JP2011013017A - Inspection device and inspection method of ion generating element - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspection device and an inspection method of an ion generating element capable of highly accurately inspecting the ion generating element in a short time.SOLUTION: The inspection device 1 of the ion generating element 10 includes an ion counter 130 with an output part 135, a time constant circuit 140, and a display part 151. The ion counter 130 measures a concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element 10. The output part 135 outputs a voltage signal based on the concentration of ions measured by the ion counter 130. The time constant circuit 140 passes the voltage signal output by the output part 135. The display part 151 displays the concentration of ions based on the voltage signal passing through the time constant circuit 140.

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus and an inspection method for an ion generating element.

  In recent years, the number of infected people such as avian influenza virus has been increasing around the world. In the future, it is predicted that there is a high possibility of a large-scale and explosive epidemic among infected people. In such a background, attention has been paid to an ionic air purification technique that can effectively remove bacteria, viruses, molds, allergens, and the like floating in the atmosphere.

  Conventionally, negative ions are said to give a relaxing effect to the human body. Recent research results confirm that approximately the same amount of positive ions (positive ions) and negative ions (negative ions) inactivate harmful substances such as bacteria, viruses, molds, and allergens. It was. The mechanism for inactivating harmful substances by positive ions and negative ions is considered as follows. That is, approximately the same amount of positive ions and negative ions cause a chemical reaction on the surface of the harmful substance protein to generate strong oxidizing OH radicals. The generated OH radicals extract hydrogen from the surface of the harmful substance and destroy the protein of the harmful substance. In this way, harmful substances are inactivated using positive ions and negative ions.

  In such air purification technology using ions, it has been confirmed that the effect of removing harmful substances such as bacteria, viruses, molds, and allergens floating in the air depends on the ion concentration.

  Therefore, recently, ion generating elements that generate substantially the same amount of positive ions and negative ions at a higher concentration than before have been commercialized. In an ion generating element that generates high-concentration ions, for example, a high voltage having a constant pulse is applied to a positive electrode that generates positive ions and a negative electrode that generates negative ions, respectively, and plasma discharge occurs to generate high-concentration ions. Generate.

  In order to effectively remove harmful substances such as bacteria, viruses, molds, and allergies, it is important to ensure the quality of ion generating elements that generate high-concentration ions.

However, ions generated by plasma discharge are, for example, H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m (m is an arbitrary integer) as positive ions and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (n is an arbitrary integer) as negative ions. It is a minute particle that cannot be seen by human eyes. Therefore, even if there is a defective ion generating element that does not generate a predetermined amount of positive and negative ions in the production process, it is impossible to detect the defective ion generating element by visual inspection. Therefore, conventionally, an ion generation device is inspected by measuring the amount of ions generated from the ion generation device using an ion amount measurement device that measures positive ions and negative ions in the air.

  As an apparatus for measuring the amount of ions in the air, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-4786 (Patent Document 1) describes an air ion measuring device. In this air ion measuring instrument, the amount of positive and negative air ions is displayed numerically and simultaneously with a graph. In this way, the user can easily recognize the ion balance between positive and negative air ions.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-13109 (Patent Document 2) discloses a positive / negative ion amount measuring apparatus that measures the amount of positive ions and negative ions and displays the amount of positive ions and negative ions digitally or graphically. Is described. In this positive / negative ion amount measuring apparatus, positive ions are adsorbed on a negative collector electrode, and negative ions are adsorbed on a positive collector electrode. Since there is a difference in the value of the current flowing through the collector electrode depending on the amount of ions adsorbed, the current value flowing through the collector electrode is input to a microcomputer to perform calculations, and the number of positive ions, the number of negative ions, and the like are obtained. The obtained number of positive ions, number of negative ions, and the like are displayed in monochrome or color in digital display or graphic display.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-4786 JP 2001-13109 A

  However, positive ions and negative ions are generated by the ion generating element every moment and disappear in the air. Therefore, the amount of positive ions and negative ions in the air changes constantly. The amount of positive and negative ions in the air is greatly affected by the surrounding environment such as wind speed, temperature, and humidity.

  In the air ion measuring device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-4786 (Patent Document 1) and the positive / negative ion amount measuring device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-13109 (Patent Document 2), the amount of positive and negative ions is digitally displayed. Or graphic display (graph display). However, the amount of positive and negative ions to be measured constantly changes depending on the surrounding environment such as wind speed, temperature, and humidity. For this reason, the amount of positive and negative ions displayed digitally or graphically changes constantly.

  In this way, when the displayed ion concentration constantly changes and the variation in the displayed ion concentration is large, even if a defective product is generated in the ion generating element to be inspected, it is difficult to distinguish it from a non-defective product. In order to inspect whether the ion generating element generates a predetermined amount of positive and negative ions by observing the constantly changing amount of positive and negative ions using the above-mentioned air ion measuring device and positive and negative ion amount measuring device, It is necessary to determine whether or not a predetermined amount of positive and negative ions is stably generated through long-term observation. In addition, if the displayed ion concentration varies greatly, it is difficult to increase the accuracy of inspection.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an ion generating element inspection apparatus and inspection method capable of inspecting an ion generating element with high accuracy in a short time.

  An ion generating element inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes an ion concentration measuring apparatus including an output unit, a high-pass filter, and a display unit. The ion concentration measuring device measures the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element. The output unit outputs a voltage signal based on the ion concentration measured by the ion concentration measuring device. The high-pass filter passes the voltage signal output by the output unit. The display unit displays the ion concentration based on the voltage signal that has passed through the high-pass filter.

  The ion concentration generated by the ion generating element and measured by the ion concentration measuring device is constantly changed by being greatly influenced by the surrounding environment such as wind speed, temperature, and humidity. As a result of various studies, the inventors output a voltage signal based on the ion concentration, removes a low frequency component of the output voltage signal, and then removes the low frequency component based on the voltage signal. By displaying the ion concentration, it has been found that the ion concentration can be displayed without variations in the ion concentration due to the influence of the surrounding environment.

  The ion concentration measured by the ion concentration measuring device is output as a voltage signal by the output unit. Since the ion concentration measured by the ion concentration measuring device constantly changes under the influence of the surrounding environment, the voltage signal output by the output unit also changes constantly. By passing the voltage signal output by the output unit through a high-pass filter, the low-frequency component of the voltage signal is removed. In this way, the influence of the environment around the ion concentration measuring device on the ion concentration can be removed. Next, the ion concentration is displayed on the display unit based on this voltage signal.

  An inspector who inspects the ion generating element observes the display on the display unit and determines whether or not the ion generating element generates a predetermined amount of positive ions and negative ions. Since the variation in the ion concentration displayed on the display unit is smaller than the variation in the ion concentration measured by the ion concentration measuring device, the inspector who performs the inspection of the ion generating element can measure the ion concentration measured by the ion concentration measuring device. The ion generating element can be inspected by observing the display portion for a relatively short time as compared with the case where the current is displayed as it is. In addition, it is possible to judge with higher accuracy compared to the case where the ion concentration that changes constantly is displayed as it is and whether or not a predetermined amount of positive and negative ions is measured.

  By doing in this way, the inspection apparatus of the ion generating element which can test | inspect an ion generating element with high precision in a short time can be provided.

  The inspection apparatus for an ion generating element according to the present invention preferably includes an air passage section for circulating ions generated by the ion generating element and an air blowing section for sending air into the air passage section. The ion concentration measuring device is preferably arranged in the air passage section.

  By disposing the ion concentration measuring device in the air passage portion, the influence of the surrounding environment such as wind speed, temperature, and humidity on the ion concentration can be reduced. Moreover, by providing the ventilation part which sends out air in an air path part, it can make it easy to distribute | circulate, without the ion generated by the ion generating element staying in an air path part. By doing in this way, the inspection apparatus of the ion generating element which can test | inspect an ion generating element more accurately in a short time can be provided.

  The ion generating element inspection method according to the present invention includes a first step, a second step, and a third step. In the first step, the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element is measured by an ion concentration measuring device. In the second step, the ion concentration measured by the ion concentration measuring device in the first step is output as a voltage signal. In the third step, the voltage signal output in the second step is passed through the high-pass filter. In the ion generating element inspection method according to the present invention, the ion generating element is inspected by displaying the ion concentration on the display unit based on the voltage signal that has passed through the high-pass filter in the third step.

  The ion concentration measured by the ion concentration measuring device in the first step is output as a voltage signal in the second step. Since the ion concentration measured by the ion concentration measuring device changes constantly under the influence of the surrounding environment, the voltage signal output in the second step also changes constantly. By passing the voltage signal output in the second stroke through a high-pass filter in the third stroke, the low frequency component of the voltage signal is removed. In this way, the influence of the environment around the ion concentration measuring device on the ion concentration can be removed. Next, the ion concentration is displayed on the display unit based on this voltage signal.

  An inspector who inspects the ion generating element observes the display on the display unit and determines whether or not the ion generating element generates a predetermined amount of positive ions and negative ions. Since the variation of the ion concentration displayed on the display unit is smaller than the variation of the ion concentration measured by the ion concentration measuring device in the first step, the inspector who inspects the ion generating element uses the ion concentration measuring device. By observing the display portion for a relatively short time compared to the case where the measured ion concentration is displayed as it is, the ion generating element can be inspected. In addition, it is possible to judge with higher accuracy compared to the case where the ion concentration that changes constantly is displayed as it is and whether or not a predetermined amount of positive and negative ions is measured.

  By doing in this way, the inspection method of the ion generating element which can test | inspect an ion generating element with high precision in a short time can be provided.

  In the method for inspecting an ion generating element according to the present invention, in the first step, ions generated by the ion generating element are circulated through the air passage portion, and the ion concentration is measured by the ion concentration measuring device in the air passage portion. It is preferable to do.

  By causing the ions generated by the ion generating element to circulate in the air passage portion, the influence of the surrounding environment such as wind speed, temperature, and humidity on the ion concentration can be reduced. By doing in this way, the inspection method of the ion generating element which can test | inspect an ion generating element with higher precision in a short time can be provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ion generating element inspection apparatus and inspection method capable of inspecting an ion generating element with high accuracy in a short time.

It is a figure showing typically the whole inspection device of a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the inside of the air path of the test | inspection apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the time constant circuit with which the inspection apparatus of 1st Embodiment is provided. It is a figure which shows an example of the ion concentration represented on the display part of an oscilloscope. It is a figure which shows typically the whole inspection apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 5A shows the duct of the inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment when viewed from the direction of the arrow VI shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6B shows the duct when viewed from the direction of the arrow B shown in FIG. It is a figure (C) when seeing a duct from the direction of arrow C shown to (A). It is a figure which shows typically the whole inspection apparatus of 3rd Embodiment. Sectional view (A) when the duct of the inspection device of the third embodiment is viewed from above, Figure (B) when the duct is viewed from the direction of arrow B shown in (A), and the duct (A) (C) when it sees from the direction of the arrow C shown in FIG. 2, and sectional drawing (D) when seeing a duct from the direction of the DD line shown to (A).

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, the ion generating element inspection apparatus 1 mainly includes a duct 110 as an air passage section, a fan 120 as an air blowing section, an ion counter 130 as an ion concentration measuring apparatus, and a time constant circuit as a high pass filter. 140 and an oscilloscope 150 as a display unit.

  The ion generating element 10 to be inspected is disposed inside the duct 110. The ion generation element 10 includes a positive ion generation unit 11 that generates positive ions and a negative ion generation unit 12 that generates negative ions.

  The duct 110 is made of iron and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The duct 110 is supported on the floor surface by a duct leg 112 at a certain distance from the floor surface. On the upper surface of the duct 110, an earth ground terminal 113 for quickly grounding the electric charge accumulated in the duct 110 is provided. An ion counter insertion port 111 for inserting an ion counter 130 is opened on one side surface of the duct 110. In FIG. 1, the left and right ends of the duct 110 are opened. A fan 120 is disposed at the left end of the duct 110.

  When the duct 110 is formed of a material having low conductivity such as paper or acrylic, positive ions and negative ions generated by the ion generating element 10 hit the inner wall of the duct 110 and electric charges are accumulated in the entire duct 110. Sometimes. When electric charges accumulate in the entire duct 110, the ion concentration cannot be accurately measured by the ion counter 130. Therefore, an iron duct having excellent conductivity is used as the duct 110. Furthermore, the earth ground terminal 113 is provided in the duct 110 main body, and the electric charge of the whole duct 110 is sent to the earth so that the electric charge does not accumulate in the duct 110.

  In addition, if the duct 110 is installed on a table or the like formed of a material that easily accumulates charges, even if the duct 110 is made of iron, the static elimination effect may not be enhanced. Therefore, depending on the environment, a duct leg 112 for ensuring a certain distance between the main body of the duct 110 and the floor surface is provided.

  By arranging the ion generating element 10 to be inspected in such a duct 110, the ion generating element 10 can be hardly affected by the surrounding environment.

  The fan 120 sends air into the duct 110. Air is sent out by the fan 120 in a direction indicated by a two-dot chain line arrow in the drawing.

  The ion counter 130 is inserted into the duct 110 from the ion counter insertion port 111. A gap of about 1 to 2 cm is provided between the ion counter insertion port 111 and the ion counter 130. The ion counter 130 includes an output unit 135 and an ion counter display unit 131. An ion counter duct 133 is formed inside the ion counter 130. The ion counter duct 133 communicates with the outside through the measurement port 132. The measurement port 132 of the ion counter 130 opens in the duct 110.

  The ion counter 130 measures the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element 10 that generates approximately the same amount of positive ions and negative ions. The ion counter 130 can simultaneously measure positive ions (plus ions) and negative ions (negative ions). Commercially available ion counters include a type that measures positive ions and negative ions simultaneously and a type that measures non-simultaneously. In this embodiment, an ion counter (for example, model number NKMH-102 manufactured by Hokuto Electronics Co., Ltd.) capable of simultaneously measuring positive ions and negative ions is used. A voltage signal is output by the output unit 135 based on the measured ion concentration.

  The output unit 135 of the ion counter 130 is connected to the oscilloscope 150 via the time constant circuit 140. The oscilloscope 150 includes a display unit 151. The time constant circuit 140 is an incomplete differentiation circuit.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the total length L of the duct 110 is 600 mm in this embodiment. The distance D1 between the fan 120 and the ion generating element 10 is 110 mm. The ion generating element 10 is disposed between the fan 120 and the ion counter 130. It is assumed that the distance D2 between the ion generating element 10 and the ion counter 130 is 178 mm.

  The ion generating element 10 is arranged in the duct 110 so that the line connecting the positive ion generating unit 11 and the negative ion generating unit 12 is orthogonal to the direction in which the air sent out by the fan 120 flows. Further, the ion generating element 10 is disposed at the center in the vertical direction in the duct 110. By doing so, it is possible to allow the air to pass evenly through both the positive electrode of the positive ion generation unit 11 and the negative electrode of the negative ion generation unit 12 of the ion generation element 10. The measurement port 132 of the ion counter 130 is disposed at a position at an equal distance from both the positive ion generation unit 11 and the negative ion generation unit 12. By doing in this way, positive ions and negative ions can be detected equally.

  The positive ions and negative ions generated by the ion generating element 10 have a very short life, like the ions existing in nature. Therefore, the ion concentration is highest on the respective discharge electrodes of the positive ion generation unit 11 and the negative ion generation unit 12 of the ion generation element 10, and as the distance from the positive ion generation unit 11 to the periphery of the negative ion generation unit 12 increases. , The ion concentration is considerably reduced. Thus, positive and negative ions have a characteristic that they cannot diffuse far.

  Therefore, if the ion counter 130 is placed at a position away from the ion generating element 10, ions cannot be detected. On the other hand, if the ion counter 130 is brought close to the ion generating element 10, the detection range of the ion counter 130 overflows and measurement cannot be performed. In order to solve this problem, the fan 120 is attached to one end of the duct 110. By blowing air to the ion generating element 10 using the fan 120, ions generated by the ion generating element 10 can be circulated further.

  When the inventors conducted various experiments, the ion concentration was measured within a range that the ion counter 130 could measure by adjusting the wind speed of the fan 120 and the distance between the ion generating element 10 and the ion counter 130. We were able to. In addition, by examining various experimental results, the air flow is greatly fluctuated at the outlet of the fan 120, and the variation in ion concentration measured when the ion generating element 10 to be inspected is installed in the vicinity of the outlet of the fan 120. Was found to be larger.

  In order to confirm this, the present inventors used an anemometer to determine the position near the fan 120 (A), the position where the distance between the fan 120 and the ion generating element 10 is 10 cm (B), the fan 120 and the ion. The wind speed on the ion generating element 10 was measured at three positions (C) where the distance between the generating elements 10 was 20 cm. As a result, it was found that the airflow was most stable at the position (B) where the distance between the fan 120 and the ion generating element 10 was about 10 cm. As described above, in the first embodiment, the distance D1 between the fan 120 and the ion generating element 10 is 110 mm.

  Further, in order to measure positive ions and negative ions emitted from the positive ion generator 11 and the negative ion generator 12 of the ion generator 10 in a balanced manner, the positions of the ion generator 10 and the ion counter 130 are measured. It is also necessary to consider the relationship.

  Regarding the positional relationship between the ion generating element 10 and the ion counter 130, the following two types are conceivable. As a first positional relationship, the measurement port 132 of the ion counter 130 is disposed so as to face the ion generating element 10. As the second positional relationship, the measurement port 132 of the ion counter 130 is rotated by 90 ° from the first positional relationship facing the positive ion generating unit 11 and the negative ion generating unit 12 of the ion generating element 10.

  When the ion counter 130 and the ion generating element 10 are arranged so as to be in the first positional relationship, the wind blown from the fan 120 and passing through the ion generating element 10 is directly measured facing the ion generating element 10. The mouth 132 is sprayed from the front. In this way, when wind is blown from the front to the measurement port 132 of the ion counter 130, the wind hits the casing around the measurement port 132, the airflow is disturbed, and the variation in the concentration of ions entering the measurement port 132 is large. May be. The measurement port 132 is an inlet of the ion counter duct 133, and the ion measurement unit 134 is arranged inside the ion counter duct 133, so that the turbulent airflow blown to the measurement port 132 is the ion measurement unit 134. Spray from the front. When the turbulent air current is blown to the ion measuring unit 134, the variation in the measured ion concentration may increase.

  On the other hand, when the ion counter 130 and the ion generating element 10 are arranged so as to be in the second positional relationship, the wind sent by the fan 120 and passing through the ion generating element 10 is not blown to the front of the measurement port 132. . The wind that has passed through the ion generating element 10 flows along the casing of the ion counter 130, flows into the ion counter duct 133 from the measurement port 132, and ions are detected by the ion measuring unit 134. By doing in this way, the influence by disturbance of an air current can be reduced. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the first embodiment, the ion generating element 10 and the ion counter 130 are arranged so as to be in the second positional relationship.

  Furthermore, the present inventors also examined the distance between the ion generating element 10 and the ion counter 130. In the case where the ion counter 130 is disposed in the vicinity of the ion generating element 10 (D), the case where the ion counter 130 is disposed within 10 cm from the ion generating element 10 (E), and the ion generating element 10. The three positional relationships with the case (F) where the ion counter 130 is arranged at a position about 20 cm apart were examined.

  The ion generating element 10 and the ion counter 130 are arranged so as to have the above-described second positional relationship, and the distance between the ion generating element 10 and the ion counter 130 is set to the above-described (D) to (F). We examined the case of First, in the case of (D), ions generated from the ion generating element 10 flow quickly in parallel with the measurement port 132 of the ion counter 130, so that ions are hardly detected. In the case of (E), the ion counter 130 itself disturbs the air flow and disturbs the measurement of ions, although it is somewhat improved compared to the case of (D). Therefore, the balance between positive ions and negative ions is lost. Therefore, in this embodiment, the ion counter 130 is placed at a distance of about 20 cm from the ion generating element 10 as in (F) above. If the distance between the ion generating element 10 and the ion counter 130 is longer than that, the variation in ion concentration becomes large. In the first embodiment, the distance D2 between the ion generating element 10 and the ion counter 130 is 178 mm.

  As described above, even if the influence of the surrounding environment on the ion concentration is suppressed by the duct 110 and the variation in the ion concentration is suppressed in consideration of the positional relationship between the ion generating element 10 and the ion counter 130, the ion counter 130 The measured ion concentration varies within a few milliseconds. Therefore, the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130 is once output as a voltage signal, and the output voltage signal is passed through the time constant circuit 140 to remove the low frequency component of the voltage signal. Next, the ion concentration is obtained and displayed based on the voltage signal from which the low frequency component has been removed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the time constant circuit 140 is disposed between the output unit 135 of the ion counter 130 (FIG. 1) and the oscilloscope 150. The time constant circuit 140 is composed of a capacitor 141 and a resistor 142, is an incomplete differentiation circuit with a time constant of 1 second, and is formed as an RC substrate. The time constant circuit 140 samples data every second. The ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130 is output as a voltage signal by the output unit 135, the low frequency component is removed by the time constant circuit 140, and input to the oscilloscope 150.

  In the oscilloscope 150, the ion concentration is obtained based on the voltage signal that has passed through the time constant circuit 140 and from which low frequency components have been removed. The ion concentration thus obtained is displayed on the display unit 151 of the oscilloscope 150. The display unit 151 does not display the numerical value of the ion concentration as it is, but displays the ion concentration as a waveform in real time. By doing in this way, the inspector who inspects the ion generating element 10 can easily determine the measured ion concentration visually.

  A method for inspecting the ion generating element 10 using the inspection apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

<Confirmation before ion generator inspection>
The concentration of ions is greatly affected by the temperature and humidity of the air. Therefore, prior inspection is required when the ion generating element 10 is inspected using the inspection apparatus 1. First, the temperature and humidity of the place where the ion generating element 10 is inspected are adjusted to predetermined conditions. For example, the temperature is adjusted to 30 ± 2 ° C. and the humidity is adjusted to 40 ± 2%. Further, it is confirmed whether or not the duct 110 and the ion counter 130 serving as an air path for ions generated by the ion generating element 10 are connected to the ground. Further, it is confirmed that the wind speed by the fan 120 is constant. Next, the range of the ion counter 130 is set so that the ion concentration can be measured appropriately. Finally, the vertical axis (ion concentration) and horizontal axis (time) of the oscilloscope 150 are set to appropriate ranges.

<Confirmation of good product standard ion concentration>
Next, the inspection apparatus 1 confirms the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element that is a non-defective product standard. The non-defective product ion generating element is determined in advance.

  There are two reasons for checking the concentration of ions generated by the non-defective product ion generating element with the inspection apparatus 1. The first reason is to check whether or not the non-defective standard ion generating element generates a predetermined concentration of ions even at the temperature and humidity adjusted in the confirmation before the inspection by the inspection apparatus 1. . If the non-defective standard ion generator does not generate ions of the specified concentration in this temperature / humidity environment, the adjusted temperature, humidity, and wind speed are likely not to satisfy the conditions. I understand.

  The second reason is that the positive ion concentration and negative ion concentration generated by the non-defective standard ion generating element are output to the oscilloscope 150 and recorded on the oscilloscope 150 based on this output. In this way, the ion concentration waveform of the ion generating element 10 to be inspected is compared with the recorded ion concentration waveform of the non-defective reference ion generating element on the display unit 151 of the oscilloscope 150. Therefore, the quality of the ion generating element 10 can be easily determined visually.

  In the mass production process of the ion generating element 10, it is assumed that the inspection of the ion generating element 10, that is, the measurement of the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element 10 is accurate. However, not only the accuracy but also the inspection of the ion generating element 10 in a short time is required for performing the inspection in the mass production process.

  Therefore, in the inspection apparatus 1 of the present invention, the ion generation element 10 to be inspected is generated, not for the purpose of performance evaluation that accurately measures the absolute value of the ion concentration generated by the ion generation element 10. This is used to check whether or not the ion concentration to be reached has reached a predetermined concentration.

  Usually, in the performance evaluation test of the ion generating element 10, the ion concentration is measured for 20 to 30 minutes using a high-accuracy ion counter (non-simultaneous measurement type of positive ions and negative ions). Data processing is performed on the measured ion concentration with dedicated software, and the ion concentration is calculated from the average of the ion concentration (excluding the rise) after stabilization. In this method, from the measurement of the ion concentration to the pass / fail inspection determination of the ion generating element 10, the inspection time per ion generating element is too long and cannot be applied to the mass production process.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, first, a non-defective ion generating element that generates ions having a predetermined ion concentration is selected using a high-precision ion counter. Next, this non-defective standard ion generating element is inspected by the inspection apparatus 1 and an ion concentration waveform is recorded on the oscilloscope 150. By doing so, the correlation between the high-precision ion counter and the inspection ion counter can be confirmed. Thereafter, the inspection apparatus 1 is used to inspect other ion generating elements 10 to be inspected. By doing in this way, it becomes unnecessary to use a highly accurate ion counter for the inspection of each ion generating element 10, and each ion generating element 10 can be inspected in a short time.

<Ion concentration test>
When the above confirmation is completed, the ion generating element 10 is inspected. After the ion generating element 10 to be inspected is installed at a predetermined position in the duct 110, the ion generating element 10 is energized. Since about 10 seconds from the start of energization is a period in which the generation amount of positive ions and negative ions rises simultaneously, the quality determination of the ion generating element 10 is not performed during this period. If about 10 seconds or more have elapsed from the start of energization, the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element 10 is stabilized. Therefore, the quality of the ion generating element 10 is determined within a period of 10 to 20 seconds from the start of energization.

  First, as a first step, the ion counter 130 measures the concentration of positive ions and negative ions generated by the ion generating element 10.

  Next, the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130 is displayed on the ion counter display unit 131 of the ion counter 130 as it is. In the second step, the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130 is output as a voltage signal. In the third step, the output voltage signal is passed through the time constant circuit 140. The voltage signal that has passed through the time constant circuit 140 is input to the oscilloscope 150. The oscilloscope 150 obtains the ion concentration based on the input voltage signal and displays it on the display unit 151. Note that the ion concentration displayed on the ion counter display unit 131 does not pass through the time constant circuit 140.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when an appropriate range is set on the vertical axis (ion concentration) and the horizontal axis (time) of the display unit 151 of the oscilloscope 150 (FIG. 1), the voltage signal input to the oscilloscope 150 (FIG. 1). , That is, the ion concentration obtained on the basis of the voltage signal from which the low-frequency component has been removed through the time constant circuit 140 appears on the display screen in real time.

  The display unit 151 displays a non-defective standard ion concentration waveform 152 and an ion concentration waveform 153 generated by the ion generation element 10 to be inspected. A non-defective product-based ion concentration waveform 152 is a waveform recorded in advance on the oscilloscope 150 (FIG. 1). A waveform 153 of the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element 10 to be inspected is measured by the ion counter 130, output as a voltage signal, and a waveform based on the voltage from which the low frequency component is removed via the time constant circuit 140. It is.

  Two reference lines 154 are drawn on the display unit 151 based on the waveform 152 of the non-defective standard ion concentration. If the ion concentration waveform 153 of the ion generating element 10 to be inspected is at the same level or outside of the non-defective standard ion concentration waveform 152 and the reference line 154, the ion generation amount of the ion generating element 10 to be inspected Achieves a predetermined ion concentration. At this time, the ion generating element 10 is determined to be a good product. On the other hand, if the ion concentration waveform 153 of the ion generating element 10 to be inspected is inside the non-defective standard ion concentration waveform 152 and the reference line 154, the ion generation amount of the ion generating element 10 to be inspected is a predetermined amount. Less than ion concentration. In this case, the ion generating element 10 is determined as a defective product.

  In this way, inspection of the ion generating element 10 that generates substantially the same amount of positive ions and negative ions can be performed with high accuracy in a short time.

  As described above, the inspection apparatus 1 inspects the ion generating element 10 by measuring the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element 10 with high accuracy in a short time in the mass production process of the ion generating element 10. The inspection apparatus 1 is intended for inspection in the mass production process of the ion generation element 10 and is not an apparatus for measuring or evaluating the absolute value of the ion concentration generated by the ion generation element 10.

  As described above, the inspection apparatus 1 for the ion generating element 10 according to the first embodiment includes the ion counter 130 including the output unit 135, the time constant circuit 140, and the display unit 151. The ion counter 130 measures the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element 10. The output unit 135 outputs a voltage signal based on the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130. The time constant circuit 140 passes the voltage signal output by the output unit 135. The display unit 151 displays the ion concentration based on the voltage signal that has passed through the time constant circuit 140.

  The ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130 is output as a voltage signal by the output unit 135. Since the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130 constantly changes under the influence of the surrounding environment, the voltage signal output by the output unit 135 also changes constantly. By passing the voltage signal output by the output unit 135 through the time constant circuit 140, the low frequency component of the voltage signal is removed. In this way, the influence of the environment around the ion counter 130 on the ion concentration can be removed. Next, the ion concentration is displayed on the display unit 151 based on the voltage signal.

  An inspector who inspects the ion generating element 10 observes the display on the display unit 151 to determine whether the ion generating element 10 generates a predetermined amount of positive ions and negative ions. Since the variation in the ion concentration displayed on the display unit 151 is smaller than the variation in the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130, the inspector who inspects the ion generating element 10 has the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130. By observing the display unit 151 for a relatively short time compared with the case of displaying as it is, the ion generating element 10 can be inspected. In addition, it is possible to judge with higher accuracy compared to the case where the ion concentration that changes constantly is displayed as it is and whether or not a predetermined amount of positive and negative ions is measured.

  By doing in this way, the test | inspection apparatus 1 of the ion generating element 10 which can test | inspect the ion generating element 10 with high precision in a short time can be provided.

  The inspection apparatus 1 for the ion generating element 10 includes a duct 110 for circulating ions generated by the ion generating element 10 and a fan 120 for sending air into the duct 110. The ion counter 130 is disposed in the duct 110.

  By disposing the ion counter 130 in the duct 110, the influence of the surrounding environment such as wind speed, temperature, and humidity on the ion concentration can be reduced. In addition, by providing the fan 120 for sending air into the duct 110, the ions generated by the ion generating element 10 can be easily circulated without staying in the duct 110. By doing in this way, the test | inspection apparatus 1 of the ion generating element 10 which can test | inspect the ion generating element 10 in a shorter time and with higher precision can be provided.

  Moreover, the inspection method of the ion generating element 10 of 1st Embodiment is provided with the 1st process, the 2nd process, and the 3rd process. In the first step, the ion counter 130 measures the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element 10. In the second step, the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130 in the first step is output as a voltage signal. In the third step, the time constant circuit 140 is passed through the voltage signal output in the second step. In the inspection method for the ion generating element 10 according to the present invention, the ion generating element 10 is inspected by displaying the ion concentration on the display unit 151 based on the voltage signal that has passed through the time constant circuit 140 in the third step. .

  The ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130 in the first stroke is output as a voltage signal in the second stroke. Since the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130 changes constantly under the influence of the surrounding environment, the voltage signal output in the second step also changes constantly. By passing the voltage signal output in the second stroke through the time constant circuit 140 in the third stroke, the low frequency component of the voltage signal is removed. In this way, the influence of the environment around the ion counter 130 on the ion concentration can be removed. Next, the ion concentration is displayed on the display unit 151 based on the voltage signal.

  An inspector who inspects the ion generating element 10 observes the display on the display unit 151 to determine whether the ion generating element 10 generates a predetermined amount of positive ions and negative ions. Since the variation of the ion concentration displayed on the display unit 151 is smaller than the variation of the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130 in the first step, the inspector who performs the inspection of the ion generating element 10 uses the ion counter 130. The ion generating element 10 can be inspected by observing the display unit 151 for a relatively short time compared to the case where the measured ion concentration is displayed as it is. In addition, it is possible to judge with higher accuracy compared to the case where the ion concentration that changes constantly is displayed as it is and whether or not a predetermined amount of positive and negative ions is measured.

  By doing in this way, the inspection method of the ion generating element 10 which can test | inspect the ion generating element 10 with high precision in a short time can be provided.

  Further, in the inspection method of the ion generating element 10, in the first step, ions generated by the ion generating element 10 are circulated through the duct 110, and the ion concentration is measured by the ion counter 130 in the duct 110.

  By causing the ions generated by the ion generating element 10 to flow through the duct 110, the influence of the surrounding environment such as wind speed, temperature, and humidity on the ion concentration can be reduced. By doing in this way, the test | inspection method of the ion generating element 10 which can test | inspect the ion generating element 10 in a shorter time and with higher precision can be provided.

(Second Embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 5, the inspection device 2 of the second embodiment is different from the inspection device 1 of the first embodiment in the shape of the duct 210. The inspection apparatus 2 is used on the production line 260 of the ion generating element 10. The ion generating element 10 is moved in the direction of the arrow P on the production line 260 and inspected in order by the inspection apparatus 2.

  The built-in fan 220 of the inspection device 2 is configured in the same manner as the fan 120 of the inspection device 1. In FIG. 5, a built-in fan 220 is attached to the right end of the duct 210 as a blower, and a suction port 214 is formed. When the built-in fan 220 is driven, air outside the duct 210 is taken in from the suction port 214, and the air flows in the duct 210 in a direction indicated by a two-dot chain line arrow in the drawing.

  The ion counter 130, the time constant circuit 140, and the oscilloscope 150 of the inspection apparatus 2 are configured similarly to those used in the inspection apparatus 1 of the first embodiment.

  The ion generating element 10 is completed by attaching the board to the case after the check of the circuit board and embedding the high voltage portion with resin. FIG. 5 shows an example of checking the actual operation on the production line 260 in the energized state after the ion generating element 10 is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the duct 210 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The duct 210 is made of iron, similar to the duct 110 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment. An ion counter insertion port 211 into which the ion counter 130 is inserted is opened on the side surface of the duct 210. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the ion generating element opening 215 is located on the lower surface of the duct 210 at a position facing the ion generating element 10 (FIG. 5) on the production line 260 (FIG. 5). Is formed.

  When the ion generating element 10 is moved in the direction of arrow P on the production line 260 and comes to a position facing the ion generating element opening 215 of the inspection apparatus 2, the ion generating element 10, the built-in fan 220, and the ion The positional relationship with the counter 130 is the same as in the first embodiment.

  When the ion generating element 10 is inspected on the production line 260, even if the ion generating element 10 to be inspected is covered by the duct 210, the ion generating element 10 is compared with the case of the first embodiment. The surrounding environment is likely to fluctuate. Therefore, in the inspection apparatus 2 of the present invention, a voltage signal is output based on the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130, and the output voltage signal is passed through the time constant circuit 140 to remove low frequency components, thereby reducing the low frequency. Displaying and observing the ion concentration on the oscilloscope 150 based on the voltage signal from which the component has been removed is very effective for inspecting the ion generating element 10 with high accuracy in a short time. In this embodiment, one inspection apparatus 2 is shown in FIG. 5 for explanation, but a plurality of inspection apparatuses 2 may be prepared in accordance with the number of production.

  Other configurations and effects of the inspection apparatus 2 of the second embodiment are the same as those of the inspection apparatus 1 of the first embodiment.

(Third embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 7, the inspection apparatus 3 for the ion generating element 10 according to the third embodiment reduces the interval between the ion generating elements 10 on the production line 360 when the number of ion generating elements 10 produced is large. Used when The ion generating element 10 is moved on the production line 360 in the direction of arrow Q. The ion generating element 10 flows on the production line 360 while being energized slightly before the inspection apparatus 3. In the inspection device 3 of the third embodiment, the shape of the duct 310 is different between the inspection device 1 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment and the inspection device 2 (FIG. 5) of the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the duct 310 of the inspection device 3 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the vertical direction. A total of two fans 320 are installed on each of two opposing side surfaces of the duct 310.

  An ion generating element opening 315 is formed on the lower surface of the duct 310, and an air outlet 318 is formed on the upper surface of the duct 310. An auxiliary duct 316 is formed inside the duct 310. An opening 317 is formed in the auxiliary duct 316 at the inner lower portion. An ion counter 130 is installed above the auxiliary duct 316 and the ion generating element opening 315.

  When the fan 320 is driven, air outside the duct 310 is taken into the auxiliary duct 316. The air taken into the auxiliary duct 316 passes through the opening 317 and blows out to the ion generating element opening 315. The air blown out to the ion generating element opening 315 includes positive and negative ions generated by the ion generating element 10 and rises along the inner wall of the duct 310. Positive and negative ions contained in the air rising along the inner wall of the duct 310 are measured by the ion counter 130. The air that has passed through the ion counter 130 is blown out of the duct 310 from an outlet 318 formed on the upper surface of the duct 310.

  The positive and negative ion concentrations measured by the ion counter 130 are displayed on the ion counter display unit 131 of the ion counter 130. Similarly to the first embodiment, the oscilloscope 150 (FIG. 7) displays the ion concentration based on the voltage signal from which the low frequency component has been removed by the time constant circuit 140 (FIG. 7).

  In the inspection device 3 of the third embodiment, the airflow is complicated as compared with the inspection device 1 of the first embodiment and the inspection device 2 of the second embodiment. Therefore, the inspection apparatus 3 outputs a voltage signal based on the ion concentration measured by the ion counter 130, passes the output voltage signal through the time constant circuit 140, removes the low frequency component, and removes the low frequency component. Displaying and observing the ion concentration on the oscilloscope 150 based on the voltage signal is very effective for inspecting the ion generating element 10 in a short time with high accuracy. In this embodiment, one inspection device 3 is shown in FIG. 7 for explanation, but a plurality of inspection devices 3 may be prepared in accordance with the number of production.

  Other configurations and effects of the inspection apparatus 3 of the third embodiment are the same as those of the inspection apparatus 1 of the first embodiment.

  The embodiment disclosed above should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above embodiments but by the scope of claims, and includes all modifications and variations within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

  According to the ion generating element inspection apparatus and the inspection method of the present invention, the ion generating element can be inspected with high accuracy in a short time. In particular, an ion generating element that generates substantially the same amount of positive ions (plus ions) and negative ions (minus ions) can be inspected with high accuracy in a short time.

  1, 2, 3: Inspection device, 10: Ion generating element, 110, 210, 310: Duct, 120: Fan, 130: Ion counter, 135: Output unit, 140: Time constant circuit, 151: Display unit, 220: Built-in fan, 320: fan.

Claims (4)

An ion concentration measuring device for measuring the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element;
The ion concentration measuring device includes an output unit that outputs a voltage signal based on the ion concentration measured by the ion concentration measuring device,
A high-pass filter that passes the voltage signal output by the output unit;
An inspection device for an ion generating element, further comprising: a display unit that displays an ion concentration based on a voltage signal that has passed through the high-pass filter. An air passage portion for circulating ions generated by the ion generating element;
A blowing section for sending air into the air passage section,
The said ion concentration measuring apparatus is an inspection apparatus of the ion generating element of Claim 1 arrange | positioned in the said air path part. A first step of measuring the concentration of ions generated by the ion generating element with an ion concentration measuring device;
A second step of outputting the ion concentration measured by the ion concentration measuring device in the first step as a voltage signal;
A third step of allowing the voltage signal output in the second step to pass through a high-pass filter,
A method for inspecting an ion generating element, wherein the ion generating element is inspected by displaying an ion concentration on a display unit based on a voltage signal that has passed through a high-pass filter in the third step. In the first step, the ions generated by the ion generating element are circulated through the air passage part,
The inspection method of the ion generating element of Claim 3 which measures the density | concentration of ion in the said air path part with an ion concentration measuring apparatus.

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