Air activator

Abstract

To provide a silent air activation device which enables the emission of ozone therefrom to be suppressed.SOLUTION: An air activating device according to the present invention comprises: a wind tunnel in which an air intake port and an air exhaust port are formed; a first corona discharge electrode pair disposed on the air intake port side of the wind tunnel and generating corona discharge; a second corona discharge electrode pair disposed on the air exhaust port side of the wind tunnel and generating corona discharge; and an ozone generation portion disposed between the first corona discharge electrode pair and the second corona discharge electrode pair and generating ozone. The first and second corona discharge electrode pairs each have discharge electrodes and counter electrodes, the discharge electrode and the counter electrode are arranged in this order in a direction from the air intake port toward the air exhaust port, and a magnet generating a magnetic field is provided on the counter electrode of the second corona discharge electrode pair.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air activation device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventional air activation devices for deodorization and sterilization are designed to generate negative ions, ozone, and active oxygen by means of electric dust collection by discharge, generation of negative ions, generation of ozone, generation of active oxygen, etc., and to exert their effects by diffusing the generated negative ions, ozone, and active oxygen.

[0003] When an electric fan is used as a method for diffusing active oxygen, noise may be generated, so it may be avoided. On the other hand, a technology (Patent Document 1) has been developed that efficiently generates active oxygen and negative ions without generating noise.

[0004] In this technology, an intake port, a first corona discharge electrode pair, an ozone generation lamp, a second corona discharge electrode pair, and an exhaust port are arranged in this order in a wind tunnel. In the first corona discharge electrode pair, ionic wind is generated by corona discharge, and in the ozone generation lamp, ozone is generated. Then, in the second corona discharge electrode pair, the ozone carried by the ionic wind generated by the first corona discharge electrode pair is irradiated with electrons, changed into active oxygen and negative ions, and then discharged from the exhaust port. Thereby, air activation effects such as deodorization and sterilization are obtained.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that some of the ozone is diffused from the exhaust port without being decomposed, and a solution to this problem was desired. The present invention aims to provide an air activator that is quiet and can suppress the release of ozone. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The air activator according to the present invention comprises a wind tunnel having an intake port and an exhaust port, a first corona discharge electrode pair arranged on the intake port side of the wind tunnel and generating corona discharge, a second corona discharge electrode pair arranged on the exhaust port side of the wind tunnel and generating corona discharge, and an ozone generating unit arranged between the first corona discharge electrode pair and the second corona discharge electrode pair and generating ozone, wherein the first and second corona discharge electrode pairs each have a discharge electrode and a counter electrode, and the discharge electrode and counter electrode are arranged in this order in the direction from the intake port to the exhaust port, and a magnet that generates a magnetic field is provided on the counter electrode of the second corona discharge electrode pair.

[0008] In the above-described air activator, the magnet can be a permanent magnet.

[0009] In the above-described air activator, the magnet can be an electromagnet.

[0010] In the above-described air activator, the magnetic field can be an alternating magnetic field.

[0011] In the above-described air activation device, the opposing electrodes of each corona discharge electrode pair can be made of parallel flat plates.

[0012] In the above-described air activation device, the opposing electrodes of each corona discharge electrode pair can be formed in a cylindrical shape. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The air activator according to the present invention is quiet and can suppress the release of ozone. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the air activation device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view of the wind tunnel of the air activation device shown. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line BB. [Figure 5] This is a front view showing another example of a second corona discharge electrode pair. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing another example of a second corona discharge electrode pair. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the air activator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the air activator according to this embodiment.

[0016] <1. Structure of the air activation device> As shown in Figure 1, this air activation device comprises a casing 3 that houses a wind tunnel 1 and a power supply unit 2 that supplies corona discharge current. The wind tunnel 1 is formed in a rectangular cross-section and blows air out of the casing through an exhaust port 31 formed on the front of the casing 3. An intake port (not shown) is formed on the back of the casing 3, and air that flows in through this intake port flows through the wind tunnel 1 and is discharged through the exhaust port 31.

[0017] Next, the wind tunnel will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the wind tunnel, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, on the upstream side of the wind tunnel 1, a first corona discharge electrode pair 4 for generating negative ions by corona discharge is provided. On the other hand, near the exhaust port 31 on the downstream side of the wind tunnel 1, a second corona discharge electrode pair 5 for generating negative ions is provided. And between these first and second corona discharge electrode pairs 4 and 5, an ozone generation lamp (ozone generation part) 6 for generating ozone is provided.

[0018] <1-1. First corona discharge electrode pair> As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the first corona discharge electrode pair 4 is composed of a discharge electrode 41 and a counter electrode 42. A potential difference controlled by the power supply unit 2 is applied between the discharge electrode 41 and the counter electrode 42. That is, the potential difference is controlled so that the potential V41 of the discharge electrode 41 and the potential V42 of the counter electrode 42 satisfy V41 ≤ V42. The potential difference is 500 V or more in the case of direct current, and 1 kV or more at maximum in the case of alternating current or pulsating current. If this condition is satisfied, either one of them may be grounded. For example, a direct current negative voltage can be applied to the discharge electrode 41 and the counter electrode 42 can be grounded. The discharge electrode 41 is formed in a plate shape and is horizontally supported by a support member 43. And at the downstream edge of the discharge electrode 41, a plurality of needle-shaped discharge parts 411 extending horizontally in the direction of air flow are formed at equal intervals. The number of the discharge parts 411 is not particularly limited, and at least one may be formed.

[0019] On the other hand, the counter electrode 42 includes a rectangular first flat plate 421 fixed to the upper wall of the wind tunnel 1 and a second flat plate 422 fixed to the lower wall of the wind tunnel 1 and having the same shape as the first flat plate 421. That is, the counter electrode 42 is composed of parallel flat plates. Each of the electrodes 41 and 42 can be formed of a metal such as stainless steel. When the potential V42 of the counter electrode 42 is not the ground potential, the counter electrode 42 is fixed via an insulator (not shown) so as to be electrically insulated from the wind tunnel 1.

[0020] The positional relationship between the two electrodes 41 and 42 is as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, in the vertical direction, the discharge electrode 41 is arranged on a plane passing through substantially the center in the vertical direction of the counter electrode 42. And in the horizontal direction, the discharge electrode 41 is arranged on the upstream side of the counter electrode 42, and the angle α1 formed by the direction connecting the upstream edge of the first flat plate 421 and the tip of the discharge part 411 and the direction in which the discharge electrode 41 extends is set to be 30 to 60° in a side view. This is to increase the air volume of the ionic wind flowing downstream, as will be described later. In particular, when the angle α1 is set to be 40 to 50°, the air volume of the generated ionic wind further increases, which is preferable. Similarly, the angle α2 formed by the direction connecting the upstream edge of the second flat plate 422 and the tip of the discharge part 411 and the direction in which the discharge electrode 41 extends is also set to be 30 to 60° in a side view, and it is more preferable to set it to 40 to 50°.

[0021] <1-2. Second corona discharge electrode pair> The second corona discharge electrode pair 5, like the first corona discharge electrode pair 4, comprises a discharge electrode 51 with a needle-shaped discharge section 511 and a counter electrode 52 having a first plate 521 and a second plate 522. It is composed of the discharge electrode 51 and the counter electrode 52. A potential difference controlled by the power supply unit 2 is applied between the discharge electrode 51 and the counter electrode 52. That is, the potential difference is controlled so that the potential V51 of the discharge electrode 51 and the potential V52 of the counter electrode 52 are V51 ≤ V52. The potential difference is 500V or more in the case of DC, and a maximum of 1kV or more in the case of AC or alternating current. In the case of AC or alternating current, there is no limit to the repetition frequency, but it is preferably 50Hz or more. If this condition is met, one of them may be grounded. In this case, the potential is preferably DC. This is to ensure stable electron emission and stabilize the constraint of electrons by the magnetic field described later. For example, a negative DC voltage can be applied to the discharge electrode 51 to ground the counter electrode 52. The first plate 521 and the second plate 522 of the counter electrode 52 are parallel plates, similar to the first corona discharge electrode pair 4, but differ in that they are provided with magnets. Specifically, multiple permanent magnets 523 are arranged at equal intervals in the width direction on the lower surface of the first plate 521. Similarly, multiple permanent magnets 524 are arranged at equal intervals in the width direction on the upper surface of the second plate 522. Various types of magnets can be used for these permanent magnets, such as ferrite magnets and neodymium magnets.

[0022] Then, a static magnetic field is generated between the two plates 521 and 522 by the permanent magnet 523 of the first plate 521 and the permanent magnet 524 of the second plate 522. For example, if the north pole of the permanent magnet 523 of the first plate 521 is pointed toward the second plate 522 and the south pole of the permanent magnet 524 of the second plate 522 is pointed toward the first plate 521, a magnetic field (dashed line in Figure 4) can be generated from the first plate 521 toward the second plate 522. The strength of the static magnetic field generated here is preferably, for example, 30mT to 3T, and more preferably 100mT to 1T. If the strength of the static magnetic field is less than 30mT, the constraint of electrons emitted from the second corona discharge electrode pair 5 in the static magnetic field will be insufficient, as will be described later, and the efficiency of ozone decomposition may be reduced. On the other hand, if the strength of the static magnetic field is greater than 3T, negative ions flowing downstream from the first corona discharge electrode pair 4 may be constrained by the magnetic field and may not be released from the exhaust port 31.

[0023] Furthermore, the positional relationship between the discharge electrode 51 and the counter electrode 52 in the second corona discharge electrode pair 5 is as follows. That is, as shown in Figure 2, in the second corona discharge electrode pair 5, the discharge electrode 51 is positioned almost in the center of the counter electrode 52 in the vertical direction, but the horizontal spacing differs from that of the first corona discharge electrode pair 4, and the angles β1 and β2 corresponding to the angles α1 and α2 described above are set to 75 to 165°, and it is even more preferable to set them to 95 to 150°. This is because if the angle β is smaller than 75°, the generated electrons tend to flow downstream as will be described later, and if the angle β is larger than 165°, the electrons tend to flow in the reverse direction.

[0024] <1-3. Ozone Generating Lamp> The ozone generating lamp 6 is driven by power supplied from the power supply unit 2 described above and generates ozone. This ozone generating lamp 6 can be any known type, such as an ultraviolet generating tube, an ultraviolet generating LED, or a silent discharge device.

[0025] <1-4. Power supply section> Furthermore, the power supply unit 2 is configured to continuously apply voltage to the discharge electrodes 41, 51 and counter electrodes 42, 52 of each corona discharge electrode pair 4, 5. However, if any of the discharge electrodes 41, 51 or counter electrodes 42, 52 are grounded, the power supply unit 2 and the grounded electrode are not electrically connected. The voltage used here may be either a constant voltage or a pulsed output voltage. The potential difference applied to each corona discharge electrode pair 4, 5 is as described above. The power supply unit 2 also includes a control unit (not shown) that controls the applied voltage, etc.

[0026] <2. Operation of the air activator> Next, the operation of the air activator configured as described above will be explained. First, a voltage is applied to the first and second corona discharge electrode pairs 4 and 5 to generate corona discharge, and power is supplied to the ozone generating lamp 6 to generate ozone. As a result, in the first corona discharge electrode pair 4, the air around the needle-shaped discharge portion 411 of the discharge electrode 41 is activated by the corona discharge, generating ozone, neutral excited oxygen molecules, and positively or negatively charged oxygen molecules. Negatively charged oxygen molecules, i.e., negative ions, are attracted to the counter electrode 42 by the Coulomb force, which generates an ion wind flowing from the discharge electrode 41 to the counter electrode 42. At this time, since the counter electrode 42 is formed of parallel plates, the generated ion wind passes inside the counter electrode 42 and flows towards the ozone generating lamp 6. Therefore, in this wind tunnel 1, an ion wind is generated from the first corona discharge electrode pair 4 toward the exhaust port 31.

[0027] As described above, ozone, neutral excited oxygen molecules, and negatively charged oxygen molecules generated at the first corona discharge electrode pair 4 are carried by the ion wind to the ozone generating lamp 6. At the ozone generating lamp 6, these molecules act as nuclei to generate further excited oxygen molecules and their hydrates. These generated oxygen molecules and their hydrates, along with other generated substances such as negative ions, are carried by the ion wind further downstream, i.e., to the second corona discharge electrode pair 5. The generated ozone is also carried downstream by the ion wind.

[0028] In the second corona discharge electrode pair 5, in addition to the generation of negative ions due to corona discharge, the following phenomenon occurs: Electrons generated from the discharge electrode 51 are supplied to excited oxygen molecules and ozone carried from upstream, and these oxygen molecules and ozone are converted into reactive oxygen species and negative ions. In this way, a large amount of negative ions and other substances are generated and blown out from the exhaust port 31. Furthermore, the static magnetic field generated at the counter electrode 52 binds the electrons generated at the second corona discharge electrode pair 5, extending their lifespan. Then, the ozone flowing from the ozone generation lamp 6 collides with the bound electrons, causing electron excitation and converting them into reactive oxygen species.

[0029] <3. Features> As described above, in the air activator according to this embodiment, in addition to the negative ions generated from the two corona discharge electrode pairs 4 and 5, negative ions are also generated when oxygen molecules excited by the ozone generating lamp 6 are negatively charged at the second corona discharge electrode pair 5. Therefore, the amount of negative ions generated is not simply increased by using two corona discharge electrode pairs, but rather the amount of negative ions is increased by the interaction between the two corona discharge electrode pairs 4 and 5 and the ozone generating lamp 6 placed between them. As a result, a large amount of negative ions can be generated, as shown in the examples described later.

[0030] Furthermore, in the second corona discharge electrode pair 5, electrons are confined by the static magnetic field, and when ozone collides with these electrons, the ozone is decomposed and reactive oxygen species are generated. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the discharge of ozone from the exhaust port 31.

[0031] Furthermore, since the air activator according to this embodiment has a simple configuration, it can be made compact, for example by forming the casing 3 thinly, and thus can be installed in various locations, such as by mounting the air activator on a wall.

[0032] <4. Variation> Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

[0033] (1) In the above embodiment, permanent magnets 523 and 524 are provided on the opposing electrodes 52 of the second corona discharge electrode pair 5 to generate a static magnetic field, but the position and number of permanent magnets are not particularly limited as long as a static magnetic field can be generated.

[0034] (2) At the counter electrode 52 of the second corona discharge electrode pair 5, an alternating magnetic field can be generated instead of a static magnetic field. An alternating magnetic field is a magnetic field excited by a current with a square wave. When an alternating magnetic field is used, the direction of the magnetic field is reversed and the strength of the magnetic field is constant, so electrons are confined and stirred, and the above-mentioned electron confinement and ozone decomposition effect can be obtained. The strength of the generated alternating magnetic field is preferably 30mT to 3T, and more preferably 100mT to 1T. The reason is the same as for the strength of the static magnetic field. Note that an alternating magnetic field excited by a sine wave alternating current is not very desirable because there is a time when the strength of the magnetic field is 0 or small, and there is a time when electrons cannot be confined.

[0035] To generate such an alternating magnetic field, an electromagnet can be used, for example. Such an electromagnet can be formed, for example, by providing coils 526 and 527 on a first plate 521 and a second plate 522, respectively, as shown in Figure 5. Then, by controlling the voltage applied to each coil by the power supply unit 2 so that the strength of the generated magnetic field is constant and the direction of the magnetic field reverses at predetermined time intervals, an alternating magnetic field can be generated. The type of magnet is not particularly limited as long as it can generate a static magnetic field or an alternating magnetic field as described above.

[0036] (3) In the above embodiment, the counter electrodes 42 and 52 are formed from parallel plates, but are not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 6, they can also be formed in a rectangular tubular shape so that the ion wind can pass through. In addition, they can be formed in a cylindrical or polygonal tubular shape. When the counter electrodes 42 and 52 are formed in a tubular shape, in the second corona discharge electrode pair 5, a magnetic field can be formed by providing permanent magnets or electromagnets on the opposing parts of the tubular counter electrodes 52.

[0037] (4) When the air is activated as described above, depending on the humidity, reactive oxygen species may be generated and oxidize the electrode surface. When oxidation occurs in this way, the electrode may be covered with oxides and the discharge may stop. To counteract this, the oxides can be removed by polishing the electrodes, and discharge can be resumed. Alternatively, the surface of each discharge electrode and the counter electrode may be gold plated. In this case, the durability of the electrodes can be improved without performing maintenance such as polishing. In this case, the thickness of the gold film in the gold plating is preferably 0.01 μm or more and 1 mm or less. Known techniques can be used as the method for applying gold plating.

[0038] (5) The air activator according to the present invention can be used for various purposes by activating the air as described above, for example, for deodorization and mold prevention. For example, by installing it in a container for food waste, a toilet, a bathroom, a shoe box, etc., mold prevention and deodorizing effects can be obtained. In addition to the above-mentioned deodorizing and mold prevention effects, the air activator according to the present invention can also decompose toxic gases, such as hydrogen sulfide. [Examples]

[0039] The present invention will be described more specifically below with reference to embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0040] (Example 1) As Example 1, an air activator with the same configuration as the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4 was prepared. The angles α1 and α2 in the first corona discharge electrode pair were 45 degrees, and the angles β1 and β2 in the second corona discharge electrode pair were 95 degrees. In addition, -8500V was applied to the discharge electrode of the first corona discharge electrode pair and -7500V was applied to the discharge electrode of the second corona discharge electrode pair, and each opposing electrode was grounded. 10W of power was supplied to the ozone generating lamp. Furthermore, two neodymium magnets were attached to the first plate and two neodymium magnets attached to the second plate, respectively, of the opposing electrodes of the second corona discharge electrode pair.

[0041] In Example 1, configured as described above, the strength of the static magnetic field generated at the counter electrode of the second corona discharge electrode pair was approximately 300 milligauss. When this air activator was driven, the amount of negative ions released from the exhaust port was approximately 1,500,000 ions / cc. The concentration of ozone released from the exhaust port was 0 ppm.

[0042] (Example 2) As Example 2, an air activator was prepared in which the counter electrode of the second corona discharge electrode pair of Example 1 was an electromagnet. The other configurations were the same as in Example 1. When the air activator of Example 2 configured in this way was driven, the strength of the static magnetic field generated at the counter electrode of the second corona discharge electrode pair was approximately 500 milligauss. The amount of negative ions released from the exhaust port was approximately 2,000,000 ions / cc. The concentration of ozone released from the exhaust port was 0 ppm.

[0043] (Comparative example) As a comparative example, an air activator was prepared in which the permanent magnet was removed from the counter electrode of the second corona discharge electrode pair of Example 1. The other configurations were the same as in Example 1. When the air activator of the comparative example configured in this way was driven, the amount of negative ions released from the exhaust port was approximately 1,000,000 ions / cc. The concentration of ozone released from the exhaust port was 0.3 ppm.

[0044] From the above, it was found that in Examples 1 and 2, in which a magnet was provided on the counter electrode of the second corona discharge electrode pair, no ozone was generated, and the amount of negative ions generated was greater than in the comparative example. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 4. First corona discharge electrode pair 41 Discharge electrode 42 Counter electrode 5. Second corona discharge electrode pair 51 Discharge electrode 52 Counterelectrode 523,524 Permanent Magnets 526,527 Coil (Electromagnet)

Claims

1. A wind tunnel having an intake port and an exhaust port, A first corona discharge electrode pair is positioned on the intake side of the wind tunnel and generates corona discharge, A second corona discharge electrode pair is positioned on the exhaust port side of the wind tunnel and generates corona discharge, An ozone generating unit is positioned between the first corona discharge electrode pair and the second corona discharge electrode pair and generates ozone. Equipped with, The first and second corona discharge electrode pairs each have a discharge electrode and a counter electrode, and the discharge electrode and the counter electrode are arranged in this order in a first direction from the intake port toward the exhaust port. The opposing electrode of the second corona discharge electrode pair is provided with a magnet that generates a magnetic field. An air activator in which the magnet generates the magnetic field in a direction intersecting the first direction between the opposing portions of the opposing electrodes of the second corona discharge electrode pair.

2. The air activator according to claim 1, wherein the magnet is a permanent magnet.

3. The air activator according to claim 1, wherein the magnet is an electromagnet.

4. The air activator according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field is an alternating magnetic field.

5. The air activation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the opposing electrodes of each corona discharge electrode pair are composed of parallel flat plates.

6. The air activation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the counter electrodes of each corona discharge electrode pair are formed in a cylindrical shape.

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