JP2010187766A - Ion generating device and cosmetic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ion generating device capable of increasing the emission of ions to outside relative to the quantity of generated ions. <P>SOLUTION: A negative ion generating circuit 73 has a resistance 75 for setting the potential of an opposite electrode 64 paired with a needle electrode 63 for emitting ions at a prescribed potential higher than the ground potential. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention has a first electrode for ion emission and a second electrode on a low potential side, and generates an ion by generating discharge between both electrodes based on application of a high voltage to the first electrode. And a beauty device provided with the ion generator.

  This type of ion generator includes, for example, a needle electrode (first electrode) for ion emission and a counter electrode (second electrode) connected to the ground, as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, for example. And a corona discharge is generated between both electrodes based on application of a negative high voltage to the needle electrode, and negative ions are generated based on the discharge.

JP 2003-74926 A JP 2003-159305 A

  By the way, the generated negative ions are attracted to the counter electrode having a lower potential (ground potential) than the needle electrode, and are released to the outside through the counter electrode using the force. That is, the remainder of the negative ions that have not been attracted to the counter electrode is released to the outside.

  However, in the current apparatus, since many of the generated negative ions are attracted to the counter electrode, it is a problem that the amount of negative ions released to the outside is small for the amount of negative ions generated at the electrode part. ing. Therefore, in a beauty apparatus or the like that attempts to obtain the effect by attaching the generated negative ions to the target site of the human body, it is necessary to generate a large number of negative ions in order to obtain a sufficient effect.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ion generator capable of increasing the amount of ions released to the outside with respect to the amount of ions generated, and the ion generator. It is to provide a beauty device.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 has a first electrode for ion emission and a second electrode on a low potential side, and both electrodes based on application of a high voltage to the first electrode. A gist of the present invention is an ion generator for generating ions by generating a discharge between the second electrode and a potential setting means for setting the second electrode to a potential between the potential of the first electrode and the ground potential. And

  In the present invention, by providing the potential setting means, the second electrode provided in a pair with the first electrode for ion emission is set to a potential higher than the ground potential. Thereby, although the potential difference between the two electrodes becomes small, the amount of ions generated can be suppressed, but the amount of ions adhering from the first electrode to the second electrode to the second electrode can be reduced. Can be increased.

  The invention described in claim 2 is the ion generator according to claim 1, wherein the potential setting means is constituted by a resistor connected between the second electrode and the ground. And

In the present invention, the potential setting means for increasing the potential of the second electrode can be simply configured with a resistor connected between the second electrode and the ground, and can be realized with a simple circuit configuration.
The invention described in claim 3 is a cosmetic device including the ion generator according to claim 1 or 2.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a beauty apparatus capable of efficiently emitting ions with the ion generator provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the ion generator which can increase the discharge | release amount to the exterior with respect to the generation amount of ion, and the beauty apparatus provided with the ion generator can be provided.

It is a perspective view which shows the facial device in this embodiment. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the facial device in the front-back direction and was seen from the right side. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the same facial device in the left-right direction and was seen from the back side. It is an expanded sectional view of the negative ion generation part part of the same facial device. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the function of the same facial device. It is a circuit diagram which shows the negative ion production | generation circuit of the same facial device, (a) is a circuit diagram which shows the structure in this embodiment, (b) is a circuit diagram which shows another structure. (A)-(c) is a measurement figure for demonstrating the effect in the negative ion of the facial device.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a facial device 10 as a beauty device provided with the ion generator of this embodiment. A facial body 12 is housed and fixed in a substantially cylindrical main body case 11 with a bottom, and a nozzle part 13 and a switch part 14 are provided on the upper surface of the facial body 12 that is flush with the opening of the body case 11. is set up. The upper surface of the facial body 12 having the nozzle portion 13 and the switch portion 14 can be exposed and concealed by a main cover 15 attached to the body case 11 so as to be openable and closable (tiltable).

  The nozzle unit 13 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the facial body 12, and a pair of steam nozzles 21 and 22 that discharge steam (warm mist), a mist nozzle 23 that discharges cold mist, and ions that discharge negative ions. The nozzle 24 is provided, the mist nozzle 23 is disposed at the center in the left-right direction, the steam nozzles 21 and 22 are disposed on both the left and right sides, and the ion nozzle 24 is disposed above the mist nozzle 23. The discharge directions of the steam nozzles 21 and 22, the mist nozzle 23, and the ion nozzle 24 are set so as to face the same direction obliquely upward on the front side, and when used so as to face the front side of the facial device 10 and the user. The discharge direction is set toward the user's face. In addition, the nozzle part 13 becomes a structure which can be tilt-adjusted, and the discharge | emission angle of each nozzle 21-24 can be adjusted integrally. The nozzle cover 16 is also attached to the nozzle portion 13 so as to be openable and closable (can be tilted), and the nozzles 21 to 24 can be exposed and concealed by the opening and closing thereof.

  Further, on the right side before the nozzle unit 13, a power switch 25, an operation control switch 26, and a course selection switch 27 each formed by a push button switch are provided as the switch unit 14. The power switch 25 performs an on / off operation of the facial device 10, and the operation control switch 26 and the course selection switch 27 combine a steam and a cold mist to release the course toward the target object. The selection of various courses such as a course that emits only steam and the determination (start of operation) are performed.

  In addition, a tank accommodating portion 17 is provided on the left side of the nozzle portion 13 so as to be recessed from the upper surface of the facial body 12, and the tank accommodating portion 17 is flush with the opening. A water supply tank 18 is detachably accommodated. The water supply tank 18 can be supplied by the user after being removed from the facial device 10, and steam and cold mist are generated from the stored water.

As shown in FIG. 2, the facial body 12 includes a steam generation unit 31, a mist generation unit 32, and a negative ion generation unit 33.
The steam generation unit 31 is provided on the front side of the facial body 12 and generates steam (warm mist). The steam generation unit 31 is provided with PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heaters 35 and 36 that generate heat based on the supply of drive current and have a self-control function of the heat generation on the front side and the rear side, respectively. The water supplied into the boiler chamber 37 inside the PTC heaters 35 and 36 is boiled through the steam to generate steam. Incidentally, a part of the water supply pipe line 19 extending from the water supply tank 18 is disposed in contact with the outer surface of the front PTC heater 35, and is warmed before flowing into the boiler chamber 37. Steam is generated efficiently within the system. The water supply line 19 is connected to the drainage port 38a of the facial device 10 through the drainage line 38 (see FIG. 5), and the water stop valve on the drainage line 38 controlled by the operation of the drainage switch. In 39, it is possible to drain the facial device 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a steam guide pipe 41 for guiding the generated steam to the pair of steam nozzles 21 and 22 is connected to the upper portion of the boiler chamber 37. The steam guide pipe 41 has a branch portion 42 in the middle and is divided into two branches at equal distances from the branch portion 42 toward the steam nozzles 21 and 22, and the steam generated in the boiler chamber 37 is converted into the steam nozzles 21, Guide up to 22 each. Since the pressure in the boiler chamber 37 and the steam guide pipe 41 is high, steam is discharged from the discharge holes of the steam nozzles 21 and 22 with a certain degree of momentum.

  Further, a steam discharge portion 43 having a discharge electrode 43 a is provided at a position slightly before the branch portion 42 of the steam guide conduit 41. The steam discharge portion 43 is for further miniaturizing the steam passing through the discharge portion 43 by its own discharge. In addition, the steam discharge portion 43 uses a metal (for example, platinum) that has an antioxidative effect and is good for the skin, and generates metal fine particles by utilizing discharge, thereby miniaturizing the steam. And the inclusion of fine metal particles. The steam refined by the discharge unit 43 is rectified at the downstream side of the steam discharge unit 43 and immediately before the branch unit 42 so that the same amount branches from the branch unit 42 to the respective steam nozzles 21 and 22. A rectifying unit 44 is provided (see FIGS. 3 and 5).

  The mist generating unit 32 is provided on the rear side of the steam generating unit 31 and generates a cold mist using the venturi effect. The water in the water supply line 19 extending from the water supply tank 18 is used not only as the steam generation but also as a cold mist, and a water supply line for supplying a part of the water from the water supply line 19 to the mist nozzle 23. 51 is provided. A part of the water supply conduit 51 is arranged to meander in the plane direction of the heat radiating surface (vertical surface) 36a of the rear PTC heater 36 and abut against the heat radiating surface 36a. Sterilization of water for cold mist in the water supply pipe 51 is also performed by heating the PTC heater 36 on the side. Note that a filter 52 is mounted in the pipe at a position immediately before the mist nozzle 23 in the water supply pipe 51 to remove dust from passing water.

  Also, as the mist generating unit 32, a pneumatic feeding path 53 is provided in the facial body 12 and air is fed into the pneumatic feeding path 53 by the operation of a pump 54 using an electric motor as a drive source. Is called. This pumped air is supplied toward the discharge hole of the mist nozzle 23, and a venturi effect is produced by joining the water in the water supply pipe 51 before the discharge hole, and the water in the water supply pipe 51 is sucked out together with the pumped air. As a result, cold mist is generated and discharged.

  The negative ion production | generation part 33 is provided in the nozzle part 13 as shown in FIG.2 and FIG.4, generates a corona discharge, and produces | generates a negative ion. The ion generation unit 33 is configured such that a unitized negative ion discharge unit 61 is accommodated and held in an accommodation recess 24 a formed in the ion nozzle 24 of the nozzle unit 13. In the ion discharge portion 61, the needle electrode 63 is supported with respect to the electrode holder 62 having a predetermined shape so as to be accommodated and held in the accommodation recess 24a, and on the tip of the needle electrode 63, on the axis of the needle electrode 63. An annular counter electrode 64 is supported and configured so that the annular center is located. The needle electrode 63 and the counter electrode 64 are each connected to a control circuit board 71 in the vicinity of the upper surface of the facial body 12 through a lead wire 65 connected thereto and led out from the electrode holder 62.

  Incidentally, in this ion generation part 33 (ion discharge part 61), the space X2 around the needle electrode 63 is only opened to the outside, and the space X2 around the needle electrode 63 and the space X1 in the facial body 12 are partitioned. It has been. Here, when a member made of a silicon material (for example, a part of the water supply conduit 51) provided in the space X1 in the facial body 12 is heated by a heat source such as the PTC heaters 35 and 36, the space X1 enters the space X1. When silicon floats and the floating silicon rides on the heated air inside the facial body 12 and adheres to the needle electrode 63, an event occurs in which the corona discharge is hindered and the amount of negative ions generated is reduced. In addition, the dust in the facial body 12 is likely to adhere to the needle electrode 63 on the air. Therefore, by partitioning the space X2 around the needle electrode 63 and the space X1 inside the facial body 12, foreign matters such as floating silicon and dust generated in the facial body 12 can enter the space X2 around the needle electrode 63. This prevents the foreign matter from adhering to the needle electrode 63.

  The control circuit board 71 is supplied with power from the outside by a power cord 70 (see FIG. 1), and based on the control of the control circuit 72 composed of various circuit components mounted on the board 71, the steam generation unit 31, Operation power is supplied to each of the mist generation unit 32 and the ion generation unit 33. As shown in FIG. 5, the control circuit 72 switches between the operable state and the stopped state of the facial device 10 based on the on / off operation of the power switch 25, and the operation control switch 26 and the course selection switch in the operable state. Based on the setting of various use courses by 27 combination operations, the operation of the steam generating unit 31 (PTC heaters 35, 36, the steam discharge unit 43, etc.) and the mist generating unit 32 (pump 54, etc.) is controlled. In addition, the ion generation unit 33 (ion discharge unit 61) is operated together with the operations of the previous generation units 31 and 32.

  The control circuit board 71 is configured with a negative ion generation circuit 73 as shown in FIG. The ion generation circuit 73 includes an ion discharge power supply circuit 74 that generates a DC voltage boosted to the minus side, for example, to −5 [kV], and the boost voltage is applied to the needle electrode 63 of the ion discharge unit 61. Is done. On the other hand, the counter electrode 64 is connected to the ground (GND) via a resistor 75 of 2 [GΩ], for example, and becomes a potential of, for example, −3 [kV], which is an intermediate potential between the ground potential and the needle electrode 63. The potential is set by the resistor 75 as described above. As shown in FIG. 6B, the potential of the counter electrode 64 may be set using a potential setting circuit 76 that generates a voltage using a power supply instead of the resistor 75.

  When a high voltage is applied to the needle electrode 63 during negative ion generation, a corona discharge is generated around the tip of the needle electrode 63 due to a potential difference with the counter electrode 64, and negative ions are generated. The generated negative ions are attracted to the counter electrode 64 having a lower potential than the needle electrode 63, and the portion not attached to the counter electrode 64 is released to the outside of the ion nozzle 24.

  At this time, the potential difference between the needle electrode 63 and the counter electrode 64 is −2 [kV], and the potential difference is smaller than when the counter electrode 64 is set to the ground potential (potential difference −5 [kV]), and negative ions are generated. The quantity itself decreases. On the other hand, since the potential of the counter electrode 64 is made higher than the ground potential, the amount of adhesion to the counter electrode 64 is reduced and the amount of discharge to the outside is increased as compared with the case where the counter electrode 64 is set to the ground potential.

  Here, FIG. 7A shows the relationship between the resistance value of the resistor 75 and the charging current, and shows the result of measuring the amount of negative ions reaching the object as the charging current. Specifically, for example, an aluminum plate is used as an object, and the amount of negative ions reaching the object can be measured by charging current flowing through the aluminum plate due to adhesion of negative ions, and the object reaches the object as the charging current increases. This means that the amount of negative ions, that is, the amount of negative ions released is large.

  According to FIG. 7A, when the resistance value of the resistor 75 is 0 [GΩ], that is, when the counter electrode 64 is set to the ground potential as in the prior art, the charging current is small. When the resistance value is in the range of 0 [GΩ] to 1 [GΩ], the charging current increases as the resistance value increases, and the increase degree is large. In the range where the resistance value is larger than 1 [GΩ], the degree of increase in the charging current itself decreases as the resistance value increases, but the charging current increases substantially at least until the resistance value is 5 [GΩ]. That is, it has been found that when the resistance value of the resistor 75 is increased and the potential of the counter electrode 64 is made higher than the ground potential (in a range lower than the potential of the needle electrode 63), the amount of negative ions emitted increases.

  In addition, when the potential of the counter electrode 64 is increased as described above, the discharge current between the needle electrode 63 and the counter electrode 64 decreases as shown in FIG. In particular, the discharge current is greatly reduced by a resistance value of 1 [GΩ]. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the amount of ozone generated due to the discharge current also decreases, and the amount of ozone generated increases particularly when the resistance value slightly exceeds 0.5 [GΩ]. Decrease. Thus, it has been found that by increasing the potential of the counter electrode 64 so as to increase the amount of negative ions emitted, the generation of ozone that makes the user feel odor can be suppressed.

  Based on these results, in the ion generator 33 (ion discharge unit 61) provided in the facial device 10 of the present embodiment, the resistance value of the resistor 75 is set to 2 [GΩ] to increase the potential of the counter electrode 64. As a result, the amount of negative ions released is increased, and the amount of ozone generated by discharge is also reduced.

Next, characteristic effects of the present embodiment will be described.
(1) In the present embodiment, in the negative ion generation circuit 73, the counter electrode 64 provided in a pair with the ion emission needle electrode 63 is set to a potential higher than the ground potential (in a range lower than the potential of the needle electrode 63). A resistor 75 is provided. As a result, the potential difference between the electrodes 63 and 64 is reduced, so that the amount of ions generated can be suppressed. However, the amount of ions adhering from the needle electrode 63 toward the counter electrode 64 to the counter electrode 64 can be reduced. The amount of ion emission can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently release ions to the user's face surface or the like as the facial beauty device 10, and an improvement in beauty effect due to ion adhesion can be expected. Further, since the discharge current can be suppressed by increasing the potential of the counter electrode 64, generation of ozone that makes the user feel odor can also be suppressed.

  (2) In this embodiment, the potential setting means for increasing the potential of the counter electrode 64 can be simply configured by the resistor 75 connected between the counter electrode 64 and the ground. The circuit configuration can be realized with a simple circuit configuration.

In addition, you may change embodiment of this invention as follows.
-The structure of the beauty device 10 of the said embodiment may be changed suitably, and it is good also as a structure which produces | generates a positive ion in an ion generator (ion generation circuit 73).

  In the above embodiment, the ion generating device (ion generating circuit 73) mounted on the facial device 10 is applied, but hair / scalp care devices such as hair dryers, hair brushes, hair irons and the like mounted with the ion generating device and air You may apply to other beauty apparatuses, such as a cleaner.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Beauty device (beauty device), 63 ... Needle electrode (1st electrode), 64 ... Counter electrode (2nd electrode), 73 ... Negative ion production circuit (ion generator), 75 ... Resistance (potential setting means), 76: Potential setting circuit (potential setting means).

Claims (3)

An ion generator that includes a first electrode for ion emission and a second electrode on a low potential side, and generates ions by generating a discharge between both electrodes based on application of a high voltage to the first electrode. ,
An ion generator comprising: potential setting means for setting the second electrode to a potential between the potential of the first electrode and a ground potential. In the ion generator according to claim 1,
The ion generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the potential setting means includes a resistor connected between the second electrode and the ground.   A beauty apparatus comprising the ion generator according to claim 1.

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