ELECTROSTATICALLY ATOMIZING DEVICE

• US 20090184186A1
• Filed: 05/22/2007
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakada, Takayuki, Suda, Hiroshi, Machi, Masaharu, Miyata, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,282,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 239/690
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/22 Phase substances, e.g. smokes, aerosols or sprayed or atomised substances
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/14 using sprayed or atomised substances including air-liquid contact processes
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 5/0255 spraying and depositing by electrostatic forces only
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 5/1691 Apparatus to be carried on or by a person or with a container fixed to the discharge device

Abstract

An electrostatic atomizing device for ejecting a mist of charged minute particles includes metal ion elution means for eluting sterilizing metal ions into a liquid to be electrostatically atomized. The metal ions are taken up by the charged minute particles, and are ejected into an environment space together with the charged minute particles, thereby eliciting a sterilizing effect. The elution amount of the metal ions is regulated by varying the voltage applied between two kinds of metal bodies.

Claims

1. An electrostatically atomizing device including a metal ion elution means for eluting sterilizing metal ions into a liquid to be electrostatically atomized.

2. An electrostatically atomizing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said device comprises a tank configured to hold a volume of said liquid, and a carrier connected to said tank to be supplied with said liquid and to feed the same to a discharge end where said liquid is atomized by application of a high voltage,

said metal ion elution means comprising a set of different metal bodies immersed into the liquid in said tank to give a potential difference between said metal bodies for eluting said metal ions.

3. An electrostatically atomizing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

one of said metal bodies which elutes said metal ions in said liquid is selected from a group consisting of Ag, Zn, and Cu.

4. An electrostatically atomizing device as set forth in claim 2, wherein

said metal elution means comprises a voltage applicator which gives said potential difference between said metal bodies.

5. An electrostatically atomizing device as set forth in claim 4, wherein

said voltage applicator provides a varying voltage between said metal bodies for regulating an elution amount of said metal ions.

6. An electrostatically atomizing device as set forth in claim 4, further including:

means configured to measure conductivity of said liquid,

said voltage applicator being configured to vary a voltage difference between said metal bodies in accordance with the measured conductivity of said liquid for regulating the elution amount of said metal ions.

7. An electrostatically atomizing device as set forth in claim 2, wherein

one of said metal bodies which elutes said metal ions in said liquid is selected from a group consisting of Ag, Zn, and Cu.