KR102236487B1 - Ionizer module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses an ionizer module that can be used in an air purifier and generates and releases ions by field emission of a discharge electrode. The ionizer module includes: a function generator providing a control signal; A high voltage converter configured to convert an input voltage into a positive high voltage and a negative high voltage in response to the control signal and output the positive high voltage and the negative high voltage; A first ion generating element having a positive discharge electrode, and generating positive ions by first field radiation caused by the positive high voltage at the positive discharge electrode; A second ion generating element having a negative discharge electrode and generating negative ions from the negative discharge electrode by second electric field radiation caused by the negative high voltage; And a fault detector that senses voltages of the positive and negative discharge electrodes, respectively, and provides a feedback voltage by sensing to the function generator, wherein the function generator has a level of the feedback voltage. When a predetermined error state is met, the operation of the high voltage converter is stopped by changing the control signal.

Description

Ionizer module {IONIZER MODULE}

The present invention relates to an ionizer module, and more particularly, to an ionizer module that can be used in an air purifier and generates and releases ions by field emission of a discharge electrode.

Indoor air quality used as a living space or work space has a significant impact on health and work efficiency. Therefore, air purifiers are widely used to improve indoor air quality.

Negative ions are known to have the effect of purifying indoor air, improving air quality, improving human mood, and reducing stress.

The air purifier may be configured to use an ionizer module that generates negative ions in order to provide a higher quality function.

The ionizer module is configured to apply a high voltage to the discharge electrode, and generates and discharges ions by field emission of the discharge electrode by the high voltage.

The discharge electrode of the ionizer module may be short-circuited due to a spark in a high voltage state, and a short circuit of the discharge electrode may act as a cause of generating a dangerous situation such as a fire.

Therefore, the ionizer module needs to be improved to have a control function corresponding to the short-circuit detection and short-circuit detection of the above-described discharge electrode in order to secure stable operation and reliability.

In addition, the ionizer module has difficulty in normally performing electric field emission and normally generating and discharging ions if the spacing between the positive and negative discharge electrodes is greater than or equal to a preset distance.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ionizer module employed in an air purifier or the like capable of detecting whether a discharge electrode corresponds to an error state such as a short circuit and preventing a dangerous situation such as a fire from occurring.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an ionizer module capable of stopping an operation when discharge electrodes are short-circuited or fall apart by a predetermined distance or more.

The ionizer module of the present invention includes: a function generator for providing a control signal; A high voltage converter configured to convert an input voltage into a positive high voltage and a negative high voltage in response to the control signal and output the positive high voltage and the negative high voltage; A first ion generating element having a positive discharge electrode, and generating positive ions by first field radiation caused by the positive high voltage at the positive discharge electrode; A second ion generating element having a negative discharge electrode and generating negative ions from the negative discharge electrode by second electric field radiation caused by the negative high voltage; And a fault detector that senses voltages of the positive and negative discharge electrodes, respectively, and provides a feedback voltage by sensing to the function generator, wherein the function generator has a level of the feedback voltage. When it corresponds to a preset error state, the operation of the high voltage converter is stopped by changing the control signal.

The present invention can detect whether a discharge electrode of an ionizer module corresponds to an error state such as a short circuit and prevent a dangerous situation such as a fire from occurring.

In addition, the ionizer module of the present invention may be controlled to stop the operation when the discharge electrodes are short-circuited or fall apart by a predetermined distance or more.

Therefore, the present invention has the effect of ensuring stable operation of the ionizer module and securing reliability.

1 is a circuit diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the ionizer module of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram illustrating a high voltage applied to a positive discharge electrode and a negative discharge electrode in the embodiment of FIG. 1.
3 is a table illustrating a case corresponding to a normal operation and an error state.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Terms used in the present specification and claims are not limited to a conventional or dictionary meaning and are not interpreted, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts consistent with the technical matters of the present invention.

Since the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all the technical spirit of the present invention, various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of the present application are There may be.

The ionizer module of the present invention may be implemented as shown in FIG. 1.

1 illustrates an operating voltage regulator 10, a micro computer unit (hereinafter, referred to as “MCU”) 20, a high voltage converter 30, ion generating elements 40, 42, and Includes a fault detector (50).

The embodiment of FIG. 1 uses an input voltage VHDD and has a ground electrode GND for grounding. The input voltage VDDH can be understood as a DC voltage.

The operating voltage regulator 10 is for converting the input voltage VDDH into an operating voltage VDD which is a DC voltage. The operating voltage regulator 10 may include elements such as a resistor (not shown), a Zener diode (not shown), and a capacitor (not shown). Typically, the resistor can be used to drop the input voltage VDDH to the operating voltage VDD, and the Zener diode and the capacitor can be used for regulating the operating voltage VDD to maintain a constant voltage.

The above-described operating voltage regulator 10 drops the input voltage VDDH to a lower operating voltage VDD, regulates the reduced operating voltage VDD, and provides the regulated operating voltage VDD for the operation of the MCU 20 to be described later. Is configured to In addition, the operating voltage VDD of the operating voltage regulator 10 may be used to output a control signal of the MCU 20 as described later.

The MCU 20 is configured as an example of a function generator. In the embodiment, the operation of the function generator corresponds to the operation of the MCU 20. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the function generator is indicated and described by the MCU 20.

The MCU 20 is operated using the operating voltage VDD provided from the operating voltage regulator 10.

The MCU 20 is configured to provide a control signal SC and receive a feedback voltage VFB. In the case of normal operation, the MCU 20 outputs a pulse of a preset frequency as a control signal SC, and when the level of the feedback voltage VFB corresponds to a preset error state, it stops outputting the pulse and changes the control signal SC to a constant voltage to output it. do. When the control signal SC is output as a pulse, the high voltage converter 30 to be described later operates normally. However, when the control signal SC is output as a constant voltage, the high voltage converter 30 to be described later stops converting the input voltage VDDH into a high voltage.

The MCU 20 may be configured to have a reference voltage of a preset level in order to determine an error state. When the level of the feedback voltage VFB exceeds the reference voltage, the MCU 20 determines that it is a normal operation, and when the feedback voltage VFB is less than the reference voltage, it determines that it is in an error state.

For example, the MCU 20 may be configured to have a reference voltage of 2V. In addition, when the level of the feedback voltage VFB exceeds 2V, the MCU 20 outputs a pulse of a specific frequency as a control signal SC for normal operation. In contrast, when the level of the feedback voltage VFB is 2V or less, the MCU 20 outputs a constant voltage as the control signal SC.

The MCU 20 may be configured to provide pulses using a timer (not shown) or an oscillator (not shown).

Meanwhile, the high voltage converter 30 is configured to convert the input voltage VDDH into a positive high voltage HV+ and a negative high voltage HV- in response to the control signal SC, and output positive high voltage HV+ and negative high voltage HV-.

To this end, the high voltage conversion unit 30 includes a switching circuit 32, a power conversion unit 34, and a clamping and rectifying unit 36.

The switching circuit 32 is configured to periodically switch in response to a pulse input as a control signal SC in normal operation, and to stop switching in response to a constant voltage input as a control signal SC in an error state.

To this end, the switching circuit 32 includes a first switch Q1 and a second switch T1.

The first switch Q1 is configured as a low voltage gate driving circuit for driving the gate of the second switch T1. In addition, the second switch Q1 may be formed of an NPN bipolar transistor.

The first switch Q1 is connected to the resistors R1 to R4 to function as a low voltage gate driving circuit.

The collector of the first switch Q1 and the gate of the second switch T1 are configured to apply the input voltage VDDH through the resistor R4. The emitter of the first switch Q1 is connected to the ground electrode GND. In addition, the base of the first switch Q1 is connected to receive the control signal SC of the MCU 20 through the resistor R2. In addition, the base of the first switch Q1 is configured to receive the operating voltage VDD, that is, a constant voltage, of the operating voltage regulator 10 through the resistor R1. In addition, a resistor R3 is formed between the base of the first switch Q1 and the emitter.

According to the above configuration, the first switch Q1 is periodically switched in response to a control signal SC having a pulse applied to the base or is turned on in response to a control signal SC of a constant voltage applied to the base to stop switching. I can.

In addition, the second switch T1 may be exemplarily configured as a MOSFET.

The gate of the second switch T1 is configured to apply a voltage according to periodic switching or turning on of the first switch Q1. In addition, the drain of the second switch T1 is connected to the primary side of the power conversion unit 34 implemented as a winding type transformer, and the source of the second switch T1 is connected to the ground electrode GND. A capacitor C1 is connected between the drain and the source of the first switch T1. The second switch T1 is turned on when the input voltage VDDH is applied to the gate through the resistor R4 by the turn-off of the first switch Q1, and the gate is turned off by the turn-off of the first switch Q2. Is turned off when the voltage drops to the voltage level of the ground electrode GND.

According to the above configuration, the second switch T1 is periodically switched in conjunction with the periodic switching of the first switch Q1, thereby controlling the power conversion unit 34 to convert the input voltage VDDH into a high voltage, or the first switch. The power conversion unit 34 is controlled to stop converting the input voltage VDDH into a high voltage in conjunction with stopping the switching of (Q1).

On the other hand, as an embodiment of the present invention, the power conversion unit 34 illustrates a winding type transformer. Therefore, the second switch T1 is connected to the winding L1 forming the primary side of the power conversion unit 34. Although not specifically shown, when the power conversion unit 34 is composed of a piezoelectric transformer, it may be understood that the second switch T1 is configured on the input side of an inductor (not shown) and a capacitor (not shown). .

The power conversion unit 34 is composed of a winding type transformer having a primary side and a secondary side. A wound transformer can be understood as a flyback converter. Here, the primary side may be understood as the winding L1, and the secondary side may be understood as the winding L2.

The power conversion unit 34 composed of a winding-type transformer controls the current flow of the winding L1 on the primary side to which the input voltage VDDH is applied by periodic switching of the switching circuit 32, and at the primary side to which the input voltage is applied. Current induction is performed to the secondary side. As a result, the high voltage boosted to the secondary winding (L2) is output according to the turns ratio between the windings (L1, L2). And, the power converter 34 induces a current when the switching of the switching circuit 32 is stopped. Is stopped.

That is, the power conversion unit 34 converts the input voltage VDDH to a high voltage by periodic switching of the switching circuit 32, and stops converting the input voltage VDDH to the high voltage when switching of the switching circuit 32 is stopped. .

In addition, as shown in detail, when the power conversion unit 34 is composed of a piezoelectric transformer, the piezoelectric transformer is an inductor (not shown) and a capacitor (not shown) by periodic switching of the switching circuit 32. It is possible to stop boosting the input voltage VDDH to a high voltage by outputting a high voltage boosting the input voltage VDDH according to energy accumulation due to the action of (not) or by stopping the switching of the switching circuit 32.

Meanwhile, the clamping and rectifying unit 36 converts the high voltage of the power conversion unit 34 into direct current or alternating current required by the first ion generating element 40 and the second ion generating element 42 to provide positive high voltage HV+ and negative high voltage. It is configured to output HV-.

For the implementation of the present invention, it can be understood that the clamping and rectifying unit 36 outputs a high positive high voltage HV+ and a negative high voltage HV- in a waveform as shown in FIG. 2.

The clamping and rectifying unit 36 applies the positive high voltage HV+ to the positive discharge electrode (not shown) of the first ion generating element 40 through the positive node TP, and applies the negative high voltage HV- through the negative node TN. It is configured to apply to a negative discharge electrode (not shown) of the second ion generating element 42.

On the other hand, the first ion generating element 40 includes a positive discharge electrode, and generates positive ions by first electric field radiation by a positive high voltage HV+ in the positive discharge electrode.

Further, the second ion generating element 42 includes a negative discharge electrode, and generates negative ions by second electric field radiation by a negative high voltage HV- in the negative discharge electrode.

Here, the positive high voltage HV+ may be applied at an exemplary level of 3.5KV, and the negative high voltage HV- may be applied at an exemplary level of -4KV.

The first ion generating element 40 and the second ion generating element 42 may be composed of a carbon fiber brush, a needle electrode, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), and the like, respectively, to prevent electric field radiation by high voltage. And a discharge electrode that generates negative ions.

For example, when the first ion generating element 40 and the second ion generating element 42 are formed of carbon fiber brushes, electric field emission is possible at a low voltage, no contaminant deposition occurs, and the discharge space is small. It can have the advantage of being less likely to occur in the morning.

Meanwhile, the fault detector 50 may be understood as having a third sensing resistor, a feedback capacitor Cd, and a feedback resistor Rd as basic components, and in consideration of electrical characteristics, the first sensing resistor RP, A second sensing resistor RN and a diode D1 may additionally be included.

The first sensing resistor RP is connected to the positive discharge electrode of the first ion generating element 40 through the positive node TP, and senses the voltage of the positive discharge electrode. That is, the first sensing resistor RP outputs the first sensing voltage of the positive discharge electrode.

In addition, the second sensing resistor RN is connected to the negative discharge electrode of the second ion generating element 42 through the negative node TN, and senses the voltage of the negative discharge electrode. That is, the second sensing resistor RN outputs the second sensing voltage of the negative discharge electrode.

The third sensing resistor RC is configured such that a first sensing voltage of the first sensing resistor RP is applied to one end and a second sensing voltage of the second sensing resistor RN is applied to the other end.

The diode D1 is connected to one end of the third sensing resistor RC, and controls the current corresponding to the voltage difference between both ends of the third sensing resistor RC to flow in one direction in the direction of the feedback capacitor Cd, and is reversed. Shut off the flow.

The feedback capacitor Cd is configured in parallel with the third sensing resistor RC, and is configured to charge the feedback voltage VFB corresponding to the current delivered through the diode D1.

Further, the feedback resistor Rd is connected in parallel with the feedback capacitor Cd, and is configured to apply a feedback voltage VFB to the MCU 20 which is a function generator.

According to the above configuration, the fault detector 50 senses voltages of the positive discharge electrode of the first ion generating element 40 and the negative discharge electrode of the second ion generating element 42, respectively, and the feedback voltage VFB by sensing. May be provided to the MCU 20.

The operation of the present invention configured as described above will be described.

First, the ionizer module can be classified into a case of operating in a normal state and a case of entering an error state.

In the normal state, the function generator, the MCU 20, provides a pulse as a control signal. In addition, the high voltage converter 30 converts the input voltage VDDH into a positive high voltage HV+ and a negative high voltage HV- by a periodic switching operation corresponding to a pulse that is a control signal SC. Further, the first ion generating element 40 generates positive ions by performing first electric field radiation by a positive high voltage HV+ applied to the positive discharge electrode, and the second ion generating element 42 generates a negative electrode applied to the negative discharge electrode. Second electric field radiation by high voltage HV- is performed to generate negative ions.

Referring to FIG. 3, even if the input voltage VDDH is changed to 11V to 13V in a normal state, the feedback voltage VFB applied to the MCU 20 maintains a normal 2.2V.

The MCU 20 may set a reference voltage of 2.0V to determine the error state, and the MCU 20 determines that the feedback voltage VFB is in a normal state and provides a pulse as a control signal SC because the level of the feedback voltage VFB exceeds 2.0V. In addition, the operation of the high voltage converter 30 is normally performed, and generation of positive ions and generation of negative ions are performed normally.

The error state of the ionizer module of the present invention can be classified into four cases as shown in FIG. 3. That is, in the error state, in the first case where the positive discharge electrode and the negative discharge electrode are separated by a predetermined distance or more, in the second case in which the positive discharge electrode and the ground electrode GND are short-circuited, the negative discharge electrode and the ground electrode GND are It may be divided into a third case short-circuited, and a fourth case in which the positive discharge electrode and the negative discharge electrode are short-circuited.

The potential difference between the levels of the positive high voltage HV+ and the negative high voltage HV- is abnormal in the first case where the positive discharge electrode and the negative discharge electrode are separated by more than a preset distance and the second to fourth cases in which a short circuit occurs between the electrodes. As a result, the level of the feedback voltage VFB is formed to be 2.0V or less which is the reference voltage as shown in FIG.

Due to the above-described error state, when a feedback voltage VFB having a low level of 2.0 V or less is applied, the MCU 20 provides a high level, that is, a constant voltage of the operating voltage VDD level as a control signal SC, and the high voltage converter 30 The operation is stopped by turning on the first switch Q1 and turning off the second switch T1. In other words, the generation of cations and anions is stopped.

The ionizer module configured in the embodiment of the present invention may be stopped in response to a short circuit of the discharge electrode or an error state in which the discharge electrodes are separated by a predetermined distance or more as described above.

Therefore, the ionizer module implemented according to the present invention can prevent the occurrence of a dangerous situation such as a fire due to an error state such as a short circuit in the discharge electrode.

Accordingly, the present invention has the advantage of ensuring a stable operation of the ionizer module and ensuring reliability by preventing the occurrence of a dangerous situation.

Claims (10)

A function generator that provides a control signal;
A high voltage converter configured to convert an input voltage into a positive high voltage and a negative high voltage in response to the control signal and output the positive high voltage and the negative high voltage;
A first ion generating element having a positive discharge electrode, and generating positive ions by first field radiation caused by the positive high voltage at the positive discharge electrode;
A second ion generating element having a negative discharge electrode and generating negative ions from the negative discharge electrode by second electric field radiation caused by the negative high voltage; And
A fault detector that senses voltages of the positive and negative discharge electrodes, respectively, and provides a feedback voltage corresponding to a voltage difference between the positive and negative discharge electrodes by sensing to the function generator; And,
And the function generator stops the operation of the high voltage converter by changing the control signal when the level of the feedback voltage corresponds to an error state that is less than or equal to a preset reference voltage. The method of claim 1,
The function generator provides a pulse as the control signal in normal operation, and stops providing the pulse when the level of the feedback voltage corresponds to the error state. delete The method of claim 1, wherein the high voltage conversion unit,
A switching circuit that periodically switches in response to a pulse input as the control signal in normal operation, and stops switching in response to a constant voltage input as the control signal in the error state;
A power conversion unit converting the input voltage to the high voltage by switching of the switching circuit and stopping converting the input voltage to the high voltage when switching of the switching circuit is stopped; And
And a clamping and rectifying unit configured to output the positive high voltage and the negative high voltage by converting the high voltage of the power conversion unit into direct current or alternating current required by the first ion generating element and the second ion generating element. The method of claim 4, wherein the switching circuit,
A first switch that periodically switches in response to the pulse input as the control signal or stops switching in response to the constant voltage input as the control signal; And
Controlling the power converter to convert the input voltage to the high voltage by periodically switching in conjunction with the periodic switching of the first switch, or converting the input voltage to the high voltage in conjunction with stopping the switching of the first switch. Ionizer module including; a second switch for controlling the power conversion unit to stop. The method of claim 4,
The power conversion unit is composed of a winding type transformer,
The winding-type transformer outputs the high voltage boosted according to the turns ratio by performing current induction from the primary side to which the input voltage is applied to the secondary side by periodic switching of the switching circuit, and when switching of the switching circuit is stopped. Ionizer module to stop the current induction. The method of claim 4,
The power conversion unit is composed of a piezoelectric transformer,
The piezoelectric transformer outputs the high voltage by boosting the input voltage by resonance through periodic switching of the switching circuit, and stops the boosting when switching of the switching circuit is stopped. The method of claim 1,
In a first case where the positive discharge electrode and the negative discharge electrode are separated by a predetermined distance or more, a second case in which the positive discharge electrode and the ground electrode are short-circuited, a third case in which the negative discharge electrode and the ground electrode are short-circuited, And a reference voltage for determining at least one of a fourth case in which the positive discharge electrode and the negative discharge electrode are short-circuited as the error state is set,
The function generator is an ionizer module that determines that the feedback voltage corresponds to the error state when the level of the feedback voltage is less than or equal to the reference voltage. The method of claim 1, wherein the fault detector,
A first sensing resistor sensing a voltage of the positive discharge electrode;
A second sensing resistor sensing the voltage of the negative discharge electrode;
A third sensing resistor to which a first sensing voltage of the first sensing resistor is applied to one end and a second sensing voltage of the second sensing resistor is applied to the other end;
A diode controlling a current corresponding to a voltage difference between both ends of the third sensing resistor to flow in one direction;
A feedback capacitor charging the feedback voltage corresponding to the current delivered through the diode; And
And a feedback resistor connected in parallel with the feedback capacitor and applying the feedback voltage to the function generator. The method of claim 1, wherein the fault detector,
A sensing resistor sensing a voltage difference between the positive discharge electrode and the negative discharge electrode;
A feedback capacitor charging the feedback voltage corresponding to a current corresponding to the voltage difference of the sensing resistor; And
And a feedback resistor connected in parallel with the feedback capacitor and providing the feedback voltage to the function generator.

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