JP2012090418A - High voltage generating circuit, ion generator and electrostatic atomizer - Google Patents

Abstract

A high voltage generation circuit, an ion generation device, and an electrostatic atomization device capable of simplifying the configuration of a power supply voltage detection unit necessary for suppressing variations in voltage are provided.
A power supply voltage detection unit for converting a power supply voltage Vcc into a voltage signal Sv of a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit is provided between a power supply circuit and a high voltage control unit. Thereby, the variation factor of the high voltage Vout output from the high voltage generation unit 10 is removed in advance of the high voltage control unit 5 in advance. The high voltage control unit 5 generates a high voltage control signal Sk by a pulse width modulation method or a frequency modulation method based on the voltage signal Sv, and outputs the high voltage control signal Sk to the high voltage generation unit 10.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a high voltage generation circuit that applies a high voltage to an electrode or the like, an ion generation device, and an electrostatic atomization device.

  In recent years, in the field of home appliances, ion generators that can release ion particles into the air, electrostatic atomizers that can discharge nanometer-sized charged fine particle water into the air, and the like have become widespread. In these devices, by applying a high voltage to the discharge electrode, ion particles are discharged into the air in the case of an ion generator, and charged fine particle water is discharged into the air in the case of an electrostatic atomizer.

  This type of ion generator or electrostatic atomizer is provided with a high voltage generation circuit 81 (see, for example, Patent Document 1) as shown in FIG. The high voltage generation circuit 81 includes a high voltage control unit 83 that controls the operation of the high voltage generation circuit 81 based on the direct-current power supply voltage V 1 output from the power supply unit 82, and a high voltage output from the high voltage control unit 83. A high voltage generator 85 that generates a DC high voltage V2 based on the voltage control signal 84 and a discharge electrode 86 that generates fine particles by discharge are provided.

  The high voltage control unit 83 outputs a pulsed (rectangular wave) high voltage control signal 84 to the high voltage generation unit 85, and the high voltage control signal 84 switches the switching element of the high voltage generation unit 85. The high voltage generator 85 boosts the pulsed voltage generated by this switching, and converts the boosted secondary voltage into a DC high voltage V2 at the rectifier. Therefore, the high voltage generator 85 outputs a direct current high voltage V 2 according to the high voltage control signal 84, and the direct current high voltage V 2 is applied to the discharge electrode 86.

  In the high voltage generation circuit 81 of FIG. 7, a high voltage detection unit 87 is connected to the high voltage generation unit 85 in order to suppress variations in high voltage output. The high voltage detector 87 detects the value of the DC high voltage V 2 output from the high voltage generator 85 and outputs the high voltage signal 88 to the high voltage controller 83. The high voltage control unit 83 adjusts the high voltage control signal 84 based on the high voltage signal 88 and operates the high voltage generation unit 85 with the adjusted high voltage control signal 84. Thus, if the DC high voltage V2 is feedback-controlled, variations in the DC high voltage V2 are suppressed, so that the DC high voltage can be set to a value within a desired range.

JP 2010-64053 A

  However, in the case of the high voltage generation unit 85 of FIG. 7, in order to suppress variations in the high voltage V2, the high voltage detection unit 87 must be arranged on the output side of the high voltage generation unit 85, that is, on the secondary side of the boost. I must. As described above, when the high voltage detector 87 is disposed on the secondary side of the boost, the high voltage detector 87 must use a circuit capable of detecting the high voltage V2, and the structure becomes complicated as a component. The cost will be high. In particular, this type of high voltage generation circuit 81 outputs a high voltage V2 of several thousand kV, and there has been a situation in which the above problem becomes significant.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a high voltage generation circuit, an ion generation device, and an electrostatic atomization device capable of simplifying the configuration of a power supply voltage detection unit necessary for suppressing voltage variations. is there.

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, the high voltage control unit generates a pulsed high voltage control signal based on the power supply voltage input from the power supply unit, and the high voltage control unit generates the high voltage control signal. In the high voltage generation circuit for switching the switching unit of the high voltage generation unit by the step, and boosting and outputting the pulsed voltage generated by the switching in the boost unit, the high voltage generation unit is disposed before the high voltage control unit, The power supply voltage output from the power supply unit is converted to a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit, and this is output as a detection signal. The detection signal is input from the power supply voltage detection unit. And a signal waveform generation unit that generates the high voltage control signal based on the detection signal and outputs the high voltage control signal to the high voltage generation unit.
The “previous stage” refers to a position upstream of the high voltage control unit (including the inside of the high voltage control unit) in the signal path of the high voltage generation circuit.

  The gist of the present invention is that the signal waveform generation unit outputs the high voltage control signal with a pulse width waveform corresponding to the detection signal by a pulse modulation method for modulating the pulse width of the output.

  The gist of the present invention is that the signal waveform generation unit outputs the high voltage control signal as a waveform having a frequency corresponding to the detection signal by a frequency modulation method that modulates an output frequency.

  In the present invention, the high voltage control unit generates a pulsed high voltage control signal based on the power supply voltage input from the power supply unit, and the high voltage control unit activates the switching unit of the high voltage generation unit according to the high voltage control signal. In the ion generating apparatus that performs switching, boosts the pulsed voltage generated by the switching in the boosting unit, applies the high voltage after boosting to the discharge electrode, and emits ion particles from the discharge electrode. A power supply voltage detection unit that is arranged before the voltage control unit, converts the power supply voltage output from the power supply unit to a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit, and outputs this as a detection signal; A signal waveform generation unit that inputs the detection signal from a power supply voltage detection unit, generates the high voltage control signal based on the detection signal, and outputs the high voltage control signal to the high voltage generation unit; And summarized in that it was.

  In the present invention, the high voltage control unit generates a pulsed high voltage control signal based on the power supply voltage input from the power supply unit, and the high voltage control unit activates the switching unit of the high voltage generation unit according to the high voltage control signal. Switching, boosting the pulsed voltage generated by the switching in the boosting unit, applying the high voltage after the boosting between the discharge electrode and the counter electrode, and charging fine particle water generated in the discharge electrode In the electrostatic atomization device that discharges from the counter electrode, the power supply voltage that is arranged before the high voltage control unit and is output from the power supply unit is converted to a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit, A power supply voltage detection unit that outputs this as a detection signal; and the detection signal is input from the power supply voltage detection unit, the high voltage control signal is generated based on the detection signal, and the high voltage control signal is And summarized in that and a signal waveform generation unit which outputs the generator.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the power supply voltage detection unit necessary for suppressing the variation in voltage.

The block diagram of the electrostatic atomizer of one Embodiment. The circuit diagram of a high voltage generation circuit. The timing chart which shows the communication sequence of a pulse width modulation system. The timing chart which shows the communication sequence of a frequency modulation system. The block diagram which shows the outline of the ion generator of another example. The block diagram of the electrostatic atomizer of another example. The block diagram of the conventional high voltage generation circuit.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a high voltage generation circuit, an ion generation device, and an electrostatic atomization device embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the electrostatic atomizer 1 is provided with a power supply circuit 3 for inputting power supply power from a power supply 2. The electrostatic atomizer 1 includes a power supply voltage detector 4 that detects a DC power supply voltage Vcc output from the power circuit 3 and a high voltage controller 5 that controls the operation of the electrostatic atomizer 1. It has been. The power supply voltage detection unit 4 monitors the power supply voltage Vcc output from the power supply circuit 3 and outputs a voltage signal Sv according to the power supply voltage Vcc to the high voltage control unit 5. The voltage signal Sv corresponds to the detection signal.

  The high voltage controller 5 is connected to the discharge electrode 8 of the Peltier unit 7 via the Peltier power supply circuit 6. The Peltier unit 7 is provided with a counter electrode 9 on the opposite side of the discharge electrode 8. The high voltage controller 5 is connected to a high voltage generator 10 that outputs a high voltage Vout to the discharge electrode 8. The high voltage control unit 5 outputs a high voltage control signal Sk according to the voltage signal Sv input from the power supply voltage detection unit 4 to the high voltage generation unit 10, and the high voltage control signal Sk outputs the high voltage control signal Sk from the high voltage generation unit 10. A DC high voltage Vout (for example, several thousand kV) is generated.

  When the discharge electrode 8 is cooled by the Peltier method by the high voltage controller 5, moisture adheres to the surface of the discharge electrode 8. When a high voltage Vout is applied from the high voltage generator 10 to the discharge electrode 8 in this state, negatively charged water adheres to the discharge electrode 8, and a discharge occurs between the discharge electrode 8 and the counter electrode 9. A force for sucking water adhering to the electrode 8 is generated. When the balance between the suction force of water adhering to the discharge electrode 8 and gravity reaches a critical point, the water adhering to the discharge electrode 8 starts to split and finally becomes mist-like charged fine particle water. To be released.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the power supply unit 11 that outputs a DC power supply voltage Vcc to the power supply voltage detection unit 4 is a power supply part composed of a power supply 2 and a power supply circuit 3, for example, an AC power supply 12 and a rectifier circuit 13. It is composed of The alternating current power output from the alternating current power source 12 is converted into direct current by the rectifier circuit 13, and this is output to the power source voltage detection unit 4 as the direct current power source voltage Vcc. The power supply unit 11 may be a simple DC power supply.

  The power supply voltage detection unit 4 is provided with two resistors 14 and 15 and a capacitor 16 connected in series. A series circuit of the resistors 14 and 15 is connected in parallel to the power supply unit 11. The capacitor 16 is connected between the intermediate terminal of the resistors 14 and 15 and the ground. The power supply voltage detection unit 4 divides the direct-current power supply voltage Vcc input from the power supply unit 11 by the resistors 14 and 15, thereby converting it into a voltage signal Sv of a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit 5. The capacitor 16 smoothes the voltage signal Sv by cutting high frequency noise from the DC power supply voltage Vcc.

  The high voltage controller 5 is provided with a microcomputer 17 as a control unit of the electrostatic atomizer 1. The microcomputer 17 is provided with an A / D input unit 18, and the voltage signal Sv from the power supply voltage detection unit 4 is input to the A / D input unit 18. The microcomputer 17 generates a pulsed (rectangular wave) high voltage control signal Sk based on the voltage signal Sv input from the power supply voltage detection unit 4, and outputs the high voltage control signal Sk to the high voltage generation unit 10. .

  The microcomputer 17 is provided with a signal waveform generator 19 that controls the signal waveform of the high voltage control signal Sk. When the microcomputer 17 generates the high voltage control signal Sk, the signal waveform generation unit 19 generates the high voltage control signal Sk by modulating the high voltage control signal Sk into a waveform according to the value of the voltage signal Sv.

  As a modulation method when the signal waveform generator 19 generates the high voltage control signal Sk, a pulse modulation method (PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control) shown in FIG. 3 and a frequency modulation method (PFM (Pulse) shown in FIG. Frequency Modulation)). The PWM control is control for changing the ON time of the pulse (H level) while keeping the signal cycle constant. The PFM control is control for changing the pulse output timing (frequency) while keeping the pulse width of the signal constant.

  In the case of the pulse modulation method shown in FIG. 3, the signal waveform generation unit 19 has Y1 = f, for example, assuming that the pulse width is Y1 and the voltage signal Sv from the power supply voltage detection unit 4 input based on the power supply voltage Vcc is X. A high voltage control signal Sk having a pulse width determined by (x) is output. In the case of the frequency modulation method shown in FIG. 4, the signal waveform generation unit 19 sets the frequency to Y2, for example, and if the voltage signal Sv from the power supply voltage detection unit 4 input based on the power supply voltage Vcc is X, Y2 = A high voltage control signal Sk having a frequency determined by f (x) is output.

  The high voltage generation unit 10 includes a switching unit 20 that is switched by the high voltage control signal Sk, a boosting unit 21 that boosts a voltage (primary voltage) generated by turning on the switching unit 20, and an alternating current 2 after boosting. A rectifying unit 22 for converting the secondary voltage into a direct current is provided.

  For example, an FET (Field Effect Transistor) 23 is used for the switching unit 20. The switching unit 20 has a gate terminal connected to the microcomputer 17 via a resistor 24, a source terminal connected to the primary side of the booster unit 21, and a drain terminal grounded. The switching unit 20 is switched on and off according to the H / L signal level of the high voltage control signal Sk.

  For example, a step-up transformer is used for the step-up unit 21. When the high voltage control signal Sk is input to the switching unit 20, the switching unit 20 is repeatedly turned on and off by repeating H / L of the high voltage control signal Sk, and a pulsed voltage is generated on the primary side of the boosting unit 21. . The booster 21 boosts the pulsed voltage generated on the primary side, and outputs this as an AC voltage from the secondary side.

  The rectifying unit 22 includes a circuit in which a diode 25 and a capacitor 26 are T-connected. The rectifier 22 rectifies the alternating high voltage output from the secondary side of the booster 21 and applies the rectified high voltage to the discharge electrode 8 as a positive direct high voltage Vout.

Next, the operation of the high voltage generation circuit of this example will be described with reference to FIG.
When power is supplied to the electrostatic atomizer 1, a DC power supply voltage Vcc is input from the power supply unit 11 to the power supply voltage detection unit 4. The power supply voltage detection unit 4 converts the power supply voltage Vcc input from the power supply unit 11 into a voltage signal Sv at a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit 5, and outputs the voltage signal Sv to the high voltage control unit 5. That is, if there is a variation in the power supply voltage Vcc, the variation is removed by the power supply voltage detection unit 4, and the voltage signal Sv in which the variation is suppressed is supplied to the high voltage control unit 5.

  Here, variations in the DC high voltage Vout are mainly caused by fluctuations in the power supply voltage Vcc located at the uppermost stream of the voltage path. Therefore, if the power supply voltage detection unit 4 is arranged in the preceding stage of the high voltage control unit 5 and the power supply voltage Vcc is monitored, this is synonymous with monitoring the variation of the DC high voltage Vout. For this reason, in the case of this example, the power source voltage detection unit 4 arranged in the previous stage of the high voltage control unit 5 removes the variation factor of the DC high voltage Vout in advance. For example, the power supply voltage detection unit 4 outputs a high value voltage signal Sv if the power supply voltage Vcc takes a high value, and outputs a low value voltage signal Sv if the power supply voltage Vcc takes a low value.

  When the voltage signal Sv is input to the high voltage controller 5, the signal waveform generator 19 generates a high voltage control signal Sk having a waveform corresponding to the voltage signal Sv. Here, when the modulation method is a pulse width modulation method, a high voltage control signal Sk having a large pulse width is generated if the voltage signal Sv is high, and a high voltage having a small pulse width is generated if the voltage signal Sv is low. A control signal Sk is generated. Therefore, the high voltage control unit 5 controls the switching unit 20 by PWM control, and generates a pulse voltage having a waveform corresponding to the voltage signal Sv at that time on the primary side of the boosting unit 21.

  In the case of the frequency modulation method, the signal waveform generator 19 generates a high voltage control signal Sk having a frequency corresponding to the voltage signal Sv. For example, if the voltage signal Sv is high, a high voltage control signal Sk having a high frequency is generated, and if the voltage signal Sv is low, a high voltage control signal Sk having a low frequency is generated. Therefore, the high voltage control unit 5 controls the switching unit 20 by PFM control, and generates a pulse voltage having a waveform corresponding to the voltage signal Sv at that time on the primary side.

  When a rectangular-wave pulse voltage is applied to the primary side of the boosting unit 21, a pulsed high voltage is output from the secondary side of the boosting unit 21. The rectifier 22 rectifies the pulsed high voltage output from the secondary side of the booster 21 by the diode 25 and the capacitor 26 only during the forward voltage period, and outputs a positive DC high voltage Vout to the discharge electrode 8. . When a positive DC high voltage Vout is applied to the discharge electrode 8, corona discharge is generated at the discharge electrode 8, thereby generating charged particulate water from the discharge electrode 8.

  As described above, in this example, the power supply voltage detection unit 4 capable of converting the power supply voltage Vcc into the voltage signal Sv of a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit 5 is provided in the previous stage of the high voltage control unit 5. The high voltage control signal Sk output from the voltage control unit 5 can be output as a signal in which voltage variation is suppressed. Therefore, since the direct current high voltage Vout has little variation, the direct current high voltage Vout can be set to a value within a desired range.

  In addition, since the power supply voltage detection unit 4 is arranged in front of the high voltage control unit 5, the power supply voltage detection unit 4 only needs to monitor a low value of the power supply voltage Vcc. Therefore, the power supply voltage detection unit 4 has a complicated configuration capable of detecting a high voltage and does not require expensive parts. Therefore, the power supply voltage detection unit 4 can be made with a simple configuration, and the component cost can be reduced.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Between the power supply circuit 3 and the high voltage control unit 5, the power supply voltage detection unit 4 for converting and outputting the power supply voltage Vcc to a voltage signal Sv of a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit 5 is provided. Therefore, it is possible to remove the variation factor of the high voltage Vout with a low voltage of the power supply voltage Vcc, and thus the configuration of the power supply voltage detection unit 4 can be simplified. In addition, the component cost of the power supply voltage detection unit 4 can be reduced.

  (2) Since the switching unit 20 is switched by the high voltage control signal Sk generated by the pulse modulation method or the frequency modulation method, a stable voltage can be output from the switching unit 20.

  (3) Since the DC high voltage Vout takes a high voltage value of several thousand kV, for example, as described in the background art, the power supply voltage detection unit is connected to the high voltage generation unit 10 and the detection voltage is supplied to the high voltage control unit 5. In the feedback system, a complicated and expensive circuit capable of detecting a very high voltage must be used as a component of the power supply voltage detection unit. However, in the case of this example, the power supply voltage detection unit 4 that only needs to detect a low voltage is sufficient, so that it is not necessary to use a complicated and expensive circuit capable of detecting a high voltage of several thousand kV. It can be said that it is very effective.

Note that the embodiment is not limited to the configuration described so far, and may be modified as follows.
-As shown in FIG. 5, you may employ | adopt the high voltage generation circuit of this example for the ion generator 61. FIG. The ion generator 61 generates ion particles from the discharge electrode 8 by applying a high voltage Vout from the high voltage generator 10 to the discharge electrode 8.

As shown in FIG. 6, a high voltage output from the high voltage generator 10 may be applied to the counter electrode 9 to create a potential difference between the two electrodes.
A plurality of discharge electrodes 8 (counter electrodes 9) may be provided.

The switching unit 20 is not limited to being configured from an FET, and may be a circuit using a transistor, for example.
The power supply voltage detection unit 4 is not limited to a circuit composed of the two resistors 14 and 15 and the capacitor 16. If the power supply voltage Vcc can be converted into a voltage signal Sv of a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit 5, its configuration is There is no particular limitation.

-The pressure | voltage rise part 21 may use members other than a transformer.
-It is good also as a circuit which abbreviate | omits the rectification part 22 from the high voltage generation part 10, and outputs a pulse-like high voltage.

The voltage output from the high voltage generator 10 may be either positive or negative.
The power supply voltage detection unit 4 is not limited to being configured from a separate circuit independent of the microcomputer 17. For example, a function of detecting the power supply voltage Vcc in the microcomputer 17 and converting the power supply voltage Vcc to a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit 5 may be processed programmatically in the microcomputer 17. In this case, since it is not necessary to provide the power supply voltage detection unit 4 in a separate circuit, the high voltage generation circuit can be downsized.

The detection signal is not limited to the voltage signal Sv but may be a current signal, for example.
-A high voltage generation circuit is not restricted to being used for the electrostatic atomizer 1 or the ion generator 61, You may use it for another apparatus and apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electrostatic atomizer, 4 ... Power supply voltage detection part, 5 ... High voltage control part, 8 ... Discharge electrode, 9 ... Counter electrode, 10 ... High voltage generation part, 11 ... Power supply part, 19 ... Signal waveform generation part , 20, a switching unit, 21, a boosting unit, 61, an ion generator, Vcc, a power supply voltage, Sk, a high voltage control signal, Sv, a voltage signal as a detection signal, Vout, a high voltage (DC high voltage).

Claims (5)

The high voltage control unit generates a pulsed high voltage control signal based on the power supply voltage input from the power supply unit, the high voltage control unit switches the switching unit of the high voltage generation unit by the high voltage control signal, In a high voltage generation circuit that boosts and outputs a pulsed voltage generated by switching in a boosting unit,
A power supply voltage detection unit that is arranged before the high voltage control unit, converts the power supply voltage output from the power supply unit to a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit, and outputs this as a detection signal; ,
A signal waveform generation unit that inputs the detection signal from the power supply voltage detection unit, generates the high voltage control signal based on the detection signal, and outputs the high voltage control signal to the high voltage generation unit; A high voltage generation circuit characterized by the above. The said signal waveform generation part outputs the said high voltage control signal with the waveform of the pulse width according to the said detection signal by the pulse modulation system which modulates the pulse width of an output, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. High voltage generation circuit. The high-frequency signal according to claim 1, wherein the signal waveform generation unit outputs the high-voltage control signal as a waveform having a frequency corresponding to the detection signal by a frequency modulation method that modulates an output frequency. Voltage generation circuit. The high voltage control unit generates a pulsed high voltage control signal based on the power supply voltage input from the power supply unit, the high voltage control unit switches the switching unit of the high voltage generation unit by the high voltage control signal, In an ion generator that boosts a pulsed voltage generated by switching in a boosting unit, applies a high voltage after boosting to a discharge electrode, and emits ion particles from the discharge electrode.
A power supply voltage detection unit that is arranged before the high voltage control unit, converts the power supply voltage output from the power supply unit to a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit, and outputs this as a detection signal; ,
A signal waveform generation unit that inputs the detection signal from the power supply voltage detection unit, generates the high voltage control signal based on the detection signal, and outputs the high voltage control signal to the high voltage generation unit; An ion generator characterized by that. The high voltage control unit generates a pulsed high voltage control signal based on the power supply voltage input from the power supply unit, the high voltage control unit switches the switching unit of the high voltage generation unit by the high voltage control signal, The pulsed voltage generated by switching is boosted by the boosting unit, and the boosted high voltage is applied between the discharge electrode and the counter electrode, and the charged fine particle water generated at the discharge electrode is released from the counter electrode. In an electrostatic atomizer that
A power supply voltage detection unit that is arranged before the high voltage control unit, converts the power supply voltage output from the power supply unit to a level that can be input to the high voltage control unit, and outputs this as a detection signal; ,
A signal waveform generation unit that inputs the detection signal from the power supply voltage detection unit, generates the high voltage control signal based on the detection signal, and outputs the high voltage control signal to the high voltage generation unit; An electrostatic atomizer characterized by that.

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