Ionized gas current emission type dust-free ionizer

An ionized gas current emission type dust-free ionizer which comprises a chamber having an ionization part that ionizes a portion of an ion carrier gas that is supplied to the interior of this chamber, and a blowing part that feeds the ion carrier gas toward a charged body, and in which said ionization part is constructed from an ionization source that is contained in said chamber, and a control device which is disposed outside said chamber and which controls the quantity of ions generated by said ionization source via a high-voltage cable, this ionizer being characterized in that:

• said ionization source is either the generating part of a soft X-ray generating device, the generating part of a low-energy electron beam generating device, or the generating part of an ultraviolet radiation generating device;
• said chamber is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is adapted so that said ion carrier gas is supplied to the vicinity of the ionization source inside said chamber from the side end portion of said chamber;
• a shielding part which is used to block the soft X-rays or low-energy electron beam generated by said ionization source is formed between said ionization source and blowing part;
• said shielding part is constructed from a plurality of shielding members each having an opening for allowing ions to pass through it when the ions are generated by said ionization source, wherein the plurality of shielding members are arranged in the flow direction of the ions such that the openings of each mutually-adjoining shielding member pair do not overlap;
• a connecting part between said high-voltage cable and control device is constructed from a plug and socket that can be attached and detached, electrode supporting parts which have a specified length are disposed in said plug, electrodes are disposed on the tip end portions of these electrode supporting parts, insertion holes into which said electrode supporting parts are inserted are formed in said socket, electrodes are disposed in the innermost parts of these insertion holes;
• and
• a stopper which is used to maintain the engagement with said socket is disposed on the outside of the base part of said plug, and an air-tightness maintaining member is disposed on the base end portions of said electrode supporting parts, wherein
• the electrical connection between said high-voltage cable and control device is accomplished by electrodes which are disposed on the tip end of said plug and electrodes which are disposed in the innermost parts of the insertion holes of the socket, and
• said plug and socket are adapted so that the attachment and detachment of said electrodes can be performed in a state in which an air-tight state between the electrode supporting parts of said plug and the insertion holes of the socket is maintained.