Patent Publication Number: US-7898790-B2

Title: Ionizer

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a fan type ionizer constituted by a fan unit and a control unit. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In an existing fan type ionizer (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-253192, for example), in a substantially single housing, a discharge electrode generating ions by application of a high voltage, a fan generating air flow to discharge the generated ions from an air outlet of the housing, a high voltage generator for applying a high voltage to the discharge electrode, and a controller for controlling driving of the high voltage generator and the fan are mounted. Normally, an indicator indicating operating states of the ionizer, an adjuster for adjusting operating states of the ionizer, a control connector for connecting various wirings to an external power source for driving the high voltage generator and the fan and also to transmit and receive various electric signals to and from the outside, and the like are provided on a front of the housing provided with the air outlet for the air flow. 
     However, such fixed provision of an air outlet for air including ions, various indicators, various adjusters, a control connector for various wirings to a housing may sometimes makes it difficult for a worker handling the device to easily view the indicators, depending on the surrounding environment of the installation site of the ionizer, leading to inability to appropriately confirm readings of the indicators, inability to precisely operate the various adjusters, or difficulty in connecting wiring to the control connector. 
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     A technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to enable changing of the relationship between the orientation of an air outlet for air including ions and the orientation of indicators, adjusters, and the like appropriately in accordance with the installation environment and the like of an ionizer and improving the usability of the ionizer. 
     Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to realize improved usability of the ionizer by simple means at a low cost. 
     In order to solve the problems, the present invention includes: a fan unit provided, in a first housing, with a discharge electrode generating ions by application of a high voltage and a fan generating air flow to transport the ions generated at the discharge electrode; and a control unit provided, in a second housing, with an indicator indicating an operating state of the ionizer and an adjuster for adjusting an operating state of the ionizer. 
     The fan unit and the control unit are formed separately from each other, the units being coupled detachably while coupling faces of the first housing and the second housing abut on each other and are also changeable between a normal coupling condition, where both units are oriented in the same direction from front to back, and an opposite coupling condition, where both units are oriented in opposite directions from front to back. 
     In addition, first and second separate connectors electrically connected to each other when the fan unit and the control unit are coupled are provided on the coupling faces, the separate connectors being connectable to each other in either case of the fan unit and the control unit being in the normal coupling condition or the opposite coupling condition and also having connection terminals with a power/signal arrangement configured such that power supply and signal transmission/reception between both separate connectors is achieved in either coupling condition of both units. 
     In the present invention, it is preferable that the power/signal arrangement of the connection terminals of at least one of the separate connectors is bilaterally symmetrical. 
     In the ionizer of the present invention, a concave portion is formed on the coupling face of the first housing, the male type first separate connector is provided inside the concave portion, a convex portion is formed on the coupling face of the second housing, the female type second separate connector is provided inside the convex portion, and when abutting the coupling faces of the first housing and the second housing on each other, the convex portion fits in the concave portion and the first separate connector is inserted in the second separate connector to establish electrical connection. 
     In the present invention, it is desirable that the first separate connector and the second separate connector are provided at a center, lengthwise and widthwise, of respective coupling faces of the first housing and the second housing. 
     In addition, in the ionizer of the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit also serves as a base to mount the fan unit, and the coupling faces are formed on an bottom surface of the first housing and a upper surface of the second housing and coupled to the control unit with the fan unit being mounted on the control unit. 
     In the ionizer of the present invention, a control connector for connecting wiring from an external power source and wiring from another device transmitting and receiving various electric signals may also be provided on a front side of the second housing of the control unit. 
     In an ionizer having the above configuration, the fan unit and the control unit can be changed between a normal coupling condition and an opposite coupling condition while keeping the same arrangement of power/signal transmitted and received between both units in accordance with the environment of the installation site and the like. This enables changing the orientation of the ail outlet for air including ions relative to various indicators, various adjusters and the like in accordance with the working environment, and compared to conventional ionizers provided with the above in a fixed orientation, the usability of the ionizer is thus improved, such as better viewability of the indicators and easier operation of the various adjusters by a worker. Moreover, the improvement in usability can be realized by simple means at a low cost. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front side perspective view showing an Example of an ionizer according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a back side perspective view in the Example. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating an electric connector on a bottom surface of a fan unit in the Example. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a control unit in the Example. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating an electric connector on a bottom surface of the control unit in the Example. 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom view showing an installation embodiment of the control unit relative to a DIN rail. 
         FIG. 7A  is a plan view diagrammatically showing a power/signal arrangement of connection terminals of a first separate connector. 
         FIG. 7B  is a plan view diagrammatically showing a power/signal arrangement of connection terminals of a second separate connector. 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show an Example of an ionizer according to the present invention, and this ionizer is configured with a fan unit  1  and a control unit  2 . 
     Schematically, the fan unit  1  is provided, in a first housing  10  having a square box shape, with a plurality of discharge electrodes  12  generating ions by application of a high voltage generated in a high voltage generator and a fan  13  generating air flow to expel the generated ions from an air outlet  11  of the first housing  10 . 
     In addition, the control unit  2  is provided, in a second housing  20  having a square box shape, with a controller (not shown) to control the high voltage generator (not shown) and the fan  13 , and the second housing  20  is provided, on its surface, with indicators  21  and the like described later. The controller controlling an electric circuit forming the high voltage generator and the fan  13  can be provided inside the first housing  10  in the fan unit  1 , or inside the second housing  20  in the control unit  2 . 
     The fan unit  1  (refer to  FIG. 3 ) provided with the discharge electrodes  12 , the fan  13 , and the like in the first housing  10  and the control unit  2  ( FIGS. 4-6 ) provided with the controller and the like in the second housing  20  are formed separately from each other, and as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , are assembled detachably by coupling the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  to each other. 
     As seen from  FIGS. 1-3 , the fan unit  1  has a finger guard  11 a at the air outlet  11  for air flow, which opens on a front  10   a  side of the first housing  10 , and an air inlet  14  provided on a back  10   b  side of the first housing  10  also has a finger guard  14   a  similarly, and in addition, finger grooves  15   a  formed in a cartridge  15  holding the discharge electrodes  12  are exposed in the upper portion of the front of the first housing  10 . The finger grooves  15   a  accommodate a user&#39;s fingers when attaching and detaching the cartridge  15  to and from the first housing  10 . 
     Further, a concave portion  16   a  is formed on a coupling face  16 , which is the bottom surface of the first housing  10 , and a first separate connector  17  is provided, which is a male connector, inside the concave portion  16   a . The first separate connector  17  is located at the center of the coupling face  16  lengthwise and widthwise and extends lengthwise of the first housing  10 . The first separate connector  17  has a plurality of connection terminals  17   a  installed on both faces of a substrate, and the connection terminals  17   a  are connected to the discharge electrodes  12 , the fan  13 , the high voltage generator, or the like via a circuit for transmitting and receiving signals, not shown in the drawings. On coupling the fan unit  1  and the control unit  2 , the first separate connector  17  is inserted in a second separate connector  37  (refer to  FIG. 4 ), which is a female connector, provided on a coupling face  36  of the second housing  20 , and thereby is electrically connected to the second separate connector  37  to transmit and receive power and signals between both units  1  and  2 . 
     Meanwhile, as seen from  FIGS. 1 ,  4 , and  5 , the control unit  2  is provided, on a front  20   a  side of the second housing  20 , with the indicators  21  indicating various operating states of the ionizer, such as power indication, discharge indication, defect indication of the fan  13 , contamination indication of the discharge electrodes  12 , indication of balance of positive and negative ions, and various defect indications, and an adjuster for adjusting the operating states of the ionizer, such as airflow rate of the fan  13 . Although a rotary switch  22  for adjusting airflow rate, a power switch  23 , and the like are provided as such an adjuster in the Example shown in the drawings, other various adjusters can be provided. In addition, on the front  20   a  side of the second housing  20 , a control connector  24  for wiring is provided in order to be connected to an external power source for driving the high voltage generator and the fan  13  and also to transmit and receive various electric signals to and from the outside. 
     Further, a modular connector  25  for connecting to an external sensor, an FG terminal  26 , a DC jack  27  for connecting to an AC adaptor, and the like are provided on the front  20   a  side of the second housing  20 . 
     It should be noted that the front  20   a  side of the second housing  20  means not only the original meaning of the front of the second housing  20 , but should be taken as even including an area that is in the vicinity of the front, where it is possible to operate the adjusters and the like from the front side or be easily visible from the front side, and has substantially no difference from the front. 
     The second housing  20  of the control unit  2  forms, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a base to mount the fan unit  1 . For this reason, the width from front to back of the second housing  20  is larger than the width of the first housing  10  and a coupling face  36  is formed on the upper surface of the second housing  20 , and the fain unit  1  is mounted on the control unit  2  while the coupling face  36  abuts on the coupling face  16 , which is the bottom surface of the first housing  10 . 
     The width of the second housing  20 , however, may also be the same as or smaller than the width of the first housing  10 . In addition, although in the example shown in the drawings the length from left to right of the first housing  10  and the length of the second housing  20  are equal, the length of the first housing  10  may also be larger or smaller than the length of the second housing  20 . 
     The first housing  10  and the second housing  20  are configured to be coupleable in either condition of normal coupling, where the fan unit  1  and the control unit  2  are oriented in the same direction from front to back, or opposite coupling, where both units  1  and  2  are oriented in opposite directions from front to back. The normal coupling condition is, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a coupling condition where the front  10   a  of the first housing  10  and the front  20   a  of the second housing  20  are oriented in the same direction, and the opposite coupling condition is a coupling condition where the front  10   a  of the first housing  10  and the front  20   a  of the second housing  20  are oriented in opposite directions to each other, in other words, a coupling condition where the front  10   a  of the first housing  10  and a back  20   b  of the second housing  20  are oriented in the same direction. 
     Therefore, the first separate connector  17  provided in the first housing  10  and the second separate connector  37  provided in the second housing  20  are also connectable to each other in both cases where the fan unit  1  and the control unit  2  are in the normal coupling condition or in the opposite coupling condition, and the power/signal arrangement of the connection terminals  17   a  and  37   a  of both separate connectors  17  and  37  is configured such that the same power and signals are transmitted and received between the separate connectors  17  and  37  in either coupling condition. 
     The second separate connector  37  is, as shown in  FIG. 4 , provided at a central position lengthwise and widthwise in the coupling face  36  inside a convex portion  36   a  formed on the coupling face  36  of the second housing  20 , and has a connection port  37   b , and into which, the first separate connector  17  is to be inserted from above, the connection port  37   b  elongatedly extending lengthwise in the second housing  20 . In addition, the convex portion  36   a  elongatedly extends lengthwise of the second housing  20 , and when the fan unit  1  and the control unit  2  are coupled, is inserted into the concave portion  16   a  of the first housing  10  to be positioned by being fitted in between ribs  16   b  provided in inner walls of the concave portion  16   a.    
       FIGS. 7A and 7B  show an example of the power/signal arrangement in the connection terminals  17   a ,  37   a  of the separate connectors  17 ,  37 . 
     The first separate connector  17  shown in  FIG. 7A  has ten pairs of connection terminals  17   a  in total, counting two connection terminals  17   a  facing each other on each face of a substrate  17   b  as one pair, and the connection terminals  17   a  are connected to predetermined components or parts as, sequentially from the left side of the figure, terminals for power P 1  and P 2 , terminals for signals S 1  and S 2 , and terminals for grounding G and G, and the remaining four pairs of the connection terminals  17   a  are left unconnected. The two terminals for grounding G and G both can be used in the same way. The connection terminals  17   a  of the first separate connector  17  are arranged, therefore, with directionality in terms of connection. It should be noted that each pair of connection terminals  17   a  facing each other are electrically connected to each other. 
     In contrast, the second separate connector  37  shown in  FIG. 7B  has ten pairs of connection terminals  37   a  in total, counting two connection terminals  37   a  facing each other across the connection port  37   b  as one pair, and the connection terminals  37   a  are connected to predetermined components or parts as, sequentially from the left side of the figure, terminals for power P 1  and P 2 , terminals for signals S 1  and S 2 , terminals for grounding G and G, terminals for signals S 2  and S 1 , and terminals for power P 2  and P 1 . The connection terminals  37   a  of the second separate connector  37 , therefore, have a bilaterally symmetrical power/signal arrangement, and the same power and signals are transmitted and received between both separate connectors  17  and  37  whether the first separate connector  17  is connected in the direction shown in  FIG. 7A  or connected in the opposite direction lengthwise. It should be noted that each pair of the connection terminals  37   a  facing each other are electrically connected to each other. 
     However, the power/signal arrangement of the connection terminals  17   a  of the first separate connector  17  may also be bilaterally symmetrical and directionality may be given to the power/signal arrangement of the connection terminals  37   a  of the second separate connector  37 . Alternately, the power/signal arrangements of the connection terminals  17   a  and  37   a  of both separate connectors  17  and  37  can also be bilaterally symmetrical. 
     In order to fix the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  in a coupling condition, a bolt inserted through hole  18  extending lengthwise of the first housing  10  and reaching the concave portion  16   a  is opened near the lower edge adjacent to the coupling face  16  on end faces of both sides of the first housing  10 , and meanwhile, a screw hole  38  is provided at a position corresponding to the bolt inserted through hole  18  on end faces of both sides of the convex portion  36   a  formed on the coupling face  36  of the second housing  20 , and by screwing the bolt  19 ) inserted through the bolt inserted through hole  18  into the screw hole  38 , the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  are mutually fixed. 
     Even in a case that the first housing  10  is mounted on the second housing  20  in the condition of being directed opposite from front to back to the case shown in the drawings (opposite coupling condition), the bolt inserted through hole  18  and the screw hole  38  can fix both housings  10  and  20  mutually with the bolt  19 . 
     In this case, even when the control unit  2  is coupled to the fan unit in either normal or opposite direction, both units remain in the unchanged orientation lengthwise and widthwise. 
     However, fixation of the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  may also be carried out from the front side or the back side by providing two such bolt inserted through holes  18  in alignment in the lower edge of the front or back of the first housing  10  and also providing two such screw holes  38  in alignment respectively for the front and the back of the convex portion  36   a.    
     In addition, as seen from  FIG. 2 , DIP switches  29   a  for setting functions and an adjuster  29   b  for finely adjusting ion balance are provided in a concave portion  28 , on which a lid can be put, on the back  20   b  side of the second housing  20 . It should be noted that the lid to be put on the concave portion  28  is omitted in the figure. 
     Further, on the back  20   b  side of the second housing  20 , as seen from  FIGS. 2 and 6 , installation members  31 ,  32  are laid to install the second housing  20  of the control unit  2  on a DIN rail  30  fixed on a wall or the like. One of the installation members  31  is fixedly provided with the second housing  20  and has hooks  31   a  on the edge to engage the hooks  31   a  on one of rail edges  30   a  of the DIN rail  30 . In addition, the other of the installation members  32  is provided with a movable engagement member  32   a  engaging on the other of the rail edges  30   b  of the DIN rail  30  and is configured to elastically engage the movable engagement member  32   a  with the rail edge  30   b.    
     Although the second housing  20  of the control unit  2  generally forms a base for the fan unit  1  and is configured to be used such that the fan unit  1  is mounted on the control unit  2  put on an installation platform, the control unit  2  can also be fixed on a wall or the like, from where the indicators  21  are easily visible, using the DIN rail  30  as described above. In this case, the fan unit  1  is supported by an appropriate bracket and disposed at a separate position from the control unit  2 , and the separate connectors  17 ,  37  provided on each coupling face  16 ,  36  of the fan unit  1  and the control unit  2  are connected to each other with a separately provided separate cable, omitted in the drawings, thereby to be configured such that the power/signal is transmitted and received between corresponding terminals. 
     In addition, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 5 , a link connector  40  is provided on the bottom surface of the second housing  20  of the control unit  2 . The link connector  40  has the same structure as that of the control connector  24  and is parallel connected with the connector  24 , and in such cases as a plurality of ionizers are used in parallel, and as a plurality of control units  2  are collectively installed on the DIN rail  30  described above to connect the control units  2  and the fan units  1  with the separate cable for use, it can be used for transmitting and receiving the power/signal to and from the terminals at corresponding positions by connecting a control connector  24  on one side of a next ionizer and a link connector  40  on the other side respectively with the separate cable to construct crossover wiring as a whole. Carrying out such a crossover wiring enables to turn on all ionizers by turning on one of the ionizers. Although the link connector  40  is provided with a cover for covering it when not used, it is omitted in the drawings.