Abstract:
An exemplary embodiment includes a method for controlling dust in an electronic device. The method for controlling dust with respect to a computer system, including generating ions proximate to a first region of an electronic device and receiving the ions proximate to a second region of the electronic device, wherein dust particles are captured in the second region.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Electronic devices often collect dust on screens and keyboards from electrostatic charges. Liquid cleaners are sometimes used to clean the screen and disinfect a keyboard. However, using liquids on or near a computer risks damaging the device if liquids seeps into the chassis. Further, the plastic surfaces used for many devices can be damaged by the liquids themselves, depending on the chemicals used. Other manual solutions have been used to clean the screen or disinfect the laptop keyboard for cleaning, including dusters, screen cleaners, and other mechanisms. However, these may not be available or may risk damage to the electronic device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Certain examples are described in the following detailed description and in reference to the drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example electronic device that includes an ion generator for dust control; 
         FIG. 2  is a circuit diagram of an example ion generator that may be used in an electronic device; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view of an example laptop computer showing the use of generated ions; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an example display having ion emitters and ion receivers placed in an alternating arrangement around a perimeter of a bezel; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic of an example sliding bar that contains both ion emitters and ion receivers moving across a display; and 
         FIG. 6  is an example method for controlling dust in an electronic device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Examples described herein provide techniques for using ionized air to move dust particles from a surface of an electronic device to a collection point. The ionized air can also act as an anti-microbial agent to kill bacteria on the surfaces of the electronic device, which may lower the risk of bacterial infection for a user of the electronic device. In an example, an integrated system in a laptop makes use of ionized air to rid the screen of dust and reduce a bacterial load on a computer keyboard. In other examples, the electronic device may be a television, an all-in-one computer, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a medical device, a public information kiosk, a scientific instrument, a desktop computer, a display, or any number of other electronic devices. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an electronic device  100  that includes an ion generator  102  for dust control. The electronic device  100  has a power supply  104 , which may be a battery or a line current power supply. The power supply powers a processor  106 , which may be coupled to a memory  108  and/or a storage device  110  through a bus  112 . The memory  108  may include any combinations or random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), or programmable read-only memory (PROM), among others. The storage device  110  may include any combinations of hard drives, RAM drives, and the like. The bus  112  may couple the processor  106  to a display driver  114  and an input driver  116 . The display driver  114  can power a display  118 , while the input driver  116  can decode signals from a keyboard  120  or a mouse, among others. The ion generator  102  may also be coupled to the bus to provide system control of the operational parameters, such as power on/off, voltage, delays, and the like. 
     The ion generator  102  can generate a high voltage potential, which can be used to generate ions at an ion emitter  122 . The ions may flow across the display  118  or the keyboard  120  to one or more receivers  124 . Dust particles can be charged by the ions flowing from the ion emitter  122 , causing them to move to the ion receiver  124 . Once the dust particles are captured on the ion receiver  124 , they can be removed, for example, by wiping the ion receiver  124 . The electronic device  100  is not limited to the units or configuration shown in  FIG. 1 . For example, a television may have no large input device, such as a keyboard  120 . Accordingly, the ion emitter  122  and ion receiver  124  may be placed so as to only keep one unit clean, such as a display  118 . 
     The ion generator  102  may be manually or automatically activated or disabled. For example, if the electronic device  100  is a laptop computer, the ion generator  102  may be powered when the laptop is opened. After the laptop is closed, the ion generator  102  may be switched off, or may be switched off after a delay time. If the electronic device  100  is a publically accessible display and information unit, the ion generator  102  may be activated when a touch is detected, and left operational for a set period of time after all touches have stopped. 
     It can be noted that dust problems are not isolated to external area of an electronic device  100 . In another example, the ion emitter  122  and ion receiver  124  are located inside an electronic device  100 , such as a server, or server drive, among others. In this case, the ion receiver  124  may be configured to be opened or removed for easier cleaning. 
       FIG. 2  is a circuit diagram of an ion generator  200  that may be used in an electronic device. The ion generator  200  may use any number of known circuits to generate the high voltages used to form the ions. In the configuration shown in  FIG. 2 , a first stage power supply  202  may be used to form an initial feed voltage  204 , which may be a square or sine wave AC signal at about 10 volts (v), 50 v, about 100 v, about 150 v, about 250 v, or higher. In this example, the initial feed voltage  204  from the first stage power supply  202  is controlled by the voltage provided by an oscillator circuit  206  and the ratio of input turns to output turns in a driver transformer  208 . Although the power for the first stage power supply  202  is shown as a battery  210  in  FIG. 2 , any number of other circuits can be used to generate the initial feed voltage  204 . In an example, a direct power line connection, for example, a 110 volts alternating current (vac), replaces the first stage power supply and provides the initial feed voltage  204 . This may be used, for example, for electronic devices that are powered by line voltage. 
     The initial feed voltage  204  can be provided to a Cockroft-Walton multiplier circuit  212 . As is known in the art, the Cockroft-Walton multiplier circuit  212  can be used to generate high voltages, e.g., 5 kilovolts (Kv), 10 Kv, 20 Kv, 50 Kv, or higher. The Cockroft-Walton multiplier circuit  212  uses a string of capacitors  214  and diodes  216  to form a succession of voltage doubling circuits  218 . It should be noted that, in order to simplify the diagram, not every circuit component is labeled. Each of the capacitors  214  can be rated for a low capacitance, for example, between about 10 nanofarads (nf) and about 100 nf. The diodes  216  can be any standard type, such as a 1N4007. However, both the capacitors  214  and diodes  216  will generally be rated for high voltages, such as about 1 Kv, 5 Kv, or higher. 
     In the exemplary circuit shown in  FIG. 2 , the Cockroft-Walton multiplier circuit  212  has ten stages  218 . Thus, a 50 v initial feed voltage  204  will theoretically lead to an output voltage  220  greater than about 50 Kv. However, later stages  218  are not as efficient as earlier stages  218 , and, thus, the output voltage  220  for a 50 v initial feed voltage  204  may be 40 Kv, 30 Kv, or less. The current of the outlet voltage  220  is very low, but a series of resistors  220  may be used in the final stage  224  of the ion generator  200  to limit any current to the emitters  226 . In  FIG. 2 , the emitters are pins  226  that may be placed in recesses along a region or surface of the electronic device. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a laptop computer  300  showing the use of generated ions. A first ion flow  302  may be used to clean a display  304  and a second ion flow  306  may be used to clean a keyboard  308 . The laptop computer  300  is not limited to having both ion flows  302  and  306 , but may use either by itself. In this example, recessed ion emitters  310  are located along a top edge of the bezel  311  holding the display  304 . The recessed ion emitters  310  may be located along an inner edge of the lip of the bezel  311  around the display  304 , sending the first ion flow  302  down the front of the display  304 . An ion receiver  312  may be placed along the bottom edge of the case holding the display  304 . The ion receiver  312  may be a metal plate connected to system ground. The placement of the ion receiver  312  may make cleaning convenient, for example, being just outside the bottom lip of the case holding the display  304 . The ion emitters  310  flow ionized air from the top of the display  304 , thereby collecting dust in the air stream and directing it the ion receiver  302  and away from the display  304 . The ionized air may dissipate over the keyboard  308 , thereby picking up dust from the keyboard  308  in addition to killing bacteria on the keyboard  308 . According, a separate system for the keyboard  308  may not be chosen. 
     However, recessed ion emitters  310  may be positioned along the top of the keyboard  308  and an ion receiver  312  may be placed along the bottom of the keyboard  308  to further enhance the effect. In addition to directing dust away from the display  304 , the ionized air may also kill bacteria on the keyboard  308  and the other surfaces of the laptop  300  that it comes into contact with. Some studies indicate that about 99.8% of pathogenic bacteria, such as  campylobacter jejuni, escherichia coli, salmonella enteritidis, listeria monocytogenes , and  staphylococcus aureus , among others, can be killed by consistent exposure to relatively high levels of negatively ionized air. In each of these examples, the ionized air will naturally flow over the keyboard  308 , killing bacteria and thereby reducing the bacterial load on the keyboard and surrounding area. The emitters  310  and receivers  312  are not limited to the configurations shown in  FIG. 3 , but may be in any number of other configurations, as discussed with respect to  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
       FIG. 4  is a front view of a display  400  having ion emitters  402  and ion receivers  404  placed in an alternating arrangement around a perimeter of a bezel  406 . In this example, the ion emitters  402  may charge dust particles  408  in the vicinity of the ion emitters  402 . The charged dust particles  408  can then be bought to the ion receivers  404  for collection and removal. The ion emitters  402  may be placed in recesses along the interior of the bezel  406 , while the ion receivers  404  may be metal plates placed along the interior or exterior of the bezel  406 . 
     As noted herein, if the display  400  is part of a laptop computer, the ion emitters  402  may be left energized for a few minutes after the laptop is closed. This may pull dust from the entrapped space as well as the keyboard, before the unit goes into a sleep mode. 
     The configuration shown in  FIG. 4  may also be useful for larger electronic devices, since the ion emitters  402  and ion receivers  404  can be located in closer proximity to each other than in the configuration shown in  FIG. 3 . For example, in a large screen television, the top of the bezel  406  may be located about 24 (60 cm), or more, from the bottom of the bezel  406 , making ion and dust collection by the ion receiver  404  more problematic if the ion emitters  402  and ion receivers  404  were located at opposite edges. 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic of a sliding bar  502  that contains both ion emitter regions  504  and ion receiver regions  506  moving across a display  508 . In this example, the motion of the ion emitters  504  may place them in the vicinity of dust particles, improving the efficiency. The sliding bar  502  may be moved manually, for example, being located in a detachable section of the bezel  510  that slides in a groove in the bezel  510 . In other examples, the sliding bar  502  may be configured to slide across the display  508  in a first direction  510  when an electronic device is opened and then return in the opposite direction  514  when the electronic device is closed. In a large device, such as a television, the sliding bar  502  may be moved by a motor, for example, immediately after the television is powered off. In some examples, the sliding bar  504  can emit charges when passing in one direction and collect charged dust particles when returning in the opposite direction. 
       FIG. 6  is a method  600  for controlling dust in an electronic device. The method begins at block  602  with the generation of a high voltage potential. This may be done using the circuit discussed with respect to  FIG. 2 , although any number of alternative circuits may be used. At block  604 , the high voltage potential is used to generate and emit ions at a first electrode. At block  606 , the ions are flowed over a region of the electronic device. As discussed herein, the region can include, for example, a display, a keyboard, or any subsections of these units. At block  608 , the ions and any charged particles, such as dust particles, are received at a second electrode. The dust particles can then be wiped off the second electrode. 
     The use of the charged ion flow may assist with two issues experienced by users of electronic devices, dust buildup, and bacterial contamination. As a result, the techniques described may be useful for devices used in public places and in hospitals, food processing plants, or other areas subject to bacterial contamination. Further, the techniques may be useful for devices placed in public areas, such as airports, restaurants, and the like. Devices that may benefit from the use of the ion generation can include, for example, information kiosks, check-in terminals, touch screen displays, public computer displays, ticket kiosks, or any other electronic devices that are commonly handled by members of the public. 
     While the present techniques may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, the exemplary embodiments discussed above have been shown only by way of example. It is to be understood that the technique is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed herein. Indeed, the present techniques include all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents falling within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims.