JP3129270B2 - Electronic dust collector and air conditioner using it - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic precipitator having a self-cleaning function and an air conditioner with an electronic precipitator. It relates to the technology to prevent.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an electronic dust collector as a device for removing dust, fine particles and the like contained in air and purifying the air. This electronic dust collector has a discharge electrode and a dust collection electrode, applies a high voltage between these two electrodes, ionizes dust and fine particles contained in the surrounding air from the discharge electrode,
The air is cleaned by adsorbing to the dust collecting electrode. Further, in such an electronic dust collector, a heater is built in the dust collecting electrode and an oxidative decomposition type catalyst layer is formed on the surface of the dust collecting electrode so that dust can be collected for a long period of time without maintenance. A self-cleaning type (maintenance-free type) is considered in which a catalyst layer is heated by a built-in heater to oxidize and remove dust adsorbed on the dust collecting electrode.

[0003]

However, in such a self-cleaning type electronic dust collector, if the length of the discharge effective portion of the discharge electrode is different from the length of the heat generation portion of the dust collection electrode, the discharge and collection are not performed. Dust efficiency is reduced. In other words, if the discharge effective portion of the discharge electrode is configured to be longer than the heat generating portion of the dust collecting electrode, the dust will be absorbed on the non-heat generating portion, and the dust will remain on the dust collecting electrode without being oxidized and decomposed. Become. Further, if the discharge effective portion is configured to be longer than the catalyst layer, dust adheres to a portion where the catalyst layer is not formed, and during self-cleaning, the dust cannot be oxidized and decomposed step by step, thereby generating smoke, Odor may occur.

[0004] A sheathed heater is often used as a heater built in the dust collecting electrode. The sheathed heater is generally a rod-shaped body having a circular cross section, and thus is subjected to a load perpendicular to the length direction of the dust collecting electrode. Low bending stress. Therefore, when a load or vibration is applied to the sheathed heater during assembly or movement of the dust collecting electrode, the dust collecting electrode may be curved. Incorporating such a curved dust collection electrode in an electronic dust collector impairs the parallelism between the dust collection electrode and the discharge electrode, causing the electric field to concentrate on the part where the distance between the electrodes is reduced, resulting in abnormal discharge. Is likely to occur, and a problem that the dust collection efficiency is reduced occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is intended to set a heat generating portion of a dust collecting electrode in accordance with an effective discharge length of a discharge electrode and to form a catalyst layer to form a self-catalyst layer. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic dust collector capable of suppressing smoke and odor during cleaning and an air conditioner using the same. In addition, by providing a configuration in which the dust collecting electrode is resistant to deformation, the present invention provides an electronic dust collector that can secure parallelism with the discharge electrode and prevent occurrence of abnormal discharge, and an air conditioner using the same. The purpose is to:

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a discharge electrode and a dust collection electrode which are provided in parallel at a predetermined interval and between which a high voltage is applied. In an electronic precipitator that collects dust contained in air to a dust collecting electrode using a discharge action, an oxidative decomposition type catalyst layer is formed on the surface of the dust collecting electrode, and the dust collecting electrode is formed inside the dust collecting electrode. It has a built-in heater for self-cleaning the dust collecting electrode, the heat generation part of the dust collecting electrode by the heater is set to substantially the same length as the effective discharge length of the discharge electrode, and the part of the catalyst layer of the dust collecting electrode is The discharge electrode has a length equal to or longer than the effective discharge length of the discharge electrode.

In this configuration, during the dust collection operation of the electronic dust collector, a high voltage is applied between the discharge electrode and the dust collection electrode, and dust contained in the air sucked into the dust collector is discharged. By being ionized by the gas and being adsorbed on the dust collecting electrode, the intake air is cleaned. During self-cleaning, the heater is energized and the temperature of the catalyst layer of the dust collecting electrode rises, and the dust adhering to the dust collecting electrode is oxidized and decomposed stepwise by the oxidizing action of the catalyst. The dust collection electrode is self-cleaned by using a colorless and odorless gas of water vapor.

[0008] Here, since the heat generating portion of the dust collecting electrode by the heater is configured to have substantially the same length as the effective discharge length of the discharge electrode, the ionized dust at the discharge electrode causes the dust to be generated on the heat generating portion of the dust collecting electrode. Easily adhered to This allows
It is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the non-heat-generating portion of the dust collecting electrode and remaining on the dust collecting electrode without being oxidized and decomposed. In addition, since the portion of the catalyst layer of the dust collection electrode is configured to have a length equal to or longer than the effective discharge length of the discharge electrode, dust adheres to the portion of the dust collection electrode where the catalyst layer is not formed. It becomes difficult. Thus, the dust collecting electrode can be self-cleaned while suppressing generation of smoke and odor due to ignition of dust.

It is preferable that the heater of the dust collecting electrode is a sheath heater, and the dust collecting electrode is a rod having at least two or more flat surfaces.

[0010] In this configuration, the dust collecting electrode has a larger bending stress against a load perpendicular to its length direction than the one having no flat surface, and has a configuration resistant to deformation. , The parallelism between the collection electrode and the discharge electrode,
It is possible to maintain straightness.

In addition, an air conditioner can be configured by disposing the electronic dust collector in a ventilation passage in the machine.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An electronic dust collector according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG.
2 is a sectional side view of the electronic dust collector, FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a dust collector constituting the electronic dust collector, FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a main part of the dust collector, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a discharge electrode and a dust collecting electrode constituting a dust collector.

In these figures, an electronic dust collector 1
Has a dust collecting function of removing dust contained in indoor air and purifying the air. Electronic dust collector 1
Has a casing 15 in which the front surface is opened as an air intake port 13 and an air discharge port 14 is provided below the air intake port 13, and a front grille 21, which is mounted on the air intake port 11 of the casing 15. Front panel 20 and inlet 13
In order to allow air to flow from
And a dust collector 50 (electronic dust collector) arranged in the ventilation passage 31 from the suction port 13 to the discharge port 14.

The dust collector 50 is provided in parallel with a linear discharge electrode 60 extending horizontally and a predetermined distance from the discharge electrode 60, and includes a sheath heater 71 for self-cleaning. The rod-shaped dust collecting electrode 70 and the sheath heater 71 of the dust collecting electrode 70 are shielded from heat,
Heat shield plate 80 holding discharge electrode 60 and dust collecting electrode 70
The discharge electrode 60 and the dust collection electrode 70 are attached to the inner surface of the vertical back plate 18 of the casing 15 so as to face the ventilation passage 31.

The discharge wire 61 constituting the discharge electrode 60 is held by the electrode 63 attached to the holding member 62 via the tension coil spring 64 with the hook portions 61a at both ends thereof. Positioning is fixed. Further, a voltage is applied to the discharge wire 61 from the electrode 63 through the tension coil spring 64. On the outer circumferences of the tension coil spring 64 and the hook 61a of the discharge wire 61,
Tubes 66 made of silicone rubber having heat resistance and insulating properties are covered, and portions not covered by these tubes 66 become effective discharge portions 60b of the discharge electrode 60 (see FIG. 5).

The dust collecting electrode 70 is located at a predetermined distance from the discharge electrode 60 on the leeward side of the ventilation path 31 with respect to the discharge electrode 60 (the distance between the discharge wire 61 and the dust collecting electrode 70 is, for example, about 14 mm).
mm), and the dust collecting electrode 70 is fixed to the holding member 74 by locking members 73 at both ends 72 in the length direction. A positive DC voltage and a negative DC voltage are applied to the discharge electrode 60 and the dust collecting electrode 70 during the air cleaning operation, respectively. The holding member 62 and the holding member 74 are fixed to the heat shield plate 80.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the dust collecting electrode taken along the line AA in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of the dust collecting electrode. As shown in these figures, a sheath heater 7 is provided in the dust collection electrode 70.
1 is built-in. The sheathed heater 71 includes an aluminum metal tube 75 and an electric resistance wire (nichrome wire) 76 inserted into the metal tube 75.
On its surface, three planes A,
B and C are formed. In the present embodiment, the cross section of the sheathed heater 71 has a triangular shape having an R at a corner. The metal tube 75 is filled with magnesium oxide 78 so that the metal tube 75 does not contact the electric resistance wire 76. Since the end portion 75a of the metal tube 75 is sealed by the glass sealing material 79, as shown in FIG. 5, both ends of the sheathed heater 71 become non-heat generating portions 70a, and the central portion of the sheathed heater 71 generates heat. It becomes a part 70b. Heat generating portion 70b of this sheathed heater 71
Is formed to have substantially the same length as the effective discharge portion 60b of the discharge electrode 60.

On the surface of the metal tube 75, a catalyst layer 77 made of a catalyst material represented by zeolite, activated alumina, manganese dioxide or the like is formed by coating or welding.
The catalyst layer 77 is formed on the effective discharge portion 60 b of the discharge electrode 60.
It is configured to have a length equal to or greater than. Zeolites (generally referred to as zeolite) form a three-dimensional network having cavities, which promote the reaction of molecules adsorbed within the cavities. Activated alumina (Al2 O3) is an alumina fine powder having a high adsorption capacity, a small crystal grain size, a large surface area, and is suitable as a catalyst, a catalyst carrier, and an adsorbent. Manganese dioxide (MnO2) has a function as a catalyst similarly to the above-mentioned zeolite and activated alumina.

The electronic dust collector 1 configured as described above
The operation of is described below. When the fan 40 is activated,
The room air is sucked from the air inlet 13 and flows through the ventilation passage 31 from top to bottom. The air passing through the ventilation passage 31 passes around the dust collector 50. Here, a high voltage is applied between the discharge electrode 60 and the dust collection electrode 70 of the dust collector 50,
Corona discharge occurs between the electrodes 60 and 70. For this reason, the cations generated by the corona adhere to dust such as tar (oil and smoke) fine particles and cotton dust existing in the air around the discharge electrode 60, and the fine particles and dust are positively charged. As a result, the particles are attracted to the dust collecting electrode 70 by the Coulomb force between the two electrodes, are collected by the dust collecting electrode 70, and the electric dust is collected. Further, when fine particles that are odor components are contained in the air, the odor components are adsorbed and deodorized by the catalyst layer 77 of the dust collecting electrode 70. In this way, the air sucked in from the air inlet 13 is purified in the process of passing through the ventilation passage 31 and is discharged from the air outlet 14 into the room.

Here, the sheath heater 71 of the dust collecting electrode 70
The heat generating portion 70b is formed to have substantially the same length as the effective discharge portion 60b of the discharge electrode 60.
The dust ionized at 0 is more likely to be attached to the heat generating portion 70b of the dust collecting electrode 70. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the dust from adhering to the non-heat-generating portion 70a of the dust collecting electrode 70 and remaining on the dust collecting electrode 70 without being oxidized and decomposed. Further, since the portion of the catalyst layer 77 of the dust collecting electrode 70 is configured to have a length equal to or longer than the effective discharge portion 60b of the discharge electrode 60, the portion of the dust collecting electrode 70 where the catalyst layer 77 is not formed is formed. Makes it difficult for dust to adhere. This makes it possible to self-clean the dust collecting electrode while suppressing generation of smoke and odor due to ignition of dust.

Further, since the dust collecting electrode 70 is shifted to the leeward side of the discharge electrode 60, dust is collected by the wind force of the air flowing through the ventilation passage 31 and the Coulomb force received by the dust from the dust collecting electrode 70. It will go to the dust electrode 70 direction. Thereby, more dust can be made to adhere to the dust collecting electrode 70, and the dust collecting effect of the dust collector 50 is improved.

Further, since the dust collecting electrode 70 is a rod-shaped body having a triangular cross section, the dust collecting electrode 70 has a load perpendicular to the length direction of the dust collecting electrode 70 as compared with a conventional electrode having a circular cross section. Has a large bending stress and is resistant to deformation. For this reason, even when a load or vibration is applied when assembling the dust collecting electrode 70, the dust collecting electrode 70 is unlikely to bend, and the parallelism with the discharge electrode 60 can be ensured. As a result, the distance between the discharge electrode 60 and the dust collection electrode 70 is partially shortened, and the occurrence of abnormal discharge due to the concentration of the electric field is prevented. Generation of abnormal noise can be suppressed.

Further, since the apparent diameter of the tension coil spring 64 is larger than the discharge wire 61 and, therefore, the distance between the tension coil spring 64 and the dust electrode 70 is short, an electric field is concentrated between the two and abnormal discharge occurs. However, in the electronic dust collector 1, the outer circumference of the tension coil spring 64 of the discharge electrode 60 is covered with an insulating tube 66 so that the tension coil spring 64 and the dust collection electrode 70 The intermittent discharge is interrupted to prevent the occurrence of abnormal discharge.

The self-cleaning operation of the catalyst layer will be described. At the time of self-cleaning, the temperature of the catalyst layer 77 is raised by energizing the sheath heater 71 to remove dust adhering on the heat generating portion 70b of the dust collecting electrode 70 to the catalyst. Oxidizing action causes oxidative decomposition in a stepwise manner. Finally, the dust is converted into a colorless and odorless gas of carbon dioxide and water vapor, and the dust collecting electrode 70 is self-cleaned. Since the tube 66 is a silicon rubber tube having excellent heat resistance, the tube 66 is not deformed even if the heat from the heater 71 is transmitted to the tube 66.

Next, three planes A, B, and
FIG. 8A shows the positional relationship between C and the discharge electrode 60.
This will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, fan 4
The air sucked from the suction port 13 by 0 flows from the upper front to the lower rear substantially. In order to form ion wind along this flow, the dust collecting electrode 70 is located on the leeward side with respect to the discharge electrode 60. Are located in Thus, both electrodes 60, 70
8A, when the dust collecting electrode 70 is attached so that one vertex a faces downward and the other vertex b faces the discharge electrode 60, as shown in FIG.
The dust is attached by the A surface and the B surface that are exposed to the ion wind.

As shown in FIG. 8B, if the plane A of the dust collecting electrode 70 is positioned directly opposite to the discharge electrode 60, dust collection is performed only by the plane A. Therefore, the configuration shown in FIG.
The effective area for adhering dust is almost halved as compared with the configuration of (a), and the dust collection efficiency is low. FIG.
In the configuration shown in (b), turbulence occurs due to the ion wind hitting the plane A substantially perpendicularly, so that dust does not land properly on the plane A, and the dust collection efficiency decreases.

In order to generate a corona discharge between the discharge electrode 60 and the dust collecting electrode 70, an uneven electric field must be formed. This unequal electric field is likely to occur between points and is unlikely to occur between points. Therefore, the discharge electrode 6 as shown in FIG.
In the configuration in which the plane A of the dust collecting electrode 70 is directly opposed to 0,
An uneven electric field hardly occurs, and corona discharge hardly occurs.
In other words, as shown in FIG. 8A, a configuration in which the vertex b is directly opposed to the discharge electrode 60 can generate more corona discharge. For the above reasons, the dust collecting electrode 70 is attached to the heat shielding plate 80 with one vertex a facing downward and the other vertex b facing the discharge electrode 60 as shown in FIG. It is desirable that

Next, an application example of a dust collector in which the dust collector 50 is incorporated in an air conditioner will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the air conditioner on which the dust collector 50 is mounted, and FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of the air conditioner. In these figures, members equivalent to those described above are given the same reference numerals.

The air conditioner with a dust collector 10 has both an air conditioning function of cooling or heating indoor air and a dust collecting function of removing dust contained in the indoor air and purifying the air. It is mounted on a wall or the like via the mounting plate 11. The air conditioner 10 includes a casing 15 provided with an air inlet 13 and an air outlet 14, a front panel 20 having a front grill 21,
A heat exchanger 30 provided in the casing 15 facing the suction port 13 of the casing 15; and a heat exchanger 30 for flowing air from the suction port 13 to the discharge port 14 via the heat exchanger 30. It comprises a cross-flow type fan 40 provided on the back side, and a dust collector 50 arranged in the ventilation passage 31 on the back side of the heat exchanger 30. Further, a filter 32 is provided between the front panel 20 and the heat exchanger 30. The outlet 15 of the casing 15 is provided with an angle-adjustable louver 16. A control circuit 17 for controlling the entire air conditioner 10 is provided inside the casing 15. The heat exchanger 30 is connected to a heat exchanger of an outdoor unit (not shown) by a refrigerant pipe.

The operation of the air conditioner 10 with the dust collector configured as described above will be described below. During air conditioning, by operating the heat exchanger 30 and the fan 40, the indoor air is supplied to the front grill 21 of the front panel 20 and the filter 3.
, And is sucked into the casing 15 through the heat exchanger 3.
After being cooled or heated in the process of passing through zero, it flows through the ventilation path 31 on the back side from top to bottom. The air passing through the ventilation passage 31 passes around the dust collector 50. here,
Since a high voltage is applied between the discharge electrode 60 and the dust collection electrode 70 of the dust collector 50 and a corona discharge is generated between the two electrodes 60 and 70, the high voltage is present in the air around the discharge electrode 60. Cations generated by the corona adhere to dust such as tar (oil smoke) fine particles and cotton dust of tobacco, and the fine particles and dust are positively charged. As a result, due to the Coulomb force between the two electrodes, the dust collecting electrode 70
And the dust is collected. Further, when fine particles that are odor components are contained in the air, the odor components are adsorbed and deodorized by the catalyst layer of the dust collecting electrode 70. In this way, the air that has passed through the heat exchanger 30 is cleaned in the process of passing through the ventilation path 31 on the rear side, and
From the room.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously modified. For example, in the present embodiment, the dust collecting electrode 70 is a rod having three planes. However, the dust collecting electrode 70 may have two planes or a polygonal column having four or more planes. It does not matter.

[0032]

As described above, according to the electronic dust collector and the air conditioner using the same according to the present invention, the heat generating portion of the dust collecting electrode by the heater is substantially equal to the effective discharge length of the discharge electrode. By setting the length, dust can be prevented from adhering to the non-heat-generating portion of the dust collecting electrode, so that the dust is prevented from remaining on the dust collecting electrode without being oxidized and decomposed. Is suitable as a self-cleaning type electronic dust collector. Further, by configuring the portion of the catalyst layer of the dust collecting electrode to be equal to or longer than the effective discharge length of the discharge electrode, dust is prevented from adhering to the portion of the dust collecting electrode where the catalyst layer is not formed. Therefore, dust is not ignited at the time of self-cleaning, and smoke and odor are not generated.

Also, the heater of the dust collecting electrode is a sheathed heater, and this dust collecting electrode is a rod-shaped body having at least two or more flat surfaces, so that the dust collecting electrode can withstand a load perpendicular to its length direction. It has a large bending stress and is resistant to deformation as compared with the one having no flat surface, so that it becomes difficult to bend even when a load or vibration is applied at the time of assembling the dust collecting electrode or the like. This makes it possible to ensure parallelism with the discharge electrode, prevent occurrence of abnormal discharge, and suppress reduction in dust collection efficiency and generation of unpleasant noise.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an electronic dust collector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the dust collector.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a main part of the dust collector.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part of the dust collector.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a discharge electrode and a dust collection electrode of the dust collector.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the dust collecting electrode of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of a dust collecting electrode.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are views for explaining a positional relationship between three planes of a dust collecting electrode and a discharge electrode.

FIG. 9 is a partially broken perspective view of an air conditioner with a dust collector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of an air conditioner with a dust collector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Electronic Dust Collector 10 Air Conditioner 50 Dust Collector (Electronic Dust Collector) 60 Discharge Electrode 60b Effective Discharge Site (Effective Discharge Length) 70 Dust Collector Electrode 70b Heat Generation Site 71 Seeds Heater 77 Catalyst Layer

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A discharge electrode and a dust collection electrode are provided in parallel at a predetermined interval and a high voltage is applied between the discharge electrode and a dust collection electrode, and the dust contained in the air is collected by using a discharge action. In the electronic dust collector for collecting dust, the oxidative decomposition type catalyst layer is formed on the surface of the dust collecting electrode, and a heater for self-cleaning the dust collecting electrode is built therein. Wherein the heat-generating portion of the dust collecting electrode by the heater is substantially equal in length to the effective discharge length of the discharge electrode; and the catalytic layer portion of the dust collecting electrode is equal to or more than the effective discharge length of the discharge electrode. An electronic precipitator characterized by having a length of. 2. The electronic dust collector according to claim 1, wherein a heater of the dust collecting electrode is a sheath heater, and the dust collecting electrode is a rod having at least two or more flat surfaces. 3. An air conditioner, wherein the electronic dust collector according to claim 1 or 2 is arranged in a ventilation passage in the machine.