JP3700685B2 - Electric dust collector, dust collecting method, and blower using the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrostatic precipitator that collects dust and the like in the air, and more specifically, an electric collector using corona discharge with high dust collection efficiency that can be used in an air conditioner or an air purifier. The present invention relates to a dust device and a dust collection method.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The electrostatic precipitator mainly includes a charging unit having a function of charging corona discharge and charging dust particles passing therethrough, and a dust collecting unit that captures charged dust particles. It is installed at the air inlet of indoor units and the air inlet of air cleaners.
[0003]
With respect to a conventional electrostatic precipitator, the invention of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-151452 can be cited. As shown in FIG. 7, a voltage is applied between the discharge electrode 503 constituting the charging unit 501 and the counter electrode 504 to generate corona discharge, and the dust floating in the air blown there is charged. It is configured such that it is electrically collected in a dust collecting portion 502 composed of a ground electrode 505 and a high voltage electrode 506 disposed downstream of the blower circuit. The discharge electrode 503 is composed of a linear wire or a needle, and is disposed with a predetermined distance from the counter electrode 504. In addition, although the dust collection unit 502 is configured to collect dust electrically, there is an example in which a dust filter is provided to collect dust.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when a corona discharge is generated between the discharge electrode 503 and the counter electrode 504, the discharge is generated in a state where electric resistance is small, that is, at the shortest distance between both electrodes, and therefore the discharge generation region remains in a limited range. . Therefore, in order to effectively charge the passing dust, it is necessary to make the area where the corona discharge occurs dense. On the other hand, if wires and needles are densely arranged to solve this problem, the amount of current required to apply a voltage increases accordingly, and the power consumption increases.
[0005]
The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and provides an electric dust collector capable of efficiently charging dust with less power consumption and improving dust collection efficiency. It aims at providing the used air blower.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the conventional problems, the electrostatic precipitator of the present invention has a charging part, a dust collecting part, and a sound wave generating means for irradiating at least a part of the discharge part of the charging part with a sound wave. It is comprised, and it is comprised so that a sound wave can be irradiated to the discharge area | region of the corona discharge which generate | occur | produces in a charging part by a sound wave generation means.
[0007]
The dust collector of the present invention is configured to vibrate the discharge electrode itself of the charging unit.
[0008]
With this configuration, when the corona discharge region is irradiated with sound waves, the generation region of electrons and ions generated by the corona discharge is expanded. Similarly, the region where electrons and ions are generated is expanded by vibrating the discharge electrode. As a result, when the particles in the blown air pass through the dust collector, the probability of being charged by corona discharge can be increased. In addition, by irradiating with sound waves, dust particles in the air that pass through the region irradiated with sound waves can activate the Brownian motion more, increasing the probability of collision between particles and accelerating the aggregation of dust particles. be able to.
[0009]
In this way, the charging area can be enlarged to increase the charging probability of dust particles in the air, and the collision probability between the dust particles can be increased to make the particle diameter easier to collect in the dust collecting portion. As a result, it is possible to provide a dust collector with high dust collection efficiency.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of an electric dust collector, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a dust collecting unit of the electric dust collector in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the electrostatic precipitator 1 includes a dust collecting unit 2 and a main body unit 3. The main body unit 3 houses the dust collecting unit 2 and is installed in an indoor unit of an air conditioner. While the indoor air 4 sucked from the room passes through the dust collection unit 2, dust particles contained in the room air 4 are collected, then heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger of the indoor unit and blown out into the room. As shown in FIG. 2, the dust collection unit 2 includes a dust collection unit housing 5 made of a resin material molded product, a discharge electrode 6, a counter electrode 7, and a dust collection filter 8. The dust collection unit housing 5 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in order to increase the passage area of the room air 4, and a plurality of needle-like discharge electrodes 6 are supported by the support 9 and provided. A counter electrode 7 having a planar shape and having an indoor air passage opening is fixed to the dust collecting unit housing 5 at a predetermined distance from the discharge electrode 6. On the other hand, the dust collection filter 8 is installed on the downstream side of the counter electrode 7 through which the room air 4 flows, and is detachable from the dust collection unit 2, and can be removed and cleaned when dust adheres. The plurality of discharge electrodes 6 are connected to a common electrode (not shown) in the support 9 provided in the dust collection unit 2. A voltage is applied to the discharge electrode 6 and the counter electrode 7 by a DC power source 10 provided outside the dust collection unit 2. The voltage is applied by opening and closing the switch 12 according to a signal from the control unit 11. In this way, the discharge electrode 6 and the counter electrode 7 constitute a charging part, and the dust collection filter 8 constitutes a dust collection part.
[0011]
Note that there are various categories of charged parts and dust collecting parts. For example, as shown in the conventional example, a charging part is composed of a discharge electrode and a counter electrode, a dust collecting part is composed of a ground electrode and a high voltage electrode, and they are opposed to each other. The electrode and the ground electrode may be integrated, and the potential of this part may be configured in common. Further, the counter electrode and the dust collecting unit may be integrated. That is, a configuration in which a positive electrode 7 facing the negative electrode 6 also serves as a dust collector, and negatively charged dust particles are collected by the positive electrode 7 (dust collector) 7. It becomes.
[0012]
In the first embodiment, a needle-like discharge electrode 6 is used. However, a linear wire made of tungsten or the like may be used. In the first embodiment, the voltage is applied so that the discharge electrode 6 has a negative pole, but the discharge electrode 6 may be a positive pole.
[0013]
In the dust collection unit 2 configured as described above, the voltage of the DC power supply 10 is applied between the discharge electrode 6 and the counter electrode 7 when the switch 12 is closed by a signal from the control unit 11. A direct current voltage of several kv is applied between the discharge electrode 6 and the counter electrode 7, and corona discharge is generated between them, and positive or negative charge is generated, so that air flows through the dust collection unit 2. When the air is blown (not shown), the dust particles contained in the blown air and passing therethrough can be charged. As the dust collection filter 8 of the dust collection unit 2, an electret filter charged positively or negatively or for each part and further positively / negatively is used. As a result, the dust particles charged in the corona discharge region are attracted to the dust collection filter 8 and collected. In the present embodiment, an electret filter in which the filter itself is charged is used as the dust collection filter 8. However, when the particle size of dust particles is large, a filter that is not a normal charging type can be used. .
[0014]
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the dust collection filter 8 is arranged at the most downstream part in the air blowing direction of the dust collection unit 2, but when the counter electrode 7 is a ground electrode, the dust particles The charge may be absorbed, resulting in an electrically neutral state. Therefore, it is also preferable to dispose the dust collection filter 8 between the discharge electrode 6 and the counter electrode 7 so that the dust particles are collected by the dust collection filter 8 in a charged state.
[0015]
Further, in this embodiment, the generation direction of corona discharge is substantially parallel to the flow direction of the room air 4, but the effect of electrostatic dust collection can be obtained similarly even if it is perpendicular to the flow direction.
[0016]
In the present invention, sound waves are applied to at least a part of the discharge portion of the charged portion. As shown in FIG. 2, the sound wave generation means 14 is provided on the side surface portion 13 of the dust collection unit housing 5 of the dust collection unit 2, and the sound wave control device 15 that controls the sound wave generation means 14 is provided outside the dust collection unit 2. Is provided. Here, an opening (not shown) is provided in the side surface of the dust collection unit 2 to which the sound wave generation means 14 is attached. FIG. 3 is a side view of the dust collection unit 2 of FIG. 2 as viewed from the sound wave generating means 14 side. In the corona discharge, a discharge is generated from the needle electrode tip 16 of the discharge electrode 6 toward the counter electrode 7, but the corona discharge region is small. As a method of expanding the discharge region, there is a method of increasing the number of discharge electrodes 6, but in this case, the power consumption for voltage application increases. In the present invention, sound waves are irradiated as a method of expanding the discharge region with low power consumption. When the sound wave is irradiated to the area where the corona discharge is performed, the discharge area is expanded. This is considered because the charged particles in the discharge region vibrate and diffuse.
[0017]
In the present embodiment, a piezoelectric element is used as the sound wave generating means 14. The region to which the sound wave is applied will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, when a DC voltage is applied between the discharge electrode 6 and the counter electrode 7, a substantially conical shape is formed in the space between the discharge electrode 6 and the counter electrode 7 from the needle electrode tip 16 of the discharge electrode 6. A spreading corona discharge 17 is generated. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the sound wave generating means 14 is arranged so that a sound wave can be irradiated between the discharge electrode 6 and the counter electrode 7. At this time, it is preferable that the position where the sound wave is applied is as close to the discharge electrode 6 as possible. This is because corona discharge can spread more widely up to the counter electrode 7 by diffusing charged particles on the root side where the discharge occurs. As an example, as shown in FIG. 3B, irradiating the region including the discharge electrode 6 is more effective for the spread of the discharge. Further, for example, irradiation may be performed obliquely from the outside of the dust collection unit 2 toward the discharge electrode 6 or the space between the discharge electrode 6 and the counter electrode 4. As described above, in the present invention, the sound wave is irradiated substantially perpendicularly to the direction of the electric field that generates the discharge so that it is easy to irradiate a specific position. is there.
[0018]
When the needle-like or wire-like discharge electrodes 6 are arranged side by side substantially, the sound wave generating means 14 is disposed on the entire surface of the side wall portion 13 constituting the dust collection unit 2, and the entire discharge region. It can be set as the structure which irradiates with a sound wave. By doing so, it is possible to irradiate many corona discharges between the discharge electrode 6 and the counter electrode 7 with sound waves, which is effective.
[0019]
On the other hand, the sound wave generation means 14 is configured such that the sound wave control device 15 controls the intensity and frequency of the sound wave to be transmitted, ON / OFF, and the like. The frequency of sound waves to be transmitted is not limited to the human audible range / outside the audible range in order to diffuse the corona discharge. However, humans should not misrecognize the generation of sound waves as a malfunction or feel uncomfortable. It is preferable to transmit an ultrasonic wave of 20 kHz or more that is outside the audible area. Furthermore, if a pet or the like is kept in a user's home, the sound wave frequency that can be detected by animals such as dogs and cats exists at 20 kHz or higher. However, if the influence on these animals is also taken into consideration, transmission in a higher frequency band Is preferred. In this case, an appropriate frequency band may be separately selected in a state used by the user.
[0020]
In addition, although the piezoelectric element is illustrated here as the sound wave generation means 14, it may be one that generates vibrations such as a speaker, sonar, crystal resonator, etc. What is necessary is just to select according to cost, the magnitude | size of an irradiation area | region, the magnitude | size of the required energy of a sound wave, etc.
[0021]
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the reflection part 19 for reflecting the sound wave transmitted by the sound wave generation means 12 is collected on at least a part of the side wall part 18 of the dust collection unit housing 5 constituting the dust collection unit 2. It is provided toward the inside of the unit 2. Here, the side wall is a wall surface in the direction in which the sound wave is irradiated in the dust collection unit housing 5 constituting the dust collection unit 2, and in the figure, the reflection part 19 of the side wall part 18 is at least a sound wave generating means. It arrange | positions so that it may arrange | position in the opposing position of 14 sound wave transmission directions. Further, it is possible to provide a reflecting portion on the side wall portion of the main body unit 3 shown in FIG. 1 in which the dust collection unit 2 is accommodated instead of the side wall portion of the dust collecting unit 2. An opening is provided in the side wall portion 18 of the dust collection unit 2 corresponding to the reflection portion.
[0022]
By comprising in this way, since the sound wave irradiated from the sound wave generation means 14 and arrived at the reflection part 19 is reflected and diffused and again irradiated to the corona discharge, it becomes possible to enhance the diffusion effect of the corona discharge. . When the directivity of the sound wave from the sound wave generating means 14 provided on the side wall portion 18 is small, it is also necessary to provide the reflection portion 19 in addition to the side wall portion 18 of the dust collecting unit housing 5. Further, if the reflecting portion 19 is made of a material that is not conductive or has low conductivity, the corona discharge is not adversely affected.
[0023]
Also, if necessary, a buffer material (not shown) that absorbs the sound wave is disposed so that the sound wave from the sound wave generating means is diffused in an unnecessary direction and does not adversely affect other components. A reflective material may be provided.
[0024]
Further, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sound wave generating means 14 is provided on the side wall portion 13 of the short part of the rectangular dust collecting unit 2, but as shown in FIG. Then, the sound wave may be irradiated in both the left and right directions in the longitudinal direction. Disposing the sound wave generation means in this way, irradiating the sound wave toward both the longitudinal direction of the charging part or the dust collection part, shortening the irradiation distance of the sound wave, and diffusing the corona discharge with a larger sound wave energy Is possible. According to this configuration, the generation region of the corona discharge generated in the charged portion can be expanded more widely, and the collision probability between the particles is increased to promote the aggregation of the particles, thereby the electrostatic precipitator. It is possible to improve the dust collection efficiency.
[0025]
Further, since the charging unit and the sound wave generating means 14 are electrically connected to the power source 10 and the control device 11, it is more efficient if the dust collecting unit 8 can be removed from the main body unit 3 of the electric dust collector 1. Thus, the dust collecting unit 8 can be maintained. Further, a dust collection unit 2 including a charging unit and a dust collection unit is configured to be detachable from the main body unit 3 of the electric dust collector 1. Further, the dust collection unit 8 is configured to be detachable from the dust collection unit 2. Therefore, it is possible to perform maintenance by removing the dust collection unit 2 from the electric dust collector 1 attached to the indoor unit of the air conditioner and further removing the dust collection unit 8 from the dust collection unit 2. It is possible to obtain an electric dust collector excellent in
[0026]
(Embodiment 2)
Next, Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the same elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the dust collection unit 2 of the electric dust collector showing Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
[0027]
In a device such as an air conditioner, in order to increase the room air suction area and improve the maintainability such as cleaning of the dust collection unit, a plurality of dust collection units 2 are arranged as shown in the figure. Yes.
[0028]
In the second embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of dust collecting units 2 are configured to be radiated with sound waves by the sound wave generating means 14. As shown in FIG. 5, the sound wave generation means 14 is disposed between both dust collection units 2 so as to radiate sound waves to the corona discharge of both dust collection units. The sound wave generation means 14 may be provided integrally with the dust collection unit 2 or may be provided independently. In short, it may be arranged and configured so that sound waves can be applied to at least a part of the discharge site.
[0029]
And according to this structure, since it can irradiate with the sound wave with respect to the two dust collecting units 2 arrange | positioned so that it may be pinched | interposed by one sound wave transmission means 14, while reducing a number of parts, electrical wiring etc. The installation space can be made smaller by simply drawing it around in one place.
[0030]
(Embodiment 3)
Next, Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, when showing the same element as the site | part in above-mentioned Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the dust collection unit 2 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
[0031]
In the third embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment is that in the first embodiment, the corona discharge is irradiated with sound waves and diffused, whereas in the present embodiment, the discharge electrode 6 or the opposite is used. The vibration generating means 20 is arranged so as to vibrate the electrode 7, and the vibration condition is controlled by the vibration control device 21. With this configuration, since the discharge electrode 6 vibrates, corona discharge can be diffused, and the discharge range can be expanded, that is, the dust collection efficiency can be improved. In the case of FIG. 6, the support 7 that supports the discharge electrode 6 is vibrated by the vibration generating means 20, and the discharge electrode 6 coupled to the support 7 is vibrated. In the case where the discharge electrode 6 is directly vibrated, it is necessary to take measures such as insulation so that the flow of electricity due to the discharge is not transmitted to the vibration generating means 20. Further, the same effect can be obtained even when the counter electrode 7 is vibrated by the vibration generating means 20. Further, when the vibration frequency in the vibration generating means 20 is an ultrasonic frequency, no unpleasant sound is given to the user.
[0032]
In the present invention, these electrostatic precipitators are applied to a blower. Therefore, it is possible to realize a blower with excellent dust collection efficiency, and to suppress the occurrence of mold in the blower circuit. Moreover, more comfortable air conditioning can be realized by applying such a blower circuit to an air conditioner or an air purifier.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the electrostatic precipitator of the present invention has a charging part, a dust collecting part, and a sound wave generating means for irradiating at least a part of the discharge part of the charging part with a sound wave in the corona discharge region. Is being irradiated. Therefore, the generation area of corona discharge generated in the charged part can be expanded more widely, and the collision probability between particles can be increased, which promotes the aggregation of particles and improves dust collection efficiency. Is possible. As a result, it is possible to provide an electric dust collector capable of collecting dust with high efficiency. By incorporating such an electric dust collector into the blower circuit, a blower such as an air conditioner or an air purifier with high dust collection efficiency. Can be realized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of an electric dust collector according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a dust collecting unit of the electric dust collector according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. (a) is a side view of the dust collection unit viewed from the sound wave generating means side when the sound wave generating means is arranged so that sound waves can be applied between the discharge electrode and the counter electrode. (b) is a sound wave applied to the area including the discharge electrode. FIG. 4 is a side view of the dust collecting unit when the sound wave generating means is arranged so as to be seen from the sound wave generating means side. FIG. 4 is a configuration of the dust collecting unit of the electric dust collector provided with the reflecting member in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a dust collection unit of an electric dust collector showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an electric dust collector showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the dust collecting unit. Perspective view showing a main configuration of a device [Description of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric dust collector 2 Dust collection unit 3 Main body unit 4 Indoor air 5 Dust collection unit housing 6 Discharge electrode 7 Counter electrode 8 Dust collection filter 9 Support body 10 DC power supply 11 Control part 12 Switch 13 Side face part 14 Sound wave generation means 15 Sound wave control device 16 Needle electrode tip 17 Corona discharge 18 Side wall 19 Reflecting portion 20 Vibration generating means 21 Vibration control device

Claims (20)

A charging section, a dust collection section, and a sound wave generating means for irradiating a sound wave to at least a part of the discharge section of the charging section, wherein the charging section includes a discharge electrode and a counter electrode. The sound wave generating means irradiates at least a discharge space between the discharge electrode and the counter electrode with a sound wave .   2. The electric collector according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of dust collecting units each including at least a charging part and a dust collecting part are provided, and the sound wave generating means irradiates the plurality of dust collecting units with sound waves. Dust equipment.   The electrostatic precipitator main body is constituted by at least the charging part, the dust collecting part, and the sound wave generating means, and the dust collecting part is configured to be detachable from the dust collector main body. Electric dust collector. 2. The electricity according to claim 1, further comprising: a dust collection unit in which at least a charging unit and a dust collection unit are integrally configured, wherein the dust collection unit is configured to be detachable from the dust collection unit. Dust collector. An electric dust collector main body is constituted by a dust collecting unit including at least a charging part and a dust collecting part and a main body unit including at least a sound wave generating means, and the dust collecting unit is configured to be detachable from the main body unit. electrostatic precipitator of the mounting serial to claim 4, characterized in that. The dust collection unit has a dust collection unit frame, the body unit has a body unit frame, and at least one of the dust collection unit frame and the body unit frame is a non-conductive material or a low conductivity. The electrostatic precipitator according to claim 4, wherein the electrostatic precipitator is made of a material.   It has a rectangular dust collecting unit in which at least the charging part and the dust collecting part are integrally formed, and the sound wave generating means is disposed substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction of the dust collecting unit, and radiates sound waves to the left and right in the longitudinal direction. The electrostatic precipitator according to claim 1, wherein the electrostatic precipitator is configured as described above. 2. The electrostatic precipitator is housed in a frame, and at least a part of the side wall of the frame is provided with a reflecting portion for reflecting sound waves transmitted by the sound wave generating means. The electric dust collector as described in any one of -6 . 9. The electrostatic precipitator according to claim 8, wherein the reflecting portion is disposed at least at a position opposite to the sound wave transmission direction of the sound wave generating means. The electric dust collector according to claim 8, wherein the reflecting portion is made of a non-conductive material or a low-conductive material.   2. The electrostatic precipitator according to claim 1, wherein the sound wave is irradiated in a direction substantially perpendicular to an electric field applied for discharging.   2. The electrostatic precipitator according to claim 1, wherein the charging unit and the dust collecting unit are disposed in a ventilation path, and a discharge generation direction of the charging unit is substantially parallel to a blowing direction in the ventilation path.   2. The electrostatic precipitator according to claim 1, wherein an electret filter is used for the dust collector. The electric dust collector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sound wave generated by the sound wave generating means is an ultrasonic wave. The electric dust collector is accommodated in the frame, according to claim 1 to 6 in any one predetermined portion of said frame body, characterized in that arranged the wave buffer material for absorbing the sound waves is sound wave generator transmits The electrostatic precipitator according to item.   The charging unit and the dust collecting unit are disposed in a ventilation path, and vibrate at least one of a discharge electrode and a counter electrode of the charging unit substantially perpendicularly to a blowing direction in the ventilation path. Electric dust collector. A blowing fan, and the blower circuit, a blower device having an electric dust collector in the blowing circuit, the electric dust collector is in an electrostatic precipitator according to any one of claims 1-16 A blower characterized by being.   An electric field is applied between the discharge electrode and the counter electrode arranged in the airflow passage area to generate corona discharge, and the corona discharge area is irradiated with sound waves to collect dust at a dust collection portion provided in the airflow passage area. Dust method. The dust collection method according to claim 18, wherein the sound wave to be irradiated is an ultrasonic wave. The dust collection method according to claim 18, wherein the direction in which the sound wave is applied is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the electric field is applied.

Images