JP7158580B2 - hand dryer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hand dryer for drying wet hands after washing.

Conventionally, there is known a hand dryer that dries hands by applying hot air or high-speed air to wet hands. Hand dryers using high velocity air require a drain tank to store the water blown off by the high velocity air. Also, the drain tank needs to be cleaned frequently to avoid putrid odors due to long-term water retention. Patent Literature 1 discloses a hand drying device in which an antibacterial water-absorbing sheet made of a superabsorbent resin sheet and an antibacterial agent-containing cloth is arranged at the bottom of a water receiving cup in order to suppress the generation of putrid odors.

JP-A-11-18999

However, the hand dryer disclosed in Patent Document 1 is premised on evaporating the water dropped into the water receiving cup. For this reason, when used in a place where there is a high frequency of use, the evaporation of the water that has dripped into the water receiving cup cannot keep up with the capacity of the water receiving cup. Drainage work that throws away the water of the water frequently occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a hand dryer that does not require draining work, is easy to maintain, and can be kept clean.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the hand drying apparatus according to the present invention includes a casing provided with a nozzle for ejecting an air flow toward a processing space in which hands can be placed, and a nozzle housed in the casing. a blowing unit for sending out an air flow from a nozzle, a water storage area for storing water blown away from the hand by the air flow ejected from the nozzle, a drain tank outlet for draining the water stored in the water storage area to the outside, and an antibacterial element disposed in the water storage area to sterilize the water stored in the water storage area. The drain tank includes a weir provided on the inner bottom surface of the drain tank and having a height lower than the height of the side wall of the drain tank, and a drainage area separated from the water storage area by the weir, and the drain tank outlet is connected to the drainage area. is provided in

The hand dryer according to the present invention does not require draining work, is easy to maintain, and can maintain a clean state.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a hand dryer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; It is a cross-sectional view of the hand dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a cross-sectional view along the II-II line in FIG. The side view of the hand dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the drain tank of the hand dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the drain tank of the hand dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 3 Schematic diagram showing an example of an antibacterial element according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Schematic diagram showing an example of a mesh-shaped portion in a drain tank of a hand dryer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the hand drying apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention is demonstrated in detail based on drawing. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a front view of a hand dryer 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the hand dryer 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the hand dryer 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the drain tank 6 of the hand dryer 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the drain tank 6 of the hand dryer 100 according to the first embodiment of the invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a casing 1 forming an outer shell of the hand dryer 100 has hand insertion openings 2 on the front side and side sides of the hand dryer 100 where a person stands to dry their hands. , a hand insertion part 3 forming a processing space in which a hand can be placed, which is a space continuing to the hand insertion opening 2, so that the hand can be inserted and removed. The casing 1 accommodates components such as a high-pressure airflow generator 8, which will be described later, and a control circuit (not shown). The hand insertion part 3 is formed in the front lower part of the casing 1 as an open sink-like recess with the front and both sides open, so that the hand can be inserted and removed from the front and both sides.

A water receiving part 4 for receiving water droplets blown off from the hand is formed on both side surfaces, the bottom side and the rear side of the hand inserting part 3. - 特許庁The water receiving part 4 is composed of a plurality of parts, and is a back side water part which is a back part having a vertical wall surface extending in the height direction of the hand dryer 100 on the back side of the hand insertion part 3. A receiving portion 4a and a bottom-side water receiving portion 4b, which is a bottom portion provided on the bottom side of the hand-inserting portion 3, are provided. That is, the upper end of the water receiving portion 4 is connected to a portion of the upper surface of the hand insertion portion 3, extends downward substantially vertically, extends forward from the lower end, and extends forward from the front end of the casing 1 in the front-rear direction. It extends to almost the same position as the . Therefore, the water receiving portion 4 is provided with an L-shaped cross section along the side surface of the hand dryer 100 from the bottom side to the rear side of the hand insertion portion 3 .

The back side water receiving portion 4a is provided on the rear side of the hand insertion portion 3. As shown in FIG. The bottom side water receiving portion 4b includes a fixed bottom portion 41b connected to the lower portion of the back side water receiving portion 4a and extending toward the front side of the hand dryer 100 and fixed to the casing 1, and a portion extending forward. and a tray-shaped detachable bottom portion 42b which covers the upper portion of the drain tank 6 and is detachably attached to the drain tank 6, which will be described later. The rear water receiving portion 4a and the fixed bottom portion 41b are integrally formed and constitute a part of the casing 1. As shown in FIG. The detachable bottom portion 42 b is detachable from the casing 1 together with the drain tank 6 .

The detachable bottom portion 42 b is detachably arranged on the front side of the upper portion of the drain tank 6 and covers the front side of the upper portion of the drain tank 6 . When the drain tank 6 is removed from the holding portion of the casing 1 provided below the fixed bottom portion 41b, the detachable bottom portion 42b is integrated with the drain tank 6 and removed from the main body. Also, the removable bottom portion 42b and the drain tank 6 can be separated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the detachable bottom surface portion 42b is inclined downward toward the front of the hand dryer 100, and the water receiving/drainage port 5 is provided at the lower end of the inclination. The water receiving/draining port 5 is provided at the bottom of the water receiving portion 4 and causes the water received by the water receiving portion 4 to flow downward. The rear end region of the detachable bottom surface 42b overlaps the front end region of the fixed bottom surface 41b with a gap therebetween when viewed from above, above the front end region of the fixed bottom surface 41b. Thus, the water receiving and draining port 5 is constructed.

A drain tank 6 for storing water dripping from the water receiving drain port 5 is arranged below the fixed bottom surface portion 41b and the removable bottom surface portion 42b. The drain tank 6 can be inserted into and removed from a holding portion of the casing 1 provided below the fixed bottom portion 41b, and can be attached to and detached from the casing 1. As shown in FIG. Details of the drain tank 6 will be described later.

The inner surface of the hand insertion portion 3 is coated with a silicon-based water-repellent coating, a fluorine-based water-repellent coating, or a coating of a hydrophilic material such as titanium oxide, or is impregnated with an antibacterial agent. It is designed to reduce the adhesion of dirt to the inner surface of 3 and to reduce the propagation of bacteria.

A nozzle 12 for blowing high-speed air downward toward the hand-inserting part 3 is provided on the upper part of the hand-inserting part 3 . That is, the casing 1 is provided with a nozzle 12 for ejecting air toward a processing space into which a hand can be inserted. A hand detection sensor 13 for detecting the presence or absence of a hand in the hand insertion portion 3 is provided near the back side of the nozzle 12 .

Above the hand inserting portion 3, a box-like space is formed by the casing 1 and the base 7 forming the outer shell of the hand dryer 100 on the back side. In the box-shaped space, there is a high-pressure airflow generator 8, which is an airflow generation unit composed of a DC (Direct Current) brushless motor and a turbo fan rotated by the DC brushless motor, and a hand detection sensor 13. and a control circuit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the high-pressure airflow generator 8 in response to a hand detection signal. The high-pressure airflow generating device 8 is a blowing unit that is housed in the casing 1 and that generates an airflow that blows out from the nozzle 12 and sends the airflow to the nozzle 12 . A commutator motor or an induction motor may be used instead of the DC brushless motor.

In addition, in the box-shaped space, there is an intake air passage 10 that communicates between an intake port 9 provided on the side surface 1a of the casing 1 above the hand insertion portion 3 and the intake side of the high-pressure airflow generating device 8. , and an exhaust air passage 11 that communicates the exhaust side of the high-pressure air flow generating device 8 with the nozzle 12 . A heater 14 that heats the air sent from the high-pressure airflow generator 8 to warm the air is provided in the middle of the exhaust air passage 11 and upstream of the nozzle 12 .

A maintenance panel 15 having an air inlet 9 is arranged on the side surface 1a of the casing 1 located above the hand insertion portion 3. As shown in FIG. A part of the surface of the maintenance panel 15 is provided with an inclined surface that inclines toward the central side in the left-right direction from the back side toward the front side. A gap provided between the edge of the inclined surface on the front side and the back surface of the maintenance panel 15 constitutes the intake port 9 .

On the inner side of the casing 1 from which the maintenance panel 15 is removed, an operation switch (not shown) for changing the operating state of the hand dryer 100 is arranged. The operation switch unit includes a power switch for turning on/off the power supply to the control circuit, and a changeover switch for switching the strength of the wind blowing from the nozzle 12 and turning on/off the heater 14 .

Next, the details of the drain tank 6 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the drain tank 6 is formed in a cup shape, that is, in a concave shape, having a bottom portion 61 for storing water and a wall portion 62 extending upward along the entire periphery of the bottom portion 61. . A part of the inner bottom surface 61a of the bottom portion 61 of the drain tank 6 is provided with a weir 66 which is a partition wall extending upward. The weir 66 partitions the interior of the drain tank 6 into a water storage area 63 and a drainage area 64 .

The ratio of the area of the water storage area 63 to the area of the drainage area 64 in top view is preferably "area of water storage area 63≧area of drainage area 64".

The height of the weir 66 is lower than the height of the portion of the wall surrounding the water storage area 63 excluding the weir 66 . That is, the height of the weir 66 is lower than the height of the portion of the wall portion 62 surrounding the water storage area 63 excluding the weir 66 . A drain tank outlet 65 that opens to the outside of the drain tank 6 is provided at the bottom of the drain area 64 .

A portion of the water storage area 63 is positioned vertically below the water receiving/drainage port 5, i.e., directly below the water receiving/drainage port 5, and the water dripping from the drain tank drainage port 65 is always led to the water storage area 63 first. be killed. That is, the water receiving/drainage port 5 is provided vertically above the water storage area 63 . When the water continues to be stored in the water storage area 63 and exceeds the height of the weir 66, the water exceeding the height of the weir 66 is led to the drainage area 64 and drained out of the drain tank 6 from the drain tank outlet 65. be. As a result, even when the hand dryer 100 is used frequently, the administrator does not need to perform drainage work, and maintenance is easy.

In the water storage area 63, an antibacterial element 70 is arranged in which a plurality of bead-like water-soluble glass impregnated with an antibacterial agent are housed in a net-like bag through which water can pass. Water droplets blown off the hands contain germs, hand stains, detergent residue, and various other components. Therefore, in the case of a configuration in which the water droplets blown off the hands are drained directly from the drain tank outlet 65, the above-mentioned water always gathers in the drain tank outlet 65 every time the hands are dried. For this reason, the drain tank drain port 65 is less likely to dry, and is constantly supplied with bacteria, and furthermore, nutrients for the bacteria continue to be supplied, so that the bacteria easily propagate. As a result, bacteria grow in the drain tank outlet 65, causing problems such as a foul smell drifting from the drain tank outlet 65 to the outside user and clogging of the drain tank outlet 65 with slime or the like. .

However, in the configuration of the hand dryer 100, the water blown off from the hands is temporarily stored in the water storage area 63, and the antibacterial agent is eluted from the antibacterial element 70 into the water. is sterilized by making the water sufficiently containing the water, the water is drained from the drain tank drain port 65.例文帳に追加As a result, the hand dryer 100 can drain the water out of the drain tank 6 while suppressing the clogging of the drain tank outlet 65 and the generation of odors.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the antibacterial element 70 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Since the water blown off the hand contains oil such as sebum, the antibacterial element 70 arranged in the water storage area 63 preferably contains an alkaline antibacterial agent. Since the antibacterial element 70 elutes the antibacterial agent into the water, it is preferable that the antibacterial element 70 has a grain shape with a larger surface area than a plate shape. placed in FIG. 6 shows an example of an antibacterial element 70 having mesh-like side and top surfaces.

In order to efficiently sterilize the water stored in the drain tank 6 via the water receiving/drainage port 5 , it is preferable to dispose the antibacterial element 70 vertically below at least a portion of the water receiving/drainage port 5 . As a result, it is possible to increase the possibility that the water dripped from the water receiving/drainage port 5 first comes into contact with the antibacterial element 70 when dripping, and the stored water can be efficiently sterilized.

In addition, foreign substances such as dust and hair adhering to the casing 1 and the water receiving portion 4 flow in from the water receiving drain port 5 together with the water blown off from the hand. Therefore, by forming at least a part of the weir 66 into a mesh shape, foreign matter such as dust and hair can be collected in the mesh-shaped portion of the weir 66, and clogging of the drain tank outlet 65 can be prevented. can be prevented. If the water receiving/draining port 5 is provided with a structure capable of collecting foreign substances such as dust and hair, the accumulation of dirt will be visually recognized by the user and the appearance of the hand dryer 100 will be spoiled. By providing at least a portion of the weir 66 with a structure capable of collecting foreign matter, the appearance of the hand dryer 100 can be maintained.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the mesh-shaped portion 661 in the drain tank 6 of the hand dryer 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. For example, in the height direction of the weir 66, at least a portion of a portion having a predetermined width downward from the upper surface of the weir 66 can be a mesh-shaped portion 661 having a mesh-like shape. Water stored in the water storage region 63 and reaching a height exceeding the mesh-shaped portion 661 flows through the mesh-shaped portion 661 to the drainage region 64 and is drained out of the drain tank 6 from the drain tank outlet 65 .

At least a part of the weir 66, which has a mesh shape, can be easily removed, and the trouble of removing the drain tank 6 and cleaning the dust, hair, etc. collected in the mesh shape can be reduced. can. For example, the mesh-shaped portion 661 may be configured to be removable upward from a weir body portion 662 that protrudes upward from the inner bottom surface 61 a of the drain tank 6 . That is, the mesh-shaped portion 661 may be detachably attached to the weir body portion 662 .

In the above description, the case of discharging water from the drain tank outlet 65 to the outside space is shown. A drain pipe may be provided outside the tank drain port 65 to drain water to a location far away from the drain tank 6 . That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 , a drain pipe 80 through which water drained from the drain tank outlet 65 flows may be attached to the drain tank outlet 65 . In this case, it is also possible to obtain an effect that clogging of the drain pipe can be suppressed.

In the above description, the case where the water receiving/drainage port 5 is formed by providing a step between the fixed bottom surface portion 41b and the removable bottom surface portion 42b is shown. The water receiving and draining port 5 may be formed in a shape.

In the hand dryer 100 configured as described above, when the water blown off from the hands is drained to the outside of the hand dryer 100, the water blown off from the hands is temporarily stored in the drain tank 6, and is stored in the drain tank. 6 is surely sterilized by the antibacterial agent of the antibacterial element 70 and then discharged. Then, even when water is stored in the drain tank 6 and foreign matter is mixed in the water stored in the drain tank 6, depending on the material of the foreign matter, it can be dissolved or softened by the antibacterial agent, and the foreign matter can be eliminated or It is possible to facilitate the flow of foreign matter. As a result, the hand dryer 100 can drain water out of the drain tank 6 while suppressing the clogging of the drain tank drain port 65 and the generation of odors.

Further, the hand dryer 100 is provided with the weir 66 so that when the water level of the water stored in the water storage area 63 exceeds the height of the weir 66, the water stored in the water storage area 63 is discharged to the drainage area 64. It is guided and drained out of the drain tank 6 from the drain tank outlet 65 . As a result, in the hand dryer 100 , the water blown off from the hands and flowed into the drain tank 6 is not drained out of the drain tank 6 immediately, but is stored in the water storage area 63 . As a result, the time for eluting the antibacterial agent of the antibacterial element 70 into the water flowing into the drain tank 6 is ensured, and the time is ensured that the water flowing into the drain tank 6 is surely sterilized by the antibacterial agent of the antibacterial element 70. It is

Also, when the water is stored in the water storage area 63 to a position directly below the height of the weir 66, the water dripping from the water receiving/drainage port 5 into the water storage area 63 is prevented from immediately passing over the weir 66 and flowing into the drainage area 64. In addition, the water receiving outlet 5 and the drain tank outlet 65 are arranged with a predetermined separation distance therebetween when viewed from above. The separation distance may be determined in consideration of various conditions such as the amount of the antibacterial agent contained in the bead-shaped water-soluble glass impregnated with the antibacterial agent and the easiness of elution of the antibacterial agent into water.

Although the water receiving portion 4 is divided into the fixed bottom portion 41b and the detachable bottom portion 42b in the above description, the water receiving portion 4 is integrally formed as a whole, and only the drain tank 6 is detachable. may be structured.

Next, the operation of the hand drying device 100 when the user uses the hand drying device 100 to dry his hands will be described. When the power switch of the operation switch section is turned on, the hand dryer 100 is ready for use by energizing the control circuit.

When the user puts a wet hand into the hand insertion portion 3 from the hand insertion opening 2 to the vicinity of the wrist, the insertion of the hand into the hand insertion portion 3 is detected by the hand detection sensor 13 . When the hand detection sensor 13 detects that the hand is inserted into the hand insertion portion 3, the hand detection sensor 13 transmits a hand detection signal to the control circuit. The control circuit operates the high-pressure airflow generator 8 based on the hand detection signal transmitted from the hand detection sensor 13 .

When the high-pressure airflow generator 8 is activated, the air outside the hand dryer 100 is sucked from the air intake 9 provided in the maintenance panel 15 . Air sucked from the intake port 9 is sucked into the intake air passage 10 .

The air sucked into the air intake passage 10 passes through the air intake passage 10 and is sucked from the suction side of the high-pressure air flow generating device 8 . The high-pressure airflow generator 8 converts the air sucked from the intake side into high-pressure air and exhausts it from the exhaust side. The high-pressure air discharged from the high-pressure airflow generator 8 passes through the exhaust air passage 11, is converted from the nozzle 12 into a high-speed airflow with high kinetic energy, and is blown downward into the hand insertion portion 3. The jetting direction of the high-speed airflow jetted from the nozzle 12 is configured to be slightly tilted toward the rear side rather than directly downward.

The high-speed airflow blown out from the nozzle 12 hits the wet hand inserted in the hand inserting part 3, peels and blows off the moisture adhering to the hand from the surface of the hand, and can dry the hand. Furthermore, by inserting and withdrawing the hand in the hand inserting portion 3, all water droplets adhering to the entire hand are removed, and the hand is dried. When the heater switch (not shown) is turned on, the heater 14 is energized and the high-pressure air passing through the exhaust air passage 11 is heated. Also, the feeling of use is improved.

The water blown off from the hand is received by the water receiving part 4, flows downward on the surface of the water receiving part 4, and is stored in the drain tank 6 via the water receiving drain port 5. - 特許庁

When the hand is pulled out from the hand insertion portion 3 after the hand drying process is finished, the hand detection sensor 13 detects that the hand is pulled out from the hand insertion portion 3. - 特許庁When the hand detection sensor 13 detects that the hand has been removed from the hand insertion portion 3, the hand detection sensor 13 transmits a non-detection signal to the control circuit. The control circuit stops the high-pressure airflow generator 8 based on the non-detection signal sent from the hand detection sensor 13 . Water droplets blown off from the hand flow down toward a water receiving/draining port 5 at the bottom of a water receiving part 4 having a forward tilting structure, and are stored in a drain tank 6 from the water receiving/draining port 5.例文帳に追加Note that the hand detection sensor 13 may be configured to stop transmission of the hand detection signal without transmitting the non-detection signal when there is no hand in the hand insertion portion 3 .

As described above, the hand dryer 100 temporarily stores the water blown off the hands in the drain tank 6, sterilizes the water stored in the drain tank 6 with the antibacterial element 70, and then drains the water from the drain tank outlet 65. do. As a result, the hand dryer 100 does not require draining work by the administrator even when it is used frequently, and maintenance is easy.

In addition, the hand dryer 100 can suppress the occurrence of odor and slime from the water accumulated in the drain tank 6 by the granular antibacterial agent eluted from the antibacterial element 70, and the drain tank outlet 65 provided in the drain tank 6 and the accumulation of dirt on the drain pipe 80 attached to the drain tank outlet 65 can be reduced. As a result, in the hand dryer 100, the drain tank outlet 65 provided in the drain tank 6 and the drain pipe 80 attached to the drain tank outlet 65 are not clogged with accumulated dirt, and the drain tank 6 is frequently cleaned. It is possible to obtain a clean and easy-to-maintain hand dryer 100.

Therefore, according to the hand dryer 100, it is not necessary for a manager to perform a draining operation of the water accumulated in the drain tank 6, and maintenance is easy and a clean state can be maintained.

The configuration shown in the above embodiment shows an example of the content of the present invention, and it is possible to combine it with another known technology, and one configuration can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is also possible to omit or change the part.

1 casing, 1a side surface, 2 hand insertion port, 3 hand insertion portion, 4 water receiving portion, 4a rear side water receiving portion, 4b bottom side water receiving portion, 5 water receiving drain port, 6 drain tank, 7 base, 8 high pressure Airflow generator 9 Intake port 10 Intake air passage 11 Exhaust air passage 12 Nozzle 13 Hand detection sensor 14 Heater 15 Maintenance panel 41b Fixed bottom surface 42b Removable bottom surface 61 Bottom 61a Inner bottom , 62 wall portion, 63 water storage area, 64 drainage area, 65 drain tank outlet, 66 weir, 70 antibacterial element, 80 drainage pipe, 100 hand dryer, 661 mesh shape portion, 662 weir body.

Claims (9)

a casing provided with a nozzle for ejecting an air flow toward a processing space in which a hand can be placed;
an air blower that is housed in the casing and sends out the air flow from the nozzle;
a drain tank having a water storage area for storing water blown away from the hand by the airflow jetted from the nozzle, and a drain tank outlet for draining the water stored in the water storage area to the outside;
an antibacterial element disposed in the water storage area to sterilize water stored in the water storage area;
with
The drain tank is
a weir provided on the inner bottom surface of the drain tank and having a height lower than the height of the side wall of the drain tank;
a drainage area separated from the water storage area by the weir;
with
The drain tank outlet is provided in the drainage area;
A hand dryer characterized by: a water receiving portion provided above the drain tank for receiving water blown off the hand;
a water receiving/draining port provided at the bottom of the water receiving portion for causing water received by the water receiving portion to flow downward;
with
At least part of the water storage area is positioned vertically below the water receiving/drainage port;
A hand dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least part of the antibacterial element is arranged directly below the water receiving/drainage port;
3. A hand dryer according to claim 2, characterized in that: At least part of the weir is a mesh-shaped portion having a mesh-shaped shape;
4. A hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that: At least part of the weir is the removable mesh-shaped part;
5. A hand dryer according to claim 4 , characterized in that: The antibacterial element contains an alkaline antibacterial agent;
A hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , characterized in that: The antibacterial element includes a plurality of granular water-soluble glasses impregnated with an antibacterial agent;
A hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , characterized in that: The water-soluble glass is placed in a container having a mesh shape or a bag having a mesh shape;
8. A hand dryer according to claim 7 , characterized in that: A drain pipe through which water discharged from the drain tank outlet flows is attached to the drain tank outlet;
A hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , characterized in that:

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