the outside space. Yes.

  The ions that charge the water molecules in the air inactivate the suspended particles in the living space, kill the floating bacteria, and denature odor components, so that the air in the entire living space is cleaned.

  A standard ion generator generates a corona discharge by applying a high-voltage AC drive voltage between a needle electrode and a counter electrode, or between a discharge electrode and a dielectric electrode, thereby generating positive and negative ions. Is generated. When the ion generator is in operation for a long period of time, it is unavoidable that the discharge amount of the discharge electrode due to sputter evaporation accompanying corona discharge and the adhesion of foreign substances such as chemical substances and dust to the discharge electrode are increased, resulting in a decrease in the amount of ions generated. Absent.

In this case, in order to notify the user that maintenance of the ion generator is necessary, it is necessary to detect ions in the air with an ion sensor or an ion detector. On the other hand, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that includes an electrode that collects ions in the air, detects the ions, displays the detection result on a light-emitting diode, and notifies.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-3388

  However, in conventional ion sensors or ion detectors, dirt such as dust adheres because the insulation of the member that holds the electrode that collects or collects ions in the air has a large effect on the accuracy of detecting ions. In other words, when the air in which ions are to be detected is at a high humidity, there is a problem that the insulation of the member is lowered and the detection of ions becomes inaccurate. Further, when the ion sensor or the ion detector is separated from the ion generator, there is a problem that the sensitivity for detecting ions decreases exponentially. Furthermore, since the ion generator and the ion sensor or ion detector are separately provided, the occupied space has been increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to detect ions with high sensitivity and high accuracy while suppressing the influence of dirt such as dust or humidity and detecting ions. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ion generator, an air purifier, and an air conditioner that can reduce an occupied space including an apparatus.

  The ion generator according to the present invention has a positive and negative ion generator arranged in parallel, a collection electrode for collecting positive and / or negative ions generated by each of the ion generator, In an ion generator comprising a measuring unit that measures the potential of the collecting electrode, the collecting electrode surrounds the collecting electrode, and includes a protective electrode to be connected to a predetermined potential, and the collecting electrode and the protective electrode are The positive ion generation part and / or the negative ion generation part are integrated and arranged on one side in a direction intersecting the parallel arrangement direction.

  In the present invention, when the direction from the ion generating part toward the collecting electrode and the protective electrode is substantially the same as the direction of the airflow flowing in the vicinity of the ion generating part, positive and / or negative ions are generated. The ions generated by the unit are collected in the immediate vicinity of the ion generating unit. In addition, it prevents the charge of ions collected by the collection electrode from moving outside the enclosure of the protective electrode through the part where the insulation is lowered due to dirt such as dust or moisture in the surrounding air. To do.

  The ion generator according to the present invention is characterized in that the protective electrode has a missing part of the electrode on the side of the ion generating part in the juxtaposed direction.

  In the present invention, when the direction from the ion generating part toward the missing part of the protective electrode is substantially coincident with the direction of the airflow flowing in the vicinity of the ion generating part, ions that should not be detected are captured. The ions to be detected are prevented from being collected by the protective electrode while being prevented from being collected by the collector electrode. Therefore, the accuracy of detecting target ions is improved.

  In the ion generator according to the present invention, the measurement unit includes a converter that converts the impedance of the collection electrode, and a circuit element connected between the converter and the collection electrode, and the protection The electrode is connected to the output terminal of the converter so as to have substantially the same potential as that of the collecting electrode, and is configured to surround both terminals of the circuit element. .

In the present invention, the circuit element has a resistance for protecting the circuit element, for example, the converter, between the collecting electrode and the converter, and the protective electrode is set to a potential substantially equal to the potential of the collecting electrode. The two terminals and the portion connected to the two terminals are enclosed.
Thereby, it is suppressed that the electric charge which the ion collected by the collection electrode has conducts inside the enclosure of a protection electrode, and moves to a protection electrode. Further, a high voltage due to static electricity or the like is prevented from being directly applied to the converter. Furthermore, since the portion from the collection electrode to the converter is surrounded by the protective electrode, the charge of the ions collected by the collection electrode is prevented from moving outside the enclosure of the protective electrode from the portion. To do.

  The ion generator according to the present invention includes a circuit board in which the collection electrode is arranged on one side, the measurement unit is arranged on the other side, and the protection electrode surrounds the measurement unit. It is configured.

  In the present invention, the collection electrode and the measurement unit are connected in the shortest time, and unnecessary movement of charge is suppressed and the accommodation efficiency in the ion generator is increased. Moreover, it suppresses that the electric charge which the ion collected by the collection electrode has moves to a measurement part exceeding the peripheral part of a circuit board.

  An air purifier and an air conditioner according to the present invention include an ion generator according to the present invention, means for detecting positive and / or negative ions based on the potential measured by the measurement unit, and the means detects ions. And a means for issuing a warning based on the detected result.

  In the present invention, when the amount of ions generated decreases, the user is notified to prompt the cleaning of the ion generation unit or the replacement of the ion generator.

  According to the present invention, when the direction from the ion generation unit toward the collection electrode and the protective electrode is substantially matched with the direction of the airflow flowing in the vicinity of the ion generation unit, the positive and / or negative ion generation unit The ions generated by are collected in the immediate vicinity of the ion generator. In addition, it prevents the charge of ions collected by the collection electrode from moving outside the enclosure of the protective electrode through the part where the insulation is lowered due to dirt such as dust or moisture in the surrounding air. To do. Therefore, ions can be detected with high sensitivity and high accuracy, and the occupied space including the ion detector can be reduced.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments thereof.
(Embodiment 1)
1 is a longitudinal side view showing the configuration of an air cleaner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the main part, FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the main part, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the appearance of an ion generator.

  The air cleaner shown in FIG. 1 has a suction port 11 on the rear wall 1a, a housing 1 having a discharge port 12 on the top wall 1b, a blower 2 arranged at the lower part of the housing 1, a suction port Arranged between the blower 2 and the discharge port 12, which is arranged inside the port 11, passes the air that the blower 2 sucks from the suction port 11, removes foreign matters in the air to make clean air, and The ion generator 5 includes a duct 4 as an air guide path for introducing the clean air to the discharge port 12 and an ion generator 5 for generating positive ions and negative ions in the clean air blown by the blower 2. The positive ions and negative ions generated by the air are discharged to the outside from the discharge port 12 together with the clean air blown by the blower 2.

  The housing 1 has a bottom wall 1c having a rectangular shape in plan view, a front wall 1d continuous with two sides of the bottom wall 1c, a side wall continuous with the other two sides of the rear wall 1a and the bottom wall 1c, and a top wall 1b. Form a rectangular parallelepiped. On the front part of the top wall 1b and the upper part of the front wall 1d, an operation part 35 and a display part 36, which will be described later, are respectively arranged (not shown). The rear wall 1a is provided with a rectangular suction port 11 whose longitudinal direction is up and down, and the top wall 1b is provided with a rectangular discharge port 12 whose longitudinal direction is on both side walls.

  The blower 2 has a cylindrical shape and is a centrifugal type having an impeller 21 arranged so that a rotation axis is front and rear, and a casing 22 in which the impeller 21 is rotatably accommodated, and drives the impeller 21. A motor 6 is attached to the front side of the casing 22.

  The impeller 21 is a multi-blade impeller having a plurality of blades 21a whose rotational center side is displaced in the rotational direction with respect to the outer edge, in other words, a sirocco fan having a cylindrical shape, having a bearing plate at one end, An output shaft of the motor 6 is attached to a shaft hole opened at the center, and air sucked into the cavity at the center portion from the opening at the other end is discharged from between the blades 21a at the outer peripheral portion.

  The casing 22 guides the airflow generated by the rotation of the impeller 21 in the rotation direction of the impeller 21, and increases the speed of the airflow from the arc-shaped guide wall 22a and a part of the arc-shaped guide wall 22a. It has the blower outlet 22b opened upward to one side of the tangential direction of the circular arc guide wall 22a. The air outlet 22b has a rectangular tube shape protruding from a part of the arc-shaped guide wall 22a to one side in the tangential direction of the arc-shaped guide wall 22a. The casing 22 has a deep dish shape, the casing main body 2a having an arcuate guide wall 22a and an opening for the air outlet 22b, and a portion corresponding to the opening of the impeller 21 are opened, and the casing main body 2a is opened. And a lid plate 2b that closes the open side of the lid. The lid plate 2b is attached to the casing body 2a by a plurality of male screws.

  The duct 4 has a rectangular tube shape whose lower end is connected to the air outlet 22b and whose upper end is open, and is integrally formed with the casing body 2a and the cover plate 2b. Further, the duct 4 has a separation distance between one side wall 4a arranged along one of the tangential directions of the arc-shaped guide surface 22a from one side of the outlet 22b and the one side wall from the other side of the outlet 22b. The other side wall 4b which becomes gradually longer, and the front wall 4d which is connected to the one side wall 4a and the other side wall 4b and which is arranged in the vertical direction and the front wall 4d whose distance from the rear wall 4c from the outlet 22b gradually becomes shorter. The clean air blown from the blowout port 22b is configured to be guided into a laminar flow along the one side wall 4a, the rear wall 4c, and the front wall 4d. The front wall 4d is provided with a through hole corresponding to the ion generator 5 and a mounting hole that is separated from the through hole, and a pressing member that fixes the ion generator 5 by a male screw that is screwed into the mounting hole. 5a is attached.

The ion generator 5 is housed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 50, and ion generators 51a, 51b arranged in parallel in a direction crossing the direction of air flow generated by the rotation of the impeller 21, and Ion generators 52a and 52b are provided. Each of the ion generators 51a, 51b, 52a, 52b has a sharp discharge electrode on the inner back side and a counter electrode surrounding the discharge electrode, and the discharge electrode to which a high voltage is applied performs corona discharge. appear. As a result, the ion generation units 51a and 51b are configured to generate negative ions, and the ion generation units 52a and 52b are configured to generate positive ions.
The ion generator 5 may have one plus and one minus ion generator.

  An ion detector 53 for detecting ions generated by the ion generators 51a and 51b is slightly separated from the ion generators 51a and 51b of the ion generator 5 in a direction intersecting the juxtaposed direction. Are arranged side by side. The ion detection unit 53 includes a collection electrode 532 that collects ions, and a protective electrode 533 that has a U-shape that is open on the side of the ion generation units 51 a and 51 b and surrounds the collection electrode 532. In addition, the ion detector 53 is attached by fitting a circuit board (see FIG. 7), which will be described later, into an attachment port opened on the surface where the ion generators 51a and 51b are opened. Thereby, ion generating part 51a, 51b, 52a, 52b and the ion detection part 53 are integrated.

Each of the ion detector 53 and the ion generators 51a, 51b, 52a, 52b faces the duct 4 from the through hole. In this case, the ion detection unit 53 is arranged so as to be on the leeward side of the ion generation units 51 a and 51 b with respect to the airflow flowing through the duct 4.
In addition, the ion detection part 53 may be provided in parallel with the ion generation parts 52a and 52b, and a positive ion may be detected. Two ion detectors 53 may be provided to detect positive and negative ions.

  The air cleaner comprised as mentioned above is installed near the wall in a living room so that the suction inlet 11 may become a wall side. By driving the blower 2, the impeller 21 rotates, indoor air is sucked into the housing 1 from the suction port 11, and a wind passage is generated between the suction port 11 and the discharge port 12. Foreign matter such as dust is removed by the filter 3 to become clean air.

  The clean air that has passed through the filter 3 is sucked into the casing 22 of the blower 2. At this time, the clean air sucked into the casing 22 becomes a laminar flow by the arc-shaped guide wall 22a around the impeller 21, and this laminar flow portion is guided to the outlet 22b along the arc-shaped guide wall 22a. Then, the air is blown into the duct 4 from the air outlet 22b. Since the ion generator 5 is arranged on the front wall 4d of the duct 4, the ion generator 5 generates ions in the clean air flowing along the front wall 4d. Negative ions generated by the ion generation units 51a and 51b are collected by the collection electrode 532 of the ion detection unit 53 in the immediate vicinity of the ion generation units 51a and 51b.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of the air cleaner. The central part of the control system is the CPU 30, which is connected to the ROM 31 for storing information such as programs, the RAM 32 for storing temporarily generated information, and the timer 33 for measuring time. Yes. The CPU 30 executes processes such as input / output and calculation in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 31 in advance.

  The CPU 30 further includes an operation unit 35 for receiving operations such as operation and stop of the air purifier, a display unit 36 including an LCD for displaying information such as operation contents and operation states, and the motor 6 of the blower 2. A blower drive circuit 37 for driving is connected to the bus.

  The output side of the output interface 34 connected to the CPU 30 by a bus is connected to the control input PC1 of the ion generator drive circuit 38. One end of the output of the ion generator drive circuit 38 is connected to the cathode of the DC power supply E1 whose anode is connected to the power input V1 of the ion generator 5, and the other end is connected to the ground input G1 of the ion generator 5. It is connected to the. The ion generator 5 is further connected with an A / D conversion circuit 39 for converting the analog voltage measured by the ion detector 53 into a digital voltage. The A / D conversion circuit 39 is connected to the CPU 30 by a bus.

  When detecting ions, the CPU 30 turns on / off the control input PC1 of the ion generator drive circuit 38 in accordance with the timing of the timer 33 via the output interface 34. Thereby, the ion generator drive circuit 38 connects / disconnects the ground input G1 of the ion generator 5 and the cathode of the DC power supply E1.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of the ion detector 53. The ion detection unit 53 includes a measurement unit 531 and a collecting electrode 532 arranged on a component side (front surface) and a detection side (back surface) of a circuit board, which will be described later.
The measuring unit 531 has a resistor R4 that pulls up the collecting electrode 532 to a DC power source of 5 V, and both terminals of the resistor R4 are connected in parallel with the capacitor C1. The collection electrode 532 is connected to the non-inverting input I1 of the operational amplifier IC1 in which the resistor R2 is connected between the inverting input and the output via the protective resistance R1 of the measuring unit 531.

  The output of the operational amplifier IC1 is connected to resistors R3 and R5 connected in series with capacitors C2 and C4 connected to the ground potential. The connection point between the capacitor C2 and the resistor R3 is connected to the protective electrode 533, and the connection point between the capacitor C4 and the resistor R5 is connected to the output terminal of the connector CN5. The connector CN5 is for applying the potential measured by the ion detector 53 to the A / D conversion circuit 39. The protective electrode 533 surrounds the periphery of the collecting electrode 532 except for a part thereof, and surrounds the protective resistor R1 and a portion connected to both terminals of the protective resistor R1.

  In the circuit described above, when negative ions are collected by the collection electrode 532, the negative charge of the negative ions charges the capacitor C1 connected to the collection electrode 532, so that the capacitor C1 and the protective resistance The potential at the connection point of R1 decreases, and the decreased potential is applied to the non-inverting input I1 of the operational amplifier IC1 via the protective resistor R1. On the other hand, the output of the operational amplifier IC1 is fed back to the inverting input to form an impedance converter with an amplification factor of 1. The potential of the output is the same as the potential applied to the non-inverting input I1. This potential is output from the output terminal of the connector CN5 via the resistor R5 as an analog voltage value with respect to the ground potential.

The output impedance of the operational amplifier IC1 is sufficiently smaller than the resistance value of the resistor R3, and the protective electrode 533 is 1 / 100,000 of the resistor R4 (1 GΩ) that pulls up the collecting electrode 532. Thus, it is kept at the same potential as the collecting electrode 532 through the resistor R3 (10 kΩ) having the resistance value of Therefore, the charge of the ions collected by the collecting electrode 532 is prevented from moving outside the enclosure of the protective electrode 533 through the surface of the circuit board from the collecting electrode 532 to the operational amplifier IC1. Is done.
The protective resistor R1 is not limited to a resistor, and may have a series-parallel circuit of circuit elements such as a resistor and a coil for purposes other than protection.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a conductor pattern of the circuit board of the ion detector 53. FIG. 7A shows a conductor pattern on the front surface on which circuit elements are mounted, and FIG. 7B shows a conductor pattern on the back surface on which the collecting electrode 532 and the protective electrode 533 are formed.
FIG. 7 shows an example of a circuit board, and the outer dimensions such as the dimensions and the aspect ratio of the board may be matched with the mounting opening into which the ion detector 53 is to be fitted.

  The collecting electrode 532 is electrically connected to the conductor pattern on the surface by through holes 532a and 532b, and one terminal of each of the protective resistor R1, resistor R4, and capacitor C1 is attached to the conductor pattern. It is like that. The protective electrode 533 surrounding the collecting electrode 532 on the back surface has a substantially U-shape in plan view with a missing portion on one side in the longitudinal direction of the substantially rectangular circuit board. Through holes 533a and 533b, It is electrically connected to the protective electrode 533 surrounding the periphery of the circuit element on the surface. The protective electrode 533 on the surface also surrounds the conductive pattern and the conductive pattern connecting the protective resistance R1 and the non-inverting input I1.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the CPU 30 that issues a warning based on the result of detecting negative ions. The following processing is executed periodically (for example, every 10 minutes) according to a control program stored in advance in the ROM 31. Note that the execution cycle is not limited to 10 minutes, and may be any time. The detection voltage value 1 and the detection voltage 2 are stored in the RAM 32.

  Prior to the detection of ions, the CPU 30 turns off the control input PC1 via the output I / F 34 in order to stop driving the ion generator 5 (step S11). Thereafter, the CPU 30 causes the timer 33 to start measuring time of 5 seconds (step S12), and determines whether or not the timer 33 has finished measuring time (step S13). Note that 5 seconds at this time is a time to wait until the potential of the collecting electrode 532 is sufficiently pulled up by the resistor R4, and is not limited to 5 seconds. When it is determined that the time measurement has not ended (step S13: NO), the CPU 30 waits until the timer 33 ends the time measurement.

  When it is determined that the time measurement has ended (step S13: YES), the CPU 30 takes in the potential measured by the measurement unit 531 via the A / D conversion circuit 39 as the detected voltage value 1 (step S14). Then, the control input PC1 is turned on via the output I / F 34 to drive the ion generator 5 (step S15). Next, the CPU 30 causes the timer 33 to start measuring time of 5 seconds (step S16), and determines whether or not the timer 33 has finished measuring time (step S17). Note that 5 seconds at this time is a time to wait until the potential of the collecting electrode 532 reaches a steady value, and is not limited to 5 seconds.

  When it is determined that the time measurement has not ended (step S17: NO), the CPU 30 waits until the timer 33 ends the time measurement. If it is determined that the time measurement has been completed (step S17: YES), the CPU 30 takes in the potential measured by the measurement unit 531 via the A / D conversion circuit 39 as the detected voltage value 2 (step S18), and outputs the output I / F 34. The control input PC1 is turned off via (step S19).

  Next, the CPU 30 subtracts the detection voltage value 2 from the detection voltage value 1 (step S20), and determines whether or not the calculated value is 0.5 V or less (step S21). When it determines with it not being 0.5V or less (step S21: NO), CPU30 complete | finishes a process. When it is determined that the voltage is 0.5 V or less (step S21: YES), the CPU 30 turns off the blue lamp of the display unit 36 in order to notify that the negative ion detection level is equal to or less than the threshold (step S22). At the same time, the red lamp indicating the warning is turned on (step S23), and the process is terminated.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the ion detector is integrated with the ion generator on one side in the direction crossing the parallel direction of the positive and negative ion generators. The protective electrode of the ion detector surrounds the collection electrode. In addition, the direction from the ion generation unit to the ion detection unit is substantially matched with the direction of the airflow flowing in the vicinity of the ion generation unit.
Thereby, the ion which the ion generating part generated is collected near the ion generating part. In addition, it prevents the charge of ions collected by the collection electrode from moving outside the enclosure of the protective electrode through the part where the insulation is lowered due to dirt such as dust or moisture in the surrounding air. To do.
Therefore, it is possible to detect the ions with high sensitivity and high accuracy by suppressing the influence of dirt such as dust or humidity, and to narrow the space occupied by the entire ion generator including the ion detector. Become.

Also, a direction in which air to be detected for negative ions flows through a missing portion of one side in the longitudinal direction of the U-shaped protective electrode surrounding the substantially rectangular collecting electrode formed on the circuit board. Therefore, the negative ions are prevented from being collected by the protective electrode while the positive ions are prevented from being collected by the collecting electrode.
Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of detecting ions.

Furthermore, a protective electrode is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier forming the impedance converter so that the potential is substantially the same as the potential of the collecting electrode, and a protective resistance is provided between the collecting electrode and the operational amplifier. The conductor pattern of the electrode surrounds both terminals of the protective resistor and the conductor pattern connected to the both terminals.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent a high voltage due to static electricity or the like from being directly applied to the operational amplifier and improve the accuracy of detecting ions.

Furthermore, a measuring part is arranged on the front surface of the circuit board, and a collecting electrode is arranged on the back surface, and the protective electrode surrounds the measuring part.
Therefore, the collection electrode and the measurement unit are connected in the shortest time, and unnecessary movement of charge is suppressed, and the ion detection unit can be downsized. Moreover, since the electric charge which the ion collected by the collection electrode has moves to a measurement part is suppressed, it becomes possible to improve the precision which detects ion.

Furthermore, based on the result of detecting the ions generated by the ion generator, a warning is issued to the user by the LED of the display unit.
Therefore, it is possible to notify the user when the amount of ions generated decreases, and to prompt the user to clean the ion generator or replace the ion generator.

  In the first embodiment, the collection electrode is pulled up to DC5V by resistance and negative ions are detected. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is pulled down to ground potential by resistance. Positive ions may be detected. In this case, the collection electrode may be disposed close to the positive ion generator, and the sign of the calculated value may be reversed in step S20 of FIG.

  Furthermore, the red lamp of the display unit is lit as a warning, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a warning sound may be generated with a buzzer, and a warning is provided with a voice synthesis circuit and a speaker. You may make it emit a sound.

  Furthermore, the protective electrode surrounds the collecting electrode and the measurement unit, but is not limited to this. For example, in order to remove static electricity from the duct, a portion in the vicinity of the collecting electrode is connected to the protective electrode. You may make it do.

(Embodiment 2)
In Embodiment 1, the ion generator 5 according to the present invention is mounted on an air purifier, whereas in Embodiment 2, the ion generator 5 according to the present invention is mounted on an air conditioner. . FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the figure, double lines without arrows indicate refrigerant flow paths, and double lines with arrows indicate the direction of air flow. The air conditioner is an indoor heat exchanger 81a that exchanges heat between an outdoor unit 7 having an outdoor heat exchanger 71 that exchanges heat with the outside air sucked from the outside and air to be treated sucked from the room. , 81b, 81c, 81d.

  The outdoor heat exchanger 71 of the outdoor unit 7 is connected to the compressor 72 and the indoor heat exchangers 81a and 81b, and is connected to the four-way valve 73 that switches the direction in which the refrigerant circulates and the indoor heat exchangers 81c and 81d. It is connected between the decompressor 74. Between the indoor heat exchangers 81a and 81b and the indoor heat exchangers 81c and 81d, a decompressor 82 and an electromagnetic valve 83 for adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the decompressor 82 are connected in parallel. ing. The decompressors 74 and 82 are for adiabatic expansion of a high-temperature / high-pressure refrigerant into a low-temperature / low-pressure refrigerant.

The outdoor unit 7 includes an outdoor control unit 75 made of a microcomputer. The outdoor control unit 75 is connected to a four-way valve 73, an outdoor temperature sensor 76 that detects the temperature of the outdoor air sucked into the outdoor unit 7, and an outdoor fan 77 that discharges the air heat-exchanged by the outdoor heat exchanger 71 to the outside. Has been.
The outdoor control unit 75 takes in the detection value detected by the outdoor temperature sensor 76, controls the compression force of the compressor 72 and the rotational speed of the outdoor fan 77, and sets the four-way valve 73 when switching between the cooling and heating operations of the air conditioner. Control to switch.

  The indoor unit 8 includes an indoor control unit 84 including a CPU, a bus interface, and an input / output interface. The bus interface of the indoor control unit 84 is connected to a memory 85 including a ROM for storing information such as a program and a RAM for storing temporarily generated information, and a timer 86 for measuring time. . The CPU of the indoor control unit 84 executes processing such as input / output and calculation and communication with the outdoor control unit 75 in accordance with a control program stored in advance in the ROM of the memory 85.

The input / output interface of the indoor control unit 84 includes a receiving unit 87 that receives an infrared signal transmitted from the remote controller 100, an indoor temperature sensor 88 and a humidity sensor 89 that detect indoor temperature and humidity, respectively, an operating state, and an alarm. A display unit 36a composed of an LCD for displaying information such as these is connected.
The input / output interface of the indoor control unit 84 further includes an electromagnetic valve 83, an ion generator driving circuit 38 that drives the ion generator 5, an indoor fan 90 that allows air to flow through the indoor unit 8, and indoor ventilation. A ventilation device 91 is connected.

  The indoor control unit 84 accepts various operations based on the infrared signal received by the receiving unit 87, opens and closes the electromagnetic valve 83, and controls the rotational speed of the indoor fan 90, so that the outdoor unit 7 includes each component of the outdoor unit 7. The information necessary to control is transmitted. The outdoor control unit 75 that has received the information controls the compressor 72 and the outdoor fan 77 so that, for example, the set temperature included in the received information matches the temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor 88.

  The electromagnetic valve 83 is opened by the indoor control unit 84 during the cooling operation and the heating operation. When the electromagnetic valve 83 is open, the refrigerant passes only a minimal amount on the decompressor 82 side, and most of the refrigerant passes on the electromagnetic valve 83 side. Further, the four-way valve 73 has a refrigerant flow path by the outdoor control unit 75 so that the outdoor heat exchanger 71 side has a high pressure during the cooling operation and the indoor heat exchangers 81a, 81b, 81c, 81d have a high pressure during the heating operation. Can be switched. Accordingly, during the cooling operation and the heating operation, the indoor heat exchangers 81a, 81b, 81c, 81d operate as an evaporator and a condenser, respectively. Description of the operation during the dehumidifying operation is omitted.

  The to-be-treated air sucked into the indoor unit 8 by the rotation of the indoor fan 90 is cooled, heated or dehumidified by the indoor heat exchangers 81a, 81b, 81c, 81d, and the positive and negative generated by the ion generator 5 It is designed to be blown into the room together with ions.

  FIG. 10 is a right side sectional view schematically showing the indoor unit 8 of the air conditioner. In the figure, 8a is a case, and a suction port 92 for inhaling air to be treated is formed on the top surface of the case 8a. A filter 93 that removes foreign matters such as dust and fine particles contained in the air to be treated is disposed below the suction port 92. An indoor fan 90 having a rotation axis in the longitudinal direction is provided at a substantially central portion of the indoor unit 8, and the indoor fan 90 is disposed so as to surround the indoor fan 90 in front of the indoor fan 90 and obliquely upward at the front and rear. Heat exchangers 81a, 81b, 81c, 81d are provided. The indoor fan 90 is a sirocco fan in the second embodiment.

A blower outlet 94 is opened obliquely below the front of the indoor fan 90, and the opening of the blower outlet 94 is adjusted by a louver 95 pivotally supported at the center of the front surface of the case 8a. It has become. On the wall surface extending from the lower side of the indoor heat exchanger 81b located at the bottom of the indoor heat exchanger to the upper edge of the opening of the outlet 94, the parallel arrangement direction of the ion generators 51a, 51b, 52a, 52b is indoors. The ion generator 5 is attached downward so as to be substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the fan 90. A display unit 36a for displaying an alarm is provided at the upper part of the front surface of the case 8a.
The ion generator 5 is covered with a cover having a slit that does not hinder air flow for safety to the human body.

  In the configuration described above, the indoor air to be treated is sucked into the indoor unit 8 through the suction port 92 and the filter 93 due to the negative pressure generated by the rotation operation of the indoor fan 90. The sucked air is cooled or heated by the indoor heat exchangers 81a, 81b, 81c, 81d. The cooled or heated air is blown out into the room again through the blowout port 94 together with the ions generated by the ion generator 5 by the rotation operation of the indoor fan 90. When the negative ion detection level is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the indoor control unit 84 displays an alarm on the display unit 36a to issue a warning to the user.

  In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the location corresponding to Embodiment 1, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, a warning is issued to the user by the LED of the display unit based on the detection result of the ions generated by the ion generator.
Therefore, it is possible to notify the user when the amount of ions generated decreases, and to prompt the user to clean the ion generator or replace the ion generator.

It is a vertical side view which shows the structure of the air cleaner which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of the principal part. It is a side view which shows the structure of the principal part. It is a front view which shows typically the external appearance of an ion generator. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the control system of an air cleaner. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of an ion detection part. It is a top view which shows the conductor pattern of the circuit board of an ion detection part. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of CPU which issues a warning based on the result of having detected negative ion. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is right side sectional drawing which shows typically the indoor unit of an air conditioner.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 12 Outlet 2 Blower 21 Impeller 30 CPU
31 ROM
32 RAM
33, 86 Timer 36, 36a Display unit (means for issuing a warning)
38 Ion Generator Drive Circuit 39 A / D Conversion Circuit 4 Duct 5 Ion Generator 51a, 51b (Negative) Ion Generator 52a, 52b (Plus) Ion Generator 53 Ion Detector 531 Measuring Unit 532 Collection Electrode 533 Protective electrode 6 Motor 7 Outdoor unit 8 Indoor unit 84 Indoor controller IC1 Operational amplifier (converter)
R1 Protection resistance (circuit element)

Claims (6)

Positive and negative ion generators are arranged side by side, a collection electrode for collecting positive and / or negative ions generated by each of the ion generators, and a measurement for measuring the potential of the collection electrode An ion generator comprising:
Surrounding the collection electrode, comprising a protective electrode to be connected to a predetermined potential,
The collection electrode and the protective electrode are arranged side by side integrally with the positive ion generation unit and / or the negative ion generation unit on one side in a direction intersecting the parallel arrangement direction. Characteristic ion generator.   2. The ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the protective electrode has a missing part of the electrode on the side of the ion generating part in the juxtaposed direction. The measuring unit has a converter that converts the impedance of the collecting electrode, and a circuit element connected between the converter and the collecting electrode,
The protective electrode is connected to an output terminal of the converter so as to have substantially the same potential as the potential of the collecting electrode, and is configured to surround both terminals of the circuit element. The ion generator according to claim 1 or 2. The collecting electrode is disposed on one surface, and the measurement unit includes a circuit board disposed on the other surface,
The ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protective electrode is configured to surround the measurement unit. An ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Means for detecting positive and / or negative ions based on the potential measured by the measurement unit;
Means for issuing a warning based on the result of detection of ions by the means. An ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Means for detecting positive and / or negative ions based on the potential measured by the measurement unit;
An air conditioner comprising: means for issuing a warning based on a result of detection of ions by the means.

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