Fine water particle emitting device and fine water particle emitting method

Abstract

To provide a fine water particle release device which can release fine water particles while removing bacteria or viruses.SOLUTION: A fine water particle release device 1 includes: a cylindrical case 13; a fine water particle generation element 11 which is stored in the case 13 and can generate non-charged fine water particles with a particle diameter of 50 nm or less; a fan 12 which allows air to flow from one end of the case 13 and releases the air from the other end; a discharge element 14 which has a ground electrode 141 and a discharge electrode 142, is configured to be capable of being discharged in a discharge space DS therebetween by voltage application, and is arranged on the downstream of the fine water particle generation element 11 so that the fine water particles generated in the fine water particle generation element 11 pass through the discharge space DS together with the air; and a control device 40 for controlling a generated moisture content that is a content of moisture generated in the fine water particle generation element 11 and the discharge.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fine water particle discharging device configured to be able to discharge fine water particles. And method for discharging fine water particles Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a fine water particle emission device. The fine water particle emission device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to emit fine water particles by utilizing the action of moisture being absorbed into a laminate film having a core-shell structure of PEDOT / PSS, which is a conductive polymer film, and the action of the absorbed moisture being emitted as uncharged fine water particles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-18195 A Summary of the Invention

[0004] (Problem to be solved by the invention) When nano-sized fine water particles are irradiated onto the skin of the human body, the fine water particles can efficiently penetrate the skin and moisturize the skin. In addition, it is known that many resident bacteria exist on the surface of the human skin, and nano-sized fine water particles promote the proliferation of these resident bacteria. Therefore, when nano-sized fine water particles are irradiated onto the skin, it is preferable that beneficial bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis among the resident bacteria on the skin surface proliferate, but it is not preferable that harmful bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus proliferate. Furthermore, in cases where highly pathogenic viruses and bacteria are attached to the skin surface, hair, clothing, etc., irradiation with fine water particles may cause the viruses and bacteria attached to the skin surface, etc. to proliferate. The occurrence of such a situation must also be prevented.

[0005] In addition, when nano-sized fine water particles are irradiated onto human hair, particularly scalp hair, the fine water particles can efficiently penetrate the hair and moisturize it. However, if the hair is charged with static electricity, the hair is damaged and becomes difficult to comb. Therefore, it is desirable to remove static electricity, but non-charged fine water particles cannot sufficiently remove static electricity from hair.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides a fine water particle discharging device that can discharge fine water particles while removing bacteria or viruses. And method for discharging fine water particles The present invention also provides a fine water particle emitting device capable of emitting fine water particles while efficiently removing static electricity. And method for discharging fine water particles The purpose of this document is to provide the following: [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides a fine water particle emission device (1) comprising: a cylindrical case (13) open at both ends; a fine water particle generating element (11) housed in the case and configured to generate non-charged fine water particles having a particle size of 50 nanometers or less; an air blowing member (12) that operates to allow air to flow into the case from one end and to release the air that has flowed into the case from the other end of the case; a discharge element (14) having a first electrode (141) and a second electrode (142) spaced apart from each other and configured to generate a discharge in a discharge space (DS) between the first electrode and the second electrode by applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, the discharge element (14) being disposed downstream of the fine water particle generating element so that the fine water particles generated by the fine water particle generating element pass through the discharge space together with the air that has flowed into the case by the operation of the air blowing member; and a control device (40) that controls the amount of moisture generated by the fine water particle generating element and the discharge. The present invention also provides a fine-water particle emitting method, comprising: a cylindrical space providing step of providing a cylindrical space open at both ends; a fine-water particle generating step of generating uncharged fine water particles having a particle size of 50 nanometers or less in the cylindrical space; an air blowing step of flowing air into the cylindrical space from one end of the cylindrical space and blowing the air that has flowed into the cylindrical space so that it can be released from the other end of the cylindrical space; a discharge space providing step of providing the discharge space in which a discharge is caused between a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart from each other by applying a voltage so that the fine water particles generated in the fine-water particle generating step pass through the discharge space together with the air that has flowed into the cylindrical space by the air blowing step; and a control step of controlling the amount of moisture generated in the fine-water particle generating step and the discharge in the discharge space providing step.

[0008] Fine water particle emission device according to the present invention And method for discharging fine water particlesAccording to the method, uncharged fine water particles (uncharged fine water particles) generated by a fine water particle generating element pass through a discharge space together with air due to the operation of a blower member. If a discharge occurs in the discharge space at this time, a plasma region is formed in the discharge space. When air and uncharged fine water particles pass through this plasma region, ions are generated from the air and water, and the uncharged fine water particles water Some of the particles combine with the ions to generate charged fine water particles (charged fine water particles). Similarly, when air and uncharged fine water particles pass through this plasma region, ozone is generated using oxygen as a raw material, and hydrogen peroxide is generated mainly using water as a raw material. Therefore, the fine water particle emission device according to the present invention According to the fine water particle emission method, It can emit charged fine water particles, uncharged fine water particles, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, etc.

[0009] Ozone or hydrogen peroxide has antibacterial and antiviral properties. Therefore, the fine water particle emitting device according to the present invention and by fine water particle emission method When the emitted substance is irradiated onto, for example, human skin, the ozone and hydrogen peroxide among the emitted substances can remove bacteria or viruses attached to the skin surface. Furthermore, by combining the ozone and hydrogen peroxide with the uncharged fine water particles or charged fine water particles that are emitted at the same time, it is expected that the ozone or hydrogen peroxide will be more likely to be adsorbed and penetrate the surface of the target object such as the skin, and will be more likely to exert antibacterial and antiviral effects. Furthermore, the uncharged fine water particles or charged fine water particles among the emitted substances can penetrate the human skin and moisturize the skin. In other words, the fine water particle emitting device according to the present invention And method for discharging fine water particles According to this, it is possible to release fine water particles while removing bacteria or viruses.

[0010] The fine water particle emission device according to the present invention And method for discharging fine water particlesAccording to the invention, when a negative voltage is applied to the electrode of the discharge element, negatively charged fine water particles can be generated, and when a positive voltage is applied to the electrode of the discharge element, positively charged fine water particles can be generated. Also, when an alternating voltage (AC voltage, etc.) is applied to the electrode of the discharge element, positively and negatively charged fine water particles can be generated. And, the fine water particle emitting device according to the invention and by fine water particle emission method When the emitted substance is irradiated onto human hair, static electricity can be removed by the charged fine water particles in the emitted substance. That is, since human hair is generally positively charged, it is possible to neutralize and remove the static electricity from the hair by emitting negatively charged fine water particles using the above-mentioned method. It is also possible to remove static electricity from a variety of objects, not just hair. For example, clothing and the like can be positively or negatively charged depending on the material, and it is also possible to neutralize and remove static electricity from such charged clothing and the like. In addition, the fine water particle emitting device according to the present invention and by fine water particle emission method The non-charged fine water particles among the emitted materials can penetrate into human hair to moisturize the hair. And method for discharging fine water particles According to the present invention, it is possible to remove static electricity while releasing fine water particles to, for example, moisturize the skin.

[0011] In the fine water particle emission device, The discharge element may be housed in a case. The method for emitting fine water particles may include a step of generating an electric discharge inside the cylindrical space. According to this, the fine water particle generating element and the discharge element are housed in the case, and thus the fine water particle generating element and the discharge element are integrated. This allows the fine water particle emitting device to be constructed compactly. Furthermore, when replacing the fine water particle generating element and the discharge element, it is sufficient to replace the case, which improves maintainability.

[0012] In the fine water particle emission device, The fine water particle generating element preferably comprises a conductive substrate (111) and a conductive polymer film (112) formed on the surface of the substrate, and is configured such that fine water particles are generated by releasing moisture absorbed in the conductive polymer film, and the higher the temperature of the conductive polymer film, the greater the amount of moisture generated. In the fine water particle emission method, the fine water particle generating step may include a step of providing a conductive polymer film that absorbs or releases moisture, the conductive polymer film being configured so that the amount of moisture generated increases as the temperature increases.According to this, the amount of generated moisture can be controlled by controlling the temperature of the conductive polymer film. Note that the "amount of generated moisture" referred to in this specification is the amount of moisture generated by the fine water particle generating element per unit time. Here, mainly fine water particles and water vapor molecules are generated from the fine water particle generating element according to the present invention. Therefore, the amount of generated moisture is the amount of fine water particles and water vapor molecules generated per unit time.

[0013] Also, In the fine water particle emission device, The control device is preferably configured to execute a stabilization control process that controls the amount of moisture generated based on the discharge current value so that the discharge current value (i), which is the value of the current passed through the discharge element, is equal to or less than an upper limit current value (imax), which is the upper limit of the discharge current value for generating a corona discharge in the discharge space. In the fine water particle emission method, the control step may include a stabilization control step of controlling the amount of water generated based on the discharge current value so that the discharge current value flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode is equal to or lower than an upper limit of the discharge current value for generating a corona discharge in the discharge space. According to this, the control device executes the stabilization control process, so that a corona discharge is stably generated in the discharge space, and therefore the charged fine water particles, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide can be stably emitted.

[0014] Also, In the fine water particle emission device, The control device is preferably configured to be capable of executing a gas generation amount control process for controlling the amounts of ozone and hydrogen peroxide generated by the occurrence of discharge in the discharge space by controlling the amount of water generated. In the fine water particle emission method, the control step may include a gas generation amount control step configured to control the amount of ozone and hydrogen peroxide generated by discharge in the discharge space by controlling the amount of water generated. According to this, the control device executes the gas generation amount control process, so that it is possible to control the amount of ozone and the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated from the fine water particle emitting device.

[0015] in this case, In the fine water particle emission device, When the operating mode of the fine water particle emission device is an ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode, the control device executes a high moisture content control in the gas generation amount control process to control the amount of moisture generated so that the amount of moisture generated is maintained above a predetermined high moisture content, and when the operating mode is an ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode, the control device executes a low moisture content control in the gas generation amount control process to control the amount of moisture generated so that the amount of moisture generated is maintained below a predetermined low moisture content that is lower than the high moisture content.In the fine water particle emission method, the gas generation amount control step may include a high moisture content control step of suppressing ozone and increasing hydrogen peroxide by maintaining the amount of moisture generated at or above a predetermined high moisture content, and a low moisture content control step of increasing ozone and suppressing hydrogen peroxide by maintaining the amount of moisture generated at or below a predetermined low moisture content that is lower than the high moisture content.

[0016] Fine water particle emission device according to the present invention And method for discharging fine water particles In the case of moisturizing the skin of the human body using a gas discharger, ozone, hydrogen peroxide and fine water particles can be irradiated onto the skin. Ozone or hydrogen peroxide has the effect of removing bacteria or viruses attached to the surface of the skin, but since ozone is more harmful to the human body than hydrogen peroxide, a large amount of ozone irradiation may have a negative effect on the human body. Therefore, in such a case, the operation mode of the fine water particle emitting device is preferably an ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode, which suppresses (reduces) the amount of ozone generated and increases the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated, thereby removing bacteria or viruses while suppressing the ozone concentration to a safe concentration for the human body. In this ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode, the control device executes high moisture amount control in the gas generation amount control process to maintain the generated moisture amount at a predetermined high moisture amount or more, thereby maintaining the humidity in the discharge space at a high level, thereby suppressing the amount of ozone generated and increasing the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated. Therefore, it is possible to irradiate the human body with fine water particles while preventing the occurrence of adverse effects due to the irradiation of ozone, thereby moisturizing the skin. On the other hand, for example, the fine water particle emitting device according to the present invention And method for discharging fine water particles When using a micro-water particle discharger to humidify an unoccupied room while disinfecting it, it is preferable to increase the amount of ozone generated to efficiently disinfect the room. Therefore, in order to efficiently disinfect the room, it is preferable that the operation mode of the micro-water particle discharger is an ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode in which a large amount of ozone is released. When in this ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode, the control device executes low moisture amount control in the gas generation amount control process to maintain the generated moisture amount below a predetermined low moisture amount, thereby maintaining the humidity in the discharge space low, and thus generating a large amount of ozone. This allows efficient disinfection of the room.

[0017] The control device may be configured to execute an alternating operation process that can switch between an uncharged fine water particle emission mode in which fine water particles are generated from the fine water particle generating element when no discharge is occurring in the discharge space, and a charged fine water particle emission mode in which fine water particles are generated from the fine water particle generating element when discharge is occurring in the discharge space, at any timing. According to this, the control device executes the alternating operation process, and the uncharged fine water particle emission mode and the charged fine water particle emission mode are alternately switched. As a result, for example, in the charged fine water particle emission mode, ozone and hydrogen peroxide can be irradiated onto the human body to sterilize or remove static electricity, and in the uncharged fine water particle emission mode, uncharged fine water particles can be irradiated onto the human body to moisturize the skin or provide moisture to the hair. In addition, in the uncharged fine water particle emission mode, uncharged fine water particles can be irradiated onto beneficial bacteria to promote their cultivation, and on the other hand, in the charged fine water particle emission mode, ozone or hydrogen peroxide can be irradiated onto harmful bacteria to prevent their proliferation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a fine water particle discharge device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a fine water particle generating element housed in a case. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of the water fine particle generating element 11 shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the discharge current value i and the humidity in the discharge space. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of a stabilization control processing routine executed by the control device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of a gas generation amount control process routine executed by the control device. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a high moisture content control process. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a low moisture content control process. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the relative humidity in a discharge space and the amounts of ozone and hydrogen peroxide generated when a corona discharge occurs in the discharge space. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a manner in which the operation mode is switched when the first alternating operation process is performed. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a manner in which the operation mode is switched when the second alternating operation process is performed. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a graph showing the effect of inhibiting the proliferation of fungi by irradiating fungi with a substance emitted from a fine water particle emitting device set in the charged fine water particle emitting mode. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a cartridge of a water fine particle emitting device including a discharge element according to another embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a view of a discharge element according to another example, as viewed from the axial direction of the case. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a discharge element according to still another example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a fine water particle emitting device according to the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the fine water particle emitting device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a fine water particle emitting cartridge 10, a fan power supply 21, a cartridge power supply 22, a high-voltage power supply for discharge 23, a control device 40, and an operation unit 50.

[0020] The fine water particle emitting cartridge 10 includes a fine water particle generating element 11, a fan 12 (air blowing member), a case 13, and a discharge element 14.

[0021] Case 13 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with both ends open. A flow path 13a that communicates from one end to the other end of case 13 is formed inside case 13. The opening on one end side of case 13 forms intake port 131, and the opening on the other end side forms discharge port 132.

[0022] Fan 12 as an air blowing member is a propeller fan that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), and is housed in a position close to intake port 131 in case 13. Fan 12 may be a sirocco fan or the like. Fan 12 is configured to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the motor, to cause air to flow from intake port 131 of case 13 into flow path 13a, and to discharge the flowed-in air from discharge port 132 of case 13.

[0023] The fine water particle generating element 11 is housed in a flow path 13a of a case 13 together with the fan 12. The fine water particle generating element 11 is disposed in a position in the case 13 on the downstream side of the fan 12 (on the side closer to the discharge port 132).

[0024] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the fine water particle generating element 11 housed in the case 13. As shown in Fig. 2, the fine water particle generating element 11 is disposed so as to spread over the entire cross section of the flow path 13a in the case 13. However, the fine water particle generating element 11 is formed so as to allow air to flow therethrough. Therefore, the air flowing through the flow path 13a from the intake port 131 toward the exhaust port 132 passes through the fine water particle generating element 11.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of a cross section of the fine water particle generating element 11 shown in FIG. 2 cut along a plane passing through the central axis of the case 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the fine water particle generating element 11 has a base material 111 and a conductive polymer film 112 formed on one or both surfaces (one surface in FIG. 3) of the base material 111. The base material 111 is formed of a conductive material such as a metal material such as stainless steel metal or copper metal, a carbon material, a conductive ceramic material (e.g., ITO, etc.), a conductive resin material (e.g., a resin film with metal deposition, a nano-silver coating resin, a CNT (carbon nanotube) coating resin), etc. In this embodiment, a stainless steel metal foil with aluminum added is used. The base material 111 is formed in a shape that allows the air in the flow path 13a to flow when the base material 111 is disposed in the flow path 13a. Furthermore, the base material 111 is formed so that the contact area with the air flowing in the flow path 13a is as large as possible when the base material 111 is disposed in the flow path 13a, that is, so that the surface area is as large as possible. In this case, the substrate 111 may be formed of, for example, a plurality of flat plates. The substrate 111 may be formed so that the cross section perpendicular to the flow path 13a has a honeycomb shape or a spiral shape. The substrate 111 is formed of a material having electrical conductivity in order to increase the temperature of the conductive polymer film 112 by passing electricity through the substrate 111 as described below. Therefore, the substrate 111 may be made of an insulating material such as ceramics, as long as a means for increasing the temperature of the conductive polymer film 112 is separately provided. In this case, for example, a heater may be disposed upstream of the water microparticle generating element 11, and the conductive polymer film 112 may be heated by hot air from the heater.

[0026] The conductive polymer film 112 is formed in a film shape by a polymer compound having conductivity, for example, a thiophene-based conductive polymer compound. In this embodiment, the conductive polymer film is formed by PEDOT / PSS (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) / poly(styrenesulfonic acid)) among thiophene-based conductive polymers. PEDOT / PSS has a core-shell structure in which a core of water-insoluble PEDOT is surrounded by hydrophilic PSS (shell), and the shape of a single core-shell is generally ellipsoidal. Such ellipsoidal particles (core-shell particles) are aligned to form a laminated structure, and the conductive polymer film 112 is formed in a film shape. Then, nanometer-sized gaps of about 2 nm are formed between adjacent core-shell particles, and such gaps are connected to form nanochannels that open on the surface of the conductive polymer film 112. In addition, since the central core (PEDOT) of each core-shell particle is hydrophobic, many hydrophilic sulfonic acid groups are present on the outer periphery of the shell (PSS). For this reason, there are many sulfonic acid groups in the nanochannels surrounded by the outer walls of the core-shell particles. Sulfonic acid groups are polar functional groups that can form hydrogen bonds. Therefore, moisture in the air inside the nanochannels can hydrogen bond with the sulfonic acid groups and be retained in the nanochannels as bound water.

[0027] When the amount of moisture on the surface of the conductive polymer film 112 is greater than the amount of moisture in the bound water in the nanochannel, the moisture on the surface moves into the nanochannel, driven by the difference in moisture concentration between the two, and is held as bound water. This causes moisture to be absorbed into the nanochannel. Conversely, when the amount of moisture on the surface is less than the amount of moisture in the bound water in the nanochannel, the difference in moisture concentration between the two causes the bound water in the nanochannel to move toward the surface. This causes the moisture absorbed and held in the nanochannel to be released from the nanochannel. In this way, the conductive polymer film 112 is configured to be switched between an absorbing state in which water is absorbed and a releasing state in which water is released, depending on the difference in moisture concentration.

[0028] Furthermore, increasing the temperature of the conductive polymer film 112 promotes water release more than when water is released due to a difference in water concentration, and decreasing the temperature of the conductive polymer film promotes water absorption more than when water is absorbed due to a difference in water concentration. In this way, the conductive polymer film 112 is configured to be able to switch between an absorption state and a release state due to a change in temperature.

[0029] Moreover, the flow path width of the nanochannel is approximately 2 nm (nanometers). Therefore, the moisture released from the nanochannel is nanoparticles with a particle size of 2 nm or less. Even if nanoparticles with a particle size of 2 nm aggregate (cluster) near the opening of the nanochannel, the particle size remains at 50 nm or less. Therefore, the conductive polymer film 112 generates fine water particles with a particle size of 50 nm or less and water vapor molecules when releasing moisture. In addition, the bound water held in the nanochannel is not charged. Therefore, the conductive polymer film 112 generates fine water particles with a particle size of 50 nm or less and uncharged water vapor molecules when releasing moisture.

[0030] In this way, the fine water particle generating element 11 includes a conductive base material 111 and a conductive polymer film 112 formed on the surface of the base material 111, and is configured such that fine water particles and water vapor molecules are generated by releasing moisture absorbed and held in the conductive polymer film 112, and further, the higher the temperature of the conductive polymer film 112, the more the release of the fine water particles and water vapor molecules is promoted, resulting in a greater amount of generation (amount of moisture generated). Note that a detailed description of such a fine water particle generating element is described in Patent Document 1, and therefore further description will be omitted.

[0031] The discharge element 14 is housed in the flow path 13a of the case 13 together with the fine water particle generating element 11 and the fan 12. The discharge element 14 is disposed in the case 13 at a position downstream (closer to the discharge port 132) of the fine water particle generating element 11. Thus, in this embodiment, the fine water particle generating element 11 and the discharge element 14 are integrated in the case 13.

[0032] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 1, and shows a cross section of the discharge element 14 housed in the case 13. As shown in Fig. 4, the discharge element 14 includes an earth electrode 141 (first electrode), a discharge electrode 142 (second electrode), and a support 143. The earth electrode 141 and the discharge electrode 142 are spatially separated from each other.

[0033] The earth electrode 141 is formed in a ring shape coaxial with the case 13 so as to follow the inner circumferential surface of the case 13, and is made of, for example, stainless steel. The discharge electrode 142 is disposed in the inner circumferential space of the earth electrode 141, and is made of, for example, stainless steel. The discharge electrode 142 is formed in a ring shape, and is located at approximately the same position as the earth electrode 141 in the axial direction of the case 13, and is disposed coaxially with the earth electrode 141. The discharge electrode 142 has a ring-shaped main body 142a having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the earth electrode 141, and a plurality of protrusions 142b protruding radially outward are provided on the outer circumferential wall of the main body 142a. The plurality of protrusions 142b are disposed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the main body 142a. In FIG. 4, twelve protrusions 142b are provided, but the number of protrusions 142b is not limited to this. A discharge space DS is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the earth electrode 141 and the outer surface of the discharge electrode 142. When a predetermined voltage is applied between the earth electrode 141 and the discharge electrode 142, a discharge occurs in the discharge space DS, and a plasma region is formed within the discharge space DS.

[0034] The support 143 is configured by intersecting two rod-shaped members made of an insulator at right angles, and both ends of each rod-shaped member are fixed to the case 13. The earth electrode 141 and the discharge electrode 142 in the case 13 are fixed and supported by this support 143.

[0035] The fan power source 21 and the cartridge power source 22 shown in FIG. 1 are supplied with power of AC 100V or the like. The fan power source 21 is configured to convert the supplied power into power suitable for driving the motor of the fan 12, and to output the converted power to the first fan electric wire 31a and the second fan electric wire 31b. The cartridge power source 22 is electrically connected to a positive terminal (not shown) provided on the substrate 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11 via the first cartridge electric wire 32a, and is electrically connected to a negative terminal (not shown) provided on the substrate 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11 via the second cartridge electric wire 32b. The negative terminal of the cartridge power source 20 and the negative terminal provided on the substrate 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11 are each electrically connected to the ground line 35 via the second cartridge electric wire 32b. The cartridge power source 22 is configured to convert the supplied power into power suitable for supply to the substrate 111, and to output the converted power to the first cartridge electric wire 32a and the second cartridge electric wire 32b.

[0036] The high-voltage discharge power supply 23 includes a ground terminal and a discharge terminal, and the discharge terminal is electrically connected to the discharge electrode 142 of the discharge element 14 via a discharge wire 33a, and the ground terminal is electrically connected to a ground line 35 via a ground wire 33b. The ground electrode 141 of the discharge element 14 is connected to the ground line 35 via a discharge element ground wire 34. The high-voltage discharge power supply 30 is configured to apply a predetermined potential between the ground electrode 141 and the discharge electrode 142 of the discharge element 14. An ammeter 36 is interposed in the middle of the discharge wire 33a. The ammeter 36 detects the current flowing through the discharge wire 33a, i.e., the value of the current passed through the discharge element 14, as a discharge current value i. Note that by connecting the negative terminal provided on the substrate 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11 and the ground electrode 141 of the discharge element 14 with a metal or the like, the discharge element ground wire 34 can be omitted, thereby reducing the number of wirings. In this case, for example, a configuration can be adopted in which the case 13 is made of metal and the negative electrode terminal of the base material 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11 and the earth electrode of the discharge element 14 are connected by the metal case.

[0037] A first normally open type changeover switch 41 is provided on the first fan electric wire 31a, a second normally open type changeover switch 42 is provided on the first cartridge electric wire 32a, and a third normally open type changeover switch 43 is provided on the discharge electric wire 33a. The first normally open type changeover switch 41 cuts off the conduction of the first fan electric wire 31a when it is opened, and allows the conduction of the first fan electric wire 31a when it is closed. The second normally open type changeover switch 42 cuts off the conduction of the first cartridge electric wire 32a when it is opened, and allows the conduction of the first cartridge electric wire 32a when it is closed. The third normally open type changeover switch 43 cuts off the conduction of the discharge electric wire 33a when it is opened, and allows the conduction of the discharge electric wire 33a when it is closed.

[0038] The operation unit 50 is composed of, for example, a plurality of operation buttons and a display provided on the surface of a housing or the like that supports the fine water particle emission cartridge 10. By the user operating the operation unit 50, the power supply of the fine water particle emission device 1 is turned on and off, the operation mode of the fine water particle emission device 1, and the like are set.

[0039] The control device 40 receives the operation status of the operation unit 50. The control device 40 controls the switching states of the first normally open type changeover switch 41, the second normally open type changeover switch 42, and the third normally open type changeover switch 43 according to the input operation status of the operation unit 50, particularly the operation mode of the fine water particle emitting device 1. The control device 40 controls the operation of the fine water particle emitting device 1 by controlling these changeover switches. Specifically, the control device 40 controls the operation of the fan 12 by controlling the first normally open type changeover switch 41, and controls the amount of moisture generated, which is the amount of moisture (fine water particles and water vapor molecules) generated in the fine water particle generating element 11 per unit time, by controlling the second normally open type changeover switch 42. Furthermore, the control device 40 controls the discharge state in the discharge space DS by controlling the third normally open type changeover switch 43. The control device 40 also receives the operation state of the discharge element 14, the operation state of the fan 12, the operation state of the fine water particle generating element 11, the discharge current value i detected by the ammeter 36, and the like.

[0040] The operation mode of the fine water particle discharge device 1 having the above configuration can be set to any one of a plurality of operation modes, such as, for example, "uncharged fine water particle discharge mode", "charged fine water particle discharge mode", and "alternate operation mode". Note that a plurality of operation modes that do not contradict each other can also be set simultaneously. These operation modes are set by the user operating the operation unit 50. The operation mode set by operating the operation unit 50 is input to the control device 40, and the control device 40 executes a control process corresponding to the input operation mode, so that the fine water particle discharge device 1 operates according to each operation mode. Note that there may be other operation modes in addition to the above operation modes. For example, there may be an "ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode", an "ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode", and the like, which will be described later.

[0041] The uncharged fine water particle emission mode is an operation mode in which fine water particles are generated from the fine water particle generating element 11 in a state where no discharge occurs in the discharge space DS. When the operation mode of the fine water particle emission device 1 is set to the uncharged fine water particle emission mode, the control device 40 controls each switch so that both the first normally open type changeover switch 41 and the second normally open type changeover switch 42 are closed and the third normally open type changeover switch 43 is opened. As a result, power is supplied from the fan power source 21 to the motor of the fan 12, and power is supplied from the cartridge power source 22 to the base material 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11. When power is supplied to the motor of the fan 12, the motor rotates and the fan 12 rotates in conjunction with this, and air flows into the flow path 13a from the intake port 131 of the case 13. The air that flows into the flow path 13a passes through the fine water particle generating element 11 and is then discharged from the discharge port 132. Moreover, when a current flows through the conductive substrate 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11 by passing electricity through the substrate 111, the substrate 111 generates Joule heat and heats up. The heat generated by the substrate 111 is transferred to the conductive polymer film 112 on the substrate 111, thereby increasing the temperature of the conductive polymer film 112. The conductive polymer film 112 may be heated and its temperature increased by passing electricity through the conductive polymer film 112 itself, or the space in which the conductive polymer film 112 is present may be heated to increase the temperature. The temperature increase of the conductive polymer film 112 in this manner promotes the release of moisture from the conductive polymer film 112. As a result, the fine water particles and water vapor molecules that are uncharged and have a particle size of 50 nm or less are generated from the fine water particle generating element 11. The generated fine water particles and water vapor molecules mix with the air flowing into the flow path 13a of the case 13 by the operation of the fan 12, pass through the discharge space DS of the discharge element 14 disposed downstream of the fine water particle generating element 11 together with the air, and are emitted from the discharge port 132. Note that, in the uncharged fine water particle emission mode, the third normally open type changeover switch 43 is in an open state, so that no power is supplied to the discharge element 14 and the discharge element 14 is not in operation. Therefore, the uncharged fine water particles having a particle size of 50 nm or less generated by the fine water particle generating element 11 simply pass through the discharge element 14 in an inactive state, and are emitted from the discharge port 132 together with the air.That is, in the uncharged fine water particle emitting mode, the fine water particle emitting device 1 emits uncharged fine water particles having a particle size of 50 nm or less, that is, uncharged fine water particles, together with air.

[0042] The charged fine water particle emission mode is an operation mode in which fine water particles are generated from the fine water particle generating element 11 in a state where discharge occurs in the discharge space DS. When the operation mode of the fine water particle emitting device 1 is set to the charged fine water particle emission mode, the control device 40 controls each switch so that the first normally open type changeover switch 41, the second normally open type changeover switch 42, and the third normally open type changeover switch 43 are all closed. When the first normally open type changeover switch 41 and the second normally open type changeover switch 42 are closed, as described above, the fan 12 rotates and air flows into the flow path 13a from the intake port 131 of the case 13, and the temperature of the conductive polymer film 112 rises, so that the fine water particle generating element 11 generates uncharged fine water particles and water vapor molecules having a particle size of 50 nm or less.

[0043] The generated fine water particles and water vapor molecules mix with air flowing into the flow path 13a of the case 13 by the operation of the fan 12, and pass through the discharge space DS of the discharge element 14 disposed downstream of the fine water particle generating element 11 together with the air. Here, in the charged fine water particle emission mode, the third normally open type changeover switch 43 is closed, so that power is supplied to the discharge element 14 and a predetermined voltage is applied between the earth electrode 141 and the discharge electrode 142. This causes a corona discharge in the discharge space DS. This corona discharge forms a plasma region in the discharge space DS. Therefore, the uncharged fine water particles, water vapor molecules, and air passing through the discharge space DS pass through the plasma region.

[0044] When air and uncharged fine water particles pass through the plasma region, ions are generated from the air and water, and the uncharged fine water particles waterSome of the particles combine with the ions to generate charged fine water particles (charged fine water particles). Similarly, when air and uncharged fine water particles pass through this plasma region, ozone is generated using oxygen as a raw material, and hydrogen peroxide is generated mainly using water as a raw material. Therefore, when in the charged fine water particle emission mode, the fine water particle emission device 1 emits charged fine water particles, uncharged fine water particles, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide together with air.

[0045] During the operation of the fine water particle generating element 11, power is intermittently supplied to the substrate 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11. That is, a current-carrying period during which power is continuously supplied to the substrate 111 and a current-deactivating period during which power is not continuously supplied to the substrate 111 are alternately repeated. During the current-carrying period, the temperature of the conductive polymer film 112 rises, and fine water particles are generated from the fine water particle generating element 11. On the other hand, during the current-deactivating period, power is not supplied to the substrate 111, so the substrate 111 does not generate heat, and therefore heat is not transferred from the substrate 111 to the conductive polymer film 112. In addition, the conductive polymer film 112 is cooled by the air blown by the rotation of the fan 12, so the temperature of the conductive polymer film 112 drops. In this way, the conductive polymer film 112 drops in temperature and adsorbs water molecules in the air, promoting the absorption of moisture into the conductive polymer film 112. As a result, moisture in the air passing through the fine water particle generating element 11 is absorbed by the conductive polymer film 112. That is, fine water particles are released from the conductive polymer film 112 during the energized period, and moisture is replenished to the conductive polymer film 112 during the non-energized period. Therefore, fine water particles are intermittently generated from the conductive polymer film 112 during operation of the fine water particle generating element 11.

[0046] In this way, when the fine water particle emitting device 1 according to this embodiment is set to the charged fine water particle emitting mode, it emits uncharged fine water particles, charged fine water particles, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide together with air. Of these emitting substances, ozone and hydrogen peroxide are substances (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as inhibitors) that have the effect of suppressing and inactivating the growth of fungi and viruses. Therefore, when the fine water particle emitting device 1 set to the charged fine water particle emitting mode is operated toward the skin of the human body and the emitting substance is irradiated onto the skin, the inhibitor removes the resident bacteria or viruses that adversely affect the human body, while the fine water particles (charged fine water particles and uncharged fine water particles) penetrate into the skin, thereby moisturizing the skin. In addition, among the above-mentioned emitting substances, the charged fine water particles have the effect of removing static electricity from hair. Therefore, when the fine water particle emitting device 1 set to the charged fine water particle emitting mode is operated toward the hair of the human body and the emitting substance is irradiated onto the hair, the charged fine water particles remove the static electricity from the hair, while the uncharged fine water particles penetrate into the hair, thereby moisturizing the hair.

[0047] In addition, in the fine water particle emitting device 1 according to this embodiment, the fine water particle generating element 11 and the discharge element 14 are housed in the case 13. That is, the fine water particle generating element 11 and the discharge element 14 are integrated by the case 13. This allows the fine water particle emitting device 1 to be configured compactly. Furthermore, when replacing the fine water particle generating element 11 and the discharge element 14, it is sufficient to replace the entire case 13 (i.e., the entire fine water particle emitting cartridge 10). This improves maintainability.

[0048] Furthermore, in the fine water particle emission device 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the negative terminal of the substrate 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11, the negative terminal of the cartridge power source 22, the earth terminal of the high-voltage power source 23 for discharge, and the earth electrode 141 of the discharge element 14 are electrically connected to a common ground line 35. Therefore, compared with the case where each electrode and terminal is separately grounded, it is possible to make the electrical wiring more compact. Furthermore, as described above, by electrically connecting the earth electrode 141 of the discharge element 14 and the negative terminal of the substrate 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11 with a metal case or the like, it is possible to omit the earth wire 34 for the discharge element and reduce the number of wirings.

[0049] The control device 40 included in the fine water particle emission device 1 according to this embodiment is configured to be able to execute a stabilization control process so that a corona discharge occurs stably in the discharge space DS when a predetermined constant voltage is applied between the earth electrode 141 and the discharge electrode 142 of the discharge element 14. The stabilization control process will be described below.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the value of the current passed through the discharge element 14 (discharge current value i detected by the ammeter 36) and the humidity in the discharge space DS when a constant voltage is applied between the earth electrode 141 and the discharge electrode 142 of the discharge element 14 and a discharge occurs in the discharge space DS. The horizontal axis of FIG. 5 is the relative humidity H (% RH) in the discharge space DS, and the vertical axis is the discharge current value i (μA). In addition, in FIG. 5, the upper limit current value imax of the discharge current value i is indicated by a dashed line. When the discharge current value i is equal to or less than the upper limit current value imax, a corona discharge occurs in the discharge space DS. On the other hand, when the discharge current value i exceeds the upper limit current value imax, a spark discharge occurs in the discharge space DS. A spark discharge is an unstable discharge, and is not preferable because the amount of ozone generated increases rapidly. Therefore, it is desirable for a corona discharge to occur stably in the discharge space DS. Incidentally, the discharge current value and the upper limit current value are values ​​specific to the configuration and discharge voltage value of the discharge element, so if these change, the discharge current value and the upper limit current value will naturally change.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 5, when the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS is 70% RH or less, the discharge current value i is smaller than the upper limit current value imax and is almost constant. Therefore, when the relative humidity H is 70% RH or less, a corona discharge occurs stably in the discharge space DS. In addition, when the relative humidity H exceeds about 70% RH, the discharge current value i increases rapidly as the relative humidity H increases. Then, when the relative humidity H is the upper limit humidity Hmax, the discharge current value i reaches the upper limit current value imax. When the relative humidity H further exceeds the upper limit humidity Hmax, the discharge current value i exceeds the upper limit current value imax, and a spark discharge occurs in the discharge space DS. Since a spark discharge is undesirable as described above, in order to stably cause a corona discharge in the discharge space DS, it is necessary to maintain the relative humidity in the discharge space DS at or below the upper limit humidity Hmax.

[0052] In addition, when the charged fine water particle emission mode is set, the fine water particles and water vapor molecules generated by the fine water particle generating element 11 flow into the discharge space DS together with the air. Therefore, the humidity in the discharge space DS affects the amount of moisture (fine water particles and water vapor molecules) generated by the fine water particle generating element 11 per unit time, i.e., the amount of moisture generated. Specifically, if the amount of moisture generated is large, the humidity in the discharge space DS becomes high, and if the amount of moisture generated is small, the humidity in the discharge space DS becomes low. The control device 40 according to this embodiment controls the amount of moisture generated based on the discharge current value i by the stabilization control process, thereby adjusting the humidity in the discharge space DS and controlling the discharge current value i to be equal to or less than the upper limit current value imax, thereby controlling the discharge state so that corona discharge occurs stably in the discharge space DS.

[0053] Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing the flow of a stabilization control processing routine executed by the control device 40. The routine in Fig. 6 is repeatedly executed at predetermined short intervals when the power is turned on to the fine water particle emitting device 1, the fine water particle generating element 11 operates to generate fine water particles, and the fan 12 rotates to allow air to flow into the case 13. When this routine is started, the control device 40 first determines in step (hereinafter, step is abbreviated as S) 11 in Fig. 6 whether the operating state of the discharge element 14 is ON or not, that is, whether a predetermined constant voltage is applied between the earth electrode 141 and the discharge electrode 142 of the discharge element 14 or not.

[0054] When the operation state of the discharge element 14 is in the OFF state, that is, when no voltage is applied between the earth electrode 141 and the discharge electrode 142 of the discharge element 14 (S11: No), no discharge is occurring in the discharge element 14. control There is no need to perform any processing. Therefore, the control device 40 temporarily ends the execution of this routine. On the other hand, when the operation state of the discharge element 14 is in the ON state, the control device 40 advances the processing to S12. In S12, the control device 40 acquires the discharge current value i from the ammeter 36. Next, the control device 40 advances the processing to S13, where the control device 40 estimates the amount of generated moisture w. Here, the control device 40 stores a current-humidity map showing the relationship between the discharge current value i and the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS, and a generated moisture amount-humidity map showing the relationship between the generated moisture amount w and the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS, as shown in FIG. 5. Then, in S13, the control device 40 refers to the current-humidity map to obtain the relative humidity corresponding to the discharge current value i obtained in S12, and then refers to the generated moisture amount-humidity map to obtain the generated moisture amount w corresponding to the obtained relative humidity. In this way, the control device 40 can estimate the generated moisture amount w.

[0055] Next, the control device 40 advances the process to S14 and determines whether the discharge current value i acquired in S12 is equal to or less than the threshold current value ith. This threshold current value ith is set to a value equal to or less than the upper limit current value imax. For example, the threshold current value ith can be set to a current value slightly lower than the upper limit current value imax so that the discharge current value i does not exceed the upper limit current value imax by executing this stabilization control process.

[0056] When it is determined in S14 that the discharge current value i is equal to or greater than the threshold current value ith (S14: Yes), the control device 40 advances the process to S16 and executes a generated water amount reduction process for reducing the generated water amount w. This generated water amount reduction process may be, for example, a current supply power reduction process for reducing the power supplied to the substrate 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11 by a predetermined amount. The power supply power reduction process reduces the power supplied to the substrate 111 to lower the temperature of the conductive polymer film 112, thereby reducing the generated water amount w. Alternatively, the generated water amount reduction process may be, for example, a current supply period reduction process for shortening the period of current supply to the substrate 111. The current supply period reduction process shortens the period of generation of the fine water particles, thereby reducing the generated water amount w. Furthermore, the generated water amount reduction process may be, for example, a non-current supply period reduction process for shortening the period of non-current supply to the substrate 111. When the non-current supply period is shortened by the non-current supply period reduction process, the amount of water adsorbed to the conductive polymer film 112 is reduced. When the amount of adsorbed water decreases, the amount of released water also reaches a plateau, and it becomes impossible to release many fine water particles. As a result, the amount of generated water w decreases. After executing the process of reducing the amount of generated water in S16 as in the above example, the control device 40 temporarily ends this routine.

[0057] On the other hand, if it is determined in S14 that the discharge current value i is less than the threshold current value ith (S14: No), the control device 40 advances the process to S15, where it determines whether the generated moisture amount w estimated in S13 is equal to or less than the threshold moisture amount wth. The threshold moisture amount wth is set in advance as the amount of moisture necessary to produce a certain effect. This threshold moisture amount wth may be configured so that the user can set an arbitrary value.

[0058] If it is determined in S15 that the generated water amount w is greater than the threshold water amount wth (N15: No), the control device 40 determines that the generated water amount w is appropriate and temporarily ends this routine. On the other hand, if it is determined in S15 that the generated water amount w is equal to or less than the threshold water amount wth (S15: Yes), the control device 40 determines that the generated water amount w is small, and proceeds to S17 to execute a generated water amount increasing process to increase the generated water amount w. This generated water amount increasing process may be, for example, a power supply increasing process that increases the power supplied to the base material 111 of the water fine particle generating element 11 by a predetermined amount. The power supply increasing process is executed to increase the power supplied to the base material 111 and raise the temperature of the conductive polymer film 112, thereby increasing the generated water amount w. In this case, for example, the non-energized period is increased so that the conductive polymer film 112 can adequately absorb moisture, and the time distribution between the energized period and the non-energized period is optimized, and the energized power is increased during the energized period, thereby releasing a large amount of moisture in a short time and preventing the moisture in the conductive polymer film 112 from becoming insufficient. In addition, as the generated moisture amount increasing process, a process that does not cause a shortage of moisture generated from the conductive polymer film 112 (for example, a process of sufficiently lowering the temperature of the conductive polymer film 112 during the non-energized period to take in a large amount of moisture into the conductive polymer film 112 during the non-energized period, etc.) may be performed, and then a current-carrying period increasing process that lengthens the period of current-carrying to the base material 111 of the fine water particle generating element 11 may be performed. Since the current-carrying period is lengthened by performing such a current-carrying period increasing process, the generated moisture amount w increases. After performing the generated moisture amount increasing process in S16 as in the above example, the control device 40 temporarily ends this routine.

[0059] By repeatedly executing the above-mentioned stabilization control process by the control device 40, when the discharge current value i is equal to or greater than the threshold current value ith, the amount of generated moisture w decreases. When the amount of generated moisture w decreases, the amount of inflow of fine water particles and water vapor molecules that flow into the discharge space together with the air also decreases, and as a result, the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS decreases. By decreasing the relative humidity H in this way, it is possible to prevent the relative humidity H from exceeding the upper limit humidity Hmax, thereby reducing the possibility that the discharge current value i will exceed the upper limit current value imax and cause a spark discharge. Therefore, by executing the stabilization control process, the corona discharge in the discharge space DS can be stably maintained.

[0060] Furthermore, by the control device 40 executing the above-mentioned stabilization control process, when the discharge current value i is less than the threshold current value ith and the generated moisture amount w is equal to or less than the threshold moisture amount wth, the generated moisture amount w increases. As a result, in a state in which the discharge current value i is less than the threshold current value ith, that is, in a state in which a corona discharge is occurring in the discharge space, it is possible to generate as many fine water particles as possible and further enhance the effect of supplying the fine water particles, for example, the moisturizing effect on the human skin or the hydration effect on the hair.

[0061] In addition, when a corona discharge occurs in the discharge space DS, the control device 40 is configured to be able to execute a gas generation amount control process for controlling the amount of suppressive substances, specifically ozone and hydrogen peroxide, emitted from the fine water particle emission device 1. This gas generation amount control process will be described below.

[0062] When corona discharge occurs in the discharge space DS as described above, a plasma region is formed in the discharge space DS. When air and uncharged fine water particles pass through this plasma region, ions are generated from the air and water, and the uncharged fine water particles are mixed with the generated ions. water Some of the particles combine to form charged micro-water droplets. childIn addition, when air and uncharged fine water particles pass through the plasma region, ozone is generated using oxygen as a raw material, and hydrogen peroxide is generated mainly using water as a raw material. Therefore, the fine water particle emitting device 1 can emit charged fine water particles, uncharged fine water particles, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, and the like.

[0063] Here, when the fine water particle emission device 1 according to the present embodiment is used to moisturize the skin of the human body, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, and fine water particles are irradiated onto the skin. Ozone or hydrogen peroxide has the effect of removing bacteria or viruses attached to the skin surface, but since ozone is more harmful to the human body than hydrogen peroxide, a large amount of ozone irradiation may have a negative effect on the human body. Therefore, in such a case, it is preferable to suppress the amount of ozone generated and increase the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated to remove bacteria or viruses while suppressing the ozone concentration to a safe concentration for the human body. On the other hand, for example, when the fine water particle emission device 1 according to the present embodiment is used to humidify an empty room while sterilizing it, it is preferable to increase the amount of ozone generated to efficiently sterilize the room. In order to meet such a request, the control device 40 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to execute a gas generation amount control process, and the execution of such a process can control the amount of ozone and hydrogen peroxide generated.

[0064] FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of the gas generation amount control processing routine executed by the control device 40. This routine is repeatedly executed at predetermined short intervals when the power is turned on to the fine water particle emitting device 1, the fine water particle generating element 11 operates to generate fine water particles, and the fan 12 rotates to flow air into the case 13. When this routine is started, the control device 40 first judges in S21 of FIG. 7 whether the operating state of the discharge element 14 is ON or not, that is, whether a predetermined voltage is applied between the earth electrode 141 and the discharge electrode 142 of the discharge element 14 or not. When the operating state of the discharge element 14 is OFF (S21: No), ozone and hydrogen peroxide are not generated, so the generation amount of these gases cannot be controlled. Therefore, the control device 40 temporarily ends this routine. On the other hand, when the operating state of the discharge element 14 is ON (S21: Yes), the control device 40 advances the process to S22.

[0065] In S22, the control device 40 acquires the discharge current value i from the ammeter 36. Next, in S23, the generated water amount w is estimated based on the discharge current value i. After that, the control device 40 advances the process to S24 and judges whether the operation mode of the fine water particle emitting device 1 is set to the "ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode". Here, the user can select, by operating the operation unit 50, between the "ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode" in which the fine water particle emitting device 1 is operated so that the generation of ozone is suppressed to a small amount (i.e., the amount of ozone generation is suppressed (reduced)) and the generation of hydrogen peroxide is promoted (i.e., the amount of hydrogen peroxide generation is increased), and the "ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode" in which the fine water particle emitting device 1 is operated so that the generation of ozone is promoted (i.e., the amount of ozone generation is increased) and the generation of hydrogen peroxide is suppressed to a small amount (i.e., the amount of hydrogen peroxide generation is suppressed (reduced)). When the user selects the "ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode", the operating mode of the fine water particle emission device 1 is set to the ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode, and when the user selects the "ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode", the operating mode of the fine water particle emission device 1 is set to the ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode.

[0066] When it is determined in S24 that the operation mode is set to the ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode (S24: Yes), the control device 40 advances the process to S26 and executes the high moisture amount control. This high moisture amount control is executed to maintain the generated moisture amount w at or above a predetermined high moisture amount.

[0067] FIG. 8 shows an example of the high moisture control process. According to FIG. 8, in the high moisture control, the control device 40 first determines whether the estimated generated moisture amount w is less than the preset high moisture amount wH in S261 of FIG. 8. If the generated moisture amount w is equal to or greater than the high moisture amount wH (S261: No), the control device 40 ends this routine. On the other hand, if the generated moisture amount w is less than the high moisture amount wH (S261: Yes), the control device 40 advances the process to S262 and executes the generated moisture amount increase process. This generated moisture amount increase process may be, for example, the above-mentioned energization power increase process or energization period increase process. As a result, the generated moisture amount w increases. Thereafter, the control device 40 ends this routine. After executing such high moisture control, the control device 40 temporarily ends the gas generation amount control process routine of FIG. 7.

[0068] The control device 40 executes the high moisture amount control described above, so that the generated moisture amount w is maintained at or above the high moisture amount wH. Here, the high moisture amount wH is preset to be a moisture amount at which the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS becomes relatively high when the generated moisture amount w is equal to or above the high moisture amount wH.

[0069] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS and the amount of ozone and the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated when a corona discharge occurs in the discharge space DS. As shown in FIG. 10, as the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS increases, the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated increases, and conversely, the amount of ozone generated decreases. Therefore, when the amount of ozone generated is decreased and the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated is increased, the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS may be increased. Here, according to the above-mentioned high moisture amount control, the amount of generated moisture w is maintained at or above the high moisture amount wH, so that a lot of moisture flows into the discharge space DS, and the relative humidity H becomes high. In FIG. 10, the relative humidity H when the amount of generated moisture w is the high moisture amount wH is shown as H1. The amount of ozone generated in an area where the relative humidity H is H1 or more is less than the amount of ozone generated in an area where the relative humidity H is less than H1, and the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated in an area where the relative humidity H is H1 or more is greater than the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated in an area where the relative humidity H is less than H1. In other words, by executing the high moisture content control, the relative humidity H is maintained at H1 or higher, suppressing the generation of ozone to a small amount and promoting the generation of hydrogen peroxide, thereby increasing its amount. Note that the reason that the amount of ozone generated decreases and the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated increases when the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS is high is believed to be because when the relative humidity H is high, the proportion of water molecules in the discharge space DS is high and the proportion of oxygen molecules is low.

[0070] 7, if the control device 40 determines that the operation mode of the fine water particle emission device 1 is not set to the ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode (S24: No), the control device 40 advances the process to S25 to determine whether the operation mode is set to the ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode. If the control device 40 determines that the operation mode is not set to the ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode (S25: No) in S25, the control device 40 temporarily ends this routine. On the other hand, if the control device 40 determines that the operation mode is set to the ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode in S25 (S25: Yes), the control device 40 advances the process to S27 to execute low moisture control. The low moisture control is a control executed to maintain the generated moisture amount w at or below a predetermined low moisture amount.

[0071] Fig. 9 shows an example of the process of low moisture content control. According to Fig. 9, in the low moisture content control, first, in S271 of Fig. 9, the control device 40 determines whether the estimated generated moisture content w is greater than the low moisture content wL. The low moisture content wL is preset as a moisture content less than the high moisture content wH.

[0072] When it is determined that the generated moisture content w is less than or equal to the low moisture content wL (S271: No), the control device 40 ends this routine. On the other hand, when it is determined that the generated moisture content w is greater than the low moisture content wL (S271: Yes), the control device 40 proceeds to the process in S272 and executes the generated moisture content reduction process. This generated moisture content reduction process may be, for example, the above-described energization power reduction process, the energization period reduction process, or the non-energization period reduction process. As a result, the generated moisture content w decreases. Then, the control device 40 ends this routine and once ends the gas generation amount control process routine of Fig. 7.

[0073] By the control device 40 executing the above-described low moisture content control, the generated moisture content w is maintained below the low moisture content wL. Here, the low moisture content wL is preset so that when the generated moisture content w is below the low moisture content wL, the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS becomes relatively low.

[0074] As shown in the graph of FIG. 10, the amount of ozone generated can be increased by lowering the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS. Here, according to the above-mentioned low moisture control, the amount of generated moisture w is maintained at or below the low moisture amount wL. When the amount of generated moisture w is maintained at or below the low moisture amount wL, only a small amount of fine water particles and water vapor molecules flow into the discharge space DS, and the relative humidity H in the discharge space DS is thereby reduced. In FIG. 10, the relative humidity H when the amount of generated moisture w is the low moisture amount wL is shown as H2. The amount of ozone generated in the region where the relative humidity H is H2 or less is greater than the amount of ozone generated in the region where the relative humidity H is greater than H2, and the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated in the region where the relative humidity H is H2 or less is less than the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated in the region where the relative humidity H is greater than H2. In other words, the execution of the low moisture control maintains the relative humidity H at or below H2, which promotes the generation of ozone, generating a large amount of ozone, while suppressing the generation of hydrogen peroxide to a small amount. The reason why a large amount of ozone is generated and the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated is reduced when the relative humidity H of the discharge space DS is low is believed to be because when the relative humidity is low, the proportion of water molecules in the discharge space DS is low and the proportion of oxygen molecules is high.

[0075] In this way, the control device 40 executes high moisture content control in the gas generation amount control process when the ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode is selected. This suppresses the amount of ozone generated and increases the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated. Therefore, for example, when the fine water particle emitting device 1 irradiates the skin, hair, and clothing of the human body with the emitted substance, by setting the ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode, ozone is irradiated to the human body within a range that does not adversely affect the skin and hair. In addition, the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated increases to compensate for the decrease in the amount of ozone generated, and fungi or viruses are sufficiently removed by the irradiation of these inhibitors. Then, the fine water particles emitted from the fine water particle emitting device 1 can be penetrated into the skin and hair to moisturize them. In addition, the control device 40 executes low moisture content control in the gas generation amount control process when the ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode is selected, thereby emitting a large amount of ozone together with the fine water particles. Therefore, for example, when the fine water particle emitting device 1 irradiates the emitted substance into an empty room, a relatively large amount of ozone is irradiated into the room together with the fine water particles. This allows the room to be disinfected quickly.

[0076] In addition, the control device 40 is configured to be able to execute a first alternating operation process or a second alternating operation process when the operation mode of the fine water particle emission device 1 is set to the alternating operation mode. Both the first alternating operation process and the second alternating operation process are processes for controlling the discharge element 14 so that the emission mode is alternately switched between an uncharged fine water particle emission mode and a charged fine water particle emission mode. The user can select whether to execute the first alternating operation process or the second alternating operation process by operating the operation unit 50.

[0077] FIG. 11 shows the switching of the operation mode of the fine water particle discharge device 1 when the first alternating operation process is executed. As shown in FIG. 11, when the control device 40 executes the first alternating operation process, the operation mode of the fine water particle discharge device 1 is first set to the charged fine water particle discharge mode. As a result, the charged fine water particles, the uncharged fine water particles, and the inhibitor are discharged from the fine water particle discharge device 1 together with the air. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the operation mode is switched to the uncharged fine water particle discharge mode. As a result, the uncharged fine water particles are discharged from the fine water particle discharge device 1 together with the air. Such mode switching is performed at least once or more. The number of times the mode switching is repeated can be set, for example, by the user operating the operation unit 50. In addition, the user can arbitrarily set the timing of the mode switching. The mode switching may be performed automatically or manually. When the mode switching is performed manually, for example, a switch may be provided on the operation unit 50, and the mode may be switched by the user operating the switch. In this way, the first alternating operation process is a process that can switch between the uncharged fine water particle emission mode and the charged fine water particle emission mode at any timing.

[0078] The first alternating operation process is executed, for example, when moisturizing the skin or hair of the human body. When the first alternating operation process is executed to moisturize the skin of the human body, first, the ozone and hydrogen peroxide emitted in the charged fine water particle emission mode are irradiated onto the skin, thereby removing harmful bacteria and viruses on the surface of the skin. Then, the uncharged fine water particles emitted in the uncharged fine water particle emission mode penetrate the skin, thereby moisturizing the skin. Also, when the first alternating operation process is executed to moisturize the hair, first, the charged fine water particles emitted in the charged fine water particle emission mode are irradiated onto the skin, thereby removing harmful bacteria and viruses on the surface of the skin. Then, the uncharged fine water particles emitted in the uncharged fine water particle emission mode penetrate the skin, thereby moisturizing the skin. particle This removes static electricity from the hair. After that, the uncharged fine water particles emitted in the uncharged fine water particle emission mode penetrate the hair, moisturizing it. In addition, applying chemicals (coloring agents, perm agents, bleaching agents, etc.) to the hair after the uncharged fine water particle emission mode is performed allows these chemicals to penetrate further.

[0079] FIG. 12 shows an example of the switching of the operation mode when the second alternating operation process is performed. As shown in FIG. 12, in the second alternating operation process, the operation mode is first set to the uncharged fine water particle emission mode, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the operation mode is switched to the charged fine water particle emission mode. Such mode switching is performed at least once. The number of times the mode switching is repeated can be set by, for example, the user operating the operation unit 50. Similarly to the first alternating operation process, the timing of the mode switching can be set arbitrarily by the user. The mode switching can be performed automatically or manually as shown in the example of the first alternating operation process. In this way, the second alternating operation process is also a process that can switch between the uncharged fine water particle emission mode and the charged fine water particle emission mode at any timing.

[0080] The second alternating operation process is executed, for example, when efficient sterilization is required. That is, when the second alternating operation process is executed, the uncharged fine water particles emitted in the uncharged fine water particle emission mode first adhere to bacteria or viruses, so that the fine water particles are adsorbed to and penetrate the outer periphery of the bacteria or viruses. Then, the inhibitors (ozone and hydrogen peroxide) emitted in the charged fine water particle emission mode are efficiently irradiated to the bacteria or viruses that have adsorbed the fine water particles, thereby enhancing the sterilization effect.

[0081] The first and second alternating operation processes can also be performed during the cultivation of beneficial bacteria. These alternating operation processes allow uncharged fine water particles to be irradiated onto the cultivation vessel for beneficial bacteria, thereby enabling the beneficial bacteria to grow. Furthermore, these alternating operation processes allow charged fine water particles to be irradiated onto the cultivation vessel, thereby enabling bacteria other than beneficial bacteria to be inactivated. This can further promote the cultivation of beneficial bacteria.

[0082] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the growth suppression effect of irradiating black koji mold with the emission substance from the fine water particle emission device 1 set to the charged fine water particle emission mode. FIG. 13(a) is a micrograph showing the culture result of black koji mold left for 48 hours without being irradiated with the emission substance from the fine water particle emission device 1. Meanwhile, FIG. 13(b) is a micrograph showing the culture result of irradiating black koji mold with the emission substance from the fine water particle emission device 1 set to the charged fine water particle emission mode for 1 hour, and then stopping the irradiation of the emission substance and leaving it for 48 hours. As can be seen by comparing FIG. 13(a) and FIG. 13(b), the number of fungi is reduced by irradiating the fungi with the emission substance from the fine water particle emission device 1 set to the charged fine water particle emission mode. In other words, it can be seen that the fungi are sterilized. Therefore, it was confirmed that the sterilization effect is achieved by performing the first alternating operation process or the second alternating operation process.

[0083] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention should not be limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the discharge element 14 having the shape shown in FIG. 4 is adopted as the discharge element, but a discharge element having another shape may be used. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a fine water particle emission cartridge 60 of a fine water particle emission device equipped with a discharge element according to another example. As shown in FIG. 14, the configuration of the fine water particle emission cartridge 60 is the same as that of the fine water particle emission cartridge 10 according to the above embodiment, except that the fine water particle emission cartridge 60 is equipped with the discharge element 54. The discharge element 54 equipped in the fine water particle emission cartridge 60 has an earth electrode 541 and a discharge electrode 542. As shown in FIG. 14, the earth electrode 541 and the discharge electrode 542 are arranged at different positions in the axial direction of the case 13. Specifically, the earth electrode 541 is arranged closer to the discharge port 132 in the axial direction of the case 13 (downstream side) than the discharge electrode 542.

[0084] FIG. 15 shows the discharge element 54 as viewed from the axial direction of the case 13. FIG. 15(a) shows a front view of the discharge electrode 542, and FIG. 15(b) shows a front view of the earth electrode 541. As shown in FIG. 15, the discharge electrode 542 and the earth electrode 541 are both formed in a disk shape having an outer diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the case 13, and are arranged coaxially. On one surface of the discharge electrode 542 (the surface facing the earth electrode 541), a plurality of protrusions 542a are formed so as to extend toward the earth electrode 541. The earth electrode 541 is formed with a plurality of through holes 541a penetrating in the axial direction. The number of the protrusions 542a is the same as the number of the through holes 541a. The plurality of protrusions 542a and the plurality of through holes 541a are formed so as to coincide with each other in the radial direction. In other words, the positions of the projections 542a and the through holes 541a are determined so that the positions of the projections 542a and the positions of the through holes 541a all coincide with each other when viewed from the axial direction of the case 13.

[0085] When a discharge element 54 having such a shape is used, a corona discharge occurs from the tip of the protrusion 542a of the discharge electrode 542 toward the earth electrode 541, forming a plasma region in the discharge space (the space between the discharge electrode 542 and the earth electrode 541).

[0086] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a discharge element 64 according to still another example. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge element 64 housed in the case 13, cut along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the case 13. As shown in FIG. 16, the discharge element 64 has an earth electrode 641, a discharge electrode 642, a support frame 643, and a cushion material 644. The cushion material 644 is made of an elastic member and is formed into a circular shape having an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the case 13. A rectangular through hole is formed in the center of the cushion material 644, and a rectangular support frame 643 is incorporated in the through hole. The support frame 643 is made of an insulating material. The earth electrode 641 and the discharge electrode 642 are disposed in the support frame 643.

[0087] Earth electrode 641 is composed of a plurality of plate-like members. Each of the plurality of plate-like members is formed long in the vertical direction in Fig. 16, and is supported by support frame 643 by fixing its upper end to the upper side of support frame 643 and its lower end to the lower side of support frame 643. Furthermore, each plate-like member is arranged in support frame 643 at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction in Fig. 16. The plurality of plate-like members are electrically connected to each other.

[0088] On the other hand, the discharge electrode 642 is composed of a plurality of wires. Each of the plurality of wires is arranged to extend vertically in FIG. 16, and is supported by the support frame 643 by being fixed at its upper end to the upper side of the support frame 643 and its lower end to the lower side of the support frame 643. Also, each of the wires constituting the discharge electrode 642 is arranged in the space between adjacent plate-like members among the plurality of plate-like members constituting the earth electrode 641. The plurality of wires are electrically connected to each other.

[0089] When a discharge element 64 having such a shape is used, a corona discharge occurs from the discharge electrode 642 made up of a plurality of wires toward the earth electrode 641 made up of a plurality of plate-like members, forming a plasma region in the discharge space.

[0090] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the fine water particle generating element 11 and the discharge element 14 are both housed in the case 13, and are integrated within the case 13. However, the fine water particle generating element 11 may be housed in the case 13, but the discharge element 14 may not be housed in the case 13. In this case, it is preferable that a flow path is formed so that the fine water particles generated by the fine water particle generating element 11 and released from the case 13 are guided into the discharge space of the discharge element 14. In the above embodiment, a plurality of processes executed by the control device 40 has been described, but multiple non-contradictory processes may be executed simultaneously. For example, the gas generation amount The control process and the stabilization control process may be executed simultaneously, whereby the amount of ozone or hydrogen peroxide generated can be controlled to a desired amount within a range in which corona discharge occurs stably.

[0091] In addition, in the above embodiment, the first alternating operation process and the second alternating operation process have been described as alternating operation processes, but the control device 40 may execute the alternating operation process to release charged fine water particles and inhibitors, etc. in the charged fine water particle emission mode for a desired period of time, and then release uncharged fine water particles in the uncharged fine water particle emission mode for a desired period of time, or vice versa, to release uncharged fine water particles in the uncharged fine water particle emission mode for a desired period of time, and then release charged fine water particles and inhibitors, etc. in the charged fine water particle emission mode for a desired period of time.

[0092] In addition, in the above stabilization control process, an example has been described in which the discharge current value i does not exceed the upper limit current value imax by executing a process for reducing the amount of moisture generated (moisture generation amount reduction process). However, the discharge current value i can also be prevented from exceeding the upper limit current value imax by lowering the discharge voltage.

[0093] Furthermore, the fine water particle emitting device 1 according to the present invention can be used for various purposes other than irradiation of the human body and rooms. For example, the fine water particle emitting device 1 can be used for fixtures installed in hair salons and the like. Specifically, the substance emitted from the fine water particle emitting device 1 according to the present invention can be irradiated onto chair armrests, gowns worn by customers when cutting hair, scissors, combs, and other tools, to efficiently sterilize them. In this way, the present invention can be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1...Fine water particle emission device, 10, 60...Fine water particle emission cartridge, 11...Fine water particle generating element, 111...Substrate, 112...Conductive polymer membrane, 12...Fan (blower member), 13...Case, 131...Inlet, 132...Outlet, 14, 54, 64...Discharge element, 141, 541, 641...Earth electrode, 142, 542, 642...Discharge electrode, 21...Fan power supply, 22...Cartridge power supply, 23...High voltage power supply for discharge, 36...Ammeter, 40...Control device, 50...Operation unit, i...Discharge current value, imax...Upper limit current value, w...Amount of generated moisture, wH...High moisture amount, wL...Low moisture amount

Claims

1. A cylindrical case having both ends open; a fine water particle generating element that is accommodated in the case and configured to generate non-charged fine water particles having a particle size of 50 nanometers or less; a blower member that operates to allow air to flow into the case from one end of the case and to discharge the air that has flowed into the case from the other end of the case; a discharge element having a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart from each other, configured so that a discharge can be generated in a discharge space between the first electrode and the second electrode by applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, and disposed downstream of the fine water particle generating element so that the fine water particles generated by the fine water particle generating element pass through the discharge space together with the air flowing into the case by the operation of the air blowing member; A control device for controlling the discharge and a generated water amount, which is the amount of water generated by the fine water particle generating element; A fine water particle discharging device comprising: The control device includes: The gas generation amount control process is configured to control the amount of ozone and hydrogen peroxide generated by the discharge in the discharge space by controlling the amount of water generated, When the operation mode of the fine water particle emission device is an ozone suppression and hydrogen peroxide increase mode, a high moisture amount control is executed in the gas generation amount control process to control the generated moisture amount so that the generated moisture amount is maintained at or above a predetermined high moisture amount. When the operation mode is an ozone increase and hydrogen peroxide suppression mode, a low moisture amount control is executed in the gas generation amount control process to control the generated moisture amount so that the generated moisture amount is maintained equal to or less than a predetermined low moisture amount which is lower than the high moisture amount. Fine water particle emitting device.

2. The fine water particle emission device according to claim 1, The discharge element is accommodated in the case.

3. The fine water particle discharge device according to claim 1 or 2, The fine water particle generating element comprises a conductive substrate and a conductive polymer film formed on the surface of the substrate, and the fine water particles are generated by releasing moisture absorbed in the conductive polymer film, and the fine water particles are generated in a greater amount as the temperature of the conductive polymer film increases.

4. The fine water particle discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The control device is configured to perform a stabilization control process to control the amount of moisture generated based on the discharge current value, which is the value of the current passed through the discharge element, so that the discharge current value is equal to or less than an upper limit current value, which is the upper limit of the discharge current value for generating a corona discharge in the discharge space.

5. The fine water particle discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The control device includes: The fine water particle emission device is configured to be capable of performing an alternating operation process that can switch at any timing between an uncharged fine water particle emission mode in which the fine water particles are generated from the fine water particle generating element when no discharge is occurring in the discharge space, and a charged fine water particle emission mode in which the fine water particles are generated from the fine water particle generating element when a discharge is occurring in the discharge space.

6. A cylindrical space providing step of providing a cylindrical space having both ends open; a fine water particle generating step of generating non-charged fine water particles having a particle size of 50 nanometers or less in the cylindrical space; a blowing step of blowing air so that air flows into the cylindrical space from one end thereof and the air that has flowed into the cylindrical space can be discharged from the other end thereof; a discharge space providing step of providing the discharge space in which a discharge is generated between a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart from each other by applying a voltage so that the fine water particles generated in the fine water particle generating step pass through the discharge space together with the air flowing into the cylindrical space by the air blowing step; a control step of controlling the amount of water generated in the fine water particle generating step and the discharge in the discharge space providing step; Equipped with the control step includes a gas generation amount control step configured to control the amount of ozone and hydrogen peroxide generated by the discharge in the discharge space by controlling the amount of generated moisture, The gas generation amount control step includes a high moisture amount control step of suppressing ozone and increasing hydrogen peroxide by maintaining the generated moisture amount at or above a predetermined high moisture amount, and a low moisture amount control step of increasing ozone and suppressing hydrogen peroxide by maintaining the generated moisture amount at or below a predetermined low moisture amount which is lower than the high moisture amount. Fine water particle release method.

7. 7. The method for emitting fine water particles according to claim 6, further comprising the step of generating the electric discharge inside the cylindrical space.

8. 8. A method for emitting fine water particles according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the fine water particle generating step includes a step of providing a conductive polymer film that absorbs or releases moisture, the conductive polymer film being configured so that the amount of moisture generated increases as the temperature increases.

9. 9. A method for emitting fine water particles according to claim 6, wherein the control step includes a stabilization control step of controlling the amount of generated water based on the discharge current value so that the discharge current value flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode is equal to or lower than an upper limit of the discharge current value for generating a corona discharge in the discharge space.

10. A fine water particle emitting method as described in any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the control step includes an alternating operation step that can switch at any timing between an uncharged fine water particle emitting step of generating the fine water particles by the fine water particle generating step when no discharge is occurring in the discharge space, and a charged fine water particle emitting step of generating the fine water particles by the fine water particle generating step when a discharge is occurring in the discharge space.

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