Patent ID: 8830650

Claim:
An ionizer comprising: at least two electrodes; and a high voltage generating unit for applying a first AC voltage to a first electrode from among the at least two electrodes, and for applying a second AC voltage, having a frequency higher than a frequency of the first AC voltage, to a second electrode from among the at least two electrodes, wherein the high voltage generating unit sets, substantially to zero, for a total length of time equal to half of a first half-period timespan, a first voltage level of the second AC voltage, which is applied to the second electrode within a timespan during which the second electrode is planned to be of negative polarity as a result of application of the second AC voltage to the second electrode, within the first half-period timespan during which the first electrode is of positive polarity as a result of application of the first AC voltage to the first electrode, thereby generating positive ions, only in the vicinity of the first electrode, whereas releasing positive ions generated in the vicinity of the first electrode and the second electrode to a static charge elimination region within a timespan during which the second electrode is of positive polarity as a result of application of the second AC voltage to the second electrode, the first voltage level of the second AC voltage being non-negative during the first half-period timespan during which the first electrode is of positive polarity, and the high voltage generating unit sets, substantially to zero, for a total length of time equal to half of a second half-period timespan, a second voltage level of the second AC voltage, which is applied to the second electrode within a timespan during which the second electrode is planned to be of positive polarity as a result of application of the second AC voltage to the second electrode, within the second half-period timespan during which the first electrode is of negative polarity as a result of application of the first AC voltage to the first electrode, thereby generating negative ions, only in the vicinity of the first electrode, whereas releasing negative ions generated in the vicinity of the first electrode and the second electrode to the static charge elimination region within a timespan during which the second electrode is of negative polarity as a result of application of the second AC voltage to the second electrode, the second voltage level of the second AC voltage being non-positive during the second half-period timespan during which the first electrode is of negative polarity.