JP3045602B2 - Lightning production device and method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for artificially producing lightning to show to a spectator in a theater or an amusement facility.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of producing lightning, a method of drawing using strobe light emission or a method of recording an artificial lightning in a room and projecting it on a background to overdraw and draw has been conventionally used. However, since it is a natural high voltage discharge phenomenon,
In amusement facilities and the like, it has been difficult to produce a truly realistic production.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to provide a lightning production apparatus and method capable of performing various productions.

[0004]

The lightning production device of the present invention is
As a means to make it look like a natural lightning, a new means for bending or branching the discharge spark has been newly added, and the discharge electrode, main discharge body, voltage applying means, and those are reasonably arranged in the casing And the like.

[0005] The discharge electrode may be a wire, a needle electrode, a small ball electrode, or the like of a sharp conductive material suitable for providing a minute region having a large potential gradient. In order to improve the effect, in particular, it may be used in combination with a vibrating movable electrode. It is necessary to use a highly safe material for the insulation treatment of the electrode mounting portion.

The main discharge body (3) may be a conductor such as a grounded iron plate. In addition, figures drawn with dielectric paint,
It also includes characters, figures and characters formed of metal foil, and colored ones.

As a condition for generating a spark discharge, a discharge sustaining voltage value equal to or higher than a discharge starting voltage is used depending on a gas condition in which an interval between the discharge electrode (1) and the main discharge body (3) is gas.

When the discharge electrode (1) is a needle electrode, the main discharge body (3) is a flat plate electrode, and a positive voltage is applied to the needle electrode to form a positive needle, first, various corona discharges occur. Transition to spark discharge via glow corona. Although the corona starting voltage is higher than the case where a negative voltage is applied to the needle electrode to form a negative needle, corona is easily generated. It is possible to use a negative needle or a small ball electrode instead of a needle electrode, although the spark discharge starting voltage is slightly higher.

The voltage applying means may be a transformer using a commercial AC power supply. The performance such as voltage and output capacity may be designed according to the dimensions and the internal atmosphere of the lightning effect device. The voltage is preferably 30 KV to 300 KV in the case of an air atmosphere. The output capacity of the transformer was 15 KVA.

The bending / branching means (7) is for bending or branching the discharge spark to make it look like a natural lightning. In the case of a sub-discharger, it is branched. In the case of a derivative, drawing is performed in consideration of the thickness of discharge light.

The arrangement means (9) is not particularly limited in structure. For example, it may be a wall surface of a theater, an inner surface of a casing, or the like. Particularly preferred are those capable of simultaneous observation from various directions such as front and back, top and bottom, left and right. Or
The one stored in the casing in the water tank is also used.

Preferably, the discharge electrode (1) further comprises:
A casing (11) having a main discharge body (3), a bending / branching means (7), and an arranging means (9) therein, and a casing (11) for observing a spark discharge (4) from outside. One side can be composed of a transparent plate (13). The purpose of providing the casing is to ensure safety and adjust the pressure and atmosphere of the discharge space. The transparent plate may be glass or a flame-retardant plastic (for example, an acrylic plate).

If the casing (11) is made airtight, the pressure inside the casing (11) can be adjusted (including reduced pressure below atmospheric pressure) and / or the atmosphere can be adjusted (including smoke). The shape and color of the spark discharge can be changed. In addition, a variety of effects can be produced by dripping fog and smoke (such as dry ice smoke).

Preferably, the surface of the casing (11) facing the transparent plate (13), which constitutes the background surface (15) of the spark discharge (4) when observed from the outside, is an image and / or
Alternatively, it can be a surface on which an image can be displayed. Examples of backgrounds include cityscape silhouettes and skyscapes. Various effects such as screens for movies and slides, large TVs, and switchable pictures and photographs can be considered for the background.

Preferably, the transparent plate (13) is made of glass, and the bending / branching means (7) is provided on the transparent plate (13).
It may be a dielectric paint and / or a transparent electrode disposed thereon.

As an example of the dielectric paint, Olga (special black) is used.

One example of the transparent electrode is a metal foil.

Preferably, further, a strobe bulb (20)
Blinking light effect means can be added. By flashing the strobe in synchronization with the spark discharge, the sense of presence of a thunder production appears.

[0019] Preferably, the lightning effect device can further include a voltage application means (5), a bending / branching means (7), and / or a control means for a flashing light effect means, and can effect a microcomputer program effect. . As a program effect of the bending / branching means (7), the shape of the spark discharge can be changed by changing the grounding of the plurality of sub-discharge bodies. In addition, displacement by a diaphragm or the like may be attempted.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by these examples.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a perspective view, and FIG. 1B is a side sectional view.

The lightning production device main body (0) is housed in a casing (11) in this embodiment. Casing (1
1) also serves as an arrangement means (9) for each element.
The discharge electrode (1) uses a needle electrode and applies a positive voltage.
That is, the discharge electrode having a positive needle is installed on the upper part of the casing (11), and faces the main discharge body (3), which is a flat electrode formed on the lower surface of the casing (11).

The main discharge body (3) to which a negative voltage is applied is made of a grounded iron plate in this embodiment. The spark discharge (4) travels from the discharge electrode (1) to the main discharge body (3) as a main direction, and is bent and / or bent by the bending / branching means (7) provided in the casing (11). It diverges and is produced in the shape of natural lightning.

The voltage applying means (5) in this embodiment comprises a transformer (16) and a single-phase induction voltage regulator (17). Model: TG-150, Frequency: 60 [Hz], Output capacity: 15 [KVA] Primary voltage: 2 × 400 [V], Secondary voltage: 150 [K]
V] Manufacturer: Tokyo Transformer Co., Ltd. Single-phase induction voltage regulator Model: RSO, frequency: 60 [Hz], output capacity: 15
[KVA] Primary current: 75 [A] Secondary current: 37.5 [A] Manufacturer: Tokyo Transformer Co., Ltd.

In this embodiment, as the bending / branching means (7),
A metal wire, a small metal disk, or the like was used.

In the present embodiment, the following glass was used for the transparent plate. Type: Soda-lime glass Main component: Silicic acid, soda, lime Size: thickness 8 [mm], width / height 2295 x depth 850
[Mm] By the way, the dimensions of the whole casing are 2295mm in height x 3 in width.
080 mm x 2690 mm depth.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an embodiment for confirming the operation and effect of the basic discharge portion of the lightning production device of the present invention. A 60-Hz commercial AC voltage is boosted to 150 KV by a single-phase induction voltage regulator (17) and a transformer (16), and is guided to a virtual thundercloud (19) via a high-voltage wire (18). The virtual thundercloud (19) is a conductive wire loop, from which a needle-like discharge electrode (1) is attached to a glass plate (1).
It is extending toward 3).

One example of the glass plate (13) is a transparent window glass for an automobile. In the experiment, a fixed-size glass having a size as shown in FIG. 3 was used as it is, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, the material is not limited to a glass plate, and any transparent insulating material can be used.

The glass plate was held by being surrounded by a conductor, for example, an iron plate frame (14), and was grounded. Therefore, the outer frames (31), (32), (33),
(34) are all at ground potential. The tip (A) of the needle-shaped discharge electrode (1) was opposed to the substantially central surface of the glass plate at a distance of about 20 cm.

From above the back surface of the glass plate, a frame (1
The wire hook (22) electrically connected to 4) was suspended. The tip (B) of the hook was arranged at a distance of approximately 5 cm from the back surface of the glass plate so as to face the tip (A) of the discharge electrode (1) across the glass plate (13). In FIG. 3, the point at which the line connecting both ends (A) and (B) intersects the surface of the glass plate is defined as (P).

Here, the situation of spark discharge observed in the apparatus of FIG. 2 will be described. When a high voltage was applied between the virtual thundercloud (19) and the ground, first, the tip (A) of the electrode (1) glowed and emitted a "j" sound. Subsequently, corona discharge was generated, and the main discharge flowed at 100 to 130 [KV]. The aerial spark voltage V of the needle-to-needle gap has a substantially linear relationship with the gap length d [cm] in a range where the length of the gap is relatively large, and the following empirical formula is given.

V = 18.4 + 5.01 d [KV] Here, the gap length d is 20 [the gap length between the point (P) on the glass surface and the tip (A) of the electrode (1)]. cm], V = 18.4 + 5.01 × 20 = 1118 [KV], which is a value close to the experimental value.

FIG. 5 shows the state of the discharge obtained by the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 from the left side of FIG. 2, that is, from the back surface of the glass plate (13), looking up the point (P) obliquely upward. It is a photograph taken in the following manner. Point A on the photograph is a glass plate (1
3) shows the corresponding position of the front end (A) of the electrode on the front side (right side), and point B is the position of the front end (B) of the grounded hook (22) on the back side (left side) of the glass plate. Indicates the corresponding position.

As described above, the high voltage applied between the virtual thundercloud (19) and the ground causes the tip (A) of the needle-like discharge electrode (1) and the tip (B) of the hook (22) to move. Glow corona was generated in a section where the potential gradient was large, and air spark discharge was started from (A) to (B).

However, at the glass plate (13), (B)
Due to the fact that the corona heading to the air is interrupted and the glass plate itself is also an insulator, the aerial spark discharge extends from the tip (A) of the discharge electrode to the point (P) on the glass surface. Was. The discharge that hits the surface of the glass plate at the point (P) is directed to the grounded iron plate frame (14) because the four corners surrounding the point (P) are grounded. Depending on the applied voltage and the surrounding conditions, a whimsical discharge route was selected and divided. The photograph shown in FIG. 5 shows the state of the discharge.

A metal washer (D) is attached to the back surface of the glass plate (13) in order to control the whimsical discharge route and to give an effect of bending and branching the discharge. The idea of the washer (D) is generally developed as a small piece of a conductive material, and is shown in FIG. 1 as a bending / branching means (7) with the aim of making it look like a natural thunder or enhancing the effect of production. Was.

The discharge seen in the photograph of FIG.
This is an example when a voltage of 5 KV is applied. (A) point,
Although the points (P) and (B) are arranged on substantially the same horizontal plane, they are arranged in this order from the bottom because of the image taken from the lower left in FIG. The discharge between the points (A) and (P) is an air discharge.

The creeping discharge on the glass surface from the point (P) is as follows:
It is a wide multiple lightning that is mainly directed toward the outer frame (33) below the iron plate frame (14) and is spread by the two washers (D1) and (D2) in a belt shape. The color is orange, and the lines appear to overlap. The color of the luminescence extended independently is white, pink, and purple. Those that grow like a beard are darker in color as you go to the tip,
The saturation has dropped. (The upper right thick discharge is an unintended discharge generated accidentally between the upper outer frame (31) and the support member.)

The photograph in FIG. 5B is an example in which a voltage of 125 KV is applied, and the spark discharge is conducted to a large number of washers (D1 group) and (D2 group) above the point (P). And is directed mainly toward the upper outer frame (31). Although discharge was mainly in the upper direction, discharge toward the lower outer frame (33) was also observed. In addition to the main discharge, a number of finely whisker-like discharges were observed. By observing this situation, it was found that various electric discharge patterns could be drawn by appropriately disposing a conductive material such as a metal wire or a small metal plate instead of the washer.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a theater provided with a lightning production device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The main body of the lightning effect device (0) is located along the front of the theater, and a number of strobes (20) are installed on the side wall of the theater. The size of the theater in this example is approximately width 2
It is 0 m × height 8 m × depth 3 m. The following strobe tube can blink a surface of about 1m x 1m with one strobe tube, so the above-mentioned theater has 12 lights per pattern (irradiation area 6m x 7.5)
m) × 5 patterns, a total of 60 lamps are required. The strobe tube used was a 150 W, 126 mm long, 5-pin base made by Endo.

[0042]

The present invention has the following effects. A lightning effect with a shape, sound, and atmosphere similar to natural lightning can be obtained. By adjusting the discharge atmosphere, a change in the color of the spark or the like can be obtained. Furthermore, the production effect can be improved. If a device is added to the background of the spark, the effect can be further improved. The use of strobe irradiation can produce a more realistic effect. Suitable for directing microcomputer programs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a)
Is a perspective view, and FIG. 1B is a side sectional view.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment configured to confirm the operation and effect of a basic discharge portion of the present invention, together with dimensional relationships of main components thereof.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific positional relationship among a discharge electrode (1), a glass plate (13), and a hook (22) in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a theater provided with a lightning effect device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a photograph showing a light emission shape of discharge according to one example of the present invention. FIG. 5 (a) shows a situation where a wide multiple discharge lightning is guided downward by two washers (D) (applied voltage: 115 KV). FIG. 5B shows a situation in which discharge lightning is flowing in both up and down directions guided by many washers (applied voltage: 126 KV).

[Explanation of symbols]

 0 Lightning production device main body 1 Discharge electrode 3 Main discharge body 4 Spark discharge 5 Voltage application means 7 Bending / branching means 9 Arrangement means 11 Casing 13 Glass plate 15 Background surface 16 Transformer 17 Single-phase induction voltage regulator 18 High voltage wire 19 Virtual Thundercloud 20 strobe 22 hook 25 theater

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A discharge electrode (1), a main discharge body (3) facing the discharge electrode (1), and a spark discharge (4) between the discharge electrode (1) and the main discharge body (3). Voltage applying means (5) for applying a sufficient voltage to the battery, bending / branching means (7) for bending and / or branching the spark caused by the discharge, discharge electrode (1), main discharge body (3), bending / branching. Branching means (7)
Arrangement means (9) for appropriately arranging the lightning effect. 2. The lightning production device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge electrode is a needle electrode or a small ball electrode. And a casing (11) accommodating the discharge electrode (1), the main discharge body (3), the bending / branching means (7), and the arranging means (9) therein. The casing (1) is made so that (4) can be observed from outside.
The lightning production device according to claim 1, wherein one surface of the lightning production device comprises a transparent plate. 4. The lightning according to claim 3, wherein the casing (11) is airtight, and the pressure inside the casing (11) can be adjusted (including reduced pressure below atmospheric pressure) and / or the atmosphere can be adjusted (including smoke). Directing device. 5. A spark discharge when observed from outside (4).
(1) that constitutes the background surface (15) of
4. The lightning production device according to claim 3, wherein the opposing surface of the transparent plate (1) is a surface on which images and / or images can be displayed. 6. The transparent plate (13) is made of glass,
The lightning production device according to claim 3, wherein the bending / branching means (7) includes a dielectric paint and / or a transparent electrode disposed on the transparent plate (13). 7. The lightning production apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a flashing light production means using a strobe tube (20). 8. A transparent dielectric plate (13) is interposed between the discharge electrode (1) and the main discharge body (3), and a plurality of conductive material pieces are placed on the plate. By interspersing (7), when a high voltage is applied between the discharge electrode (1) and the main discharge body (3), a desired bend / branch is generated in the spark discharge generated between the two. A lightning production method characterized by the following.