JP2000245652A - Hand drier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hand drier capable of easily keeping clean a water section such as a water discharge pipe and a water storage tank connected to the pipe. SOLUTION: This hand drier 1 is provided with a drying chamber 2 for inserting wet hands, a blower 3 for feeding air into the drying chamber 2, the water storage tank 4 for storing the water dropped from the hands into the drying chamber 2 and the water discharge pipe 5 for communicating the drying chamber 2 and the water storage tank 4, etc. The air is powerfully blown to the wet hands inside the drying chamber 2, thus the water stuck to the hands is blown off and the blown water is stored in the tank 4 through the water discharge pipe 5 connected to the water discharge port of the drying chamber 2. The water discharge pipe 5 is freely attachably and detachably connected to the water discharge port by a screwing structure. In the case that the water discharge pipe 5 is stained, the water discharge pipe 5 is detached from the water discharge port and singly cleaned without being limited by the drying chamber 2 and the tank 4 and thus, the water section of the drier 1 are kept clean.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hand that blows air onto a wet hand immediately after washing and blows off moisture adhering to the hand, for example, in a public toilet. Dryer related.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are several types of hand dryers, for example, a drying chamber into which wet hands are inserted, a blower for blowing air into the drying chamber vigorously, and a hand dryer in a drying chamber. Some are provided with a water storage tank in which the water is stored, a drain pipe communicating the drying chamber with the water storage tank, and the like.

When the user's hand is inserted into the drying chamber opened at the upper front side in the above-mentioned hand dryer, the hand-sensing sensor detects the fact and transmits it to the control unit. Let it. When the blower is activated, the air is blown into the drying chamber vigorously and the water adhering to the hands is blown off, so the water separated from the hands is connected to the drying chamber and bonded by welding or adhesive. It is stored in a water storage tank located below the drying chamber through a drain pipe that is provided. When the user judges that his / her hand is sufficiently dry and pulls his / her hand out of the drying room, the hand-sensing sensor detects this and notifies the control unit, and the control unit stops the operation of the blower. Thus, the hand drying operation by the hand dryer is completed.

[0004]

The drying chamber of the hand dryer is formed in such a size that a human hand can be easily inserted into the drying chamber. Washing and disinfection can be performed manually using a cloth soaked with water. In addition, since the water storage tank can also be freely removed from the main body of the hand dryer, the water stored in the water storage tank can be discarded, and at that time, washing and disinfection can be performed using a detergent or a disinfectant solution.

[0005] However, the drain pipe provided in communication with the drying chamber is fixed to the drying chamber by welding or an adhesive, so that the drain pipe alone cannot be removed and washed. The drain pipe is connected to the interior of the drying chamber and has a small inner diameter.Thus, a cloth or the like impregnated with detergent or disinfectant is passed through the drain pipe to remove dirt attached to the inner wall surface. It is also very difficult to wipe off and disinfect. For this reason, it is difficult to maintain the sanitary condition of the drainpipe in a good condition, and it is likely to adversely affect the sanitary condition around the water such as the water storage tank.

An object of the present invention is to provide a hand dryer which can easily keep a drain pipe communicating with a drying chamber and a water storage tank clean.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hand dryer including a drying chamber into which a wet hand is inserted, and air blown toward the hand in the drying chamber. An air blower, a water storage tank detachably disposed below the drying chamber for storing water separated from the hand, and a drain pipe connected to the drying chamber for guiding the separated water to the water storage tank. Wherein the drain pipe is detachable from the drying chamber and the water storage tank.

According to the hand dryer of the present invention, since the drainpipe is detachable from the drying chamber and the water storage tank, when the drainpipe becomes dirty, the drainpipe is removed from the drying chamber and the water storage tank to stand alone. Can be washed.
Therefore, it is easy to keep the drainage pipe and the surroundings of the drying chamber and the water storage tank which are continuous as a water channel in a clean state.

In practicing the first aspect of the present invention, the apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention further includes a drain pipe detecting device for detecting whether the drain pipe is attached to or detached from the drying chamber. It is preferable that the apparatus includes a control unit that enables the blower to operate when the drain pipe is detected.

[0010] According to the hand dryer of the present invention, in addition to the operation of the first aspect of the present invention, in order to clean the drain pipe, the drain pipe detecting device is provided with the drain pipe detecting device when the drain pipe is removed from the drying chamber. Is not detected, so that the blower is not operated by the control unit. Therefore, even if the user inserts his / her wet hand into the drying chamber during the drain pipe cleaning operation, air is not sent from the blower into the drying chamber.
Therefore, the moisture adhering to the hand is blown off by the air sent from the blower, so that it is possible to prevent the moisture from dripping into the inside of the hand dryer from the drying chamber with the drain pipe removed.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A hand dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hand dryer 1 has a drying chamber 2 into which a wet hand is inserted, and a drying chamber 2 into which a wet hand is inserted. It has a blower 3 for feeding air, a water storage tank 4 for storing water dropped into the drying chamber 2 from the hand, and a drain pipe 5 for communicating the drying chamber 2 with the water storage tank 4.

The drying chamber 2 is, as shown in FIG.
The upper part of the dryer main body 1a is provided to be inclined in the thickness direction of the dryer main body 1a so that the front side is higher and the back side is lower. On the front side of the drying chamber 2, a hand insertion port 6 for inserting a hand into the drying chamber 2 is provided to be opened. A hand detection sensor 7 for detecting whether or not is inserted using infrared rays or the like is provided. Drying room 2
The innermost and lowermost lower end portion is used as a water receiving portion 8, and water dropped into the drying chamber 2 from wet hands is once collected here. As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom wall of the water receiving portion 8 is provided with a drain port 9 formed of a short cylindrical portion projecting downward, and the water collected in the water receiving portion 8 The water is drained from the drain port 9 into the drain pipe 5. The drain port 9 has a female screw 9a on its inner peripheral surface.

A drain pipe 5 made of metal, soft vinyl chloride, or other synthetic resin has a male screw 5 at its upper end.
As shown in FIG. 3, it is attached to the drain port 9 of the water receiving section 8 by screwing so as to be freely detachable. The drain pipe 5 extends downward from the water receiving portion 8, and the lower end opposite to the water receiving portion 8 is provided in the water storage tank 4 which is detachably disposed below the drying chamber 2. It is removably inserted into the upper part. The drain pipe 5 is preferably made of stainless steel having high antibacterial properties. Alternatively, even in the case of a synthetic resin tube, an antibacterial coating may be applied to the inner surface. In these cases, the generation of mold and the like can be effectively suppressed by the antibacterial action, and therefore, it is excellent in that the number of regular cleanings of the drain pipe 5 can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 4, between the drain pipe 5 and the inner back side of the hand dryer 1, it is determined whether or not the drain pipe 5 is attached to the drain port 9 by using infrared rays or the like. A drain pipe detection sensor 10 as a drain pipe detection device for detecting is installed.

The water storage tank 4 is located below the drying chamber 2.
It is arranged detachably with respect to the dryer main body 1a.
The water storage tank 4 is removed from the dryer main body 1a as appropriate, and the water stored in the tank 4 is discarded in a not-shown washroom or the like. Further, the water storage tank 4 can be used repeatedly by attaching it to the dryer main body 1a again. A part or the whole of the rear wall of the dryer main body 1a is openable and closable, and the drain pipe 5 and the water storage tank 4 are attached and detached by opening the part.

Similarly, a blower 3 for blowing air into the drying chamber 2 is provided below the drying chamber 2. The blower 3 has a motor 14 and a fan (not shown) therein, and forcibly sends air into the drying chamber 2 through the plurality of air supply hoses 11 by driving the motor 14 to rotate the fan. . The air forcedly blown out by the blower 3 includes a plurality of air supply hoses 1.
1, the air is blown vigorously from a plurality of air nozzles 12 connected to one ends thereof toward a hand inserted into the drying chamber 2. The air nozzles 12 are provided to penetrate the upper wall surface and the left and right side wall surfaces of the drying chamber 2 when the drying chamber 2 is viewed from the front side of the hand dryer 1. For this reason, the moisture adhering to the surface of the hand can be mainly blown downward by the air which is vigorously sent into the drying chamber 2 from the plurality of air nozzles 12.

The blower 3 is connected to the hand sensor 7 and the drain pipe sensor 10 via a control unit 13, and its operation is controlled by the control unit 13. That is, even if the hand detection sensor 7 detects that a hand has been inserted into the drying
When the drain pipe detection sensor 10 detects that the drain pipe 5 is not attached to the control unit 13, the fact is transmitted from the drain pipe detection sensor 10 to the control unit 13 as an electric signal, and the control unit 13 Then, the operation of the blower 3 is kept stopped. In addition, the blower 3, the hand detection sensor 7, the drainage pipe detection sensor 10, the control unit 13, and the like are installed at the upper part on the back side inside the dryer main body 1a.
It is connected to an external power supply (not shown) via the C / DC converter 15.

The hand drying operation by the hand dryer 1 having the above-described configuration will be described.

For example, when a wet hand immediately after washing in a washroom or the like is inserted into the drying chamber 2 through the hand insertion port 6, the hand sensor 7 is inserted into the drying chamber 2. This is detected, and the fact is transmitted to the control unit 13 as an electric signal. The control unit 13 activates the blower 3 when the drain pipe detection sensor 10 detects that the drain pipe 5 is attached to the drain port 9. The air forced out of the blower 3 is passed through the air supply hose 11,
A plurality of air nozzles 12 penetrating through the upper wall surface and the left and right side wall surfaces of the drying chamber 2 blast vigorously toward wet hands. Moisture adhering to the hand is blown away from the hand by the air. After the user of the hand dryer 1 confirms that the moisture adhering to the hands is sufficiently blown away from the hands and the hands are sufficiently dried, the hands are pulled out of the drying chamber 2. The control unit 13 stops the operation of the blower 3 because the control unit 13 detects this. Thus, the hand drying operation by the hand dryer 1 is completed.

In the hand drying operation by the hand dryer 1 described above, the water separated from the hands by the air which is vigorously sent into the drying chamber 2 adheres to the left and right side walls of the drying chamber 2 and then adheres to the walls. Once,
Collected in the water receiver 8. The water collected in the water receiving portion 8 is stored in the water storage tank 4 through a drain pipe 5 from a drain port 9 provided at a lowest position there. The water stored in the water storage tank 4 in this manner is discarded in a washroom or the like by removing only the water storage tank 4 from the dryer main body 1a as described above. And the empty storage tank 4
Is attached to the dryer body 1a again and used repeatedly.

The water around the drying chamber 2, the water storage tank 4, the drain pipe 5, etc., which the hand dryer 1 has therein,
Although the degree of exposure to moisture is higher than that of other parts in the hand dryer 1, the drying chamber 2 and the water storage tank 4 can be cleaned and disinfected in the drying chamber 2 and the water storage tank 4 manually at any time in a conventional manner. In addition, since the hand dryer 1 can also remove the drain pipe 5 from the drain port 9 and perform washing and disinfection at any time, it is easy to keep the area around the water clean.

That is, when the drain pipe 5 becomes dirty, the drain pipe 5 is rotated by rotating the drain pipe 5 with respect to the drain port 9 in a direction in which the engagement of the threaded portions 9a and 5a is loosened. The tube 5 can be removed, so that
The drain pipe 5 can be washed by immersing it in an aqueous solution in which a detergent is dissolved, or can be immersed in an aqueous solution in which a disinfecting solution is dissolved for disinfection. After the washing operation and the disinfection operation are completed, the drain pipe 5 can be attached to the drain port 9 again by turning the drain pipe 5 so as to screw the screw parts 9a and 5a. Sanitary drain pipe 5
Can be used repeatedly while maintaining good condition.

In the hand dryer 1, a drain pipe detecting sensor 10 for detecting whether or not the drain pipe 5 is attached to the drain port 9 of the drying chamber 2 is provided. A mechanism is provided for controlling the operation and non-operation of the blower 3 based on this. Accordingly, when a hand is inserted into the drying chamber 2 in a state where the drain pipe 5 is not attached to the drain port 9, the blower 3 is operated to send air into the drying chamber 2 and adhere to the hand. There is no danger that the water which has been blown off will be dripped from the drain port 9 into the inside of the hand dryer 1. Therefore, there is no danger that moisture will adhere to the inside of the hand dryer 1 and cause contamination, and the water inside the hand dryer 1 as well as other parts around the water will be clean and hygienic. Can be kept.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the attachment of the drain pipe 5 to the drain port 9 is not limited to a screw-in type as long as it is detachable. In addition, by installing an ultraviolet irradiation device that operates in conjunction with the blower 3 in the drying chamber 2, not only the hands but also the inside of the drying chamber 2 can be sterilized at the same time, so that it is easier to maintain cleanliness. Further, the respective sensing methods of the hand detection sensor 7 and the drain detection sensor 10 are not limited to the infrared method, and may use other light beams or magnetism. The means for operating the hand dryer 1 is not only a means for automatically switching the power ON and OFF states by the hand-sensing sensor 7 and the control unit 13, but also a means for pushing the hand dryer 1 every time the user uses the hand dryer 1. It may be a timed type in which the blower 3 or the like is operated for a while after pressing a switch of the type.

[0026]

According to the hand dryer according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, since the drain pipe can be easily removed from the drain port, the drain pipe can be easily cleaned. Therefore, the drain pipe can be kept in a clean state, and it is easy to maintain sanitary parts around the water such as a water storage tank connected to the drain pipe.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view showing a hand dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical side view showing the hand dryer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a portion A in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing a portion B in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hand dryer 2 ... Drying room 3 ... Blower 4 ... Water storage tank 5 ... Drain pipe 10 ... Drain pipe detection sensor (drain pipe detection device) 13 ... Control part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A drying chamber into which wet hands are inserted, a blower for blowing air blown toward the hands in the drying chamber, and water detachably disposed below the drying chamber and separated from the hands. And a drain connected to the drying chamber and guiding the separated water to the water storage tank, wherein the drain pipe is connected to the drying chamber and the water storage tank. A hand dryer characterized by being detachable. 2. A drainage pipe detecting device for detecting a state of attachment and detachment of the drainage pipe to and from the drying chamber, and a control unit that enables the blower to operate when the device detects the drainage pipe. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein: