Patent ID: 7983016
Filing Date: 2011-07-19
Classification: B05B

Abstract:
1. An electrostatically atomizing device comprising: an emitter electrode; an opposed electrode disposed in an opposed relation to said emitter electrode; cooling means configured to cool said emitter electrode in order to condense water on said emitter electrode from within a surrounding air; a high voltage source configured to apply a high voltage between said emitter electrode and said opposed electrode in order to electrostatically charge the condensed water for discharging charged minute water particles from a discharge end at a tip of said emitter electrode; and a controller configured to monitor a discharge current flowing between the emitter electrode and the opposed electrode in order to control said cooling means based upon a discharge condition, wherein said controller is configured to provide a target discharge current range of a width covering a predetermined target discharge current, said controller is configured to provide an initial control mode and a normal control mode, said initial control mode being provided to control said cooling means for cooling said emitter electrode at a predetermined cooling rate until the discharge current reaches into said target discharge current range, said normal control mode being provided to make, after said discharge current reaches into said target discharge current range, a feedback control of controlling the cooling means based upon the monitored discharge current in order to keep the monitored discharge current within said target discharge current range, and wherein in the initial control mode, said controller applies the high voltage to the emitter electrode while cooling the emitter electrode, thereby causing the water to condense on the emitter electrode.