Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Discharging or preventing accumulation of electric charge – Specific conduction means or dissipator
Patent
1996-01-29
1998-02-17
Gaffin, Jeffrey A.
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Discharging or preventing accumulation of electric charge
Specific conduction means or dissipator
361213, 361212, H05F 300
Patent
active
057197393
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a static eliminator for preventing problems caused by static electricity.
BACKGROUND ART
When insulating materials such as, for example, celluloid objects, plastic articles, glass, carpet and so on are rubbed with another material, they can attract a small piece of paper, dirt or the like. Further, as clothes made of chemical fibers, such as sweaters and so on, are taken off in winter when the air is dry, there may occur a static sound and one may feel itchy, particularly in the case of underwear.
In addition, as one gets out of a car after driving and one touches the body of the car with a finger while one's feet are on the ground, one may feel itchy. At the same time noises may enter, for example, into a car radio when it is being turned on (electrical shock and RF fault).
These phenomena are due to the fact that an insulating material is charged with electricity by friction. The charging with electricity is a phenomenon that occurs when an electron existing in and traveling along the outermost orbit of an atom in one substance is caused to deviate from its original orbit and to move toward another substance.
An atom has a number of electrons that travel around the nucleus. As the number of the electrons is equal to the number of protons of the nucleus in a normal state, the substance normally keeps a neutral state in which it is well balanced electrically. Once a portion of electrons is removed from the atom by friction, however, the substance reduces its negative charge by the amount of the charge corresponding to the number of the lost electrons, while it increases its positive charge by an amount corresponding to the number of the lost electrons. As a consequence, the substance overall is positively charged. On the other hand, the other material with which the insulating material has been rubbed increases its negative charge with the addition of excessive electrons, whereby it is charged negative overall.
When two kinds of materials are rubbed with each other, one of the materials is charged with positive charges due to a loss of electrons while the other material is charged with negative charges due to an increase of electrons. Which material is negatively charged and which material is positively charged is determined by the two kinds of materials. When two different kinds of materials are rubbed with each other, one kind of the material is provided with positive charges while the other kind is negatively charged.
Such a phenomenon is not limited to insulating materials. Conductive materials are likewise charged by friction; however, they can allow charges (the amount of charged electricity) to be rapidly shifted to a lower potential side. Hence, such a phenomenon as described hereinabove is not recognized in conductive materials. On the other hand, insulating materials have a high resistance value so that a current (charge) is unlikely to travel through the insulating materials for discharge. Accordingly, once they are created, the charges are prone to stay at one location for a long period of time and they are referred to as static electricity.
The reason why static electricity occurs more frequently in a season such as winter, when air is dry rather than when air is wet, is because charges are unlikely to move toward the ground because the water content of air is less in winter.
An automobile is insulated from the road surface by tires and it is charged with electricity by friction between the body of the car and air while it is travelling. Further, a person seated therein is charged with electricity by friction with the seat due to vibration. In addition, as recent automobile cars are loaded with a large number of electronic devices, the body of the car can be charged with floating charges generated by those devices.
As the charge to be discharged from the charged body of the car has a very high potential, it is discharged with a static sound, even if a person standing on the ground merely brings a finger close to the body of the car. Gen
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patent: 3984730 (1976-10-01), Hunter
patent: 4186421 (1980-01-01), Twitchett
patent: 4849851 (1989-07-01), Cubbison
patent: 5057966 (1991-10-01), Sakata et al.
patent: 5095400 (1992-03-01), Saito
patent: 5247420 (1993-09-01), Bakhoum
Gaffin Jeffrey A.
Kost Jason L. W.
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