JP4258497B2 - Electrostatic atomizer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrostatic atomizer that generates nanometer-sized negative ion mist by an electrostatic atomization phenomenon.

  The electrostatic atomizer includes a discharge electrode, a counter electrode positioned opposite the discharge electrode, and water supply means for supplying water to the discharge electrode, and a high voltage is applied between the discharge electrode and the counter electrode. When applied, the water held by the discharge electrode is atomized to generate a negative ion mist having a strong charge in the nanometer size (hereinafter referred to as nano ion mist) (see Patent Document 1). The nano ion mist has a particle size of about 3 to several tens of nanometers, which is smaller than 70 nm, which is the size of the keratinocytes of the human body. Penetration of the horny layer, and the skin can be highly deodorized and sterilized, and the surface of the stratum corneum is sufficiently replenished by exposure of the Hanano ion mist to the skin, resulting in a high moisturizing effect. In addition, since other effects such as a moisturizing effect of hair can be obtained, various effects can be obtained by preparing for various products.

However, the conventional electrostatic atomizer as disclosed in Patent Document 1 serves as a water supply means to transport a water tank filled with water and water in the water tank to the discharge electrode by capillary action. Since the structure has a water transport unit, the user needs to continuously replenish water in the water tank, and there is a problem that troublesome water replenishment is required. In the above electrostatic atomizer, when the water to be supplied to the water tank is water containing impurities such as Ca and Mg such as tap water, the impurities react with CO ₂ in the air. As a result, CaCO ₃ , MgO, or the like is deposited on the tip of the water transport unit to prevent the generation of nano ion mist.

Therefore, the present inventor considered that in the process leading to the present invention, the discharge electrode is cooled to cause moisture in the air to condense, thereby generating condensed water on the discharge electrode. If this is the case, it is not necessary to replenish water as in the conventional example shown in Patent Document 1 above, and water in the air is condensed to obtain condensed water, so that conventional tap water is supplied. It has been found that there is no such thing as depositing and depositing CaCO ₃ , MgO, or the like as in the case of the conventional one.

However, when the condensed water is generated on the discharge electrode by cooling the discharge electrode to condense moisture in the air, the condensed water is also generated in the portion other than the discharge portion at the tip of the discharge electrode, which becomes surplus water. The condensed water generated at the tip is connected to the above-described purified water other than the discharge part, and water is supplied to the discharge part more than necessary, or the water in the discharge part is drawn to the surplus water side other than the discharge part. As a result, there is a problem that the water in the discharge part is reduced, a stable tailor cone cannot be formed, and stable discharge cannot be performed, and if excessive water is generated more than necessary, a short circuit occurs due to the excessive water. It has been found that there is a problem that the cooling capacity of the cooling means for cooling the discharge electrode is lowered.
Japanese Patent No. 3260150

The present invention has been invented in view of the above-described conventional problems, and does not require the trouble of supplying water, and also causes the phenomenon of preventing the generation of nano-ion mist by precipitating CaCO ₃ or MgO. In addition, it is possible to generate dew condensation water only at the necessary location of the discharge electrode so that excessive water is not generated more than necessary, and the dew condensation water generated at the tip of the atomization electrode is formed on the outer surface of the heat insulating member. Electrostatic fog that can be prevented from flowing and growing as extra-purified water on the outer surface side of the heat insulating member, stabilizing the atomization, and preventing a short circuit from occurring due to the surplus water or reducing the cooling capacity of the cooling means. It is an object of the present invention to provide a computer apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electrostatic atomizer according to the present invention is a discharge electrode 1 and a method for cooling the discharge electrode 1 to condense moisture in the air and causing the discharge electrode 1 to generate condensed water. A cooling means 2 and a high voltage application unit 3 for applying a high voltage to the discharge electrode 1 to electrostatically atomize the condensed water generated on the discharge electrode 1 are provided, and the tip of the discharge electrode 1 is removed. The heat insulating member 5 is provided around, and the tip surface of the heat insulating member 5 is formed as a step surface 5 a that protrudes outwardly with respect to the discharge electrode 1.

  By adopting such a configuration, water is supplied to the discharge electrode 1 based on the moisture in the air, so that it is not necessary to replenish water as in the prior art, and the discharge electrode 1 is generated. Since the water does not contain impurities, the electrostatic atomizer is not required to remove the deposits. In addition, since water is directly generated in the discharge electrode 1, mist can be generated quickly after the cooling is started. Since the heat insulating member 5 is provided around the tip of the discharge electrode 1, the tip of the discharge electrode 1 is used when the discharge electrode 1 is cooled by the cooling means 2 and moisture in the air is condensed on the discharge electrode 1. Condensed water is generated in the discharge electrode 1, but it is difficult for the condensed water to be generated in the portion excluding the tip of the discharge electrode 1, thereby generating excess condensed water in a portion other than the tip of the discharge electrode 1. Can be suppressed. Moreover, since the front end surface of the heat insulating member 5 is a step surface 5a that protrudes outwardly with respect to the discharge electrode 1, the condensed water generated at the front end portion of the discharge electrode 1 by the step surface 5a. It is possible to prevent the water from flowing to the outer surface of the gas and growing as surplus water, and stable atomization is possible, and the dew condensation water generated at the tip of the discharge electrode 1 is on the surplus water side of the outer surface of the heat insulating member 5. So that the growth of surplus water at the end of the heat insulating member 5 on the side opposite to the discharge electrode 1 can be prevented so that a short circuit occurs due to surplus water and the cooling capacity of the cooling means does not decrease. it can.

In the present invention, the discharge electrode is cooled by a cooling means to generate dew condensation water on the discharge electrode, so there is no need to supply water, and tap water is supplied to the tip of the discharge electrode by capillary action. There is no phenomenon in which CaCO ₃ , MgO, etc. are deposited and hinder the generation of nano ion mist, and moreover, excessive condensation water is not generated due to the presence of a heat insulating member provided around the discharge part of the discharge electrode. In addition, it is possible to prevent the dew condensation water from flowing to the heat insulation member side and growing as surplus water, and it is possible to prevent a short circuit from occurring due to the surplus water and to prevent a decrease in the cooling capacity of the cooling means. And electrostatic atomization.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 4 show an embodiment of the electrostatic atomizer of the invention. The electrostatic atomizer of this example includes a discharge electrode 1, a cooling means 2 for cooling the discharge electrode 1 to condense moisture in the air and supplying condensed water to the discharge electrode 1, and the discharge electrode 1. And a high voltage application unit 3 for applying a high voltage to the discharge electrode 1 to electrostatically atomize the condensed water generated in the above.

  The cooling means 2 is constituted by a heat exchanger, and in the embodiment, a Peltier unit 6 is used. The Peltier unit 6 is configured by providing a cooling insulating plate 9 on the cooling side of the Peltier module 8 and a heat radiating plate 10 on the other side.

  The Peltier module 8 has a pair of Peltier circuit boards having a circuit formed on one side of an insulating plate made of alumina or aluminum nitride having high thermal conductivity, facing each other so that the circuit sides face each other. BiTe-based thermoelectric elements are sandwiched between both Peltier circuit boards, and adjacent thermoelectric elements are electrically connected by circuits on both sides, and are made via a Peltier input lead wire. Is provided such that heat is transferred from one Peltier circuit board side to the other Peltier circuit board side by energizing the thermoelectric element, and one side of the Peltier module 8 is the cooling side and the other The side is the heat dissipation side.

  A cooling insulating plate 9 made of ceramic, alumina, aluminum nitride or the like and having high thermal conductivity and high electrical insulation is disposed outside the Peltier circuit board on the cooling side of the Peltier module 8, and the other side (hereinafter referred to as “the other side”) On the outside of the Peltier circuit board (referred to as the heat radiating side), a highly heat-conductive heat radiating plate 10 made of a metal such as aluminum is disposed. In addition, as said Peltier circuit board, the circuit may be formed in the insulating board consisting of an epoxy resin or a polyimide resin, and the resin was made to contain the filler with high heat conductivity. .

  The discharge electrode 1 has a rod-like shape and is formed of a material having good thermal conductivity such as copper or copper alloy. The tip of the discharge electrode 1 is a discharge part 4, and the rear end is the cooling side of the Peltier unit 6, FIG. In this embodiment, the cooling insulating plate 9 is connected. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the distal end portion of the discharge electrode 1 is a convex curved portion that is curved in a curved shape via a narrow neck portion 16 having a concave outer periphery, and the convex curved portion corresponds to the discharge portion 4. It has become.

  One end of a metal high-voltage applying plate 15 is fitted into the rear end of the rod-shaped discharge electrode 1, and the discharge electrode 1 and the high-voltage applying plate 15 are mechanically and electrically connected to each other. is there.

  The synthetic resin housing 11 has a discharge space 25 whose upper portion opens upward 2 and a recess 12 whose lower portion opens downward. A partition 26 is formed between the discharge space 25 and the recess 12. It has become.

  A recess 12 at the bottom of a resin housing 11 with the cooling side of the Peltier module 8 overlapped with the lower surface of the cooling insulating plate 9 from which the discharge electrode 1 with the high voltage application plate 15 fitted at the rear end is projected. The discharge electrode 1 is protruded from the hole 13 provided in the partition portion 26 of the housing 11 while being housed in the housing 11, and the heat dissipation side of the Peltier module 8 is overlapped on the heat dissipation plate 10 via a sheet 21 having good thermal conductivity. In this state, the lower part of the housing 11 is fixed to the heat radiating plate 10 with the fixing tool 27, so that the cooling insulating plate 9 and the Peltier module 8 are sandwiched between the housing 11 and the heat radiating plate 10 from above and below. A hole 13 is provided in the partition portion 26 inside the housing 11, and the discharge electrode 1 having a rear end connected to the cooling insulating plate 9 housed in the recess 12 protrudes from the hole 13 to protrude inside the housing 11. It is located in the discharge space 25. In the figure, reference numeral 17 denotes a sealing material leakage preventing member which is disposed in the recess 12 so as to surround the outer periphery of the Peltier module 8 with a gap and is sandwiched between the housing 11 and the heat sink 10.

  The high voltage application plate 15 having one end portion fitted in the rear end portion of the discharge electrode 1 is inserted into the concave portion 12 along the fitting groove portion 19 communicating with the concave portion 12 provided on the lower surface of the housing 11. And the other end protrudes outward from the housing 11. A groove lid portion 20 is fitted into the fitting groove portion 19, and the groove lid portion 20 is prevented from being removed by fixing the housing 11 to the heat radiating plate 10 as described above.

  A connector 23 is connected to the other end of the lead wire 22 having one end connected to the Peltier module 8, and the lead wire 22 is fitted into a lead wire receiving groove 28 provided on the lower surface of the housing 11. Yes, the connector 23 is housed in a connector interior recess 24 provided in the housing 11.

  The recess 11 of the housing 11 is filled with a sealing material 7 such as an epoxy resin to seal the Peltier module 8 so that water does not enter the Peltier module 8 side. As described above, the sealing material leakage preventing member 17 disposed so as to surround the outer periphery of the Peltier module 8 with a gap is prevented from leaking outside.

  The discharge electrode 1 protruding into the discharge space 25 of the housing 11 from the hole 13 of the partition portion 26 inside the housing 11 is provided with a heat insulating member 5 around the portion excluding the tip portion, and other than the tip portion of the discharge electrode 1. Condensation does not occur in this part. As shown in FIG. 2, the front end surface of the heat insulating member 5 protrudes outward in a stepped manner with respect to the discharge electrode 1 (that is, protrudes outward substantially at right angles to the axial direction of the discharge electrode 1). 5a.

  In the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, a heat insulating member 5 made of a foamed synthetic resin molded product is fitted into the discharge electrode 1, and the heat insulating member 5 has substantially the same shape as the partition portion 26 at the bottom of the discharge space 25 of the housing 11. The main body portion 5c having a substantially conical shape or a cylindrical shape protrudes from the center of the surface of the bottom surface portion 5b, and the tip surface of the main body portion 5c having a conical shape or a cylindrical shape is formed with respect to the discharge electrode 1. Thus, the step surface 5a protrudes outward in a step shape. The heat insulating member 5 has a fitting hole drilled from the center of the step surface 5a which is the front end surface to the center of the bottom surface portion 5b, and the discharge electrode 1 removes the front end portion by fitting the fitting hole into the discharge electrode 1. The heat insulating member 5 is provided around the portion, and the partition portion 26 that is the bottom of the discharge space 25 is covered with the bottom surface portion 5 b of the heat insulating member 5.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the diameter M1 of the discharge part 4 that is a convex curve at the tip of the discharge electrode 1 is 0.5 mm, the diameter M2 of the narrow neck part 16 is 0.3 mm, and from the rear end of the narrow neck part 16 The length L up to the forefront of the discharge part 4 that has become a curved part is 1.0 mm, and the length from the step surface 5a that is the tip surface of the heat insulating member 5 to the foremost part of the discharge part 4 that has become a convex part. L2 is 2.3 mm, and the length N from the outer surface of the discharge electrode 1 to the outer end of the step surface 5a (projecting length outward of the step surface 5a) N is 0.5 mm. It is not limited only.

  In the above embodiment, the heat insulating member 5 formed of the foamed synthetic resin molded article is shown fitted to the discharge electrode 1 by fitting, but the heat insulating paint is sprayed around the portion excluding the tip of the discharge electrode 1, The heat insulating member 5 may be formed by applying by brushing or the like, and the front end surface of the heat insulating member 5 may be cut to form a stepped surface 5 a that protrudes outwardly with respect to the discharge electrode 1. .

  A counter electrode 14 is provided at an upper portion of the housing 11 at a certain distance from the discharge portion 4 at the tip of the discharge electrode 1, and the counter electrode 14 is formed of a material resistant to corrosion such as SUS.

  As described above, the other end of the high-voltage applying plate 15 whose one end is electrically and mechanically connected to the discharge electrode 1 and the counter electrode 14 are connected to the high-voltage applying unit 3 via high-voltage leads. In addition, a high voltage is applied between the discharge electrode 1 and the counter electrode 14 from the high voltage application unit 3.

  When the electrostatic atomizer having the above-described configuration is energized with respect to the thermoelectric elements, movement of heat in the same direction occurs in each thermoelectric element, and one side of the Peltier unit 6 is cooled. The discharge electrode 1 is cooled via a cooling insulating plate 9 provided on the cooling side of one side of the Peltier unit 6, and the air around the discharge electrode 1 is cooled, so that moisture in the air is liquefied due to condensation or the like. As a result, water is generated on the surface of the discharge electrode 1. Then, in a state where water is generated and held in the discharge part 4 of the discharge electrode 1, the discharge electrode 1 is arranged such that the high voltage application part 3 causes the discharge part 4 side of the discharge electrode 1 to be a negative electrode and the charge is concentrated. When a high voltage of about 5 kV is applied between the counter electrode 14 and the counter electrode 14, the water held in the discharge part 4 at the tip of the discharge electrode 1 is charged, the Coulomb force acts on the charged water, and the liquid level of the water Locally swells into a cone shape (Taylor cone), the charge concentrates at the tip of the cone-shaped water, the charge density becomes high, and the water breaks up and repels by the repulsive force of the high-density charge. Electron atomization is repeated by repeating scattering (Rayleigh splitting) to generate a large amount of nano ion mist. The nano ion mist moves toward the counter electrode 14 positioned opposite to the discharge electrode 1, passes through the center hole of the counter electrode 14 fixed in the opening of the housing 11, and is released to the outside of the electrostatic atomizer. Is done.

  In this way, the discharge electrode 1 is cooled by the Peltier unit 6 that is the cooling means 2, the moisture in the air is condensed on the discharge part 4 at the tip of the discharge electrode 1, and water is generated. As a result, it is not necessary to replenish water as in the prior art, and water in the air is condensed to generate water in the discharge part 4 at the tip of the discharge electrode 1, so that it is like tap water. Since it does not contain impurities, there is no need to remove the deposits. Furthermore, since water is generated directly at the discharge electrode 1, it is possible to generate mist in a short time after cooling is started.

  In addition, as described above, although the discharge electrode 1 is cooled to generate condensed water, the heat insulating member 5 is provided around the tip of the discharge electrode 1, so that the discharge electrode 1 is cooled. When the moisture in the air is condensed on the discharge electrode 1 by cooling by the means 2, the condensed water is generated at the tip of the discharge electrode 1, and the condensed water is not generated or suppressed at other portions.

  Moreover, the dew condensation water produced | generated at the front-end | tip part of the discharge electrode 1 flows on the outer surface of the heat insulation member 5, and grows as surplus water, or dew condensation water exists in parts other than the front-end | tip part of the discharge electrode 1 as mentioned above. Although it is suppressed so as not to be generated, when condensed water is generated slightly on the outer surface of the heat insulating member 5, the condensed water generated on the outer surface of the heat insulating member 5 and the condensed water generated on the tip of the discharge electrode 1 are formed. Are connected, and there is a possibility that surplus water will grow on the outer surface of the heat insulating member 5. However, in the present invention, the front end surface of the heat insulating member 5 is the step surface 5a protruding stepwise outward with respect to the discharge electrode 1, so that the dew condensation generated at the front end portion of the discharge electrode 1 by the step surface 5a. Water is prevented from flowing to the outer surface of the heat insulating member 5 and growing as surplus water, and the condensed water generated at the tip of the discharge electrode 1 is not pulled toward the surplus water side of the outer surface of the heat insulating member 5. Electrostatic atomization can be performed stably, and the growth of surplus water at the end of the heat insulating member 5 opposite to the discharge electrode 1 can be prevented, and a short circuit occurs due to surplus water, or the cooling capacity of the cooling means decreases. Can be prevented from occurring.

  As described above, the nano ion mist generated by the electrostatic atomizer and released to the outside is a nanometer-sized ion mist having active species (hydroxy radicals, superoxide, etc.), and is thus released indoors. Thus, not only the deodorization of the indoor air but also the odor adhering to the indoor wall surface or the like can be removed. It can also be sterilized by nanometer-sized ion mist with active species. Also, when ion mist is released toward the skin and hair, it has a moisturizing effect on the skin and hair.

  Here, the application of the high voltage may be duty controlled. For example, when an indoor odor is detected by an odor sensor and the value detected by the odor sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, control is performed so that a high voltage is continuously applied in a continuous on state, and the nano ion is controlled by an electrostatic atomizer. The mist is continuously generated and the odor is removed, and when the value detected by the odor sensor falls below a predetermined value, the application of high voltage is controlled to be alternately turned on and off. For example, when the value detected by the odor sensor becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, control is performed so as to alternately repeat high voltage application on 0.3 seconds and off 3 seconds. Thereby, power consumption is reduced when the value detected by the odor sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

  By the way, in the case of controlling to repeatedly turn on and off the application of the high voltage in this way, in FIG. 6, the heat insulating member 5 is not provided on the front end surface of the heat insulating member 5 as in the present invention. FIG. 6A shows a case where a comparative example in which the tip of the taper is tapered and the tip is continuous with the discharge electrode 1 is used sideways, and FIG. As described above, the Coulomb force acts on the water W charged by the application of the high voltage to form the Taylor cone T. After the application of the high voltage is turned off after FIG. 6A, the Taylor cone is turned on. Since the water W at the tip of the discharge electrode 1 swelled as the cone T does not have a tensile force due to the Coulomb force, it moves to the outer surface side of the heat insulating member 5 as shown in FIG. The amount of water is reduced. Accordingly, the Taylor cone T is not sufficiently formed even when a high voltage is applied next time it is turned on, and there is a situation where stable electrostatic atomization cannot be performed, and surplus water grows on the outer surface side of the heat insulating member 5. I will do it.

  On the other hand, FIG. 5 shows the case where the present invention is used sideways, and FIG. 5A shows the case where the application of high voltage is on, and charging is performed by applying the high voltage as described above. The Taylor cone T is formed by the Coulomb force acting on the water W, but after this FIG. 5A, the application of the high voltage is turned off and the tensile force due to the Coulomb force disappears, and the discharge electrode 1 Even if the water W at the front end portion moves to the outer surface side of the heat insulating member 5, the front end surface of the heat insulating member 5 becomes the step surface 5 a that protrudes outwardly with respect to the discharge electrode 1 as described above. As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the stepped surface 5a becomes a barrier and can be prevented from moving to the outer surface side of the heat insulating member 5, and can be prevented from growing as extra purified water on the outer surface side of the heat insulating member 5, Since the water at the tip of the discharge electrode 1 does not move to the outer surface side of the heat insulating member 5, When a voltage is applied, the water remains in the tip portion is stably formed as a Taylor cone, so that the stable electrostatic atomization is performed.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the counter electrode 14 is provided and water generated in the discharge part 4 of the discharge electrode 1 is electrostatically atomized by applying a high voltage between the discharge electrode 1 and the counter electrode 14 will be described. However, even in the case where the counter electrode 14 is not provided, a high voltage may be applied to the discharge electrode 1 so that the water generated in the discharge unit 4 as described above is electrostatically atomized.

It is sectional drawing of the electrostatic atomizer of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the tip part of a discharge electrode same as the above. It is a perspective view of an electrostatic atomizer same as the above. It is an exploded perspective view same as the above. (A) is an operation explanatory view when the application of a high voltage is on in the laterally used form of the above, and (b) is an operation explanatory view when it is turned off. A comparative example is shown, (a) is an operation explanatory diagram when the application of a high voltage is on in the lateral usage mode of the comparative example, and (b) is an operation explanatory diagram when it is turned off.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Discharge electrode 2 Cooling means 3 High voltage application part 5 Thermal insulation member 5a Step surface

Claims (1)

  A discharge electrode; cooling means for cooling the discharge electrode to condense moisture in the air to generate condensed water on the discharge electrode; and discharging to electrostatically atomize the condensed water generated on the discharge electrode. A high voltage application unit for applying a high voltage to the electrode, a heat insulating member is provided around the tip of the discharge electrode, and the tip surface of the heat insulating member protrudes outwardly with respect to the discharge electrode. An electrostatic atomizer characterized by comprising a stepped surface.

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