US20110073685A1 - Blowing device including an electrostatic atomizer - Google Patents
Blowing device including an electrostatic atomizer Download PDFInfo
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- US20110073685A1 US20110073685A1 US12/892,293 US89229310A US2011073685A1 US 20110073685 A1 US20110073685 A1 US 20110073685A1 US 89229310 A US89229310 A US 89229310A US 2011073685 A1 US2011073685 A1 US 2011073685A1
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- flow path
- air flow
- water particles
- honeycomb filter
- charged water
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60H—ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES
- B60H3/00—Other air-treating devices
- B60H3/0071—Electrically conditioning the air, e.g. by ionizing
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a blowing device with an electrostatic atomizer for generating charged water particles by electrostatic atomization.
- the charged water particles of nanometer size fed into the room contain radicals such as superoxide radicals or hydroxy radicals.
- the charged water particles are capable of removing odor components adhering to the walls, seats, dashboards or curtains arranged within the room, deactivating allergen materials such as pollen or the like adhering to a human body or clothes and brought into the room, and moisturizing the skin or the hair.
- Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2008-37247 and 2007-163109 disclose an arrangement in which charged water particles of nanometer size generated in an electrostatic atomizer are fed into a vehicle room through the outlet of a blowing device to carry out deodorization, sterilization and deactivation of allergen materials with radicals such as superoxide radicals or hydroxy radicals contained in the charged water particles, thereby making the vehicle room a pleasant space.
- the charged water particles of nanometer size are generated by supplying water to a discharge electrode of an electrostatic atomizer and applying a high voltage to the water. At this time, ozone is also generated by air discharge upon the generation of the charged water particles. The charged water particles and the ozone thus generated are fed into the vehicle room.
- the odor of ozone may irritate one's nerves.
- the present invention provides a blowing device with an electrostatic atomizer capable of, with a simple configuration, preventing the odor of ozone from irritating one's nerves near the outlet of an air flow path.
- a blowing device including: an air flow path with an outlet from which to inject an air stream; an electrostatic atomizer arranged outside the air flow path for generating charged water particles by electrostatic atomization, the charged water particles generated in the electrostatic atomizer being supplied into the air flow path through a communication path; and a honeycomb filter arranged within the communication path, the honeycomb filter containing active carbon.
- the honeycomb filter containing active carbon By arranging the honeycomb filter containing active carbon in the communication path, it is possible for the honeycomb filter to, when supplying the charged water particles into the air flow path, adsorb the ozone generated by air discharge when the charged water particles are generated. The charged water particles are supplied into the air flow path and then injected from the outlet together with the air stream flowing through the air flow path. This makes it possible to prevent the odor of ozone from irritating one's nerves. It may be thinkable that, for the adsorption of ozone, the honeycomb filter is arranged at the downstream side of the portion of the air flow path communicating with the communication path. This is however undesirable because the air stream flowing through the air flow path undergoes pressure loss. If the honeycomb filter containing active carbon is arranged in the communication path as in the present invention, it is possible for the honeycomb filter to adsorb the ozone while preventing occurrence of pressure loss in the air stream flowing through the air flow path.
- the honeycomb filter may be charged with the same polarity as the polarity of the charged water particles by applying a voltage to the honeycomb filter.
- the honeycomb filter containing active carbon is arranged in the communication path as set forth above.
- the charged water particles generated by the electrostatic atomizer are injected into a target space from the outlet together with the air stream flowing through the air flow path of the blowing device. Therefore, the present blowing device is capable of, with a simple configuration, adsorbing the ozone generated simultaneously with the generation of the charged water particles, preventing the odor of ozone from giving off near the outlet and preventing occurrence of pressure loss in the air stream flowing through the air flow path.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration view showing a blowing device according to one embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one example of a honeycomb filter employed in the blowing device.
- FIG. 3 is a section view of the honeycomb filter employed in the blowing device.
- an air conditioning device 5 a provided in a vehicle such as a car is shown as one example of the present blowing device 5 .
- the air conditioning device 5 a includes an air flow path 2 , a blowing fan 8 and a heat exchanger 9 , the latter two of which are arranged within the air flow path 2 .
- the upstream end portion of the air flow path 2 serves as an inlet 7 through which to draw the air present in an outdoor area or the air present in an indoor area (or a vehicle room) 11 .
- the downstream end portion of the air flow path 2 serves as an outlet 1 through which to inject the conditioned air into the indoor area 11 .
- the heat exchanger 9 provided in the air conditioning device 5 a is used to condition, namely cool or heat, the air blown by the blowing fan 8 .
- an evaporator and a heater are used as the heat exchanger 9 .
- An electrostatic atomizer 3 is arranged outside the air flow path 2 and is in communication with the air flow path 2 through a communication path 4 .
- a communication hole 23 is formed on the wall portion of the air flow path 2 at the downstream side of the heat exchanger 9 or the blowing fan 8 and at the upstream side of the outlet 1 .
- the downstream end portion of the communication path 4 is in communication with the communication hole 23 .
- the electrostatic atomizer 3 is arranged outside the air flow path 2 and is mounted to a duct defining the air flow path 2 or other members.
- the electrostatic atomizer 3 is of a so-called externally mounted type.
- the electrostatic atomizer 3 includes a discharge electrode 12 , an atomization chamber 13 for accommodating the discharge electrode 12 , a water supply unit 14 for supplying water to the tip end of the discharge electrode 12 and a high-voltage applying unit 22 for applying a high voltage to the water to generate charged water particles by electrostatic atomization.
- the water supply unit 14 is configured to supply water to the discharge electrode 12 by cooling the moisture present in the air and generating dew condensation water through the use of a cooling unit such as a Peltier unit 15 or the like. This means that the cooling unit makes up the water supply unit 14 for supplying water to the discharge electrode 12 .
- the internal space of a generally tubular body case 16 with an insulating property is divided by a partition 17 .
- the Peltier unit 15 as the water supply unit 14 is built in one half space of the body case 16 divided by the partition, while the other half space of the body case 16 is used as the atomization chamber 13 .
- the Peltier unit 15 includes an insulating pate made of alumina or aluminum nitride having high heat conductivity, a pair of Peltier circuit boards arranged on one surface of the insulating plate such that the circuits thereof face each other and a plurality of BiTe-based thermoelectric elements interposed between the Peltier circuit boards.
- the thermoelectric elements adjoining to each other are electrically connected to each other using the circuits thereof.
- the Peltier unit 15 is configured to ensure that heat can move from one of the Peltier circuit boards toward the other when an electric current is fed to the thermoelectric elements through a Peltier input lead line.
- a cooling part 18 is connected to the outer side of one of the Peltier circuit boards and a radiating part 19 is connected to the outer side of the other Peltier circuit board. In the present embodiment, radiator fins are used as the radiating part 19 .
- the rear end portion of the discharge electrode 12 is connected to the cooling part 18 of the Peltier unit 15 .
- the discharge electrode 12 protrudes into the atomization chamber 13 through a hole formed in the partition 17 of the body case 16 .
- a ring-shaped opposite electrode 20 is arranged in the leading end opening of the tubular body case 16 .
- the opposite electrode 20 may be omitted, if appropriate.
- Openings opened inwards and outwards are formed at a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart points on the surrounding wall of the atomization chamber 13 of the body case 16 .
- the tubular communication path 4 is connected at one end to the leading end of the tubular body case 16 .
- the ring-shaped opposite electrode 20 has a central hole communicating with the communication path 4 .
- a honeycomb filter 6 containing active carbon is provided in the communication path 4 .
- the honeycomb filter 6 is of the type shown in FIG. 2 .
- the honeycomb filter 6 includes a plurality of wavy sheets 6 a with ridges and valleys and a plurality of planar sheets 6 b , both of which are made from a film containing active carbon. As shown in FIG. 3 , the wavy sheets 6 a and the planar sheets 6 b are alternately superimposed and formed into a honeycomb shape having a plurality of isolated spaces 6 c opened at the opposite ends thereof.
- the honeycomb filter 6 containing active carbon is arranged within the communication path 4 such that the opposite openings of the isolated spaces 6 c are opened toward the upstream and downstream sides of the communication path 4 .
- the electrostatic atomizer 3 is arranged outside the wall of the air flow path 2 such that the needle-shaped discharge electrode 12 extends parallel to the wall of the air flow path 2 .
- the tubular body case 16 remains parallel to the adjoining wall of the air flow path 2 .
- the body case 16 is connected to the communication hole 23 of the wall of the air flow path 2 by the communication path 4 of arc shape. Accordingly, the electrostatic atomizer 3 is arranged outside the air flow path 2 in a compact fashion. Moreover, it is possible to smoothly supply the charged water particles into the air flow path 2 .
- the blowing fan 8 Upon operating the air conditioning device 5 a , the blowing fan 8 is operated to draw the air present in the outdoor area (outside a vehicle) or the air present in the indoor area (inside a vehicle) 11 into the air flow path 2 through the inlet 7 .
- the air is conditioned by the heat exchanger 9 to have a specified temperature and is injected into the indoor area 11 through the outlet 1 after flowing through the air flow path 2 .
- the electrostatic atomizer 3 is operated during the operation of the air conditioning device 5 a , an electric current is fed to the Peltier unit 15 to cool the cooling part 18 .
- the discharge electrode 12 is cooled to condensate the moisture present in the air, as a result of which water (dew condensation water) is supplied to the tip end of the discharge electrode 12 .
- a high voltage is applied to the water supplied to the tip end of the discharge electrode 12 , whereby the level of the water supplied to the tip end of the discharge electrode 12 is partially built up in a conical shape by the application of the high voltage to form a Taylor cone. Electric charges are concentrated on the tip end of the Taylor cone thus formed.
- the intensity of electric fields becomes stronger at the tip end of the Taylor cone, thereby causing the Taylor cone to further grow up.
- the Taylor cone grows up in this way and if the electric charges are concentrated on the tip end of the Taylor cone to increase the density thereof, the water present at the tip end of the Taylor cone is applied with a great deal of energy (namely, the repellant force of the electric charges having the increased density) and is subjected to repetitive division and scattering (Rayleigh division), thus generating a large quantity of negatively charged water particles of nanometer size.
- Ozone is also generated when the charged water particles are generated by the electrostatic atomization.
- the charged water particles and the ozone generated in the electrostatic atomizer 3 move along the communication path 4 .
- the charged water particles and the ozone adhere to the honeycomb filter 6 . Due to the adherence of the charged water particles, the honeycomb filter 6 is gradually charged with the same polarity as that of the charged water particles.
- the charged water particles passing through the isolated spaces 6 c have the same polarity as that of the honeycomb filter 6 to be repelled by the honeycomb filter 6 , they are fed into the air flow path 2 from the communication hole 23 through the isolated spaces 6 c without adhering to the honeycomb filter 6 and is then supplied into the indoor area (the vehicle room) 11 form the outlet 1 of the air flow path 2 together with the air stream flowing through the air flow path 2 .
- the charged water particles of nanometer size fed into the indoor area 11 drift within the indoor area 11 and adhere to the inner walls, seats, dashboards or curtains arranged inside the indoor area 11 and the clothes or hair of a man.
- the charged water particles of nanometer size (i.e., the nano size mist) generated by atomizing water contain radicals such as superoxide radicals or hydroxy radicals.
- the charged water particles are capable of removing odor components adhering to the inner walls, seats, dashboards or curtains arranged within the indoor area 11 and the clothes or hair of a man dwelling within the indoor area 11 .
- the charged water particles are capable of deactivating allergen materials such as pollen or the like adhering to a human body or clothes and brought into the indoor area 11 , performing sterilization or disinfection and moisturizing the skin or the hair. Since the charged water particles are small as nanometer size, they can drift from place to place within the indoor area 11 and can infiltrate into fibers or the like to perform deodorization, sterilization, disinfection and deactivation of allergen materials.
- the charged water particles adhere to the honeycomb filter 6 only at the initial stage. Once the honeycomb filter 6 is charged with the same polarity as that of the charged water particles by the adherence of the latter, the charged water particles are repelled by the honeycomb filter 6 and are supplied into the air flow path 2 without adhering to the honeycomb filter 6 . Meanwhile, the ozone is not electrically charged, so that it continues to be adsorbed to the honeycomb filter 6 containing active carbon.
- the honeycomb filter 6 may be charged with the same polarity as that of the charged water particles generated in the electrostatic atomizer 3 by applying a voltage to the honeycomb filter 6 during the operation of the electrostatic atomizer 3 as shown in FIG. 1 . By doing so, it is possible to prevent the charged water particles from adhering to and being adsorbed by the honeycomb filter 6 at the initial stage of operation of the electrostatic atomizer 3 . Only the non-charged ozone is adsorbed by the honeycomb filter 6 . This makes it possible to supply the charged water particles into the air flow path 2 with no loss even at the initial stage of operation of the electrostatic atomizer 3 .
- the air conditioning device 5 a for a vehicle such as a car or the like has been illustrated described as an example of the blowing device 5 in the foregoing embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto.
- the blowing device 5 may be an air conditioning device arranged within the room of a building or a blower having only a blowing function with no use of the heat exchanger 9 .
Abstract
A blowing device includes an air flow path with an outlet from which to inject an air stream, and an electrostatic atomizer, arranged outside the air flow path, for generating charged water particles by electrostatic atomization. The charged water particles generated in the electrostatic atomizer are supplied into the air flow path through a communication path. A honeycomb filter containing active carbon is arranged within the communication path.
Description
- The present invention relates to a blowing device with an electrostatic atomizer for generating charged water particles by electrostatic atomization.
- Conventionally, there is known an arrangement in which charged water particles of nanometer size generated in an electrostatic atomizer are fed into the room of an automotive vehicle or the room of a building together with an air stream discharged from the outlet of a blowing device such as a vehicle-mounted air conditioning device.
- The charged water particles of nanometer size fed into the room contain radicals such as superoxide radicals or hydroxy radicals. Thus, the charged water particles are capable of removing odor components adhering to the walls, seats, dashboards or curtains arranged within the room, deactivating allergen materials such as pollen or the like adhering to a human body or clothes and brought into the room, and moisturizing the skin or the hair.
- For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2008-37247 and 2007-163109 disclose an arrangement in which charged water particles of nanometer size generated in an electrostatic atomizer are fed into a vehicle room through the outlet of a blowing device to carry out deodorization, sterilization and deactivation of allergen materials with radicals such as superoxide radicals or hydroxy radicals contained in the charged water particles, thereby making the vehicle room a pleasant space.
- The charged water particles of nanometer size are generated by supplying water to a discharge electrode of an electrostatic atomizer and applying a high voltage to the water. At this time, ozone is also generated by air discharge upon the generation of the charged water particles. The charged water particles and the ozone thus generated are fed into the vehicle room.
- Since the concentration of ozone is high near the outlet of the blowing device, the odor of ozone may irritate one's nerves.
- In view of the above, the present invention provides a blowing device with an electrostatic atomizer capable of, with a simple configuration, preventing the odor of ozone from irritating one's nerves near the outlet of an air flow path.
- In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blowing device, including: an air flow path with an outlet from which to inject an air stream; an electrostatic atomizer arranged outside the air flow path for generating charged water particles by electrostatic atomization, the charged water particles generated in the electrostatic atomizer being supplied into the air flow path through a communication path; and a honeycomb filter arranged within the communication path, the honeycomb filter containing active carbon.
- By arranging the honeycomb filter containing active carbon in the communication path, it is possible for the honeycomb filter to, when supplying the charged water particles into the air flow path, adsorb the ozone generated by air discharge when the charged water particles are generated. The charged water particles are supplied into the air flow path and then injected from the outlet together with the air stream flowing through the air flow path. This makes it possible to prevent the odor of ozone from irritating one's nerves. It may be thinkable that, for the adsorption of ozone, the honeycomb filter is arranged at the downstream side of the portion of the air flow path communicating with the communication path. This is however undesirable because the air stream flowing through the air flow path undergoes pressure loss. If the honeycomb filter containing active carbon is arranged in the communication path as in the present invention, it is possible for the honeycomb filter to adsorb the ozone while preventing occurrence of pressure loss in the air stream flowing through the air flow path.
- The honeycomb filter may be charged with the same polarity as the polarity of the charged water particles by applying a voltage to the honeycomb filter.
- With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the charged water particles from adhering to and being adsorbed by the honeycomb filter. Only the non-charged ozone is adsorbed by the honeycomb filter. This makes it possible to supply the charged water particles into the air flow path with no loss and with no likelihood of the charged water particles adhering to the honeycomb filter.
- With the present invention, the honeycomb filter containing active carbon is arranged in the communication path as set forth above. The charged water particles generated by the electrostatic atomizer are injected into a target space from the outlet together with the air stream flowing through the air flow path of the blowing device. Therefore, the present blowing device is capable of, with a simple configuration, adsorbing the ozone generated simultaneously with the generation of the charged water particles, preventing the odor of ozone from giving off near the outlet and preventing occurrence of pressure loss in the air stream flowing through the air flow path.
- The objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration view showing a blowing device according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one example of a honeycomb filter employed in the blowing device; and -
FIG. 3 is a section view of the honeycomb filter employed in the blowing device. - One embodiment of the present invention will be now described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- In the accompanying drawings, an air conditioning device 5 a provided in a vehicle such as a car is shown as one example of the present blowing device 5.
- Referring to
FIG. 1 , the air conditioning device 5 a includes an air flow path 2, a blowingfan 8 and a heat exchanger 9, the latter two of which are arranged within the air flow path 2. The upstream end portion of the air flow path 2 serves as aninlet 7 through which to draw the air present in an outdoor area or the air present in an indoor area (or a vehicle room) 11. The downstream end portion of the air flow path 2 serves as an outlet 1 through which to inject the conditioned air into theindoor area 11. - The heat exchanger 9 provided in the air conditioning device 5 a is used to condition, namely cool or heat, the air blown by the blowing
fan 8. In the present embodiment, an evaporator and a heater are used as the heat exchanger 9. - An
electrostatic atomizer 3 is arranged outside the air flow path 2 and is in communication with the air flow path 2 through acommunication path 4. - A
communication hole 23 is formed on the wall portion of the air flow path 2 at the downstream side of the heat exchanger 9 or the blowingfan 8 and at the upstream side of the outlet 1. The downstream end portion of thecommunication path 4 is in communication with thecommunication hole 23. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , theelectrostatic atomizer 3 is arranged outside the air flow path 2 and is mounted to a duct defining the air flow path 2 or other members. Thus, theelectrostatic atomizer 3 is of a so-called externally mounted type. - The
electrostatic atomizer 3 includes adischarge electrode 12, an atomization chamber 13 for accommodating thedischarge electrode 12, awater supply unit 14 for supplying water to the tip end of thedischarge electrode 12 and a high-voltage applying unit 22 for applying a high voltage to the water to generate charged water particles by electrostatic atomization. In the illustrated embodiment, thewater supply unit 14 is configured to supply water to thedischarge electrode 12 by cooling the moisture present in the air and generating dew condensation water through the use of a cooling unit such as a Peltierunit 15 or the like. This means that the cooling unit makes up thewater supply unit 14 for supplying water to thedischarge electrode 12. - In the illustrated embodiment, the internal space of a generally
tubular body case 16 with an insulating property is divided by a partition 17. The Peltierunit 15 as thewater supply unit 14 is built in one half space of thebody case 16 divided by the partition, while the other half space of thebody case 16 is used as the atomization chamber 13. - The Peltier
unit 15 includes an insulating pate made of alumina or aluminum nitride having high heat conductivity, a pair of Peltier circuit boards arranged on one surface of the insulating plate such that the circuits thereof face each other and a plurality of BiTe-based thermoelectric elements interposed between the Peltier circuit boards. The thermoelectric elements adjoining to each other are electrically connected to each other using the circuits thereof. The Peltierunit 15 is configured to ensure that heat can move from one of the Peltier circuit boards toward the other when an electric current is fed to the thermoelectric elements through a Peltier input lead line. Acooling part 18 is connected to the outer side of one of the Peltier circuit boards and aradiating part 19 is connected to the outer side of the other Peltier circuit board. In the present embodiment, radiator fins are used as theradiating part 19. - The rear end portion of the
discharge electrode 12 is connected to thecooling part 18 of the Peltierunit 15. Thedischarge electrode 12 protrudes into the atomization chamber 13 through a hole formed in the partition 17 of thebody case 16. - In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1 , a ring-shapedopposite electrode 20 is arranged in the leading end opening of thetubular body case 16. Theopposite electrode 20 may be omitted, if appropriate. - Openings opened inwards and outwards are formed at a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart points on the surrounding wall of the atomization chamber 13 of the
body case 16. - The
tubular communication path 4 is connected at one end to the leading end of thetubular body case 16. The ring-shapedopposite electrode 20 has a central hole communicating with thecommunication path 4. - A
honeycomb filter 6 containing active carbon is provided in thecommunication path 4. Thehoneycomb filter 6 is of the type shown inFIG. 2 . Thehoneycomb filter 6 includes a plurality ofwavy sheets 6 a with ridges and valleys and a plurality ofplanar sheets 6 b, both of which are made from a film containing active carbon. As shown inFIG. 3 , thewavy sheets 6 a and theplanar sheets 6 b are alternately superimposed and formed into a honeycomb shape having a plurality ofisolated spaces 6 c opened at the opposite ends thereof. - The
honeycomb filter 6 containing active carbon is arranged within thecommunication path 4 such that the opposite openings of theisolated spaces 6 c are opened toward the upstream and downstream sides of thecommunication path 4. - In the embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 1 , theelectrostatic atomizer 3 is arranged outside the wall of the air flow path 2 such that the needle-shapeddischarge electrode 12 extends parallel to the wall of the air flow path 2. Thus, thetubular body case 16 remains parallel to the adjoining wall of the air flow path 2. Thebody case 16 is connected to thecommunication hole 23 of the wall of the air flow path 2 by thecommunication path 4 of arc shape. Accordingly, theelectrostatic atomizer 3 is arranged outside the air flow path 2 in a compact fashion. Moreover, it is possible to smoothly supply the charged water particles into the air flow path 2. - Upon operating the air conditioning device 5 a, the blowing
fan 8 is operated to draw the air present in the outdoor area (outside a vehicle) or the air present in the indoor area (inside a vehicle) 11 into the air flow path 2 through theinlet 7. The air is conditioned by the heat exchanger 9 to have a specified temperature and is injected into theindoor area 11 through the outlet 1 after flowing through the air flow path 2. - If the
electrostatic atomizer 3 is operated during the operation of the air conditioning device 5 a, an electric current is fed to thePeltier unit 15 to cool the coolingpart 18. Upon cooling thecooling part 18, thedischarge electrode 12 is cooled to condensate the moisture present in the air, as a result of which water (dew condensation water) is supplied to the tip end of thedischarge electrode 12. In this state, a high voltage is applied to the water supplied to the tip end of thedischarge electrode 12, whereby the level of the water supplied to the tip end of thedischarge electrode 12 is partially built up in a conical shape by the application of the high voltage to form a Taylor cone. Electric charges are concentrated on the tip end of the Taylor cone thus formed. Thus, the intensity of electric fields becomes stronger at the tip end of the Taylor cone, thereby causing the Taylor cone to further grow up. If the Taylor cone grows up in this way and if the electric charges are concentrated on the tip end of the Taylor cone to increase the density thereof, the water present at the tip end of the Taylor cone is applied with a great deal of energy (namely, the repellant force of the electric charges having the increased density) and is subjected to repetitive division and scattering (Rayleigh division), thus generating a large quantity of negatively charged water particles of nanometer size. - Ozone is also generated when the charged water particles are generated by the electrostatic atomization.
- The charged water particles and the ozone generated in the
electrostatic atomizer 3 move along thecommunication path 4. When passing through theisolated spaces 6 c of thehoneycomb filter 6 arranged in thecommunication path 4, the charged water particles and the ozone adhere to thehoneycomb filter 6. Due to the adherence of the charged water particles, thehoneycomb filter 6 is gradually charged with the same polarity as that of the charged water particles. Then, since the charged water particles passing through theisolated spaces 6 c have the same polarity as that of thehoneycomb filter 6 to be repelled by thehoneycomb filter 6, they are fed into the air flow path 2 from thecommunication hole 23 through theisolated spaces 6 c without adhering to thehoneycomb filter 6 and is then supplied into the indoor area (the vehicle room) 11 form the outlet 1 of the air flow path 2 together with the air stream flowing through the air flow path 2. - The charged water particles of nanometer size fed into the
indoor area 11 drift within theindoor area 11 and adhere to the inner walls, seats, dashboards or curtains arranged inside theindoor area 11 and the clothes or hair of a man. - The charged water particles of nanometer size (i.e., the nano size mist) generated by atomizing water contain radicals such as superoxide radicals or hydroxy radicals. Thus, the charged water particles are capable of removing odor components adhering to the inner walls, seats, dashboards or curtains arranged within the
indoor area 11 and the clothes or hair of a man dwelling within theindoor area 11. In addition, the charged water particles are capable of deactivating allergen materials such as pollen or the like adhering to a human body or clothes and brought into theindoor area 11, performing sterilization or disinfection and moisturizing the skin or the hair. Since the charged water particles are small as nanometer size, they can drift from place to place within theindoor area 11 and can infiltrate into fibers or the like to perform deodorization, sterilization, disinfection and deactivation of allergen materials. - As set forth above, the charged water particles adhere to the
honeycomb filter 6 only at the initial stage. Once thehoneycomb filter 6 is charged with the same polarity as that of the charged water particles by the adherence of the latter, the charged water particles are repelled by thehoneycomb filter 6 and are supplied into the air flow path 2 without adhering to thehoneycomb filter 6. Meanwhile, the ozone is not electrically charged, so that it continues to be adsorbed to thehoneycomb filter 6 containing active carbon. - This helps reduce the quantity of the ozone discharged from the outlet 1, which makes sure that the odor of ozone is not caught even near the outlet 1 within the
indoor area 11. - Alternatively, the
honeycomb filter 6 may be charged with the same polarity as that of the charged water particles generated in theelectrostatic atomizer 3 by applying a voltage to thehoneycomb filter 6 during the operation of theelectrostatic atomizer 3 as shown inFIG. 1 . By doing so, it is possible to prevent the charged water particles from adhering to and being adsorbed by thehoneycomb filter 6 at the initial stage of operation of theelectrostatic atomizer 3. Only the non-charged ozone is adsorbed by thehoneycomb filter 6. This makes it possible to supply the charged water particles into the air flow path 2 with no loss even at the initial stage of operation of theelectrostatic atomizer 3. - While the air conditioning device 5 a for a vehicle such as a car or the like has been illustrated described as an example of the blowing device 5 in the foregoing embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the blowing device 5 may be an air conditioning device arranged within the room of a building or a blower having only a blowing function with no use of the heat exchanger 9.
- While the invention has been shown and described with respect to the embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
Claims (2)
1. A blowing device, comprising:
an air flow path with an outlet from which to inject an air stream;
an electrostatic atomizer, arranged outside the air flow path, for generating charged water particles by electrostatic atomization, the charged water particles generated in the electrostatic atomizer being supplied into the air flow path through a communication path; and
a honeycomb filter arranged within the communication path, the honeycomb filter containing active carbon.
2. The blowing device of claim 1 , wherein the honeycomb filter is charged with the same polarity as the polarity of the charged water particles by applying a voltage to the honeycomb filter.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2009-225399 | 2009-09-29 | ||
JP2009225399A JP2011075164A (en) | 2009-09-29 | 2009-09-29 | Blowing device including electrostatic atomizer |
Publications (1)
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US20110073685A1 true US20110073685A1 (en) | 2011-03-31 |
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ID=43103758
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US12/892,293 Abandoned US20110073685A1 (en) | 2009-09-29 | 2010-09-28 | Blowing device including an electrostatic atomizer |
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US (1) | US20110073685A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2301780A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2011075164A (en) |
CN (1) | CN102032618B (en) |
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JP2014040977A (en) * | 2012-08-23 | 2014-03-06 | Toshiba Corp | Air conditioner |
KR101353069B1 (en) * | 2013-07-19 | 2014-01-21 | (주) 조흥전력공사 | Agricultural chemicals scattering apparatus in use of the centrifugal separating humidifier |
FR3037535B1 (en) * | 2015-06-19 | 2017-06-16 | Valeo Systemes Thermiques | AIR-REFRIGERATING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLE AND ASSOCIATED NEBULIZATION HEAD |
CN107894028B (en) * | 2017-11-14 | 2020-03-13 | 青岛海信日立空调***有限公司 | Air conditioner, control method thereof and multi-split air conditioning system |
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CN102079230B (en) * | 2006-08-09 | 2013-01-30 | 松下电器产业株式会社 | On-vehicle ion generation system |
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- 2009-09-29 JP JP2009225399A patent/JP2011075164A/en not_active Withdrawn
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2010
- 2010-09-28 EP EP10011302A patent/EP2301780A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2010-09-28 CN CN2010102980256A patent/CN102032618B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2010-09-28 US US12/892,293 patent/US20110073685A1/en not_active Abandoned
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US3331192A (en) * | 1963-10-14 | 1967-07-18 | Floyd V Peterson | Electrical precipitator apparatus of the liquid spray type |
US3988131A (en) * | 1975-07-09 | 1976-10-26 | Alpha Denshi Kabushiki Kaisha | Electronic air cleaner |
US4665707A (en) * | 1985-08-26 | 1987-05-19 | Hamilton A C | Protection system for electronic apparatus |
US5645769A (en) * | 1994-06-17 | 1997-07-08 | Nippondenso Co., Ltd. | Humidified cool wind system for vehicles |
US6149826A (en) * | 1996-10-27 | 2000-11-21 | Snaden Corporation | Water purification system and method for efficiently and reliably removing various pollutants different in size |
US6260773B1 (en) * | 1997-03-20 | 2001-07-17 | Bola Kamath | Air-atomizing oil and/or gas burner utilizing a low pressure fan and nozzle |
US6227382B1 (en) * | 1997-12-19 | 2001-05-08 | Corning Incorporated | Water filtration apparatus |
US20030111426A1 (en) * | 2001-12-13 | 2003-06-19 | Jablonsky Julius James | Filtration apparatus and process |
US20050058582A1 (en) * | 2003-09-12 | 2005-03-17 | Valeo Climatisation S.A. | Motor vehicle heating/air-conditioning installation |
US20100133366A1 (en) * | 2005-12-16 | 2010-06-03 | Takeshi Yano | Air conditioning system with electrostatically atomizing function |
US20090321544A1 (en) * | 2006-08-04 | 2009-12-31 | Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd. | Electrostatic atomizing apparatus for use in vehicle |
Cited By (1)
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US11597259B2 (en) | 2016-02-22 | 2023-03-07 | Jaguar Land Rover Limited | Ionized air delivery system |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN102032618B (en) | 2013-04-10 |
CN102032618A (en) | 2011-04-27 |
JP2011075164A (en) | 2011-04-14 |
EP2301780A1 (en) | 2011-03-30 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: PANASONIC ELECTRIC WORKS CO., LTD., JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:YANO, TAKESHI;SUGAWA, AKIHIDE;REEL/FRAME:025054/0274 Effective date: 20100819 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: PANASONIC CORPORATION, JAPAN Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:PANASONIC ELECTRIC WORKS CO.,LTD.,;REEL/FRAME:027697/0525 Effective date: 20120101 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |