JP2002260821A - Ionization device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ionization device which can improve the degree of freedom of setting the distance of discharging needles of a discharging electrode bar. SOLUTION: For the discharging electrode bar 100, a high voltage unit 13 or the like is arranged inside the upper area of a case 10, and an air supply unit 11 is arranged at the lower area. A cut and raised contact piece 59 of a high voltage distribution board 58 and an upper end surface of an electrode needle 12 contact with each other when an electrode assembly 36 is mounted to the air supply unit 11. The area including the electric needle 12 and the contact piece 59, forms a sealed space of the air supply unit 11, namely, it is a sealed space S2 separated from a main air path S1 and an air path 45, by making the top end part of an inner cylinder part 40 with small diameter of the electrode assembly 36 fit into a first sleeve 29 of a supporting plate 25.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to control of static electricity in air or static elimination of a workpiece, and more particularly to a so-called ionization apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Corona discharge-type ionization apparatuses are often used for controlling static electricity in the air, such as cleaning in a clean room and static elimination for preventing static charge of suspended particles, and static elimination of a workpiece.

FIG. 1 shows a discharge electrode bar included in currently available DC ionizers. This discharge electrode bar 1
Has an elongated cylindrical case 2, a plurality of discharge electrode needles 3 are attached to the case 2, and these electrode needles 3
They are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction.

In the conventional discharge electrode bar 1, a high-voltage power supply unit 4 or a control unit 5 is disposed between adjacent electrode needles 3, and air discharged from around each of the electrode needles 3 is a case 2. Is supplied through a flexible tube 6 disposed inside the inside.

[0005] The electrode needles on the positive electrode side of the DC discharge electrode bar 1 shown in the figure are denoted by 3a and the electrode needles 3b on the negative electrode side are identified in the drawing.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A conventional discharge electrode bar 1
Since the configuration in which the high-voltage power supply unit 4 and the control unit 5 are arranged between the adjacent discharge electrode needles 3 and 3 is adopted, the minimum design between the adjacent discharge electrode needles 3 and 3 is adopted. Distance is high voltage power supply unit 4 or control unit 5
However, there is a problem that the size is restricted by the size. For this reason, for example, when the discharge electrode bar 1 is arranged close to the workpiece, there is a problem that unevenness is easily generated in the static elimination effect.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an ionization apparatus capable of improving the degree of freedom in setting the distance between the discharge electrode bars of the discharge electrode bar.

[0008]

According to one aspect of the present invention, the above technical problem involves a discharge electrode bar having a plurality of discharge electrode needles spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of an elongated case. In the ionization device, a high-voltage power supply unit is disposed in an upper region of the discharge electrode needle of the case, and a contact area between a line for supplying a high voltage from the high-voltage power supply unit to the discharge electrode needle and the discharge electrode electrode needle is formed. The ionization apparatus is characterized by being isolated from the atmosphere inside the case.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ionization apparatus including a discharge electrode bar having a plurality of discharge electrode needles spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of an elongated case. A high-voltage power supply unit disposed in an upper region of the discharge electrode needle, an elongated high-voltage distribution plate disposed in a lower region of the case and extending in a longitudinal direction of the case, and a high-voltage distribution plate disposed inside the case. Sealing means for substantially sealing from the atmosphere, and protection means for covering except for the front end and the rear end of the discharge electrode needle, wherein the contact area between the rear end of the discharge electrode needle and the high-voltage board is The ionization apparatus is characterized by being isolated from the atmosphere inside the case.

[0010] According to the present invention, since the high-voltage power supply unit is arranged above the discharge electrode needle, the interval between adjacent discharge electrode needles can be freely set. Further, the contact area between the line supplying the high voltage from the high voltage power supply unit to the discharge electrode needle and the discharge electrode needle is protected by being isolated from the atmosphere inside the case. Other preferred embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a discharge electrode bar of the ionization apparatus of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an outer shape of the discharge electrode bar 100 of the embodiment. The discharge electrode bar 100 has a case 10 having an inverted U-shaped cross section with an upper end closed. Inside the case 10, an air supply unit 11 and a plurality of spaced apart discharge electrode needles 12 are arranged in a lower region thereof. Have been.

On the other hand, a high-voltage unit 13 and a control unit 14 including a power supply circuit, for example, a display circuit and a CPU are arranged in an upper region of the case 10. Air ports 15 are provided on both end surfaces of the case 10, and air from an air source is supplied to the air supply unit 11 through the air ports 15. It is released from around the electrode needle 12 to the outside. By the release of the air, the ionized air around the tip of the electrode needle 12 is forcibly sent downward toward the workpiece.

As described above, the discharge electrode bar 100 is connected to the high voltage unit 13 and the control unit 14 by the discharge electrode needle 1.
2 is arranged in an upper region that does not interfere with the adjacent discharge electrode needles 12 because there is no control unit or the like between the adjacent discharge electrode needles 12 as in the related art.
Can be set freely.

An upper region and a lower region of the case 10 are provided to substantially prevent gas from flowing between these regions.
It is preferably delimited by a laterally extending partition wall 16 (FIG. 2). Reference numeral 17 denotes a connection terminal for receiving a modular connector for connecting adjacent discharge electrode bars 100. Reference numeral 18 denotes a counter electrode plate, and the counter electrode plate 18 is grounded. The counter electrode plate 18 substantially constitutes a part of the case 10, and the lower end opening of the case 10 is closed by the counter electrode plate 18.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show an elongated air supply unit 11 extending along the longitudinal direction of the case 10. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the two air supply units 11 are connected. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the air supply unit 11, and FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the air supply unit 11 cut along the electrode needle 12.

As can be understood from FIG. 4, an air tube joint 20 is provided on an end wall of the air supply unit 11, and a flexible tube 21 is fitted into the joint 20 so that an adjacent air supply unit 11 is provided. They are connected to each other, and fluidly connected to an air port 15 (FIGS. 2 and 3) that receives supply of air from an air source (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the air supply unit 11 includes an elongated support plate 25 extending in the horizontal direction.
A groove 26 having a generally rectangular contour is formed on the lower surface of the support plate 25 by two continuous ribs 27 and 28 extending parallel to each other. In a region surrounded by the groove 26, a plurality of relatively short sleeves 29 having a first circular cross section are formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and the sleeves 29 penetrate the support plate 25 and open vertically. are doing.

The air supply unit 11 further includes a rectangular box-shaped member 30 having two side walls, two end walls connected thereto, and a bottom wall. Box-shaped member 3
0 is open upward, that is, toward the support plate 25 side,
In cooperation with the support plate 25, a closed space S1 (FIG. 6) forming a part of the air passage is formed. That is, by inserting the upper end edges of the side wall and the end wall of the box-shaped member 30 into the groove 26 of the support plate 25 and bonding or fusing them, the linear main air passage in the air supply unit 11 is formed. A closed space S1 to be configured is formed. The above-described air tube joint 20 is attached to both end walls of the box-shaped member 30 (FIG. 5). Through this joint 20, the closed space S1, that is, the main air passage S1 communicates with the outside.

The box-shaped member 30 has, on the bottom wall thereof, a second relatively long circular sleeve 31 coaxial with the first relatively short sleeve 29 described above. The second sleeve 31 extends downward from the bottom wall of the box-shaped member 30 and has both ends open. That is, the second sleeve 31 forms a vertically extending through hole, and the second sleeve 31 preferably has a larger diameter than the first sleeve 29. Two circumferential flanges 32 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the second sleeve 31 at the base end portion of the second sleeve 31 to increase the extension distance.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 5 and 6, the discharge electrode needle 12 is integrated with a member 35 for protecting the discharge electrode needle 12 to form an electrode assembly 36.
Are the first and second sleeves 2 of the air supply unit 11.
9 and 31 are detachably held. The electrode assembly 36 attached to the air supply unit 11
The electrode assembly 36 hangs downward from the air supply unit 11, and the lower end portion of the electrode assembly 36 is
8) The state is exposed to the outside.

The electrode needle 35 of the electrode assembly 36 is made of, for example, tungsten or the like, and the electrode needle 12 has a main body portion excluding a front end portion and a rear end portion, that is, an upper end portion.
It is covered with a protection member 35. Protection member 35
Are a small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 40 extending along the electrode needle 12, a circular disk portion 41 extending radially outward from the lower end of the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 40, that is, a tip portion of the electrode needle 12, and an outer peripheral edge of the circular disk portion 41. A large-diameter outer cylinder portion 42 extending vertically from the first cylinder portion, the large-diameter outer cylinder portion 42 extending slightly downward from the circular disk portion 41 to form a circumferential wall around the tip of the electrode needle 12. And a second portion extending upward from the circular disk portion 42 and extending along the outer peripheral surface of the second sleeve 31 to a base end portion of the second sleeve 31.
Of the second cylindrical portion 42b.
A flange 43 is formed at the upper end of b to increase the extension distance.

When the electrode assembly 36 is mounted on the air supply unit 11, each electrode needle 35 is positioned and the inner peripheral surface of the second sleeve 31 of the box-shaped member 30 and the inner cylindrical portion 40 of the protection member 35. With the outer peripheral surface of the main air passage S1 of the air supply unit 11 and the main air passage S1.
A cylindrical branch air passage 45 is formed for each of the electrode needles 12, which extends downward orthogonally to the electrode needle 12. The branch air passage 45 communicates with the outside through a plurality of through holes 46 formed in the circular disk portion 41 of the protection member 35. Communicating.

That is, the first in the air supply unit 11
The air passing through the closed space, that is, the main air passage S1 is the case 1
0 and each of the cylindrical air passages 45 and the through-holes 4 branching orthogonally to the main air passage S1 extending in the lateral direction along the longitudinal direction of
6 and is discharged from around the tip of each electrode needle 35 to the outside.

The protective member 35 has a circumferential groove at the upper end of the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 40, and the circumferential groove has a first O-ring 5 formed therein.
0 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is mounted. Also, on the upper surface of the circular disk portion 41 of the protection member 35, the second cylindrical portion 42
A circumferential groove is formed at the boundary with the cylindrical portion 42b, and the second O-ring 51 (FIG. 6) of the circumferential groove is mounted.

When the electrode assembly 36 is mounted on the air supply unit 11, the inner cylindrical portion 40 of the protection member 35
As shown in the figure, the first sleeve 2 of the air supply unit 11
9 has a length dimension that can penetrate to the deep part, and the diameter of the inner cylindrical portion 40 is set to a dimension that can fit tightly into the first sleeve 29.

When the electrode assembly 36 is mounted on the air supply unit 11, a projection 55 (FIG. 5) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second sleeve 31 of the air supply unit 11, and the electrode assembly 3 is provided.
The oblique slit 56 (FIG. 5) for receiving the projection 55 is preferably provided in the large-diameter outer cylinder portion 42 of FIG. By pushing the electrode assembly 36 with the protrusion 55 inserted into the oblique slit 56, the electrode assembly 36 and the electrode needle 12 can be positioned and assembled to the air supply unit 11.

A groove extending in the longitudinal direction is formed on the upper surface of the air supply unit 11, that is, the center in the width direction of the upper surface of the support plate 25, and the fixing plate 57 is fitted into this groove. A high voltage distribution plate 58 is interposed between the fixed plate 57 and the support plate 25, whereby the high voltage distribution plate 58 is substantially sealed from the atmosphere inside the case 10. The high voltage distribution plate 58 has a shape that extends straight from one end of the air supply unit 11 to the other end. Further, both ends of the high-voltage board 58 constitute connector terminals for receiving high-voltage energy from the high-voltage unit 13, and all the discharge electrodes attached to the air supply unit 11 by the high-voltage board 58. A power distribution line for supplying a high voltage to the needle 12 is configured. The high-voltage board 58 is provided with a contact piece 59 formed by cutting and raising the portion of the support plate 25 corresponding to the first sleeve 29. The high-voltage board 58 is made of stainless steel, and is connected to the high-voltage unit 13 described above.

With the above configuration, when the electrode assembly 36 is mounted on the air supply unit 11, the cut-and-raised contact piece 59 of the high-voltage board 58 comes into pressure contact with the upper end surface of the electrode needle 12 to be in a conductive state. The region including the contact portion between the electrode needle 12 and the contact piece 59 is the first sleeve 29 of the support plate 25.
By fitting the tip of the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 40 of the electrode assembly 36 into the inside, the closed space of the air supply unit 11, that is, the independent closed space S2 isolated from the main air passage S1 and the branch air passage 45 (FIG. 2). This isolation is ensured by the first O-ring 50 of the electrode assembly 36.

Therefore, the contact portion with the contact piece 59, including the upper end exposed portion of the electrode needle 12, is completely isolated from the main air passage S1 and the branch air passage 45 of the unit 11 serving as the air passage, and the air supply is performed. There is no influence of the air passing through the unit 11.

FIG. 7 shows an outline of an electric circuit of the discharge electrode bar 100. The discharge electrode bar 100 employs a pulse AC type ion generation system in which positive ions and negative ions are alternately generated from the same electrode needle 12. The discharge electrode bar 100 is connected to the positive high voltage generation circuit 6.
It has a zero and a negative high voltage generating circuit 61, and the high voltage generating circuits 60 and 61 constitute a high voltage unit 13, which is housed in a closed box.

The positive high voltage generating circuit 60 and the negative high voltage generating circuit 61 are both self-excited case transmitting circuits 64 and 65 connected to the primary coils of the transformers 62 and 63, respectively.
And booster circuits 66 and 67, which are, for example, double rectifier circuits connected to the secondary coil. High voltage generation circuit 60,
A protection resistance, that is, a first resistance R
1 is provided.

A second resistor R2 and a third resistor R3 are connected in series between the ground terminal GND of the secondary coil of the transformers 62 and 63 and the field ground FG. The fourth resistor R4 and the above-described third resistor R3 are connected in series between the ground FG.

By detecting the current flowing through the fourth resistor R4 by the ion current detection circuit 68, the ion balance near the electrode needle 12 can be known. By detecting the current flowing through the third resistor R3 with the ion current detection circuit 68, it is possible to know the ion balance in the vicinity of the work or the charged object. By detecting the current flowing through the second resistor R2 with the abnormal discharge current detection circuit 69, an abnormal discharge between the electrode needle 12 and the counter electrode plate 18 or the field ground FG can be detected. When the determination is made, the operator can be notified of the abnormality by turning on the display LED 70, which is an alarm means.

Although the circuit of the pulse AC type discharge electrode bar 100 has been described above, the discharge electrode bar may be an SSDC type in which positive ions and negative ions are generated simultaneously, and positive and negative ions alternate. May be of the pulse DC type.

FIG. 8 shows a discharge electrode bar 200 of the second embodiment.
The same elements as those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, the characteristic portions of the second embodiment will be described.

In the discharge electrode bar 200 of the second embodiment, the electrode needle 12 is composed of two upper electrodes 75 and lower electrodes 76 made of different materials, and a coil spring 77 disposed therebetween. It is configured. The upper electrode 75 has a knurled portion 75a at its upper end portion, by which the upper electrode 75 is firmly fixed to the upper end of the inner cylindrical portion 40 of the electrode assembly 36 made of stainless steel. I have. On the other hand, the lower electrode 76 is made of silicon.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a structure of a discharge electrode bar of a conventional ionization apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a structure of a discharge electrode bar included in the ionization device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an external form of a discharge electrode bar of the ionization device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a second arrangement 2 in the lower region inside the discharge electrode bar.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of two air supply units connected to each other.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing components for fixing an air supply unit and a high-voltage board.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a lower region of a discharge electrode bar.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of a discharge electrode bar.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of an air supply unit and an electrode assembly incorporated in a discharge electrode bar included in the ionization apparatus of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Discharge electrode bar 10 Case 11 Air supply unit 12 Discharge electrode needle assembly 13 High voltage unit 14 Control unit 25 Support plate 29 First sleeve 35 Protective member 36 Electrode assembly 40 Small-diameter inner cylinder portion 57 Fixed plate 45 Branch air passage 58 High-voltage board 59 Cut-and-raised contact piece S1 First sealed space constituting main air passage in air supply unit S2 Second sealed space surrounding contact area between electrode needle and contact piece

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01T 19/04 H01T 19/04

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An ionization apparatus including a discharge electrode bar having a plurality of discharge electrode needles spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of an elongated case, wherein a high-voltage power supply unit is arranged in a region above the discharge electrode needle of the case. An ionization device, wherein a contact area between a distribution line for supplying a high voltage from the high voltage power supply unit to the discharge electrode needle and the discharge electrode needle is isolated from an atmosphere inside the case. 2. An ionization apparatus including a discharge electrode bar having a plurality of discharge electrode needles spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of an elongated case, wherein the high-voltage power supply unit is arranged in a region above the discharge electrode needle of the case. An elongated high-voltage board disposed in a lower region of the case and extending in a longitudinal direction of the case; sealing means for substantially sealing the high-voltage board from the atmosphere inside the case; and the discharge electrode needle And a protection means for covering except for the front end and the rear end of the discharge electrode needle, wherein a contact area between the rear end of the discharge electrode needle and the high-voltage board is isolated from the atmosphere inside the case. Ionizer. 3. The ionization apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a space including a contact area between a rear end of said discharge electrode needle and said high-voltage board is sealed. 4. An air passage provided in the case and configured to supply air for discharging from around the discharge electrode needle, wherein a contact between a rear end of the discharge electrode needle and the high-voltage board is provided. 4. The ionizer according to claim 3, wherein a space including the region is isolated from the air passage. 5. The air supply unit further comprising an air supply unit, the air supply unit including a sealed space isolated from the air passage, wherein a rear end of the discharge electrode needle is provided in the closed space. 5. The ionizer according to claim 4, wherein a contact area with the high-voltage board is arranged. 6. The air supply unit has a support plate constituting an upper wall thereof, and a sleeve extending through the support plate and extending downward, wherein the high-voltage board supports the air supply unit. The protection means is disposed on a plate, and the protection means includes a protection member including a cylindrical portion extending along the discharge electrode needle while exposing a front end and a rear end of the discharge electrode needle. A space including a contact area between a rear end of the discharge electrode needle and the high-voltage board is isolated from the air passage by fitting an upper end of the cylindrical portion into the inside of the sleeve. The ionization device according to claim 5. 7. The ionization apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an electrode assembly is constituted by said discharge electrode needle and said protection member. 8. The support plate further includes a longitudinally extending groove formed on an upper surface of the support plate, and a fixed plate fitted into the groove, wherein the high-voltage board is provided in the groove of the support plate. The ionization device according to claim 6, wherein the ionization device is accommodated in the support plate and is sandwiched between the support plate and the fixed plate. 9. The high-voltage board has a contact piece formed by cutting and erecting, and is connected to a rear end face of the discharge electrode needle via the contact piece. Ionizer. 10. An ionization apparatus including a discharge electrode bar having a plurality of discharge electrode needles spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of an elongated case, wherein the air supply unit is disposed inside the case; A discharge electrode needle hanging down from the supply unit and partially protruding outside from the case; disposed adjacent to the air supply unit and capable of contacting an upper end of the discharge electrode needle A high-voltage board, and a high-voltage unit disposed above the air supply unit, wherein the air supply unit removes, from its main air passage, an upper end and a tip of each discharge electrode needle. A branch air passage for discharging air from around the tip of each discharge electrode needle to the outside through the periphery of the portion, wherein a contact portion between the discharge electrode needle and the high-voltage board is located in front of the air supply unit. An ionization device, wherein the ionization device is disposed in a closed space isolated from the main air passage and the branch air passage. 11. The air supply unit has a shape extending along the longitudinal direction of the elongated case, the main air passage has a linear shape extending along the longitudinal direction of the air supply unit, The ionizer according to claim 10, wherein the air supply unit is provided with a joint for connecting the main air passage and an external air supply source at an end wall thereof. 12. The plurality of discharges attached to the air supply unit by the high voltage distribution plate, the high voltage distribution plate having a shape extending straight from end to end in the longitudinal direction of the air supply unit. Forming a distribution line for supplying a high voltage to all of the electrode needles, wherein the main air passage has a linear shape extending along a longitudinal direction of the air supply unit, and the branch air passage is provided with the main air. 11. A shape extending downwardly perpendicular to the passage.
Or 11 ionizers.