JP4841701B2 - Electrostatic atomizer and air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrostatic atomizer that generates nanometer-sized mist (particulate water) by an electrostatic atomization phenomenon, and an air conditioner equipped with the electrostatic atomizer.

  Conventionally, a ceramic porous body that transports water is placed upright in a water reservoir, the water in the water reservoir is sucked up to its upper end by capillary action, and a high voltage is applied to the ceramic porous body to form a needle shape. There has been proposed an electrostatic atomizer that crushes sucked water at the sharp upper end and discharges it into the air, and the water reservoir needs to be supplied by the user (for example, see Patent Document 1). ).

  In addition, the metal rod itself is cooled, moisture in the air is directly condensed on the surface of the metal rod, and high voltage is applied to the metal rod to crush the water adhering to the tip of the metal rod. And the electrostatic atomizer which discharges in air and does not require the water supply by the user is proposed (for example, refer patent document 2).

  Furthermore, similarly to Patent Document 2, a cooling surface (heat exchange surface) is provided as a water supply unit, and a water retention unit is provided to retain the condensed water generated by condensation on the cooling surface. There has been proposed an electrostatic atomizer that makes a mist by bringing a body into contact with water in a water retaining part to a ceramic porous body to the tip by capillary action (see, for example, Patent Documents 3 to 5).

Mist produced by crushing water with high voltage has a particle size of about 3 to 50 nm (nanometer = ^10-9 meters) and is smaller than the size of the horny cells of the human body. Moisturizing effect is imparted to the skin, and the skin surface is also made hydrophilic. Further, since the mist is charged by a high voltage, it is easy to approach a person who generates a potential difference.

JP 2004-351276 A JP 2006-68711 A JP 2007-181835 A JP 2007-181836 A JP 2007-181837 A JP 2009-90192 A JP 2006-234245 A

  As a conventional electrostatic atomizer, as described in Patent Document 1, water accumulated in a water reservoir is sucked up to the upper end by a ceramic porous body, but ceramic has an internal porosity. Since it is low and the pore diameter is small, it is a porous material, but the inside is a relatively clogged material, so it takes time to transport the atomized water to the upper end, electrostatic atomization There was a problem that it took time from the start of operation of the device to the occurrence of mist.

  In addition, in an electrostatic atomizer that does not require the user's water supply work as disclosed in Patent Document 2, the metal rod does not have pores such as a ceramic porous body. Neither water absorption nor transport is provided, and only a small amount of atomization (amount of mist generated) can be obtained with only the amount of moisture adhering to the tip of the metal rod, and the generation of mist is not stable. There was a problem.

  In addition, in the electrostatic atomizer disclosed in other Patent Documents 3 to 5, even if the water retaining member that retains the condensed water obtained on the cooling surface and the ceramic porous body that is the water transport body are brought into contact with each other, Water transfer between the two is not carried out smoothly, making it difficult for water (condensed water) to move from the water holding part to the water carrier, reducing the amount of water transported and the amount of atomization (amount of mist generated) There is a problem that only a small amount can be obtained and the generation of mist is not stable.

  In any patent document, including a water supply unit such as a water reservoir, a metal rod, or a cooling surface increases the depth width (cross-sectional thickness or thickness) of the entire electrostatic atomizer, resulting in a depth. It was difficult to mount an electrostatic atomizer in a small (thin) space.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can quickly and reliably guide the water supplied from the water supply unit to the tip atomization unit of the water application electrode. Electrostatic atomizer capable of obtaining a large amount of electrostatic mist and having a small depth width and being installed in a small space, and an air conditioner capable of stably discharging a large amount of electrostatic mist into the room using the electrostatic atomizer The purpose is to provide.

The electrostatic atomizer according to the present invention receives a water supply unit and water supplied from the water supply unit, and applies a high voltage so that the water is atomized at the tip atomization unit. An electrostatic atomizer having an electrode and generating electrostatic mist,
The water supply unit is
Peltier unit,
A heat dissipating part in contact with the heat dissipating surface;
A cooling unit that is in contact with a cooling surface located on the opposite side of the heat dissipation surface and generates condensed water that serves as water to be supplied to the water application electrode;
A water supply part holding frame for holding the water supply part ,
The heat dissipating part and the cooling part are arranged in an air flow flowing from above to below,
The heat dissipating part is opened on the upstream side with respect to the passing air flow,
The cooling unit has a passing air amount limited by an air amount adjusting unit provided on the upstream side of the air flow passing therethrough ,
The water supply unit holding frame has a plurality of air amount adjustment holes serving as the air amount adjustment unit on the upstream side of the cooling unit,
The plurality of air amount adjusting holes are characterized in that the air flow rate of the cooling unit is smaller than the air flow rate of the heat radiating unit .

  The electrostatic atomizer according to this invention adjusts the passing air volume to the heat radiating unit and the cooling unit of the water supply unit on the upstream side of the air flow, thereby efficiently cooling the cooling unit and stabilizing the dew condensation water. Since it is generated, water dripped from the water supply part can be quickly and reliably guided to the tip atomization part of the water application electrode, and a large amount of electrostatic mist can be stably generated in a short time from the start of operation. It is possible to reduce the depth width and to install in a small space.

FIG. 3 shows the first embodiment, and is a schematic configuration diagram of the electrostatic atomizer 100. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment and is a side view of the electrostatic atomizer 100. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the first embodiment and is a schematic configuration diagram of a cooling unit 8 of a water supply unit. FIG. 3 shows the first embodiment, and is a schematic configuration diagram of a water application electrode 2. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a schematic configuration diagram of a modified example of the water application electrode 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is a plan view showing a manufacturing method in which the most used material is reduced and the yield is improved when a triangular tip atomizing section 29 is provided on the long side of the body section 28; FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a longitudinal sectional view of an electrostatic atomizer 150 of a first modification. FIG. 8 shows the first embodiment and is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the mist generating part in FIG. 7. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is an exploded perspective view of the electrostatic atomizer 150. FIG. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a perspective view of a water supply unit holding frame 60. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment and is a perspective view of the wind prevention wall 30. FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the first embodiment, and is a perspective view of a holding frame 70. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a perspective view showing a state in which the water application electrode 2 and the counter electrode 3 are attached to the holding frame 70. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and shows a state in which the water application electrode 2 and the counter electrode 3 are attached to the holding frame 70 ((a) is a top view and (b) is a front view). FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a perspective view of a cooling unit holding frame 63 and a water supply unit. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and shows a state in which the water supply unit is held by the water supply unit holding frame 60 and the holding frame 90 ((a) is a top view and (b) is a perspective view). FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a side view of an electrostatic atomizer 200 of a second modification. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a top view of the water application electrode 2 used in the electrostatic atomizer 200 according to the second modification. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a side view of an electrostatic atomizer 300 of a third modification. FIG. 6 shows the first embodiment, and is a side view of an electrostatic atomizer 400 of a fourth modification. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a side view of an electrostatic atomizer 500 of a fifth modification. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is an enlarged conceptual diagram for explaining metal foam used for the water application electrode 2. The figure which shows Embodiment 1 and the figure which compared the water absorption of the foam metal and the comparative example. The figure which shows Embodiment 1 and the figure which compared the electrical resistivity of a foam metal and a comparative example. The figure which shows Embodiment 1 and the figure which compared the amount of electrostatic atomization of a foam metal and a comparative example. The figure which shows Embodiment 1 and the figure which compared the ozone generation amount by the difference in the raw material of a metal foam. It is a figure which shows Embodiment 1, and is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the air conditioner 50 provided with either of the electrostatic atomizers 100-500. FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the air conditioner 50, showing the first embodiment. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is an external perspective view of the air conditioner 50. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment and shows a sensor 80 and a thermopile 81; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the first embodiment, and is a perspective view of the vicinity of the sensor 80 ((a) is a state in which the sensor 80 is movable toward the right end, (b) is a state in which the sensor 80 is movable toward the center, and (c) is a sensor) 80 is movable to the left end).

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIGS. 1 to 28 are diagrams showing the first embodiment. First, the configuration of the electrostatic atomizer 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

  1 to 4 are diagrams showing Embodiment 1, FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electrostatic atomizer 100, FIG. 2 is a side view of the electrostatic atomizer 100, and FIG. 3 is a cooling of a water supply unit. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the water application electrode 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electrostatic atomizer 100 of the present embodiment includes a water application electrode 2 and a counter electrode 3 in order to generate an electrostatic mist 1 having a nanometer (10 ⁻⁹ m) size. ing.

  The water application electrode 2 is composed of a plate-shaped body portion 28 and a tip atomizing portion 29, and moves (conveys) the water supplied to the body portion 28 to the tip atomizing portion 29. The tip 29 a (protruding tip) of the tip atomizing portion 29 is arranged so as to face the counter electrode 3. The water application electrode 2 is made of a porous material, but here, in particular, a foam metal that is a metal porous material having a three-dimensional network structure is used. Details will be described later.

  A high voltage of about 4 to 6 kV supplied from the high voltage power supply unit 4 is applied between the water application electrode 2 and the counter electrode 3 via a power supply terminal 25 (for example, see FIG. 9). Here, the counter electrode 3 serves as a ground electrode and has a potential of 0 V, and a negative DC voltage of −4 to −6 kV is applied to the water application electrode 2.

  The shape of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 is substantially rectangular, and a Peltier unit 6 that is a part of the water supply unit is provided above the body portion 28 with a gap of a predetermined distance L1 (see FIG. 2). A plurality of cooling fins 8b of the cooling unit 8 in contact with the cooling surface are positioned in a state of being stacked in a substantially horizontal direction. The body part 28 is formed by extending the width in the long side direction (width in the longitudinal direction) in the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b. That is, the long side direction (longitudinal direction) of the substantially rectangular trunk portion 28 substantially coincides with the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8 b of the cooling portion 8.

  The water application electrode 2 is located below the cooling fins 8b with a gap of a predetermined distance L1, and has a plate-like body portion 28 that extends in the longitudinal direction (long side direction) in the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b. is doing. And the short side direction of the trunk | drum 28 is substantially corresponded to the protrusion direction of the cooling fin 8b. The body portion 28 has an elongated shape having a width in the long side direction that is at least three times the width in the short side direction. The plate-like water application electrode 2 has a plate thickness smaller than the width in the short side direction of the body portion 28.

  In addition, although the shape of the trunk | drum 28 is demonstrated as a substantially rectangular shape, it is not limited to the complete rectangle whose angle which a long side and a short side make is a right angle, The angle with respect to the long side of a short side is an acute angle or It may be an obtuse angle, that is, a parallelogram or a trapezoid in which the short side is not connected to the long side of the two sides parallel to each other. Such parallelograms and trapezoids are also included.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the water application electrode 2 has a tip atomization portion 29 formed in the middle of the side surface in the long side direction (longitudinal direction) of the body portion 28 so as to protrude from the side surface. The tip atomizing portion 29 is a plate-like protrusion having the same thickness and continuing from the body portion 28, and its shape is triangular when viewed from above. In the triangular tip atomizing portion 29, the bottom surface is connected to the long side surface of the body portion 28, and the tip 29 a (protruding tip) that is the apex faces the counter electrode 3. The tip 29a becomes a discharge portion with the counter electrode 3. 1 to 4 show the case where there is one protrusion which is the tip atomizing portion 29, but there may be a plurality of protrusions.

  FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a schematic configuration diagram of a modified example of the water application electrode 2.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the shape of the projection that is the tip atomizing portion 29 is a so-called quadrilateral portion that is connected to the body portion 28 and a triangular portion that is connected to the bottom surface of the rectangular portion. The shape may be a home base shape, and the tip 29a (protruding end) that is the apex of the triangular portion may be directed toward the counter electrode 3.

  The tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 has a plate shape and a thickness as in the case of the trunk portion 28 regardless of whether it is a triangular shape as shown in FIG. 1 or a home base shape as shown in FIG. The tip 29a toward the counter electrode 3 is thick, and the tip 29a is pointed linearly. Since the tip 29a is pointed linearly, two corners are formed at its upper and lower ends.

  The tip atomizing section 29 is formed continuously with the body section 28 in the middle of the side surface extending in the laminating direction of the cooling fins 8b, which is the long side direction (longitudinal direction) of the plate-shaped body section 28, and the long side of the body section 28 A plate-like protrusion that protrudes from the side surface toward the counter electrode 3, and has a shape in which the protrusion width becomes narrower toward the tip 29 a, and the tip 29 a is pointed linearly or pointed linearly It is thin enough to be close to the condition.

  The counter electrode 3 is formed in a plate shape with a conductive metal or resin, and has an opening 3a in the approximate center. The counter electrode 3 is located at a certain distance from the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 so that the opening 3a faces the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2.

  Next, the water supply part located above the water application electrode 2 will be described. An electrostatic atomizer 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a Peltier unit 6, a heat radiating part 7 in contact with the heat radiating surface of the Peltier unit 6, and a cooling part 8 in contact with a cooling surface located on the opposite side of the heat radiating surface. Has a water supply. And the water produced | generated in this water supply part is dripped at the upper surface of the trunk | drum 28 of the water application electrode 2, and is supplied.

  Each of the heat dissipating section 7 and the cooling section 8 has a base plate in contact with the Peltier unit 6 and a plurality of fins standing substantially vertically on the surface of the base plate on the side opposite to the Peltier unit. The plurality of fins of the heat dissipating unit 7 and the cooling unit 8 are stacked in a direction substantially orthogonal to the air flow passing through the fins so as to be substantially parallel to the air flow through which each fin passes. Here, since the airflow is generally in the direction of gravity, the fins of the heat radiating unit 7 and the cooling unit 8 are stacked in a substantially horizontal direction that is a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction of gravity. In order to cool the cooling unit 8 efficiently, the heat radiating unit 7 is configured to have a larger fin surface area than the cooling unit 8.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the cooling unit 8. The cooling unit 8 includes a base plate 8 a in contact with the Peltier unit 6 and a plurality of cooling fins standing substantially vertically on the surface of the base plate 8 a on the side opposite to the Peltier unit. 8b. The plurality of cooling fins 8b are stacked in a substantially horizontal direction as described above. L2 shown in FIG. 3 is the width of the cooling fin 8b in the stacking direction, and the distance from the outer surface of the cooling fin 8b located at one end in the stacking direction to the outer surface of the cooling fin 8b positioned at the other end. It is. The plurality of cooling fins 8b including the cooling fins 8b at both ends and positioned within the range of the width L2 are all exposed to the air.

  Further, L4 shown in FIG. 3 is the protruding height of the cooling fin 8b, and the distance from the base end to the protruding end on the base plate 8a, that is, from the surface on the side opposite to the Peltier unit of the base plate 8a to the protruding end of the cooling fin 8b. Distance. Here, the entire lower end surfaces of the plurality of cooling fins 8b are exposed so as to face the upper surface of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 with a predetermined distance L1.

  If the vicinity of the base end of the lower end surface of the cooling fin 8b described above is partially covered by a holding frame or the like that fixes the cooling unit 8, the distance L4 is minus the amount of the covered distance. And In such a case, the distance L4 is the exposed length in the protruding direction of the lower end surface of the cooling fin 8b.

  A plurality of P-type N-type semiconductors are alternately connected in series inside the Peltier unit 6. When a DC voltage of about 1 to 5 V is applied from the low voltage power supply unit 5 to the Peltier unit 6, a current flows in one direction, the amount of heat on the heat dissipation surface increases due to the Peltier effect, and heat is absorbed on the cooling surface. Thereby, the thermal radiation part 7 is warmed and the cooling part 8 is cooled.

  When the temperature of the cooling unit 8 is cooled below the dew point of the passing air by the Peltier unit 6, dew condensation water 10 in which moisture in the air is condensed is generated on the surface of the cooling fin 8b of the cooling unit 8. The generated condensed water 10 falls along the surface of the cooling fin 8b toward the lower end of the cooling fin 8b due to gravity, and drops down from the cooling fin 8b due to gravity after reaching the lower end. Since the flow of the passing air is almost the same as the direction of gravity, the condensed water 10 is easily generated on the surface on the upper side of the cooling fin 8b, and the moisture in the air disappears as it goes downstream. It becomes difficult to do. Little condensation occurs on the lower end surface of the cooling fin 8b.

  The heat dissipating part 7 and the cooling part 8 are made of aluminum. The contact angle of aluminum fins with water in general is 50 to 70 degrees. Here, at least the cooling fins 8b are subjected to water repellency treatment so that the contact angle is 90 degrees or more, or Hydrophilic treatment is performed so that the contact angle is 30 degrees or less, and the generated condensed water 10 is easily moved on the surface of the cooling fin 8b in the direction of gravity, and the generated condensed water 10 is quickly removed from the cooling fin 8b. I try to dripping.

  The contact angle of water is an angle formed between the surface of the water droplet and the solid surface when the water droplet is placed on the solid surface and reaches equilibrium, and at the contact point where the water droplet contacts the surface of the cooling fin 8b. Is an angle formed by the tangent line formed by the surface and the surface of the cooling fin 8b.

  Here, below the cooling unit 8 in the direction of gravity, the water applying electrode 2 is disposed through a space having a predetermined length L1 from the lower end of the cooling fin 8b as shown in FIG. The cooling unit 8 and the water application electrode 2 do not have a portion in direct contact with each other. The condensed water 10 dripped from the lower end of the cooling fin 8 b falls on the upper surface of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2. That is, the substantially rectangular trunk portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 extends in the long side direction in the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b, and is disposed directly below (directly below) the cooling fins 8b with a space of a distance L1. is there.

  Condensed water 10 that has fallen by gravity onto the upper surface of the body portion 28 is absorbed into the water application electrode 2 of the metal porous body, and moves by surface diffusion in a space in which the inside is three-dimensionally connected. The condensed water 10 is conveyed from the trunk portion 28 to the tip atomizing portion 29 inside the water application electrode 2 by such a surface diffusion phenomenon.

  When water (condensation water 10) is transported to the vicinity of the tip 29a of the tip atomization portion 29 of the water application electrode 2, the water application electrode 2 has a voltage of -4 to -6 kV with respect to the counter electrode 3 that is the ground electrode. Since a negative high voltage is applied, the high voltage is applied to the water in the vicinity of the tip 29a and is charged to the same potential as the water application electrode 2, that is, a negative high voltage. Therefore, the charged water is pulled locally from the tip 29a to the outside of the water application electrode 2 by the action of Coulomb force in an electrostatic field, and forms a swell called a tailor cone. At this time, the water forming the tailor cone is attached to the water application electrode 2 and is continuously charged. Then, when the coulomb force acting exceeds the surface tension of water, the water that formed the tailor cone pops out and repeats splitting (this splitting is called Rayleigh splitting), and the nanometer-size charging The electrostatic mist 1 is generated. The electrostatic mist 1 moves toward the counter electrode 3 and is discharged from the opening 3a of the counter electrode 3 to the outside.

  Here, in order for the charged water to jump out from the tip 29a of the tip atomizing section 29, it is necessary to concentrate the electric field. In this water application electrode 2, the tip atomizing portion 29 is formed in a plate shape, and the tip 29a which is a discharge portion is pointed linearly, so at least at the two corners of the upper end and the lower end of the tip 29a. The electric field can be concentrated.

  For this reason, in the case where the vicinity of the tip is formed in a pyramid shape (a pyramid or a cone) and the tip serving as a discharge portion is pointed like a needle, a tailor cone of water is formed only at one point of the needle-like tip. Thus, the tip 29a that is linearly sharp can form a water tailor cone at least at the two corners of the upper and lower ends, making the electrostatic mist 1 more efficient than a tip having a discharge point as a needle-like tip. It can be generated in large quantities. Since the tip 29a is linearly pointed, the electric field is concentrated although not as much as the corners of the upper and lower ends, so that a tailor cone of water may be formed even between the upper and lower corners. Yes, a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 is efficiently generated.

  Also in manufacturing, when the tip 29a is formed in a pyramid shape (a pyramid or a cone), a cutting process in a direction different from the cutting direction of the body portion 28 and the tip atomizing portion 29 is required. Specifically, the working time for changing the direction of the water applying electrode 2 or changing the direction of the cutting tool, and the processing time for the space and the tip by additional processing in the direction of reducing the thickness L7 of the water applying electrode (see FIG. 4). This is necessary and requires a high processing cost. On the other hand, when the thickness is the same as the thickness of the body portion 28 and the tip 29a has two corners and is pointed linearly, the sheet-like material is the same as the cutting step of the body portion 28. It can be formed in a single process of moving the cutting tool in the direction, and there is an advantage that the processing time can be shortened and manufacturing can be performed without waste.

  In order to make it easy to concentrate the electric field, the tip atomizing portion 29 should form an angle α (shown in FIG. 4) of a triangular apex portion with an acute angle when viewed from the top facing the counter electrode 3, preferably 60 ° or less is better. The angle of the apex portion that is farthest from the body portion 28 of the triangular tip atomizing portion 29 in the top view is the angle α. Further, in the manufacturing process and the delivery process of the water application electrode 2, if the tip atomizing portion 29 protrudes long and narrow, there is a risk of breakage. Therefore, in order to avoid damage, the protrusion height L6 of the tip atomizing portion 29 (Shown in FIG. 4) is preferably equal to or less than the width in the short side direction of the body portion 28, and the angle α of the apex portion is preferably 15 ° or more.

  The electrostatic mist 1 generated in this way is simply called mist or fine particle water, or since it is charged, it may be called charged mist or charged fine particle water. Moreover, since the magnitude | size is a nanometer size, it may be called nanomist. In any case, it is a charged nanometer-size mist (fine particle water) generated by applying a high voltage to water and making it fine by Rayleigh splitting. Here, the mist generated in this way is electrostatically charged. It will be called mist 1. Moreover, producing | generating the electrostatic mist 1 in this way is called electrostatic atomization, and atomizing is making water mist. The atomization amount is the generation amount (generation amount) of the electrostatic mist 1.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the water application electrode 2. L3 shown in this figure is the width in the long side direction (longitudinal direction) of the upper surface of the body portion 28 exposed to face the cooling fins 8b located above. Thus, the width is the same as the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b.

  For example, the power supply terminal 25 (FIG. 9) with the high-voltage power supply unit 4 is attached to one end of the trunk portion 28 in the long side direction, and is installed by the power supply terminal 25 or to protect the power supply terminal 25. When the upper surface of the one end portion of the body portion 28 is not exposed toward the cooling fin 8b by the body cover, the one end portion is not included in the width L3. The width L3 is not simply the length in the long side direction of the body portion 28 but the width in the long side direction of the upper surface of the body portion 28 exposed to face the cooling fins 8b located above, and is exposed upward. The part which does not exist is not included in the width L3.

  Further, L5 shown in FIG. 4 is a width in a direction orthogonal to L3, and is a width in a short side direction of the upper surface of the body portion 28 exposed to face the cooling fin 8b, and is in the same direction as the protruding direction of the cooling fin 8b. Width.

  Here, the water application electrode 2 is formed such that the width L3 of the body portion 28 is equal to or larger than the width L2 of the cooling fins 8b in the stacking direction. That is, the width L3 ≧ the width L2. Further, the width L5 of the body portion 28 is formed to be equal to or larger than the protrusion height L4 of the cooling fin 8b described above. That is, the width L5 ≧ L4.

  Further, when the entire cooling fin 8b is projected onto the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 in the direction of gravity, the stacking direction width L2 substantially coincides with the long side direction width L3 of the body portion 28 or falls within the width L3. In addition, the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 is disposed with respect to the cooling fin 8b so that the height L4 substantially coincides with the short side width L5 of the body portion 28 or falls within the width L5. Has been.

  Since the plurality of cooling fins 8b positioned above and the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 positioned below the cooling unit 8 through the gap L1 are in contact with each other, the gravity is Therefore, a large amount of condensed water 10 dripped widely in the stacking direction from the lower ends of the plurality of cooling fins 8b can be reliably received without waste, with the upper surface of the body portion 28 serving as a water receiving surface, and they are atomized at the tip. Since it can be conveyed to the unit 29, a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 can be generated stably.

  In addition, even if the cooling fin 8b is dropped from any position in the protruding direction at the lower end of the cooling fin 8b having a range of the height L4, the upper surface of the body portion 28 serves as a water receiving surface. It can be reliably received without waste, and a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 can be generated stably.

  In particular, in order to obtain a large amount of condensed water 10 in the cooling unit 8, the cooling fins 8b are stacked in a horizontal direction substantially orthogonal to the air flow, and the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 is formed in a flat plate shape in the stacking direction. By forming so as to extend the width in the long side direction, the dew condensation water 10 efficiently condensed in a large amount by the cooling fins 8b is reliably received on the upper surface of the body portion 28 without waste, so that the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 is generated. Is continued stably.

  The cooling unit 8 of the water supply unit does not necessarily include the cooling fins 8b. Compared to the case where the cooling fins 8b are provided, the amount of the condensed water 10 that is generated is reduced, but the flat plate The configuration may be such that only the base plate 8 a is in contact with the cooling surface of the Peltier unit 6. In this case, the base plate 8a serves as a cooling plate, and the surface on the opposite side of the surface of the base plate 8a that contacts the Peltier unit 6 (if the cooling fins 8b are provided, the surface from which the plurality of cooling fins 8b protrudes). ) Condensed water 10 is generated on the surface, and drops down on the surface toward the lower end by gravity, and then drops down from the base plate 8a by gravity after reaching the lower end.

  In the case where the cooling unit 8 has the above-described configuration having only the flat base plate 8a serving as a cooling plate without the cooling fins 8b, the horizontal width (length) of the base plate 8a is limited. The width L3 of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 may be formed to be equal to or greater than that. That is, the width L3 ≧ the horizontal width of the base plate 8a. When the base plate 8a is projected onto the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 in the direction of gravity, the horizontal width of the base plate 8a substantially matches the long side width L3 of the body portion 28, or the width L3. The body part 28 of the water application electrode 2 is arranged with respect to the cooling part 8 so as to be accommodated in the inside. Of course, the trunk | drum 28 is located below the base board 8a through the clearance of the distance L1, and the cooling part 8 and the water application electrode 2 are non-contact.

  By adopting such a positional relationship, the condensed water 10 dripped widely in the horizontal direction from the lower end of the base plate 8a serving as a cooling plate due to gravity is reliably and efficiently used with the upper surface of the body portion 28 serving as a water receiving surface. Since they can be conveyed to the tip atomizing section 29, a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 can be generated stably.

  That is, regardless of the presence or absence of the cooling fin 8b, the width L3 of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 is formed to be equal to or larger than the horizontal width of the cooling portion 8, that is, width L3 ≧ cooling. As the horizontal width of the portion 8, when the cooling portion 8 is further projected onto the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 in the direction of gravity, the horizontal width of the cooling portion 8 is substantially equal to the long side width L3 of the body portion 28. Or by placing it so as to be within the width L3, the condensed water 10 dripped widely in the horizontal direction from the cooling unit 8 due to gravity can be reliably and efficiently used with the upper surface of the body unit 28 serving as a water receiving surface. Since they can be conveyed to the tip atomizing section 29, a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 can be generated stably.

  In the cooling unit 8 shown in FIG. 3, the cooling fins 8 b protrude from the left and right ends of the base plate 8 a, and the width L <b> 2 in the stacking direction corresponds to the horizontal width of the cooling unit 8. The base plate 8a is generally formed in a rectangular shape, and is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the direction of the air flow that passes. Most of the generation of the dew condensation water 10 in the cooling unit 8 occurs in the upstream part (of the passing air flow) of the cooling unit 8, and thus the base plate that comes into contact with the air flow containing a lot of moisture is provided. This is because the area of 8a (the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the Peltier unit 6) can be earned. Therefore, the dew condensation water 10 generated in the cooling unit 8 is dripped widely in the horizontal direction.

  Moreover, since the front end atomization part 29 is formed in the middle of the long side direction side surface of the trunk | drum 28, compared with providing in the short side direction side surface, the dew condensation water 10 received by the trunk | drum 28 is rapidly tip atomized. It can be conveyed to the section 29. For this reason, coupled with the fact that the path from the dew condensation water 10 to the water application electrode 2 is direct dripping onto the body portion 28 due to gravity, the static atomization apparatus 100 can be quietly moved in a short time from the start of operation. Electric mist 1 can be generated. Assuming that the same amount of condensed water 10 is dropped from each cooling fin 8b, when there is only one tip atomizing portion 29, it is on the side surface in the long side direction of the body portion 28 and the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b. It is most preferable to arrange at a position corresponding to the center of the width L2 from the stability of water conveyance.

  In addition, the water application electrode 2 is configured so as not to accumulate the dew condensation water 10 dropped from the cooling unit 8 around the water application electrode 2. The holding frame for fixing the water application electrode 2 is not a container so that water does not collect, for example, around the lower surface of the water application electrode 2 (the surface opposite to the upper surface facing the cooling unit 8). Is provided with an opening 26 downward (for example, see FIGS. 13 and 14), and unnecessary water is drained from the holding frame 70 (for example, see FIG. 9) of the water application electrode 2 through the opening 26. Do not collect water around the.

The reason why water is not collected around the water application electrode 2 is as follows.
(1) When water accumulates on the water application electrode 2, the distance between the water application electrode 2 (particularly the body part 28) and the cooling part 8 (particularly the cooling fin 8 b) is short due to the interposition of the water accumulated on the water application electrode 2. Thus, a discharge phenomenon may occur from the water application electrode 2 having a high potential to the cooling unit 8. When a discharge phenomenon occurs between the water application electrode 2 and the cooling unit 8, the discharge between the water application electrode 2 and the counter electrode 3 becomes unstable, and the generation of accurate electrostatic mist 1 is inhibited. Further, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of reliability.

  (2) Although the water application electrode 2 is composed of a porous body, if the water content in the water application electrode 2 is large, the Coulomb force cannot be overcome against the surface tension of the water forming the tailor cone, It becomes difficult to separate from the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29, that is, it does not easily jump out from the tip 29a, and the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 is inhibited. The water application electrode 2 has better generation efficiency of the electrostatic mist 1 if the internal voids (pores) are not saturated with water.

(3) When the Peltier unit 6 is immersed in water, a malfunction occurs in terms of reliability. The Peltier unit 6 has a configuration in which P-type N-type semiconductors are connected in series, and becomes unusable if any of the P-type N-type semiconductors breaks down due to water intrusion.
For these reasons, it is necessary to have a structure that does not collect water around the water application electrode 2.

  The counter electrode 3 is installed in order to keep the potential difference with the water application electrode 2 constant. However, the counter electrode 3 is not installed and is statically discharged by discharge in the air (discharge from the floating potential in the air). The electric mist 1 may be generated. In addition, a member (for example, an indoor heat exchanger installed inside an indoor unit when mounted on an indoor unit of an air conditioner) having a potential in the vicinity of 0 V in advance of a device on which the electrostatic atomizer 100 is mounted is opposed. As an alternative to the electrode 3, the electrostatic mist 1 may be generated so as to maintain a potential difference from the water application electrode 2.

  In this electrostatic atomizer 100, the air flow in the direction of gravity, that is, from the upper side to the lower side, passes through the heat radiating unit 7 and the cooling unit 8, but the heat absorption amount in the cooling unit 8 is prevented from being lowered and the cooling fins 8b are efficiently formed. In order to lower the temperature, the amount of air flow to the cooling unit 8 (the amount of airflow that passes through) is made smaller than that of the heat radiating unit 7. As a means for realizing this, the heat dissipating part 7 is open on the upstream side and does not give airflow resistance to the air flow passing through the heat dissipating part 7, but on the cooling part 8 side, an enclosure or a rib is provided on the upstream side. Reduce the air flow by limiting the opening of the inlet. In this way, the flow rate of the air flow passing through the cooling unit 8 is reduced to a slight wind state of about 0.1 m / s by reducing the amount of ventilation, and the air flow is prevented from taking out the cooling heat and flowing out. As a result, the cooling fin 8b can be efficiently cooled.

  And although the flow velocity is very small, since there is an air flow in the cooling unit 8, it will flow in so that new air containing moisture will be exchanged, and the air around the cooling unit 8 will not dry, Condensed water 10 is stably generated on the surfaces of the cooling fins 8b cooled efficiently.

  Since the water application electrode 2 is made of a metal porous body, the water application electrode 2 has a property of transporting the received water to the tip atomization unit 29 wherever the condensed water 10 is dropped on the upper surface of the body unit 28.

  That is, the water application electrode 2 itself has three functions such as a water receiving unit, a water transport unit, and an atomizing unit (a generating unit of the electrostatic mist 1). . For this reason, it has the effect that water can be quickly gathered in the tip atomization part 29, and can be made electrostatic atomization efficiently and accurately stably.

  In this electrostatic atomizer 100, as shown in FIG. 2, the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 is directly below the cooling unit 8 in the gravity direction of the cooling unit 8 in contact with the cooling surface of the Peltier unit 6. It is installed with a gap of a predetermined distance L1 at a position where it does not touch.

  Here, the predetermined gap L1 requires a distance that the water application electrode 2 and the cooling unit 8 are not electrically connected. In order not to cause discharge from the body portion 28 at a high potential to the cooling unit 8, an electric field like the tip atomizing unit 29 is concentrated on the upper surface of the body unit 28 that is exposed to face the cooling fins 8 b. It is formed in a flat shape without providing projections. And in order to avoid the dielectric breakdown of the space between the trunk | drum 28 and the cooling part 8, the distance L1 needs at least 3 mm.

  Furthermore, since the dew condensation water 10 is dripped from the cooling fin 8b to the body part 28, the length of the water droplet immediately before dropping from the lower end of the cooling fin 8b is the insulation distance between the cooling fin 8b and the body part 28. In view of this, the distance L1 must be at least 5 mm, and the body portion 28 is installed with a gap L1 of 5 mm or more from the lower end of the cooling fin 8b. It is good.

  In addition to this, the gap L1 that satisfies the reliability of discharge may be set as appropriate in consideration of creeping discharge to surrounding members that respectively hold the water application electrode 2 and the cooling unit 8.

  In this electrostatic atomizer 100, the water collecting that collects water dripped from the cooling unit 8 in addition to the space between the cooling unit 8 and the upper surface of the body unit 28 exposed toward the cooling unit 8. Condensed water 10 is directly formed by gravity without a member, a guide member for guiding dripping water to the trunk portion 28, or a water retaining member for temporarily collecting dripping water before reaching the trunk portion 28. Is dropped on the upper surface of the body portion 28. There are no elements that hinder the movement of water from the cooling section 8 to the body section 28. Thereby, the dew condensation water 10 produced | generated in the cooling part 8 can be supplied to the water application electrode 2 quickly and reliably in a short time.

  And since the water application electrode 2 and the cooling unit 8 are not in contact with each other, there is no fear that the Peltier unit 6 is broken due to a high voltage applied to the Peltier unit 6. Thus, the part to which a high voltage is applied is limited to the water application electrode 2.

  In addition, by using a metal porous body (details will be described later) as the material for the water application electrode 2, if water is supplied to a part of the body portion 28, it proceeds through the internal voids by surface diffusion and is atomized at the tip. It can be quickly conveyed to the unit 29, and the time from the start of operation to the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 can be shortened.

  A manufacturing method for improving the yield by reducing the most used material when the triangular tip atomizing portion 29 is provided on the long side of the body portion 28 will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is a plan view showing a manufacturing method in which the most used material is reduced and the yield is improved when the triangular tip atomizing portion 29 is provided on the long side of the body portion 28. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the protrusion height L6 (shown in FIG. 4) of the tip atomizing portion 29 is set to the same length as the width L5 in the short side direction of the body portion 28, and two short sides of the body portion 28 are disposed. Are cut diagonally so as to have an angle α / 2. By carrying out like this, since the triangular side which the front-end atomization part 29 of a certain water application electrode 2 has becomes the same shape as the part cut diagonally of the trunk | drum 28 of another adjacent water application electrode 2, sheet-like material Thus, the water application electrodes 2 can be alternately cut out without wasting material. The length and inclination angle of the triangular side of the tip atomizing portion 29 and the short side of the body portion 28 are equal. If the tip atomizing portion 29 is an isosceles triangle, the short side of the trunk portion 28 has an angle α / 2, but if the tip atomizing portion 29 is a triangle having a different triangle side length, the trunk portion 28. The sum of the angle of cutting the two short sides diagonally may be α. The tip atomization part 29 does not need to be in the center of the long side of the trunk | drum 28, and may exist anywhere on a long side.

  Next, some modifications of the first embodiment will be described. For example, the electrostatic atomizer 150 according to the first modification is particularly suitable when the electrostatic atomizer 150 is mounted on an air conditioner, for example, so the electrostatic atomizer 150 according to the first modification will be described in detail.

  FIGS. 7 to 16 are diagrams showing the first embodiment, FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an electrostatic atomizer 150 according to the first modification, FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the mist generating portion in FIG. Is an exploded perspective view of the electrostatic atomizer 150, FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the water supply unit holding frame 60, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the wind prevention wall 30, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the holding frame 70, and FIG. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a state in which the water application electrode 2 and the counter electrode 3 are attached to the frame 70, and FIG. 14 is a view showing a state in which the water application electrode 2 and the counter electrode 3 are attached to the holding frame 70. (B) is a front view), FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the cooling unit holding frame 63 and the water supply unit, and FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a state in which the water supply unit is held by the water supply unit holding frame 60 and the holding frame 90. (A) is a top view and (b) is a perspective view.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. 1, the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 protrudes on the side surface in the long side direction of the body portion 28 in the same direction as the protruding direction of the cooling fin 8b.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 150 shown in FIGS. 7 to 16, the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 is placed on the side surface in the long side opposite to the surface in the protruding direction of the cooling fin 8 b, that is, the heat radiating portion. 7 is provided so as to project in the fin projecting direction. The counter electrode 3 is also provided on the heat radiating part 7 side so as to face the tip atomizing part 29 at that time. With such an arrangement, there is an additional effect that the electrostatic mist 1 emitted from the opening of the counter electrode 3 can be widely diffused on the air flow passing through the heat radiating unit 7 having a larger flow rate than the cooling unit 8. Is done.

  The main elements constituting the electrostatic atomizer 150 are as follows. Each element has already been described in detail, and those not yet described will be described in detail later, so they will be briefly described here (mainly refer to the exploded perspective view of FIG. 9).

  (1) Water supply unit: The water supply unit includes the Peltier unit 6 described above, the heat radiation unit 7 in contact with the heat radiation surface of the Peltier unit 6, and the cooling unit 8 in contact with the cooling surface located on the opposite side of the heat radiation surface. Composed. The Peltier unit 6 has a lead wire 6a that is electrically connected to the low-voltage power supply unit 5 (the same as that in FIG. 1).

  (2) Cooling unit holding frame 63: The cooling unit holding frame 63 is made of resin, and fixes the cooling unit 8 of the water supply unit to the heat radiating unit 7 by engagement. Details will be described later.

  (3) Water supply unit holding frame 60: The water supply unit holding frame 60 holds the water supply unit in which the cooling unit 8 is fixed to the heat radiating unit 7 with the cooling unit holding frame 63 from the cooling unit 8 side. The cooling unit 8 is stored in the cooling unit storage unit 60a. Moreover, the heat radiating part 7 is accommodated in the heat radiating part accommodating part 60b. The cooling unit 8 is covered with the water supply unit holding frame 60 on the upstream side of the air flow, and the passing air speed and the passing air amount are controlled by a plurality of air amount adjusting holes 61 (air amount adjusting units) provided in the width direction. Furthermore, the water supply part holding frame 60 includes a lead wire lead part 60c that leads out the lead wire 25a connected to the lead wire 6a of the Peltier unit 6 and the water application electrode 2 via the power supply terminal 25 (see FIG. 10).

  (4) Water supply unit holding frame 90: The water supply unit holding frame 90 is made of resin like the cooling unit holding frame 63, and sandwiches the water supply unit with the cooling unit holding frame 63. Engagement between the water supply unit holding frame 90 and the cooling unit holding frame 63 is performed by a claw and a hole. In addition, the water supply unit holding frame 90 includes a lead wire lead-out portion 90 a that feeds out the lead wire 6 a of the Peltier unit 6 and the lead wire 25 a of the water application electrode 2, similarly to the cooling unit holding frame 63. The lead wire lead portion 60 c of the water supply portion holding frame 60 and the lead wire lead portion 90 a of the water supply portion holding frame 90 sandwich the lead wire 6 a of the Peltier unit 6 and the lead wire 25 a of the water application electrode 2.

  (5) Water application electrode 2: The same as the water application electrode 2 of the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. However, in the electrostatic atomizer 150, the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 is on the side surface in the long side opposite to the surface in the protruding direction of the cooling fin 8b, that is, the fin protruding direction of the heat radiating portion 7. It is arranged to protrude. A lead wire 25 a is connected to the water application electrode 2 via a power supply terminal 25.

  (6) Holding frame 70: The holding frame 70 is a member that holds the water application electrode 2 from below. Although the details will be described later, the holding frame 70 has a lattice 70 a in the short side direction of the outer periphery and the body portion 28 and has a box shape with a large rectangular opening 26. The grid 70 a extending in the short side direction supports the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2, but has a width sufficiently shorter than the width L 3 of the body portion 28. Further, a counter electrode holding portion 70 b that holds the counter electrode 3 is formed below the holding frame 70.

  (7) Counter electrode 3: This is the same as the counter electrode 3 of the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. The counter electrode 3 is fixed to the counter electrode holding portion 70b of the holding frame 70 with screws 3c. A ground lead wire 3 b is connected to the counter electrode 3.

  (8) Wind prevention wall 30: The wind prevention wall 30 engages with the upper part of the holding frame 70 to sandwich the water application electrode 2 with the holding frame 70. The wind prevention wall 30 suppresses the heel 30a that covers the tip atomizing portion 29 and the counter electrode 3 of the water application electrode 2, the root portion of the tip atomizing portion 29 with respect to the trunk portion 28, and the long side of the trunk portion 28 from above. And a vertical wall 30b formed extending in the top surface direction.

  Hereinafter, the electrostatic atomizer 150 will be described in more detail. As shown to FIG. 7, FIG. 16 (a), the thermal radiation part 7 of a water supply part is exposed in the air so that a wind may pass well.

  The cooling unit 8 of the water supply unit is covered with a water supply unit holding frame 60 to prevent the temperature of the cooling fins 8b from rising due to excessive air inflow, and a plurality of air amount adjustment holes 61 (see FIG. 10) provided in the width direction. FIG. 16) controls the passing air speed and the passing air volume.

  Below the cooling fin 8b, the trunk | drum 28 of the water application electrode 2 is provided through space only. Water drops dropped from the cooling fins 8b are directly dropped onto the body portion 28 without touching the resin frame (wind prevention wall 30) or the like.

  This is because the water contact angle of the resin frame is around 70 to 80 degrees and it is easy to hold water droplets. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to move the water droplets to the body portion 28 through a guide such as a resin frame, the inclination is small. Even if there is a water drop, it tends to be difficult to move without moving from the dropping point. Therefore, the dropping surface height L4 (FIG. 3) of the cooling fin 8b is made smaller than the short side direction width L5 (FIG. 4) so that water droplets can be directly dropped without going through the guide.

  In the water application electrode 2, a triangular tip atomizing portion 29 is formed in the middle of the side surface in the long side direction (longitudinal direction) of the body portion 28 so as to protrude from the side surface. The water application electrode 2 is formed so that the length L5 (FIG. 4) of the body portion and the length L6 (FIG. 4) of the tip atomizing portion are substantially equal (FIG. 6).

  In addition, the body portion 28 is disposed below the cooling unit 8 in the direction of gravity, and the tip atomizing unit 29 is provided below the Peltier unit 6 or the heat radiating unit 7 in the direction of gravity.

  Further, the counter electrode 3 is provided below the heat radiating unit 7 with a predetermined distance from the tip atomizing unit 29.

  The water application electrode 2 is positioned by sandwiching the root portion of the tip atomizing portion 29 (portion connecting to the body portion 28) between the holding frame 70 and the vertical wall 30b of the wind preventing wall 30.

  The holding frame 70 has a box shape having a large rectangular opening 26 (FIG. 13, FIG. 14) having a plurality of lattices 70 a in the short side direction of the outer periphery and the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2.

  A lattice 70 a extending in the short side direction of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 supports the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2. The length of the lattice 70a is sufficiently shorter than the width L3 (FIG. 4) of the trunk portion 28.

  The holding frame 70 has a large opening 26 (FIGS. 13 and 14) around the water application electrode 2 other than the lattice 70a so that excessive water can be discharged without accumulating water.

  Since the cold air that has passed through the cooling unit 8 stays in the vicinity of the water application electrode 2 and does not flow backward to the cooling unit 8, the cold air quickly escapes downward, causing condensation on the surface of the water supply unit holding frame 60. There is little risk of waking up.

  When two or more lattices 70a of the holding frame 70 arranged parallel to the short side of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 and supporting the water application electrode 2 are provided at a narrow interval, between the lattices 70a and 70a. Excess water droplets are bridged and become large balls.

  If the water droplets become large balls, there is a possibility that the counter electrode 3 and the water droplets are connected by creating a path, or if the water droplets are scattered by the wind, it is dangerous.

  It is preferable that the water droplets smoothly flow toward the lower drain pan 40 (FIG. 27) without bridging. Therefore, it is preferable that the interval between the lattices 70a excluding the outer periphery of the holding frame 70 is 10 mm or more. In other words, the interval between the lattices 70a is preferably equal to or greater than the width in the left-right direction of the exposed portion of the counter electrode 3 viewed from the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2. Then, the water drops are not held and fall smoothly.

  In addition, when water droplets dropped from the body portion 28 fall down along the holding frame 70, they may adhere to the counter electrode 3 when dropped from a portion facing the center of the counter electrode 3 or scattered by wind. There is a danger.

  Therefore, the lower end portion of the holding frame 70 (the portion that supports the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2) draws a semicircle in the left-right direction with the position facing the center portion of the counter electrode 3 as the apex convex portion. In this manner, the circular arc 70c (FIG. 12) extends and the ends of the circular arc 70c are further extended in the left-right direction as corner portions (left-right extended portion 70d in FIG. 12).

  With this configuration, water droplets dripped from the body portion 28 are not dripped from a position facing the central portion of the counter electrode 3, and are guided in the left-right direction through the resin (holding frame 70). Since it is dropped from the end of the arc 70c, even if the bridged water droplets scatter, it is difficult to adhere to the counter electrode 3. The end width of the arc 70c is preferably widened in the left-right direction as much as possible, and is preferably equal to or greater than the width in the left-right direction of the exposed portion of the counter electrode 3 viewed from the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2.

  Thus, by disposing the body portion 28 below the cooling portion 8 and disposing the counter electrode 3 below the portion extending from the Peltier unit 6 to the heat radiating portion 7, the cooling portion 8 as shown in FIG. Compared with the case where the body 28 is provided below and the counter electrode 3 is further disposed in a direction in which the cooling fin 8b protrudes and is further away from the cooling fin 8b than the body 28, the cross-sectional thickness of the entire device (see FIG. 7) can be reduced. Note that the cross-sectional thickness may be referred to as the width or thickness in the depth direction.

  That is, the electrostatic atomizer 150 includes a cross-sectional thickness required for the water supply unit including the cooling unit 8, the Peltier unit 6, and the heat radiating unit 7, and mist generation including the water application electrode 2 and the counter electrode 3. The cross-sectional thickness of the parts is almost the same. Therefore, there is no waste in the cross-sectional thickness direction (the depth direction of the apparatus), and it can be mounted in a small space portion such as an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

  Also, with respect to the width direction (see FIG. 9), the width of the water application electrode 2 is smaller than the width of the heat radiating portion 7 wider than the cooling fins 8b. is there.

  In addition, the electrostatic mist 1 discharged from the opening 3a of the counter electrode 3 is diffused widely on an air flow (heat radiation side, FIG. 7) passing through the heat radiation unit 7 having a larger flow rate than the cooling unit 8. In addition, since the water droplets are directly dropped on the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2, the water can be transported quickly and surely to generate the electrostatic mist 1.

  The holding frame 70 has a lattice shape having a large opening 26 so that excessive water can be discharged without accumulating water. Another effect of this shape is that the cold air that has passed through the cooling unit 8 circulates in the vicinity of the water application electrode 2 and does not move again to the vicinity of the water supply unit holding frame 60, and the water supply unit holding frame 60 is cooled. Thus, there is an effect that the surface of the water supply unit holding frame 60 is not condensed.

  When the water supply unit holding frame 60 is condensed, water droplets may drop outside the electrostatic atomizer 150, or the water application electrode 2 to which a high voltage is applied and the water droplets form a path so that the high voltage portion is entirely formed. The widespread concern that abnormal discharge and electric shock will occur.

  Further, in order to prevent the water supply unit holding frame 60 from condensing, it is preferable that the water supply unit holding frame 60 and the cooling fins 8b are not close to each other, but are sufficiently separated from each other. The water supply part holding frame 60 in the vicinity of the cooling fin 8b is raised and arranged 4 mm or more (d in FIG. 7). By doing so, for example, even if the cooling fins 8b are cooled to near 0 ° C., no condensation occurs.

  At this time, it is preferable that the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 prevent contamination from being adhered due to long-term reliability. If dirt is attached to the tip 29a, the discharge force is reduced and the generation amount of the electrostatic mist 1 is reduced or the generation is unstable. For this purpose, it is preferable to keep the tip 29a from passing air as much as possible and avoiding contact with the moving air.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the wind prevention wall 30 having the gutter 30a and the vertical wall 30b is provided between the water supply unit and the mist generating unit (FIGS. 7, 9, 11, etc.).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the flange 30a of the wind preventing wall 30 is located above the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 and extends in the direction in which the fin of the heat radiating portion 7 of the water supply portion protrudes. Provided. Thereby, the wind passing through the heat radiating part 7 of the water supply part is prevented from flowing into the tip 29a of the tip atomizing part 29 of the water application electrode 2.

  With this configuration, the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 is less likely to get dirty because dirt does not pass through it, and the electrostatic mist 1 can be stably generated over a long period of time.

  Further, when the air flow having a large flow rate passes excessively on the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2, formation of tailor cone of water and Rayleigh splitting is inhibited, and an accurate and stable electrostatic mist is obtained. There is no concern that the occurrence of 1 will be impaired.

  At this time, the ridge 30a extends beyond the portion of the counter electrode 3 that is the closest to the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 so that the fin of the heat radiating portion 7 protrudes so as to cover the counter electrode 3 Is growing.

  By comprising in this way, it can suppress that a wind flows into the part near the front-end | tip 29a of the front-end atomization part 29 of the water application electrode 2 of the counter electrode 3, and can prevent the adhesion of the stain | pollution | contamination to the counter electrode 3. A new effect can be obtained.

  In addition, when the ridge 30a and the vertical wall 30b made of resin are charged, the formation of the electric field is impaired and the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 is disturbed. Therefore, the ridge 30a and the counter electrode 3 are arranged so as not to touch each other. . Thus, the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 is not obstructed by charging the bag 30a.

  The vertical wall 30b is arranged to extend in the top surface direction while suppressing the base portion of the tip atomizing portion 29 with respect to the body portion 28 and the long side of the body portion 28 from above.

  The wind that has passed through the cooling unit 8 of the water supply unit has a lower wind speed than the wind that has passed through the heat radiating unit 7, and thus is easily drawn toward the heat radiating unit 7. However, since the vertical wall 30b is disposed in contact with the water application electrode 2 with certainty, the wind passing through the cooling unit 8 flows into the tip 29a of the tip atomization unit 29 of the water application electrode 2. To prevent.

  With this configuration, the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 is less likely to get dirty because the wind does not pass through it, and the electrostatic mist 1 can be stably output over a long period of time. it can.

  Since the wind that has passed through the cooling unit 8 does not pass through the tip 29 a of the tip atomizing unit 29 of the water application electrode 2, the wind passes downward through a plurality of openings 26 provided around the water application electrode 2.

  The vertical wall 30b has two effects of positioning the water application electrode 2 by restraining and preventing contamination of the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2.

  By determining the position of the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 so that the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 does not move up and down, the tip 29a and the counter electrode 3 The distance is kept constant. Thereby, there is an effect that there is no fear of occurrence of abnormal discharge due to approaching too much or a decrease in the electric field for generating electrostatic mist 1 due to being too far away.

  When the vertical wall 30b, the flange 30a and the holding frame 70 of the resin member located around the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 are charged, the tip 29a faces the tip 29a of the tip atomization portion 29 of the water application electrode 2. The electric field to be formed with the electrode 3 is lowered, and the force for pulling the electrostatic mist 1 is weakened. Therefore, the generation amount of the electrostatic mist 1 is reduced, becomes unstable, or the electrostatic mist 1 is not released unless a larger amount of electricity is given.

  Here, the counter electrode 3 serves as a ground electrode and has a potential of 0 V, and a negative DC voltage of −4 to −6 kV is applied to the water application electrode 2. For example, when a DC voltage of −5.8 kV is applied to the water application electrode 2, the influence is large when the surrounding resin is charged to about −3 to −4 kV, and the influence is small when the charge amount is −2 kV or less. It is also effective to separate the charged resin from the tip 29 a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the vertical wall 30b and the holding frame 70 that hold the water application electrode 2 from the vertical direction and fix the position are separated as much as possible from the tip 29a of the tip atomization portion 29 of the water application electrode 2. Therefore, without being inclined in the direction of the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2, it is arranged extending from the position in contact with the water application electrode 2 in a direction perpendicular to the installation surface of the water application electrode 2 did.

  Further, the length h1 (FIG. 8) of the vertical wall 30b is set to a distance r1 connecting the closest point of the counter electrode 3 with the most gathered corner provided at the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2. (FIG. 8)

  And the corner | angular part (upper corner | angular part of FIG. 8) with which the edge part of the perpendicular | vertical wall 30b was provided in the front-end | tip 29a of the front-end | tip atomization part 29 of the water application electrode 2 with the end part of the ridge 30a, The wind prevention wall 30 is placed outside the arc line having the radius r1 so that the ridge 30a is not formed on the arc (arc having the radius r1 shown in FIG. 8) whose radius is the distance r1 (FIG. 8) connecting the three closest points. Arranged. Thereby, the charging effect of the resin can be suppressed to around −0.5 kV.

  The holding frame 70 has an outer periphery and one or a plurality of lattices 70 a in the short side direction of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2, and includes a large rectangular opening 26. Accordingly, the contact location between the holding frame 70 and the water application electrode 2 is limited to the outer periphery and the grid 70a, and therefore the amount of charge of the holding frame 70 is reduced.

  Specifically, if the contact area between the water application electrode 2 and the holding frame 70 is 50% or less of the entire lower surface area of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2, the charging effect of the resin can be suppressed.

  The smaller the contact area between the water application electrode 2 and the holding frame 70, the better. If it is 30% or less, the charging effect can be remarkably suppressed. Thereby, the charging effect of the resin can be suppressed to around −0.5 kV.

  As described above, the heel 30a and the counter electrode 3 are arranged so as not to touch each other, but a method of fixing the counter electrode 3 will be described in detail.

  In order to reduce the number of parts, the counter electrode 3 is held by a counter electrode holding portion 70b (FIG. 12) obtained by extending the holding frame 70 holding the water application electrode 2.

  After the holding frame 70 is extended in the horizontal direction (left and right) without being directly connected to the counter electrode 3 from the contact point of the tip atomizing portion 29 and the holding frame 70 (arrow in FIG. 14A), the U-shaped The counter electrode 3 is held by the counter electrode holding portion 70b which is folded back (the U-shape in FIG. 14A).

  The counter electrode 3 may be fastened to the counter electrode holding portion 70b joined together after being folded back into a U-shape with a screw 3c, or may be fitted to a climbing rib.

  The holding frame 70 may be composed of a plurality of parts. At this time, the portion of the contact between the tip atomizing portion 29 and the holding frame 70 that is hollowed out in the U-shape below the gravitational direction is an opening 27 (FIG. 14A). Even if surplus water flows out, the resin does not flow into the counter electrode 3 as a bridge.

  In addition, the distance from the contact point between the tip atomizing portion 29 and the holding frame 70 to the counter electrode 3 is preferably 30 mm or more from the viewpoint of the creepage distance, and the distance can be increased by the amount of extension in the lateral direction. Thereby, the charging effect of the resin can be suppressed to around −0.5 kV.

  On the other hand, when connecting directly from the contact point between the tip atomizing portion 29 and the holding frame 70 to the counter electrode 3, the distance becomes very short in addition to creating a water passage, and there is a concern about charging effects and tracking. Come out.

  The counter electrode 3 is held only from the lateral direction, and the effect becomes remarkable by not holding it from above and below. Further, since the counter electrode holding part 70b and the counter electrode 3 are not in contact with each other in the vertical direction and are in a space, there is no need for a long creepage distance in the vertical direction, and space saving in the vertical direction can be expected.

  By these measures, for example, when the DC voltage of −5.8 kV is applied to the water application electrode 2, the charge amount of the vertical walls 30 b, the eaves 30 a and the holding frame 70 is reduced from −3 kV to −1.5 kV. Therefore, the influence of charging on the electrostatic mist 1 can be suppressed to the minimum level, and the effect that the electrostatic mist 1 is stably released at a desired voltage can be obtained.

  A method for installing the water application electrode 2 will be described. Since the width in the short side direction of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 and the width of the holding frame 70 (FIG. 14A) are substantially equal, there is no gap larger than the tolerance in the short side direction, and the water application electrode 2 was not moved unnecessarily.

  Therefore, the distance between the electrodes of the water application electrode 2 and the counter electrode 3 does not change, and desired characteristics can be obtained without variations.

  At this time, the vertical position is determined by two insulators such as the vertical wall 30 b and the outer periphery of the holding frame 70. The vertical wall 30b is preferably covered so that the corners of the long side are not exposed by suppressing the vicinity of the long side by about 0.5 to 1.0 mm so as to slightly cover the long side of the body portion 28.

  If there is a sharp corner where electricity concentrates, unnecessary discharge may occur even if the creepage distance is large.

  By covering the vertical wall 30b so that the corners of the long side of the body part 28 are not exposed, it is possible to prevent unnecessary discharge from occurring from the corners forming the long side of the body part 28 to the cooling fins 8b and the like. Further, since a sufficiently exposed surface remains in the body portion 28, the dropped water droplet is quickly sucked into the body portion 28 without hitting the vertical wall 30b. Since unnecessary discharge to other parts does not occur, the electrostatic mist 1 can be generated stably.

  As a material for the water application electrode 2, a porous body such as ceramic can be used. In the present embodiment, a metal porous body having a three-dimensional network structure (details will be described later) is used.

  Since the porous body is sintered when the metal slurry is made by bubbling the metal slurry, the hole diameter on the lower surface side during the production can be reduced, and the hole diameter on the upper surface side where the bubbles can be greatly expanded can be increased. The hole diameter is an average value of the diameters of the holes.

  Similarly, the aperture ratio obtained by dividing the total area of the holes by the aperture area is small on the lower surface side at the time of manufacture, and the upper surface side can be increased. The smaller the hole diameter, the more difficult it is for water droplets to enter but the more difficult it is to remove.

  In the present embodiment, as the installation direction of the water application electrode 2, the lower surface side installed on the holding frame 70 is a surface with a small hole diameter, and the upper surface side is a surface with a large hole diameter. That is, the hole diameter on the upper surface side was made larger than the hole diameter on the lower surface side.

  Specifically, the hole diameter on the upper surface side is about twice as large as that on the lower surface side, and if the upper surface is about 200 μm, the lower surface is preferably about 100 μm. At least, it is effective that the hole diameter or the aperture ratio on the upper surface side is 1.5 times or more with respect to the lower surface side.

  As a result, the water droplets dripped from the cooling fins 8b are dripped onto the surface having a large hole diameter, so that they are quickly sucked into the water application electrode 2.

  Further, since the lower surface is a surface having a smaller hole diameter, it is less likely to be discharged from the water application electrode 2 in the lower surface direction, and the effect is that it is easier to move toward the tip atomizing portion 29.

  When ceramic is used for the water application electrode 2, the same effect can be obtained by separately preparing materials having different hole diameters and void ratios and then bonding them vertically.

  In addition, since the metal porous body is made of a hard metal and has a certain thickness, when cutting (laser cutting), there is always a burr 29b (FIG. 4) on one side in the long side direction and the short side direction. Arise.

  If the burr 29b comes to the lower surface, the burr 29b is not easily caught on the holding frame 70, and the water application electrode 2 may be damaged or the holding frame 70 may be damaged by forcibly inserting the burr 29b. is there.

  In the present embodiment, the burr 29b is not exposed on the lower surface by always making the direction of the burr 29b the upper surface.

  At this time, if the space near the burr 29b on the upper surface side is left as much as the size of the burr 29b, it will not be caught.

  In addition, if the burr 29b is suppressed during the cutting process so that it appears in the lateral direction instead of the top surface direction, the resin on the suppressing side such as the vertical wall 30b is not caught.

  By extending the holding frame 70 while inclining from the lower surface side of the water application electrode 2 toward the upper surface side, or by opening a gap between the upper surface side of the water application electrode 2 and the holding frame 70, the lower surface side is The burr 29b can be securely fixed without worrying about it, and since the burr 29b does not touch the surrounding resin on the upper surface side, assembly is easy.

  When cutting the metal porous body (laser cut) so that the burr 29b is on the top surface and the surface having a large hole diameter is the top surface, it is necessary to match the surface where the burr 29b is produced and the surface having a large hole diameter by processing. is there. Thus, a plurality of effects such as ease of assembly, easy acquisition of water droplets, and ease of movement can be obtained.

  Next, the electrostatic atomizer 200 of the modification 2 is demonstrated.

  17 and 18 show the first embodiment. FIG. 17 is a side view of the electrostatic atomizer 200 according to the second modification. FIG. 18 is a water application electrode used in the electrostatic atomizer 200 according to the second modification. FIG.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 200 of Modification 2, the position of the tip atomizing section 29 relative to the trunk section 28 is the same as the position of the projection of the tip atomizing section 29 as in the electrostatic atomizer 100 shown in FIG. It is provided on one end (on the short side direction side surface) of the body portion 28, not on the long side direction side surface 28.

  Also in this case, like the electrostatic atomizer 100, the trunk portion 28 is installed with its long side direction extended in a direction that coincides with the stacking direction of the plurality of cooling fins 8b onto which the condensed water 10 is dropped.

  FIG. 18 is a top view of the water application electrode 2 used in the electrostatic atomizer 200. The dimensions L3 and L5 shown in this figure are L3 and L5 of the water application electrode 2 in the electrostatic atomizer 100 (FIG. 18). 4) and the positional relationship with the dimensions L2 and L4 of the cooling fin 8b (see FIG. 3) is the same as that of the electrostatic atomizer 100. Thereby, the dew condensation water 10 dripped from the plurality of cooling fins 8b can be reliably received directly on the upper surface of the body portion 28 without waste.

  Since the protrusion that is the tip atomizing portion 29 protrudes in the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8 b, the counter electrode 3 is provided in front of the protruding tip atomizing portion 29.

  In the electrostatic atomization apparatus 200 of Modification 2, the water application electrode 2 itself is a water receiving unit, a water transport unit, and an atomization unit (electrostatic mist 1 generation unit). Since it has three functions, water can be efficiently collected at the tip atomizing section 29 and can be efficiently and stably electrostatically atomized, and there is no protrusion in the middle of the long side. The delivery work of the additional electrode 2 becomes easy, and the effect of increasing the reliability of the delivery work is obtained.

  FIG. 19 shows the first embodiment and is a side view of the electrostatic atomizer 300 of the third modification. The difference from the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. 1 is the installation angle of the water application electrode 2 (the tip atomization part 29 and the trunk | drum 28).

  In the electrostatic atomizer 100, the water application electrode 2 is installed horizontally, and the cooling unit 8 is also horizontal in both the stacking direction and the protruding height direction of the cooling fins 8b. The upper surface of the additional electrode 2 was parallel to both the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b and the protruding height direction.

  However, in the electrostatic atomizer 300 of the modification 3 shown in FIG. 19, although the cooling part 8 remains horizontal similarly to the electrostatic atomizer 100, the water application electrode 2 is atomized from the trunk | drum 28 at the front-end | tip atomization. Inclined by an angle θ1 (see FIG. 19) in the direction of gravity toward the portion 29 (projecting on the side surface in the long side direction of the body portion 28). The magnitude of the angle θ1 is about 5 to 30 °.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 300 in which the water application electrode 2 is installed in this way, not only the movement of the internal gap due to the surface diffusion but also the gravity can be used for transporting the water from the trunk portion 28 to the tip atomization portion 29. Thus, for example, even when the condensed water 10 generated by the cooling unit 8 is small, the condensed water 10 received by the body 28 can be quickly conveyed to the tip atomizing unit 29.

  Next, FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is a side view of the electrostatic atomizer 400 of the fourth modification. It differs from the electrostatic atomizer 300 of FIG. 19 in that the inclination direction of the water application electrode 2 (the tip atomization part 29 and the trunk | drum 28) is reverse.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 400 of Modification 4 shown in FIG. 20, the cooling unit 8 remains horizontal as in the electrostatic atomizer 300, but the water application electrode 2 is moved from the body 28 to the tip atomizer. It is inclined by an angle θ2 (see FIG. 20) in the antigravity direction toward 29 (projecting on the side surface in the long side direction of the body portion 28). The magnitude of the angle θ2 is about 5 to 30 °.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 400 in which the water application electrode 2 is installed in this manner, for example, when the humidity of the air supplied to the cooling unit 8 is high and the condensed water 10 is dripped excessively onto the trunk unit 28, the excess moisture Can be drained in a direction opposite to the protruding direction of the tip atomizing portion 29.

  In this electrostatic atomizer 400, excess water is drained from the side opposite to the tip atomizing section 29, so that excess moisture does not flow into the tip 29a of the tip atomizing section 29. Therefore, the electrostatic mist 1 can be generated accurately and stably.

  Even if the water application electrode 2 is made of a metal porous body even if it is installed to be inclined in the anti-gravity direction from the body portion 28 toward the tip atomization portion 29, the inside is not saturated with water. Water can be conveyed to the tip atomization section 29 against the gravity by surface diffusion of the voids (pores).

  Next, FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is a side view of the electrostatic atomizer 500 of the fifth modification. The difference from the electrostatic atomizer 100 in FIG. 1 is the installation angle of the cooling unit 8.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 500 of Modification 5 shown in FIG. 21, the cooling unit 8 is moved in the direction of gravity from the base plate 8a (the base end of the cooling fin 8b) on the Peltier unit 6 side toward the protruding end of the cooling fin 8b. Inclined by an angle θ3 (see FIG. 21). The magnitude of the angle θ3 is about 10 to 30 °.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 500 in which the cooling unit 8 is installed in this way, water condensed on the surface of the cooling fin 8b is transmitted to the lower end while being guided to the protruding end side of the cooling fin 8b by gravity. Become. For this reason, the dripping position of the water dripped from the lower end of the cooling fin 8b can be limited to a narrow range on the protruding end side of the cooling fin 8b.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. 1, the range of the protrusion height L4 (FIG. 3) of the cooling fin 8b is all the dropping position. Can be made narrower than L4 (FIG. 3). For this reason, it becomes possible to make the width | variety of the short side direction of the trunk | drum 28 of the water application electrode 2 smaller than L4.

  That is, the width in the short side direction of the body portion 28 can be reduced as compared with the electrostatic atomizer 100. The electrostatic atomizer 500 can make the width L5 (see FIG. 4) in the short side direction of the upper surface of the body portion 28 exposed to face the cooling fin 8b smaller than the electrostatic atomizer 100. .

  Thereby, since the conveyance distance of the trunk | drum 28 short side direction to the front-end | tip atomization part 29 becomes short, this electrostatic atomization apparatus 500 to the front-end atomization part 29 of the condensed water 10 received by the trunk | drum 28 is provided. The conveyance can be performed more quickly than the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. 1, and the effect that the time from the start of operation to the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 can be further shortened can be obtained. .

  Moreover, the volume of the water application electrode 2 can be reduced, and resource saving and cost reduction can also be achieved. The installation angle of the water application electrode 2 of the electrostatic atomizer 500 shown in FIG. 21 remains the same as that of the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. 1, but the modification 3 of FIG. 19 and FIG. You may make it incline like the modification 4, and if it inclines in such a way, the effect of the modification 3 and the modification 4 can be show | played together.

  As described above, when the amount of water in the water application electrode 2 is large, the Coulomb force cannot be won against the surface tension of the water that forms the tailor cone, and the water is supplied from the tip 29 a of the tip atomizing portion 29. The water application electrode 2 does not saturate the internal voids (pores) with water because it is difficult to separate, that is, it does not easily jump out of the tip 29a and the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 may be inhibited. The generation efficiency of the electrostatic mist 1 is better. Therefore, it is preferable to control energization to the Peltier unit 6 to control the amount of the condensed water 10 generated so that the water application electrode 2 is not saturated with water.

  Up to now, the structure of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 including a plurality of modifications, particularly the shape and installation configuration of the water application electrode 2 have been described. From here, the structure of the water application electrode 2 will be described in detail. Explained. In all of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 according to this embodiment that have been described so far, the water application electrode 2 is formed using a foam metal that is a metal porous body as its material.

  In conventional electrostatic atomizers, ceramics such as titania, mullite, silica, and alumina have been used as a porous material that also serves as water transport and discharge (for example, Patent Document 1). Ceramics have the advantages of being able to transport water by capillary action, having good workability, and excellent wear resistance from high voltages.

  However, ceramic has an internal porosity (pore content ratio) of about 10 to 50% and a pore diameter (nominal pore diameter) of 0.1 to 1.0 μm, at most 3.0 μm. However, the inside is a relatively clogged material, and it takes time to transport the atomized water to the discharge part at the tip by capillary action, and it takes time from the start of operation to the occurrence of mist. As a result, the pores are clogged or the water is bridged, so that the water absorption and the conveyance performance cannot be maintained high over a long period of time. Furthermore, since ceramic has a high volume resistivity (electrical resistivity), the high voltage applied to the ceramic does not sufficiently act on the water to be atomized, the atomization hardly occurs, and a sufficient amount of mist cannot be obtained. There was also a problem.

  Further, when a metal rod is used instead of a porous material as an electrode on the discharge side, since the metal rod has no pores inside, water cannot be transported to the tip serving as a discharge portion. For this reason, the metal rod itself may be cooled to generate dew condensation water directly on the tip surface, but with only the water condensed on the tip surface of the metal rod, the amount of moisture is small and a sufficient amount of mist cannot be obtained. There was a problem.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, while having sufficient water absorption performance and conveyance performance, it has a low electrical resistivity (volume low efficiency) and high electrical conductivity, and efficiently transmits electricity to the atomized water for charging. As a material that can be made, a metal foam, which is a metal porous body, has been used as a material for the water application electrode 2.

  Here, the foam metal is defined as a porous metal body having a three-dimensional network structure. The three-dimensional network structure is known as a resin foam typified by sponge and has the same structure. Sintered metal is well known as a porous metal body. The difference between foam metal and sintered metal is that the porosity is high and the pore diameter is large due to the three-dimensional network structure. is there.

  The foam metal is made by sintering at a very high temperature in a state where a foaming agent is introduced into a liquid mixture containing a metal called a slurry and foamed. Thereby, the foam made from various metals and alloys can be made. The foam metal thus produced has a continuous pore structure. So far, it has been mainly used for filters, catalyst carriers, gas diffusion layers for fuel cells, etc., but now it has been found that it has excellent characteristics as an electrode material for electrostatic atomizers.

  The most prominent feature of the foam metal is its high porosity. Porosity is also referred to as porosity and indicates the content ratio of pores, and can be evaluated by examining how much water can be absorbed inside the foam metal. This evaluation method follows Archimedes' principle that an object in the liquid is subjected to buoyancy equal to the weight of the excluded liquid.

  In the foam metal used for the water application electrode 2 of the present embodiment, the porosity can be set as very high as 60 to 98% due to the three-dimensional network structure. Therefore, a lot of water application electrode 2 can absorb water inside the foam metal. However, if the porosity is too large, even if the water absorption force can be increased, the absorbed water may leak out. Therefore, the water application electrode 2 is preferably set to a porosity of 60 to 90%.

  On the other hand, in ceramics such as titania and mullite that have been conventionally used as a porous body, the porosity is about 10 to 50%, and often around 35%. Also, in the case of a general sintered metal that is not a foam metal, even if the porosity is high, it is about 50%, and the porosity of the foam metal is clearly high.

  Another major feature of the foam metal is a large pore diameter.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is an enlarged conceptual diagram for explaining the foam metal used for the water application electrode 2.

  Since FIG. 22 shows a planar (two-dimensional) shape, each pore appears to be independent. However, the actual foam metal is a continuous pore structure in which pores are three-dimensionally continuous. is there. As shown in FIG. 12, the foam metal used as the water application electrode 2 in the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 of the present embodiment is composed of the baked and solidified metal portion 22 and the pores 21 that become the void portion. . Here, the diameter of the pores 21 is defined as the hole diameter. The size of the hole diameter can be determined from an image taken with an electron microscope. It is also possible to measure not only the pore diameter but also the pore distribution using a mercury intrusion porosimeter or a gas adsorption measuring device.

  The pore diameter of the foam metal of the water application electrode 2 is 10 to 1000 μm, but the foam metal with a pore diameter of 50 to 600 μm is suitable from the viewpoint of water absorption and clogging, and further has rigidity and productivity (workability). ) Is optimally 150 to 300 μm.

  When the pore diameter is less than 10 μm like ceramic, the pore diameter becomes too fine (too small) and there is a high risk of clogging, and the amount of water absorption is also small. In addition, it is difficult to stably arrange the pores 21 in a small size in the production of foam metal. On the other hand, when the pore diameter exceeds 1000 μm, the water absorbed through the continuous pores 21 is likely to leak, making it difficult to transport the water from the body portion 28 to the tip atomizing portion 29.

  Here, the water absorption of the foam metal used for the water application electrode 2 and the ceramic porous body conventionally used for the electrode on the discharge side is compared. FIG. 23 illustrates the result.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is a diagram comparing the water absorption amounts of the foam metal and the comparative example.

In Example 1, which is a foam metal made of SUS316 of austenitic stainless steel, the water absorption is about 0.5 g / cm ³ , and in Example 2, which is a foam metal made of titanium, about 0.4 g / cm ³ . On the other hand, in the ceramic material, the mullite of Comparative Example 1 and the titania of Comparative Example 2 are both about 0.2 g / cm ³ , and it can be seen that the foam metal has a water absorption performance twice that of ceramic.

  A foam metal having a high porosity and a large pore diameter has higher water absorption performance than ceramic as shown in FIG. High water absorption performance (in other words, a large amount of water absorption) means that the amount of water that can move inside and the moving speed are large, that is, the conveyance performance is also high. Therefore, the water application electrode 2 made of foam metal can move water to the tip atomization portion 29 more quickly than the case where the water application electrode 2 is made of ceramic, and the water absorption amount is large, so that the operation of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 starts. The time from the start of electrostatic atomization to the start of electrostatic atomization can be shortened, and the transportation of water from the body part 28 to the tip atomization part 29 is temporarily interrupted, preventing the situation where electrostatic atomization is interrupted. Thus, the electrostatic mist 1 can be generated accurately and stably.

  Further, since the metal moves mainly by surface diffusion through the three-dimensionally continuous pores 21 inside the foam metal, the installation direction of the water application electrode 2 is set so that the tip atomizing portion 29 is directed in the ceiling direction regardless of the direction of gravity. It can be used by pointing or horizontally. And since it is a continuous pore structure and the pore diameter of the pore 21 is large, water can be stably conveyed to the tip atomization part 29 without clogging over a long period of time.

  Next, FIG. 24 shows the result of comparing the electrical resistivity of the foam metal with another porous body. FIG. 25 shows the water application electrode 2 of this embodiment made of foam metal and the same as the water application electrode 2. The result of having compared the amount of electrostatic atomization with the water application electrode formed with the ceramic by the shape is shown.

  24 and 25 show the first embodiment. FIG. 24 is a diagram comparing the electrical resistivity of the foam metal and the comparative example. FIG. 25 is a comparison of the amount of electrostatic atomization between the foam metal and the comparative example. FIG.

  Here, the electrostatic atomization amount is the amount of mist generated, and the electrostatic atomizer generated by the electrostatic atomization device per unit time using the above-described water application electrode (jumped out from the water application electrode). This indicates the weight and can be calculated from the degree of increase in humidity inside the specified volume box. In FIG. 25, the supply voltage of the high voltage power supply unit 4 is the same.

  In the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500, the high voltage acts on the water of the tip atomization unit 29 of the water application electrode 2, and the Coulomb force created by the application of the high voltage exceeds the surface tension of the water, so that the tip The charged water jumps out from 29a, and is crushed one after another (Rayleigh split) and discharged as electrostatic mist 1 from the opening of the counter electrode 3 into the air. Therefore, it is important to efficiently apply electricity to the water present in the water application electrode 2. In other words, how can the high potential supplied from the high voltage power supply unit 4 be transferred to the water (condensed water 10 dripped from the cooling fins 8b) present in the water application electrode 2 with a reduced loss to charge the water? Therefore, the smaller the electrical resistance of the water application electrode 2 itself, the smaller the loss consumed by the resistance, and the higher the electrical conductivity, the more efficiently the water can be charged. And the electrical resistance of the water application electrode 2 is often specified by the material.

The electrical resistivity of the foam metal is a metal, although it is a foam, and is a conductor. Therefore, even in Example 1 of SUS316, which is made of stainless steel, or in Example 2 of titanium, 1 × The electric resistance is as small as about 10 ⁻⁷ Ω · m, and it can conduct electricity well, that is, it can be charged efficiently by flowing electricity through water with reduced loss due to current. On the other hand, the electrical resistivity of the ceramic material is 1 × 10 ¹⁴ Ω · m for mullite shown in Comparative Example 1 and 1 × 10 ¹² Ω · m for titania shown in Comparative Example 2, and the ceramic material is large. It is not a conductor but between the semiconductor and the insulator. A high electrical resistivity equivalent to that of the sponge, which is the resin foam of Comparative Example 3, is exhibited.

  Thus, by forming the water application electrode 2 using a foam metal as a material, water can be charged more efficiently than those using a ceramic as a material. In other words, if the high voltage supplied by the high voltage power supply unit 4 is the same magnitude, the use of the water application electrode 2 formed in this embodiment made of foam metal is made of ceramic. As a result, current can be easily transmitted to water and water can be charged efficiently. By forming the water application electrode 2 using a foam metal as a material, the electric resistance is reduced, so that the electric power consumed by electrostatic atomization can be made smaller than that using a ceramic material, thereby saving energy. Can contribute.

  25, when the amount of electrostatic atomization is compared when the water application electrode 2 has the same shape and the supply voltage of the high voltage power supply unit 4 is the same, the water application electrode 2 made of foam metal is used as a material. The amount of electrostatic atomization was about 0.15 cc / hr per water application electrode 2 in both Example 1 where the foam metal material was SUS316 and Example 2 where titanium was used. On the other hand, in the ceramic material, it was 0.06 cc / hr for the mullite shown in Comparative Example 1 and 0.08 cc / hr for the titania shown in Comparative Example 2, which was less than that of the foam metal example.

  Even with the same ceramic, titania has a larger amount of electrostatic atomization than mullite, but FIG. 24 shows that the electrical resistivity of titania is two orders of magnitude lower than that of mullite. In FIGS. 24 and 25, it can be seen that ceramics are compared with each other, that is, Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2; however, when the water application electrode is more likely to conduct electricity (lower electrical resistivity), electricity can be efficiently applied to water. It can be said that the tailor cone of water formed at the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 can be easily ejected by Coulomb force, and the amount of electrostatic atomization increases. From these results, when a foam metal that is a conductor and has a low electrical resistivity is used for the water application electrode 2 of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500, a higher voltage is applied to the water to be atomized than the conventional ceramic material. If the voltage can be efficiently applied (charged) and the supply voltage of the high-voltage power supply unit 4 is the same, the amount of electrostatic atomization (the amount of generated electrostatic mist 1) can be increased.

  In addition, the water application electrode 2 of a foam metal creates a large sheet-like foam metal body having a thickness of about 0.5 mm to 5.0 mm, and then forms a desired shape (a continuous body portion 28 and a tip atomization portion 29). Cut out and produce. Mass production is possible by stacking a plurality of sheet-like foam metal bodies in the thickness direction and cutting out the plurality of sheets simultaneously. Cutting is performed by wire cutting or laser cutting. In addition, it can be processed into a desired shape using various processing methods such as punching with a Thomson blade or a press, machining by mechanical cutting, manual cutting, and bending. Although this water application electrode 2 is not used, the metal foam can be joined by welding or brazing.

  Next, FIG. 26 shows a comparison result of the amount of ozone generated due to the difference in the material (material) of the foam metal.

  FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is a diagram comparing ozone generation amounts due to differences in foam metal materials.

  When a discharge occurs from the water application electrode 2 toward the counter electrode 3, ozone is generated along with the discharge. Ozone is beneficial by using its bactericidal action if it is in an appropriate amount, but if the amount produced is excessive, the blue smell of odor will be felt to humans as a strange odor, or the oxidizing and corrosive action will be affected by humans and surroundings. May also affect the substance. Therefore, in the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 for discharging the electrostatic mist 1, it is desirable to suppress the generation amount of ozone generated by the discharge as much as possible.

  Therefore, the amount of ozone generated in the water application electrode 2 formed of foam metal was investigated by experiment. The content of the experiment is to investigate the steady value of the ozone concentration inside the 42 L (liter) box (42 L tank) when a predetermined high voltage is applied to the water application electrode 2.

  In FIG. 26, the foam metal shown in Comparative Example 4 is SUS304 (nickel content: 8 to 10.5%, chromium content: 18 to 20%), which is generally well known as an austenitic stainless steel. As the amount of ozone generated in this case, the ozone concentration inside the 42L tank was 1.2 ppm. On the other hand, in the case of Example 1 using SUS316 which is the same austenitic stainless steel but has a nickel content of 11 to 15%, a chromium content of 16 to 20% and a molybdenum content of 1 to 4%. The ozone concentration in the 42 L tank was about 60% 0.7 ppm compared to SUS304 of Comparative Example 1.

  It was found that even if the same austenitic stainless steel was used, the amount of ozone generation was smaller when the nickel content was higher and the molybdenum content was several percent. Therefore, when the water application electrode 2 is formed of a foam metal made of stainless steel, it is preferable to use austenitic stainless steel containing 11% or more of nickel and 1 to 4% of molybdenum. In addition to SUS316 of Example 1, SUS316L and SUS317 have a nickel content of 11% or more and contain molybdenum, so that the amount of ozone generated can be reduced compared to SUS304.

  In FIG. 26, the titanium shown in Example 2 formed of a foam metal is the least amount of ozone generated, the ozone concentration in the 42 L tank is 0.03 ppm, 1/40 of Comparative Example 4 (SUS304), It was 1/23 of Example 1 (SUS316), and it was found that the amount of generated ozone can be significantly suppressed. Moreover, in the case of using a foam metal made of nickel as shown in Example 3, the ozone concentration inside the 42L tank is 0.3 ppm, and the ozone generation suppression effect as in Example 2 (titanium) cannot be obtained. The effect of suppressing ozone generation is greater than in Example 1 (SUS316).

  Such an ozone generation suppression effect is considered to be because the generated ozone is decomposed by the reducing action of the foam metal material. That is, the amount of ozone generated can be suppressed by using a metal having a reducing action as the material of the water application electrode 2. In the embodiment of FIG. 26, it is considered that titanium has the strongest ozone reducing action. Although not as much as titanium, it can be said from the results of Example 3 that nickel also has a reducing action. Therefore, in austenitic stainless steel, it is considered that SUS316 having a higher nickel content can suppress the amount of ozone generated, and molybdenum also has an effect of reducing ozone. In addition, by using a foam metal as the material for the water application electrode 2, water can be charged efficiently, so that it is conceivable that the ozone itself is hardly generated.

  In addition, when a discharge occurs from the water application electrode 2 to the counter electrode 3, radicals (active species) such as hydroxyl radicals and superoxide may be generated along with the discharge, but such radicals react chemically. It is a very unstable substance because it is highly active and active, and reacts quickly with molecules in the air such as oxygen and nitrogen, so it has a very short life in the air, and even if produced, it is almost instantaneous Since they disappear, even if radicals are generated, they are not released together with the electrostatic mist 1 and the electrostatic mist 1 does not contain radicals.

  From the above results, it can be said that the most preferable material for the water application electrode 2 is a foam metal made of titanium. Moreover, in the foam metal using SUS316, titanium, or nickel as a raw material, it is possible to prevent electric corrosion and electric wear due to application of a high voltage, and the shape of the water application electrode 2, particularly the tip atomization portion, over a long period of time. 29 sharp points can be maintained. Therefore, the effect that electrostatic atomization can be implemented stably over a long period of time is also obtained. Also in this effect, those using titanium as a raw material are particularly remarkable from the characteristics of the material.

  So far, foam metal has been described as having high water absorption and transportability (property of water movement speed) because it has a three-dimensional network structure with high porosity and large pore diameter. Moreover, it has been described that a metal foam is suitable as a material for the water application electrode 2 of the electrostatic atomizer shown in the present embodiment by utilizing such properties. Further, it has been found that by oxidizing the foam metal, the hydrophilicity of the surface of the internal pores 21 is improved and the water absorption and transportability of the water application electrode 2 are improved. The oxidation treatment can be performed by exposing the foam metal to an oxygen atmosphere.

  The hydrophilicity improvement by the oxidation treatment is particularly remarkable when the material is titanium. When titanium is oxidized, the surface layer becomes close to titanium oxide. When titanium oxide receives energy such as ultraviolet rays, it reacts with surrounding water to form a hydroxyl group (OH group) on the outermost surface, and thus has a property (high hydrophilicity) that is very compatible with water. For this reason, when water moves by surface diffusion, since water spreads and advances without stopping, water can be efficiently moved quickly inside the foam metal. In the case of a foam metal made of titanium, the result of the oxidation treatment is about 5 times faster when the oxidation treatment is performed than when the oxidation treatment is not performed.

  Even when the material is a foam metal made of another metal material such as nickel other than titanium, a layer having an affinity for the surface is formed during the oxidation treatment, so that the compatibility with water (hydrophilicity) is improved. However, the effect of improving the hydrophilicity is remarkable when the metal foam is made of titanium, and the effect of improving water absorption and transportability in the water application electrode 2 is high because the water moving speed is increased. In the oxidation treatment exposed to an oxygen atmosphere, not only the outer surface of the water application electrode 2 formed of a foam metal but also the continuous pore structure having a high porosity and a large pore diameter and passing through the continuous pores into the internal pores 21. The facing surface is also oxidized, and the hydrophilicity of all the surfaces of the metal part 22 including the inner surface facing the pores 21 is improved, so that the water moving speed can be increased. For this reason, the time from the start of operation of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 to the discharge of the electrostatic mist 1 can be shortened.

  As described above, the water application electrode 2 of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 according to the present embodiment is formed by using a foam metal having a three-dimensional network structure as a material. Yes. For this reason, since the amount of water absorption is large and the moving speed of water is fast, the time from the start of operation of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 to the start of atomization (electrostatic mist 1 is released) is fast. And since a metal foam has low electrical resistivity and is excellent in electrical conductivity, it has the effect that it can be charged by applying electricity efficiently to the water to be atomized and the amount of atomization increases.

  In addition, electric corrosion and electric wear can be prevented, and the shape of the water application electrode 2, particularly the sharp shape of the tip atomizing portion 29 can be maintained over a long period of time. Therefore, it has the effect that electrostatic atomization can be implemented stably over a long period of time.

  In addition, it can absorb a large amount of water because of its high porosity, and because of its large pore size, it can maintain a stable high water absorption and transportability for a long time without clogging for a long time, It has the effect that electrostatic atomization can be carried out stably over a long period of time.

  In addition, the material of the foam metal is titanium or nickel, which is a metal having a reducing action, and is generated by electric discharge by using any of austenitic stainless steel containing 11% or more of nickel and several percent of molybdenum. The amount of generated ozone can be suppressed. This effect is particularly remarkable when the water application electrode 2 is formed of a foam metal made of titanium.

  Further, if the water application electrode 2 is formed using a material obtained by oxidizing the surface of the foam metal after sintering, the hydrophilicity of the inner surface is increased, and the water moving speed is further improved.

  In addition, the foam metal which has the three-dimensional network structure demonstrated so far is not restricted to the water application electrode 2 of the electrostatic atomizer 100-500 shown in this Embodiment from the high water absorption and conveyance property, Others Even if it is an electrostatic atomizer of this form, if it uses for the electrode which serves also as the water conveyance to a discharge part, the effect similar to the water application electrode 2 of this Embodiment can be acquired. For example, in the electrostatic atomizer of Patent Document 1, water in a water reservoir serving as a water supply unit is transported to an upper end by a capillary phenomenon to an upright transport body made of a ceramic porous body, and water is formed at the upper end pointed in a needle shape. The tailor cone is formed to produce mist, but if this carrier (corresponding to the water application electrode 2) is made of the above-described foam metal instead of ceramic, the water conveyance speed can be increased. The time from the start of operation to electrostatic atomization can be shortened compared to the case of ceramic formation, and the needle-shaped upper end that becomes the discharge part can be prevented from electric corrosion and wear. The sharp shape can be maintained over a long period of time, and electrostatic atomization can be carried out stably over a long period of time as compared with the case of forming with ceramic.

  From this, the case where any of the electrostatic atomizers 100-500 of this Embodiment is mounted in the air conditioner 50 is demonstrated.

  27 to 31 are diagrams showing the first embodiment. FIG. 27 is a longitudinal sectional view of the air conditioner 50 including any one of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500. FIG. 28 is a portion of the air conditioner 50. 29 is an external perspective view of the air conditioner 50, FIG. 30 is a view showing the sensor 80 and the thermopile 81, and FIG. 31 is a perspective view around the sensor 80 ((a) shows that the sensor 80 is movable to the right end). (B) is a state in which the sensor 80 is moved to the center, and (c) is a state in which the sensor 80 is moved to the left end).

  The air conditioner 50 shown in FIGS. 27 to 29 is a general wall-hanging type.

  The air conditioner 50 includes a suction port 41 for sucking room air, a blow-out port 42 for blowing conditioned air into the room, and an inverted V-shaped heat exchanger 51 (an upper front heat exchanger 51a for generating conditioned air from the room air). A front lower heat exchanger 51 b and a rear heat exchanger 51 c), drain pans 40 (two places) for receiving water condensed by the heat exchanger 51, and a blower fan 43. The room air that has flowed in through the rotation of the blower fan 43 from the suction port 41 located above the air conditioner 50 main body is heat-exchanged with the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle when passing through the heat exchanger 51, and the temperature and humidity are adjusted. Then, the air passes through the blower fan 43 and is blown into the room as conditioned air from the outlet 42 located below.

  A left and right wind direction plate 44 and an up and down wind direction plate 45 that can change the wind direction of the conditioned air to be blown out are installed at the blowout port 42, and the blowout direction of the blowout flow is adjusted. A left and right wind direction plate 44 that can change the wind direction in the left and right direction of the blown flow is located upstream of the vertical wind direction plate 45 that can change the vertical direction of the blown flow. Moreover, the dew condensation water of the heat exchanger 51 collected by the drain pan 40 is discharged outdoors through a drain hose (not shown).

  Here, in this air conditioner 50, any one of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 is connected to the windward side (upstream side) of the front lower heat exchanger 51b or the windward side (upstream side) of the rear heat exchanger 51c. Or above the drain pan 40. If any one of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 is installed above the drain pan 40, the drain pan 40 can be used even when the condensed water 10 in the cooling unit 8 is large and excessive moisture is generated. Since the excess water is received and discharged to the outside together with the dew condensation water of the heat exchanger 51, there is no possibility that the excess moisture of any of the installed electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 leaks into the room.

  By installing any one of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 in the air conditioner 50, a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 discharged from the electrostatic atomizer is extracted from the indoor air sucked from the suction port 41. The heat exchanger 51 can be passed together and discharged into the room together with the conditioned air from the outlet 42. The electrostatic mist 1 is also discharged into the room together with the conditioned air by riding on a conditioned air blowing flow generated by the rotation of the blower fan 43.

  The air conditioner 50 is equipped with a sensor 80 (for example, an infrared sensor) that can recognize the position of a person. The sensor 80 is installed on the front panel at the center of the unit (indoor unit, here the air conditioner 50) (example in FIG. 29), or the right end of the unit (when the air conditioner 50 is viewed from the front). It is installed near the electrical equipment.

  The sensor 80 obtains a plurality of thermal images by moving in the horizontal direction using a plurality of thermopiles 81 arranged in the vertical direction (FIG. 30) (FIG. 31), thereby obtaining a temperature difference from the background. It detects the presence or absence of humans, and the detection is easier as the skin is exposed.

  Further, the greater the number of pixels, the higher the detection accuracy, and the air conditioner 50 can clearly grasp the position of the person and the distance from the air conditioner 50. If the number of pixels is 700 pixels, the position of a person in the room can be grasped sufficiently. Of course, a camera having a high number of pixels, such as a camera, may be used in order to identify the position of the person instead of the thermopile 81. In addition, although the detection accuracy is lowered, the area where the person is located and the position where the person is located (lateral direction, depth) may be distinguished by a pyroelectric sensor using a Fresnel lens.

  The air conditioner 50 is provided with a left / right wind direction plate 44 and an up / down wind direction plate 45 that can automatically change directions. The up-and-down wind direction plate 45 is divided into two at the center, and can deliver the wind to two arbitrary depth directions in the room such as the front and back.

  The left and right wind direction plates 44 are also driven by independent motors (for example, stepping motors) in the left part and the right part with the center as a boundary, so that the wind can be delivered to two arbitrary left and right directions in the room. Moreover, a plurality of winds can be created by combining these simultaneously.

  Since the position of the person can be determined in detail by using the sensor 80, an operation for directing the wind toward the person by using the left and right wind direction plates 44 and the upper and lower wind direction plates 45 (hereinafter referred to as wind blowing operation). You can also perform driving that avoids people and sends wind (hereinafter called windbreaking).

  The position of the person may be determined as a person, or it may be assigned as a person existing area for each area, and wind driving or windbreak operation may be performed on the area.

  When a person receives wind, the evaporation rate is increased and moisture is lost from the skin epidermis, resulting in drying. The difference in skin drying speed between when the wind is directly applied (wind speed of about 1.0 m / s) and when the wind is not applied (wind speed of about 0.1 to 0.3 m / s) is about three times.

  When the wind is applied directly, the drying is fast and a dry feeling is felt. The moisture content of the skin at that time differs by about 15%, and the moisture content of the skin is less when the wind is directly applied.

  The dry region created by the mainstream corresponds to the width of the air outlet 42 of the air conditioner, and roughly corresponds to the width of a human shoulder. Therefore, it is better not to apply wind directly to the skin moisture content, but if the driver is operated avoiding the wind greatly, it will not be possible to feel the warmth of the heating or cooling. Moreover, when an air conditioner is used, it is a big subject to dry or give a dry feeling.

  Then, the air conditioner 50 of this Embodiment is provided with either of the electrostatic atomizers 100-500. A large amount of nanometer-sized electrostatic mist 1 generated by one of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 is released into the room together with the conditioned air from the outlet 42 of the air conditioner 50. Since the electrostatic mist 1 is negatively charged, it is easy to approach the human body with a potential difference, and since the electrostatic mist 1 is smaller than the horny cells of the human body, it penetrates the exposed skin such as the face and neck. Thus, a moisturizing effect is given to the user. In addition, it exhibits an action of hydrophilizing the skin, and even in a situation where the surrounding moisture cannot be taken in at low humidity, the adhesive effect of incorporating moisture by improving the familiarity with the surrounding moisture is shown. A moisturizing effect can be imparted even in a small amount. In addition, since the electrostatic mist 1 uses liquid as a raw material, it has a longer life than negative ions composed of air raw materials such as N, C, H, and O, and can float for several minutes.

Thereby, the following effects are acquired.
(1) The user's skin moisturizing effect during heating operation increases (the amount of moisture in the skin increases).
(2) The user's perceived temperature increases as the amount of moisture in the skin increases.
(3) The set room temperature at the time of heating can be lowered correspondingly, and the power consumption of the air conditioner 50 is reduced correspondingly, contributing to (contributing to) energy saving.

  When the moisture content of the exposed skin such as the user's face and neck during the heating operation increases by 25%, this corresponds to an increase in indoor humidity by about 20% RH. An increase of about 20% RH in indoor humidity corresponds to an increase in the human sensible temperature by about 1 deg. If the set temperature is lowered by 1 deg during the heating operation, the power consumption of the air conditioner 50 can be reduced by about 10%.

  When the nanometer-sized electrostatic mist 1 provides a moisturizing effect, a feeling of dryness can be reduced when the air conditioner 50 is used.

  Further, by determining the position of the person using the sensor 80 and performing the windbreak operation with the person at the center, the person does not receive the wind directly, so that the dry feeling can be reduced.

  As the width to be avoided, an effect can be obtained by operating while avoiding wind at least beyond the width of the outlet 42 of the air conditioner 50.

  In addition, when the combined operation for discharging the electrostatic mist 1 is performed while performing the windbreak operation, the person does not receive a direct wind and thus does not feel dryness. Even if it is not provided toward the human body, since it is negatively charged, it moves closer to the human body having a potential difference, so that a moisturizing effect can be given to the user. Therefore, two synergistic effects, that is, the effect of suppressing drying by the windbreak operation and the moisturizing effect obtained by the electrostatic mist 1 can be obtained.

  When the position where a person is located is determined by the sensor 80 and assigned as a person existing area for each area, a wind including the electrostatic mist 1 may be blown in an area adjacent to the area where the person is located.

  Moreover, you may blow the wind containing the electrostatic mist 1 on both sides of the area where a person exists using the left-right wind direction board 44 and the divided up-down wind direction board 45 which can be driven independently.

  When it is unavoidable to the left and right, a wind including the electrostatic mist 1 may be blown in front of an area where a person is present.

  The reason why the wind including the electrostatic mist 1 is blown in the area immediately adjacent to the area where the person is present is that the feeling of heating or cooling is impaired when it is avoided too much.

  The more people are divided, the more moisturized the skin can be without loss of warmth and coldness. It is advisable to divide at least the room into 5 or more divided areas both vertically and horizontally.

  The air conditioner 50 including any one of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 will be described in more detail.

  Although both sides of the Peltier unit 6 are provided with a heat radiating part 7 and a cooling part 8, the cooling part 8 has a sufficiently smaller capacity than the heat radiating part 7. Since the heat dissipation part 7 increases the heat dissipation amount, it is better to make it as large as space allows. However, if the cooling part 8 is too small, the surface temperature will drop, but the amount of air passing will decrease, so the dehumidification amount (condensation amount) will decrease. To do. On the other hand, if it is too large, the passing air volume increases and the dehumidification amount (condensation amount) increases, but the surface air does not drop sufficiently because the passing air has an endothermic ability. The capacity of the cooling unit 8 may be determined according to the required amount of dehumidification, but the absolute humidity in winter (during heating) is very low, the dew point temperature is approximately 10 ° C. or less, and the relative humidity is 30% to 35% RH. It is about 2-5 degreeC in bad conditions of. Therefore, since the condensed water as the raw material of the electrostatic mist 1 cannot be obtained unless the temperature of the cooling fin 8b is lowered to around 0 ° C., the capacity of the cooling fin 8b should be made sufficiently smaller than that of the heat radiating portion 7. preferable.

  In order to cool the cooling part 8 efficiently, the size of the cooling part 8 and the size of the Peltier unit 6 should be substantially equal. However, since the cooling part 8 is small, the heat radiation exposed part 7a (see FIG. 16 (b)) is exposed.

  The heat radiation exposed portion 7 a is a surface that does not have the fins of the heat radiation portion 7 and is exposed from the Peltier unit 6 on the surface having the Peltier unit 6.

  When the air that has flowed through the heat radiation exposed portion 7 a is mixed with the cooling portion 8, the warm air that has radiated heat prevents the cooling portion 8 from absorbing heat. Therefore, the blocking walls 62 (FIGS. 12, 15, and 16 (b)) are provided on the left and right sides of the cooling unit 8 so that the wind that the heat radiation exposed portion 7 a has passed does not come to the cooling unit 8.

  Due to the left and right blocking walls 62 of the cooling part 8, the air that has passed through the heat radiation exposed part 7 a flows downward without touching the cooling part 8.

  The blocking wall 62 protrudes from the water supply unit holding frame 60 to the heat radiating unit 7 side in parallel with the cooling fins 8 b in the water supply unit holding frame 60.

  Further, the heat radiation exposed portion 7a at the upper part of the cooling portion 8 is covered with a resin (cooling portion holding frame 63) to suppress heat exchange, so that warm air that has passed through the heat radiation exposed portion 7a is cooled by the cooling portion 8. I tried not to flush it. For details, a cooling unit holding frame 63 (FIGS. 9 and 15), which will be described later, was used as a cover for suppressing heat exchange.

  The cooling unit 8 is held on the Peltier unit 6 by an adhesive having an effect of preventing watertightness using silicon, epoxy, or the like as a raw material.

  Similarly, the heat radiating portion 7 is also fixed to the Peltier unit 6 using an adhesive.

  There is a concern that the adhesive may be peeled off due to repeated cooling at a low temperature or deterioration due to long-term use such as 10 years or longer. Therefore, even if the effectiveness of the adhesive is lowered, the cooling unit 8 does not drop and continues to reliably contact the Peltier unit 6 so that the temperature of the cooling fins 8b can be lowered. A part holding frame 63 (FIGS. 9 and 15) was provided to fix the cooling part to the heat dissipation part.

  The resin-made cooling part holding frame 63 has two claws 64 at the upper part and can be caught in a gap formed by the fin upper surface of the heat radiating part 7 and the base plate.

  The cooling unit holding frame 63 holds the left and right ends of the base plate 8a which is a part of the cooling unit 8 and does not have the cooling fins 8b.

  Moreover, the cooling part holding frame 63 has two claws 64 at the lower part and can be caught in a gap formed by the fin lower surface of the heat radiating part 7 and the base plate.

  Therefore, the cooling unit 8 is carried by the heat radiating unit 7 via the cooling unit holding frame 63 and is fixed vertically and horizontally. Therefore, regardless of the strength of the adhesive, it is possible to exhibit performance over a long period of time without falling or being displaced.

  Further, since the cooling unit holding frame 63 has poor thermal conductivity as compared with the case where it is fixed with screws or the like, the heat of the heat radiating unit 7 is not easily transmitted to the cooling unit 8 and the heat absorption performance is not significantly reduced.

  As another method, a bar or plate protruding in the horizontal direction from the water supply unit holding frame 60 may be installed as a cooling unit holding frame 63 extending to the lower part of the cooling unit 8, or vertically from the water application electrode holding frame 70. A bar or plate protruding in the direction may be installed as a cooling unit holding frame 63 extending to the lower part of the cooling unit 8.

  Further, the end of the cooling unit 8 such as the base plate may be pressed by stress with a bar or plate protruding from the water supply unit holding frame 60. If the cooling fins 8b of the cooling unit 8 do not protrude in the horizontal direction but protrude in the direction of gravity, the cooling fins 8b may be supported by bars or plates extending from below. By applying a rod-like or plate-like frame protruding from the resin member facing the cooling unit 8 to a part of the cooling unit 8, the risk of the cooling unit 8 falling to the water application electrode 2 side can be suppressed, and abnormal discharge Water can be obtained for a long time while avoiding the above.

  In any case, when installing any of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 on the windward side of the heat exchanger 51, the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b and the fins of the heat radiating unit 7 is the air conditioner. It is good to arrange so that it may become the left-right direction of 50 main bodies. As a result, the suction air flow from the suction port 41 flows along the fins (the cooling fins 8b and the fins of the heat radiation part 7), the heat radiation of the heat radiation part 7 is promoted, and the wind flows smoothly to the cooling part 8. As a result, the amount of condensation increases on the cooling fins 8b.

  In addition, when the fin volume is increased, it may be extended in the width direction (FIG. 9), and can be realized with a short fin height that is easy to manufacture, and can be installed in a small space without increasing the overall depth. .

  The heat radiating unit 7 is disposed substantially parallel to the position facing the heat exchanger 51. At this time, by making a predetermined gap L8 (see FIG. 28), it is possible to reduce the thermal effect that occurs when the heat exchanger 51 is heated with respect to the heat radiating portion 7. If it receives heat influence, it will become difficult to radiate heat in the heat radiating part 7, and the cooling capacity in the cooling part 8 will fall.

  Further, by providing the predetermined gap L8, abnormal discharge does not occur from the counter electrode 3 to the heat exchanger 51. Arranging substantially parallel to the heat exchanger 51 makes it less susceptible to local effects. The predetermined distance L8 is preferably at least 4 mm or more, and the influence is smaller as the distance is larger, but is determined in consideration of space characteristics.

  The closer to the heat exchanger 51, the higher the wind speed of the suction air flow from the suction port 41. When any of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 having a thickness of about 10 to 30 mm is installed at a distance of about 4 to 10 mm from the front lower heat exchanger 51b on the windward side of the front lower heat exchanger 51b, The wind speed in the vicinity of the lower heat exchanger 51b is about twice as fast as the side near the front panel 46.

  Similarly, when installed on the windward side of the back heat exchanger 51 c, the wind speed in the vicinity of the back heat exchanger 51 c is about twice as fast as that on the side near the back cover 47.

  If the heat dissipating part 7 is arranged so as to face the heat exchanger 51, the flow rate of the air (indoor suction air) flowing through the heat dissipating part 7 increases, and the heat dissipation may be further promoted.

  Further, when the cooling unit 8 is arranged farther from the heat exchanger 51 and closer to the front panel 46 or the back cover 47, the flow rate of the air (indoor suction air) flow passing through the cooling unit 8 is reduced to the heat radiating unit 7. In comparison, the temperature of the cooling fins 8b can be lowered to the dew point or less without the heat absorption capability being taken away by the passing air of the cooling unit 8.

  Furthermore, the heat radiating unit 7 is exposed to the air so that the wind can pass well, and the cooling unit 8 is covered with a water supply unit holding frame 60 to prevent excessive air inflow, and on the wind of the cooling fin 8b. Then, the passing air speed and the passing air volume are controlled by one or a plurality of air quantity adjusting holes 61 provided in the width direction.

  By constituting in this way, it is possible to sufficiently dissipate heat without reducing the volume of the heat dissipating part 7 and impairing the space saving, and sufficiently lower the temperature of the cooling part 8 to dry conditions such as during heating. But you can get condensed water.

  This effect can be obtained also when any of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 is installed on the windward side of the front upper heat exchanger 51a. However, the cooling unit 8 is located on the windward side of the front upper heat exchanger 51a. Since the wind passing through the air is fast, it is necessary to make the opening of the air amount adjustment hole 61 smaller. The purpose of adjusting the air amount is to reduce the air speed by lowering the air speed. Therefore, the air amount does not need to be the air amount adjusting hole 61, and the air amount may be adjusted by providing an obstructing rib or the like.

  Up to now, it has been explained that the water application electrode 2 made of a porous body is composed of a body part 28 for receiving water and a tip atomizing part 29 connected to the body part 28. The movement of water is smoother if the body 28 and the tip atomizing section 29 are integrally formed of the same material. However, the movement of the water is not necessarily integral, and the body section 28 is provided as a water retaining section for receiving water. Even if the tip atomizing portion 29 is connected and used, there is no problem as long as the tip atomizing portion 29 has a water carrying ability, and various effects described in the present embodiment can be obtained. Can do.

  Moreover, the automatic filter cleaning apparatus (not shown) which provided the brush and the pad in the top | upper surface direction of the electrostatic atomizer 100-500, or the dust box (not shown) which accommodates the dust scraped off by the automatic filter cleaning apparatus ), There is a possibility of dust falling on the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500, so that the water supply unit (heat dissipating unit 7, Peltier) is placed on the top surface of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500. A dust receiver may be provided so as to cover the unit 6 and the cooling unit 8).

  Moreover, when arrange | positioning the thermal radiation part 7 facing the heat exchanger 51, the electrostatic atomizer 100, the electrostatic atomizer 300 (modification 3), the electrostatic atomizer 400 (modification 4), static In the case of any one of the electroatomizers 500, as in the electrostatic atomizer 150 (modified example 1) shown in FIG. On the top, if it is provided so as to protrude in the direction opposite to the protruding direction of the cooling fin 8b, the electrostatic mist 1 can be quickly and surely guided to the blowout port 42 on the air flow having a large flow rate passing through the heat radiating portion 7. Can do.

  Thereby, many electrostatic mists 1 can be discharged from the outlet 42 in a short time from the start of operation of the air conditioner 50. In this case, a cage 30a is installed above the generation part of the electrostatic mist 1 as shown in FIG. 6 to suppress the passage of the air flow through the heat radiation part 7 to the generation part of the electrostatic mist 1. You should do it. Moreover, it is better to install the vertical wall 30b and to suppress the passage of the air flow through the cooling unit 8 to the generation part of the electrostatic mist 1.

  Since the water application electrode 2 is formed of a reducing metal, particularly a foam metal made of titanium, the amount of ozone generated by the discharge can be suppressed. It is blown out so that the user does not feel a strange odor or oxidize the user's human body that requires a moisturizing effect.

  In addition, as described above, even if radicals (active species) are generated along with discharge, they are short-lived and disappear, so that radicals are not blown out from the blowout opening 42 but are blown out. Since radicals are not included in the electrostatic mist 1, radicals do not oxidize the human body of the user who requires a moisturizing effect. Although charged, nanometer-sized pure water penetrates the user's skin, so that the moisturizing effect can be enhanced without adversely affecting the skin.

  Moreover, the electrostatic mist 1 produced | generated by either of the electrostatic atomizers 100-500 uses the water | moisture content in the air in the room | chamber interior in which the air conditioner 50 in which this electrostatic atomizer is mounted as a raw material. In other words, the moisture in the room air is condensed, which is atomized and released into the room, so that the absolute humidity in the room does not increase. Therefore, condensation due to the electrostatic mist 1 discharged to the indoor wall or window does not occur. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the evaporation of human skin moisture and increase the amount of skin epidermis moisture while avoiding the occurrence of mold on indoor walls due to condensation.

  In addition, indoor air is supplied to the Peltier unit 6 of the water supply unit by using the blower fan 43 of the air conditioner 50, and condensed water that becomes the electrostatic mist 1 is obtained there, and the conditioned air from the outlet 42 is supplied. Since the electrostatic mist 1 is provided (released) in the room by being transported in a blow-off flow, there is no need to provide a separate fan dedicated to the electrostatic atomizer, the structure of the electrostatic atomizer is simplified, and the space is small It can be set as the electrostatic atomizer which can also be installed.

  In addition, in the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500, a foam metal having a three-dimensional network structure has been used as the material of the water application electrode 2. For example, a ceramic or non-foaming general material that transports water by capillary action is used. Even if the water application electrode 2 is formed using another porous body such as a sintered metal or a resin foam, various effects due to the use of the foam metal cannot be obtained. 28 and the tip atomization section 29), the positional relationship between the cooling section 8 (water supply section) and the water application electrode 2, the installation angle of the water application electrode 2 and the installation angle of the cooling section 8, and the cooling section 8 It is possible to obtain the effect that the water generated in (1) can be quickly and efficiently led to the tip atomization unit 29 and a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 can be stably generated.

  1 Electrostatic mist, 2 water application electrode, 3 counter electrode, 3a opening, 3b lead wire, 3c screw, 4 high voltage power supply unit, 5 low voltage power supply unit, 6 Peltier unit, 6a lead wire, 7 heat dissipation unit, 7a heat dissipation Exposed part, 8 Cooling part, 8a Base plate, 8b Cooling fin, 10 Condensation water, 21 Pore, 22 Metal part, 25 Power supply terminal, 25a Lead wire, 26 Opening, 27 Opening, 28 Body part, 29 Tip atomizing part, 29a tip, 29b burr, 30 wind prevention wall, 30a ridge, 30b vertical wall, 40 drain pan, 41 suction port, 42 air outlet, 43 blower fan, 44 left and right wind direction plate, 45 top and bottom wind direction plate, 46 front panel, 47 back cover , 50 Air conditioner, 51 Heat exchanger, 51a Front upper heat exchanger, 51b Front lower heat exchanger, 51c Rear heat exchanger, 60 Supply unit holding frame, 60a Cooling unit storage unit, 60b Heat radiation unit storage unit, 60c Lead wire lead-out unit, 61 Air amount adjustment hole, 62 Blocking wall, 63 Cooling unit holding frame, 64 Claw, 70 Holding frame, 70a Grid, 70b Counter electrode holder, 80 sensor, 81 thermopile, 100 electrostatic atomizer, 150 electrostatic atomizer, 200 electrostatic atomizer, 300 electrostatic atomizer, 400 electrostatic atomizer, 500 electrostatic fog Device.

Claims (7)

An electrostatic mist is generated by having a water supply unit and a water application electrode for receiving water supplied from the water supply unit and applying the high voltage to atomize the water at the tip atomizing unit. An electrostatic atomizer that
The water supply unit is
Peltier unit,
A heat dissipating part in contact with the heat dissipating surface;
A cooling unit that is in contact with a cooling surface located on the opposite side of the heat dissipation surface and generates condensed water that serves as water to be supplied to the water application electrode;
A water supply part holding frame for holding the water supply part ,
The heat dissipating part and the cooling part are arranged in an air flow flowing from above to below,
The heat dissipating part is opened on the upstream side with respect to the passing air flow,
The cooling unit has a passing air amount limited by an air amount adjusting unit provided on the upstream side of the air flow passing therethrough ,
The water supply unit holding frame has a plurality of air amount adjustment holes serving as the air amount adjustment unit on the upstream side of the cooling unit,
The electrostatic atomizer characterized in that the air volume passing through the cooling unit is reduced by the plurality of air amount adjusting holes as compared with the air volume passing through the heat radiating unit . The water supply unit is located above the water application electrode in the direction of gravity,
The cooling unit has a cooling unit side base plate in contact with a cooling surface located on the opposite side of the heat radiating surface, and cools the air in the air flow whose passage air volume is limited by the air amount adjusting unit to a dew point or less. Generate the condensed water on the surface of the cooling unit side base plate,
The surface of the cooling unit side base plate is installed parallel to the direction of gravity, or is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the direction of gravity, and the cooling unit side base plate faces the condensed water by gravity. And is caused to drop toward the lower end of the surface, and the condensed water is dropped from the lower end of the surface to the water application electrode by gravity,
The electrostatic atomizer further includes:
An electrode holding frame for holding the water application electrode in a horizontal direction from below;
The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the electrode holding frame has an opening through which the air that has passed through the cooling unit is drawn downstream. The water application electrode includes a body part and a tip atomization part, and transports the condensed water that has fallen from the water supply part to the body part to the tip atomization part, and a voltage is applied to the condensation. Water is atomized by the tip atomization section,
The electrostatic atomizer further includes:
A vertical wall that suppresses the portion where the tip atomizing portion and the body portion of the water application electrode are connected from above,
The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 2, wherein the vertical wall prevents the air that has passed through the cooling unit from flowing into the tip atomizing unit. The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 3, wherein the water application electrode is installed in a horizontal direction with the body portion held from below by the electrode holding frame. The water application electrode is sandwiched between the water supply part holding frame and the vertical wall at a portion where the tip atomization part and the body part are connected,
5. The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 3, wherein the position where the condensed water falls from the water supply unit to the body of the water application electrode is an upper surface of the body. The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 2, wherein excessive water from the cooling unit is discharged downward from the opening. A suction port for breathing indoor air,
Heat exchange between the indoor air sucked from the suction port and the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle, and an inverted V-shaped heat exchanger that generates conditioned air from the indoor air;
A blowout port for blowing the conditioned air into the room;
A drain pan for receiving water condensed in the heat exchanger;
The electrostatic atomizer in any one of Claims 1-6 ,
With
An air conditioner that discharges the electrostatic mist generated by the electrostatic atomizer into the room together with the conditioned air from the outlet.