JP2011018477A - Discharge electrode, ion generating element, and electric apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a discharge electrode, along with an ion generating element and an electric apparatus, capable of suppressing degradation of ion generation performance.SOLUTION: A discharge electrode 1 is a discharge electrode which generates ion for generating at least either positive ion or negative ion by applying a high voltage for causing discharge. It includes a root portion 1b and a cylindrical tip portion 1a which has a diameter Da smaller than a diameter Db at the root portion 1b.

Description

  The present invention relates to a discharge electrode, an ion generating element, and an electric device, and particularly relates to a tip shape of an ion generating discharge electrode.

  Discharge electrodes for generating ions are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-210311 (Patent Document 1), Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-277235 (Patent Document 2), Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-199653 (Patent Document 3), and the like. Has been.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-210311 describes an ion generating component in which a linear electrode having a thin wire diameter is attached to an insulating substrate and a ground electrode is provided on the insulating substrate so as to face the linear electrode. . The ground electrode is formed by pattern wiring on an insulating substrate, and has a U shape so as to sandwich the tip of the linear electrode. It is described that the wire diameter of the linear electrode is 100 μm or less.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-277235 describes a needle-like discharge electrode having a sharp tip. In addition, it is described that in the case of such a needle-like discharge electrode, the tip is rounded due to consumption due to discharge, and the ion generation performance is lowered.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-199653 describes an ion generator having a needle electrode and a perforated flat plate electrode combined with a cylindrical electrode.

JP 2006-210311 A JP 2000-277235 A JP-A-10-199653

  After the discharge electrode is incorporated into the ion generator, damage such as mechanical scratches or chipping due to impact on the discharge electrode may occur, or electrical consumption due to discharge may occur depending on specifications and conditions.

  In order to stabilize the amount of generated ions and to lower the applied voltage, the tip of the discharge electrode needs to be sharp to some extent. However, if the tip of the discharge electrode is sharp, it is likely to be bent due to an impact such as contact during production or transportation, or damage such as mechanical scratches or chips may occur.

  In that case, it is conceivable that the ion performance is affected by changing the positional relationship with the induction electrode or losing the acute angle portion at the tip.

It is also conceivable that the above-mentioned wear occurs only on the positive and negative electrodes depending on the use conditions.
Due to these causes, a discharge electrode that is delicate and processed with high accuracy is more likely to undergo a change that causes a decrease in ion generation performance with use.

  This invention is made | formed in view of said subject, The objective is to provide the discharge electrode which can suppress the fall of ion generation performance, an ion generating element, and an electric equipment.

  The discharge electrode of the present invention is a discharge electrode for generating ions for generating at least one of positive ions and negative ions by generating a discharge by applying a high voltage, the root portion, and the root portion And a cylindrical tip portion having a smaller diameter.

  According to the discharge electrode of the present invention, since the tip portion has a cylindrical shape having a smaller diameter than the root portion, the electric field can be concentrated on the tip portion having the smaller diameter, and discharge can be performed with a low applied voltage. Can be generated.

  In addition, the tip part has a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than the base part, and since it is not a needle shape, it is easy to manage variations during manufacturing, and the tip is difficult to deform and easy to handle, Mechanical damage due to impact or the like can be suppressed. In addition, since the diameter near the tip is larger than that of the needle electrode, the tip volume increases, and even if it is electrically worn, the amount of wear increases for a long period of time because the volume increases, It is possible to produce an electrode with little change in generation performance.

  Further, since the root portion has a diameter larger than that of the tip portion, the insertion operation and soldering operation of the root portion can be performed smoothly.

In the above discharge electrode, the tip of the tip portion preferably has a round shape.
As a result, even if the tip is consumed due to discharge, the change in the shape of the tip can be minimized.

  One ion generating element of the present invention includes the discharge electrode and the induction electrode. The induction electrode is for applying a voltage between the discharge electrode in order to cause discharge in the discharge electrode. The induction electrode is made of a metal plate having a through hole, and has a portion where the thickness of the wall portion of the through hole is larger than the plate thickness of the metal plate by bending the peripheral portion of the through hole. The tip of the discharge electrode is inserted into the through hole and is located within the thickness range of the wall of the through hole.

  According to one ion generating element of the present invention, since the induction electrode is made of a metal plate, the thickness can be reduced. Further, since the peripheral portion of the through hole is bent, the thickness of the wall portion of the through hole can be made larger than the thickness of the metal plate while the induction electrode is formed of a metal plate.

  Further, by positioning the tip of the discharge electrode within the range of the thickness of the through hole, the shortest distance between the induction electrode and the discharge electrode can be the distance between the tip of the discharge electrode and the peripheral portion of the through hole of the induction electrode. . Here, since the thickness of the peripheral portion of the through hole is thicker than the thickness of the metal plate, even if the position of the discharge electrode is slightly shifted in the thickness direction of the peripheral portion, the tip of the discharge electrode is the thickness of the through hole. Stay within the range. For this reason, the shortest distance between the induction electrode and the discharge electrode is maintained as the distance between the tip of the discharge electrode and the peripheral edge of the through hole of the induction electrode, thereby reducing variations in the amount of ions generated due to variations in the positional relationship. It becomes possible.

  Further, since the thickness of the wall portion of the through hole is increased by bending the metal plate, it is not necessary to prepare a cylindrical electrode member separate from the metal plate, and the number of members can be reduced.

  The other ion generator of this invention is equipped with said discharge electrode and an induction electrode. The induction electrode is for applying a voltage between the discharge electrode in order to cause discharge in the discharge electrode. The induction electrode is made of a metal plate having a through hole. The discharge electrode is disposed so that the tip of the discharge electrode protrudes toward the ion emission side with respect to the surface of the induction electrode by penetrating the through hole.

  According to another ion generator of the present invention, the tip of the discharge electrode passes through the through hole of the induction electrode, and the periphery of the discharge electrode is surrounded by the induction electrode. For this reason, it is possible to generate an electric field over the entire circumference of 360 degrees in a plan view from the tip of the discharge electrode toward the induction electrode, and it is possible to suppress a deviation in the directionality of the electric field distribution. Therefore, the deviation of the ion movement direction due to the deviation of the electric field distribution can be suppressed, the ion emission efficiency can be increased, and a stable discharge can be generated at the tip of the discharge electrode, thereby improving the ion generation efficiency. Can do.

  The tip of the discharge electrode penetrates the through hole of the induction electrode and protrudes toward the ion emission side with respect to the surface of the induction electrode. For this reason, the rate at which ions generated by the discharge at the tip of the discharge electrode are captured by the induction electrode and neutralized can be reduced, and the amount of ions released can be increased.

  Preferably, the ion generating element further includes a reverse polarity discharge electrode for generating ions having a reverse polarity with respect to the discharge electrode, and the reverse polarity discharge electrode has the same diameter from the root portion to the tip portion. And has a sharp shape at the tip.

  If electrical discharge due to discharge is significant only on one of the discharge electrodes that generate positive and negative ions, use a discharge electrode made of a cylindrical shape with a small diameter at the tip of the discharge electrode, where the consumption is significant. If a discharge electrode having a needle-like tip is used for a discharge electrode that is not significant, wear can be efficiently suppressed.

  An electrical apparatus according to the present invention includes an ion generator including the above-described ion generating element, and a blowing unit for sending at least one of positive ions and negative ions generated in the ion generating device in a blowing airflow. Yes.

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

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a discharge electrode, an ion generating element, and an electric device that can suppress a decrease in ion generation performance.

It is a schematic front view which shows the structure of the discharge electrode for ion generation in one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a configuration of a discharge electrode in which the tip of the discharge electrode for generating ions in FIG. 1 has a round shape. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the ion generating element using the discharge electrode shown in FIG. It is an assembly perspective view which shows the structure of the ion generating element using the discharge electrode shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4, showing a state in which the tip of the discharge electrode is positioned within the thickness range of the through hole of the induction electrode. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modification of FIG. 5 and showing a state where the tip of the discharge electrode protrudes toward the ion emission side with respect to the surface of the induction electrode. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view schematically showing a configuration of an ion generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a partially broken plan view showing a part of a top plate of a case in a broken view and a perspective view of a mold resin. It is. It is a schematic sectional drawing which follows the VIII-VIII line of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the ion generator in one embodiment of the present invention, and is a figure showing electrical connection of each functional element. It is a perspective view which shows schematically the structure of the air cleaner using the ion generator shown in FIG.7 and FIG.8. It is an exploded view of the air cleaner which shows a mode that the ion generator shown in FIG.7 and FIG.8 has been arrange | positioned to the air cleaner shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the structure of the discharge electrode for generating ions according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 1, discharge electrode 1 for generating ions according to the present embodiment is for generating at least one of positive ions and negative ions by generating a discharge by applying a high voltage. . The discharge electrode 1 has a tip portion 1a, a root portion 1b, and an intermediate portion 1c.

  The tip portion 1a has a cylindrical shape having a diameter Da smaller than the diameter Db of the root portion 1b. The intermediate portion 1c has a tapered shape in which the diameter continuously decreases from the root portion 1b toward the tip portion 1a in order to smoothly match the difference in diameter between the tip portion 1a and the root portion 1b. .

  The cross-sectional shape of the tip portion 1a may be either a perfect circle or an ellipse, but is preferably a perfect circle in order to make the discharge uniform. Further, the root portion 1b may be either a cylindrical shape or a prismatic shape, but is preferably a cylindrical shape in order to avoid the occurrence of discharge due to concentration of an electric field at a location where it is not originally desired.

  Moreover, since a cylindrical long wire is used as a material for manufacturing the discharge electrode 1, it is necessary to process both the tip portion 1a and the root portion 1b into a prismatic shape. For this reason, it is preferable that not only the front-end | tip part 1a but the root part 1b is cylindrical. When both the tip portion 1a and the root portion 1b are cylindrical, the intermediate portion 1c has a truncated cone shape with a cone cut in a plane parallel to the bottom surface and excluding the small cone portion.

  The diameter of each of the tip portion 1a and the root portion 1b is the diameter when they are cylindrical and the cross-sectional shape is a perfect circle, and when the cross-sectional shape is an ellipse, the diameter is the major axis. Further, when the shape of the root portion 1b is a prismatic shape, the diameter of the root portion 1b is the maximum diameter in the cross-sectional shape of the prismatic shape.

  The diameter Da of the tip portion 1a is preferably small in order to reduce the discharge voltage, but if it is too small, the tip portion 1a is bent by a mechanical force. For this reason, the diameter Da of the tip portion 1a is, for example, not less than 0.25 mm and not more than 0.35 mm, and preferably 0.3 mm.

  Further, the diameter Db of the root portion 1b is weak in strength unless it has a certain thickness, and is bent by a mechanical force, so that it is difficult to insert and fix it on the substrate. If the diameter Db of the root portion 1b is too large, the size of the root portion 1b is close to that of the counter electrode, and it is not necessary to make it larger than necessary. For this reason, the diameter Db of the root part 1b is 0.6 mm or more and 1.2 mm or less, for example, Preferably it is 0.8 mm.

  The discharge electrode 1 is preferably manufactured so that the root portion 1b is thick and the tip portion 1a is thin by performing a process of stretching a cylindrical wire. At this time, the diameter Db of the root portion 1b is preferably the same as the diameter of the wire used for manufacturing the discharge electrode 1.

The tip 1a ₁ of the tip 1a of the discharge electrode 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a flat surface, but the tip 1a ₂ may be rounded so as to protrude in the protruding direction as in the modification shown in FIG. Good. Since the tip 1a ₂ of the tip portion 1a has a round shape as described above, even if the tip is consumed due to discharge, a change in the shape of the tip can be minimized and discharge variation can be prevented. Can be reduced.

  According to the discharge electrode 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tip end portion 1a has a cylindrical shape having a diameter Da smaller than the diameter Db of the root portion 1b, and thus has a small diameter Da. The electric field can be concentrated on the tip portion 1a, and discharge can be generated with a low applied voltage.

Further, since the tip portion 1a has a columnar shape having a diameter Da smaller than the diameter Db of the root portion 1b, it becomes easy to manage variations during manufacturing, and the tip 1a ₁ is difficult to deform and easy to handle. _1. Mechanical damage due to impacts in the vicinity of ₁ can be suppressed. Since the diameter Da of the tip 1a ₁ near than the needle-like electrode is increased, the greater the volume of the tip 1a _1, even provisionally electrically wear, minute volume is large, wear against long energization It is possible to produce an electrode with a long time and little change in ion generation performance.

  Further, since the root portion 1b has a diameter Db larger than the diameter Da of the tip portion 1a, soldering at the root portion 1b is facilitated.

  Next, the structure of the ion generating element using the discharge electrode shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, an ion generating element 10 is for generating positive ions and negative ions by, for example, corona discharge, and has a discharge electrode 1, an induction electrode 2, and a support substrate 3. is doing.

  The induction electrode 2 is made of an integral metal plate and has a plurality of (for example, two) substantially circular through-holes 2a provided in the flat plate portion 2c corresponding to the number of discharge electrodes 1. . The through hole 2a is an opening for discharging ions generated by corona discharge to the outside of the ion generating element.

  The peripheral portion of the through hole 2a is a bent portion 2d obtained by bending a metal plate with respect to the flat plate portion 2c by a method such as drawing. Due to the bent portion 2d, the thickness T1 (FIG. 3) of the peripheral wall portion of the through hole 2a is thicker than the plate thickness T2 (FIG. 3) of the top plate portion.

  This through-hole 2a can generate a 360 ° uniform electric field at the tip of the discharge electrode 1 to generate a stable corona discharge. The flat plate portion 2c of the induction electrode 2 is made of a perforated sheet metal, and the portion of the flat plate portion 2c other than the through hole 2a has a uniform thickness.

  The induction electrode 2 has, for example, bent portions 2b obtained by bending a part of a metal plate at a substantially right angle with respect to the flat plate portion 2c at both ends. The bent portion 2b has a wide support portion and a narrow insertion portion. One end of the support portion is connected to the flat plate portion 2c, and the other end is connected to the insertion portion.

  The support substrate 3 has a through hole 3a for inserting the discharge electrode 1 and a through hole 3b for inserting the insertion portion of the bent portion 2b.

  The discharge electrode 1 is supported by the support substrate 3 in a state of being inserted or press-fitted into the through hole 3a and penetrating the support substrate 3. In this supported state, the root portion 1 b of the discharge electrode 1 is supported by the support substrate 3. Thereby, one end (tip portion 1a) of the discharge electrode 1 protrudes to the front surface side (ion generating portion side) of the support substrate 3, and the other end (protrusion to the solder surface side) of the support substrate 3 (the solder surface side). A lead wire or a wiring pattern can be electrically connected to the root portion 1b) by solder (not shown).

  The insertion portion of the induction electrode 2 is inserted into the through hole 3b and supported by the support substrate 3 while penetrating the support substrate 3. In addition, a lead wire or a wiring pattern can be electrically connected to the tip of the insertion portion protruding to the back side of the support substrate 3 by solder (not shown).

  Further, in a state where the induction electrode 2 is supported by the support substrate 3, the tip of the discharge electrode 1 is positioned at the approximate center of the substantially perfect through-hole 2 a in plan view. As a result, the distance between the tip of the discharge electrode 1 and the outer peripheral portion of the circular through hole 2a is equal to the entire circumference of the through hole 2a.

Referring to FIG. 5, tip 1a ₁ of discharge electrode 1 is inserted into through hole 2a of induction electrode 2 and is positioned within the range of thickness T1 of the wall portion of through hole 2a. Good.

  According to this configuration, since the induction electrode 2 is made of a metal plate, the thickness can be reduced. Further, since the peripheral portion of the through hole 2a is bent, the thickness T1 of the wall portion of the through hole 2a can be made thicker than the plate thickness T2 of the metal plate while the induction electrode 2 is formed of a metal plate.

Further, by positioning the tip 1a ₁ of the discharge electrode 1 within the range of the thickness T1 of the through hole 2a, the shortest distance between the induction electrode 2 and the discharge electrode 1 is reduced to the through hole between the tip 1a ₁ of the discharge electrode ₁ and the induction electrode 2. The distance from the peripheral edge of 2a can be set. Here, since the thickness T1 of the peripheral portion of the through hole 2a is thicker than the plate thickness T2 of the metal plate, the position of the discharge electrode 1 is slightly shifted in the thickness direction of the peripheral portion (arrow S direction in FIG. 5). Even so, the tip of the discharge electrode 1 remains within the range of the thickness T1 of the through hole 2a. For this reason, the shortest distance between the induction electrode 2 and the discharge electrode 1 is maintained as the distance between the tip 1a ₁ of the discharge electrode 1 and the peripheral edge of the through hole 2a of the induction electrode 2, and the amount of ions generated due to variations in the positional relationship. It becomes possible to reduce the variation of the.

  Further, since the metal plate is bent to increase the thickness of the wall portion of the through hole 2a, it is not necessary to prepare a cylindrical electrode member separate from the metal plate, and the number of members can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 6, the induction electrode 2 does not have a bent portion at the periphery of the through-hole 2a, and the discharge electrode 1 penetrates the through-hole 2a so that the tip 1a1 of the discharge electrode ₁ is the induction electrode 2. (the support substrate 3 side opposite side) of the ion emission side with respect to the upper surface 2c ₁ of the flat portion 2c may be arranged so as to protrude.

According to this configuration, the tip 1a ₁ of the discharge electrode 1 penetrates through the through hole 2a of the induction electrode 2, surrounding the discharge electrode 1 is surrounded by the induction electrode 2. For this reason, it is possible to generate an electric field over the entire circumference of 360 degrees in a plan view from the tip 1a ₁ of the discharge electrode 1 toward the induction electrode 2, and it is possible to suppress a deviation in the directionality of the electric field distribution. . Therefore, the deviation of the ion movement direction due to the deviation of the electric field distribution can be suppressed, the ion emission efficiency can be increased, and a stable discharge can be generated at the tip 1a ₁ of the discharge electrode 1, thereby improving the ion generation efficiency. Can be improved.

The tip 1a ₁ of the discharge electrode 1 passes through the through hole 2a of the induction electrode 2 and protrudes toward the ion emission side with respect to the surface of the induction electrode 2. For this reason, the rate at which ions generated by the discharge at the tip 1a ₁ of the discharge electrode 1 are captured by the induction electrode 2 and neutralized can be reduced, and the amount of ions released can be increased.

  Next, the configuration of an ion generating apparatus having the above-described ion generating element will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Referring to FIG. 7, ion generation apparatus 30 of the present embodiment includes ion generation element 10 described above as ion generation element 10a for generating positive ions and ion generation element 10b for generating negative ions. In addition to these ion generating elements 10a and 10b, the ion generator 30 mainly includes an outer case 21, a high voltage transformer 11, high voltage circuits 12a and 12b, a power circuit 23, and a power input connector 22. Have.

  The ion generating element 10a is arranged on one end side (left side in FIG. 7) in the outer case 21 and the ion generating element 10b is arranged on the other end side (right side in FIG. 7) in the outer case 21. Further, the ion generating elements 10a and 10b, the high voltage transformer 11, the high voltage circuits 12a and 12b, the power supply circuit 23 and the power input connector 22 are integrally disposed in the outer case 21, and a space between the ion generating elements 10a and 10b. If the high-voltage transformer 11, the high-voltage circuits 12a and 12b, the power supply circuit 23, and the power input connector 22 are arranged, the arrangement efficiency is good and the ion generator 30 can be made compact. In addition, the ion generating device 30 is thinned by planarly arranging the ion generating elements 10a and 10b, the high voltage transformer 11, the high voltage circuits 12a and 12b, the power circuit 23, and the power input connector 22 in the outer case 21. It becomes possible.

  Both the positive high voltage circuit 12 a and the negative high voltage circuit 12 b are supported on the same substrate 14. The positive high voltage circuit 12a is disposed on one end side (left side in FIG. 7) in the case 21 so as to be adjacent to the ion generating element 10a for generating positive ions. The negative high voltage circuit 12b is arranged on the other end side (right side in FIG. 7) in the case 21 so as to be adjacent to the ion generating element 10b for generating negative ions. A part of the substrate 14 supporting the high voltage circuits 12a and 12b is located between the ion generating elements 10a and 10b. Note that the substrate supporting the positive high voltage circuit 12a and the substrate supporting the negative high voltage circuit 12b may be separated from each other.

  The discharge electrode 1 of the ion generation element 10a for generating positive ions serves as a positive electrode discharge electrode, and constitutes a positive ion generation part (positive electrode pair) together with the induction electrode 2 of the ion generation element 10a. Further, the discharge electrode 1 of the ion generation element 10b for generating negative ions is a negative electrode discharge electrode, and constitutes a negative ion generation part (negative electrode pair) together with the induction electrode 2 of the ion generation element 10b.

Referring to FIG. 8, tip 1 a ₁ of discharge electrode 1 is arranged so as not to protrude above the top surface of top plate 21 b of exterior case 21. Thereby, it is further suppressed that the ion generation performance of the discharge electrode 1 is lowered due to mechanical impact, and it is possible to prevent a hand from directly touching the discharge electrode 1 serving as a high voltage portion, thereby preventing an electric shock. .

  In addition, the induction electrode 2 is supported on the support substrate 3 so that a gap having a dimension e is generated between the flat plate portion 2 c of the induction electrode 2 and the support substrate 3. Thereby, the occurrence of creeping discharge between the induction electrode 2 and the discharge electrode 1 along the surface of the support substrate 3 can be suppressed. In addition, a space of a dimension h is provided on the solder surface side of the support substrate 3 so that the soldering part of the component does not contact the outer case 21.

  The solder surface side of the support substrate 3 (the space of the dimension h in FIG. 8) is molded with a mold resin (for example, epoxy resin) 31. Although not shown, it is preferable that the high voltage transformer, the high voltage circuit, and the power supply circuit are also molded with a molding resin.

Above the discharge electrode 1, an ion emission hole 21 a is provided in the top plate 21 b of the outer case 21. By energization, an electric field is generated from the tip 1a ₁ of the discharge electrode 1 toward the induction electrode 2, and the electric field spreads outside the ion emission hole 21a. By sending the air there, positive and negative ions can be released into the space outside the ion generator 30 by being put on the air.

  The size of the ion generator 30 as a whole is as small and thin as possible, which is advantageous for mounting on a wide variety of electric devices. For this reason, it is preferable that the thickness T (FIG. 8) of the ion generator 30 is 10 mm or less, and the area L × W (FIG. 7) is preferably about 50 mm × 20 mm to 150 mm × 40 mm.

Next, the state of electrical connection of each functional element will be described with reference to FIG.
Referring to FIG. 9, as described above, the ion generator 30 includes the outer case 21, the ion generating elements 10 a and 10 b, the high voltage transformer 11, the high voltage circuits 12 a and 12 b, the power input connector 22, And a power supply circuit 23. Note that a part of the power input connector 22 is disposed in the outer case 21, and the other part is exposed to the outside of the outer case 21, so that a power source can be connected to the connector from the outside.

  The power input connector 22 is a part that receives a DC power source or a commercial AC power source as an input power source. The power input connector 22 is electrically connected to the power circuit 23. The power supply circuit 23 is electrically connected to the primary side of the high voltage transformer 11. The high-voltage transformer 11 boosts the voltage input to the primary side and outputs it to the secondary side. One of the secondary sides of the high-voltage transformer 11 is electrically connected to the induction electrode 2 of the ion generating elements 10a and 10b. The other secondary side of the high-voltage transformer 11 is electrically connected to the positive electrode discharge electrode 1 of the ion generating element 10a for generating positive ions through a positive high voltage circuit 12a, and negative through a negative high voltage circuit 12b. It is electrically connected to the negative electrode 1 of the ion generating element 10b for generating ions. The induction electrodes 2 of the ion generating elements 10a and 10b are electrically connected to each other and have the same potential.

  The positive high voltage circuit 12 a applies a positive high voltage to the induction electrode 2 to the positive discharge electrode 1 and applies a negative high voltage to the induction electrode 2 to the negative discharge electrode 1. It is configured. Thereby, positive and negative bipolar ions can be generated.

  When a high voltage is applied between the induction electrode 2 and the discharge electrode 1 and the tip of the discharge electrode 1 reaches a certain electric field strength or more, discharge occurs.

  The ion generator 30 can emit unipolar ions. However, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that ions of both positive and negative ions are emitted. Positive ions are generated by generating positive corona discharge at the tip of the positive electrode 1 and negative ions are generated by generating negative corona discharge at the tip of the negative electrode 1. The applied waveform is not particularly limited here, and is a high voltage such as a direct current, an alternating current waveform biased positively or negatively, or a pulse waveform biased positively or negatively. The high voltage waveform may be any form such as an alternating current, a direct current, a pulse, and a combined waveform thereof, and means a voltage that generates an electric field strength that can generate a discharge phenomenon. A voltage region that is sufficient to generate a discharge and that generates a predetermined ion species is selected as the voltage value.

Here, the positive ion intended by the inventor is a cluster ion in which a plurality of water molecules are attached around a hydrogen ion (H ⁺ ), and is expressed as H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m (m is a natural number). . Negative ions are cluster ions in which a plurality of water molecules are attached around oxygen ions (O ₂ ⁻ ), and are expressed as O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (n is a natural number). Moreover, H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m (m is a natural number) that is a positive ion in the air and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (n is a natural number) that are negative ions are generated in substantially the same amount. , Both ions attach to and surround the fungi and viruses floating in the air, and the floating fungi are removed by the action of hydroxyl radicals (.OH) of the active species generated at that time. Is possible.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, when the ion generator 30 has the positive electrode discharge electrode 1 and the negative electrode discharge electrode 1 of a reverse polarity with respect to it, one discharge electrode 1 is shown in FIG. It is preferable that the discharge electrode 1 having a polarity opposite to that of the present embodiment is a needle-like electrode (electrode having a needle-like tip).

  In FIG. 9, the case where the positive electrode 1 has the shape shown in FIG. 1 and the negative electrode 1 has a needle-like shape is illustrated. The anode discharge electrode 1 may have a shape as shown in FIG.

  When positive and negative ions are generated, electrical consumption due to discharge may be significant only on one of the positive and negative electrodes. In such a case, by using the electrode of this embodiment as shown in FIG. 1 as the discharge electrode 1 that is significantly consumed, the wear time is prolonged with respect to long-term energization, and the change in ion generation performance is small. An electrode can be made. Further, by using a normal acicular electrode for the discharge electrode 1 having a polarity with which the electrical consumption is not so significant, it is possible to efficiently suppress the consumption. In addition, the normal acicular electrode has the same diameter from the root portion to the tip portion, and has a needle-like sharp shape at the tip portion.

  As described above, by using the discharge electrode 1 of the present embodiment only for the discharge electrode 1 having a polarity that requires a longer life as determined from the degree of wear among the positive and negative discharge electrodes 1, The needle-shaped discharge electrode may be properly used.

  If there is no significant difference between the positive and negative poles of wear, both the positive and negative discharge electrodes 1 may have the electrode shape of this embodiment as shown in FIG.

  Next, the structure of an air cleaner will be described with reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 as an example of an electric device using the above ion generator.

  In such an electric device such as an air cleaner, a fan mounted on the electric device is used for blowing air. The air purifier purifies the air taken in from the air inlet through a filter and then supplies the air from the outlet through the fan casing.

  Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, air cleaner 60 has a front panel 61 and a main body 62. A blow-out port 63 is provided at the upper rear portion of the main body 62, and clean air containing ions is supplied into the room from the blow-out port 63. An air intake 64 is formed at the center of the main body 62. The air taken in from the air intake port 64 on the front surface of the air cleaner 60 is cleaned by passing through a filter (not shown). The purified air is supplied to the outside from the outlet 63 through the fan casing 65.

  The ion generator 30 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is attached to a part of the fan casing 65 that forms a passage path for purified air. The ion generator 30 is arranged so that ions can be discharged from the hole 21a serving as the ion discharge portion into the air flow. As an example of the arrangement of the ion generator 30, positions such as a position P1 and a position P2 that are relatively close to the air outlet 63 in the air passage route are considered. In this way, by allowing the air to pass through the ion release hole 21a of the ion generator 30, ions can be supplied to the outside together with clean air from the outlet 63.

  According to the air purifier 60 of the present embodiment, the ions generated in the ion generator 30 can be sent on an air current by a blower (air passage route), so that the ions are supplied together with clean air to the outside. Can be released. As a result, the air purifier can have an ion generation function.

  Moreover, since the ion generator 30 of this Embodiment is thin, even if it is a case where it mounts in the above electric devices, it does not interfere with ventilation and therefore suppresses noise generation and air volume reduction. It can also be applied to a wide variety of products.

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

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

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied particularly advantageously to an ion generator that includes an induction electrode and a discharge electrode having a needle-like tip, and generates ions by discharge, and an electric device including the ion generator.

First discharge electrodes, 1a tip portion, 1a _1, 1a ₂ tip, 1b root portion, 1c intermediate portion, 2 induction electrode, 2a through hole, 2b, 2d bent portion, 2c flat plate portion, 2c ₁ top, third supporting substrate, 3a , 3b Through hole, 10, 10a, 10b Ion generating element, 11 High voltage transformer, 12a, 12b High voltage circuit, 14 Substrate, 21 Outer case, 21a Hole, 21b Top plate, 22 Power input connector, 23 Power supply circuit, 30 ions Generator, 60 air cleaner, 61 front panel, 62 main body, 63 outlet, 64 air intake, 65 fan casing.

Claims (6)

A discharge electrode for generating ions for generating at least one of positive ions and negative ions by generating a discharge by applying a high voltage,
The root part,
A discharge electrode comprising a cylindrical tip portion having a smaller diameter than the root portion.   The discharge electrode according to claim 1, wherein a tip portion of the tip portion has a round shape. The discharge electrode according to claim 1 or 2,
An induction electrode for applying a voltage between the discharge electrode in order to cause a discharge in the discharge electrode;
The induction electrode is made of a metal plate having a through hole, and has a portion where the thickness of the wall portion of the through hole is thicker than the plate thickness of the metal plate by bending the peripheral portion of the through hole.
An ion generating element in which a tip of the discharge electrode is inserted into the through hole and is located within a thickness range of a wall portion of the through hole. The discharge electrode according to claim 1 or 2,
An induction electrode for applying a voltage between the discharge electrode in order to cause a discharge in the discharge electrode;
The induction electrode is made of a metal plate having a through hole corresponding to the discharge electrode,
The ion generation element, wherein the discharge electrode is disposed such that a tip of the discharge electrode protrudes toward an ion emission side with respect to a surface of the induction electrode by passing through the through hole of the induction electrode. Further comprising a reverse polarity discharge electrode for generating ions of opposite polarity to the discharge electrode,
5. The ion generating element according to claim 3, wherein the reverse polarity discharge electrode has the same diameter from a root part to a tip part and has a sharp shape at the tip part. An ion generator comprising the ion generating element according to claim 3;
An electric device comprising: a blower for sending at least one of positive ions and negative ions generated in the ion generator on a blown airflow.

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