JP4739159B2 - Ion generator and air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion generator and an air conditioner that are attached to an air conditioner such as an air conditioner, a dehumidifier, a humidifier, an air purifier, and a fan heater and generate ions in the air, and in particular, a discharge switch element. The present invention relates to an ion generation device and an air conditioning device that are not subject to the restriction of the holding current and generate a large amount of ions.

  In a sealed space such as an office, a conference room, or a car, air pollutants such as carbon dioxide, cigarette smoke, and dust emitted by respiration increase. As a result, negative ions having the effect of relaxing humans decrease from the air. In order to replenish negative ions in the air, various ion generators have been proposed, and this ion generator is mounted on an air conditioner such as an air purifier.

  In addition, by generating positive ions and negative ions, an air conditioning device that has the effect of removing airborne bacteria in the air. Furthermore, with one ion generator, the relaxation effect by the generation of negative ions, plus ions and negative ions Air conditioning devices that can switch between the effect of removing floating bacteria by simultaneous occurrence of these are also in practical use.

  As this type of prior art, for example, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1. Hereinafter, the operation of the prior art will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the technique demonstrated below is a technique which applied the technique of patent document 1 as a structure which uses DC input, and differs in part from the technique of patent document 1 described as a structure using AC input. This is convenient for explaining the difference from the present invention, and this conventional technique is also in practical use. In addition, the capacitor C3 described in Patent Document 1 adjusts the balance between negative ions and positive ions. However, the description of the prior art of the present invention is not considered to be an essential configuration, and therefore is described here. Omitted.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, an ion generator mounted on a conventional air conditioner includes an ion generating element 13, and as a charging circuit, a switching transistor 17, a constant voltage regulator circuit 16, a current limiting resistor 1, And a charging capacitor 2. The voltage application circuit includes a shunt regulator 3, a transistor 4, resistors 5, 6, 8, and 9, a capacitor 7, a diode 10, and a transformer 12, and further includes a thyristor 11 as a discharge switch element. A fuse 18 is provided between the input voltage terminal “+ V” and the switching transistor 17.

  Here, when a DC voltage (for example, 12V) is applied between the input voltage terminal “+ V” and the ground terminal GND, and the ON / OFF terminal which is the start terminal is connected to GND, the switch transistor 17 is turned on. The current flows through the switching transistor 17 and a voltage is applied to the input of the constant voltage regulator circuit 16. The constant voltage regulator circuit 16 outputs a stabilized voltage (for example, 9 V), and the output current output from the constant voltage regulator circuit 16 at that time flows to the charging capacitor 2 via the current limiting resistor 1. As a result, the voltage across the charging capacitor 2 increases.

  Here, the voltage across the charging capacitor 2 is divided by the resistor 5 and the resistor 6 and supplied to the shunt regulator 3. When the voltage of the shunt regulator 3 reaches its own reference voltage, the shunt regulator 3 is turned on. Subsequently, the transistor 4 is turned on, a voltage is applied to the gate of the thyristor 11 through the resistor 8, and the thyristor 11 is turned on. Is short-circuited.

  At this time, the loop of the charging capacitor 2, the primary winding 12 a of the step-up transformer 12, and the thyristor 11 discharges the electric charge charged in the charging capacitor 2 due to a short circuit of the thyristor 11. As a result, an impulse voltage is generated in the primary winding 12a, a high voltage generated in the secondary winding 12b of the step-up transformer 12 is applied to the electrode of the ion generating element 13, and ions are discharged by discharge from the electrode by the applied voltage. Release.

  On the other hand, when the operating voltage of the relay 14 is applied to the relay terminal RYON, the relay 14 is operated, and one terminal of the secondary winding 12b of the step-up transformer 12 is connected to the ground terminal GND through the diode 15 so that negative ions are generated. When the relay 14 is open, both positive ions and negative ions are released.

  In addition, the constant voltage regulator circuit 16 is provided for a case where the input voltage is not stabilized, for example, 10V to 16V, which is battery-driven for in-vehicle use, but may not be necessary depending on the actual use of the ion generator. is there.

  The transistor 17 is used for ON / OFF of ion generation. However, for example, it is not necessary when ON / OFF of the ion generator is controlled by controlling power supply to the ion generator.

  Further, since the fuse 18 is considered to have a configuration unrelated to the description of the prior art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The operation of another prior art will be described below with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which a two-terminal thyristor 19 is used for the discharge switch element. At this time, when the charging voltage of the charging capacitor 2 reaches the breakover voltage of the two-terminal thyristor 19, the two-terminal thyristor 19 is short-circuited and ions are released.

  This operation is an example in which the gate ON of the thyristor 11 in FIG. 6 is replaced by the breakover of the two-terminal thyristor 19, and other operations are the same as those in FIG.

  Incidentally, the voltage across the charging capacitor 2 in the conventional ion generator shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 draws a time constant curve by the resistor 1 and the charging capacitor 2 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the charging capacitor 2 is discharged at a point where the charging voltage curve becomes gentle. As a result, slight variations occur in the input voltage and the detection voltage, and this variation makes the period until ion generation irregular, which adversely affects the amount of ions generated and the amount of sound generated by discharge. Finally, there arises a problem that stable ion generation is inhibited.

  Further, when the discharge switch element is short-circuited in an unintended manner due to external noise or the like, the back electromotive force of the transformer 12 is not generated. As a result, a current for charging the charging capacitor 2 continues to flow through the discharge switch element, the discharge switch element is stabilized in a short-circuited state, and finally the generation of ions is stopped.

  As a method for solving this problem in the configuration of FIGS. 6 and 7, as shown in FIG. 10B, a resistance is applied immediately after discharging of the charging capacitor 2 within one cycle (discharge cycle) T of ion generation. 6, that is, the maximum charging current value Im5 is the holding current of the thyristor 11 or the two-terminal thyristor 19 (holding current: ON after the discharge switch element is turned ON). The resistance value of the resistor 1 may be set so as to be smaller than (current value to be passed to the element necessary for maintaining the state) I0. According to the above method, even when the discharge switch element is short-circuited in an unintended manner due to external noise or the like, the short circuit of the thyristor 11 or the two-terminal thyristor 19 that is the discharge switch element can be reliably released.

  However, as described above, the charging waveform of the voltage across the charging capacitor 2 in the configuration of FIGS. 6 and 7 draws a curve corresponding to the time constant as shown in FIG. Since the value of the current flowing through the resistor 1 immediately after the discharge is the maximum (Im5) within the discharge cycle T, the method shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 increases the discharge cycle T and diminishes the ion generation effect. .

  Thus, as a method for solving this problem, Patent Document 2 discloses an ion generator configured to charge a charging capacitor with a constant current. The operation will be briefly described below with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those already described with reference to the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  An ion generator mounted on a conventional air conditioner is, for example, as shown in FIG. 8 includes, in addition to the configuration of FIG. 6, a charging transistor, a switching transistor 26 for turning on / off charging to a charging capacitor, a control transistor 24, and a fuse resistor as a current detection resistor for detecting a charging current. 20 and an operational amplifier 21 as a comparison circuit for controlling the charging current to be a constant current. In addition, an ON / OFF control diode 22 that is a switching diode and a pull-up resistor 25 that is a switching resistor are provided, and an element 23 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21. The element 23 is a reference voltage element, and the voltage is constant, but the setting of the voltage value of the element 23 will be described later.

  In FIG. 8, when the ON / OFF terminal at start-up is connected to GND, no current flows through the fuse resistor 20, so that the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 is at the GND level and is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21. From the comparison with the voltage of the element 23, the output of the operational amplifier 21 becomes high level. Therefore, the control transistor 24 is turned on, the switch transistor 26 is turned on, and charging of the capacitor 2 is started.

  At this time, the charging current to the capacitor 2 flows through the fuse resistor 20 and the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 shifts in the positive direction, but the operational amplifier 21 is controlled by controlling the control transistor 24 and the switching transistor 26 by the output of the operational amplifier 21. The inverting input terminal is controlled to be the same as the voltage of the element 23.

  At this time, the charging current to the charging capacitor 2 is expressed by the following equation.

Charging current = (voltage of element 23) / (resistance value of fuse resistor 20)
Here, from the above equation, the charging current is controlled to be a constant current since the right side of the equation is a constant value.

  Next, when the ON / OFF terminal is open, a positive voltage is applied to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 through the pull-up resistor 25 and the diode 22, so that the output of the operational amplifier 21 is at a low level, and the control transistor Since the switch 24 is turned off and the switch transistor 26 is turned off, the charging of the charging capacitor 2 is stopped.

  Another prior art operation is shown in FIG.

  This operation is an example in which the gate ON of the thyristor 11 in FIG. 8 is substituted by the breakover of the two-terminal thyristor 19, and the other operations are the same as those in FIG.

  The details of the charging operation with a constant current in FIGS. 8 and 9 will be described in [Embodiment 3] in [Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention] described later.

  With the above configuration, the charging current of the charging capacitor can be charged by a constant current with a charging current value of Im6, as shown in FIG. This makes it possible to generate ions with a small amount of stable ions.

  Even when the charging capacitor 2 is only charged to a certain extent and the discharge switch element is short-circuited due to external noise or the like, the charging capacitor 2 in the configuration of FIGS. The charging current Im6 is a constant current that is always smaller than the holding current I0, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the short circuit of the thyristor 11 or the two-terminal thyristor 19 that is the discharge switch element can be reliably released.

In addition, by charging the charging capacitor 2 with a constant current, the waveform of the charging voltage of the charging capacitor 2 becomes linear as shown in FIG. Therefore, the configuration of FIGS. 8 and 9 is faster than the configuration of FIGS. 6 and 7, that is, the charging voltage waveform is as shown in FIG. 10A, and as a result, Even if the value of the charging current immediately after discharging of the charging capacitor 2 is set to a small value, the discharging period T of the charging capacitor 2 does not become as long as in the case of FIG.
JP 2003-100419 A (published on April 4, 2003) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-32231 (released February 2, 2006)

  However, in the ion generator shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 that charges the charging capacitor with a constant current, the discharge switch element is short-circuited in an unintended manner to prevent malfunction, that is, due to intrusion of external noise or the like. In this case, it is necessary to release the short circuit of the discharge switch element. Therefore, there is a problem that the current value Im6 at the time of charging the charging capacitor must always be smaller than the holding current I0 of the discharge switch element as shown in FIG.

  For this reason, there is a limit to further shortening the discharge cycle, that is, charging more current in a short time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is not to be restricted by the holding current of the discharge switch element, to prevent malfunction of the discharge switch element, and to shorten the discharge cycle. The object is to realize an ion generation device and an air conditioning device with a larger generation amount.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an ion generator according to the present invention includes an ion generating element that generates ions at a predetermined cycle by discharging, a charging circuit that charges a charging capacitor with a charging current, and the above A voltage having a discharge switch element for discharging the charging capacitor when a charging voltage charged in the charging capacitor reaches a predetermined value, and applying a voltage necessary for ion generation to the ion generating element by the discharge An ion generating device including an application circuit is characterized in that the charging current is switched in two stages within one cycle of the predetermined cycle.

  According to said structure, the charging current to the said charging capacitor switches to two steps within one period of a predetermined period. Here, the “predetermined period” is a period from when ions are released by discharge to when ions are released by discharge, that is, a discharge period of the ion generator according to the present invention. This discharge cycle is the period from the completion of discharging of the charging capacitor until the charging capacitor resumes charging, the voltage at both ends of the charging capacitor reaches a predetermined value by charging, and the charging capacitor is discharged again. Time is one cycle. In addition, the “predetermined value” here is a value of the voltage across the charging capacitor when the charging capacitor accumulates electric charge by charging and short-circuits the discharge switch element. For example, for a thyristor , A voltage value that gives a trigger to the gate terminal. If it is a two-terminal thyristor, it is a breakover voltage. That is, the charging circuit charges the charging capacitor with two kinds of charging currents within one cycle of the discharging cycle of the charging capacitor described above.

  Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to achieve both stable ion generation with little variation in the ion generation cycle and an increase in ion generation amount. Furthermore, the degree of freedom in designing the charging operation is increased by switching the charging operation. That is, since the degree of freedom in setting the discharge cycle is increased, the discharge cycle can be set short without being restricted by the malfunction of the discharge switch element.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an ion generator according to the reference of the present invention is configured so that, in addition to the above-described configuration, the charging current depends on the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor with respect to a reference voltage value. It is characterized by switching to two stages.

  According to the above configuration, the two-stage charging current is switched according to the reference voltage value using the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor as the reference voltage value. Charging is performed by detecting the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor and switching to a charging current suitable for the detection result. Specifically, the charging operation immediately after the discharge switch element is short-circuited and the charging operation before the short-circuit operation can be switched thereafter.

  Therefore, it is possible to perform a reliable operation without causing a malfunction, and the effect of increasing the certainty of ion generation is obtained.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an ion generator according to the present invention is configured so that, in addition to the above-described configuration, the discharge switch element has a current greater than or equal to a predetermined value after the short-circuit operation starts. The element has a function of maintaining its own short-circuit operation.

  According to the above configuration, the discharge switch element is an element having a function of maintaining the short-circuit operation by the current flowing through the element after the short-circuit operation is started. That is, while a current exceeding the holding current (holding current: a current value flowing through the element necessary for maintaining the short-circuit state after the discharge switch element is short-circuited) flows through the discharge switch element, In this configuration, the discharge switch element can be stabilized in a short-circuit state. Details of the short circuit operation and the cancellation of the short circuit operation will be described later.

  Accordingly, since the short-circuit operation can be maintained and the short-circuit operation can be reliably released, the charging capacitor can be surely short-circuit discharged without causing malfunction, and the reliability of ion generation is increased.

  In the ion generator according to the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, the charging current is switched in two stages using the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor as a reference voltage value, and the discharge switch element It is preferable that the element has a function of maintaining its own short-circuit operation when a current of a predetermined value or more flows through the discharge switch element after the start of the short-circuit operation.

  In order to solve the above problems, the ion generator according to the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the reference voltage value is a voltage higher than the both-end voltage of the element during the short-circuit operation of the discharge switch element, The charging current is switched at the reference voltage value as a boundary.

  According to the above configuration, the reference voltage value of the charging capacitor is higher than the voltage across the element during the short-circuit operation of the discharge switch element, and the charging current is switched with the reference voltage value as a boundary. Charging of the charging capacitor (that is, an increase in the voltage across the charging capacitor) is started by releasing the short-circuit state of the discharge switch element. The reference voltage value for switching the charge current is set to the discharge switch element. By setting the voltage higher than the voltage at both ends of the device during the short-circuit operation, the charge current is reduced after the short-circuit of the discharge switch element is released before the voltage across the charging capacitor reaches the reference voltage value. This is a configuration capable of reliably performing the operation of “switching”.

  Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the charging current during the period from immediately after the short circuit to the cancellation of the short circuit, thereby achieving an effect that the short circuit state can be reliably canceled.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an ion generator according to the present invention has a charging current that is greater than a minimum current value that maintains a short-circuit operation of the discharge switch element in addition to the above-described configuration. A first charging current that is smaller than the first charging current and a second charging current whose maximum current value is larger than the maximum current value of the first charging current, and the charging is performed by the first charging current and the second charging current. The current is switched in two stages within one cycle of the predetermined cycle.

  According to the above configuration, the first charging current smaller than the minimum current value for maintaining the short-circuit operation of the discharge switch element and the second charging current whose maximum current value is larger than the maximum current value of the first charging current are switched. To charge the charging capacitor. By switching from the first charging current to the second charging current, the charging current can be increased.

  Therefore, it is possible to increase the speed of charging, thereby shortening the discharge cycle, thereby increasing the amount of ions generated. Further, there is an effect that the short circuit operation of the switch element can be reliably released.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the ion generator according to the present invention has a maximum current value of the second charging current higher than a current value at which a short-circuit state of the discharge switch element is maintained in addition to the above-described configuration. It is characterized by being large.

  According to said structure, the maximum electric current value of a 2nd charging current is larger than the electric current value holding the short circuit state of a discharge switch element. In the prior art, in order to avoid malfunction of the discharge switch element, the charging current must always be less than the holding current of the discharge switch element. However, the second charging current according to the present invention is not limited and can be configured to have a large current value.

  Therefore, there is an effect that the charging speed is greatly increased and the discharge cycle can be significantly shortened accordingly. Moreover, it has the effect that it becomes possible to increase the amount of ion generation.

  In order to solve the above problems, the ion generator according to the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the charging circuit includes the first charging current and the second charging when the charging capacitor is charged. First current limiting means through which current passes, and second current limiting means through which the first charging current passes and is connected in series with the first current limiting means when charging the charging capacitor. And a switching transistor for switching between the first charging current and the second charging current, and voltage detection means for detecting the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor, the second current The emitter and collector of the switch transistor are connected in parallel to both ends of the limiting means, and the base of the switch transistor is connected in series to the voltage detection means, and the voltage detection is performed. In a state where the means detects a value lower than the reference voltage value, the switching transistor is turned off, and the charging current passes through the first current limiting means and the second current limiting means. When the voltage detecting means detects a value higher than the reference voltage value, the switching transistor is turned on, and the charging current bypasses the second current limiting means, The charging current is switched to two stages by setting the state to pass through one current limiting means.

  According to the above configuration, the first current limiting unit, the second current limiting unit, the switching transistor, and the voltage detecting unit are provided. Then, the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor is detected by the voltage detecting means, and the switching transistor causes the first charging current to pass through the first current limiting means and the second current limiting means based on the value, and the second The current limiting means is bypassed and the second charging current passing through the first current limiting means is switched. In addition, by controlling the switching transistor according to the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor, that is, based on the reference voltage value, it is possible to reliably control the charging current according to the short-circuit state of the discharge switching element. .

  Therefore, it is possible to achieve both charging speed increase and malfunction prevention, which are the basic effects of the present invention, with a simple configuration, and it is possible to achieve both stable ion generation with little variation in ion generation cycle and increased ion generation amount. Has the effect of becoming.

  In the ion generator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the second current limiting means is a resistor in order to solve the above problems.

  According to the above configuration, the second current limiting means is a resistor. Therefore, the second current limiting means can be realized with a low-cost element.

  In order to solve the above problems, an ion generator according to the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the above-described configuration, the discharge switch element is a thyristor that starts a short-circuit operation by applying a trigger to a gate terminal. It is said.

  According to said structure, a discharge switch element is a thyristor which starts a short circuit operation by giving a trigger to a gate terminal. The charging capacitor performs charging, and when the voltage across the charging capacitor reaches a predetermined value due to charging, the thyristor is short-circuited and thereby discharged. In addition, it is possible to detect the voltage across the charging capacitor by using a shunt regulator by dividing the resistance of the thyristor.

  Therefore, since the voltage across the charging capacitor can be monitored by a separate circuit, the charging operation can be controlled with high accuracy.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the ion generator according to the present invention, in addition to the above-described configuration, starts a short-circuit operation when the discharge switch element has a voltage across the element equal to or higher than a predetermined value. It is a terminal thyristor.

  According to said structure, a discharge switch element is a 2 terminal thyristor which starts a short circuit operation, when the both-ends voltage becomes more than a predetermined value. The charging capacitor performs charging, and the charging causes the short-circuit when the voltage across the charging capacitor becomes equal to or higher than the breakover voltage of the two-terminal thyristor, thereby discharging.

  Therefore, compared to a case where the discharge switch element is a thyristor that starts a short-circuit operation by applying a trigger to the gate terminal, a circuit for applying a trigger to the gate terminal becomes unnecessary, and the circuit can be simplified. Play.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the ion generator according to the present invention requires at least the current value of the second charging current to start the short-circuit operation of the two-terminal thyristor in addition to the above-described configuration. It is characterized by a current value greater than or equal to.

  According to said structure, the electric current value of a 2nd charging current is more than the minimum electric current value required in order to start the short circuit operation of a 2 terminal thyristor.

  Accordingly, the short-circuit operation of the two-terminal thyristor can be reliably performed, and the reliability of ion generation is increased.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the ion generator according to the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the above-described configuration, the second charging current is a constant current.

  According to said structure, said 1st electric current limiting means is comprised by the circuit (constant current circuit) which can charge the capacitor for charge with a constant current, and charges the said capacitor for charge with a constant current. . At this time, since the second charging current is not limited by the holding current of the discharge switch element, the constant current value can be set larger than that of the conventional technique.

  Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to achieve both stable ion generation with little variation in the ion generation cycle and an increase in ion generation amount. In addition, the discharge cycle is further shortened, and the effect that the amount of ion generation can be increased is achieved.

  In order to solve the above problems, an air conditioner according to the present invention is characterized in that any one of the above ion generators is provided in an air conditioner that regulates air using an ion generator. .

  According to said structure, the charging current to the said charging capacitor switches to two steps within one period of a predetermined period.

  Therefore, the ion generation cycle can be shortened and the amount of ion generation can be increased, and there is little variation in the cycle of ion generation, and stable ion generation without stopping ion generation due to malfunction due to noise is achieved. There is an effect that it becomes possible.

As described above, the ion generating apparatus according to the present invention is charged to the ion generating element that generates ions at a predetermined cycle by discharging, the charging circuit that charges the charging capacitor with the charging current, and the charging capacitor. A discharge switch element that discharges the charging capacitor when the charged voltage reaches a predetermined value, and a voltage application circuit that applies a voltage required for ion generation to the ion generation element by the discharge. in the ion generator, Ri the charging current is switched in two steps in one cycle of the predetermined cycle, the charging current, the reference voltage value, depending on the high and low values of the voltage across the charging capacitor The charging current is switched to two stages, and the charging current has a first charging current whose maximum current value is smaller than a minimum current value for maintaining a short-circuit operation of the discharge switch element; And a second charging current that is larger than the maximum current value of the first charging current, and the charging current is 1 in the predetermined period by the first charging current and the second charging current. It is the structure which switches in two steps within a period . In addition, an ion generator according to the present invention includes an ion generating element that generates ions at a predetermined cycle by discharging, a charging circuit that charges a charging capacitor with a charging current, and a charging voltage charged in the charging capacitor. A discharge switch element that discharges the charging capacitor when the voltage reaches a predetermined value, and a voltage application circuit that applies a voltage required for ion generation to the ion generation element by the discharge. In the device, the charging current is switched in two stages within one cycle of the predetermined cycle, and the charging current has a first current value that is smaller than a minimum current value that maintains a short-circuit operation of the discharge switch element. A charging current and a second charging current having a maximum current value larger than a maximum current value of the first charging current, and the first charging current and the second charging current. Due to the current, the charging current is switched in two stages within one cycle of the predetermined cycle, and the charging circuit passes the first charging current and the second charging current when charging the charging capacitor. A first current limiting unit; a second current limiting unit through which the first charging current passes and is connected in series to the first current limiting unit when charging the charging capacitor; A switching transistor for switching between one charging current and the second charging current; and a voltage detecting means for detecting a value of a voltage across the charging capacitor, and both ends of the second current limiting means The switch transistor has an emitter and a collector connected in parallel, and the voltage detection means has a base of the switch transistor connected in series, and the voltage detection means When the output means detects a value lower than the reference voltage value, the switching transistor is turned off, and the charging current passes through the first current limiting means and the second current limiting means. When the voltage detecting means detects a value higher than the reference voltage value, the switching transistor is turned on, and the charging current bypasses the second current limiting means, The charging current is switched to two stages by setting it to pass through one current limiting means.

  As a result, the ion generation cycle can be shortened and the amount of ion generation can be increased, and there is little variation in the ion generation cycle, and stable ion generation can be achieved when ion generation is stopped due to malfunction due to noise. There is an effect that it becomes possible.

  Moreover, the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on this invention is the structure provided with one of the said ion generators.

  This makes it possible to shorten the ion generation cycle, increase the amount of ion generation, reduce the variation in the ion generation cycle, and stabilize the air conditioning without malfunctioning due to noise. Can be realized.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those already described with reference to the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
[Embodiment 1]
In FIG. 1, elements indicated by 1, 2, 100, 101, and 102 constitute a charging circuit. In FIG. 1, elements indicated by 2 to 12 constitute a voltage application circuit.

  Here, the discharge switch element is constituted by a thyristor 11, and after the gate trigger, the short-circuit state is maintained by the discharge current (short-circuit current) of the charging capacitor 2 and the charging capacitor 2 is completely discharged.

  Hereinafter, the details of the operation principle of the thyristor 11 used in the first embodiment and the two-terminal thyristor 19 used in the second and third embodiments to be described later will be described as the discharge switch elements.

  After reaching the gate ON or breakover voltage, the discharge switch element thyristor 11 and the two-terminal thyristor 19 are short-circuited, and the charge charged in the charging capacitor 2 is discharged. At this time, the current flowing as the discharge current is that the thyristor 11 and the two-terminal thyristor 19 are in a substantially short-circuited state, and satisfies the holding current of the thyristor 11 and the two-terminal thyristor 19. Therefore, when the thyristor 11 and the two-terminal thyristor 19 are short-circuited once, the charging capacitor 2 is completely discharged.

  The charging capacitor 2 is charged to a voltage of, for example, 2V, opposite to the charging direction, by the counter electromotive force generated in the primary winding 12a of the transformer 12 connected in series. This operation is necessary in order to cancel the short circuit of the thyristor 11 and the two-terminal thyristor 19 that are the discharge switch elements, so that the current flowing through the resistor 1 immediately after the discharging of the charging capacitor 2 is greater than or equal to the above holding current. However, the thyristor 11 and the two-terminal thyristor 19 can reliably release the short circuit and start charging the charging capacitor 2 in the next cycle.

  The resistor (first current limiting means) 1 is for limiting the charging current. When charging the charging capacitor 2 in the charging circuit, the charging current is not affected regardless of the switching of the charging operation. pass. The resistor 1 is connected to a circuit formed by sequentially connecting the input voltage terminal “+ V”, the resistor 100, the charging capacitor 2, and the GND terminal in the charging circuit. The resistor 1 is connected in series with the charging capacitor 2 and the resistor 100 in a portion of the voltage application circuit that is not on the circuit formed by connecting the charging capacitor 2, the transformer 12, and the thyristor 11 in order.

  The resistor (second current limiting means) 100 is for limiting the charging current, similar to the resistor 1, but in the state where the voltage value of the charging capacitor 2 is lower than a certain voltage (reference voltage value). When the charging current passes and is higher than the reference voltage value, the charging current does not pass. Here, when the voltage value of the charging capacitor 2 is lower than the reference voltage value and the charging current passes through the resistor 1 and the resistor 100, the charging current is the first charging current, and the voltage value of the charging capacitor 2 is the reference voltage value. The charging current when the charging current passes through the resistor 1 but does not pass through the resistor 100 is defined as a second charging current. The resistor 100 is connected to a circuit formed by sequentially connecting the input voltage terminal “+ V”, the resistor 1, the charging capacitor 2, and the GND terminal in the charging circuit. Further, the resistor 100 is connected in series with the charging capacitor 2 and the resistor 1 in a portion of the voltage application circuit that is not on the circuit formed by connecting the charging capacitor 2, the transformer 12, and the thyristor 11 in order. Further, a switch PNP transistor (switch transistor) 101 is connected to both ends of the resistor 100.

  When the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor 2 is lower than the reference voltage value, the switch PNP transistor 101 is turned off to pass the charging current through the second current limiting means, and from the reference voltage value In a high state, it is for switching a 1st charging current and a 2nd charging current by bypassing a charging current from a 2nd current limiting means by becoming an ON state. The switch PNP transistor 101 has an emitter and a collector connected to both ends of the resistor 100 in parallel with the resistor 100, and a base connected to the shunt regulator 102.

  The shunt regulator (voltage detection means) 102 is for detecting the voltage value of the charging capacitor 2, and when the charging capacitor 2 is charged, the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor 2 rises, and the reference It conducts when the voltage value is exceeded, and turns on the PNP transistor 101 for switching. In the first to third embodiments, the reference voltage value is defined as V0. The shunt regulator 102 is provided between the switch PNP transistor 101 and GND, and is connected to the base of the switch PNP transistor 101.

  When the operation starts in FIG. 1, the charging current of the charging capacitor 2 is charged to the charging capacitor 2 via the resistor 1. Immediately after the start of charging, the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor 2 is very low, and the voltage value of the shunt regulator 102 is less than the reference voltage value V0. Therefore, the shunt regulator 102 does not conduct, It is in the OFF state. As a result, the switching PNP transistor 101 is turned off, so that the charging current does not flow into the switching PNP transistor 101. That is, the charging current is charged to the charging capacitor 2 via the resistor 1 and the resistor 100 without bypassing the resistor 100.

  At this time, the current passing through the resistor 1 and the resistor 100 and charging the charging capacitor 2, that is, the maximum value Im1 of the first charging current is less than the holding current I0 of the thyristor 11 that is the discharge switch element. A value of 100 is set. As described above, the holding current is a current necessary for the discharge switch element to maintain a short-circuit state, and when a current less than the holding current flows, the voltage across the thyristor 11 is very low. Therefore, by setting the value of the resistor 100 as described above, in the state where the charging capacitor 2 is charged by the first charging current, the value of the charging current flowing to the thyristor 11 is surely the holding current of the thyristor 11. It becomes less than I0, and it is possible to cancel the short-circuit operation of the thyristor 11.

  Even when the charging capacitor 2 is not charged to some extent, even if the thyristor 11 is short-circuited in an unintended manner due to external noise or the like, the thyristor 11 immediately after the charging capacitor 2 is discharged. Since the short circuit is released and the charging operation is resumed, it is possible to avoid the problem that the short circuit state of the thyristor 11 is sustained when the charging current to the charging capacitor 2 flows into the thyristor 11.

  Thereafter, when charging is started from the state where the short circuit of the thyristor 11 is released, the voltage across the thyristor 11 rises. That is, the voltage across the charging capacitor 2 increases. When the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor 2 exceeds the reference voltage value V0 of the shunt regulator 102, the shunt regulator 102 is turned on and the switch PNP transistor 101 is turned on.

  Note that the reference voltage value V0 set in the shunt regulator 102 is, for example, 2.5 V. Specifically, the reference voltage value V0 is higher than the voltage across the thyristor 11 when the thyristor 11 is switched to the short-circuit state. There is a need. By setting the reference voltage value V0 as described above, the shunt regulator 102 can be turned on and the switch PNP transistor 101 can be turned on after the short circuit of the thyristor 11 has been reliably released.

  When the switch PNP transistor 101 is turned on, the charging current of the charging capacitor 2 passes through the switch PNP transistor 101. As a result, the resistor 100 is bypassed and charged to the charging capacitor 2 through only the resistor 1.

  At this time, the current passing through only the resistor 1 and charging the charging capacitor 2, that is, the maximum value Im2 of the second charging current is increased by setting the value of the resistor 1 sufficiently small. Accordingly, the charging speed is increased, and the short-circuit cycle of the thyristor 11, that is, the discharge cycle can be shortened.

  Accordingly, it is possible to shorten the ion generation cycle and increase the ion generation amount.

  What is important here is to switch between the first charging current and the second charging current with reference to the reference voltage value V0 in order to prevent malfunction due to noise mixing or the like, that is, to reliably cancel the short circuit of the thyristor 11. is there.

  That is, the holding current I0 necessary for the maximum current value Im1 to maintain the short-circuited state of the thyristor 11 during the period from the start of charging until the voltage value of the charging capacitor 2 reaches the reference voltage value V0 of the shunt regulator 102. It charges with the 1st charging current which is a value less than. The shunt regulator 102 detects that the short-circuit state of the thyristor 11 has been released, that is, the voltage across the charging capacitor 2 has risen, and the voltage across the charging capacitor 2 has reached the reference voltage value V0. By the way, in order to increase the charging speed and increase the amount of ions generated, the maximum current value Im2 is switched to the second charging current that is very large.

  When charging by the second charging current is started, the charging speed is increased and the voltage is rapidly increased. Then, when the charging voltage of the charging capacitor 2 reaches the reference voltage of the shunt regulator 3 due to the voltage division by the resistors 5 and 6, the shunt regulator 3 is turned on, and then the transistor 4 is turned on. Then, a voltage is applied to the gate of the thyristor 11, the thyristor 11 is short-circuited, and the charging capacitor 2 is discharged.

  After the charging capacitor 2 is discharged, the voltage value of the charging capacitor 2 immediately returns to a very low state, so that the charging current value to the charging capacitor 2 returns to the current value before switching, that is, the first charging current. Again, since the current value is less than the holding current I0 necessary for maintaining the short circuit state of the thyristor 11, the charging is resumed in a state where the short circuit of the thyristor 11 is reliably released. By repeating the above series of operations, the amount of ion generation can be increased and the charging operation can be ensured.

  Fig.4 (a) is a figure which shows the charging voltage waveform to the capacitor | condenser 2 for charging of the ion generator of this invention. As is clear from this figure, the slope of the charging voltage waveform is steep with respect to the reference voltage value V0.

  Moreover, FIG.4 (b) is a figure which shows the waveform of the charging current to the capacitor | condenser 2 for charging of the ion generator of this invention. The value of the charging current increases at the boundary corresponding to the reference voltage value V0 shown in FIG. 4A, and thereafter, the waveform is very similar to the waveform shown in FIG. Then, when one discharge cycle is completed, the value of the charging current is again equal to or less than the holding current. It can be said that the change in the slope of the charging current in the “portion corresponding to the reference voltage value V0” is the switching from the first charging current to the second charging current.

  As a result, the charging speed can be increased and the discharge cycle can be shortened. In addition, after the discharge is completed, the value of the charging current again becomes a value equal to or lower than the holding current I0. Therefore, the short circuit of the thyristor can be reliably released, and thereby the reliable charging operation can be performed.

  In the configuration of FIG. 8, which is the conventional technique, all charging operations in the discharge cycle T are less than the holding current necessary for maintaining the short-circuit state of the thyristor 11 regardless of the short-circuit state of the thyristor. The charging capacitor 2 has been charged with a constant current. Therefore, there has been a limit on the increase in the amount of ions generated by increasing the charging speed.

  However, according to the configuration of the present invention, while the short circuit of the thyristor 11 is not released, both the resistor 1 and the resistor 100 pass, and the maximum value of the charging current is greater than the holding current of the discharge switch element. The charging capacitor 2 is charged with a small first charging current. After the short circuit of the thyristor 11 is released, the resistor 100 is bypassed by the switching PNP transistor 101 and passes only through the resistor 1, and the maximum value of the charging current is larger than the maximum value of the first charging current. The charging capacitor 2 is charged by the second charging current. Thus, the charging operation can be switched according to the short-circuit state of the thyristor 11.

  Therefore, as long as the combined resistance of the resistor 1 and the resistor 100 is set to a value that makes the first charging current less than the holding current I0, no matter how small the value of the resistor 1 is, there is no problem. . As a result, the current value of the second charging current after the short circuit of the thyristor 11 is released can be increased, and the charging speed can be improved.

Therefore, it is possible to realize an ion generator that can reliably perform a charging operation and generate a large amount of ions.
[Embodiment 2]
In FIG. 2, elements indicated by 1, 2, 100, 101, and 102 constitute a charging circuit. In FIG. 2, elements indicated by 2, 12, and 19 constitute a voltage application circuit.

  FIG. 2 shows an example in which the discharge switch element is composed of a two-terminal thyristor 19. In this case, the second charging current passing through only the resistor 1 is equal to or greater than the breakover current (breakover current: a current value flowing through the two-terminal thyristor necessary for starting the short-circuit operation of the two-terminal thyristor). It is necessary to perform short circuit operation reliably by setting it as a structure.

The rest of the configuration is the same as that of FIG.
[Embodiment 3]
In FIG. 3, elements indicated by 2, 100, 101, 102, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, and 28 constitute a charging circuit. In FIG. 3, elements indicated by 2, 12, 19 constitute a voltage application circuit.

  FIG. 3 shows an example in which the present invention is implemented in FIG. 8 having a conventional configuration. In other words, the first current limiting means is not a resistor, but a switch transistor 26, a control transistor 24, a fuse resistor 20 as a current detection resistor, an operational amplifier 21 as a comparison circuit, and an ON / OFF switch diode. It comprises a control diode 22, a pull-up resistor 25 that is a switch resistor, and an element 23.

  The first current limiting means in the third embodiment is configured as a circuit (constant current circuit) that can charge the charging capacitor 2 with a constant current.

  Here, the principle of the charging operation using the constant current will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in FIG. 8, it is assumed that the ON / OFF terminal is connected to GND. At this time, the voltage at the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 is prevented from flowing in the direction of the ON / OFF terminal by the ON / OFF control diode 22, and therefore there is no influence on the constant current control.

  Here, the voltage value of the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 is always constant by the element 23. On the other hand, since no current initially flows through the fuse resistor 20 connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21, the voltage at the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 is low.

  Therefore, the voltage at the inverting input terminal becomes lower than the voltage at the non-inverting input terminal, and the output of the operational amplifier 21 changes in the positive direction. This change increases the base current of the control transistor 24, the control transistor 24 shifts to the ON state, and the base current of the switch transistor 26 flows, so that the switch transistor 26 shifts to the ON state. The charging current to the charging capacitor 2 is increased.

  Since the increase in the charging current is an increase in the current flowing through the fuse resistor 20, the voltage across the fuse resistor 20 increases and the voltage at the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 increases. When the voltage at the inverting input terminal becomes higher than the voltage at the non-inverting input terminal, the output of the operational amplifier 21 changes in the negative direction. As a result, the base current of the control transistor 24 decreases, the control transistor 24 shifts to the OFF state, and the base current of the switch transistor 26 decreases, so that the switch transistor 26 shifts to the OFF state. The charging current to the charging capacitor 2 is reduced.

  Since the decrease in the charging current is a decrease in the current flowing through the fuse resistor 20, the voltage across the fuse resistor 20 decreases and the voltage at the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 decreases. As described above, since the voltage at the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 is lower than the voltage at the non-inverting input terminal, the output of the operational amplifier 21 changes in the positive direction, and the control transistor 24 shifts to the ON state and the switching transistor 26. , The charging current of the charging capacitor 2 is increased.

That is, the charging current increases when the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 is lower than the non-inverting input terminal, and the charging current decreases when the inverting input terminal is higher than the non-inverting input terminal. Then, since the change in the charging current becomes a change in the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 to control the charging current, the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 is balanced so as to be equal to the voltage of the element 23. That is, the charging current of the charging capacitor 2 is controlled to a constant current. From this, it can be seen that the charging current is controlled to be constant even when the voltage at the input voltage terminal “+ V” changes. That is, the charging current is expressed by the following equation.
Charging current = (reference voltage) / (resistance value of fuse resistor 20)
Next, in FIG. 8, when the ON / OFF terminal is open, the inverting input terminal voltage of the operational amplifier 21 is pulled up through the pull-up resistor 25 and the ON / OFF control diode 22 by the input voltage terminal “+ V”. At this time, various constants are set so that the voltage at the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 exceeds the voltage of the element 23 (the voltage at the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21). That is, in FIG. 8, the path of the current flowing through the pull-up resistor 25 is in the order of the input voltage terminal “+ V”, the pull-up resistor 25, the ON / OFF control diode 22, the resistor 28, the fuse resistor 20, and GND. However, since the current at the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 is very small, it is omitted.

  Under the above conditions, the voltage of the input voltage terminal “+ V”, the voltage of the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21, the resistor 28 and the fuse are set so that the inverting input terminal voltage of the operational amplifier 21 is larger than the non-inverting input terminal voltage of the operational amplifier 21. The value of the pull-up resistor 25 may be set for each value of the resistor 20. Thus, when the ON / OFF terminal is opened, the output of the operational amplifier 21 is at a low level, the control transistor 24 is turned off, and the switch transistor 26 is turned off, so that charging to the charging capacitor 2 is stopped. To do.

Here, the value of the voltage of the element 23 is
(Voltage of element 23) <(Minimum value of terminal voltage of input voltage terminal “+ V”) − (Maximum charging voltage of charging capacitor 2) − (Saturation voltage when switching transistor 26 is ON)
It is represented by

For example, in the case of vehicle-mounted battery drive, etc., where the input voltage requirement is 10V to 16V, etc., the maximum charging voltage of the charging capacitor 2 (the voltage immediately before the thyristor 11 is short-circuited) is set to 8.5V, for example. If the saturation voltage of the transistor 26 is 0.3 V, the right side of the above equation is
10-8.5-0.3 = 1.2
It becomes. Therefore, in this case, the voltage of the element 23 may be 1 V, for example.

  Note that, here, “the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 is the same as the reference voltage”, but conversely, the matters listed as problems to be solved by the present invention are not problematic in practice. Thus, it is sufficient that the charging current of the charging capacitor 2 exhibits a “constant current” aspect, and it is not necessary to be exactly the same beyond the meaning. (It may be exactly the same.) That is, it may be the same as long as it “can solve the problem”. These degrees can be arbitrarily determined at the time of designing the apparatus.

  Further, the discharge switch element is composed of a two-terminal thyristor 19 as in FIG.

  In the configuration of FIG. 8, the current value of the constant current circuit needs to be less than the holding current I0 of the discharge switch element as shown in FIG. 11B in order to avoid problems due to malfunction of the discharge switch element. .

  However, in the configuration of the third embodiment, there is no limitation, and the current value of the constant current can be set large, and the third embodiment is the same as the second and second embodiments described above. The charging current may be larger than the holding current of the discharge switch element.

  FIG. 5 (a) is a diagram showing a charging voltage waveform to the charging capacitor of the ion generator of the present invention in the configuration of the third embodiment. Unlike FIG. 4A, the waveform of the charging voltage after the charging current is switched at the reference voltage value V0 is linear.

  FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a waveform of the charging current to the charging capacitor 2 of the ion generator of the present invention in the configuration of the third embodiment. The maximum value of the first charging current is Im3 which is smaller than the holding current V0 of the two-terminal thyristor, and the maximum value of the second charging current (because it is a constant current, the maximum value = constant current value) is Im4 is larger than the holding current V0, and the value of the charging current is switched between the first charging current and the second charging current at the reference voltage value V0. When one discharge cycle is completed, the charge current returns to the first charge current, and the value of the charge current is again equal to or less than the holding current I0.

  With the above configuration, the charging operation is reliable and the waveform of the charging current after the discharge switch element is switched to the ON state is a constant current as shown in FIG. As a result, the charging waveform has a linear shape as shown in FIG. 5A, so that the ion generation cycle can be further shortened.

  Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, charging is further accelerated, and an ion generator having a configuration in which the amount of generated ions is further increased can be realized.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the charging current is switched to two stages of the first charging current and the second charging current within one cycle of the predetermined cycle. However, when the charging current is switched in the ion generator and the air conditioner of the present invention, the charging current may be switched between three or more stages if necessary.

  In the first to third embodiments, the maximum value of the second charging current is larger than the holding current of the discharge switch element. However, in the present invention, as long as the maximum value of the second charging current is larger than the maximum value of the first charging current, the discharge cycle can be shortened as compared with the conventional technique. For this reason, the maximum value of the second charging current does not necessarily have to be larger than the holding current of the discharge switch element. However, in consideration of the fact that the maximum value of the second charging current is not limited to the holding current of the discharge switch element, and that the discharging period becomes shorter as the maximum value of the second charging current is larger, Is more preferably larger than the holding current of the discharge switch element.

  In the first to third embodiments, a resistor is used as the second current limiting unit. However, the second current limiting means in the present invention does not necessarily need to be constituted by a resistor. That is, the second current limiting means in the present invention is of any configuration as long as the charging current is switched by passing the first charging current and bypassing the second charging current. It doesn't matter. Examples of such a configuration include a constant current diode that satisfies the condition that the maximum value of the first charging current is less than the holding current of the discharge switch element.

  In the third embodiment, the circuit shown in FIG. 8 is used as means for charging the charging capacitor 2 with a constant current. However, in the ion generator and the air conditioner of the present invention, when the charging capacitor 2 is charged with a constant current, the above-described configuration is not necessarily required. That is, any configuration can be used as long as the second charging current can be charged with a constant current when charging the charging capacitor.

  The ion generator according to the present invention can be used in, for example, an air conditioner that regulates air using an ion generator. This is suitable for the realization of an air conditioner that can operate reliably and can set a large amount of ion generation.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and the embodiments can be obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. The form is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can also be applied to uses such as an air conditioner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention and is a circuit diagram illustrating a configuration example of an ion generator according to a first embodiment. 1, showing an embodiment of the present invention, is a circuit diagram illustrating a configuration example of an ion generator according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an ion generator according to Embodiment 3 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. (A) It is a figure which shows the charging voltage waveform to the charging capacitor of the ion generator of this invention, (b) It is a figure which shows the waveform of the charging current to the charging capacitor of the ion generator of this invention. (A) It is a figure which shows the charging voltage waveform to the charging capacitor of the ion generator of this invention, (b) It is a figure which shows the waveform of the charging current to the charging capacitor of the ion generator of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows one structural example of the conventional ion generator. It is a circuit diagram which shows the other structural example of the conventional ion generator. It is a circuit diagram which shows the other structural example of the conventional ion generator. It is a circuit diagram which shows the other structural example of the conventional ion generator. (A) It is a figure which shows the charging voltage waveform to the charging capacitor of the conventional ion generator, (b) It is a figure which shows the waveform of the charging current to the charging capacitor of the conventional ion generator. (A) It is a figure which shows the charging voltage waveform to the charging capacitor of the conventional ion generator, (b) It is a figure which shows the waveform of the charging current to the charging capacitor of the conventional ion generator.

Explanation of symbols

1 resistance (charging circuit, first current limiting means)
2 Charging capacitor (charging circuit, voltage application circuit)
3 Shunt regulator (voltage application circuit)
4 Transistors (voltage application circuit)
5 Resistance (voltage application circuit)
6 Resistance (voltage application circuit)
7 Capacitor (voltage application circuit)
8 Resistance (voltage application circuit)
9 Resistance (voltage application circuit)
10 Diode (voltage application circuit)
11 Thyristor (Discharge switch element, voltage application circuit)
12a Transformer primary winding 12b Transformer secondary winding 13 Ion generating element 14 Relay 15 Diode 19 Two-terminal thyristor 21 Operational amplifier (comparison circuit, charging circuit)
22 ON / OFF control diode (switch diode)
23 elements (charging circuit)
24 Control transistor (charging circuit)
25 Pull-up resistor (switch resistor)
26 Transistor for switch (charging circuit)
28 Resistance (charging circuit)
100 resistance (charging circuit, second current limiting means)
101 Switch transistor (charging circuit)
102 Shunt regulator (charging circuit)

Claims (14)

An ion generating element that generates ions at a predetermined cycle by discharge;
A charging circuit that charges the charging capacitor with a charging current;
A discharge switch element that discharges the charging capacitor when a charging voltage charged in the charging capacitor reaches a predetermined value, and a voltage necessary for generating ions is applied to the ion generating element by the discharge; In an ion generator comprising a voltage application circuit,
The charge current switches to 2-step in one cycle of the predetermined cycle,
The charging current is switched in two steps according to the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor with respect to a reference voltage value,
The charging current is
A first charging current whose maximum current value is smaller than a minimum current value for maintaining the short-circuit operation of the discharge switch element;
A second charging current having a maximum current value larger than the maximum current value of the first charging current;
The ion generator is characterized in that the charging current is switched in two stages within one cycle of the predetermined cycle by the first charging current and the second charging current.   2. The element according to claim 1, wherein the discharge switch element has a function of maintaining its own short-circuit operation when a current of a predetermined value or more flows through the discharge switch element after the start of the short-circuit operation. Ion generator.   The said reference voltage value is a voltage higher than the both-ends voltage of the element at the time of the short circuit operation | movement of the said discharge switch element, The said charging current switches on the boundary of this reference voltage value, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Ion generator.   The ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a maximum current value of the second charging current is larger than a current value for maintaining a short-circuit state of the discharge switch element.   The charging circuit is
  A first current limiting means through which the first charging current and the second charging current pass when charging the charging capacitor;
  When charging the charging capacitor, second current limiting means through which the first charging current passes and connected in series to the first current limiting means;
  A switching transistor for switching between the first charging current and the second charging current;
  Voltage detecting means for detecting the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor, and
  The emitter and collector of the switch transistor are connected in parallel to both ends of the second current limiting means,
  The voltage detection means has a base of the switch transistor connected in series,
  In a state where the voltage detecting means detects a value lower than the reference voltage value, the switching transistor is turned off, and the charging current is the first current limiting means and the second current limiting means. Pass through
  In a state where the voltage detection means detects a value higher than the reference voltage value, the switch transistor is turned on, and the charging current bypasses the second current limiting means, 5. The ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the charging current is switched in two stages by passing the current limiting means.   6. The ion generator according to claim 5, wherein the second current limiting means is a resistor.   The ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the discharge switch element is a thyristor that starts a short-circuit operation by applying a trigger to a gate terminal.   The ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the discharge switch element is a two-terminal thyristor that starts a short-circuit operation when a voltage across the element exceeds a predetermined value. .   9. The ion generator according to claim 8, wherein a current value of the second charging current is equal to or greater than a minimum current value required to start a short-circuit operation of the two-terminal thyristor.   The ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the second charging current is a constant current.   An ion generating element that generates ions at a predetermined cycle by discharge;
  A charging circuit that charges the charging capacitor with a charging current;
  A discharge switch element that discharges the charging capacitor when a charging voltage charged in the charging capacitor reaches a predetermined value, and a voltage necessary for generating ions is applied to the ion generating element by the discharge; In an ion generator comprising a voltage application circuit,
  The charging current is switched in two stages within one cycle of the predetermined cycle,
  The charging current is
  A first charging current whose maximum current value is smaller than a minimum current value for maintaining the short-circuit operation of the discharge switch element;
  A second charging current having a maximum current value larger than the maximum current value of the first charging current;
  By the first charging current and the second charging current, the charging current is switched in two stages within one cycle of the predetermined cycle,
  The charging circuit is
  A first current limiting means through which the first charging current and the second charging current pass when charging the charging capacitor;
  When charging the charging capacitor, second current limiting means through which the first charging current passes and connected in series to the first current limiting means;
  A switching transistor for switching between the first charging current and the second charging current;
  Voltage detecting means for detecting the value of the voltage across the charging capacitor, and
  The emitter and collector of the switch transistor are connected in parallel to both ends of the second current limiting means,
  The voltage detection means has a base of the switch transistor connected in series,
  In a state where the voltage detecting means detects a value lower than a reference voltage value, the switching transistor is turned off, and the charging current is supplied to the first current limiting means and the second current limiting means. Pass through
  In a state where the voltage detection means detects a value higher than the reference voltage value, the switch transistor is turned on, and the charging current bypasses the second current limiting means, The ion generating device is characterized in that the charging current is switched in two stages by passing through the current limiting means.   The ion generator according to claim 11, wherein a maximum current value of the second charging current is larger than a current value for maintaining a short-circuit state of the discharge switch element.   The ion generator according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the second current limiting means is a resistor. In an air conditioner that regulates air using an ion generator,
The air conditioning apparatus provided with the ion generator of any one of Claims 1-13.

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