WO2004105820A1 - Indoor atmosphere purifier using ion cluster - Google Patents

Indoor atmosphere purifier using ion cluster Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2004105820A1
WO2004105820A1 PCT/KR2003/001912 KR0301912W WO2004105820A1 WO 2004105820 A1 WO2004105820 A1 WO 2004105820A1 KR 0301912 W KR0301912 W KR 0301912W WO 2004105820 A1 WO2004105820 A1 WO 2004105820A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
high voltage
electrode
discharge tube
air
control unit
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/KR2003/001912
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Chul Ahn
Jong-Sung Kim
Original Assignee
Sudo Premium Engineering Co., Ltd.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sudo Premium Engineering Co., Ltd. filed Critical Sudo Premium Engineering Co., Ltd.
Priority to AU2003263631A priority Critical patent/AU2003263631A1/en
Publication of WO2004105820A1 publication Critical patent/WO2004105820A1/en

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
    • A61L9/00—Disinfection, sterilisation or deodorisation of air
    • A61L9/16—Disinfection, sterilisation or deodorisation of air using physical phenomena
    • A61L9/22—Ionisation
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F8/00—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying
    • F24F8/10—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by separation, e.g. by filtering
    • F24F8/192—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by separation, e.g. by filtering by electrical means, e.g. by applying electrostatic fields or high voltages
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F8/00—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying
    • F24F8/30—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by ionisation
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
    • A61L2209/00—Aspects relating to disinfection, sterilisation or deodorisation of air
    • A61L2209/10—Apparatus features
    • A61L2209/11—Apparatus for controlling air treatment
    • A61L2209/111—Sensor means, e.g. motion, brightness, scent, contaminant sensors
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
    • A61L2209/00—Aspects relating to disinfection, sterilisation or deodorisation of air
    • A61L2209/10—Apparatus features
    • A61L2209/13—Dispensing or storing means for active compounds
    • A61L2209/134—Distributing means, e.g. baffles, valves, manifolds, nozzles
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A50/00—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE in human health protection, e.g. against extreme weather
    • Y02A50/20—Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Definitions

  • the present invention relates, in general, to an indoor air purifier for sterilization and deodorization, which removes contaminants from the air and prevents decay of the contaminants in the air and, more particularly, to an indoor air purifier using ion clusters, in which an amount of hazardous ozone generated is reduced because of a high voltage electrode and an earth electrode stuck to a dielectric installed in a discharge tube, and an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are removed using harmless ion clusters to sufficiently sterilize the air.
  • VOC volatile organic compounds
  • An indoor air purifier functions to deodorize an unpleasant odor of, say, smoke or sweat, remove dust from the air, and kill viruses, fungi, and ticks to provide cleaned air.
  • ultraviolet rays and ozone are generated in the indoor air purifier, and many OH radicals are produced while ozone is decomposed of itself or photo-decomposed by ultraviolet energy. The OH radicals thus produced are oxidized to sterilize, deodorize, and purify the air.
  • a high voltage current is applied to a high voltage electrode 1 installed in a dielectric and an external earth electrode 2 separated from an outer surface of the dielectric at a regular interval to cause a silent discharge to generate ozone.
  • the plasma discharge tube has a structure composed of a coaxial double cylinders, and an alternating current with a medium frequency of 1 KHz and a high voltage of 6,000 to 18,000 V is applied from a high voltage alternating current source 4 to the high voltage electrode 1 and earth electrode 2. Furthermore, a mixed gas including very pure oxygen, nitrogen, argon, helium, and carbon dioxide is used as a raw gas in a discharge space 5 formed between the earth electrode 2 and the dielectric 3 to effectively cause a discharge.
  • the conventional plasma discharge tube is disadvantageous in that because the alternating current applied to the high voltage electrode 1 has the high voltage and medium frequency and a relatively large space is formed between the dielectric 3 and earth electrode 2, a great amount of ozone is generated, thus it is hazardous to humans to continuously operate the conventional plasma discharge tube.
  • an ozone content in the atmospheric air is restricted to 0.06 ppm or lower, and the ozone content in a workroom is restricted to 0.1 ppm or lower (eight hours per day). Additionally, in Korea, the ozone content in the workroom is restricted to 0.1 ppm or lower (eight hours per day).
  • Another disadvantage of the conventional plasma discharge tube is that it is difficult to produce the conventional plasma discharge tube because the mixed gas including very pure oxygen, nitrogen, argon, helium, and carbon dioxide must be used as the raw material and the separate discharge space 5 must be secured between the dielectric 3 and the earth electrode 2.
  • an aspect of the present invention is to provide an indoor air purifier using ion clusters, in which an amount of hazardous ozone generated is reduced because of a high voltage electrode and an earth electrode stuck to a dielectric installed in a discharge tube, and an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are removed using harmless ion clusters to sufficiently sterilize air.
  • VOC volatile organic compounds
  • an indoor air purifier using ion clusters including a control unit to operate a fan when a switch is on and to compare information of a contamination state of air obtained from an air quality sensor with a database previously stored therein to send signals of a voltage and a discharging time corresponding to the quality of the air to a high voltage generator.
  • the air quality sensor receives a signal from the control unit to monitor the contamination state of the. air and transmits information for the contamination state of the air to the control unit.
  • the high voltage generator receives a signal from the control unit to generate the voltage corresponding to the signal, and applies the voltage to a discharge tube for a predetermined term.
  • the discharge tube is provided with a high voltage electrode with a predetermined shape receiving the voltage generated by the high voltage generator, an earth electrode surrounding the high voltage electrode while being separated from the high voltage electrode at a regular interval, a dielectric with a shape of a tube thinly processed so as to reduce the voltage between the high voltage electrode and the earth electrode and has a polarization charge on a surface thereof stuck to the high voltage electrode and the earth electrode as strong as possible, and an insulating cap to seal the dielectric to completely insulate the high voltage electrode from the earth electrode.
  • the discharge tube generates the ion clusters.
  • the indoor air purifier also includes a fan operated by the control unit to feed the ion clusters from the discharge tube into a room.
  • FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a discharge tube of a conventional ozone generator
  • FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an indoor air purifier according to the present invention
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a discharge tube of the indoor air purifier according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the discharge tube of the indoor air purifier according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an indoor air purifier according to the present invention
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a discharge tube of the indoor air purifier according to the present invention
  • FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the discharge tube of the indoor air purifier according to the present invention.
  • the indoor air purifier using ion clusters includes a control unit to operate a fan when a switch is on and to compare information of a contamination state of air obtained from an air quality sensor with a database previously stored therein to send signals of a voltage and a discharging time corresponding to the quality of the air to a high voltage generator.
  • the air quality sensor receives a signal from the control unit to monitor the contamination state of the air and transmits information for the contamination state of the air to the control unit.
  • the high voltage generator receives a signal from the control unit to generate the voltage corresponding to the signal, and applies the voltage to a discharge tube for a predetermined term.
  • the discharge tube is provided with a high voltage electrode with a predetermined shape receiving the voltage generated by the high voltage generator, an earth electrode surrounding the high voltage electrode while being separated from the high voltage electrode at a regular interval, a dielectric with a shape of a tube thinly processed so as to reduce the voltage between the high voltage electrode and the earth electrode and has a polarization charge on a surface thereof stuck to the high voltage electrode and the earth electrode as strong as possible, and an insulating cap to seal the dielectric to completely insulate the high voltage electrode from the earth electrode.
  • the discharge tube generates the ion clusters.
  • the indoor air purifier also includes a fan operated by the control unit to feed the ion clusters from the discharge tube into a room.
  • the control unit 20 is connected to the switch 10 to receive an on/off signal from the switch 10, and is connected to the air quality sensor 30 to secure information regarding a contamination state of the air.
  • control unit 20 contains a database to analyze the information secured from the air quality sensor 30 to send signals of a desired level of voltage and a desired discharging time to the high voltage generator 50, and is connected to the high voltage generator 50 to send an output signal to the high voltage generator 50.
  • control unit 20 is connected to the fan 40 which is operated by receiving a signal from the control unit 20 when the switch 10 is on and feeds the ion clusters from the discharge tube 60 into a room.
  • the air quality sensor 30 is connected to the control unit 20 to receive a signal from the control unit 20 when the switch 10 is on to monitor the contamination state of the air and transmit the information for the contamination state of the air to the control unit 20.
  • the high voltage generator 50 is connected to the control unit 20 to receive a signal from the control unit 20 to generate the voltage corresponding to the signal, and is connected to the discharge tube 60 to apply the voltage thus generated to the discharge tube 60 for a predetermined term.
  • the discharge tube 60 includes the high voltage electrode 61 with a predetermined shape connected to the high voltage generator 50 to apply the voltage generated by the high voltage generator 50 thereto for a predetermined term, the earth electrode 62 surrounding the high voltage electrode 61 while it is separated from the high voltage electrode 61 at a regular interval, the dielectric 63 with a shape of a tube thinly processed so as to reduce the voltage between the high voltage electrode 61 and the earth electrode 62 and has a polarization charge on a surface thereof stuck to the high voltage electrode 61 and the earth electrode 62 as strong as possible, and an insulating cap 65 to seal the dielectric 63 to completely insulate the high voltage electrode 61 from the earth electrode 62.
  • the high voltage electrode 61 and earth electrode 62 are stuck to the dielectric 63 as strong as possible to reduce an amount of ozone generated to reduce the voltage.
  • the high voltage electrode 61 is produced by coating silver or nickel with low electric resistance and excellent durability on an inner surface of the dielectric 63, and the earth electrode 62 includes a stainless steel net, thereby an amount of ion generated is greatly increased.
  • the dielectric 63 is stuck to the high voltage electrode 61 and earth electrode 62 as strong as possible and is processed as thin as possible to reduce the voltage to reduce an amount of ozone generated.
  • the insulation cap 65 seals the dielectric 63 to completely insulate the high voltage electrode 61 from earth electrode 62.
  • the fan 40 is connected to the control unit 20 to receive the signal from the control unit 20 when the switch is on and then be operated in accordance with the signal.
  • the control unit 20 operates the fan 40 to i prepare to feed the ion clusters which are to be generated by the discharge tube 60 into the rooms and secures the information for the contamination state of the air using the air quality sensor 30.
  • control unit 20 functions to compare the information obtained from the air quality sensor 30 with the database previously stored therein to send signals of a desired intensity of voltage and a desired discharging time to the high voltage generator 50.
  • the high voltage generator 50 applies the voltage corresponding to the signals sent from the control unit 20 to the discharge tube 60 for a desired time.
  • the high voltage generator 50 applies a commercial frequency, that is, a low frequency of 60 Hz or lower, and a high voltage of 5000 V or lower into the discharge tube 60 to minimize an amount of ozone.
  • the discharge tube 60 receives a current with the low frequency and high voltage from the high voltage generator 50 through the high voltage electrode 61 with a hollow cylinder shape connected to the high voltage generator 50 for a predetermined time, and is earthed through the earth electrode 62 surrounding the high voltage electrode 61 and separated from the high voltage electrode 61 at a regular interval to generate the ion clusters due to a silent electric discharge.
  • the oxygen anions react with water in the air to produce per-hydroxyl groups and hydroxyl groups capable of easily oxidizing organic molecules.
  • oxygen anions directly react with the ozone as a byproduct to produce the hydroxyl groups.
  • oxygen anions and cations, per-hydroxyl groups, and hydroxyl groups as described above have strong affinity, thus they are agglomerated with each other to produce the ion clusters.
  • the above reactions are conducted using the oxygen anions generated by the discharge due to the high voltage alternating current to produce the ion clusters (consisting of the oxygen anions, oxygen cations, per-hydroxyl groups, and hydroxyl groups).
  • the ion clusters have a strong oxidizing power, the ion clusters react with gaseous volatile organic compounds and offensive odors from materials to oxidize the volatile organic compounds and offensive odor materials according to the following reaction equation:
  • the ion clusters are attached to particulate matters or surround the particulate matters to oxidize the particulate matters to remove the them, thereby purifying the air.
  • the dielectric 63 is positioned between the high voltage electrode 61 and earth electrode 62 and stuck to the high voltage electrode
  • the insulating cap 65 then seals the dielectric 63 with a shape of a tube to completely insulate the high voltage electrode 61 from the earth electrode 62.
  • the fan 40 feeds the ion clusters from the discharge tube 60 into the rooms. After the ion clusters generated in the discharge tube 60 are fed by the fan 40 into the rooms, they are mixed with contaminated air in the rooms to oxidize and remove an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds (VOC) and to kill bacteria and viruses.
  • VOC volatile organic compounds
  • the present invention provides an indoor air purifier using ion clusters, in which an amount of hazardous ozone generated is reduced because of a high voltage electrode and an earth electrode stuck to a dielectric installed in a discharge tube, and an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are removed using the harmless ion clusters to sufficiently sterilize air.
  • VOC volatile organic compounds
  • the present invention provides an indoor air purifier using ion clusters, in which an amount of hazardous ozone generated is reduced because of a high voltage electrode and an earth electrode stuck to a dielectric installed in a discharge tube, and an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are removed using the harmless ion clusters to sufficiently sterilize air.
  • the indoor air purifier is easily produced because it is not necessary to secure the separate discharge space due to the lack of use of the mixed gas.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Epidemiology (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
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Abstract

Disclosed is an indoor air purifier using ion clusters, in which an amount of hazardous ozone generated is reduced because of a high voltage electrode and an earth electrode stuck to a dielectric installed in a discharge tube, and an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds are removed using the harmless ion clusters to sufficiently sterilize air. The indoor air purifier includes a control unit (20) to compare information of a contamination state of air obtained from an air quality sensor (30) with a database previously stored therein to send signals of a desired voltage and discharging time to a high voltage generator (50). The indoor air purifier also includes the air quality sensor (30), the high voltage generator (50), the discharge tube (60), and a fan (40). At this time, the discharge tube is provided with a high voltage electrode, an earth electrode, a dielectric, and an insulating cap.

Description

INDOOR ATMOSPHERE PURIFIER T JSTNG ION CLUSTER
Technical Field
The present invention relates, in general, to an indoor air purifier for sterilization and deodorization, which removes contaminants from the air and prevents decay of the contaminants in the air and, more particularly, to an indoor air purifier using ion clusters, in which an amount of hazardous ozone generated is reduced because of a high voltage electrode and an earth electrode stuck to a dielectric installed in a discharge tube, and an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are removed using harmless ion clusters to sufficiently sterilize the air.
Background Art
An indoor air purifier functions to deodorize an unpleasant odor of, say, smoke or sweat, remove dust from the air, and kill viruses, fungi, and ticks to provide cleaned air. In this regard, ultraviolet rays and ozone are generated in the indoor air purifier, and many OH radicals are produced while ozone is decomposed of itself or photo-decomposed by ultraviolet energy. The OH radicals thus produced are oxidized to sterilize, deodorize, and purify the air.
With reference to FIG. 1, in an indoor air purifier using a conventional plasma discharge tube, a high voltage current is applied to a high voltage electrode 1 installed in a dielectric and an external earth electrode 2 separated from an outer surface of the dielectric at a regular interval to cause a silent discharge to generate ozone.
The plasma discharge tube has a structure composed of a coaxial double cylinders, and an alternating current with a medium frequency of 1 KHz and a high voltage of 6,000 to 18,000 V is applied from a high voltage alternating current source 4 to the high voltage electrode 1 and earth electrode 2. Furthermore, a mixed gas including very pure oxygen, nitrogen, argon, helium, and carbon dioxide is used as a raw gas in a discharge space 5 formed between the earth electrode 2 and the dielectric 3 to effectively cause a discharge.
However, the conventional plasma discharge tube is disadvantageous in that because the alternating current applied to the high voltage electrode 1 has the high voltage and medium frequency and a relatively large space is formed between the dielectric 3 and earth electrode 2, a great amount of ozone is generated, thus it is hazardous to humans to continuously operate the conventional plasma discharge tube. In Japan, an ozone content in the atmospheric air is restricted to 0.06 ppm or lower, and the ozone content in a workroom is restricted to 0.1 ppm or lower (eight hours per day). Additionally, in Korea, the ozone content in the workroom is restricted to 0.1 ppm or lower (eight hours per day).
Another disadvantage of the conventional plasma discharge tube is that it is difficult to produce the conventional plasma discharge tube because the mixed gas including very pure oxygen, nitrogen, argon, helium, and carbon dioxide must be used as the raw material and the separate discharge space 5 must be secured between the dielectric 3 and the earth electrode 2.
Therefore, there is a need to develop an indoor air purifier which generates a relatively small amount of hazardous ozone, does not negatively affect humans, removes an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds (VOC), and secures a sterilizing effect. At this time, the indoor air purifier is easily produced because it is not necessary to secure the separate discharge space due to no use of the mixed gas.
Disclosure of the Invention
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an aspect of the present invention is to provide an indoor air purifier using ion clusters, in which an amount of hazardous ozone generated is reduced because of a high voltage electrode and an earth electrode stuck to a dielectric installed in a discharge tube, and an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are removed using harmless ion clusters to sufficiently sterilize air. At this time, the indoor air purifier is easily produced because it is not necessary to secure the separate discharge space due to no use of the mixed gas.
Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the mvention. The above and/or other aspects are achieved by providing an indoor air purifier using ion clusters, including a control unit to operate a fan when a switch is on and to compare information of a contamination state of air obtained from an air quality sensor with a database previously stored therein to send signals of a voltage and a discharging time corresponding to the quality of the air to a high voltage generator. The air quality sensor receives a signal from the control unit to monitor the contamination state of the. air and transmits information for the contamination state of the air to the control unit. Additionally, the high voltage generator receives a signal from the control unit to generate the voltage corresponding to the signal, and applies the voltage to a discharge tube for a predetermined term. Further, the discharge tube is provided with a high voltage electrode with a predetermined shape receiving the voltage generated by the high voltage generator, an earth electrode surrounding the high voltage electrode while being separated from the high voltage electrode at a regular interval, a dielectric with a shape of a tube thinly processed so as to reduce the voltage between the high voltage electrode and the earth electrode and has a polarization charge on a surface thereof stuck to the high voltage electrode and the earth electrode as strong as possible, and an insulating cap to seal the dielectric to completely insulate the high voltage electrode from the earth electrode. At this time, the discharge tube generates the ion clusters. The indoor air purifier also includes a fan operated by the control unit to feed the ion clusters from the discharge tube into a room.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The above and other aspects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a discharge tube of a conventional ozone generator;
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an indoor air purifier according to the present invention; FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a discharge tube of the indoor air purifier according to the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the discharge tube of the indoor air purifier according to the present invention.
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
Reference should now be made to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used throughout the different drawings to designate the same or similar components.
As shown in the drawings, FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an indoor air purifier according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a discharge tube of the indoor air purifier according to the present invention, and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the discharge tube of the indoor air purifier according to the present invention.
According to the present invention, the indoor air purifier using ion clusters, includes a control unit to operate a fan when a switch is on and to compare information of a contamination state of air obtained from an air quality sensor with a database previously stored therein to send signals of a voltage and a discharging time corresponding to the quality of the air to a high voltage generator. The air quality sensor receives a signal from the control unit to monitor the contamination state of the air and transmits information for the contamination state of the air to the control unit. Additionally, the high voltage generator receives a signal from the control unit to generate the voltage corresponding to the signal, and applies the voltage to a discharge tube for a predetermined term. Further, the discharge tube is provided with a high voltage electrode with a predetermined shape receiving the voltage generated by the high voltage generator, an earth electrode surrounding the high voltage electrode while being separated from the high voltage electrode at a regular interval, a dielectric with a shape of a tube thinly processed so as to reduce the voltage between the high voltage electrode and the earth electrode and has a polarization charge on a surface thereof stuck to the high voltage electrode and the earth electrode as strong as possible, and an insulating cap to seal the dielectric to completely insulate the high voltage electrode from the earth electrode. At this time, the discharge tube generates the ion clusters. The indoor air purifier also includes a fan operated by the control unit to feed the ion clusters from the discharge tube into a room.
The control unit 20 is connected to the switch 10 to receive an on/off signal from the switch 10, and is connected to the air quality sensor 30 to secure information regarding a contamination state of the air.
Additionally, the control unit 20 contains a database to analyze the information secured from the air quality sensor 30 to send signals of a desired level of voltage and a desired discharging time to the high voltage generator 50, and is connected to the high voltage generator 50 to send an output signal to the high voltage generator 50.
Further, the control unit 20 is connected to the fan 40 which is operated by receiving a signal from the control unit 20 when the switch 10 is on and feeds the ion clusters from the discharge tube 60 into a room. The air quality sensor 30 is connected to the control unit 20 to receive a signal from the control unit 20 when the switch 10 is on to monitor the contamination state of the air and transmit the information for the contamination state of the air to the control unit 20.
The high voltage generator 50 is connected to the control unit 20 to receive a signal from the control unit 20 to generate the voltage corresponding to the signal, and is connected to the discharge tube 60 to apply the voltage thus generated to the discharge tube 60 for a predetermined term.
The discharge tube 60 includes the high voltage electrode 61 with a predetermined shape connected to the high voltage generator 50 to apply the voltage generated by the high voltage generator 50 thereto for a predetermined term, the earth electrode 62 surrounding the high voltage electrode 61 while it is separated from the high voltage electrode 61 at a regular interval, the dielectric 63 with a shape of a tube thinly processed so as to reduce the voltage between the high voltage electrode 61 and the earth electrode 62 and has a polarization charge on a surface thereof stuck to the high voltage electrode 61 and the earth electrode 62 as strong as possible, and an insulating cap 65 to seal the dielectric 63 to completely insulate the high voltage electrode 61 from the earth electrode 62.
The high voltage electrode 61 and earth electrode 62 are stuck to the dielectric 63 as strong as possible to reduce an amount of ozone generated to reduce the voltage.
Further, the high voltage electrode 61 is produced by coating silver or nickel with low electric resistance and excellent durability on an inner surface of the dielectric 63, and the earth electrode 62 includes a stainless steel net, thereby an amount of ion generated is greatly increased. The dielectric 63 is stuck to the high voltage electrode 61 and earth electrode 62 as strong as possible and is processed as thin as possible to reduce the voltage to reduce an amount of ozone generated.
The insulation cap 65 seals the dielectric 63 to completely insulate the high voltage electrode 61 from earth electrode 62. The fan 40 is connected to the control unit 20 to receive the signal from the control unit 20 when the switch is on and then be operated in accordance with the signal.
A detailed description will be given of the operation of the indoor air purifier using the ion clusters, below. When the switch 10 is on, the control unit 20 operates the fan 40 to i prepare to feed the ion clusters which are to be generated by the discharge tube 60 into the rooms and secures the information for the contamination state of the air using the air quality sensor 30.
As described above, the control unit 20 functions to compare the information obtained from the air quality sensor 30 with the database previously stored therein to send signals of a desired intensity of voltage and a desired discharging time to the high voltage generator 50.
The high voltage generator 50 applies the voltage corresponding to the signals sent from the control unit 20 to the discharge tube 60 for a desired time. In this regard, the high voltage generator 50 applies a commercial frequency, that is, a low frequency of 60 Hz or lower, and a high voltage of 5000 V or lower into the discharge tube 60 to minimize an amount of ozone.
The discharge tube 60 receives a current with the low frequency and high voltage from the high voltage generator 50 through the high voltage electrode 61 with a hollow cylinder shape connected to the high voltage generator 50 for a predetermined time, and is earthed through the earth electrode 62 surrounding the high voltage electrode 61 and separated from the high voltage electrode 61 at a regular interval to generate the ion clusters due to a silent electric discharge.
Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of a mechanism of generating the ion clusters. When a high voltage alternating current is applied to the high voltage electrode 61 installed in the discharge tube 60, a strong electric field is formed on a surface of the dielectric 63 and a partial discharge occurs, thereby electrons are separated from oxygen molecules or the electrons are combined with the oxygen molecules to produce oxygen molecule cations or anions. O2 + e" → 02 ~ O2 → O2 + + e
The oxygen anions react with water in the air to produce per-hydroxyl groups and hydroxyl groups capable of easily oxidizing organic molecules.
2 O2 ' + 2H2O → O2 + HO2 " + OH¬
Furthermore, the oxygen anions directly react with the ozone as a byproduct to produce the hydroxyl groups.
2 O2 " + O3 + H2O → 2O2 + OH" + OH
The oxygen anions and cations, per-hydroxyl groups, and hydroxyl groups as described above have strong affinity, thus they are agglomerated with each other to produce the ion clusters.
The above reactions are conducted using the oxygen anions generated by the discharge due to the high voltage alternating current to produce the ion clusters (consisting of the oxygen anions, oxygen cations, per-hydroxyl groups, and hydroxyl groups). At this time, because the ion clusters have a strong oxidizing power, the ion clusters react with gaseous volatile organic compounds and offensive odors from materials to oxidize the volatile organic compounds and offensive odor materials according to the following reaction equation:
CxHy + (x+y/4) O2 → xCO2 + (y/2) H2O
Additionally, the ion clusters are attached to particulate matters or surround the particulate matters to oxidize the particulate matters to remove the them, thereby purifying the air. As described above, the dielectric 63 is positioned between the high voltage electrode 61 and earth electrode 62 and stuck to the high voltage electrode
61 and earth electrode 62 as strong as possible, and is processed as thin as possible to reduce the voltage to 5000 V or lower to reduce an amount of ozone generated. The lower the voltage is, the smaller the amount of ozone is.
The insulating cap 65 then seals the dielectric 63 with a shape of a tube to completely insulate the high voltage electrode 61 from the earth electrode 62.
Finally, the fan 40 feeds the ion clusters from the discharge tube 60 into the rooms. After the ion clusters generated in the discharge tube 60 are fed by the fan 40 into the rooms, they are mixed with contaminated air in the rooms to oxidize and remove an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds (VOC) and to kill bacteria and viruses.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an indoor air purifier using ion clusters, in which an amount of hazardous ozone generated is reduced because of a high voltage electrode and an earth electrode stuck to a dielectric installed in a discharge tube, and an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are removed using the harmless ion clusters to sufficiently sterilize air.
Industrial Applicability
As described above, the present invention provides an indoor air purifier using ion clusters, in which an amount of hazardous ozone generated is reduced because of a high voltage electrode and an earth electrode stuck to a dielectric installed in a discharge tube, and an offensive odor and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are removed using the harmless ion clusters to sufficiently sterilize air. At this time, the indoor air purifier is easily produced because it is not necessary to secure the separate discharge space due to the lack of use of the mixed gas.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

Claims
1. An indoor air purifier using ion clusters, comprising: a control unit to operate a fan when a switch is on and to compare information of a contamination state of air obtained from an air quality sensor with a database previously stored therein to send signals of a voltage and a discharging time corresponding to quality of the air to a high voltage generator; the air quality sensor to receive a signal from the control unit to monitor the contamination state of the air and transmit information for the contamination state of the air to the control unit; the high voltage generator to receive a signal from the control unit to generate the voltage corresponding to the signal, and to apply the voltage to a discharge tube for a predetermined term; the discharge tube to generate the ion clusters, the discharge tube comprising a high voltage electrode with a predetermined shape to receive the voltage generated by the high voltage generator, an earth electrode to surround the high voltage electrode while being spaced apart from the high voltage electrode at a regular interval, a dielectric with a shape of a tube thinly processed so as to reduce the voltage between the high voltage electrode and the earth electrode and has a polarization charge on a surface thereof stuck to the high voltage electrode and the earth electrode as strong as possible, and an insulating cap to seal the dielectric to completely insulate the high voltage electrode from the earth electrode; and a fan operated by the control unit to feed the ion clusters from the discharge tube into a room.
PCT/KR2003/001912 2003-05-28 2003-09-18 Indoor atmosphere purifier using ion cluster WO2004105820A1 (en)

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WO2013112318A1 (en) * 2012-01-26 2013-08-01 Ip Llc Techniques for infusing ion clusters into a target environment
WO2016023964A1 (en) * 2014-08-12 2016-02-18 Novaerus Patents Limited Flexible electrode assembly for plasma generation and air treatment system including the flexible electrode assembly
CN105485835A (en) * 2015-12-07 2016-04-13 珠海格力电器股份有限公司 Air purifier and control method thereof
CN106874511A (en) * 2017-03-06 2017-06-20 云南电网有限责任公司电力科学研究院 A kind of database for corroding quantity of electric charge forecasting system based on insulator metal accessory
JP2020122649A (en) * 2014-05-30 2020-08-13 ノヴァーラス パテンツ リミテッド Air treatment device having plasma coil electrostatic precipitator assembly
WO2023026031A1 (en) * 2021-08-23 2023-03-02 Equipmake Limited An air treatment device
US11821655B2 (en) 2014-08-12 2023-11-21 Novaerus Patents Limited Air treatment system, method and apparatus

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KR102129251B1 (en) * 2018-05-18 2020-07-03 주식회사 아이엠헬스케어 Battery driving type plasma ion generating apparatus

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WO2002017978A1 (en) * 2000-08-28 2002-03-07 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Air refining device and ion generator used for the device
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Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2013112318A1 (en) * 2012-01-26 2013-08-01 Ip Llc Techniques for infusing ion clusters into a target environment
JP2020122649A (en) * 2014-05-30 2020-08-13 ノヴァーラス パテンツ リミテッド Air treatment device having plasma coil electrostatic precipitator assembly
JP7012777B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2022-01-28 ノヴァーラス パテンツ リミテッド Air treatment device including plasma coil electrostatic precipitator assembly
WO2016023964A1 (en) * 2014-08-12 2016-02-18 Novaerus Patents Limited Flexible electrode assembly for plasma generation and air treatment system including the flexible electrode assembly
US10786593B2 (en) 2014-08-12 2020-09-29 Novaerus Patents Limited Flexible electrode assembly for plasma generation and air treatment system including the flexible electrode assembly
US11821655B2 (en) 2014-08-12 2023-11-21 Novaerus Patents Limited Air treatment system, method and apparatus
CN105485835A (en) * 2015-12-07 2016-04-13 珠海格力电器股份有限公司 Air purifier and control method thereof
CN106874511A (en) * 2017-03-06 2017-06-20 云南电网有限责任公司电力科学研究院 A kind of database for corroding quantity of electric charge forecasting system based on insulator metal accessory
CN106874511B (en) * 2017-03-06 2020-05-05 云南电网有限责任公司电力科学研究院 Database based on insulator metal accessory corrosion electric charge quantity prediction system
WO2023026031A1 (en) * 2021-08-23 2023-03-02 Equipmake Limited An air treatment device

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