WO2002095888A1

WO2002095888A1 - Air conditioner ion generator

Info

Publication number: WO2002095888A1
Application number: PCT/IL2002/000405
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ilan Goldman
Original assignee: Electra Consumer Products Ltd.
Priority date: 2001-05-22
Filing date: 2002-05-22
Publication date: 2002-11-28
Also published as: WO2002095888A8; IL143317A0

Abstract

An ion generator (12) is configured to allow its attachment to the unmodified indoor-section of an air conditioning unit (10). The ion generator (12) has a) an ion gun located proximate to the path of an air stream exiting the condenser unit of the air conditioner, the ion gun has at least one sharp needle (24); b) two parts (30, 36) metallic duct casing (22) electrically isolated from the needle (24); c) a high power supply (48) connected to the needle (24) to cause a corona discharge and the generation of ions, the power supply (48) is disposed remotely from the sharp needle (24); and d) a low voltage power supply (62) connected to the first part (30) of the metallic duct (22).

Description

AIR CONDITIONER ION GENERATOR

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to improvements in air conditioners.

More particularly, the invention provides an ion generator of novel configuration allowing its attachment to the unmodified indoor-section of an air conditioner unit. The present specification includes some elements which have been previously disclosed in Israel Patent No. 119613 to Riskin, entitled: "METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ION GENERATION"., which however makes no reference to the various problems arising in integrating such device in the limited space available in a standard air conditioner unit.

It has long been known that negative ions in the air promote a feeling of well-being. While ions are produced in nature, particularly in the vicinity of waterfalls and the seaside, the quantity of ions found in homes and offices is so low as to be negligible. Accordingly, many stand-alone ionizers have been produced and marketed, to supply artificially generated ions in homes and workplaces. In particular, it has been found that dental patients are much calmer and relaxed while under treatment when an ionizer is in use in the surgery. Manufacturers claim that the devices eliminate unpleasant odors, cigarette smoke, bacteria and more. Be that as it may, what is certain is that ionized air provides a discharge path for static electricity, which is a major problem during the manufacture of non-conducting materials such as textiles, glass, plastic film and paper. An annoying property of static electricity is that charged surfaces attract airborne dust which adheres firmly thereto. Ionized air in contact with such surfaces eliminates the problem.

Zenion, a manufacturer of ionizers, claims that the devices alleviate problems such as excessive fatigue, dizziness, nausea, dry eyes and other complaints reported by those spending much time opposite a computer screen or television receiver. The screen of the video monitor, being positively charged, destroys any negative ions in its vicinity. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH magazine reported in March 2000 that B.W.Mitchell used an ionizer system to reduce dust in poultry areas thereby to reduce airborne salmonella, thus reducing disease incidence.

Ionizers are also in use in closed motor vehicles for prevention of car sickness and as an aid in keeping drivers more alert, thus making an important contribution in reducing road accidents.

Whether or not claims regarding odor elimination are substantiated, there is no doubt that people do function more productively and feel better when the air they breathe contains large quantities of negative ions. Stand alone ionizers however have disadvantages - the devices consume floor space and add one more appliance to the clutter of the modern home and office. Secondly, such devices generate ozone, which gas although having uses for disinfection, is inimical to human health. UL 867 "STANDARD FOR ELECTROSTATIC AIR CLEANERS" limits ozone to 0.050 PPM for health reasons. To reduce home and office clutter, some manufacturers of air conditioners - Toshiba, and

Corona among others - are offering ionizers as part of the indoor portion of the air conditioning unit.

Tests carried out on prior-art ionizer devices by the present inventor have shown that only in the range below 2 meters from the device does the air carry any beneficial quantity of the negative ions generated by prior art air conditioners. At a distance of above 3 meters away the number of ions contained in the air is negligible.

An ion generator for mounting on an air duct is disclosed by Joannu in US Patent No.

5,518,531. The device is intended to improve the performance of a downstream air filter, and is not intended for air conditioning. An ionizer disclosed by Ford et al. in US Patent no. 5,535,089 is intended to reduce soot accumulation on wall and ceiling surfaces. Air channels are provided for dispersal of generated ions in a room. The device is of the stand-alone type.

The "Electro-kinetic air transporter-conditioner" disclosed by Taylor et al. in US Patent

No. 6,176,977 is similar in principal to Israel Patent No. 119613 to Riskin, entitled: "METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ION GENERATION". However the Taylor device is much too bulky for integration into the indoor unit of an existing air conditioner. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to obviate the disadvantages of prior art ion generators and to provide an ionizer which can be fitted into an existing air conditioner without enlarging its outer envelope.

It is a further object of the present invention to improve ion distribution, particularly at distances of above 3 meters from the source.

It is a further object of the present invention to reduce the speed of the ions when released to improve ion quantities. Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide ions without releasing objectionable quantities of ozone into the space being air conditioned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention achieves the above objects by providing a device for the production of ions and for their dispersion in a defined space for use in an air conditioner, the device comprising a) an ion gun arranged for location proximate to the path of an air stream exiting the condenser unit of an air conditioner, the ion gun comprising of at least one sharp needle disposed i ; b) a two parts metallic duct casing electrically isolated therefrom; and

c) a high voltage power supply electrically connected to, the needle to cause a corona discharge and the generation of ions therefrom, the power supply being disposed remotely from the sharp needle,

d) a low voltage power supply electrically connected to said first part of said metallic duct.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a device for the production and dispersion of ions wherein the duct casing has a width not exceeding 11 mm. In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a device for the production and dispersion of ions wherein the duct casing is divided into two sections isolated from each other, including said sharp needle to serve as a first electrode. The high voltage power source is arranged to supply the electrode with a direct voltage of the same polarity. The low voltage power source is connected to the first part at the metallic duct adapted to reduce the speed of ion travel. The high voltage to the electrode only being pulsed, the duration of the pulses being less than the time taken for a negative ion stream to travel from the electrode to the first part of metallic duct casing. The slowed down ions are swept into the air stream generated by the blower of the condenser unit of the air conditioner and distributed into the space being air conditioned.

Yet further embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter.

It will thus be realized that the novel device of the present invention makes use of the air stream generated by the large blower existing in the indoor evaporator unit to improve ion distribution so that the benefits therefrom can be received even at a range of above 3 meters from the air conditioner, which is not possible with prior-art air conditioners. By minimizing the cross-sectional dimensions of the ion gun, and by distancing the high voltage generator from the operating area of the gun, it has been found possible to make a ion generator small enough to avoid increasing the outer envelope of the condenser unit. Aside from the tooling costs saved thereby, the possibility of retrofit assembly to air conditioners already in use is expected to prove a valuable commercial asset. Little need be the about the advantages of an integrated unit relative to a stand alone model - floor space is saved, house or office cleaning is easier and there is one less electric cord needing a wall socket.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described further with reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent by example preferred embodiments of the invention. Structural details are shown only as far as necessary for a fundamental understanding thereof. The described examples, together with the drawings, will make apparent to those skilled in the art how further forms of the invention may be realized:

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the ionizer according to the invention installed on an air conditioner; FIG. 2a is a perspective view of the device;

FIG. 2b is a sectional view of part of an air conditioner showing the device assembled to an unmodified indoor unit;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the embodiment seen in FIG. 2a; and

FIG. 4 is a graphical comparison of performance of various ionizers.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

There is seen FIG. 1 a part of an indoor unit 10 of an air conditioner. A device 12 for the production of ions and for their dispersion in a defined space under the control of the air conditioner is seen assembled thereto. A cold air stream blows out of the indoor unit 10 near its lowest extremity 14 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the face of the drawing.

The outer dimensions of the indoor unit 10 remain the same as before the addition of the ion generating device 12, which is connected by a cable 16 to the electrical system existing in the indoor unit. The figure shows an indicator light 18 and an on-off switch 20 provided for the generating device 12. The device 12 which will be seen in detail in following figures.

With reference to the rest of the figures, similar reference numerals have been used to identify similar parts. Referring now to FIGS. 2a and 2b, there is seen the device 12 for the production and dispersion of ions wherein the duct casing 22 , is divided into two parts 30 and 36 being isolated from each other and has a width of 10.5 mm.

FIG. 2a shows the duct casing 22. the ion exit aperture 24, the indicator light 18 and the on/off switch 20.

FIG. 2b shows the device 12 arranged for location proximate to and projecting into the path of a strong air stream 26 generated by the air-conditioner blower (not seen) and exiting the indoor condenser unit 10 of an air conditioner.

FIG. 3 shows a practical embodiment and constructional details of the device 12 for the production and dispersion of ions. The ion generator comprises a sharp needle 28, which will also be referred to as the first electrode, disposed in the first section 30 of metallic duct casing 22, and is electrically isolated from the needle 28, and from the second section 36 of casing 22. A high voltage power supply produced by a transformer 32 is electrically connected to the needle 28 to cause a corona discharge and the generation of ions therefrom. The first section 30 of the metallic duct is electrically connected to a low voltage power supply while the second section 36 of casing 22 functions as a ground terminal. The high voltage power circuit is arranged to supply to electrode 28, a direct voltage of the same polarity.

The high voltage to the electrode (the needle 28) only is pulsed. Pulsing generates an electric field and a high speed ion stream one at time. Due to the differential voltage potential between needle 28 (6Kv) and first section 30 (200v) the ions are slowed down at opening 24 and moving at a reduced speed towards the ground terminal 36 as illustrated by elotted lines 34. The duration of the pulses is less than the time taken for a negative ion stream to travel from the first electrode 28 to the first section 30 of the metallic duct casing 22.

The slowed down ions 34 are swept up in the air stream generated by the blower of the condenser unit (not seen) of the air conditioner and distributed into the space being air conditioned. FIG. 4 graphically illustrates the performance of some prior-art devices in comparison with performance of a prototype constructed according to the present invention. The ah conditioner of the present invention (PI, round dots on the graph) provided with a device for the production and dispersion of ions, at a distance of 2.5 meters from the condenser unit of the air conditioner, provides at least 10,000 ions per cubic centimeter of air are present when the air conditioner is in operation. Prototype test gave a value of 12,977 ions/cubic cm.

At a distance of 3.5 meters from the condenser unit of the air conditioner at least 6,000 ions per cubic centimeter of air are present when the air conditioner is in operation. The prototype test result was 7183 ions/cubic cm.

The scope of the described invention is intended to include all embodiments coming within the meaning of the following claims. The foregoing examples illustrate useful forms of the invention, but are not to be considered as limiting its scope, as those skilled in the art will readily be aware that additional variants and modifications of the invention can be formulated without departing from the meaning of the following claims.

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. A device for the production of ions and for their dispersion in a defined space, the device being arranged to be assembled in an air conditioner, said device comprising a) an ion gun arranged for location proximate to the path of an air stream exiting the condenser unit of an air conditioner, said ion gun comprising of at least one sharp needle disposed in; b) a two part metallic duct casing electrically isolated from said needle; and c) a high voltage power supply electrically connected to said needle to cause a corona discharge and the generation of ions therefrom, said power supply being disposed remotely from said sharp needle, and d) a low voltage power supply electrically connected to said first part of said metallic duct.

2. The device for the production and dispersion of ions as claimed in claim 1, wherein said duct casing has a width not exceeding 11 mm.

3. The device for the production and dispersion of ions as claimed in claim 1, wherein said high voltage is about 6 kV.

4._The device for the production and dispersion of ions as claimed in claim 1 wherein said low voltage is about 200v.

5. The device for the production and dispersion of ions as claimed in claim 1, wherein said duct casing is divided into two parts isolated one from each other, including said sharp needle to serve as a first electrode, and the second part of said duct casing as ground terminal, said high voltage power source being arranged to supply the electrode a direct voltage of the same polarity, said low voltage being arranged to create the differential voltage potential between said needle and said first section of_said metallic duct,_the high voltage to said electrode only being pulsed, the duration of said pulses being less than the time taken for a negative ion stream to travel from said electrode to said first part of said metallic duct casing, said slowed down ions being swept into the air stream generated by the blower of said condenser unit of said air conditioner and distributed into the space being air conditioned.

6. The device for the production and dispersion of ions as claimed in claim 5, wherein ozone rich air is disposed of to the outside atmosphere and no filter is provided.

7. The device for the production and dispersion of ions as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pulses have a duration of about 1 microsecond, an amplitude of about 6 kV.

8. An air conditioner provided with a device for the production and dispersion of ions as claimed in claim 1, wherein at a distance of 2.5 meters from the condenser unit of said air conditioner at least 10,000 ions per cubic centimeter of air are present when said air conditioner is in operation.

9. An air conditioner provided with a device for the production and dispersion of ions as claimed in claim 1, wherein at a distance of 3.5 meters from the condenser unit of said air conditioner at least 6,000 ions per cubic centimeter of air are present when said air conditioner is in operation.

10. An air conditioner provided with a device for the production and dispersion of ions as claimed in claim 5, wherein the space being air conditioned contains less than 0.040 parts per million ozone when said air conditioner is in operation.