JP2006210311A - Ion generation component, ion generation unit, and ion generation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ion generation component, an ion generation unit and an ion generation device capable of generating negative ions or positive ions with a low application voltage. <P>SOLUTION: This ion generation component 4 includes: a ground electrode 42 and a high-voltage electrode 43 on an insulation substrate 41; an insulation film 44 formed on a surface of the ground electrode 42; and a linear electrode 45. The insulation substrate 41 is provided with a recessed part 41a by cutting out its one side. The root part of the linear electrode 45 is soldered to the high-voltage electrode 43, and its tip side is projected from the recessed part 41a. The linear electrode 45 is an extra-fine wire having a wire diameter below 100 μm, and a piano wire, a tungsten wire, a stainless steel wire or a titanium wire is used for it. In the insulation substrate 41, a corner part on the side facing to the linear electrode 45 is subjected to round chamfering in the vicinity of a tip of a leg part of the ground electrode 42. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion generating component, in particular, an ion generating component used in an ion generating circuit such as an air purifier or an air conditioner, an ion generating unit using the same, and an ion generating device.

  As this kind of ion generating apparatus, what was described in patent document 1 is conventionally known. As shown in FIG. 11, the ion generator 110 includes a housing 120, a discharge electrode 112 attached to the front surface of the housing 120, and a counter electrode 114. A high voltage power supply unit 118 is disposed on the top of the housing 120. The high-voltage power supply unit 118 has a built-in high voltage generation circuit that applies an alternating high voltage between the discharge electrode 112 and the counter electrode 114.

The discharge electrode 112 includes a plurality of saw teeth 112a, and the discharge electrode 112 and the counter electrode 114 are perpendicular to each other. On the other hand, the counter electrode 114 is fixed to the pedestal 120 b of the housing 120. The counter electrode 114 has a structure in which a metal is embedded in a dielectric ceramic. The discharge electrode 112 and the counter electrode 114 perform an action of generating ozone by discharge and an action of negatively ionizing air by the applied AC high voltage.
JP-A-6-181087

  However, the conventional ion generator 110 needs to apply a high voltage of −5 kV to −7 kV to the discharge electrode 112 in order to generate negative ions. Therefore, there is a problem that the power supply circuit and the insulating structure become complicated and the manufacturing cost of the ion generator 110 becomes expensive.

  Further, when a high voltage of −5 kV to −7 kV is applied to the discharge electrode 112, ozone is incidentally generated, so that only negative ions cannot be selectively generated. Furthermore, since a high voltage is applied to the discharge electrode 112, it is necessary to take sufficient safety measures.

  In addition, since the discharge electrode 112 and the counter electrode 114 face each other vertically (three-dimensional arrangement), the occupied volume is large, and it is difficult to reduce the size of the ion generator 110.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ion generating component, an ion generating unit, and an ion generating device that can generate negative ions or positive ions with a low applied voltage.

  In order to achieve the above object, an ion generating component according to the present invention includes an insulating substrate, a linear electrode, and a ground electrode, and a linear electrode having a thin wire diameter is attached to the insulating substrate so as to face the linear electrode. The ground electrode is provided on the insulating substrate, and the corner portion on the side facing the linear electrode in the vicinity of the tip of the ground electrode of the insulating substrate is R-chamfered or C-chamfered.

  By using a linear electrode with a thin wire diameter (preferably a wire diameter of 100 μm or less), electrons are likely to concentrate at the tip of the linear electrode, and a strong electric field is likely to be generated. Further, by rounding or chamfering the corner portion on the side facing the linear electrode in the vicinity of the tip portion of the ground electrode of the insulating substrate, burrs and electric field concentration are less likely to occur at the corner portion.

In the ion generating component according to the present invention, it is preferable to use a linear electrode having a tensile strength of 2500 N / mm ² or more, and the ground electrode is disposed substantially parallel to the length direction of the linear electrode. It is preferable. Specifically, a concave portion is provided on one side of the insulating substrate, the tip end side of the linear electrode protrudes from the concave portion, and the linear electrode is arranged on the insulating substrate on both sides of the concave portion with the linear electrode interposed therebetween. A ground electrode having two substantially parallel legs is provided.

  With the above configuration, the linear electrode, the ground electrode, and the like can be configured in a planar shape, and a thin ion generating component can be obtained.

  Further, by covering the surface of the ground electrode with an insulating film, it is possible to obtain an effect of suppressing ozone generation with almost no change in the amount of ions generated. For the ground electrode, for example, a resistor such as ruthenium oxide or a carbon resistor is used. This is because even when a situation occurs in which the linear electrode comes into contact with the ground electrode, a resistor can reduce the risk of heat generation or ignition due to a short circuit. In particular, ruthenium oxide is an optimal material because it does not cause migration even when a high electric field is applied.

  An ion generating unit according to the present invention includes an ion generating component having the above-described characteristics, a high-voltage electrode provided on an insulating substrate for attaching a linear electrode, a contact connection to the high-voltage electrode, a lead wire, A first terminal having a locking portion, a second terminal that is in contact with the ground electrode and has a locking portion with the lead wire, an ion generating component, a high-voltage electrode, a first terminal, and a second terminal. And a case.

  Furthermore, an ion generator according to the present invention includes the above-described ion generating component and a high-voltage power source that generates a negative voltage or a positive voltage. Alternatively, an ion generator according to the present invention has a lead wire that is respectively locked to a first terminal and a second terminal, and generates an ion generation unit having the above-described characteristics and a negative voltage or a positive voltage. A high-voltage power supply is provided. The absolute value of the output voltage from the high-voltage power supply is preferably 2.5 kV or less.

  With the above configuration, a small and low-cost ion generating unit or ion generating device can be obtained.

  Since the ion generating component according to the present invention uses a linear electrode with a thin wire diameter, electrons tend to concentrate on the tip of the linear electrode, and a strong electric field is likely to be generated. Therefore, negative ions or positive ions can be generated at a lower applied voltage than in the prior art. Furthermore, by rounding or chamfering the corner facing the linear electrode near the tip of the ground electrode of the insulating substrate, burrs and electric field concentration are less likely to occur at the corner, and ion generation is stabilized. Can be done. As a result, a small and low-cost ion generating unit or ion generating device can be obtained.

  Embodiments of an ion generating component, an ion generating unit, and an ion generating apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the ion generator 1, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the ion generator 1 includes a lower resin case 2, an upper resin case 3, an ion generating component 4, a first terminal 5a, a second terminal 5b, and lead wires 7 and 8. A high-voltage power supply. Here, the lower resin case 2, the upper resin case 3, the ion generating component 4, the first terminal 5a, and the second terminal 5b constitute an ion generating unit.

  The lower resin case 2 has an air intake port 21 formed on the side wall 2a at one end portion, and an air discharge port 22 formed on the side wall 2b at the other end portion. Further, a locking arm portion 23 is formed on the side wall 2c on the near side.

  The upper resin case 3 has an air intake port (not shown) formed on one side wall 3a and an air discharge port 32 formed on the other side wall 3b. Two claw portions 31 are formed on the front side wall 3c. By fitting these claw portions 31 into the locking arm portions 23 of the lower resin case 2, the upper resin case 3 and the lower resin case 2 are firmly joined to form a resin case with air permeability. The back side walls 2d and 3d of the lower resin case 2 and the upper resin case 3 are connected by hinges (not shown). In addition, you may make it form a nail | claw part and a latching arm part in the side walls 2d and 3d of a back | inner side, and it may be made to fit. An ion generating component 4 and terminals 5a and 5b are disposed in a housing portion formed by the upper resin case 3 and the lower resin case 2 inside.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ion generating component 4 includes a ground electrode 42 and a high voltage electrode 43 on an insulating substrate 41, an insulating film 44 formed on the surface of the ground electrode 42, and a linear electrode 45. . The rectangular insulating substrate 41 is provided with a recess 41a by cutting out one side. For example, an alumina substrate or a glass epoxy substrate having a width of 10.0 mm × a length of 20.0 mm × a thickness of 0.635 mm is used as the insulating substrate 41. The root portion of the linear electrode 45 is soldered to the high voltage electrode 43, and the tip side protrudes from the recess 41a. The linear electrode 45 is an extra fine wire having a wire diameter of 100 μm or less, and a piano wire, a tungsten wire, a stainless steel wire, a titanium wire or the like is used.

Further, as the linear electrode 45, it is preferable to use a stainless steel wire having a tensile strength of 2500 N / mm ² or more. The tensile strength of 2500 N / mm ² or more is obtained by the composition ratio of the wire and the heat treatment after drawing. As described above, by using the linear electrode 45 of 2500 N / mm ² or more, it is difficult to bend, the resilience is good even when an external force is applied, and the linear electrode 45 is not displaced from a predetermined position.

  The ground electrode 42 has a pair of leg portions 42a and 42b parallel to the linear electrode 45 with the linear electrode 45 interposed therebetween on the insulating substrate 41 on both sides of the recess 41a. The insulating substrate 41 has a rounded chamfered corner on the side facing the linear electrode 45 in the vicinity of the ends of the leg portions 42a and 42b of the ground electrode 42.

  An insulating film 44 is formed on the surface of the ground electrode 42, leaving a contact portion 42c with which the terminal 5b contacts. As a material of the insulating film 44, silicone, glass glaze, or the like is used. The ground electrode 42 has a resistance value of about 50 MΩ. As the material of the ground electrode 42, ruthenium oxide paste, carbon paste, or the like is used. In particular, ruthenium oxide is an optimal material because it does not cause migration even when a high electric field is applied.

  The ion generating component 4 is produced as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, the mother board 41A is punched out with a mold to form the recess 41a. At the same time, the radius of curvature is 0.5 mm or more in order to avoid electric field concentration at the corner portion (corner portion of the concave portion 41a) on the side facing the linear electrode 45 near the tip portions of the leg portions 42a and 42b of the ground electrode 42. R chamfering or C chamfering of 0.5 mm or more is formed. Since the R chamfer has no edge, it is more effective than the C chamfer for electric field concentration. On the other hand, C chamfering has a feature that a mold can be easily created. In this example, an R chamfer having a radius of curvature of 1.0 mm was formed. In addition, R chamfering and C chamfering may be formed by cutting or polishing later, instead of punching by a mold.

  Next, a plurality of ground electrodes 42 and the like are formed on the mother board 41A, and then the mother board 41A is broken (folded) along the V-shaped groove L provided on the mother board 41A to insulate a predetermined size. A substrate 41 is obtained. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4B, if the corner on the side facing the linear electrode 45 is not chamfered in the vicinity of the ends of the legs 42a and 42b of the ground electrode 42, the mother substrate is broken. When doing so, whisker-like burrs K may occur at the corners of the recess 41a of the insulating substrate 41.

  The metal terminals 5a and 5b are constituted by a locking part 51 and a foot part 52, respectively. The locking part 51 is fitted into holding parts 33 and 34 formed on the upper surface 3 e of the upper resin case 3. The foot portion 52 of the terminal 5 a is in contact connection with the contact portion 43 a of the high-voltage electrode 43, and the foot portion 52 of the terminal 5 b is in contact connection with the contact portion 42 c of the ground electrode 42.

  The end portion 7a of the high-voltage lead wire 7 is fitted into an opening (not shown) formed on the front surface of the holding portion 33 of the upper resin case 3, and the core wire 71 is engaged with the locking portion 51 of the terminal 5a. Electrically connected. Similarly, the end portion 8a of the ground lead wire 8 is fitted into an opening (not shown) formed on the front surface of the holding portion 34, and the core wire 81 engages with the locking portion 51 of the terminal 5b to be electrically connected. Connected to.

  The high-voltage lead 7 is connected to the negative output terminal of the high-voltage power supply, and the ground lead 8 is connected to the ground output terminal of the high-voltage power supply. The high-voltage power supply supplies a negative DC voltage, but may supply an AC voltage on which a negative DC bias is superimposed. And this ion generator 1 is incorporated in an air cleaner or an air conditioner. That is, when the high-voltage power supply is set in the power supply circuit section of the air purifier and the ion generation unit is set in the blowing path, the air purifier or the like blows wind containing negative ions.

  The ion generator 1 having the above configuration can generate negative ions at a voltage of −1.3 kV to −2.5 kV. That is, when a negative voltage is applied to the linear electrode 45, a strong electric field is formed between the linear electrode 45 and the ground electrode 42. Moreover, the front-end | tip part of the linear electrode 45 breaks down and becomes a corona discharge state. At this time, in the vicinity of the tip of the linear electrode 45, molecules in the air are turned into plasma, and the molecules are divided into + ions and − ions, and the + ions in the air are absorbed by the linear electrode 45, and negative ions. Will remain.

  The linear electrode 45 with a narrow tip (small radius of curvature) tends to concentrate electrons and generates a strong electric field more easily than an electrode with a thick tip. Therefore, by using the linear electrode 45, negative ions can be generated even at a low applied voltage.

  Table 1 shows the result of measuring the amount of negative ions generated when the voltage applied to the linear electrode 45 is changed. A known Ebelt type measuring device was used for the measurement. The measurement point is a point 30 cm away from the ion generator 1 on the leeward side. The wind speed was 2.0 m / s. For comparison, Table 1 also shows the result of measuring the amount of negative ions generated by using the sawtooth 112a of the conventional ion generator 110 shown in FIG. 11 having one configuration.

  From Table 1, it can be seen that the ion generator 1 of this embodiment generates sufficient negative ions even at a low voltage. This measurement result is data when the ground electrode 42 is covered with the insulating film 44, but almost the same numerical data was obtained when the insulating film 44 was not provided.

  Further, the sawtooth 112a of the conventional ion generator 110 shown in FIG. 11 has a pencil shape with a sharpened tip, and as a result of continuing use, there is a change over time, and the tip of the pencil is just The radius of curvature gradually increases as it is rounded off. Therefore, the amount of ion generation decreases as the radius of curvature increases.

  On the other hand, since the linear electrode 45 of the present embodiment has a constant wire diameter, the radius of curvature does not change with time. Therefore, the amount of ion generation is stable.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the applied voltage at which the amount of generated ions is 1 million ions / cc and the wire diameter of the linear electrode 45. The measurement point is a point 50 cm away from the ion generator 1 toward the leeward side. The wind speed was 3.0 m / s. From the graph, it can be seen that when the wire diameter of the linear electrode 45 is 100 μm or less, a sufficient amount of negative ions is generated at a low applied voltage of about −2.0 kV.

  Further, since the corner portion on the side facing the linear electrode 45 is rounded in the vicinity of the front ends of the leg portions 42a and 42b of the ground electrode 42 of the insulating substrate 41, the corner portion of the concave portion 41a of the insulating substrate 41 has a whisker. Burrs are less likely to occur. When burrs are present, the electric field concentrates at the burrs and forms a strong electric field. When a strong electric field due to burrs having the same polarity exists in the vicinity of a normal strong electric field, they repel each other and the normal electric field strength becomes weak. Therefore, in a structure using one strong electric field, it is desirable that there is no strong electric field in the vicinity of the strong electric field. Since the structure of this embodiment is a structure in which electric field concentration is unlikely to occur other than in the ion generation portion, electric field concentration in the ion generation portion is easy, and as a result, ion generation can be performed stably.

  6 and 7 are graphs showing the relationship between the amount of ion generation and the input voltage at points 50 cm and 70 cm away from the ion generator 1 toward the leeward side, respectively (see solid line). The wind speed is 2 to 3 m / s, and the upper limit of measurement of the ion measuring device is 1.32 million pieces / cc. For comparison, the results of measuring the amount of ions generated by an ion generator using an insulating substrate without R chamfering shown in FIG. 4B are also shown (see dotted lines). It can be seen from the graph that the ion generation voltage is slightly lowered by performing the chamfering. It can also be seen that the voltage reaching the measurement limit is equal to or lower than that in the case where the R chamfering is not performed.

  FIG. 8 is a graph showing the amount of ion generation at a point 70 cm away from the ion generator when the input voltage is fixed at −2.5 kV (see solid line). For comparison, the results of measuring the amount of ions generated by an ion generator using an insulating substrate without R chamfering shown in FIG. 4B are also shown (see dotted lines). From the graph, it can be seen that the amount of ions generated increases when the chamfering is performed.

  In addition, since the voltage applied to the linear electrode 45 can be lowered, the cost of the high-voltage power supply can be reduced. Generally, when the absolute value of the output voltage is 2.5 kV or less, the power supply circuit and the insulating structure can be simplified. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the AC voltage generated in the AC circuit 65 is boosted by a transformer 66, and further boosted by a cockcroft circuit (a circuit that performs rectification and voltage doubler by combining a capacitor C and a diode D). Think. In this case, in the case of a conventional ion generator, the voltage is boosted by a transformer 66 at about -1 kV to -1.5 kV, and then boosted by a cock croft circuit 67 as shown in FIG. It is necessary to boost the voltage by about -7.5 kV. On the other hand, in the case of the ion generator 1 of the present embodiment, it is only necessary to increase the voltage by a double pressure, that is, about −2 kV to −3 kV by the cockcroft circuit 68 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the number of capacitors C and diodes D in the cockcroft circuit can be reduced, and the circuit is simplified.

  Moreover, since the applied voltage can be made lower than before, safety can be improved. Moreover, since the linear electrode 45 and the ground electrode 42 are planarly configured on the insulating substrate 41, the occupied volume is reduced, and the size can be reduced.

  Table 2 shows the results of measuring the amount of ozone generated when the voltage applied to the linear electrode 45 is changed. The measurement point is a point 5 mm away from the ion generator 1. The wind speed was 0 m / s. For comparison, Table 2 also shows the results of measuring the amount of ozone generated by using the sawtooth 112a of the conventional ion generator 110 shown in FIG. 11 having one configuration.

  From Table 2, it can be seen that the ion generation apparatus 1 of this example has a very small amount of ozone generation in use. Furthermore, since the insulating film 44 covering the ground electrode 42 is formed, the discharge start voltage between the ground electrode 42 and the linear electrode 45 can be increased as compared with the case of air alone. As a result, dark current (leakage current, not discharge) flowing between the tip of the linear electrode 45 and the ground electrode 42 can be suppressed. Thereby, the generation amount of ozone generated in proportion to the amount of current can be reduced.

  Further, by covering the ground electrode 42 with the insulating film 44, even if the distance between the ground electrode 42 and the linear electrode 45 is reduced due to a demand for miniaturization, abnormal discharge between the ground electrode 42 and the linear electrode 45, etc. Can be prevented.

  FIG. 10 is a plan view of another ion generating component 4A. The ground electrode 42 of the ion generating component 4 </ b> A has only one leg portion 42 a parallel to the linear electrode 45. In the vicinity of the tip of the leg portion 42a of the ground electrode 42, the corner (on the corner of the recess 41a) facing the linear electrode 45 has a chamfering of 0.5 mm or more in order to avoid generation of burrs and electric field concentration. Is formed. This ion generating component 4A has a feature that the amount of negative ions generated is slightly smaller than that of the ion generating component 4 of the above embodiment, but can be made smaller.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, It can change variously within the range of the summary.

  For example, the number of linear electrodes of the ion generating component is not limited to one, and two or more linear electrodes may be provided. However, when two or more linear electrodes are provided, if the linear electrodes are too close to each other, the electric field distribution is disturbed and the discharge efficiency is lowered. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to the generation of negative ions but also to the generation of positive ions. In this case, a positive voltage is applied to the high voltage electrode using a high voltage power source that generates a positive voltage.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of an ion generator according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the ion generator shown in FIG. 1. The top view which shows the ion generating component shown in FIG. The top view which shows the manufacturing method of the ion generating component shown in FIG. The graph which shows the relationship between the applied voltage and the wire diameter of a linear electrode that an ion generation amount is 1 million pieces / cc. The graph which shows the relationship between the ion generation amount and input voltage in the point 50 cm away from the ion generator. The graph which shows the relationship between the ion generation amount and input voltage in the point 70cm away from the ion generator. The graph which shows the amount of ion generation in the point 70cm away from the ion generator. The electric circuit diagram of a high voltage power supply. The top view which shows another Example of the ion generating component which concerns on this invention. The external appearance perspective view which shows the conventional ion generator.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ion generator 2 ... Lower resin case 3 ... Upper resin case 4 ... Ion generating component 5a ... 1st terminal 5b ... 2nd terminal 41 ... Insulating substrate 41a ... Recessed part 42 ... Ground electrode 42a, 42b ... Leg part 43 ... High voltage electrode 44 ... Insulating film 45 ... Linear electrode 51 ... Locking part

Claims (11)

  An insulating substrate, a linear electrode, and a ground electrode are provided, the linear electrode having a thin wire diameter is attached to the insulating substrate, and the ground electrode is provided on the insulating substrate so as to face the linear electrode, An ion generating component characterized in that a corner portion on the side facing the linear electrode in the vicinity of the front end portion of the ground electrode of the insulating substrate is R-chamfered or C-chamfered.   The ion generating component according to claim 1, wherein the linear electrode has a wire diameter of 100 μm or less. The ion generating component according to claim 1, wherein the linear electrode has a tensile strength of 2500 N / mm ² or more.   The ion generating component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ground electrode is disposed substantially parallel to a length direction of the linear electrode.   A concave portion is provided on one side of the insulating substrate, and the tip side of the linear electrode protrudes into the concave portion, and the linear electrodes are arranged on the insulating substrate on both sides of the concave portion so as to be substantially the same as the linear electrode. The ion generating component according to claim 4, wherein the ground electrode having two parallel legs is provided.   The ion generating component according to claim 1, wherein an insulating film is formed on a surface of the ground electrode.   The ion generating component according to claim 1, wherein the ground electrode is made of a resistor.   The ion generating component according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a high-voltage electrode provided on the insulating substrate for attaching the linear electrode, a contact wire connected to the high-voltage electrode, a lead wire, A first terminal having a locking portion, a second terminal in contact with the ground electrode and having a locking portion with a lead wire, the ion generating component, the high voltage electrode, the first terminal, and the second terminal. An ion generation unit comprising a case for accommodating a terminal.   An ion generator comprising: the ion generating component according to claim 1; and a high-voltage power source that generates a negative voltage or a positive voltage.   A high voltage power source having lead wires respectively engaged with the first terminal and the second terminal and generating a negative voltage or a positive voltage, and the ion generation unit according to claim 8. A featured ion generator.   The ion generator according to claim 9 or 10, wherein an absolute value of an output voltage from the high-voltage power supply is 2.5 kV or less.

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