JP2024037647A - Ion balance sensor and static elimination system - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an ion balance sensor and a static elimination system that make it possible to grasp further information about the environment of a target space in addition to the ion balance in the target space. [Solution] An ion balance sensor 100 includes a conductive detection plate 110A disposed in a target space 3. In the ion balance sensor 100, the ion balance in the target space 3 is detected based on the electric potential of the detection plate 110A. An ion balance signal indicating the detection result is generated. Also, in addition to the ion balance, a physical quantity related to the environment of the target space 3 is detected. Based on the detection result, another signal indicating information about the environment of the target space 3 is generated. The ion balance signal and the other signal are output. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an ion balance sensor that detects the ion balance in a target space and a static elimination system.

2. Description of the Related Art In manufacturing lines for semiconductor devices, liquid crystal display devices, and the like, when each component used in manufacturing is electrically charged, foreign matter may adhere to the component, which may reduce the yield of the product. A static eliminator is used to suppress a decrease in yield due to charging of each component.

In the static eliminator (static eliminator) described in Patent Document 1, air containing positive ions and negative ions is injected from a nozzle toward an object to be neutralized. In addition, in the static eliminator, the ion balance around the object to be neutralized is measured. Based on the measurement results, the amount of positive ions and the amount of negative ions supplied from the nozzle to the object to be neutralized are adjusted. As a result, the charge accumulated on the object to be removed is removed.

JP2007-258108A

In the above-mentioned static eliminator, the ion balance is measured in order to appropriately adjust the static eliminator conditions. However, adjustment for appropriate static elimination conditions is not limited to adjusting the amount of positive ions and the amount of negative ions supplied to the object to be neutralized.

For example, if the direction of the nozzle is not set appropriately and air containing positive ions and negative ions is injected to a position deviated from the object to be neutralized, the object cannot be properly neutralized. In this case, it is desirable to adjust the direction of the nozzle. Alternatively, if the temperature or humidity environment of the space surrounding the object to be neutralized makes it easy for the object to be charged, the efficiency of static elimination decreases. In this case, it is desirable to adjust the temperature or humidity environment of the space surrounding the object to be neutralized. In this way, more information regarding the environment of the space surrounding the object to be neutralized (target space) is required in order to make various adjustments for appropriate static elimination conditions.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ion balance sensor and a static elimination system that make it possible to grasp additional information regarding the environment of a target space in addition to the ion balance of the target space.

An ion balance sensor according to one aspect of the present invention includes a conductive detection plate arranged in a target space, and a first sensor that detects the ion balance of the target space based on the potential of the detection plate and indicates the detection result. a first information generation unit that generates an information signal; and second information that detects a physical quantity related to the environment of the target space and generates a second information signal indicating information related to the environment of the target space based on the detection result. The sensor communication device includes a generation unit and a sensor communication unit that outputs the first information signal and the second information signal.

An ion balance sensor according to another aspect of the present invention includes a conductive detection plate, a fixed resistor, and a node electrically connected to the detection plate through the fixed resistor, and has periodicity. and a potential detection unit that detects the potential of the node over time.

A static elimination system according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a static eliminator that outputs ions toward a target space where static elimination is to be performed, and an ion balance sensor connectable to the static eliminator, the ion balance sensor comprising: a conductive detection plate disposed in the target space; and a first information generation unit that detects the ion balance of the target space based on the potential of the detection plate and generates a first information signal indicating a detection result. a second information generation unit that detects a physical quantity related to the environment of the target space and generates a second information signal indicating information related to the environment of the target space based on the detection result, and the first information signal and a sensor communication unit that outputs the second information signal to the static eliminator; a static eliminator communication unit that receives the first information signal and the second information signal output from the sensor communication unit; and a static eliminator communication unit that receives the first information signal and the ion generator based on the first information signal that the static eliminator communication unit receives. and an environmental state storage section that stores information regarding the environment of the target space based on the second information signal received by the static eliminator communication section.

According to the present invention, in addition to the ion balance of the target space, it is possible to obtain additional information regarding the environment of the target space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a configuration and an example of use of a static elimination system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a static elimination system for explaining the basic configuration of the ion balance sensor of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a static eliminator system for explaining the basic configuration of the static eliminator shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of a display section, an operation section, and an indicator light. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of detecting ion balance and ion current using the ion balance sensor of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of detecting ion balance and ion current using the ion balance sensor of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the ion balance sensor of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the ion balance sensor cut along the virtual plane of FIG. 7. FIG. It is an external perspective view showing an example of a holder. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing an example of a state in which the sensor housing is attached to the holder. It is a figure which shows an example of a 1st hierarchy screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an air volume adjustment screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a 1st monitor screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a 2nd monitor screen. It is a figure showing an example of an event history screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a 2nd hierarchy screen. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of screen transitions on the display unit during charging level calibration. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen transition of a display part at the time of ion balance calibration. It is a block diagram showing various functional parts of a static eliminator control part realized by executing a control switching program. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control switching processing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An ion balance sensor and a static elimination system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1. Outline of the configuration and usage example of the static elimination system FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the configuration and usage example of the static elimination system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the static elimination system 1 according to the present embodiment mainly includes an ion balance sensor 100, a static eliminator 200, and a processing device 300.

The static eliminator 200 includes a static eliminator housing 11, and has a configuration in which various high voltage circuits and the like for generating positive ions and negative ions are housed. A ventilation port 12 is formed in the static eliminator housing 11 . The static eliminator 200 sends out positive ions and negative ions generated within the static eliminator housing 11 to the outside of the static eliminator 200 through the air outlet 12 . In FIG. 1, the flow of the static eliminator (in this example, air containing positive ions and negative ions) flowing from the air outlet 12 of the static eliminator housing 11 to the outside of the static eliminator 200 is indicated by a plurality of thick dashed lines. Indicated by arrow if.

In the following description, the space to which the static eliminator sent out from the static eliminator 200 is to be supplied, that is, the static elimination target space where the static electricity of the target object 9 is to be removed, will be referred to as a target space. In the example of FIG. 1, the static eliminator 200 is provided on an installation surface (not shown) so that the static eliminator flows through the target space 3 including a part of the belt conveyor 2. In this case, when the belt conveyor 2 operates and a plurality of objects 9 move in the direction of the belt conveyor 2 (see the thick two-dot chain arrow in FIG. 1), each object 9 is removed when passing through the object space 3. Static electricity is removed by an electric body.

If the ion balance in the target space 3 is unbalanced, each target object 9 cannot be properly neutralized. Therefore, in order to detect the ion balance in the target space 3, an ion balance sensor 100 is provided in the target space 3. In this embodiment, the ion balance of the target space 3 is the degree of bias in electrical polarity within the target space 3. By disposing the ion balance sensor 100 in the target space 3, the ion balance of the target space 3 through which the target object 9 passes is locally detected. Therefore, when controlling the static eliminator 200 using the ion balance detected by the ion balance sensor 100, the target object 9 can be more appropriately neutralized.

The ion balance in the target space 3 approaches 0, for example, when the amount of positive ions and the amount of negative ions contained in the static eliminator flowing from the static eliminator 200 to the target space 3 are equal or almost equal. On the other hand, the ion balance in the target space 3 deviates from 0 (biased) due to a difference in the amount of positive ions and the amount of negative ions contained in the static eliminator flowing from the static eliminator 200 to the target space 3, for example. The ion balance sensor 100 has a conductive detection plate 110A. The ion balance in the target space 3 is detected based on the potential of the detection plate 110A. Details of the structure of the ion balance sensor 100 will be described later.

By being provided in the target space 3, the ion balance sensor 100 according to the present embodiment can detect information regarding the environment of the target space 3 in addition to the ion balance of the target space 3. Specifically, the ion balance sensor 100 can detect the amount of ions flowing through the target space 3 per unit time (hereinafter referred to as ion current in the target space 3) as information regarding the environment of the target space 3. It is possible. Further, the ion balance sensor 100 can detect the temperature and humidity of the target space 3 as information regarding the environment of the target space 3.

Ion balance sensor 100 includes a relay cable CA1. The distal end (one end) of the relay cable CA1 extending from the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200. The above various information detected by the ion balance sensor 100 is transmitted to the static eliminator 200 through the relay cable CA1. In this case, in the static eliminator 200, the positive ion generation state and the negative ion generation state in the static eliminator 200 can be adjusted based on the detection result of the ion balance in the target space 3. As a result, a static eliminator suitable for neutralizing the plurality of objects 9 is supplied to the target space 3 .

Here, if the air outlet 12 of the static eliminator 200 is oriented at a position shifted from the target space 3, the static eliminator will not flow from the static eliminator 200 to the target space 3. In this case, the ionic current is detected as 0 or a value close to 0. On the other hand, when the air outlet 12 of the static eliminator 200 faces the target space 3, the static eliminator flows appropriately from the static eliminator 200 to the target space 3. In this case, the ion current is detected at a value corresponding to the amount of ions contained in the charge eliminating body.

Therefore, in the static eliminator 200, it can be determined whether the position and orientation (installation state) of the static eliminator 200 are appropriate based on the detection result of the ion current. Specifically, when the value of the ion current is less than or equal to a predetermined ion current threshold value, it can be determined that the installation state of the static eliminator 200 is not appropriate. Moreover, when the value of the ion current is larger than the ion current threshold value, it can be determined that the installation state of the static eliminator 200 is appropriate. By presenting such a determination result to the user, the user can easily understand whether or not the installation state of the static eliminator 200 needs to be adjusted.

Furthermore, in the static eliminator 200, by storing the detection results of the temperature and humidity of the target space 3 in the memory, it is possible to manage changes in the environmental state of the target space 3 when static electricity is removed from a plurality of targets 9. can.

Static eliminator 200 is connected to processing device 300 via relay cable CA2. Processing device 300 is, for example, a personal computer, and includes, for example, a CPU (central processing unit), ROM (read only memory), and RAM (random access memory). A main body display section 310 and a main body operation section 320 are connected to the processing device 300 . The main body display section 310 is composed of an LCD (liquid crystal display) panel or an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel. The operating device includes a keyboard and a pointing device, and is configured to be operable by a user.

The processing device 300 is used, for example, to set various operating conditions for the static eliminator 200, monitor the operating state of the static eliminator 200, and the like. The plurality of operating conditions of the static eliminator 200 include the flow rate (air volume) of gas sent to the target space 3 by the fan 201 (FIG. 3) of the static eliminator 200 (described later), and various signals output from the static eliminator 200 to the processing device 300. conditions for disabling the operation of an operation unit 260 (FIG. 3), which will be described later, in the static eliminator 200.

2. Basic Configuration of Ion Balance Sensor 100 FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the static elimination system 1 for explaining the basic configuration of the ion balance sensor 100 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the ion balance sensor 100 includes a detection plate 110A, an ion detection circuit 110B, a temperature detection element 120, a humidity detection element 130, a sensor indicator light 140, a sensor communication section 150, a sensor power supply section 160, and a sensor control section. Contains 190.

The detection plate 110A is made of a conductive material (for example, a metal material), and is provided so as to be exposed in the space surrounding the ion balance sensor 100. The ion detection circuit 110B is connected to the detection plate 110A, and outputs a signal corresponding to the ion balance and ion current in the target space 3 based on the change in potential of the detection plate 110A over time. The specific configuration of the ion detection circuit 110B will be described later.

The temperature detection element 120 is, for example, a semiconductor temperature sensor, and outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of the space surrounding the ion balance sensor 100 (target space 3). The humidity detection element 130 is, for example, a polymer humidity detection element, and outputs a signal corresponding to the humidity of the space surrounding the ion balance sensor 100 (target space 3). Temperature sensing element 120 may be a thermocouple or a resistance temperature detector.

The sensor indicator light 140 includes, for example, a plurality of light emitting diodes that emit light in different colors. Sensor communication section 150 transmits various signals output from sensor control section 190 to static eliminator 200 via relay cable CA1. Further, the sensor communication unit 150 receives various information transmitted from the static eliminator 200 via the relay cable CA1, and provides the received information to the sensor control unit 190.

Sensor power supply section 160 receives and accumulates electric power supplied from static eliminator 200 via relay cable CA1. Further, the sensor power supply section 160 supplies the electric power received from the static eliminator 200 or the accumulated electric power to each component of the ion balance sensor 100.

The sensor control unit 190 includes a microcomputer, and generates various information and controls each component. Note that the sensor control unit 190 may include a CPU (central processing unit) and memory instead of the microcomputer. The microcomputer or memory of the sensor control unit 190 stores programs mainly for detecting the ion balance, ion current, temperature, and humidity of the target space 3 and for exchanging various information with the static eliminator 200. has been done. In the sensor control section 190, a plurality of functional sections are realized by a microcomputer or a CPU executing programs stored in the sensor control section 190.

The sensor control section 190 includes a balance information generation section 191, an ion amount information generation section 192, a temperature information generation section 193, a humidity information generation section 194, and an indicator light control section 195 as a plurality of functional sections. Note that some or all of these multiple functional units may be realized by hardware such as an electronic circuit.

The balance information generation unit 191 detects the ion balance in the target space 3 based on the signal output from the ion detection circuit 110B, and generates a signal indicating the detection result as an ion balance signal. In other words, the balance information generation unit 191 generates an ion balance signal based on the change in potential of the detection plate 110A over time. The generated ion balance signal is output from the sensor control section 190. A specific example of the method for detecting ion balance by the balance information generation unit 191 will be described later.

The ion amount information generation unit 192 detects the ion current in the target space 3 based on the signal output from the ion detection circuit 110B, and generates a signal indicating the detection result as an ion current signal. In other words, the ion amount information generation unit 192 generates an ion current signal based on the change in potential of the detection plate 110A over time. The generated ion current signal is output from the sensor control section 190. A specific example of the method for detecting the ion current by the ion amount information generating section 192 will be described later.

The temperature information generation unit 193 detects the temperature of the target space 3 based on the signal output from the temperature detection element 120, and generates a signal indicating the detection result as a temperature signal. The generated temperature signal is output from the sensor control section 190. The humidity information generation unit 194 detects the humidity of the target space 3 based on the signal output from the humidity detection element 130, and generates a signal indicating the detection result as a humidity signal. The generated humidity signal is output from the sensor control section 190.

The indicator light control unit 195 controls the light emission state of the sensor indicator light 140. The indicator light control unit 195 controls the sensor display to emit light in a specific color (for example, green) when the ion balance and ion current detected by the ion balance sensor 100 satisfy predetermined allowable conditions. Control the light 140. On the other hand, the indicator light control unit 195 controls the sensor to emit light in a specific other color (for example, red) when the ion balance and ion current detected by the ion balance sensor 100 do not satisfy the above-mentioned allowable conditions. Controls indicator light 140.

In the ion balance sensor 100 according to the present embodiment, the detection plate 110A and the ion detection circuit 110B are electrically connected inside the ion balance sensor 100 (inside the sensor housing 400 in FIG. 7, which will be described later). There is. In this case, since the distance between the detection plate 110A and the ion detection circuit 110B can be made relatively short, the detection accuracy of the ion balance and ion current in the ion detection circuit 110B is reduced by noise from outside the ion balance sensor 100. less susceptible to

Further, in the ion balance sensor 100, the ion detection circuit 110B and the sensor control section 190 are electrically connected inside the ion balance sensor 100 (inside the sensor housing 400 in FIG. 7, which will be described later). In this case, the distance between the ion detection circuit 110B and the sensor control section 190 can be made relatively short, so that the signal transmitted from the ion detection circuit 110B to the sensor control section 190 is transmitted from the outside of the ion balance sensor 100. less susceptible to noise.

Furthermore, regarding signal processing in the ion balance sensor 100, the ion detection circuit 110B includes an operational amplifier 111 (FIG. 5), as described later. The operational amplifier 111 amplifies a weak signal (current) corresponding to the ion balance and ion current generated in the ion detection circuit 110B. Therefore, an amplified analog signal corresponding to the ion balance and ion current is provided from the ion detection circuit 110B to the sensor control unit 190.

Here, the sensor control unit 190 according to the present embodiment has an AD converter or a function of converting an analog signal into a digital signal. Therefore, in the sensor control unit 190, the amplified analog signal given from the ion detection circuit 110B is converted into a digital signal and output. Thereby, digital signals are exchanged between the sensor communication unit 150 and the static eliminator 200 via the relay cable CA1. That is, the signal transmitted from the ion balance sensor 100 to the static eliminator 200 via the relay cable CA1 is a digital signal after the current flowing from the detection plate 110A is amplified by at least the operational amplifier 111 included in the ion balance sensor 100. .

Digital signals are less susceptible to noise than analog signals. Therefore, since the signal transmitted through the relay cable CA1 is less susceptible to noise, there is no need to use a cable with low leakage current or a shielded cable as the relay cable CA1. Therefore, as the relay cable CA1 according to the present embodiment, a cable whose outer covering layer is made of general-purpose polyvinyl chloride can be used.

Note that a configuration is assumed in which the detection plate 110A and the ion detection circuit 110B are provided separately and spaced apart from each other, and the detection plate 110A and the ion detection circuit 110B are connected by one cable. Alternatively, a configuration is assumed in which the ion detection circuit 110B and the sensor control unit 190 are provided separately and spaced apart from each other, and the detection plate 110A and the ion detection circuit 110B are connected by one cable. In these cases, one cable needs to transmit an analog signal between the detection plate 110A and the ion detection circuit 110B, or between the ion detection circuit 110B and the sensor control section 190. Therefore, in order to reduce the deterioration in detection accuracy of the ion balance sensor 100, it is necessary to use a cable with excellent noise resistance as the first cable.

3. Basic Configuration of Static Eliminator 200 FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the static eliminator system 1 for explaining the basic configuration of the static eliminator 200 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the static eliminator 200 includes a fan 201, a fan driving section 202, a sensing electrode 203, a positive ion generating section 211, a positive high voltage circuit 212, a negative ion generating section 221, a negative high voltage circuit 222, and a static eliminator. It includes a control section 230 and an ion information generation section 240. These components are housed in the static eliminator housing 11 of FIG. 1, as shown by thick dashed lines in FIG.

In FIG. 3, a schematic front view of the positive ion generating section 211 and the negative ion generating section 221 is shown in a balloon, respectively. The positive ion generating section 211 includes an annular member 211a and a plurality of (four in this example) electrode needles en1. The plurality of electrode needles en1 are provided at equal intervals on the inner circumference of the annular member 211a so as to extend toward the center of the annular member 211a. The negative ion generating section 221, like the positive ion generating section 211, includes an annular member 221a and a plurality of electrode needles en2. The plurality of electrode needles en2 are provided at equal intervals on the inner circumference of the annular member 221a so as to extend toward the center of the annular member 221a.

A positive electrode side high voltage circuit 212 is connected to the positive ion generating section 211 . The positive electrode side high voltage circuit 212 includes a resistor and a booster circuit, and applies a high voltage to the plurality of electrode needles en1 of the positive ion generating section 211 based on the control of the static eliminator control section 230. As a result, corona discharge occurs and positive ions are generated. A negative electrode side high voltage circuit 222 is connected to the negative ion generating section 221 . The negative electrode side high voltage circuit 222 includes a resistor and a booster circuit, and applies a high voltage to the plurality of electrode needles en2 of the negative ion generating section 221 under the control of the static eliminator control section 230. As a result, corona discharge occurs and negative ions are generated.

The fan 201 is provided inside the static eliminator housing 11 of FIG. 1 so as to face the air outlet 12 and to be rotatable around a predetermined rotation axis 201a. The fan drive section 202 includes, for example, a motor, and rotates the fan 201 around the rotation axis 201a under the control of the static eliminator control section 230.

The fan 201, the negative ion generating section 221, and the positive ion generating section 211 are arranged in this order from the air outlet 12 in FIG. 1 to the rotation axis 201a of the fan 201. The centers of the annular members 211a and 221a of the positive ion generating section 211 and the negative ion generating section 221 are located on the rotating shaft 201a of the fan 201.

In the positive ion generating section 211 and the negative ion generating section 221, positive ions and negative ions are respectively generated by operating the positive side high voltage circuit 212 and the negative side high voltage circuit 222. In this state, the fan 201 rotates. Thereby, the static eliminator containing positive ions and negative ions flows to the outside of the static eliminator 200 through the air outlet 12 of the static eliminator housing 11 . In FIG. 3, similarly to the example in FIG. 1, the flow of the charge eliminator flowing from the air outlet 12 of the charge eliminator housing 11 to the outside of the charge eliminator 200 is indicated by a plurality of thick dashed-dotted arrows if. The detection electrode 203 is arranged on the flow path of the electric eliminator sent by the fan 201 . An ionic current caused by the charge eliminating body flows through the detection electrode 203 .

The ion information generation unit 240 detects the overall ion balance of positive ions and negative ions generated in the static eliminator 200 as ion information. The ion information is different from the ion balance of the target space 3 detected by the ion balance sensor 100, and includes the ion balance of the static eliminator flowing through the air outlet 12 of the static eliminator 200. Further, the ion information includes the ion balance of the target space 3 and the space surrounding the static eliminator 200. Therefore, the ion information is obtained based on the detection results by, for example, detecting the ion balance of the static eliminator flowing near the fan 201 and detecting the ion balance of the target space 3 and the space surrounding the static eliminator 200. generated.

More specifically, the ion information generation section 240 includes an internal ion current detection circuit 241 and an external ion current detection circuit 242, as shown within the dotted line frame in FIG. Internal ion current detection circuit 241 is connected to detection electrode 203 and to static eliminator housing 11 . The internal ion current detection circuit 241 detects the ion current flowing through the detection electrode 203 and the ion current flowing through the surface of the static eliminator housing 11 as internal ion current. External ion current detection circuit 242 is connected to a ground electrode maintained at ground potential. The external ion current detection circuit 242 detects the ion current (return current) returning from the target space 3 to the static eliminator 200 via the ground as an external ion current. By detecting the external ion current, the ion balance of the static eliminator sent out from the static eliminator housing 11 toward the target space 3 and the space surrounding the static eliminator 200 is detected. In the following description, the ion balance detected based on the external ion current will be referred to as the return ion balance to make it easier to understand that it is detected based on the return current. By detecting the internal ion current and the external ion current, respectively, the amount of ions generated by the positive ion generating section 211 and the negative ion generating section 221 is measured.

Static eliminator control unit 230 includes a CPU and memory or a microcomputer. The static eliminator control unit 230 controls the fan drive unit 202 so that the fan 201 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed when the static eliminator 200 removes static electricity from the plurality of objects 9 . In addition, in this embodiment, the static eliminator 200 is configured to be operable in eco mode. In the eco mode, the above-mentioned static electricity removal is performed in a state where power consumption is as low as possible. For example, in the eco mode, static electricity is removed when the air volume by the fan 201 is the smallest (air volume level "1", which will be described later).

Further, when the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200, the static eliminator control unit 230 controls the positive electrode side high voltage circuit 212 and the negative electrode side so that the ion balance detected by the ion balance sensor 100 approaches 0. Controls the high voltage circuit 222. On the other hand, when the ion balance sensor 100 is not connected to the static eliminator 200, the static eliminator control unit 230 determines the ion balance (for example, return ion balance) based on the ion information generated by the ion information generation unit 240. The positive side high voltage circuit 212 and the negative side high voltage circuit 222 are controlled so that the voltage approaches 0.

The operation of the static eliminator control unit 230 when the ion balance sensor 100 is not connected to the static eliminator 200 will be described in more detail. In this embodiment, when the ion balance sensor 100 is not connected to the static eliminator 200, the static eliminator control unit 230 controls the positive electrode side high voltage based on the return ion balance detected by the external ion current detection circuit 242. The circuit 212 and the negative side high voltage circuit 222 are controlled. The return ion balance can be said to be the overall ion balance of the positive ions and negative ions sent out from the inside of the static eliminator 200, among the positive ions and negative ions generated in the static eliminator 200. In this manner, when the ion balance sensor 100 is not connected to the static eliminator 200, the static eliminator control unit 230 controls the positive high voltage circuit 212 and the negative high voltage circuit 222 so that the return ion balance becomes zero.

Furthermore, in the static eliminator system 1 according to the present embodiment, multiple types of events are defined in the static eliminator 200 in advance. The static eliminator control unit 230 detects the occurrence of multiple types of events in the static eliminator 200 based on various physical quantities detected by the ion balance sensor 100. The multiple types of events include turning on or off the power of the static eliminator 200, starting or ending static elimination, and operating the clean device 291, which will be described later.

In addition to the above components (201, 202, 211, 212, 221, 222, 230, 240), the static eliminator 200 includes a display section 250, an operation section 260, a static eliminator storage section 270, and a static eliminator communication section 280. , a static eliminator power supply section 290, a clean device 291, and an indicator light 292. The display section 250, the operation section 260, and the indicator light 292 are attached to a part of the static eliminator housing 11. The static eliminator storage section 270, the static eliminator communication section 280, the static eliminator power supply section 290, and the clean device 291 are housed in the static eliminator housing 11 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the display section 250, the operation section 260, and the indicator light 292. As shown in FIG. 4, the display section 250 is arranged in the central region at the lower front of the static eliminator housing 11. The display section 250 is composed of an LCD (liquid crystal display) panel or an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel. The display unit 250 displays various setting information, alarms, etc. of the static eliminator 200 based on the control of the static eliminator control unit 230.

The operation section 260 includes a plurality of operation buttons, and is provided in the static eliminator housing 11 so as to be adjacent to the display section 250. Specifically, the operation unit 260 includes an upper button 261, a lower button 262, a left button 263, a right button 264, a decision button 265, a cancel button 266, and a power button 267. The upper button 261, the lower button 262, the left button 263, the right button 264, the enter button 265, and the cancel button 266 are arranged on one side (the right in this example) of the display section 250. Power button 267 is arranged on the other side (left in this example) of display section 250. Further, the static eliminator housing 11 is provided with a main power switch (not shown) for turning on and off the static eliminator 200.

As will be described later, the static eliminator 200 is capable of cleaning the electrode needles en1 and en2 using the cleaning device 291. The determination button 265 not only accepts an instruction according to the content displayed on the display unit 250 but also accepts an instruction to start cleaning. The user instructs the static eliminator 200 according to the content displayed on the display unit 250 by pressing the OK button 265 for a short time, and to start cleaning by pressing and holding the OK button 265 for two seconds or more. Can give instructions. In the static eliminator 200, static elimination is not performed while cleaning is being performed. Therefore, by assigning the long press of the enter button 265 to the instruction to start cleaning, it is possible to prevent a period in which static electricity removal is not performed due to an erroneous operation of the operation unit 260 by the user.

The power button 267 receives an instruction to start static elimination and an instruction to stop static elimination. That is, by pressing the power button 267, the user can instruct the static eliminator 200 to start and stop static elimination. When the power button 267 is pressed while the static eliminator 200 has stopped eliminating static electricity, the static eliminator 200 starts eliminating static electricity. When the power button 267 is pressed while the static eliminator 200 is performing static elimination, the static eliminator 200 starts eliminating static electricity. stop.

Furthermore, by operating the operation unit 260, the user can perform various settings for the static eliminator 200, display the results of ion balance detection by the ion balance sensor 100, etc. on the display unit 250, etc. . Operation examples of other buttons such as the upper button 261, the lower button 262, the left button 263, the right button 264, the enter button 265, and the cancel button 266 will be described later together with a display example of the display unit 250.

Further, in the present embodiment, static eliminator 200 may be configured to be operable in lock mode. In the lock mode, users who can change various operating conditions are limited to specific users. Therefore, when changing various operating conditions set for the static eliminator 200, a password is required to be input. The user can input a password into the static eliminator 200 by operating the operation unit 260. By entering the password, the lock is temporarily released and it becomes possible to change the settings of various operating conditions. In this way, by requesting the input of a password, only a specific user who knows the password can change various operating conditions.

The static eliminator communication unit 280 in FIG. 3 receives various information signals transmitted from the sensor communication unit 150 (FIG. 2) of the ion balance sensor 100 via the relay cable CA1, and provides them to the static eliminator control unit 230.

By the way, since the ion balance sensor 100 is arranged in the target space 3, it is located near the target object 9. Therefore, the ion balance detected by the ion balance sensor 100 is the ion balance in the space near the object 9. On the other hand, the return ion balance detected by the external ion current detection circuit 242 indicates that out of the positive ions and negative ions generated in the static eliminator 200, the returned ion balance is sent out from inside the static eliminator 200. It can be said to be the overall ion balance of positive ions and negative ions.

The ion balance tends to be biased depending on the space. Therefore, even if the return ion balance detected by the external ion current detection circuit 242 is close to 0, when focusing only on the space near the object 9, the ion balance is often biased. Therefore, controlling the positive-side high-voltage circuit 212 and the negative-side high-voltage circuit 222 based on the ion balance detected by the ion balance sensor 100 can provide a higher static elimination effect on the object 9.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200 as described above, the static eliminator control unit 230 controls the signal given to the static eliminator communication unit 280, that is, the ion Based on the ion balance detected by the balance sensor 100, the positive high voltage circuit 212 and the negative high voltage circuit 222 are controlled. That is, when the return ion balance can be detected by the external ion current detection circuit 242 and the ion balance of the target space 3 can be detected by the ion balance sensor 100, the static eliminator control unit 230 controls the ion balance sensor 100. The ion balance detected by the ion balance is given priority and used for control.

According to such a configuration, the user can improve the accuracy of static elimination by the static eliminator 200 by connecting the ion balance sensor 100 to the static eliminator 200.

Note that, as described later, the ion balance sensor 100 includes an operational amplifier 111 (FIG. 5) that amplifies input, and a sensor control unit 190 (FIG. 5) that processes the output from the operational amplifier 111 and outputs a digital signal. . Therefore, in order for the static eliminator control unit 230 of the static eliminator 200 to perform control based on the ion balance signal (ion balance signal) detected by the ion balance sensor 100, a signal is generated between the ion balance sensor 100 and the static eliminator 200. There is no need for relay equipment to convert formats.

The static eliminator storage unit 270 is composed of a memory or a hard disk. The static eliminator control unit 230 causes the static eliminator communication unit 280 to receive the ion balance signal from the ion balance sensor 100, thereby causing the static eliminator storage unit 270 to store the ion balance of the target space 3 together with time information. At this time, as described above, in addition to the storage operation, the static eliminator control unit 230 controls the positive electrode side high voltage circuit 212 and the negative electrode side based on the received ion balance signal so that the ion balance in the target space 3 approaches 0. Controls the high voltage circuit 222.

Furthermore, the static eliminator control unit 230 causes the static eliminator communication unit 280 to receive the ion current signal from the ion balance sensor 100, thereby causing the static eliminator storage unit 270 to store the ion current in the target space 3 together with time information. At this time, in addition to the above storage operation, the static eliminator control unit 230 sends a message indicating that the installation state of the static eliminator 200 is inappropriate when the received ion current value is less than or equal to the ion current threshold value. may be displayed on the display unit 250.

Furthermore, the static eliminator control unit 230 causes the static eliminator communication unit 280 to receive the temperature signal and the humidity signal from the ion balance sensor 100, thereby causing the static eliminator storage unit 270 to store the temperature and humidity of the target space 3 together with time information. . Thereby, it becomes possible to manage the static elimination states of the plurality of objects 9 based on various information regarding the environment of the target space 3 stored in the static eliminator storage unit 270.

Further, when one of the plurality of types of events occurs in the static eliminator 200, the static eliminator control unit 230 detects the occurrence of the event, and stores the content of the event, the time of occurrence, etc. in the static eliminator storage unit 270. . Note that the plurality of types of events are classified and defined as belonging to any one of, for example, an error event, a warning event, and a notification event.

The error event is an event indicating that a situation has occurred in which static electricity removal cannot be continued appropriately. Therefore, when an error event is detected, static elimination is automatically stopped. The alarm event is an event that prompts the user to confirm when the static eliminator 200 exhibits a behavior different from the behavior expected in advance, and is an event that prompts the user to confirm the behavior, and is based on various threshold values preset as fixed values in the static eliminator 200. Detected based on etc. The notification event is an event for notifying the user when the static eliminator 200 exhibits a behavior different from the behavior expected by the user, and is an event for notifying the user when the static eliminator 200 exhibits a behavior different from the behavior expected by the user. Detected based on etc.

The static eliminator power supply section 290 receives power supplied from a commercial power source through a power cable, an AC adapter, etc. (not shown), and supplies a portion of the received power to other components provided in the static eliminator 200. Further, the static eliminator power supply section 290 supplies the remainder of the received power to the sensor power supply section 160 (FIG. 2) of the ion balance sensor 100 through the relay cable CA1. The static eliminator 200 and the sensor power supply section 160 are supplied with electric power from a DC power source or electric power appropriately converted by an AC adapter, in contrast to the commercial power source.

The cleaning device 291 is configured to be able to clean the plurality of electrode needles en1 and en2 of the positive ion generating section 211 and the negative ion generating section 221 using, for example, a brush, and operates under the control of the static eliminator control section 230. The indicator light 292 includes one or more light emitting diodes, and emits light, turns off, or blinks based on the control of the static eliminator control unit 230. The indicator light 292 is arranged above the power button 267 of the operation section 260 in the static eliminator housing 11 (see FIG. 4).

Note that the clean device 291 and the indicator light 292 are not essential components of the present invention. Therefore, the static eliminator 200 does not need to include the clean device 291 and the indicator light 292.

4. Method for detecting ion balance and ion current Here, a specific example of a method for detecting ion balance and ion current in the target space 3 will be described. 5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining a method of detecting ion balance and ion current using the ion balance sensor 100 of FIG. 1. A circuit diagram schematically representing the detection plate 110A and the ion detection circuit 110B is shown in the upper part of FIG. Ion detection circuit 110B includes an operational amplifier 111, a fixed resistor 112, and a modulated voltage source 113. The operational amplifier 111 is used as a buffer circuit, and the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 111 is electrically connected to the detection plate 110A. Further, the output terminal of the operational amplifier 111 is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 111 and also to the sensor control section 190.

The modulated voltage source 113 generates an alternating current voltage as a modulated voltage having periodicity. The modulated voltage source 113 is electrically connected to a node N between the detection plate 110A and the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 111 via a fixed resistor 112. Note that the node N may be located on the detection plate 110A. In this case, modulated voltage source 113 is electrically connected to detection plate 110A via fixed resistor 112.

As described above, the detection plate 110A is provided so as to be exposed in the space surrounding the ion balance sensor 100 (target space 3 in this example). Further, in the target space 3 of this example, a static eliminator containing positive ions and negative ions flows from the static eliminator 200 .

The relationship between the ion balance and ion current in the target space 3 and the potential of the detection plate 110A is as shown in the lower part of FIG. It can be modeled into a circuit configuration. In the modeled circuit configuration, the resistance value of the virtual variable resistor 114 corresponds to the ionic current in the target space 3. The resistance value of the variable resistor 114 increases as the ion current in the target space 3 becomes smaller, and decreases as the ion current in the target space 3 increases.

Furthermore, in the modeled circuit configuration described above, the voltage of the virtual voltage source 115 corresponds to the ion balance in the target space 3. The voltage of the voltage source 115 deviates from zero as the degree of bias in the ion balance in the target space 3 increases, and approaches zero as the degree of bias in the ion balance in the target space 3 decreases.

Considering the circuit configuration modeled above, the potential of node N is the sum of the voltages of modulated voltage source 113 and virtual voltage source 115 divided by fixed resistor 112 and virtual variable resistor 114. can be expressed. Specifically, the potential of the node N is Vin, the resistance value of the variable resistor 114 is Rin, the voltage of the virtual voltage source 115 is VIB, the resistance value of the fixed resistor 112 is Rm, and the voltage of the modulated voltage source 113 is When Vm is Vm, it can be expressed by the following formula (1).

Vin=[{Rin/(Rm+Rin)}×Vm]+[{Rm/(Rm+Rin)}×VIB]…(1)
In the above equation (1), [{Rin/(Rm+Rin)}×Vm] represents the voltage component of the voltage-divided modulated voltage source 113, and [{Rm/(Rm+Rin)}×VIB] represents the voltage component of the voltage-divided modulated voltage source 113. represents the voltage component of the voltage source 115.

As described above, the potential at node N includes the voltage component of the voltage-divided modulated voltage source 113. Therefore, the degree of modulation of the voltage component of the voltage-divided modulated voltage source 113, that is, the magnitude of the amplitude per cycle, changes depending on the resistance value of the virtual variable resistor 114. For example, when the resistance value of the virtual variable resistor 114 increases due to a small ionic current in the target space 3, the voltage component of the divided modulated voltage source 113 increases (varies greatly). On the other hand, when the resistance value of the virtual variable resistor 114 decreases due to a large ion current in the target space 3, the voltage component of the divided modulated voltage source 113 decreases (varies small). On the other hand, the voltage component of the divided voltage source 115 does not contribute to the modulation of the potential of the node N because the voltage of the virtual voltage source 115 does not vary periodically.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the voltage waveform of the signal output from the operational amplifier 111 of FIG. 5. In FIG. 6, the vertical axis represents voltage and the horizontal axis represents time. Moreover, the voltage waveform of the signal output from the operational amplifier 111 in FIG. 5 is shown by a solid line. The voltage waveform in FIG. 6 corresponds to the potential at node N in FIG. Note that in the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that an electric eliminator containing a certain amount of positive ions and negative ions flows into the target space 3 at a constant flow rate, and that the ion balance in the target space 3 is kept constant. .

For the above reason, the potential of the node N varies depending on the resistance value of the virtual variable resistor 114. Therefore, the ion amount information generating section 192 in FIG. 2 determines the amplitude of the voltage waveform of the signal (voltage signal) output from the operational amplifier 111 in FIG. The corresponding value is detected as the ion current in the target space 3. Furthermore, the balance information generation unit 191 in FIG. 2 generates a value at the center of fluctuation of the voltage waveform of the signal (voltage signal) output from the operational amplifier 111 in FIG. The value is detected as the ion balance of the target space 3.

The ion balance in the target space 3 is detected by the ion balance sensor 100 according to the above detection method. In this case, it becomes possible to detect the ion balance in the target space 3 within an error range of ±1.0V with respect to the actual ion balance in the target space 3. Note that when the ion balance sensor 100 detects the ion balance, it is preferable that ion balance calibration, which will be described later, be performed as appropriate.

In the above detection method, the sampling period and sampling period of the voltage waveform for detecting the ion balance and the ion current are preferably determined by experiment, simulation, etc. so that more appropriate detection results can be obtained. Further, in the above detection method, it is preferable that the period and amplitude of the modulated voltage to be generated from the modulated voltage source 113 are determined by experiment, simulation, etc. so that more appropriate detection results can be obtained.

Note that when a low impedance member (such as wiring connected to another voltage source) having a predetermined potential comes into contact with the detection plate 110A arranged in the target space 3, the output of the operational amplifier 111 will be at a constant value. is held, and the amplitude of the voltage waveform becomes 0. Therefore, when the amplitude of the voltage waveform is 0, the indicator light control unit 195 determines that the ion current does not satisfy the predetermined allowable conditions, and instructs the indicator light controller 195 to emit light in a specific other color (for example, red). The sensor indicator light 140 may also be controlled.

5. Structure of Ion Balance Sensor 100 FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of the ion balance sensor 100 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 7, the ion balance sensor 100 has a sensor housing 400 that is formed to extend in one direction. In the following description, regarding the ion balance sensor 100, the direction in which the sensor housing 400 extends will be referred to as the housing longitudinal direction DL.

The sensor housing 400 has a substantially rectangular box shape and has an internal space extending in the housing longitudinal direction DL. One circuit board 440 is housed in the inner space of the sensor housing 400. In FIG. 7, a circuit board 440 housed within the sensor housing 400 is indicated by a thick dotted line. One end of the sensor housing 400 in the housing longitudinal direction DL is referred to as a first end 410, and the other end is referred to as a second end 420. Further, the central portion of the sensor housing 400 in the housing longitudinal direction DL is referred to as a housing central portion 430.

Relay cable CA1 is provided to extend from second end 420 of sensor housing 400. A plurality of (two in this example) attachment holes 421 are formed in the second end 420 for attaching the sensor housing 400 to a holder 900 (FIG. 9), which will be described later. On the other hand, a plurality of through holes 411 are formed in the first end 410 of the sensor housing 400 to communicate the internal space of the sensor housing 400 with the outside of the sensor housing 400 .

A plate attachment portion 431 for attaching the detection plate 110A is formed on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the housing center portion 430 of the sensor housing 400. The detection plate 110A is produced, for example, by bending a metal plate cut into a predetermined shape, and has a detection surface 110S for detecting ion balance and ion current. As shown by the white arrow in FIG. 7, the detection plate 110A is attached to the plate attachment part 431 of the sensor housing 400. In this state, the detection surface 110S of the detection plate 110A is exposed in the space surrounding the ion balance sensor 100. Thereby, when the ion balance sensor 100 is placed in the target space 3, positive ions and negative ions existing in the target space 3 are likely to come into contact with the detection surface 110S. Therefore, it becomes possible to appropriately detect the ion balance and ion current in the target space 3.

An indicator light opening 432 is formed in the housing center portion 430 of the sensor housing 400 at a position adjacent to the plate attachment portion 431 in the housing longitudinal direction DL. The indicator light opening 432 is formed to guide light generated from the sensor indicator light 140 mounted on the circuit board 440 inside the sensor housing 400 to the outside of the sensor housing 400, as will be described later.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the ion balance sensor 100 cut along the virtual plane VS of FIG. The virtual plane VS in FIG. 7 is a plane parallel to the longitudinal direction DL of the housing. As shown in FIG. 8, the circuit board 440 is provided to extend from the first end 410 to the second end 420 within the sensor housing 400. The ion detection circuit 110B, temperature detection element 120, humidity detection element 130, sensor indicator light 140, sensor communication section 150, sensor power supply section 160, and sensor control section 190 of FIG. 2 are mounted on the circuit board 440.

Furthermore, a relay cable CA1 is connected to the circuit board 440. As a result, various signals are exchanged between the sensor communication section 150 (FIG. 2) of the ion balance sensor 100 and the static eliminator communication section 280 (FIG. 3) of the static eliminator 200. Further, power is supplied from the static eliminator power supply section 290 (FIG. 3) of the static eliminator 200 to the sensor power supply section 160 (FIG. 2) of the ion balance sensor 100.

Furthermore, the detection plate 110A is connected to the circuit board 440. Thereby, the ion balance and ion current in the target space 3 are detected by the ion detection circuit 110B and the sensor control unit 190 mounted on the circuit board 440.

Here, the temperature detection element 120 and the humidity detection element 130 are mounted near one end of the circuit board 440 so as to be adjacent to the first end 410 of the sensor housing 400 in the housing longitudinal direction DL. On the other hand, the ion detection circuit 110B, the sensor indicator light 140, the sensor communication section 150, the sensor power supply section 160, and the sensor control section 190 are arranged at a certain distance from the temperature detection element 120 and the humidity detection element 130 in the longitudinal direction DL of the housing. It is mounted on a circuit board 440.

The ion detection circuit 110B, the sensor indicator light 140, the sensor communication section 150, the sensor power supply section 160, and the sensor control section 190 become heat sources when the ion balance sensor 100 operates. Even in such a case, according to the above configuration, the temperature detection element 120 and the humidity detection element 130 are spaced at least a certain distance from the heat generation source within the sensor housing 400. Therefore, heat is prevented from being directly transferred from the heat generation source during operation of the ion balance sensor 100. Thereby, a decrease in the detection accuracy of the temperature and humidity of the target space 3 is suppressed.

Further, as described above, a plurality of through holes 411 are formed in the first end 410 of the sensor housing 400. The plurality of through holes 411 function as ventilation holes that circulate the atmosphere between the internal space of the sensor housing 400 and the outside of the sensor housing 400. Thereby, the heat generated from the heat source within the sensor housing 400 is radiated to the outside of the sensor housing 400 through the plurality of through holes 411 without staying within the sensor housing 400. Further, the atmosphere outside the sensor housing 400 easily comes into contact with the temperature detection element 120 and the humidity detection element 130 through the plurality of through holes 411. This improves the accuracy of detecting the temperature and humidity of the target space 3.

6. Holder for Ion Balance Sensor 100 It is desirable that the sensor housing 400 be fixed at a desired position in the target space 3 where static electricity is to be removed in a desired posture. Therefore, the ion balance sensor 100 according to the present embodiment may further include a holder for holding the sensor housing 400.

FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing an example of the holder. A holder 900 in FIG. 9 is formed, for example, by bending a metal plate with high rigidity, and includes a sensor holding part 910 and a fixing part 920.

The sensor holding part 910 and the fixing part 920 are each formed into a flat plate shape, and are bent at 90 degrees and adjacent to each other. A plurality of (four in this example) mounting holes 911 are formed in the sensor holding portion 910 so as to be spaced apart at equal intervals. The plurality of attachment holes 911 correspond to the two attachment holes 421 of the sensor housing 400. The fixing portion 920 is formed with a cable opening 921 and a plurality of (two in this example) elongated holes 922 .

When using the holder 900, the sensor housing 400 is attached to the sensor holder 910. In this case, the relay cable CA1 of the ion balance sensor 100 is inserted into the cable opening 921 of the fixing part 920. Further, the two mounting holes 421 (FIG. 7) of the sensor housing 400 are positioned above any two of the four mounting holes 911 of the sensor holding part 910. In this state, screws are inserted into the two attachment holes 421 of the sensor housing 400 and the two attachment holes 911 of the sensor holding part 910, and the sensor housing 400 and the sensor holding part 910 are screwed together. Furthermore, screws are inserted into the two elongated holes 922 of the fixing part 920, and the fixing part 920 is screwed to another fixture, such as a stand provided in or around the target space 3, for example.

FIG. 10 is an external perspective view showing an example of a state in which the sensor housing 400 is attached to the holder 900. As shown in FIG. 10, the second end 420 of the sensor housing 400 is screwed to the sensor holding part 910 using two screws SC. In this state, the holder 900 is configured not to contact the first end 410 of the sensor housing 400.

According to the above configuration, since the second end 420 of the sensor housing 400 is attached to the metal holder 900, the heat generated within the sensor housing 400 during operation of the ion balance sensor 100 is transferred to the second end 420 of the sensor housing 400. It is transmitted through end 420 to retainer 900 . Moreover, the holder 900 does not contact the first end 410 of the sensor housing 400 when the sensor housing 400 is attached. Thereby, heat is suppressed from being transferred from the holder 900 to the temperature detection element 120 and the humidity detection element 130 adjacent to the first end 410. As a result, the accuracy of detecting the temperature and humidity of the target space 3 by the temperature detection element 120 and the humidity detection element 130 is improved.

7. Example of Display on Display Unit When the main power switch (not shown) of the static eliminator housing 11 is turned on, the static eliminator 200 is activated. After the static eliminator 200 is started, a predetermined startup screen is displayed on the display unit 250, and then a first layer screen is displayed. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the first layer screen. As shown in FIG. 11, the first layer screen 500 includes a screen for monitoring the status of the static eliminator 200 or a screen for setting setting items that are frequently changed, and includes multiple types (in this example, 4 types). type) screen. The four types of first layer screens 500 are respectively referred to as an air volume adjustment screen 510, a first monitor screen 520, a second monitor screen 530, and an event history screen 540.

On the display unit 250, one of the four types of first layer screens 500 described above is displayed. Each time the left button 263 of the operation unit 260 in FIG. 4 is operated, the first layer screen 500 displayed on the display unit 250 is switched in a predetermined order. Furthermore, each time the right button 264 of the operation section 260 is operated, the first layer screen 500 displayed on the display section 250 is switched in the reverse order from when the left button 263 was operated.

The second monitor screen 530 can be displayed on the display unit 250 only when the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200. Therefore, when the static eliminator 200 is connected to the ion balance sensor 100, when the left button 263 is operated while the first monitor screen 520 is displayed on the display unit 250, the first monitor screen 520 is changed to the first monitor screen 520. The screen switches to a two-monitor screen 530. Alternatively, by operating the right button 264 while the event history screen 540 is displayed on the display unit 250, the first event history screen 540 is switched to the second monitor screen 530.

On the other hand, if the static eliminator 200 is not connected to the ion balance sensor 100 and the left button 263 is operated while the first monitor screen 520 is displayed on the display unit 250, the second monitor screen 530 is skipped. , the first monitor screen 520 switches to the event history screen 540. Similarly, when the right button 264 is operated while the event history screen 540 is displayed on the display unit 250, the second monitor screen 530 is skipped and the event history screen 540 is switched to the first monitor screen 520.

In this way, the number of screens displayed as the first layer screen 500 when the ion balance sensor 100 is not connected to the static eliminator 200 is the same as the number of screens displayed as the first layer screen 500 when the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200. The number of screens is smaller than the number of screens displayed as the hierarchical screen 500. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of operating procedures required for the user to display a desired screen on the first layer screen 500. In this example, when the ion balance sensor 100 is not connected to the static eliminator 200, the second monitor screen 540 is not displayed and only the other screens of the first layer screen 500 are displayed. A configuration may be adopted in which a screen alternative to the second monitor screen 540 is displayed as the first layer screen when the sensor 100 is not connected.

Since the first layer screen 500 is a screen that is easy for the user to display, it includes a screen for displaying the state of static elimination by the static eliminator 200. Practically speaking, the frequency of tasks for users to change various operating conditions of the static eliminator 200 is low compared to the frequency of tasks for checking the static elimination status of the static eliminator 200, so the settings of various operating conditions are This is performed on the second layer screen and subsequent layers that are deeper than the first layer screen 500. However, in practice, among the various operating conditions for the static eliminator 200, the air volume is changed more frequently than other operating conditions. Therefore, in this example, the first layer screen 500 includes an air volume adjustment screen 510 for displaying the air volume set at the time as the state of static elimination by the static eliminator 200, and for accepting changes to the air volume. . That is, among the various operating conditions for the static eliminator 200, the air volume can be set by the user on the first layer screen 500.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the air volume adjustment screen 510. As shown in FIG. 12, the air volume adjustment screen 510 displays an operating state display area 501, an event display area 502, an eco mode display area 503, and a lock mode display area 504. Further, the air volume adjustment screen 510 further displays an air volume value display area 511, an air volume gauge display area 512, and an explanation display area 513. The driving state display area 501, event display area 502, eco mode display area 503, and lock mode display area 504 are also displayed on the other first layer screens 500.

The operating state of the static eliminator 200 is displayed in the operating state display area 501. The character string "RUN" is displayed while static elimination is being performed, and the character string "STOP" is displayed while static elimination is stopped. These displays are switched each time the power button 267 of the operation unit 260 in FIG. 4 is pressed for a short time. In the event display area 502, when any event belonging to an error event, a warning event, or a notification event is detected, an icon and a character string indicating the type of event are displayed. Details of the event display area 502 will be explained with respect to the first monitor screen 520.

The eco-mode display area 503 displays whether the static eliminator 200 is operating in the eco-mode. When the static eliminator 200 is operating in the eco mode, the character string "ECO" is displayed, and when the static eliminator 200 is not operating in the eco mode, nothing is displayed. The lock mode display area 504 displays whether the static eliminator 200 is operating in the lock mode. When the static eliminator 200 is operating in the lock mode, a key mark is displayed, and when the static eliminator 200 is not operating in the lock mode, nothing is displayed. Further, in the lock mode, when a password is input, that is, when the lock is temporarily released, the key mark is displayed in a faint color (grayed out).

In the air volume value display area 511, a character string "Air Vol. Level" is displayed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the air volume by the fan 201 is divided into seven levels, air volume levels "1" to "7", based on the rotational speed of the fan 201. In the air volume value display area 511, the current air volume level is displayed numerically. Note that in the example of FIG. 12, the static eliminator 200 is operating in eco mode. Therefore, the air volume level is the lowest, "1". When changing the air volume level in this state, a confirmation message to cancel the eco mode may be displayed on the air volume adjustment screen 510.

In the air volume gauge display area 512, the current air volume level is displayed by a gauge. In this example, the gauge includes seven bars extending laterally. The seven bars have lengths corresponding to air volume levels "1" to "7", respectively. Bars corresponding to the current air volume level and lower air volume levels are displayed in color, and other bars are grayed out. The colors may be different for each range of airflow levels. For example, the bars for air volume levels "1" and "2" are displayed in green, the bars for air volume levels "3" to "5" are displayed in yellow, and the bars for air volume levels "6" and "7" are displayed in red. May be displayed.

In the explanation display area 513, a simple explanation about some buttons of the operation unit 260 is displayed. The example in FIG. 12 shows that the air volume adjustment screen 510 is switched to another first layer screen 500 by operating the left button 263 or the right button 264. Further, by operating the enter button 265, it is shown that the first layer screen 500 changes to a menu screen (second layer screen) for performing various settings. Further, by pressing and holding the power button 267, it is indicated that the cleaning device 291 starts cleaning the electrode needles en1 and en2.

In the air volume adjustment screen 510, when the upper button 261 is operated, the air volume level increases by the number of times the upper button 261 is operated until the air volume level reaches "7". Further, when the lower button 262 is operated, the air volume level decreases by the number of times the lower button 262 is operated until the air volume level becomes "1".

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the first monitor screen 520. As shown in FIG. 13, the first monitor screen 520 displays a driving state display area 501, an event display area 502, an eco mode display area 503, and a lock mode display area 504. Further, on the first monitor screen 520, a charging level display area 521, an input/output display area 522, a static elimination performance display area 523, and an explanation display area 524 are displayed.

In the static elimination system 1 according to the present embodiment, the return ion balance is detected by the external ion current detection circuit 242 as described above. According to the return ion balance, it is possible to roughly calculate the level of the amount of charge (charge level) of the object 9 and evaluate the calculation result.

In the charging level display area 521, a character string “Charge Level” is displayed. Further, in the charge level display area 521, the charge level of the object calculated based on the return ion balance is displayed by a gauge. Note that the return ion balance may be treated as the charging level. Further, in the charging level display area 521, a line indicating a threshold value of the charging level is displayed. In this example, the charging level is displayed by moving a bar extending in the vertical direction in the horizontal direction.

Specifically, when the charge level is close to 0, the bar is located in the center. When the charge level is negative, the bar moves to the left. When the charge level is positive, the bar moves to the right. The color of the displayed bar may vary depending on whether the charging level is within a threshold range. In the example of FIG. 13, the charging level is within the threshold range. Therefore, the bar is displayed in green, for example. On the other hand, when the charge level is outside the threshold range, the bar is displayed in red.

The static eliminator 200 according to the present embodiment is provided with first to third input terminals (not shown) and first to third output terminals (not shown). Control equipment such as a programmable controller can be connected to each terminal.

In the input/output display area 522, icons representing the first to third input terminals are displayed in order from left to right along with the character string "IN". Further, along with the character string "OUT", icons representing the first to third output terminals are displayed in order from left to right. Each icon is displayed in a first manner (eg, green) when the input terminal or output terminal corresponding to the icon is in use. On the other hand, each icon is displayed in a second manner (eg, white) when the input terminal or output terminal corresponding to the icon is in an unused state. In the example of FIG. 13, the icons displayed in the first mode are hatched. In this case, it can be seen that the second input terminal and the second output terminal are in use.

The static elimination performance display area 523 displays measured values related to static elimination performance and predetermined character strings corresponding to the measured values. In this example, the static elimination performance display area 523 includes the air volume level of the fan 201 and the amount of ions generated by the positive ion generation section 211 and the positive high voltage circuit 212 as measured values related to the static elimination time among the static elimination performance. is displayed. Furthermore, the character strings “FAN” and “ION” are displayed in the static elimination performance display area 523. Note that the static elimination time means the time required to neutralize the electric charge on the metal plate that maintains the amount of electric charge specified by the standard.

In this example, the amount of ions is displayed not as an absolute value but as a relative value compared to the amount of generated ions in the standard state (for example, the state at the time of shipment) of the static eliminator 200. Therefore, the unit of ion amount is %. The user can evaluate the static elimination time based on the air volume level and ion amount displayed in the static elimination performance display area 523. Specifically, the larger the air volume level and the larger the amount of ions, the more ions can be supplied, so the static elimination time becomes shorter.

Similar to the explanation display area 513 of the air volume adjustment screen 510, the explanation display area 524 displays a simple explanation of some of the buttons on the operation unit 260. Note that in the example of FIG. 13, an explanation about long-pressing the power button 267 is not displayed in the explanation display area 524, but the embodiment is not limited to this. If the explanation display area 524 has a sufficiently large display space, an explanation about the long press of the power button 267 may be displayed in the explanation display area 524, similarly to the explanation display area 513.

As described above, when an event belonging to an error event, a warning event, or a notification event is detected in the event display area 502, an icon and a character string indicating the type of event are displayed. FIG. 13 shows three images i1, i2, and i3 that are displayed in the event display area 502 in response to an error event, a warning event, and a notification event, respectively, when these events occur.

The image i1 corresponding to the error event is displayed in the event display area 502 with a circular icon indicating the error event and the character string "ERROR" decorated in a specific color (for example, red). The image i2 corresponding to the alarm event is displayed in the event display area 502 with a triangular icon indicating the alarm event and the character string "ALARM" decorated in another color (for example, yellow). The image i3 corresponding to the notification event includes a diamond-shaped icon indicating the notification event and the character string "NOTICE", and is further displayed in another color (for example, orange) in the event display area 502.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the second monitor screen 530. As shown in FIG. 14, the second monitor screen 530 displays a driving state display area 501, an event display area 502, an eco mode display area 503, and a lock mode display area 504. Further, on the second monitor screen 530, an ion balance display area 531, an input/output display area 532, a temperature/humidity display area 533, and an explanation display area 534 are displayed.

In the ion balance display area 531, a character string "Ion Balance" is displayed. Further, the ion balance display area 531 displays the ion balance value measured by the ion balance sensor 100. The unit of ion balance is V (volt). Further, in the ion balance display area 531, a preset upper limit threshold value for ion balance (ion balance threshold value to be described later) is displayed together with the character string "Hi". Further, a preset lower limit threshold value for ion balance (ion balance threshold value to be described later) is displayed together with the character string "Lo". In the input/output display area 532, similarly to the input/output display area 522 of the first monitor screen 520, the usage states of the input terminals and output terminals are displayed.

In the temperature/humidity display area 533, the temperature measured by the ion balance sensor 100 is displayed together with the character string "TMP". Further, in the temperature/humidity display area 533, the humidity measured by the ion balance sensor 100 is displayed together with the character string "HUM". Similar to the explanation display area 524 of the first monitor screen 520, the explanation display area 534 displays a simple explanation of some of the buttons on the operation unit 260.

Also on the second monitor screen 530, if the occurrence of an event related to ion balance, temperature, or humidity is detected, one of the images i1 to i3 in FIG. 13 showing the type of event is displayed in the event display area 502. . Further, character strings such as "Ion Balance", "TMP", or "HUM" are displayed decorated in the same color as the decorative colors of images i1 to i3 displayed in event display area 502.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the event history screen 540. As shown in FIG. 16, the event history screen 540 displays a driving state display area 501, an event display area 502, an eco mode display area 503, and a lock mode display area 504. Further, the event history screen 540 displays an all-event display area 541 and an explanation display area 542.

The character string “All Event” is displayed in the all event display area 541. Further, in the all-event display area 541, the dates and times of occurrence of all detected events are displayed vertically. For each detected event, an icon indicating the type of event is displayed next to the date and time of occurrence. This icon is the same as the icon displayed in the event display area 502 when an event is detected.

By visually recognizing the types of icons in the all-event display area 541, the user can easily recognize the type of each event that has occurred. In the example of FIG. 15, the occurrence dates and times of three events are displayed in the all-event display area 541. These three event types are, from the top, an error event, a warning event, and an error event, respectively.

When one or more occurrence dates and times are displayed in the all event display area 541, one of the one or more occurrence dates and times is used as the occurrence date and time of the event selected by the user as the other occurrence date and time. displayed in a distinguishable manner. The user can select a desired event by operating the upper button 261 or lower button 262 of the operation unit 260.

In the explanation display area 542, a simple explanation about some buttons of the operation unit 260 is displayed. The example in FIG. 15 shows that the event history screen 540 is switched to another first layer screen 500 by operating the left button 263 or the right button 264. Further, by operating the enter button 265, it is indicated that the screen changes to an event details screen showing details of the event selected by the user.

In this example, one event history screen 540 is displayed as the first layer screen 500, but the embodiment is not limited to this. In addition to the event history screen 540 described above, the first layer screen 500 may include one or more other event history screens that display only the date and time of occurrence of a specific type of event from all detected events. In this case, in addition to the first monitor screen 520, the second monitor screen 530, and the event history screen 540, one or more other event history screens are switchably displayed on the display unit 250 as the first hierarchical screen 500. .

With the air volume adjustment screen 510, the first monitor screen 520, or the second monitor screen 530 displayed on the display section 250, by operating the enter button 265 of the operation section 260, the second layer screen is displayed on the display section 250. Is displayed. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the second layer screen. The second layer screen 600 in FIG. 16 is a menu screen for making various settings. Note that by operating the cancel button 266 of the operation section 260 while the second layer screen 600 is displayed on the display section 250, the display on the display section 250 returns to the previous first layer screen 500.

As shown in FIG. 16, on the second hierarchical screen 600, a plurality of setting target items are displayed vertically. The plurality of setting target items include basic settings of the static eliminator 200, settings related to the ion balance sensor 100, advanced settings of the static eliminator 200, and the like.

Specifically, in the second layer screen 600, the basic setting item of the static eliminator 200 is indicated by the character string "A: Basic Setting" (white arrow A1 in FIG. 16). Further, setting items related to the ion balance sensor 100 are indicated by the character string "B: FB Sensor" (white arrow A2 in FIG. 16). Furthermore, the item for advanced settings of the static eliminator 200 is indicated by the character string "E:Advance Setting" (white arrow A3 in FIG. 16). The user can select a desired item by operating the upper button 261 or lower button 262 of the operation unit 260. The selected item is displayed in a manner that allows it to be distinguished from other items. In the example of FIG. 16, as shown by hatching, the basic setting item of the static eliminator 200 is selected.

Here, the settings related to the ion balance sensor 100 are unnecessary settings when the ion balance sensor 100 is not connected to the static eliminator 200. Therefore, the setting items related to the ion balance sensor 100 can be selected by the user when the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200. On the other hand, when the ion balance sensor 100 is not connected to the static eliminator 200, the setting items related to the ion balance sensor 100 cannot be selected by the user and are displayed in a lighter color (grayed out) than other items.

When the OK button 265 is operated with any setting target item selected on the second layer screen 600, the setting screens from the third layer screen onward are displayed for making settings corresponding to the selected item. section 250.

There is a possibility that the charging level calculation performance may change depending on the usage of the static eliminator 200 over time, the environment in which the static eliminator 200 is used, or the like. In this case, the reliability of the charging level displayed in the charging level display area 521 in FIG. 13 decreases. Therefore, the static eliminator 200 is configured to be able to calibrate the charging level displayed in the charging level display area 521 in FIG. 13 (hereinafter referred to as charging level calibration).

Charge level calibration means, for example, adjusting the charge level displayed in the charge level display area 521 to a value corresponding to the actual charge amount of the object 9 measured by another measuring device. In the charge level calibration of this example, an offset is set to the charge level calculated inside the static eliminator 200 so that the charge level indicates the reference value when the actual charge amount of the object 9 is 0 (charge level zero point setting).

The user can calibrate the charge level by operating the operation unit 260 regardless of whether or not the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200. An example of the operation of the operation unit 260 when the user performs charging level calibration will be described together with the transition of the screen displayed on the display unit 250.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of screen transitions on the display unit 250 during charging level calibration. When charge level calibration is performed, the basic setting items of the static eliminator 200 (shown in FIG. 16 The item indicated by the white arrow A1) is selected. Further, the enter button 265 is operated with the basic setting item of the static eliminator 200 being selected.

As a result, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 17, a third layer screen 610 corresponding to the basic settings of the static eliminator 200 is displayed on the display unit 250. On the third layer screen 610 of FIG. 17, a plurality of setting target items classified as basic settings of the static eliminator 200 are displayed in a vertically aligned manner. The plurality of setting target items shown on the third layer screen 610 include charge level calibration, eco mode settings, and charge level threshold settings.

Specifically, in the third layer screen 610 of FIG. 17, the charge level calibration item is indicated by the character string "Ion Balance Adjustment." Further, setting items related to eco-mode are indicated by the character string "ECO-Mode." Further, an item for setting a threshold value of the charging level is indicated by a character string "Cheg Lvl Threshold". Furthermore, in the third layer screen 610, in addition to the various setting items described above, an item for returning the screen displayed on the display unit 250 to the previous screen (the second layer screen 600 in FIG. 16) includes the words "Return". Shown in columns.

In this state, by operating the upper button 261 or lower button 262 of the operation unit 260, the charge level calibration item is selected, and the enter button 265 is operated. As a result, a charging level calibration screen 691 is displayed on the display unit 250, as shown in the middle part of FIG.

On the charging level calibration screen 691, a numerical display frame 692 and a level gauge 693 are displayed approximately in the center of the screen. In the numerical display frame 692, an offset value of the charging level that is adjusted as charging level calibration is displayed. Further, in the level gauge 693, an offset value of the charging level numerically displayed in the numerical display frame 692 is displayed by a band-shaped gauge. More specifically, the level gauge 693 is displayed to extend in the horizontal direction and includes a bar portion representing an offset value within a certain range. Further, the level gauge 693 includes a marker displayed movably in the left and right directions on the bar portion. The position of the marker in the bar portion corresponds to the charge level offset value displayed in the numerical display frame 692. By operating the left button 263 or the right button 264 of the operation unit 260, the offset value of the charging level is increased or decreased. An example of a charging level calibration screen 691 during charging level calibration is shown in the lower part of FIG. 17 .

After the offset value of the charging level displayed on the numerical display frame 692 and the level gauge 693 is adjusted to the value desired by the user, the enter button 265 is operated. As a result, the offset value of the charging level displayed by the numerical display frame 692 and the level gauge 693 is set. Further, the screen displayed on the display unit 250 returns from the charging level calibration screen 691 to the third layer screen 610.

The charge level offset value set in the charge level calibration is stored in the static eliminator storage unit 270 in FIG. 3 as information for displaying the charge level on the first monitor screen 520 in FIG. 13.

The detection performance of various physical quantities by the ion balance sensor 100 may change depending on the usage environment of the ion balance sensor 100 and the static eliminator 200 over time, or the environment in which the ion balance sensor 100 and the static eliminator 200 are used. In this case, the reliability of the ion balance value displayed in the ion balance display area 531 in FIG. 14 decreases. Therefore, the static eliminator 200 is configured to be able to calibrate the ion balance displayed in the ion balance display area 531 in FIG. 14 (hereinafter referred to as ion balance calibration).

Ion balance calibration is performed in almost the same way as charging level calibration, for example, by changing the ion balance value of the target space 3 displayed in the ion balance display area 531 to the actual ion balance value of the target space 3 measured by another measuring device. means to adjust to. In the ion balance calibration of this example, the static eliminator is adjusted so that when the actual ion balance value of the target space 3 is 0, the ion balance value displayed in the ion balance display area 531 indicates the reference value (0). An offset is set to the ion balance detected within the ion balance sensor 200 or the ion balance sensor 100 (zero point setting of the ion balance).

When the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200, the user can perform ion balance calibration by operating the operation unit 260. An example of the operation of the operation unit 260 when the user performs ion balance calibration will be described together with the transition of the screen displayed on the display unit 250.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of screen transitions on the display unit 250 during ion balance calibration. As described above, when the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200, the setting items related to the ion balance sensor 100 (indicated by the white arrow A2 in FIG. 16) are displayed on the second layer screen 600 in FIG. items) can be selected. Therefore, when ion balance calibration is performed, setting items related to the ion balance sensor 100 are selected by operating the upper button 261 or lower button 262 of the operation unit 260 on the second layer screen 600 in FIG. be done. Further, the enter button 265 is operated with the setting item related to the ion balance sensor 100 being selected.

As a result, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 18, a third layer screen 620 corresponding to settings regarding the ion balance sensor 100 is displayed on the display unit 250. On the third layer screen 620 in FIG. 18, a plurality of setting target items classified as settings related to the ion balance sensor 100 are displayed vertically. The plurality of settings target items shown on the third layer screen 620 include sensor connection settings, installation abnormality settings, and ion balance detection settings.

Specifically, in the third layer screen 620, the sensor connection setting item is indicated by the character string "Connection Settings." Furthermore, the installation abnormality setting item is indicated by the character string "Incorrect Pos.Alarm." Furthermore, the item of ion balance detection setting is indicated by the character string "Ion Balance". Furthermore, in the third layer screen 620, in addition to the various setting items described above, an item for returning the screen displayed on the display unit 250 to the previous screen (second layer screen 600 in FIG. 16) includes the words "Return". Shown in columns.

In this state, by operating the upper button 261 or lower button 262 of the operation unit 260, the ion balance detection setting item is selected, and the enter button 265 is operated. Thereby, as shown in the middle part of FIG. 18, a fourth layer image 630 corresponding to the ion balance detection setting is displayed on the display unit 250.

In the fourth layer image 630 of FIG. 18, a plurality of setting target items classified as ion balance detection settings are displayed vertically. The plurality of setting target items shown in the fourth layer image 630 include ion balance threshold setting, ion balance averaging setting, and ion balance calibration.

Specifically, in the fourth layer image 630, the ion balance threshold setting item is indicated by the character string "Ion Balance Threshold." In addition, the item of ion balance averaging setting is indicated by the character string "Ion bal.averaging rate". Furthermore, the item of ion balance calibration is indicated by the character string "Ion Balance Offset." Furthermore, in the fourth layer image 630, in addition to the various setting items described above, there is also an item "Return" for returning the screen displayed on the display unit 250 to the previous screen (the third layer screen 620 in the upper row of FIG. 18). It is indicated by the character string .

Note that the ion balance threshold is a value displayed in the ion balance display area 531 in FIG. 14 as described above, and indicates, for example, whether the ion balance in the target space 3 deviates from a range allowed in advance as a static elimination condition. It is used to determine whether Furthermore, in the static eliminator 200 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of detection values of the ion balance detected by the ion balance sensor 100 at a predetermined period are averaged. The averaged detection value is displayed in the ion balance display area 531 of FIG. 14. The ion balance averaging setting is to set the number of detected values to be averaged.

By operating the upper button 261 or lower button 262 of the operation unit 260 while the fourth layer image 630 in the middle row of FIG. 18 is displayed on the display unit 250, the ion balance calibration item is selected, and the enter button 265 is operated. As a result, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 18, an ion balance calibration screen 694 corresponding to ion balance calibration is displayed on the display unit 250.

On the ion balance calibration screen 694, a numerical value display frame 695 is displayed approximately in the center of the screen. The numerical display frame 695 displays an ion balance offset value that is adjusted as ion balance calibration. Further, on the right side of the numerical display frame 695, V (volt) indicating the unit of ion balance is displayed. In this example, the offset value of the ion balance is increased or decreased by operating the upper button 261 or the lower button 262 of the operation unit 260.

After the ion balance offset value is adjusted to the value desired by the user, the enter button 265 is operated. As a result, the offset value (-50.0V in the example of FIG. 18) of the charging level displayed by the numerical display frame 695 is set. Further, the screen displayed on the display unit 250 returns from the ion balance calibration screen 694 to the fourth layer image 630 corresponding to the ion balance detection settings.

The ion balance offset value set in the ion balance calibration is stored in the static eliminator storage unit 270 in FIG. 3 as information for displaying the ion balance on the second monitor screen 530 in FIG. 14.

In the example shown in FIG. 18, an operation example for performing ion balance calibration among the plurality of items displayed on the fourth layer image 630 has been described. You can also set the ion balance threshold by selecting the item. In addition, by selecting the ion balance averaging setting in the fourth layer image 630, the user can set the number of detected values to be averaged to obtain the ion balance value displayed on the display unit 250. You can also. At the time of these settings, a dedicated screen for setting each item is displayed on the display unit 250, similar to the ion balance calibration screen 694 shown in the lower part of FIG.

In the static elimination system 1, the user sets temperature thresholds and humidity thresholds for the temperature and humidity detected by the ion balance sensor 100, in addition to the various setting items described above, as static elimination conditions related to the ion balance sensor 100. Value can be set.

In this case as well, the display unit 250 displays a screen for setting the temperature threshold and a screen for setting the humidity threshold in response to the user's operation on the operation unit 260. However, in the static eliminator 200, information regarding the temperature and humidity of the target space 3 is not acquired unless the ion balance sensor 100 is connected. Therefore, when the ion balance sensor 100 is not connected to the static eliminator 200, even when the user operates the operation unit 260, the screen for setting the temperature threshold and humidity threshold is It is not displayed on the display section 250.

8. Processing according to the connection state between the ion balance sensor 100 and the static eliminator 200 As described above, the static eliminator control unit 230 in FIG. Control is performed differently depending on when the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the ion balance sensor 100. This control switching process is called control switching process. The control switching process is performed by the CPU of the static eliminator control unit 230 executing a control switching program stored in advance in the static eliminator storage unit 270 of FIG. 3 or the memory of the static eliminator control unit 230.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing various functional units of the static eliminator control unit 230 realized by executing the control switching program. In FIG. 19, some of the plurality of components of the static eliminator control unit 230 are shown along with the functional units of the static eliminator control unit 230.

As shown in FIG. 19, the static eliminator control section 230 includes a connection determination section 231, a high voltage circuit control section 232, a setting display management section 233, and a display control section 234 as functional sections. Note that some or all of these multiple functional units may be realized by hardware such as an electronic circuit.

The operation of each functional unit (231, 232, 233, 234) in FIG. 19 will be explained using a flowchart of control switching processing. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control switching processing. The control switching process in FIG. 20 is repeated at regular intervals while the static eliminator 200 is in the on state.

When the control switching process is started, the connection determination unit 231 in FIG. 19 determines whether the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200 (step S101). This determination process may be performed, for example, based on whether or not the static eliminator communication unit 280 receives any signal from the ion balance sensor 100.

Note that, in the static eliminator 200, a case is assumed in which a terminal portion to which the relay cable CA1 is connected is configured to be able to detect whether or not the relay cable CA1 is connected to the terminal portion. In this case, the connection determination section 231 may determine whether the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200 based on the detection result of the terminal section.

Next, when the ion balance sensor 100 is connected to the static eliminator 200, the high voltage circuit control unit 232 controls the positive electrode side high voltage circuit 212 and the negative electrode side high voltage circuit 222 based on the ion balance detected by the ion balance sensor 100. (Step S102). Further, the setting display management unit 233 allows each component of the static eliminator 200 to perform control operations and setting operations regarding the ion balance sensor 100 (step S103), and ends the control switching process.

In step S<b>101 described above, if the ion balance sensor 100 is not connected to the static eliminator 200 , the high voltage circuit control unit 232 controls the positive electrode side high voltage circuit 210 based on the return ion balance detected by the external ion current detection circuit 242 . and controls the negative side high voltage circuit 222 (step S104). Further, the setting display management unit 233 limits the control operation and setting operation regarding the ion balance sensor 100 to each component of the static eliminator 200 (step S105), and ends the control switching process.

When the control operation and setting operation regarding the ion balance sensor 100 are permitted, the display control unit 234 displays information related to the detection result of the return ion balance by the external ion current detection circuit 242 as well as the detection of the ion balance by the ion balance sensor 100. Information related to the results is displayed on the display unit 250.

On the other hand, when the control operations and setting operations regarding the ion balance sensor 100 are restricted, the display control unit 234 causes the display unit 250 to display information related to the return ion balance detection result by the external ion current detection circuit 242; Information related to the ion balance sensor 100 is not displayed on the display unit 250. Alternatively, the display control unit 234 causes the display unit 250 to display information related to the ion balance sensor 100 while indicating that the setting work is not possible (grayed out, etc.).

As a specific example, in the example of FIG. 11 described above, the first monitor screen 520 corresponds to a screen showing information related to the detection result of the return ion balance by the external ion current detection circuit 242. Further, the second monitor screen 530 corresponds to a screen showing information related to the ion balance sensor 100.

Accordingly, when the control operation and setting operation regarding the ion balance sensor 100 are permitted, the display control section 234 displays the first monitor screen 520 and the second monitor screen 530 based on the user's operation of the operation section 260. Four first layer screens 500 are displayed on the display unit 250. On the other hand, when the control operation and setting operation regarding the ion balance sensor 100 are restricted, the display control section 234 displays the three first layer screens 500 excluding the second monitor screen 530 based on the user's operation of the operation section 260. is displayed on the display section 250.

9. Effects (a) According to the above ion balance sensor 100, the detection plate 110A is arranged in the target space 3, so that the ion balance in the target space 3 is determined based on the voltage waveform of the signal output from the ion detection circuit 110B. is detected. Further, an ion balance signal indicating the detection result of the ion balance is generated. Thereby, the ion balance in the target space 3 can be grasped based on the ion balance signal.

Furthermore, the ion current in the target space 3 is detected as information regarding the environment of the target space 3 based on the voltage waveform of the signal output from the ion detection circuit 110B. Further, an ion current signal indicating the detection result of the ion current is generated. Thereby, the ion current in the target space 3 can be grasped based on the ion current signal. In this case, the user can adjust the installation state of the static eliminator 200 based on the magnitude of the ion current in the target space 3.

(b) According to the above-described ion balance sensor 100, the sensor housing 400 is placed in the target space 3, so that the temperature of the target space 3 can be managed based on the output of the temperature detection element 120. Furthermore, the humidity in the target space 3 can be managed based on the output of the humidity detection element 130.

(c) In the above ion balance sensor 100, the configuration for detecting the ion balance, ion current, temperature, and humidity of the target space 3, the sensor communication section 150, and the sensor power supply section 160 are connected to the detection plate 110A. It is also provided integrally with the sensor housing 400. Sensor housing 400 is connected to static eliminator 200 via relay cable CA1. Therefore, the sensor housing 400 can be easily placed in the target space 3 spaced apart from the static eliminator 200. This improves the ease of handling the ion balance sensor 100.

Furthermore, an ion balance signal, an ion current signal, a temperature signal, and a humidity signal are sent from the ion balance sensor 100 to the static eliminator 200 . Thereby, in the static eliminator 200, it becomes possible to control the operating state and adjust the installation state based on the ion balance signal, the ion current signal, the temperature signal, and the humidity signal.

10. Other Embodiments (a) Although the ion balance sensor 100 according to the above embodiment is used as a part of the static elimination system 1 while being connected to the static eliminator 200, the present invention is not limited thereto. .

The ion balance sensor 100 may be configured separately from the static eliminator 200 without being connected to the static eliminator 200. In this case, the ion balance sensor 100 has a power supply device separated from the static eliminator 200 by a battery or the like, and is configured to be operable by the power of the power supply device. Further, in this case, the ion balance sensor 100 may include a display device that presents the ion balance in the space surrounding the detection plate 110A and the detection results of the ion current to the user.

(b) At least one of the ion balance sensor 100 and the static eliminator 200 described above may include an audio output device. In this case, when the ion balance and ion current detected by the ion balance sensor 100 do not satisfy the permissible conditions, the audio output device outputs a message or alarm to the effect that the ion balance and ion current do not satisfy the permissible conditions. It's okay.

(c) The ion balance sensor 100 according to the above embodiment includes a temperature detection element 120 and a humidity detection element 130; however, when the ionic current in the target space 3 can be detected, the temperature detection element 120 and the humidity detection element 130 Either one or both may not be provided. Moreover, when the ion balance sensor 100 has at least one of the temperature detection element 120 and the humidity detection element 130, the ion balance sensor 100 may be configured to be unable to detect the ionic current in the target space 3.

(d) In the ion balance sensor 100 according to the above embodiment, the relay cable CA1 that connects the sensor housing 400 and the static eliminator 200 is configured such that a part or the whole thereof can be attached to and detached from the sensor housing 400. It's okay. Further, the relay cable CA1 may be configured to be detachable from the static eliminator 200.

(e) In the ion detection circuit 110B according to the above embodiment, the modulated voltage source 113 generates an alternating current voltage as a modulated voltage having periodicity, but the present invention is not limited to this. The modulated voltage source 113 may generate other modulated voltages such as a rectangular wave or a sawtooth wave as a modulated voltage having periodicity.

(f) In the ion balance sensor 100 according to the above embodiment, one circuit board 440 is provided within the sensor housing 400, but a plurality of circuit boards may be provided within the sensor housing 400. . In this case, the ion detection circuit 110B, temperature detection element 120, humidity detection element 130, sensor indicator light 140, sensor communication section 150, sensor power supply section 160, and sensor control section 190 of FIG. 2 are mounted on a plurality of circuit boards. In this way, when using a plurality of circuit boards, the temperature detection element 120 and the humidity detection element 130 are connected to heat generation sources (ion detection circuit 110B, sensor indicator light 140, sensor communication section 150, sensor power supply section 160, and sensor control It is preferable that the portion 190) is mounted on a different circuit board from the circuit board on which the portion 190) is mounted.

(g) In the ion balance sensor 100 according to the above embodiment, in addition to or in place of the ion current, temperature, and humidity, information regarding the environment of the target space 3 is used. Other physical quantities such as pressure may also be detected.

(h) Although the static eliminator 200 according to the above embodiment is configured to be operable in eco mode, the present invention is not limited thereto. The static eliminator 200 may be configured to be inoperable in the eco mode. Moreover, although the static eliminator 200 according to the embodiment described above is configured to be operable in a lock mode, the present invention is not limited thereto. The static eliminator 200 may be configured to be inoperable in the lock mode.

11. Correspondence between each component of the claims and each part of the embodiments Examples of correspondences between each component of the claims and each part of the embodiments will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. Various other elements having the configuration or function described in the claims can be used as each component in the claims.

In the above embodiment, the target space 3 is an example of the target space, the detection plate 110A is an example of the detection plate, the ion balance signal is an example of the first information signal, and the ion detection circuit 110B and the balance information The generation unit 191 is an example of a first information generation unit, the ion current signal, the temperature signal, and the humidity signal are examples of second information signals, and the ion detection circuit 110B, the ion amount information generation unit 192, and the temperature information generation The section 193 and the humidity information generating section 194 are examples of a second information generating section, the sensor communication section 150 is an example of a sensor communication section, and the ion balance sensor 100 is an example of an ion balance sensor.

Further, the fixed resistor 112 is an example of a fixed resistor, the node N is an example of a node, the modulated voltage source 113 is an example of a modulated voltage source, and the operational amplifier 111, the balance information generator 191, and the ion amount information generator 192 is an example of a potential detection section, the ion amount information generation section 192 is an example of an ion amount detection section, the circuit board 440 is an example of one or more circuit boards, and the sensor housing 400 is an example of a sensor housing. The relay cable CA1 is an example of a relay cable.

Further, the detection surface 110S is an example of one surface of the detection plate, the temperature detection element 120 and the humidity detection element 130 are examples of detection elements, and the first end 410 is an example of the first end of the sensor housing. , the second end 420 is an example of the second end of the sensor housing, the holder 900 is an example of a holder, and the two mounting holes 421 of the sensor housing 400 are an example of a mounting part. It is.

Furthermore, the positive ion generating section 211, the positive high voltage circuit 212, the negative ion generating section 221, and the negative high voltage circuit 222 of the static eliminator 200 are examples of the ion generating section, and the static eliminator communication section 280 is an example of the static eliminator communication section. The static eliminator control section 230 is an example of an ion control section, the static eliminator storage section 270 is an example of an environmental state storage section, the static eliminator system 1 is an example of a static eliminator system, and the sensor power supply section 160 is an example of a static eliminator system. The static eliminator power supply unit 290 is an example of the second power supply unit.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof, and some configurations of the embodiments described above may be modified. It is possible to implement them in combination.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Static elimination system, 2... Belt conveyor, 3... Target space, 9... Target object, 11... Static eliminator housing, 12... Vent opening, 100... Ion balance sensor, 110A... Detection plate, 110B... Ion detection circuit, 110S ...Detection surface, 111...Operation amplifier, 112...Fixed resistor, 113...Modulated voltage source, 114...Variable resistor, 115...Voltage source, 120...Temperature detection element, 130...Humidity detection element, 140...Sensor indicator light, 150...Sensor Communication section, 160...Sensor power supply section, 190...Sensor control section, 191...Balance information generation section, 192...Ion amount information generation section, 193...Temperature information generation section, 194...Humidity information generation section, 195...Indicator light control section , 200... Static eliminator, 201... Fan, 201a... Rotating shaft, 202... Fan drive section, 203... Detection electrode, 211... Positive ion generation section, 211a, 221a... Annular member, 212... Positive electrode side high voltage circuit, 221... Negative ion generation unit, 222...Negative side high voltage circuit, 230...Static eliminator control unit, 231...Connection determination unit, 232...High voltage circuit control unit, 233...Setting display management unit, 234...Display control unit, 240...Ion information generation 241...Internal ion current detection circuit, 242...External ion current detection circuit, 250...Display section, 260...Operation section, 261...Upper button, 262...Down button, 263...Left button, 264...Right button, 265... Determination button, 266... Cancel button, 267... Power button, 270... Static eliminator storage section, 280... Static eliminator communication section, 290... Static eliminator power supply section, 291... Clean device, 292... Indicator light, 300... Processing device, 310 ...Body display section, 320...Body operation section, 400...Sensor housing, 410...First end, 411...Through hole, 420...Second end, 421...Mounting hole, 430...Case center part, 431...Plate attachment part, 432...Indicator light opening, 440...Circuit board, 500...First layer screen, 501...Operating status display area, 502...Event display area, 503...Eco mode display area, 504...Lock mode display area , 510... Air volume adjustment screen, 511... Air volume value display area, 512... Air volume gauge display area, 513... Explanation display area, 520... First monitor screen, 521... Charge level display area, 522... Input/output display area, 523... Static neutralization performance display area, 524... Explanation display area, 530... Second monitor screen, 531... Ion balance display area, 532... Input/output display area, 533... Temperature/humidity display area, 534... Explanation display area, 540... Event history screen , 541...All event display area, 542...Explanation display area, 600...Second layer screen, 610...Third layer screen, 620...Third layer screen, 630...Fourth layer image, 691...Charging level calibration screen, 692 ...Numeric display frame, 693...Level gauge, 694...Ion balance calibration screen, 695...Numeric display frame, 900...Holder, 910...Sensor holding part, 911...Mounting hole, 920...Fixing part, 921...Cable opening, 922...Elongated hole, CA1, CA2...Relay cable, N...Node, Rm...Resistance value, SC...Screw, VS...Virtual surface, en1, en2...Electrode needle, i1-i3...Image

Claims (12)

a conductive detection plate disposed within the target space;
a first information generation unit that detects the ion balance in the target space based on the potential of the detection plate and generates a first information signal indicating the detection result;
a second information generation unit that detects a physical quantity related to the environment of the target space and generates a second information signal indicating information related to the environment of the target space based on the detection result;
An ion balance sensor comprising: a sensor communication section that outputs the first information signal and the second information signal. The second information generation unit includes:
fixed resistance,
a modulated voltage source that is electrically connected to a node electrically connected to the detection plate via the fixed resistor and that generates a modulated voltage that has periodicity;
a potential detection unit that detects the potential of the node over time;
an ion amount detection section that detects the amount of ions flowing in the target space based on the amplitude of the voltage waveform detected by the potential detection section;
The ion balance sensor according to claim 1, wherein the second information signal includes a signal indicating the amount of ions detected by the ion amount detection section. The first information generation unit includes:
3. The ion balance sensor according to claim 2, wherein a center of variation in the potential detected by the potential detection section of the second information generation section is detected as the ion balance in the target space. The target space is a space where static electricity is to be removed by a static eliminator,
The first information generation unit, the second information generation unit, and the sensor communication unit are mounted on one or more circuit boards,
The ion balance sensor is
a sensor housing that houses the one or more circuit boards and has the detection plate attached;
A relay configured to be connectable between the one or more circuit boards and the static eliminator, and transmits the first information signal and the second information signal output from the sensor communication unit to the static eliminator. The ion balance sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a cable. 5. The ion balance sensor according to claim 4, wherein the detection plate has one surface that receives ions in the target space, and is attached to the sensor housing so that the one surface is exposed. further comprising a detection element for detecting at least one of temperature and humidity of the target space as the physical quantity,
The second information generation unit detects the physical quantity using the detection element,
The ion balance sensor according to claim 4, wherein the second information signal includes a signal indicating at least one of temperature and humidity detected by the detection element. The sensor housing has a first end and a second end, extends in one direction from the first end to the second end, and has a housing space extending in the one direction. death,
The detection element is arranged adjacent to the first end of the sensor housing within the accommodation space,
7. The ion balance sensor according to claim 6, wherein the first information generation section and the second information generation section are arranged within the housing space at a certain distance from the detection element. further comprising a holder configured to be able to hold the sensor housing,
The sensor housing has a mounting part at the second end for attaching the sensor housing to the holder,
The ion balance sensor according to claim 7, wherein the holder does not contact the first end of the sensor casing when the sensor casing is attached to the holder. a conductive detection plate;
fixed resistance,
a modulated voltage source that is electrically connected to a node electrically connected to the detection plate via the fixed resistor and that generates a modulated voltage that has periodicity;
An ion balance sensor comprising: a potential detection unit that detects the potential of the node over time. a static eliminator that outputs ions toward a target space where static elimination is to be performed;
and an ion balance sensor connectable to the static eliminator,
The ion balance sensor is
a conductive detection plate disposed within the target space;
a first information generation unit that detects the ion balance in the target space based on the potential of the detection plate and generates a first information signal indicating the detection result;
a second information generation unit that detects a physical quantity related to the environment of the target space and generates a second information signal indicating information related to the environment of the target space based on the detection result;
a sensor communication unit that outputs the first information signal and the second information signal to the static eliminator,
The static eliminator is
an ion generator that generates ions to be output toward the target space;
a static eliminator communication unit that receives the first information signal and the second information signal output from the sensor communication unit of the ion balance sensor;
an ion control unit that controls the ion generation unit based on the first information signal received by the static eliminator communication unit;
and an environmental state storage unit that stores information regarding the environment of the target space based on the second information signal received by the static eliminator communication unit. The first information generation unit, the second information generation unit, and the sensor communication unit are mounted on one or more circuit boards,
The ion balance sensor is
a sensor housing that houses the one or more circuit boards and has the detection plate attached;
A relay configured to be connectable between the one or more circuit boards and the static eliminator, and transmits the first information signal and the second information signal output from the sensor communication unit to the static eliminator. cable and
further comprising a first power supply unit that supplies power to the first information generation unit, the second information generation unit, and the information transmission unit,
The static eliminator further includes a second power supply unit,
The static elimination system according to claim 10, wherein the relay cable is further configured to be able to supply power from the second power source to the first power source. The second information generation unit includes:
fixed resistance,
a modulated voltage source that is electrically connected to a node electrically connected to the detection plate via the fixed resistor and that generates a modulated voltage that has periodicity;
a potential detection unit that detects the potential of the node over time;
an ion amount detection section that detects the amount of ions flowing in the target space based on the amplitude of the voltage waveform detected by the potential detection section;
The static elimination system according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the second information signal includes a signal indicating the amount of ions detected by the ion amount detection section.

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