WO2008039016A1

WO2008039016A1 - Powerless ion air gun

Info

Publication number: WO2008039016A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/004740
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joong Soon Kim
Original assignee: Shinhan Tech. Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2006-09-30
Filing date: 2007-09-28
Publication date: 2008-04-03
Also published as: KR100807151B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a powerless ion air gun which can be used even in regions where the power is not supplied without causing an inconvenience in using a high voltage power supply line by equipping the ion air gun with a separate power-generating unit using a compressed air. The present invention is to provide an ion air gun which removes static electricity by outletting a compressed air, comprising a power-generating unit which is provided on a passage of the compressed air; a control unit which boosts electricity generated by the power-generating unit; and an outlet unit which ionizes the compressed air passage using high voltage current supplied from the control unit.

Description

POWERLESS ION AIR GUN

[Technical Field] The present invention relates to a powerless ion air gun which can be used even in regions where the power is not supplied without causing an inconvenience when using a high voltage power supply line by equipping the ion air gun with a separate power-generating unit using compressed air.

[Background Art]

Conventionally, the ion air gun has been widely used in business fields necessarily needing static electricity management for the purpose of reduction of defect rate, such as a production process, plastic surface coating process, printing process, packing process and electronics assembly process for LCD, PDP and the like. The ion air gun is constructed such that an ionizer is attached to the typical air gun using the compressed air. Further, the ion air gun intends to neutralize the static electricity generated on a charged body and remove dusts containing the static electricity. Therefore, the ion air gun can be widely utilized since such two operations are performed simultaneously.

The prior ion air gun is generally constructed as shown in FIG. Ia and FIG. Ib. A nozzle body 20 serving as the ionizer is connected to around the compressed air outlet port of the typical air gun 10 through a connection port 22 and a high voltage cable 40 for generating the ion is separately provided. The high voltage cable 40 is connected to a power supply terminal providing high voltage and an air hose 30 of the air gun 10 is connected to the compressor 80 to provide the compressed air. If a user of the ion air gun switches on the high voltage cable and then pulls a lever 11 of the air gunlO, the compressed air is outlet to allow the static electricity to be neutralized or the dust to be removed. Using such ion air gun, all of the static electricity and the dust generated on a surface of the charged body can be removed. Since high voltage micro current is supplied to electrodes of the nozzle body 20, negative ions and positive ions are generated due to a corona discharge, and the generated positive and negative ions are outlet to the charged body along with the compressed air outlet from the nozzle. The positive and negative ions collided against the charged body are electrically combined and neutralized with the positive and negative charges of the charged body so that the static electricity is removed and dust on the surface of the charged body is removed at the same time.

However, such prior ion air gun has defects that there is a considerable limitation on movement during use due to a thick high voltage cable 40. Since the ion air gun is typically moved upward, downward, leftward and rightward in accordance with the object for use with application, the power supply apparatus may be disconnected so that the high voltage cable 40 may be easily cut or the user may suffer from slow movements or limitations on movement. To overcome this problem, the ion air gun is newly proposed which may supply currents to the ion air gun using a thin DC cable 41 from a transformer 60 connected to the power supply 70 in stead of the thick high voltage cable 40. Although the movement of the ion air gun is partially free relative to the existing ion air gun, there is a problem in that the ion air gun must be equipped with a separate booster device 50 in order to induce the corona discharge. Further, there remain problems that it is inconvenient to use the ion air gun due to connection of the power supply line and thus the use thereof is limited in regions where the power is not easily supplied.

[Disclosure]

[Technical Problem]

The present invention is contemplated to address such problems and has an abject to provide a powerless ion air gun which is superior in operation efficiency without limitations on movement caused by a power supply cable and is capable of being used even in region where the power is not supplied by using self-power generation and being automatically switched on and off by intermitting the supply of the compressed air

[Technical Solution]

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an ion air gun which removes static electricity by outletting a compressed air comprises a power-generating unit which is provided in a passage of the compressed air; a control unit which boosts electricity generated by the power- generating unit; and an outlet unit which ionizes the compressed air using high voltage current supplied from the control unit . Preferably, the power-generating unit comprises an impeller and a generator. Further, the control unit is provided in the passage of the compressed air so that the boosting coil is cooled by the compressed air.

More preferably, the discharge unit comprises a compressed air outlet port formed in an insulated nozzle body and a discharge needle disposed within the outlet port. The discharge needle is preferably made of tungsten.

More preferably, the outlet unit comprises a back- light unit to confirm whether a corona discharge is induced or not and the control unit comprises an electricity storing unit to provide the power to the back-light unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a detachable powerless ionizer which is attached to an air gun outletting a compressed air comprises a power-generating unit which is provided on a passage of the compressed air within a main body; a control unit which boosts electricity generated by the power-generating unit; and an outlet unit which ionizes the compressed air passage using high voltage current supplied from the control unit.

Preferably, an air fitting is fit into an entrance of the compressed air passage disposed on opposite side of the outlet unit of the main body.

[Description of Drawings]

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 (a) and 1 (b) are schematic diagrams illustrating a prior ion gun,-

Fig. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are a front view and a top view illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention'

Fig. 3 is partial cut-away view of the first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a drawing explaining use of the first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are schematic views illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 6 is a front view illustrating a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Best Mode] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings .

(First embodiment)

Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 are drawings illustrating a powerless ion air gun according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are a front view and a top view of the ion air gun, Fig. 3 is partial cut-away view thereof, and Fig. 4 is a drawing explaining use thereof. It will be appreciated that the drawings may omit unessential parts so as to help understanding technical substances of the present invention and the omitted parts may conform to those of the typical ion air gun.

The powerless ion air gun according to the present invention will be hereinafter explained referring to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of accompanying drawings. The ion air gun has a power generating unit 200 using the compressed air equipped within a grip 110 of the typical air gun 100 and a control unit 300 including a booster coil 320 disposed above the power generating unit 200. An outlet unit 400 of the ion air gun 100 is constructed such that a discharge needle 420 is disposed within a nozzle body 410, and high voltage current flows from the control unit so that the corona discharge is induced.

The power generating unit provided within the grip 110 of the air gun 100 includes a generator 230 and an impeller 240. The power generating unit 200 is mounted on an incoming passage 210 extended upwards. The compressed air of high voltage going through an air fitting 220 rotates the impeller 240 having multiple wings and electricity necessary for the corona discharge is generated at the generator 230 by the rotation of the impeller 240. The generator 230 can be variously changed within a range which does not depart from scope of the present invention, and is preferably used with DC motor. The impeller 240 is designed in a size corresponding to the entire passage so that all the compressed air going through the air fitting 220 may pass into the wing parts. As shown in Fig. 2 (a) , the compressed air going through the impeller 240 moves toward a valve 130 of the air gun 100 through the incoming passage 210 formed around the generator 230 .

The valve 130 of the air gun 100 includes a connection rod 150 elastically supported by the spring 140. The connection rod 150 moves the valve 130 leftward and rightward in the incoming passage by left and right movement of the lever 120, thereby intermitting the compressed air. A safe- arrival space 310 of the control unit 300 is provided in a lower portion of the valve 130. The safe arrival space 310 is provided in a size enough to mount the control unit 300 of board shape including the booster coil 320, an oscillating device 330 and the controller 340. Further, the safe-arrival space 310 serves as a passage through which the compressed air going through the valve 130 passes. If the electricity generated from the power generating unit 200 is boosted by the booster coil 320 through the connection line 250, it is generally heated. The heated energy is naturally radiated by the compressed air going through the safe-arrival space 310. A resulting voltage boosted by the boosting coil 320 of the control unit 300 is preferably 3.5KV-5KV. The ion discharged by the high voltage allows dust removing performance which is efficient for 0.2-0.4MPa of air pressure typically used. The controller 340 is typically equipped with an overload preventing circuit and the like and controls the booster coil 320 and the oscillating device 330 to allow the corona discharge in alternating-current high frequency manner. More specifically, the electricity provided from the power generating unit 200 is boosted in a proper manner to provide it to the discharge needle 420 of the outlet unit through the connection line 250. The resulting output short current provided by the controller 340 is preferably up to 3mA.

The compressed air going through the safe arrival space 310 is guided into the outlet unit 400 located downward. The outlet unit 400 has the discharge needle 420 equipped inside the outlet port 430 of the nozzle body 410 having the typical compressed air outlet port 430. The nozzle body 410 containing the discharge needle 420 is made of especially insulated M, C which is preferably superior in insulation property and the discharge needle 420 is preferably made of tungsten. The discharge needle 420 is made sharply to make it easy to induce the corona discharge.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be explained on use and operation of the powerless ion air gun according to the present invention. The powerless ion air gun 100 is connected to the compressed air supply line through the air hose 550. The compressed air supply line is typically constructed with a compressor 510, a plurality of dust separators 520, a regulator 530 and an air coke 540. As shown in Fig. 4, the powerless ion air gun of the present invention does not need to have a separate power supply device but the compressed air. Therefore, it is possible to minimize limitations on movement during use of the ion air gun, and prevent damage of the power supply cable caused by frequent movements. The compressed air supplied through the air hose 550 is intermitted via the valve 130 using the lever 120 of the ion air gun 100. If the lever 120 is pulled toward the grip 110, the valve 130 is opened against elastic force of the spring 140 to provide the compressed air. The compressed air supplied via the air fitting 220 from the air hose 550 rotates the impeller 240 to cause the electricity to be generated from the generator 230. The generated electricity is transferred into the controller 340 of the power-generating unit 200 via the connection line 250, and then into the booster coil 320 to make the electricity to be boosted to a high voltage alternating current electricity. The boosted electricity passes through the connection line 250 back and then is supplied to the discharge needle 420 of the nozzle body 410. A large amount of ion is outlet from the discharge needle 420 by the high voltage alternating current electricity supplied. Meanwhile, the compressed air going through the valve 130 is transferred to the safe-arrival space 310 of the control unit 300 serving as an air passage to cool the boosting coil 320 and then transferred to the outlet port 430 of the nozzle body 410. The rapid compressed air outlet from the outlet port 430 is passed around the discharge needle 420 and is ionized by the ion discharged from the discharge needle 420. The ionized compressed air is collided against the charged body to allow the static electricity to be neutralized electrically. The dust stuck to the surface of the charged body by the static electricity is neutralized along with neutralization of the charged body so that the dust is removed by the force of the rapid compressed air. As known from the explanation of Fig. 4, since the powerless ion air gun according to the present invention does not use the high-voltage power supply cable but self-power system, it is convenient to use it and it is superior in operation. Further, it can generate the power using the compressed air even in regions where the power is easily not supplied. Further, it is superior in stability since the corona discharge can be automatically switched on and off by intermitting the supply of the compressed air. (Second embodiment) It will be described on a second embodiment of the present invention referring to Fig. 5. Parts excluded from explanation mentioned hereinafter are same as that of the first embodiment within the technical scope of the present invention. The first embodiment comprises the power-generating unit 200 provided in a grip 110 of the air gun 100, whereas the second embodiment comprises an ionizer 600 which is detachably attached to the general air gun. The ionizer of the present invention is attached via a separate air fitting 220 to the air gun of various forms for use in removal operation of the static electricity.

The ionizer 600 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes the power generating unit 200 having the impeller 240 which is attached inside the compressed-air incoming passage 210 of the main body 610 and the control unit 300 having the boosting coil 320 which is equipped in a lower part of the power generating unit 200. The main body 610 is preferably prepared in a minimum size and weight to allow the power-generating unit 200 and the control unit 300 to be contained inside. The main body 610 has the outlet unit 400 with the discharge needle 420 formed in one end portion thereof .

The ionizer 600 and the air gun 100 are combined using the air fitting 220. The air fitting 220 can be variously prepared according to size and kind of the air gun 100 and is sufficient to induce the compressed air from the air gun 100 into the ionizer 600 without a loss.

When operating the air gun according to the second embodiment, the user connects the ionizer 600 of the present invention to the air gun 100 using the compressed air via the air fitting 150 as shown in Fig. 5 (b) , and then pulls the lever 120 of the air gun 100, thereby removing the static electricity. The second embodiment is allowed to achieve self- power generation and voltage-boost operation similarly as the first embodiment, whereby it is convenient to use and more convenient to use since it can be detachably attached to existing air gun.

(Third embodiment) A third embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafter described referring to Fig. 6. The third embodiment is same as the first embodiment or the second embodiment except for a back-light unit 700.

The electricity necessary for the light emitting device (710) is supplied from the controller 340 of the present invention. The electricity generated from the power-generating unit 200 by the compressed air allows the compressed air to be ionized, as well as is supplied to the back-light unit 700 to make it possible to confirm whether the corona discharge is induced or not. It is preferable that a light-emitting device of the back-light unit is an ultra-small LCD.

[industrial Applicability]

The powerless ion air gun according to the present invention is convenient to use even in regions where the power is easily not supplied because it does not need the high voltage power supply cable by self-power generation using the compressed air.

Further, the ion air gun according to the present invention can save the energy since it generates the power by using one portion of kinetic energy of the compressed air wasted.

Further, the ion air gun according to the present invention can be stably used since the corona discharge device can be switched on or off only by intermitting the supply of the compressed air.

Further, the powerless detachable ionizer according to the present invention can be conveniently used even in regions where the power is not supplied by attaching it to the air guns of various types.

Further, the powerless ion air gun according to the present invention is allowed to confirm whether the corona discharge is induced or not using the separate laser backlight unit.

Claims

[CLAIMS] [Claim l]

An ion air gun which removes static electricity by outletting a compressed air, comprising: a power-generating unit which is provided in a passage of the compressed air; a control unit which boosts electricity generated by the power-generating unit and is provided in the passage of the compressed air to allow a boosting coil included inside to be cooled by the compressed air; and an outlet unit which ionizes the compressed air using high voltage current supplied from the control unit.

[Claim 2]

The ion air gun according to claim 1, wherein the power- generating unit comprises an impeller and a generator, and the discharge unit comprises a compressed air outlet port formed in an insulated nozzle body and a discharge needle disposed within the outlet port.

[Claim 3] The ion air gun according to claim 2, wherein the discharge needle is made of tungsten.

[Claim 4]

The ion air gun according to any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the outlet unit comprises a back-light unit to confirm whether a corona discharge is induced or not and the control unit comprises an electricity storing unit to provide the power to the back- light unit.

[Claim 5] A detachable powerless ionizer which is attached to an air gun outletting a compressed air, comprising: a power-generating unit which is provided on a passage of the compressed air within a main body; a control unit which boosts electricity generated by the power-generating unit; and an outlet unit which ionizes the compressed air passage using high voltage current supplied from the control unit.

[Claim 6]

The detachable powerless ionizer according to claim 5, wherein an air fitting is fit into an entrance of the compressed air passage disposed on opposite side of the outlet unit of the main body.

[Claim 7]

The detachable powerless ionizer according to claim 5, wherein the power-generating unit comprises an impeller and a generator.

[Claim 8]

The detachable powerless ionizer according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is provided in a space through which the compressed air passes so that a boosting coil of the control unit is cooled by the compressed air. [Claim 9]

The detachable powerless ionizer according to claim 5, wherein the outlet unit has a compressed air outlet port formed in a nozzle body insulated and a discharge needle disposed within the outlet port. [Claim lθ]

The detachable powerless ionizer according to claim 9, wherein the discharge needle is made of tungsten. [Claim ll]

The detachable powerless ionizer according to any one of claim 5 to claim 10, wherein the outlet unit comprises a backlight unit to confirm whether a corona discharge is induced or not and the control unit comprises an electricity storing unit to provide the power to the light emitting device.