JP2011233301A - Ion generating device and electrical apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an ion generator and an electrical device that can prevent a reduction in ion generation efficiency even in an environment with much dust and that can be miniaturized.
A discharge electrode body 11 has a needle-like tip. The cleaning member (electrode cleaning tool 3, cleaning unit 4) is configured to be movable between a contact state in contact with the discharge electrode body 11 and a non-contact state in which the discharge electrode body 11 is not in contact with the discharge electrode body 11. The housing (the case 15 and the upper surface lid 16) accommodates the discharge electrode body 11 and the cleaning members 3 and 4 therein. The cleaning members 3 and 4 are configured to move between a contact state and a non-contact state by a driving force from the outside of the housing.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion generator and an electric device, and more particularly to an ion generator and an electric device capable of removing dirt from a discharge part.

  Conventionally, ion generators are used to purify, sterilize, or deodorize indoor air. Many of these are provided with an ion generating electrode and discharge positive ions and negative ions (hereinafter, collectively referred to as positive and negative ions) generated by corona discharge from an ion discharge port provided in a casing. These positive and negative ions have the effect of purifying air, deodorizing or sterilizing.

  Such an ion generator is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-305321 (Patent Document 1). The ion generator described in this publication includes a substrate, an induction electrode mounted on the surface of the substrate, and two needle electrodes.

  The induction electrode is formed of an integral metal plate formed by pressing a flat metal. Two through holes are formed in the flat plate portion of the induction electrode, and a plurality of support portions are formed in the peripheral portion of the flat plate portion. Substrate insertion portions narrower than the support portions are formed at the lower ends of the support portions at both ends of the flat plate portion, and each substrate insertion portion is inserted into a through hole of the substrate and soldered.

  Each of the two needle electrodes is inserted into a through hole of the substrate and soldered. The tip of each of the two needle electrodes protrudes from the surface of the substrate and is disposed at the center of the through hole of the induction electrode.

  When a positive high voltage pulse and a negative high voltage pulse are applied between the needle electrode and the induction electrode, corona discharge is generated at the tip of the needle electrode, and positive ions and negatives are respectively generated at the tip of the needle electrode. Ions are generated.

  On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-166708 (Patent Document 2) discloses an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that uses discharge, and here also, since deposits are generated on the discharge electrode, it is unique. Cleaning tools are used.

  Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-86049 (Patent Document 3) discloses an electrode cleaning device for an air purifier. This electrode cleaning device has a synchronous motor for reciprocating a moving member having a cleaning member that slides against and cleans each of the discharge electrode and the counter electrode.

JP 2007-305321 A JP-A-8-166708 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-86049

  Ion generators are installed in various products such as ion generators and air purifiers. Some ion generators are energized 24 hours a day for use throughout the day, such as ion generators, while only 10 hours a day are used for about 10 minutes, such as vacuum cleaners, and only 600 hours are energized. There are also things. However, in a needle electrode type ion generator, dust or silicon-based solid matter may adhere to the tip of the needle electrode due to electric discharge, and the amount of generated ions may decrease due to the deposit.

  The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-166708 has a large structure because the apparatus itself is large, and the discharge electrode and its deposit cleaning tool are also large structures. It was not applicable.

  In the technique disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-86049, the electrode cleaning device is large and it is difficult to reduce the size.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ion generator and an electrical apparatus that can prevent a reduction in ion generation efficiency even in a dusty environment and can be downsized. It is.

  The ion generator of the present invention includes a discharge electrode, a cleaning member, and a housing. The discharge electrode has a needle-like tip, and discharge is generated at the tip to generate ions. The cleaning member is configured to be movable between a contact state in contact with the discharge electrode and a non-contact state in which the cleaning member does not contact in order to clean the discharge electrode. The housing stores the discharge electrode and the cleaning member therein. The cleaning member is configured to move between a contact state and a non-contact state by a driving force from the outside of the housing.

  According to the ion generator of the present invention, since the cleaning member is configured to be movable by a driving force from the outside of the casing, it is not necessary to arrange a driving source inside the casing. For this reason, the ion generator can be miniaturized, and the ion generator of the present invention can have substantially the same external shape as an ion generator that does not have a cleaning function. Therefore, the ion generator of the present invention can be arranged in the arrangement space of the ion generator that does not require cleaning. Thus, since the ion generator of the present invention can be used in place of an ion generator that does not require cleaning, it is not necessary to manufacture and develop an ion generator that does not require cleaning by manufacturing the ion generator of the present invention. Therefore, the development efficiency is improved, and the quantity can be increased by consolidating products, so that the cost of the ion generator can be reduced.

  Further, since the cleaning member can move between the contact state and the non-contact state, the cleaning of the discharge electrode can be performed by bringing the cleaning member into contact with the discharge electrode when cleaning the discharge electrode. Further, it is possible to prevent the cleaning member from obstructing discharge by not bringing the cleaning member into contact with the discharge electrode during discharge by the discharge electrode. As described above, the dirt of the discharge electrode can be removed by the cleaning member, and the cleaning member does not become an obstacle to the discharge, so that it is possible to prevent the ion generation efficiency from being lowered even in a dusty environment.

  In the above ion generator, the cleaning member is preferably configured to be exposed to the outside of the casing in order to receive a driving force from the outside of the casing.

  Thereby, it becomes possible to clean the discharge electrode by applying a driving force to the cleaning member and moving it from the outside of the housing.

  Preferably, in the above ion generator, the cleaning member has a driving force transmission member for receiving a driving force from the outside of the casing, and the driving source transmission member is configured to protrude to the outside of the casing. Yes.

  The driving source transmission member receives an external driving force and moves the cleaning member to clean the discharge electrode.

  In the above ion generator, the cleaning member is preferably configured to be manually movable, and the driving force transmitting member is a lever for receiving human power.

  As a result, the cleaning member can be moved manually to clean the discharge electrode, so that a drive source is not required, and the overall size of the apparatus can be reduced.

  Preferably, in the above ion generator, the cleaning member is configured to be movable by a driving force of a driving source having at least one of an electric driving mechanism and a mechanical driving mechanism, and the driving force transmitting member transmits the driving force to the ion generating device. The cleaning member can be transmitted.

Thereby, the labor of cleaning can be saved.
In the above ion generator, the drive source is preferably either a motor or a solenoid.

  Preferably, the above ion generator further includes a gear that meshes with the cleaning member. The discharge electrode includes two discharge electrode bodies each having a needle-like tip. The cleaning member is provided corresponding to each of the two discharge electrode bodies, and includes two cleaning bodies that are arranged with a gear interposed therebetween and each mesh with the gear. By driving one of the two cleaning bodies, the other is also driven so that the tip of each of the two discharge electrode bodies can be cleaned.

  Thereby, two cleaning bodies can be moved simultaneously with one gear, and the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified.

  Preferably, in the above ion generator, the cleaning member includes a cleaning unit provided so as to abut on the tip of the discharge electrode during cleaning, and the cleaning unit is made of a material including either rubber or resin.

  Preferably, in the above ion generator, the cleaning member includes a cleaning unit provided so as to come into contact with the tip of the discharge electrode during cleaning, and the cleaning unit includes a brush.

  Preferably, the above ion generator further includes an induction electrode arranged to face the discharge electrode. The induction electrode has a through hole for ion emission at a position facing the discharge electrode.

Thereby, ions can be released through the through hole.
An electric device according to the present invention includes any of the above-described ion generators, and a blower unit for sending ions generated by the ion generators to the outside of the electric device in a blowing airflow.

  According to the electric equipment of the present invention, ions generated by the ion generator can be sent on the airflow by the blower, so that, for example, ions can be released to the outside in the air conditioner, and in the refrigerator equipment. Ions can be released inside or outside.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the cleaning member is configured to be movable by the driving force from the outside of the housing, it is possible to reduce the size of the ion generator and improve the development efficiency of the ion generator. In addition, since the quantity can be increased by consolidating products, the cost of the ion generator can be reduced.

  Moreover, since the discharge electrode can be cleaned, it is possible to prevent a decrease in ion generation efficiency even in a dusty environment.

It is a top view which shows roughly the structure of the ion generator in one embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows roughly the structure of the ion generator in one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a partially broken front view showing a partially broken portion of the ion generator of FIG. 2, and the broken portion corresponds to the cross section of the portion along the line III-III in FIG. 5. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the ion generating element part and cleaning mechanism part of the ion generator in one embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows roughly the structure of the ion generating element part and cleaning mechanism part of the ion generator in one embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the state which removed the electrode cleaning tool and the gearwheel from the structure of FIG. It is a circuit diagram which shows the whole structure of the ion generator in one embodiment of this invention. In the ion generator in one embodiment of the present invention, it is a top view showing roughly the state where the cleaning part contacted the tip of the discharge electrode. It is a top view which shows roughly the 1st structure which attached the lever to the electrode cleaning tool. It is a partially broken front view which fractures | ruptures and shows a part of 1st structure which attached the lever to the electrode cleaning tool. It is a top view which shows roughly the 2nd structure which attached the lever to the electrode cleaning tool. It is a top view which shows roughly the structure which gives a driving force to an electrode cleaning tool with a motor. It is a top view which shows roughly the structure which gives a driving force with a solenoid to an electrode cleaning tool. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the air cleaner using the ion generator in embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded view of the air cleaner which shows a mode that the ion generator was arrange | positioned to the air cleaner shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the whole structure of the ion generator in this Embodiment is demonstrated using FIGS.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-6, the ion generator 40 in this Embodiment mainly has 10 A of cleaning mechanism parts, the ion generation part 10B, the case 15, and the upper surface cover 16. FIG.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, case 15 and upper surface lid 16 constitute a casing and constitute an outer shell of ion generator 40. The case 15 has an internal space, and the upper cover 16 is attached to the upper surface of the case 15 so as to close the internal space of the case 15. A plurality of (for example, two) through holes 16 a that connect the internal space of the case 15 and the external space are formed in the top cover 16. The through hole 16a is an opening for discharging ions generated by corona discharge to the outside of the housing. A cleaning mechanism unit 10 </ b> A, an ion generation unit 10 </ b> B, and the like are accommodated in a housing including the case 15 and the top cover 16.

Next, the configuration of the ion generator 10B will be described with reference to FIG.
Referring to FIG. 6, ion generator 10B is for generating positive ions and negative ions by, for example, corona discharge, and has, for example, two ion generating elements. Each of the two ion generating elements has a discharge electrode body 11, an induction electrode body 12, and a support substrate 13.

  Each of the two discharge electrode bodies 11 has a needle-like tip, and discharge is generated at the needle-like tip. Each of the two induction electrode bodies 12 is made of an integral metal plate and has a substantially circular through hole 12a for ion emission at a position facing the discharge electrode body 11. The through hole 12a is an opening for discharging ions generated by corona discharge to the outside of the ion generating element. This through-hole 12a can generate a 360-degree uniform electric field at the tip of the discharge electrode body 11 to generate a stable corona discharge.

  Further, the induction electrode body 12 has, for example, bent portions 12b formed by bending a part of the metal plate at a substantially right angle with respect to the flat plate portion at both ends. The bent portion 12b has a wide support portion and a narrow insertion portion. One end of the support portion is connected to the flat plate portion, and the other end is connected to the insertion portion.

  The support substrate 13 is shared by the two ion generating elements. The support substrate 13 has a through hole 13a for inserting the discharge electrode body 11, a through hole 13b for inserting the insertion portion of the bent portion 12b, and a through hole for allowing the bent portion 14a of the outer cover 14 to pass through. And a hole 13c.

  Each of the two discharge electrode bodies 11 is supported by the support substrate 13 in a state of being inserted or press-fitted into the through-hole 13 a and penetrating the support substrate 13. Thereby, the needle-like tip of the discharge electrode body 11 protrudes to the front surface side (ion generating part side) of the support substrate 13, and the other end protruding to the back surface side (solder surface side) of the support substrate 13 Lead wires and wiring patterns can be electrically connected by solder (not shown).

  The insertion portion of the bent portion 12b of the induction electrode body 12 is supported by the support substrate 13 while being inserted into the through hole 13b and penetrating the support substrate 13. In addition, a lead wire or a wiring pattern can be electrically connected to the tip of the insertion portion protruding to the back surface side of the support substrate 13 by solder (not shown).

  Further, the bent portion 14 a of the outer lid 14 is also inserted into the through hole 13 c and supported by the support substrate 13 while penetrating the support substrate 13.

  Further, in a state where the discharge electrode body 11 and the induction electrode body 12 are supported by the support substrate 13, the tip of the discharge electrode body 11 is positioned at the approximate center of the substantially circular through hole 12a in plan view. Thereby, the distance between the tip of the discharge electrode body 11 and the outer peripheral portion of the circular through hole 12a is equal to the entire circumference of the through hole 12a.

  In the present embodiment, since ion generator 10B includes, for example, two ion generators, the discharge electrode of ion generator 10B is a concept including discharge electrode bodies 11 and 11 of two ion generators, The induction electrode of the ion generator 10B is a concept including two induction electrode bodies 12 and 12 of two ion generation elements.

Next, the structure of 10 A of cleaning mechanism parts is demonstrated using FIGS.
With reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, the cleaning mechanism portion 10 </ b> A mainly includes a gear 1, a gear shaft 2, and cleaning members 3 and 4. The gear 1 is supported rotatably about the gear shaft 2 as a rotation center. The gear shaft 2 is supported by an outer lid 14. The cleaning members 3 and 4 each have two electrode cleaning tools (cleaning bodies) 3 and two cleaning parts 4.

  Each of the two electrode cleaning tools 3 is provided corresponding to each of the two ion generating elements. Each of the two electrode cleaning tools 3 is located above the induction electrode body 12 and has a rack gear 3a and a through hole 3b. The rack gear 3a meshes with the gear 1 to form a rack and pinion. Thereby, the electrode cleaning tool 3 is configured to be slidable by the rotation of the gear 1.

  The two electrode cleaning tools 3 are disposed with the gear 1 interposed therebetween. Thus, the two electrode cleaning tools 3 are configured to move in the opposite directions by driving one of them and driving the other. Each of the through holes 3b of the two electrode cleaning tools 3 is formed so as to be positioned directly above the through hole 12a of the induction electrode body 12.

  The cleaning unit 4 is attached to the lower surface (surface on the induction electrode body 12 side) of the electrode cleaning tool 3. The cleaning part 4 is a part for cleaning by contacting the needle-like tip of the discharge electrode body 11. The cleaning unit 4 may be a rubber sheet made of a material containing either rubber or resin, or may be a brush. The rubber sheet as the cleaning unit 4 attached to the electrode cleaning tool 3 may be a generally used rubber sheet, but can be used as long as it does not damage the tip of the acicular discharge electrode, such as felt, brush, It may be an easily available material such as a fabric in which short hairs are planted.

  In the present embodiment, a driving source that generates a driving force for rotating the gear 1 is not disposed inside the housing. For this reason, it is comprised so that the electrode cleaning tool 3 can receive the driving force given from the exterior of the housing | casing. That is, at least one of the two electrode cleaning tools 3 is provided so that a driving force in the sliding direction can be applied to one of the two electrode cleaning tools 3 from the outside of the housing. Is exposed to the outside of the housing. Specifically, a notch or the like for exposing at least one of the two electrode cleaning tools 3 to the outside of the casing is provided on the side portion of the case 15 constituting the casing. .

  When a driving force in the sliding direction is applied to the one electrode cleaning tool 3 exposed to the outside of the casing from the outside of the casing, the one electrode cleaning tool 3 slides in that direction, and the gear 1 is interposed. The other electrode cleaning tool 3 can be slid in the opposite direction to the one electrode cleaning tool 3. By the sliding movement of the two electrode cleaning tools 3, the cleaning unit 4 can move between a contact state where the cleaning unit 4 contacts the tip of the discharge electrode body 11 and a non-contact state where the cleaning electrode 4 does not contact.

Next, the circuit configuration of the ion generator of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
Referring to FIG. 7, the power supply circuit includes a power supply terminal T1, a ground terminal T2, diodes 20, 24 and 28, resistance elements 21 to 23, 25, NPN bipolar transistor 26, step-up transformers 27 and 31, capacitors 29 and 2 A terminal thyristor 30 is provided. A positive electrode and a negative electrode of a DC power supply are connected to the power supply terminal T1 and the ground terminal T2, respectively. A DC power supply voltage (for example, + 12V or + 15V) is applied to the power supply terminal T1, and the ground terminal T2 is grounded. The diode 20 and the resistance elements 21 to 23 are connected in series between the power supply terminal T 1 and the base of the transistor 26. The emitter of the transistor 26 is connected to the ground terminal T2. The diode 24 is connected between the ground terminal T2 and the base of the transistor 26. The diode 20 is an element for blocking the current and protecting the DC power supply when the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the DC power supply are connected to the terminals T1 and T2 in reverse. The resistance elements 21 and 22 are elements for limiting the boosting operation. The resistance element 23 is a starting resistance element. The diode 24 operates as a reverse breakdown voltage protection element for the transistor 26.

  Step-up transformer 27 includes a primary winding 27a, a base winding 27b, and a secondary winding 27c. One terminal of the primary winding 27 a is connected to a node N 22 between the resistance elements 22 and 23, and the other terminal is connected to the collector of the transistor 26. One terminal of the base winding 27 b is connected to the base of the transistor 26 through the resistance element 25. One terminal of the secondary winding 27c is connected to the base of the transistor 26, and the other terminal is connected to the ground terminal T2 via the diode 28 and the capacitor 29. Step-up transformer 31 includes a primary winding 31a and a secondary winding 31b. The two-terminal thyristor 30 is connected between the cathode of the diode 28 and one terminal of the primary winding 31a. The other terminal of the primary winding 31a is connected to the ground terminal T2. One terminal of the secondary winding 31b is connected to the induction electrode bodies 12 and 12, and the other terminal is connected to the anode of the diode 6 and the cathode of the diode 7. Each of the cathode of the diode 6 and the anode of the diode 7 is connected to the discharge electrode body 11. The resistance element 25 is an element for limiting the base current. The two-terminal thyristor 30 is an element that becomes conductive when the inter-terminal voltage reaches the breakover voltage, and becomes non-conductive when the current falls below the minimum holding current.

Next, the ion generation operation of this ion generator will be described with reference to FIG.
Referring to FIG. 7, capacitor 29 is charged by the RCC switching power supply operation. That is, when a DC power supply voltage is applied between the power supply terminal T1 and the ground terminal T2, a current flows from the power supply terminal T1 to the base of the transistor 26 via the diode 20 and the resistance elements 21 to 23, so that the transistor 26 becomes conductive. Become. As a result, a current flows through the primary winding 27a of the step-up transformer 27 and a voltage is generated between the terminals of the base winding 27b. The winding direction of the base winding 27b is set so as to further increase the base voltage of the transistor 26 when the transistor 26 becomes conductive. For this reason, the voltage generated between the terminals of the base winding 27b reduces the conduction resistance value of the transistor 26 in a positive feedback state. At this time, the winding direction of the secondary winding 27c is set so that energization is blocked by the diode 28, and no current flows through the secondary winding 27c.

  As the current flowing through the primary winding 27a and the transistor 26 continues to increase in this manner, the collector voltage of the transistor 26 rises out of the saturation region. As a result, the voltage between the terminals of the primary winding 27a decreases, the voltage between the terminals of the base winding 27b also decreases, and the collector voltage of the transistor 26 further increases. Therefore, the transistor 26 operates rapidly in a positive feedback state, and the transistor 26 is rapidly turned off. At this time, the secondary winding 27 c generates a voltage in the conduction direction of the diode 28. As a result, the capacitor 29 is charged. When the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor 29 rises and reaches the breakover voltage of the two-terminal thyristor 30, the two-terminal thyristor 30 operates like a Zener diode and further flows current. When the current flowing through the two-terminal thyristor 30 reaches the breakover current, the two-terminal thyristor 30 is substantially short-circuited, and the charge charged in the capacitor 29 passes through the two-terminal thyristor 30 and the primary winding 31a of the step-up transformer 31. As a result of the discharge, an impulse voltage is generated in the primary winding 31a. When an impulse voltage is generated in the primary winding 31a, positive and negative high voltage pulses are generated in the secondary winding 31b while being attenuated alternately. A positive high voltage pulse is applied to one discharge electrode body 11 via a diode 6, and a negative high voltage pulse is applied to the other discharge electrode body 11 via a diode 7. As a result, corona discharge is generated at the tips of the one and other discharge electrode bodies 11, 11, and positive ions and negative ions are generated, respectively.

  On the other hand, when a current flows through the secondary winding 27c of the step-up transformer 27, the voltage between the terminals of the primary winding 27a rises, the transistor 26 becomes conductive again, and the above operation is repeated. The repetition rate of this operation increases as the current flowing through the base of the transistor 26 increases. Therefore, by adjusting the resistance value of the resistance element 21, the current flowing through the base of the transistor 26 can be adjusted, and consequently the number of discharges of the discharge electrode body 11 can be adjusted.

  When generating both positive ions and negative ions, positive corona discharge is generated at the tip of one discharge electrode 11 to generate positive ions, and negative corona discharge is generated at the tip of the other discharge electrode 11 to generate negative ions. Generate ions. The applied waveform is not particularly limited here, and is a high voltage such as a direct current, an alternating current waveform biased positively or negatively, or a pulse waveform biased positively or negatively. The voltage value is selected to be sufficient to generate a discharge and to generate a predetermined ion species.

Here, the positive ion is a cluster ion in which a plurality of water molecules are attached around a hydrogen ion (H ⁺ ), and is represented as H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m (m is 0 or an arbitrary natural number). Negative ions are cluster ions in which a plurality of water molecules are attached around oxygen ions (O ₂ ⁻ ), and are expressed as O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n (n is 0 or an arbitrary natural number).

In the case of releasing both positive ions and negative ions, H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m (m is 0 or any natural number) in the air and O ₂ ⁻ which is a negative ion. (H ₂ O) _n (n is 0 or any natural number) is generated in an approximately equivalent amount, so that both ions surround the mold fungus or virus floating in the air and are generated at that time. It is possible to remove floating fungi and the like by the action of the hydroxyl radical (.OH).

  Next, a cleaning operation in the ion generator of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Referring to FIG. 5, during the ion generation operation, each through hole 3 b of two electrode cleaning tools 3 is positioned directly above each through hole 12 a of two induction electrode bodies 12. For this reason, ions generated from the ion generating element portion can be discharged to the outside of the casings 15 and 16 through the through holes 12a, 3b, and 16a. In this state, each of the two cleaning parts 4 is not in contact with the tip of the discharge electrode body 11.

  From this state, one of the two electrode cleaning tools 3 slides by the driving force from the outside of the housing. In conjunction with the slide of the one electrode cleaning tool 3, the other electrode cleaning tool 3 of the two electrode cleaning tools 3 also slides in the opposite direction to the one electrode cleaning tool 3.

  As the two electrode cleaning tools 3 slide in opposite directions, the two cleaning portions 4 come into contact with the tips of the discharge electrode bodies 11 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the front-end | tip of the discharge electrode body 11 is cleaned.

  Thereafter, the driving force from the outside is applied so that each of the two electrode cleaning tools 3 is slid in the opposite direction, and the state shown in FIG. 5 is restored.

  The above-described cleaning operation is completed when the cleaning slider 9 returns to the original position after one reciprocation. Thus, each of the discharge electrode bodies 11 is cleaned by being rubbed by the cleaning unit 4 for one reciprocation to remove deposits.

  Next, the structure for the electrode cleaning tool (cleaning body) 3 in the ion generator of this Embodiment to receive driving force from the outside is demonstrated concretely. First, a configuration for applying a driving force to the electrode cleaning tool 3 from the outside of the housing by human power will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the cleaning member further includes a lever (driving force transmission member) 5 attached to the electrode cleaning tool 3. The lever 5 is provided so as to extend in the sliding direction from an end portion in the sliding direction of one of the two electrode cleaning tools 3. The lever 5 protrudes from the inside of the housing to the outside by passing through the notch 15a provided in the case 15, and is exposed to the outside of the housing. By pushing or pulling the lever 5 protruding outside the housing in the sliding direction, it is possible to apply a driving force for sliding the electrode cleaning tool 3 to the electrode cleaning tool 3 from the outside of the housing.

  The lever 5 for applying a driving force by human power does not have to extend from the electrode cleaning tool 3 in the sliding direction, and as shown in FIG. 11, a direction intersecting the sliding direction of the electrode cleaning tool 3 (for example, orthogonal) (Direction) may extend from the electrode cleaning tool 3. Also in this case, the lever 5 protrudes from the inside of the housing to the outside through a notch (not shown) provided in the case 15. By pushing or pulling the lever 5 protruding outside the casing in the sliding direction, it is possible to apply a driving force for sliding the electrode cleaning tool 3 from the outside of the casing by human power. In this case, the electrode cleaning tool 3 and the lever 5 may be formed as a single unit in terms of ease of incorporation and driving.

  The lever 5 is not provided in a normal use state, and is used so that the electrode cleaning tool 3 is slid by inserting it from the outside to the inside of the housing through the notch 15a of the case 15 only during cleaning. Also good. That is, in this case, the electrode cleaning tool 3 needs to be exposed to the outside of the housing from the cutout portion 15 a of the case 15. Moreover, it is preferable that the lever 5 is attached to the electrode cleaning tool 3 through the notch 15a and is detachable.

  The lever 5 may be provided in a normal use state. Even in this case, an increase in the outer dimension can be suppressed as much as possible by reducing the protruding amount of the lever 5 from the side of the housing.

  Next, a configuration for applying a driving force to the electrode cleaning tool 3 from a drive source having an electric drive mechanism, a mechanical drive mechanism, and the like from the outside of the housing will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Referring to FIG. 12, as in FIG. 11, the electrode cleaning tool 3 is provided with a lever 5. A rack gear 5 a is attached to the tip of the lever 5. And the pinion gear 5b attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 5c is meshed with the rack gear 5a. Thereby, the driving force of the motor 5c can be transmitted to the lever 5 via the rack and pinion, and the electrode cleaning tool 3 can be slid.

  Referring to FIG. 13, as in FIG. 11, the electrode cleaning tool 3 is provided with a lever 5. A joint 5 d is attached to the tip of the lever 5. The plunger of the solenoid 5e is joined to the lever 5 with the joint 5d interposed. Thereby, the driving force of the solenoid 5e can be transmitted to the lever 5 through the joint 5d, and the electrode cleaning tool 3 can be slid.

Next, the effect of the ion generator of this Embodiment is demonstrated.
In the ion generating apparatus configured as described above, those having a short use time, such as a vacuum cleaner, that is, having a short energization time to the ion generating element, clean the needle tip with a small amount of adhering matter even if used for many years. Sometimes it is not necessary. However, even in the case of products that do not use these needle tip cleaning devices, if the central gear in the ion generating device 40 of the present embodiment is used in a fixed manner, the external shape on mounting is the same as the conventional ion generating device. Therefore, it is possible to replace the electric equipment provided with this without requiring any change. For this reason, there is no cost increase on the electric equipment side, and there is no demerit caused by replacing with the ion generator 40 of the present embodiment.

  Further, in an ion generator in which it is important to reduce the amount of ions generated due to deposits for use throughout the day, the lever 5 for moving the device is inserted into the notch 15a on the side surface of the ion generator 40 and driven. There is a need. For this reason, the notch part 15a for inserting the lever 5 for driving the electrode cleaning tool 3 is needed. A user or a service person can move the outer end of the electrode cleaning tool 3 with the lever 5 to remove the deposits on the discharge electrode.

  By doing so, the reduction of the amount of ion generation due to deposits is suppressed, and the ion generator is periodically replaced to reduce the amount of ion generation. For example, in the case of an ion generator that requires replacement of the ion generator in two years, no replacement is required. Alternatively, the number of exchanges can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to realize an ion generator that is inexpensive in running cost, suppresses an increase in industrial waste due to replacement, is friendly to the environment, and can stably generate ions.

  In the above-described embodiment, the structure in which the upper surface of the induction electrode body 12 is substantially flush with the distal end of the discharge electrode body 11 has been described. (For example, rubber sheet) It is desirable to make it protrude in the range below the thickness of 4. However, when the tip of the discharge electrode body 11 projects beyond the thickness of the rubber sheet from the upper surface of the induction electrode body 12, a structure such as a protrusion that secures the height of the electrode cleaning tool 3 is required.

  Further, when the tip of the discharge electrode body 11 is depressed (retracted downward) from the upper surface of the induction electrode body 12, it is preferable to use a brush as the cleaning unit 4. In many cases, the foreign matter adhering to the discharge electrode body 11 is solidified dust or silicon floating in the air as described above, and a large force is not required to remove it. In an extreme case, it can be removed by touching something, so that various things can be used as the cleaning unit 4 instead of the rubber sheet as long as this condition is satisfied.

  Further, in the above description, the cleaning mechanism portion 10A of the ion generator 40 is configured to be disposed on the inner side (lower side) of the upper surface lid 16, but the upper surface lid 16 is omitted and the electrode cleaning tool 3 is disposed on the upper surface lid. It is also possible to use instead of. In this case, the induction electrode body 12 that is normally covered by the top cover 16 is exposed on the surface. However, when the ion generator 40 is mounted so as not to directly touch the user's hand, this configuration is Permissible.

  Next, the structure of an air cleaner will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15 as an example of an electrical apparatus using the ion generator of the above embodiment.

  Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, air cleaner 50 has a front panel 51 and a main body 52. A blowout port 53 is provided at the upper rear of the main body 52, and clean air containing ions is supplied into the room from the blowout port 53. An air intake 54 is formed at the center of the main body 52. The air taken in from the air intake 54 on the front surface of the air cleaner 50 is cleaned by passing through a filter (not shown). The purified air is supplied to the outside from the outlet 53 through the fan casing 55.

  The ion generator 40 described in the above embodiment is attached to a part of the fan casing 55 that forms the passage path of the cleaned air. The ion generator 40 is arranged so that ions can be discharged from the through hole 16a serving as the ion generator into the air flow. As an example of the arrangement of the ion generators 40, positions such as a position P1 and a position P2 that are relatively far from the outlet 53 in the air passage path are conceivable. Thus, by allowing the air to pass through the through-hole 16a of the ion generating device 40, the air purifier 50 can have an ion generating function for supplying ions to the outside together with clean air from the air outlet 53. .

  According to the air purifier 50 of the present embodiment, the ions generated in the ion generator 40 can be sent on the airflow by the blower (air passage route), so that the ions can be released outside the apparatus. it can.

  In the present embodiment, an air purifier has been described as an example of an electric device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the electric device includes an air conditioner (air conditioner), a refrigerator, A vacuum cleaner, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, an electric fan heater, etc. may be sufficient, and what is necessary is just an electric equipment which has a ventilation part for carrying ions on an airflow.

  In the above, the power source (input power source) input to the ion generator 40 may be either a commercial AC power source or a DC power source. When the input power source is a commercial AC power source, it is necessary to take a legal distance between components constituting the high-voltage transformer driving circuit which is the primary side circuit and between patterns of the printed circuit board.

  In addition, as a component, a component capable of ensuring a withstand voltage with respect to the power supply voltage is required, resulting in an increase in size, but the circuit configuration can be simplified and the number of components can be reduced. On the other hand, when the input power source is a DC power source, the distance between components constituting the high-voltage transformer driving circuit serving as the primary side circuit or the pattern of the printed circuit board is greatly relaxed compared to the case of the commercial AC power source, and the short distance In the case where the component itself can be a small product such as a chip component and high-density arrangement is possible, but the circuit for realizing a high-voltage drive circuit becomes complicated and the number of components is the above-mentioned commercial AC power supply More than

  In the above-described embodiment, the example of the ion generator 40 with one set of positive and negative ion generation units has been described, but two or more sets of positive and negative ion generation units may be used.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied particularly advantageously to an ion generator capable of removing dirt from a discharge part and an electric device equipped with the ion generator.

  1 gear, 2 gear shaft, 3 electrode cleaning tool (cleaning body), 3a rack gear, 3b, 12a, 13a-13c, 16a through hole, 4 cleaning part, 5 lever, 5a rack gear, 5b pinion gear, 5c motor, 5d joint Part, 5e solenoid, 6, 7, 20, 24, 28 diode, 9 cleaning slider, 10A cleaning mechanism part, 10B ion generation part, 11 discharge electrode body, 12 induction electrode body, 12b, 14a bent part, 13 support substrate, 14 outer cover, 15 case, 15a notch, 16 upper surface cover, 21-23, 25 resistance element, 26 bipolar transistor, 27 step-up transformer, 27a, 31a primary winding, 27b base winding, 27c, 31b secondary Winding, 29 capacitor, 30 2-terminal thyristor, 31 step-up transformer, 40 ion generator 50 air cleaner, 51 front panel, 52 body, 53 outlet, 54 air intake, 55 fan casing, T1 power supply terminal, T2 ground terminal.

Claims (11)

A discharge electrode having a needle-like tip, and generating ions by generating a discharge at the tip;
A cleaning member configured to be movable between a contact state in contact with the discharge electrode and a non-contact state in which the discharge electrode is not contacted to clean the discharge electrode;
A housing that houses the discharge electrode and the cleaning member inside,
The cleaning device is configured to move between the contact state and the non-contact state by a driving force from the outside of the housing.   The ion generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is configured to be exposed to the outside of the casing in order to receive a driving force from the outside of the casing.   The said cleaning member has a driving force transmission member for receiving the driving force from the exterior of the said housing | casing, The said driving force transmission member is comprised so that it may protrude outside the said housing | casing. Or the ion generator of 2.   The ion generator according to claim 3, wherein the cleaning member is configured to be manually movable, and the driving force transmission member is a lever for receiving human power.   The cleaning member is configured to be movable by a driving force of a driving source having at least one of an electric driving mechanism and a mechanical driving mechanism, and the driving force transmitting member can transmit the driving force to the cleaning member. The ion generator according to claim 3, which is configured.   The ion generator according to claim 5, wherein the driving source is one of a motor and a solenoid. A gear that meshes with the cleaning member;
The discharge electrode includes two discharge electrode bodies each having a needle-like tip,
The cleaning member includes two cleaning bodies that are provided corresponding to each of the two discharge electrode bodies and that are disposed with the gear interposed therebetween and each mesh with the gear.
The ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein one of the two cleaning bodies is driven so that the other is also driven to clean the tip of each of the two discharge electrode bodies. .   The said cleaning member contains the cleaning part provided so that it might contact | abut to the said front-end | tip of the said discharge electrode at the time of cleaning, The said cleaning part consists of a material containing either rubber | gum and resin. The ion generator in any one.   The ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cleaning member includes a cleaning unit provided so as to come into contact with the tip of the discharge electrode during cleaning, and the cleaning unit includes a brush. An induction electrode disposed opposite to the discharge electrode;
The ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the induction electrode has a through hole for ion emission at a position facing the discharge electrode. The ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
An electric device comprising: a blowing unit for sending ions generated by the ion generating device to an outside of the electric device on a blowing airflow.

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