IP Library Granted Patent US 12,296,354
Granted Patent B2
US 12,296,354 · App. 17/269,387 · Granted May 13, 2025

Fine water discharge device

Inventors: Shinsuke Inoue (Kariya, JP); Akiyoshi Hirano (Kariya, JP); Akira Yamaguro (Kariya, JP); Yoko Adachi (Kariya, JP); Machiyo Yasuda (Kariya, JP)
Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
B05B7/2491B05B7/0081B05B7/22F24F6/025G02B1/14A61M11/003
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,296,354
App. No.
17/269,387
Granted
May 13, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A fine water discharge device includes a case having a flow path allowing a first space and a second space to communicate with each other, a blower which is disposed in the flow path, introduces air in the first space into the flow path, and discharges the air introduced into the flow path into the second space, a fine water generating unit which is disposed in the flow path and in which a plurality of the particles are laminated as a film-shaped conductive polymer film portion on an outer surface of a honeycomb member, and the particles are transitioned between an adsorption state where water is adsorbed and a discharge state where the adsorbed water is discharged to the air, an electrifying portion electrically connected to the honeycomb member to perform electrification, and a controller which is a control portion controlling the blower and the electrifying portion.

Claims (38)

1. A fine water discharge device comprising:

a case which has a flow path allowing a first space and a second space to communicate with each other;

an air blowing unit which is disposed in the flow path, introduces air in the first space into the flow path, and discharges the air introduced into the flow path into the second space;

a fine water generating unit which is disposed in the flow path, includes a base material portion and a plurality of particles having a core-shell structure including a core portion forming a nucleus and a shell portion formed of a polymer material having a polar functional group capable of hydrogen bonding to cover the core portion, and in which at least one of the base material portion and the plurality of particles has conductivity, the plurality of particles are laminated in a film shape on an outer surface of the base material portion to form a film portion having nanometer-sized channels smaller in width than said particles, formed between the shell portions of the plurality of particles and distributed over the film portion, and states of the plurality of particles of the film portion are transitioned between an adsorption state where water is adsorbed and a discharge state where the adsorbed water is discharged to the air to generate fine water;

an electrifying portion electrically connected to the base material portion of the fine water generating unit to electrify the base material portion; and

a control portion which controls the air blowing unit and the electrifying portion,

wherein the control portion includes:

a discharge control portion which executes a discharge mode of introducing the air in the first space into the flow path by the air blowing unit, electrifying the base material portion of the fine water generating unit by the electrifying portion to have the base material portion to be in an electrified state by increasing temperature of the film portion under a state that the base material portion generates heat to discharge the water adsorbed on the plurality of particles of the fine water generating unit to the air introduced into the flow path as uncharged fine water having a particle size of 50 nanometers or less through an opening of the channels formed by the plurality of particles, and discharging the fine water to the second space together with the air introduced into the flow path by the air blowing unit, and

a discharge preparation control portion which executes a discharge preparation mode of introducing the air in the first space or the second space into the flow path by the air blowing unit and non-electrifying the base material portion by the electrifying portion to have the base material portion to be in a non-electrified state by decreasing the temperature of the film portion compared to the temperature under the electrified state of the base material portion, under a state that the base material portion does not generate heat to adsorb the water introduced into the flow path to the plurality of particles through the channels from the opening.

2. The fine water discharge device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the discharge control portion and the discharge preparation control portion execute a cycle including the discharge mode and the discharge preparation mode a plurality of times.

3. The fine water discharge device according to claim 1 ,

wherein in the discharge mode, a temperature of the electrified base material portion increases by a range of 20° C. to 50° C. as compared with that of the non-electrified base material portion.

4. The fine water discharge device according to claim 1 ,

wherein in the discharge mode, the fine water discharged into the second space is supplied to a human body existing in the second space.

5. The fine water discharge device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the base material portion is formed of stainless-steel based metal, and

the plurality of particles are PEDOT/PSS constituted by the core portion formed of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and the shell portion formed of poly (styrene sulfonic acid).

6. The fine water discharge device according to claim 5 ,

wherein the PEDOT/PSS is set so that a weight ratio between ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) which is a monomer of the PEDOT and the poly (styrene sulfonic acid) is between 1:4 and 1:6.

7. A fine water discharge device comprising:

a case which has a flow path allowing a first space and a second space to communicate with each other;

an air blowing unit which is disposed in the flow path, introduces air in the first space into the flow path, and discharges the air introduced into the flow path into the second space;

a fine water generating unit which is disposed in the flow path, includes a base material portion and a plurality of particles having a core-shell structure including a core portion forming a nucleus and a shell portion formed of a polymer material having a polar functional group capable of hydrogen bonding to cover the core portion, and in which at least one of the base material portion and the plurality of particles has conductivity, the plurality of particles are laminated in a film shape on an outer surface of the base material portion to form a film portion having a channel formed between the shell portions of the plurality of particles and being smaller than a diameter of the particles, and states of the plurality of particles of the film portion are transitioned between an adsorption state where water is adsorbed and a discharge state where the adsorbed water is discharged to the air to generate fine water;

an electrifying portion electrically connected to the base material portion of the fine water generating unit to electrify the base material portion; and

a control portion which controls the air blowing unit and the electrifying portion,

wherein the control portion includes:

a discharge control portion which executes a discharge mode of introducing the air in the first space into the flow path by the air blowing unit, electrifying the base material portion of the fine water generating unit by the electrifying portion to have the base material portion to be in an electrified state by increasing temperature of the film portion under a state that the base material portion generates heat to discharge the water adsorbed on the plurality of particles of the fine water generating unit to the air introduced into the flow path as uncharged fine water having a particle size of 50 nanometers or less through an opening of the channel formed by the plurality of particles, and discharging the fine water to the second space together with the air introduced into the flow path by the air blowing unit, wherein in the discharge mode, a temperature of the electrified base material portion increases by a range of 20° C. to 50° C. as compared with that of the non-electrified base material portion, and

a discharge preparation control portion which executes a discharge preparation mode of introducing the air in the first space or the second space into the flow path by the air blowing unit and non-electrifying the base material portion by the electrifying portion to have the base material portion to be in a non-electrified state by decreasing the temperature of the film portion compared to the temperature under the electrified state of the base material portion, under a state that the base material portion does not generate heat to adsorb the water introduced into the flow path to the plurality of particles through the channel from the opening.

8. The fine water discharge device according to claim 7 ,

wherein the discharge control portion and the discharge preparation control portion execute a cycle including the discharge mode and the discharge preparation mode a plurality of times.

9. The fine water discharge device according to claim 7 ,

wherein in the discharge mode, the fine water discharged into the second space is supplied to a human body existing in the second space.

10. The fine water discharge device according to claim 7 ,

wherein the base material portion is formed of stainless-steel based metal, and

the plurality of particles are PEDOT/PSS constituted by the core portion formed of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and the shell portion formed of poly (styrene sulfonic acid).

11. The fine water discharge device according to claim 10 ,

wherein the PEDOT/PSS is set so that a weight ratio between ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) which is a monomer of the PEDOT and the poly (styrene sulfonic acid) is between 1:4 and 1:6.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 13, 2022
From: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: AISIN CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058746/0869 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 18, 2021
From: INOUE, SHINSUKE; HIRANO, AKIYOSHI; YAMAGURO, AKIRA; ADACHI, YOKO; YASUDA, MACHIYO
To: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 055319/0734 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-172166 · Sep 14, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210170431A1 · Jun 10, 2021
References Cited (18)
US 20040260016A1 · Louwet · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 20080029614A1 · Dore · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20110162528A1 · Yamaguchi · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 20110221079A1 · Yamasaki · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 20130140649A1 · Rogers · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20140327172A1 · Yamauchi · 2014 [cited by examiner]
JP 4016934B2 · 2007 [cited by applicant]
JP 5032389B2 · 2012 [cited by applicant]
JP 5202720B2 · 2013 [cited by examiner]
JP 2016176658A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
JP 201760939A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
JP 2017116130A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
JP 201854258A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
JP 201918195A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
Horii, T., Li, Y., Mori, Y. et al. “Correlation between the hierarchical structure and electrical conductivity of PEDOT/PSS”, Jul. 1, 2014, Polymer Journal, vol. 47, pp. 695-699 (Year: 2015). [cited by examiner]
Machine Translation of JP-5202720-B2 Description, Oct. 2023, Espacenet, pp. 1-22 (Year: 2023). [cited by examiner]
Machine Translation of JP-2017060939—A Description, Oct. 2023, Espacenet, pp. 1-12 (Year: 2023). [cited by examiner]
International Search Report issued on May 21, 2019 in PCT/JP2019/007674 filed on Feb. 27, 2019, 2 pages. [cited by applicant]