WO2013015092A1

WO2013015092A1 - Ion content measurement device, ion content measurement method, and ion generation device

Info

Publication number: WO2013015092A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/067272
Authority: WO
Inventors: 松井　裕文
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2011-07-27
Filing date: 2012-07-06
Publication date: 2013-01-31
Also published as: JP2013029385A

Abstract

Provided are: an ion content measurement device that reduces the effect of leakage current and can highly precisely measure ion content; an ion content measurement method; and an ion generation device. The ion content measurement device has: a collection electrode (86) that collects ions generated by an ion generation unit (6); a measurement unit (87) that measures the potential of the collection electrode (86); and a CPU (81) that causes the ion generation unit (6) to be in an operating state for generating ions or a non-operating state for not generating ions. The ion content is calculated and measured on the basis of the difference between the measurement results of the measurement unit (87) during the period in which the ion generation unit (6) is in the operating state, and the measurement results of the measurement unit (87) during the period in which the ion generation unit (6) is in the non-operating state.

Description

Ion content measuring apparatus, ion content measuring method, and ion generator

The present invention relates to an ion amount measuring device and an ion amount measuring method for measuring the amount of ions in the air, and an ion generator equipped with this ion amount measuring device.

In recent years, the generation of ions that generate positive ions and negative ions, send out air containing these ions, and purify the air by removing suspended matters such as fine particles and bacteria floating in the air in the space where the ions are sent out. An apparatus and an air conditioner including the same have been put into practical use. The ion generator has two electrodes facing each other through a dielectric, and a discharge plasma is generated between the electrodes by applying a voltage from a high voltage generation circuit that generates a voltage of several kV between the two electrodes. H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m (m is a natural number) and O ^2- (H ₂ O) _n (n is a natural number) as negative ions are generated in the air in substantially the same amount. It is like that.

The generated positive ions and negative ions are generated by ionizing water vapor in the air with discharge plasma, and a plurality of water molecules are present around hydrogen ions (H ⁺ ) or oxygen ions (O ²⁻ ). It is in the form of a so-called cluster ion. These ions released into the air chemically react with suspended particulates or suspended bacteria to form hydrogen peroxide water H ₂ O ₂ or hydroxyl radicals / OH as active substances, and oxidize to extract hydrogen from suspended particulates or suspended bacteria. By carrying out the reaction, it is possible to inactivate suspended particulates or to sterilize suspended bacteria and clean the air.

However, since positive ions and negative ions generated by the ion generator are colorless and transparent and tasteless and odorless, the amount of positive ions and negative ions in the air (hereinafter referred to as “ion amount”) is a desired quantity. Alternatively, it is difficult for the user to confirm whether or not the concentration has been reached. Therefore, it is desirable to mount an ion amount measuring device that measures the amount of positive ions and negative ions contained in the air and presents the ion amount to the user.

As an ion amount measuring device, for example, an air ion measuring device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The air ion measuring device measures each charge of a charge collector plate that collects positive ions and a charge collector plate that collects negative ions, and calculates the amount of positive ions or negative ions in the air. The amount of positive ions and negative ions can be calculated simultaneously.

Patent Document 2 discloses an ion sensor having a collection electrode. In the ion sensor, a minute ion current is generated by the ions collected by the collection electrode, and the ion current is amplified by the amplification circuit unit to obtain an output voltage corresponding to the number of collected ions. The amount can be measured.

JP 2003-194777 A JP 2003-336872 A

However, in the ion amount measuring devices disclosed in

Patent Documents

1 and 2, the current due to the ions collected on the charge collector plate or the collecting electrode is very small, ranging from pA (picoampere) to nA (nanoampere). Although it is a current and various minute noise components are at a level that does not cause a problem in a general circuit, it has a great influence on the current measurement of such pA to nA. For example, the value of the measured ion current is greatly changed by power supply noise synchronized with the frequency of the power supply, static electricity when a person approaches, electromagnetic noise generated from a motor, circuit leakage current, and the like. Some noise components are removed by solutions such as sampling averaging, differential operational amplifiers, or shielding materials, but circuit leakage currents cannot be removed by the above solutions. In particular, the value of the leakage current of a circuit may vary depending on the environment such as individual variations of operational amplifiers in the circuit, mounting conditions such as board soldering, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. May interfere. For this reason, removal of the leakage current generated in the circuit has been a problem in the conventional ion amount measurement.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the influence of leakage current and to measure an ion amount with high accuracy and an ion amount It is in providing a measuring method and an ion generator.

An ion amount measuring apparatus according to the present invention is the ion amount measuring apparatus having a collecting electrode for collecting ions generated by an ion generator, and a measuring means for measuring a potential of the collecting electrode. A control unit that causes the ionizer to be in an operating state in which ions are generated or in a non-operating state in which ions are not generated, the measurement result by the measuring unit during a period in which the ion generator is in an operating state, and the ion generator It is characterized in that the ion amount is calculated and measured based on the difference between the measurement results obtained by the measurement means during the non-operating state.

In the present invention, the ion amount measuring device has a collecting electrode, a measuring means, and a control means. In the ion amount measuring device, the ions generated by the ion generator are collected by the collecting electrode, the ion generator is activated or deactivated by the control means, and the collecting electrode is The potential is measured, and the result measured during the period when the ion generator is in the non-operating state is used as a correction value, and this correction value is subtracted from the result measured during the period during which the ion generator is operating. Obtaining and calculating the amount of ions based on the difference. Thereby, the influence by a leakage current is eliminated, an ion current is obtained, and the amount of ions can be measured with high accuracy.

The ion amount measuring apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the control means causes the ion generator to be in a non-operating state when the operating state of the ion generator continues for a predetermined time.

In the present invention, the ion amount measuring device causes the ion generator to be changed from the operating state to the non-operating state when the operation state of the ion generator continues for a predetermined time by the control means, and the measurement means By measuring the leakage current, even if the leakage current of the circuit changes according to the environment, the influence of the leakage current can be accurately grasped, and the ion amount can be measured with high accuracy.

The ion content measuring apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the time during which the operation state continues is different from the time during which the non-operation state continues.

In the present invention, the ion amount measuring apparatus controls the time during which the operating state continues to be different from the time during which the non-operating state continues, thereby shortening the measurement time that does not require time if necessary. Thus, the efficiency of ion amount measurement can be increased.

The ion amount measuring device according to the present invention measures the number of times the ion generator measures the period when the ion generator is in an operating state and the measuring means measures the period when the ion generator is in a non-operating state. It is characterized by being different from the number of times.

In the present invention, in the ion amount measuring device, the number of times the ion generator measures the period when the ion generator is in the operating state is different from the number of times the ion generator measures the period when the ion generator is in the non-operating state. By controlling in this way, the number of times of measurement in each period can be set as necessary, and the efficiency of ion amount measurement can be increased.

The ion amount measuring apparatus according to the present invention measures once by the measuring means during a period in which the ion generator is in a non-operating state, and by the measuring means during a period in which the ion generator is in an operating state. It is characterized by being measured a plurality of times.

In the present invention, the ion amount measuring device measures the potential of the collection electrode once during the period when the ion generator is in the non-operating state, and continues to use the measured result as a correction value for a certain period of time. The measurement time can be shortened, and the uncomfortable feeling due to the discontinuity of the operation of the ion generator can be suppressed.

The ion content measuring apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by having means for removing noise.

In the present invention, the ion amount measuring apparatus has means for removing noise, so that the influence of leakage current and the influence of other noise components can be eliminated.

An ion generator according to the present invention includes an ion generator that generates ions and the ion amount measuring device, and the amount of ions generated by the ion generator is measured by the ion amount measuring device. It is characterized by being.

In the present invention, the ion generator includes an ion generator that generates ions and the ion amount measuring device, and the amount of ions generated by the ion generator is measured by the ion amount measuring device.

The ion generator according to the present invention has a display means for displaying a measurement result of the ion content measuring apparatus.

In the present invention, the ion generator has display means for displaying the measurement result of the ion content measurement device, so that the information related to the measured ion content can be presented to the user.

An ion amount measuring method according to the present invention is a method for collecting ions generated by an ion generator and measuring an electric potential by the collected ions, wherein the ion generator is operated in an ion generating state. Or a difference between a measurement result measured during a period when the ion generator is in an operating state and a measurement result measured during a period when the ion generator is in a non-operating state. Based on this, the ion amount is calculated and measured.

In the present invention, the ions generated by the ion generator are collected, the ion generator is made to be in an operating state or a non-operating state, the potential of the collecting electrode is measured, and the ion generator is in a non-operating state. The measurement result is taken as the correction value, and the difference between the measurement results is obtained by subtracting this correction value from the result measured during the period when the ion generator is in the operating state, and the ion amount is calculated based on the difference. To do. Thereby, the influence by a leakage current is eliminated, an ion current is obtained, and the amount of ions can be measured with high accuracy.

In the present invention, the ion generator is brought into an operating state or a non-operating state, and the measurement result by the measuring unit during the period in which the ion generator is in the operating state and the measurement by the measuring unit during the period in which the ion generator is in the non-operating state. By measuring the amount of ions based on the difference from the result, it is possible to reduce the influence of leakage current without adding a new circuit part or the like or introducing complicated software processing. In addition, even if the leakage current fluctuates depending on the environment such as individual variations of operational amplifiers in the circuit, mounting conditions such as soldering of the board, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure, the leakage current can be accurately grasped and the amount of ions Can be measured with high accuracy.

It is a front view which shows typically the air conditioner provided with the ion content measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. It is side surface sectional drawing to which a part of air conditioner provided with the ion content measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention was expanded. It is a figure which shows the circuit board provided in the ion content measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the circuit board provided in the ion content measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the control system of the air conditioner which concerns on this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structural example of a measurement part. It is a figure which shows the voltage waveform measured by the measurement part. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation timing of each part in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of CPU which concerns on this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation timing of each part in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation timing of each part in Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the ion amount measuring apparatus according to the present invention is applied to an air conditioner will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing an air conditioner equipped with an ion content measuring apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view taken along line III-III.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the air conditioner includes a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped housing 1, which includes a front housing 1a, a rear housing 1b, left and right side housings 1c, a bottom housing 1d, and a top housing 1e. Have. A suction port 2 for sucking outside air is provided at the lower part of the rear housing 1b, and a blower outlet 4 for blowing air to the outside is provided at the upper part of the front housing 1a. A ventilation path 3 extending from the suction port 2 to the blowout port 4 is formed in the housing 1. The ventilation path 3 has a rectangular cross section surrounded by a front wall 3a and a rear wall 3b arranged in parallel at intervals in the front-rear direction and left and right side walls 3f, 3f.

The upper end of the front wall 3a is bent forward to become the lower edge 3e of the outlet 4, the upper end of the rear wall 3b is bent forward to become the upper edge 3c of the outlet 4, and the lower end of the rear wall 3b is the rear side To be the upper edge 3d of the suction port 2. A fan 5 that sucks air from the suction port 2 and generates an upward wind flow is installed in the lower part of the ventilation path 3. On the front wall 3 a, an ion generator 6 is provided above the fan 5, and an ion amount measuring device 8 is provided above the ion generator 6. Note that the fan 5 may be provided at the upper or lower intermediate portion or the upper portion in the ventilation passage 3, and the ion generation unit 6 and the ion amount measuring device 8 may be installed below the fan 5.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a part of an air conditioner equipped with an ion content measuring apparatus 8 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the ion generation unit 6 includes, for example, an annular electrode and a needle electrode located at the center thereof, and applies a high voltage between the annular electrode and the needle electrode to generate positive or negative ions or negative ions. And are supplied into the ventilation path 3 (FIG. 4 shows a case where positive and negative ions are generated). The ion amount measuring device 8 has a circuit board and a collection electrode (see FIGS. 5A and 5B), and collects ions generated by the ion generation unit 6 and blown together with air at the collection electrode. In addition, the amount of ions is calculated based on the potential of the collecting electrode in a circuit mounted on the circuit board.

5A and 5B are views showing a circuit board 80 provided in the ion amount measuring apparatus 8 according to the present invention, FIG. 5A is a plan view of a component surface 80b, and FIG. 5B is a plan view of a current collecting surface 80a. is there. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the circuit board 80 is formed with a collecting electrode 86 for collecting positive ions or negative ions on the current collecting surface 80a on the ventilation path 3 side. A measuring unit 87 for measuring the potential of the collecting electrode 86 is mounted on the opposite component surface 80b. The collecting electrode 86 is formed as a substantially rectangular pattern, and is electrically connected to the electrode 86b on the component surface 80b through the through hole 86a. In the first embodiment, the circuit board 80 is arranged in parallel with the front wall 3a. However, the circuit board 80 may not be in parallel with the front wall 3a, and the collecting electrode 86 can secure an area for collecting necessary charges. A pattern other than a substantially rectangular shape may be used. 5A and 5B, detailed circuit patterns and connection states of the measurement unit 87 are omitted. In order to eliminate the influence of noise, it is preferable to provide a noise shield for blocking noise between the current collecting surface 80a and the component surface 80b.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control system of the air conditioner according to the present invention. The CPU 81 is the center of the control system. The CPU 81 is connected to a ROM 82 for storing information such as programs, a RAM 83 for storing temporarily generated information, and a timer 84 for measuring time through a bus. The CPU 81 executes processes such as input / output and calculation according to a control program stored in advance in the ROM 82.

The CPU 81 further drives an operation unit 85 for receiving an operation for changing the air volume of the air conditioner, a display unit 90 including an LCD for displaying information such as a warning and an operating state, and a motor 72 of the fan 5. The fan drive circuit 7 is connected to the A / D conversion circuit 89 for converting the analog voltage measured by the measuring unit 87 for measuring the potential of the collecting electrode 86 into a digital voltage and taking it in via a bus. Has been. The collection electrode 86, the measurement unit 87, the A / D conversion circuit 89, the CPU 81, the ROM 82, the RAM 83, and the timer 84 constitute the ion amount measurement device 8.

In the above-described configuration, the CPU 81 causes the ion generating unit 6 to be in an operation state where ions are generated or in a non-operation state where ions are not generated. For example, each time the timer 84 measures a predetermined time, the CPU 81 inverts on / off of the ion generation unit drive circuit 91 via the output I / F 88. As a result, the state of the ion generator 6 is changed every predetermined time, and changes from the operating state to the non-operating state, or from the non-operating state to the operating state.

The measuring unit 87 measures the potential of the collecting electrode 86. As a measurement method, there are a high resistance method in which a current caused by ions is taken as a voltage by flowing it through a resistor, and an integration method that obtains a rising (falling) voltage between the capacitors by continuously passing the current caused by ions through the capacitor for a certain time. In the first embodiment, a measurement unit 87 that measures the potential of the collection electrode 86 by an integration method will be described as an example.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of the measuring unit 87. The measuring unit 87 includes a protection circuit composed of

diodes

874 and 875 and an integrating circuit 87a surrounded by a broken line, and measures the potential of the collecting electrode 86 and outputs it as a voltage signal. In the first embodiment, the potential of the collection electrode 86 is measured as a voltage value with respect to the ground potential. As shown in FIG. 7,

diodes

874 and 875 for electrostatic protection are connected between the voltage + 5V and GND, the output side of the collecting electrode 86 is connected between the

diodes

874 and 875, and the integrating circuit 87a. The operational amplifier 871 is connected to the inverting input terminal. The integrating circuit 87a includes an operational amplifier 871, a capacitor 872, and a switch 873. The operational amplifier 871 has an inverting input terminal connected to an output terminal via a capacitor 872, and a non-inverting input terminal grounded. The switch 873 is connected to the capacitor 872 in parallel.

In FIG. 7, for convenience of explanation, the connection of the operational amplifier 871 is simplified, but a fully differential operational amplifier may be used as the operational amplifier. For example, noise can be easily removed by providing a dummy electrode for noise removal, and connecting the collection electrode 86 and the dummy electrode to the inverting input terminal and the non-inverting input terminal of the fully differential operational amplifier, respectively.

When measuring the potential of the collection electrode 86, the switch 873 is turned off, and the charge of the ions collected by the collection electrode 86 is accumulated in the capacitor 872. An analog voltage signal proportional to the amount of collected ions is output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier 871, and after a certain period of time, the switch 873 is turned on, and the electric charge accumulated in the capacitor 872 is discharged, and one period The integration of is finished, and the next integration cycle starts. In the ion amount measuring device 8, the CPU 81 calculates the ion amount based on the measurement result obtained by the measuring unit 87. It is preferable that the potential measurement is performed for a plurality of periods and an average value thereof is taken.

In the first embodiment, calculation of the amount of ions will be described by taking the case of measuring the amount of negative ions as an example. When the collection electrode 86 collects negative ions, the potential of the collection electrode 86 becomes low, and a current flowing toward the collection electrode 86 is generated in the measurement unit 87, which is proportional to the amount of collected ions. An analog voltage signal is output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier 871. The output analog voltage is converted into a digital voltage V via the A / D conversion circuit 89, and the CPU 81 calculates the ion amount from the following equations (1) and (2) based on the digital voltage V. Can be calculated.
V = I × T / C (1)
I = 1.6 × 10 ⁻¹⁹ × n (2)

Here, T is the measurement time, C is the capacitance of the capacitor 872, I is the value of the current due to the ions collected by the collection electrode 86, and n is the number of ions. That is, when the capacitance C of the capacitor 872 is constant, the current I due to the collected ions is proportional to the slope (V / T). In terms of removing the offset component in the integration type measurement unit, it is preferable to calculate the current I from the following equation (1-1).
VB−VA = I × (TB−TA) / C (1-1)
Here, TA and TB are two time points in the same period, respectively, and VA and VB are voltages measured at the time points TA and TB, respectively.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a voltage waveform measured by the measuring unit 87. In FIG. 8, A indicates a disconnection signal applied to the switch 873 of the integrating circuit 87a, and B, C, and D each indicate a waveform when the amount of ions generated by the ion generator 6 is large, and a waveform when it is small. And E indicates a voltage waveform due to leakage current measured when the ion generator 6 is in a non-operating state in which no ions are generated. When the amount of ions is large, the waveform becomes steeper as it saturates immediately. When the amount of ions is small, the gradient becomes gentle. In the absence of ions, the waveform does not change ideally from the reference voltage. However, in practice, a voltage waveform due to the leakage current shown in E of FIG. 8 is obtained.

Next, the ion amount measurement operation according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. The CPU 81 is configured to place the ion generating unit 6 in a non-operating state when the operating state of the ion generating unit 6 continues for a predetermined time. In the first embodiment, the CPU 81 inverts on / off of the ion generation unit drive circuit 91 at every predetermined time. Thereby, in the ion amount measurement period, the ion generator 6 is alternately in an operating state and a non-operating state. Here, for convenience of explanation, the predetermined time is set as one integration cycle of the integration circuit 87a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the predetermined time may be set as a plurality of integration cycles of the integration circuit 87a.

The measuring unit 87 measures the potential of the collecting electrode 86 when the ion generating unit 6 is in an operating state and when it is in a non-operating state. When the ion generating unit 6 is in a non-operating state, a voltage V1 (hereinafter referred to as a correction voltage V1) due to a leakage current is measured by the measuring unit 87. When the ion generating unit 6 is in an operating state, the voltage V2 measured by the measuring unit 87 (hereinafter referred to as a measured voltage V2) includes an ion voltage due to the charge of the collected ions and a voltage due to a leakage current. It is out. The CPU 81 calculates the difference between the measurement results (measurement voltage V2−correction voltage V1) to obtain the ion voltage V, and calculates the ion amount from the above formulas (1) and (2).

Here, the values of the correction voltage V1 and the measurement voltage V2 are preferably an average value of the measurement values obtained by integrating a plurality of times. Further, based on the correction voltage V1 and the measurement voltage V2, the current I2 in the operating state (hereinafter referred to as measurement current I2) and the current I1 in the non-operation state (hereinafter referred to as correction current) are calculated from Equation (1), respectively. Then, the difference (I1−I2) between them may be obtained, and the ion amount may be calculated from Equation (2) as the ion current I.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation timing of each unit in the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, time points t1 to t6 indicate times when the state of the ion generator 6 changes. Here, the state of the ion generator 6 is changed every predetermined time. As shown in FIG. 9, at time t1, the CPU 81 outputs an off signal to the ion generation unit drive circuit 91 via the output I / F 88, and the ion generation unit 6 stops the ion generation operation, and the ions are generated. A non-operating state that does not occur. The measurement unit 87 starts integration by the integration circuit 87a, and measures a correction voltage V11 (referred to as “integration V11” in FIG. 9) due to leakage current during a period from time t1 to time t2. At time t2, the CPU 81 outputs an ON signal to the ion generation unit drive circuit 91 via the output I / F 88, and the ion generation unit 6 starts the ion generation operation and enters an operation state in which ions are generated. The unit 87 resets the switch 873 and restarts the integration by the integration circuit, and measures the measurement voltage V12 (denoted as “integration V12” in FIG. 9) from the time point t2 to the time point t3. At time t3, the CPU 81 performs the same operation as that at time t1 and performs integral correction, that is, the measured voltage V12 measured during the period from time t2 to time t3 and the correction measured during the period from time t1 to time t2. A difference (denoted as “integration V12−integration V11” in FIG. 9) from the voltage V11 is calculated to obtain an ion voltage. At time t4, the CPU 81, the ion generation unit 6, and the measurement unit 87 perform the same operations as at time t2. At time t5, the CPU 81 performs an operation similar to the operation at time t1 and performs integral correction. The measurement voltage V22 measured during the period from time t4 to time t5 and the correction voltage V21 measured during the period from time t3 to time t4. To obtain the ion voltage. At time t6, the same operation as at time t4 is performed. By repeating in this way, a voltage due to the ions collected by the collecting electrode 86 is obtained, and the amount of ions can be obtained from the equations (1) and (2).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the CPU 81 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, the CPU 81 instructs to stop the ion generation operation of the ion generator 6 via the output I / F 88 (step S1). The ion generator 6 is in a non-operating state.

The CPU 81 counts the timer 84 and the measuring unit 87, and instructs the start of measurement (step S2). In response to an instruction from the CPU 81, the timer 84 starts measuring time, the measuring unit 87 turns off the switch 873, and integration by the integrating circuit 87a is started.

When the time counted by the timer 84 is less than the predetermined time (step S3: NO), such determination is repeated until the time measured reaches the predetermined time, and when the time measured becomes equal to or longer than the predetermined time (step S3: YES), the CPU 81 instructs the timer 84 and the measuring unit 87 to time and end the measurement (step S4). In response to the instruction from the CPU 81, the time measurement by the timer 84 and the measurement by the measurement unit 87 are terminated.

CPU81 memorize | stores the measurement result by the measurement part 87 temporarily, for example in RAM (step S5), and instruct | indicates the start of ion generation operation of the ion generation part 6 via output I / F88 (step S6). The ion generation part 6 will be in an operation state.

The CPU 81 counts the timer 84 and the measuring unit 87, and instructs the start of measurement (step S7). In response to an instruction from the CPU 81, the timer 84 starts timing, the measuring unit 87 turns off the switch 873, and integration by the integration circuit is started.

When the time measured by the timer 84 is less than the predetermined time (step S8: NO), such determination is repeated until the time measured reaches the predetermined time, and when the time measured becomes equal to or longer than the predetermined time (step S8: YES), the CPU 81 instructs the timer 84 and the measuring unit 87 to time and end the measurement (step S9). In response to the instruction from the CPU 81, the time measurement by the timer 84 and the measurement by the measurement unit 87 are terminated.

The CPU 81 calculates the difference between the current measurement result and the previous measurement result temporarily stored in the RAM, and calculates the ion amount based on the calculated difference (step S10). The CPU 81 determines whether or not a stop instruction has been received (step S11). If it is determined that the stop instruction has not been received (step S11: NO), the process returns to step S1 and it is determined that a stop instruction has been received (step S11). Step S11: YES), the process ends.

In Embodiment 1, by measuring the potential of the collection electrode 86 when the ion generator 6 is in the operating state and when not operating, the ion amount is calculated based on the difference between the measurement results. The effect of leakage current can be reduced without adding new circuit components or the like and introducing complicated software processing. In addition, even if the leakage current fluctuates due to variations in individual operational amplifiers in the circuit, mounting conditions such as soldering of the board, and temperature, humidity, and pressure, the leakage current can be accurately grasped and the amount of ions can be increased. It can be measured with high accuracy.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the time during which the operation state of the ion generation unit 6 continues is the same as the time during which the non-operation state continues, but the second embodiment is the operation state of the ion generation unit 6. This is a mode in which the time during which the operation continues and the time during which the non-operating state continues are different. In the following description, for the same configuration as in the first embodiment, the first embodiment is referred to, and the description thereof is omitted. Note that the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used for configurations similar to those in the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation timing of each unit in the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, at time t1, the CPU 81 outputs an off signal to the ion generation unit drive circuit 91 via the output I / F 88, and the ion generation unit 6 stops the ion generation operation and generates ions. The integration by the integrating circuit 87a of the measuring unit 87 is started, and the correction voltage V11 due to the leakage current is measured. At time t2, the CPU 81 outputs an ON signal to the ion generation unit drive circuit 91 via the output I / F 88, and the ion generation unit 6 resumes the ion generation operation and enters an operation state in which ions are generated. In the unit 87, the switch 873 is reset, the integration by the integration circuit 87a is restarted, and the measurement voltage V12 is measured. At time t3, the CPU 81 performs an operation similar to that at time t1 and performs integral correction, that is, the measurement voltage V12 measured during the period from time t2 to time t3 and the correction voltage measured during the period from time t1 to time t2. The difference from V11 is obtained to obtain the ion voltage. At time t4, the CPU 81, the ion generation unit 6, and the measurement unit 87 perform the same operation as at time t2. At time t5, the CPU 81 performs the same operation as that at time t1 and performs integral correction, and the measurement voltage V22 measured from time t4 to time t5 and the correction voltage V21 measured from time t3 to time t4. To obtain the ion voltage. At time t6, the CPU 81, the ion generation unit 6, and the measurement unit 87 perform the same operations as at time t2. By repeating in this way, a voltage due to the ions collected by the collecting electrode 86 is obtained, and the amount of ions can be obtained from the equations (1) and (2).

In the second embodiment, the time during which the operation state of the ion generator 6 continues is longer than the time during which the non-operation state continues, but the non-operation state continues for a time during which the operation state continues as necessary. It may be shorter than time. In the second embodiment, the integration cycle of the integration circuit 87a is set based on the time during which the ion generator 6 is in the operating state and the non-operating state. For convenience of explanation, the ion generating unit 6 is in the operating state. The integration cycle of a certain period is set to the time that the operation state continues, and the integration cycle of the period during which the ion generator 6 is in the non-operation state is set to the time that the non-operation state continues. The integration period may be always constant. In addition, it is preferable to perform integration for a plurality of periods in each of the period in which the ion generator 6 is in the operating state and the period in which the ion generating unit 6 is in the non-operating state to obtain an average value of the measurement results.

In the second embodiment, the leakage current measurement time and the ion current measurement time are appropriately set as necessary by making the time during which the operation state of the ion generator 6 continues to be different from the time during which the non-operation state continues. Can be adjusted. For example, when it is not necessary to take time to measure the leakage current, the measurement time of the correction voltage V1 can be shortened to increase the efficiency of ion amount measurement.

(Embodiment 3)
The third embodiment is a mode in which the number of times of measurement during a period in which the ion generator 6 is in an operating state is different from the number of times of measurement in a period in which the ion generating unit 6 is in a non-operating state. In the following description, for the same configuration as in the first embodiment, the first embodiment is referred to, and the description thereof is omitted. Note that the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used for configurations similar to those in the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the operation timing of each part in the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, the correction voltage V11 is measured once, and the measurement result continues to be used as a correction value for a fixed time. At time t1, the CPU 81 outputs an off signal to the ion generation unit drive circuit 91 via the output I / F 88, and the ion generation unit 6 is stopped and the ion generation operation is stopped, and the ion generation unit 6 is in a non-operation state in which no ions are generated. Integration by the integrating circuit 87a of the measuring unit 87 is started, and the correction voltage V11 is measured. At time t2, the CPU 81 outputs an ON signal to the ion generation unit drive circuit 91 via the output I / F 88, and the ion generation unit 6 starts the ion generation operation and enters an operation state in which ions are generated. In the measurement unit 87, the switch 873 is reset, the integration by the integration circuit 87a is restarted, and the measurement voltage V12 is measured. At time t3, the ion generator 6 is still in an operating state, performs the same operation as at time t2, and performs integral correction, that is, the measured voltage V12 measured during the period from time t2 to time t3, and time t1 to time A difference from the correction voltage V11 measured in the period t2 is obtained to obtain an ion voltage. At time t4, the ion generator 6 is still in an operating state, performs the same operation as at time t3, performs integration correction, and measures the voltage V22 measured from time t3 to time t4, and from time t1 to time t2 The difference from the measured correction voltage V11 is obtained to obtain the ion voltage. By repeating in this way, a voltage due to the ions collected by the collecting electrode 86 is obtained, and the amount of ions can be obtained from the equations (1) and (2).

In the third embodiment, integration for one cycle is performed for each measurement, but this is not limiting, and integration for a plurality of cycles is performed for each measurement, and the average value of measurement results Is preferably calculated.

In Embodiment 3, the leakage current is measured once, and the measurement result is continuously used as a leakage correction value for a fixed time. For this reason, the time of ion content measurement can be shortened. Moreover, since the opportunity to stop the ion generation operation of the ion generation unit 6 is reduced, it is possible to suppress a sense of discomfort due to discontinuity when stopping the ion generation operation.

In the above embodiment, the case where the ion amount measuring device of the present invention is provided in an air conditioner has been described. However, the ion amount measuring device according to the present invention includes a medical substance generator, an air purifier, a humidifier, and a dehumidifier. The present invention can be applied to devices equipped with an ion generator such as a machine, a warm air fan, a fan, and a vacuum cleaner. Moreover, the ion content measuring apparatus according to the present invention can be used in combination with means for removing various noises.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the difference between the measurement results is calculated from the time point t3 has been described. However, the time point at which the difference between the measurement results is calculated is an arbitrary time point after the correction voltage V1 and the measurement voltage V2 are measured. May be.

In short, it should be considered that the above embodiment is an example and is not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above-described meaning but by the scope of claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

6 Ion generator (ion generator)
8 Ion content measuring device 81 CPU (control means)
84 Timer 86 Collection electrode 87 Measuring unit (Measuring means)
87a integration circuit 871 operational amplifier 872 capacitor 873 switch 89 A / D conversion circuit 90 display unit (display means)

Claims

In an ion content measurement apparatus having a collection electrode for collecting ions generated by an ion generator, and a measuring means for measuring the potential of the collection electrode,
Control means for causing the ion generator to be in an operating state for generating ions or in a non-operating state for not generating ions,
Calculating and measuring the amount of ions based on the difference between the measurement result by the measurement means during the period when the ion generator is in operation and the measurement result by the measurement means during the period when the ion generator is not in operation. An ion content measuring apparatus characterized by being configured as described above.
2. The ion amount measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means is configured to make the ion generator inactive when the operation state of the ion generator continues for a predetermined time.
3. The ion amount measuring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a time during which the operating state continues is different from a time during which the non-operating state continues.
The number of times measured by the measuring means during a period in which the ion generator is in an operating state is different from the number of times measured by the measuring means in a period in which the ion generator is in a non-operating state. The ion content measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
In the period when the ion generator is in the non-operating state, it is measured once by the measuring means, and during the period in which the ion generator is in the operating state, the measuring means is measured a plurality of times. The ion content measuring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
6. The ion amount measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for removing noise.
An ion generator for generating ions;
An ion content measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
An ion generating apparatus characterized in that the amount of ions generated by the ion generator is measured by the ion amount measuring apparatus.
8. The ion generating apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising display means for displaying a measurement result obtained by the ion amount measuring apparatus.
In the ion content measurement method for collecting the ions generated by the ion generator and measuring the potential due to the collected ions,
Making the ion generator into an operating state for generating ions, or a non-operating state for generating no ions,
Calculating and measuring the amount of ions based on a difference between a measurement result measured during a period in which the ion generator is in operation and a measurement result measured in a period in which the ion generator is in a non-operation state. A characteristic ion content measurement method.