JP2001299636A - Hand dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hand dryer drying the hands by a high speed jet while circulating an air flow, splashing no waterdrop separated from the hands to the outside and capable of supplying a warm jet even if a heating means is not separately arranged. SOLUTION: This hand dryer is provided with an electric air blower 1 being arranged in the lower part of a body 2 for forming the contour and blowing the air flow, a drying chamber 4 being positioned above this electric air blower 1 and drying the hands inserted from an upper surface opening part 3, a blowout hole 5 being arranged in the inside surface of this drying chamber 4 and blowing out the air flow sent from the electric air blower 1, a suction port 9 arranged in a lower part of the inside surface of the drying chamber for recovering the air flow blown out of the blowout hole 5, a circulating passage 7 for communicating the suction port 9 with the suction side 1a of the electric air blower 1 and air blowing passages 6a and 6b for communicating the air blowing side 1b of the electric air blower 1 with the blowing-off hole 5. A part of the circulating passage 7 is formed as a bottom flow part 7b arranged under the suction side 1a of the electric air blower 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hand drying apparatus used in a washroom, a toilet, a kitchen or the like to dry hands wet by washing with water or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hand-drying device that hygienically dries hands by holding hands over the blown hot air instead of wiping hands wet with water or the like with a towel or handkerchief has been practically used. Has been For example, those that can be used as a hair dryer, those that have an additional function such as sterilization by ultraviolet rays, and those that improve the heating efficiency by forming a blowing fan blade with a heating element have been developed. In these methods, an air flow is generated by rotating a blowing means including sirocco type blades by an induction motor, and the air flow is heated by a heating means including an electric heater to blow hot air to a hand insertion portion. Basically, since the moisture of wet hands is evaporated and dried with heat, it takes about 2
It requires 0 seconds to 1 minute, and is inconvenient.

[0003] An improved version of this has been developed, and for example, the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-75915 is known. As shown in FIG. 5, the hand dryer blows an air flow blown from a high-pressure air flow generator 51 through an upper blow nozzle 52 and a lower blow nozzle 53 onto both sides of the hand as a high-speed jet at the same time. The hand inserted from step 3 is blown off and dried. As a measure against the winter season, an external heating device 54 is also provided.

[0004]

However, in the hand drying device that blows off moisture by a high-speed jet as in the above-described conventional example, water droplets separated from the hand are scattered outside the main body from the hand insertion portion or the open side surface. However, there is a problem that it is inconvenient at a site where a clean indoor environment is required, such as a hospital.

Further, for example, in the winter season, since the outside air to be sucked in is cold and the jet blown to the hands is also cold, there is another problem that a means for heating the air must be provided separately so as not to give a hard-to-use cold air feeling.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, drying hands with a high-speed jet while circulating an air flow, preventing water droplets separated from the hands from scattering to the outside, and providing a warm jet without separate heating means. It is an object of the present invention to provide a hand-drying device capable of supplying a liquid.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric blower disposed below a main body forming an outer shell to blow an air flow, and a top opening portion located above the electric blower. A drying chamber for drying the hand inserted from the outlet, an ejection hole arranged on the inner surface of the drying chamber for ejecting the airflow blown from the electric blower, and an airflow ejected from the ejection hole for collecting the airflow. An air inlet disposed below the inner surface of the drying chamber, a circulation flow path communicating the air intake with the suction side of the electric blower, and a blow air flow path communicating the blow side of the electric blower with the ejection hole; It is characterized in that a part of the flow path is an underflow portion disposed below the suction side of the electric blower.

According to the present invention, the airflow sucked from the intake port and passing through the circulation passage passes from the suction side of the electric blower, and is ejected from the outlet through the airflow passage from the blower side of the electric blower. The water droplets are swept at a high speed, peeled off while being sucked in by the air inlet, and the circulation and the air blowing are repeated as described above to quickly dry the wet hands. Therefore, the separated water droplets are not easily scattered outside the main body, do not wet the surroundings, and can supply warm air circulated at high speed without a heating means. In addition, since the electric blower is disposed below the drying chamber, the electric blower is compact when viewed from the hand insertion direction. Further, in the bottom flow portion which is a part of the circulation flow path, the water droplets can be separated from the circulating air flow including the water droplets separated from the hand.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the circulation path between the intake port and the underflow portion is formed in a substantially straight line in a substantially vertical direction. By accelerating the airflow vertically downward, separation of water droplets at the bottom flow portion of the circulation flow channel using inertia can be performed more reliably. Further, according to the third aspect, by providing the drain hole in the underflow portion, water droplets separated from the circulating airflow can be discharged from the drain hole to the outside of the main body.

Further, in the above-mentioned respective structures, by making the whole or a part of the circulation channel detachable from the main body, it is possible to easily clean the circulation channel such as washing. . Further, a drain tank is provided below the drain hole provided in the bottom flow portion as in claim 5, the drain tank and the whole or a part of the circulation flow path are integrally formed, and they are detachable from the main body. According to this, it is possible to collect water droplets in the drain tank and to facilitate cleaning such as cleaning of the drain tank and the circulation channel.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the drain tank and the circulation channel, which can be integrally attached and detached, or the whole or a part of the circulation channel are separable, the surfaces to be cleaned of the drain tank and the circulation channel are fully opened. Since the state can be set, cleaning such as cleaning can be more easily performed.

In each of the above constructions, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the filter is provided near the suction side of the electric blower in the bottom flow portion of the circulation flow path, so that the electric blower sucks in foreign matter and dust. Can be prevented.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the filter and the circulating flow path are integrally or integrally formed and made detachable from the main body. The hand dryer is easy to clean.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the filter and the circulation channel, which can be detached integrally, can be separated completely or partially, so that the surfaces to be cleaned of the filter and the circulation channel are fully open. Therefore, cleaning such as cleaning can be more easily performed.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric blower for blowing an air flow, a drying chamber for drying an inserted hand, and an air flow provided on the inner surface of the drying chamber and blown from the electric blower. An outlet that blows out, a blower channel that communicates the blower side of the electric blower with the blower hole, and a main body that covers the electric blower and the blower flow path to form an outer shell, and detaches or attaches the entire or part of the drying chamber from the main body. It is characterized by being free.

According to this invention, the same operation as that of the first aspect of the invention is achieved, and the drying chamber is detachable from the main body, so that the cleaning of the drying chamber which is easily stained due to the adhesion of water drops after insufficient cleaning. Etc. can be easily cleaned.

Further, in each of the above-mentioned structures, a cleaning maintenance time for notifying the timing of cleaning the whole or a part of the drying chamber, the whole or a part of the circulation channel, the drain tank or the filter. According to the provision of the display means, it is possible to prompt the administrator to perform cleaning maintenance.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the entire configuration of a hand drying apparatus according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG.

First, the configuration of the hand drying device will be described. 1
Is an electric blower that blows an air flow. Reference numeral 4 denotes a drying chamber for drying a hand inserted from a hand insertion portion (opening portion) 3 whose upper surface is open, and a blowing hole 5 for blowing an air flow blown by the electric blower 1 to an inlet portion (upper side of the inner surface). Back (below inner surface)
The air inlet 9 collects the air flow ejected from the ejection hole 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the drying chamber 4 refers to an inner space surrounded by a drying chamber panel 4a bent to have a U-shaped cross section and two side plates 31 closing the side opening. ,
Except for the air inlet 9 and the hand insertion part 3, the wall is surrounded by a wall. The housing constituting the main body 2 of the hand drying device is formed in a box shape including the side plates 31, the drying chamber 4 is formed in an upper open space, and the electric blower 1 is accommodated below the drying chamber 4. 1 blower side 1b (FIG. 3) and outlet 5
Channels 6a and 6b communicating with the air blower, and a circulation channel 7 connecting the intake port 9 and the suction side 1a of the electric blower 1 (FIG. 2).
(Part of), and has a compact form when viewed from the hand insertion direction.

The inlet 9 is smaller than the outlet 5 (2 to 5 m).
m), which is substantially mesh or lattice-like, and is arranged on one side (the right side in FIGS. 1 and 2) at the back of the drying chamber 4. The suction side 1a of the electric blower 1 is disposed on the opposite side (the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2), and the suction side 1a is turned sideways or backward when viewed from the user (when standing side in front of FIG. 1). Orientation (horizontal in the figure). Immediately before the suction side 1a of the electric blower 1, a protection filter 36 having a substantially mesh-like and smaller in size (about 2 to 5 mm) and having high rigidity (metal or the like) is provided.

The air flow channels 6a and 6b communicate with each other, occupy substantially the entire left and right width in the main body 2, and have a sufficiently large cross-sectional area (about 10 times or more the size of the ejection hole 5). The circulation flow path 7 has a large cross-sectional area (about 5 times or more the size of the ejection hole 5), and as shown in FIG. 2, 7a is a vertical part having a substantially linear and gradually changing cross-sectional area. Is an underflow portion located below the electric blower 1 and passing through the lower portion of the main body 2. A drain hole 32a is provided in the underflow portion 7b at a position slightly below and slightly below the vertical portion 7a, and an opening 33 of the main body 2 provided downstream of the drain hole 32a and in front of the suction side 1a of the electric blower 1.
Is provided with a substantially mesh-like filter 35 of about 1 mm or less. A drain tank 34 is provided below the bottom flow portion 7b of the circulation channel 7 so as to receive the drain hole 32a. As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom box body 3 having the bottom flow portion 7 b of the circulation flow path 7 mounted on the drain tank 34 as an internal space.
The filter 2 and the filter 35 attached to the upper surface opening (the opening 33) of the bottom box 32 are integrally detachable from the main body 2 based on the drain tank 34, and are also separable.

As shown in FIG. 4, the side wall surface of the drying chamber 4 is constituted by a side plate 31 of a light transmitting body capable of daylighting, so that sufficient daylighting can be achieved at the time of use and the inside of the drying chamber 4 can be seen through from the outside. Therefore, it is possible to reduce a feeling of strangeness, rejection, fear, and the like of inserting a hand into a closed space.
These side plates 31 can be freely inserted and removed along grooves or claws (not shown) provided on the front and rear surfaces of the drying chamber 4.
It is detachable from the drying room panel 4a. Further, the drying chamber panel 4a itself constituting the drying chamber 4 is also detachable.

Reference numeral 37 denotes a display unit provided on the upper surface of the main body 2 for displaying an energized state and various indications by turning off, lighting, and blinking of an LED, a pilot lamp, and the like.
The cleaning tank includes a cleaning maintenance time display unit 38 for notifying the timing of cleaning maintenance of the drain tank 34 and the filter 35. Reference numeral 43 shown in FIG. 2 denotes a control means which is housed in the waterproof case 42, takes in a signal of a sensor (not shown),
And the electric blower 1 is driven.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When a hand is inserted into the drying chamber 4 from the hand insertion section 3, a sensor (not shown) detects this and drives the electric blower 1. Then, the airflow sucked from the intake port 9 is blown from the blower side 1b of the electric blower 1, and is guided to the ejection holes 5 through the blower channels 6a and 6b. In the ventilation channels 6a and 6b,
As described above, since the cross-sectional area is sufficiently large compared to the ejection hole 5, the compressed state becomes substantially uniform, and a stable high-speed jet can be ejected from the ejection hole 5. As shown in FIG. 3, the ejection holes 5 are provided to face each other so as to spray a jet at the same time on both sides of the palm and the back of the hand, and the ejection direction is set to the depth direction of the drying chamber 4, that is, the downward direction in FIG. Finger direction: hand not shown) slightly (5-10
゜). The air flow after the ejection is sucked into the intake port 9. Therefore, the jet collides strongly with the surface of the wet hand, and smoothly sweeps and separates water droplets in the depth direction of the drying chamber 4 at high speed, so that the hand can be dried in a short time.

The separated water droplets are sucked by the suction port 9 and the side plate 31 which is open in the prior art is
Due to the wall structure covered by, it hardly scatters around. Further, the suction port 9 is connected to the suction side 1a of the electric blower 1.
The airflow noise generated by the electric blower 1 is unlikely to leak to the drying chamber 4 and the noise heard by the user is suppressed.

The air flow sucked from the air inlet 9 is guided to the suction side 1a of the electric blower 1 through the circulation channel 7, is sucked from the air inlet, and is blown again as an air flow. The temperature of the blown air flow is increased by repeatedly passing through the electric blower 1 and repeatedly compressed by the blower passages 6a and 6b, so that warm air is supplied from the ejection holes 5 without providing additional heating means. can do. At this time,
As shown in FIG. 2, the water droplets sucked into the intake port 9 together with the air flow are accelerated vertically downward along the air flow in the vertical portion 7 a of the circulation flow path 7, and at the bent position to the bottom flow portion 7 b, It is dropped and separated to a position substantially corresponding to the drain hole 32 a by inertia and collected in the drain tank 34. The filter 35 mainly prevents dust from flowing into the electric blower 1.

When the usage period reaches a predetermined number of hours (days), the cleaning maintenance time display means 38 performs a predetermined display,
Drying room 4 (drying room panel 4a and side plate 31), circulation channel 7
(Including the inside of the bottom box 32), the drain tank 34, and the cleaning of the filter 35 are urged to the administrator. The administrator performs cleaning maintenance based on the display on the cleaning maintenance time display means 38. At the time of maintenance, a power switch (not shown) is temporarily turned off to perform cleaning, but the drying chamber panel 4a, the side plate 31, the bottom box 32,
All or any of the drain tank 34 and the filter 35 can be detached from the main body 2 and separated, and can be washed while being exposed to running water to give physical force. After the cleaning is completed, the removed parts are mounted on the main body 2 again, and the power switch is turned on. At this time, the cleaning maintenance time display means 38
Is reset, and a predetermined number of hours is counted from zero. Even if cleaning is performed without turning off the power by mistake, the electric blower 1 is protected by the protective filter 36, and the circulation channel 7 is prevented from entering or flowing into the circulation channel 7 by the mesh structure of the air inlet 9. These prevent finger or foreign matter from flowing into the electric blower 1 or the circulation channel 7 even during normal use.
Is discharged from

The above-mentioned hand drying apparatus is used for drying the washed hands, but if the washing is insufficient, the water droplets contain dust and dirt components. is there. For this reason, dirt will inevitably adhere to the inside of the drying chamber 4 and the circulation channel 7 due to long-term use.
For this reason, in this embodiment, it is configured to be easy to clean,
It is very easy to use.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the airflow blown by the electric blower 1 flows from the blower side 1b to the blower flow path 6b.
a, 6b, to the ejection hole 5, and the air flow from the ejection hole 5 circulates from the intake port 9 to the suction side 1a of the electric blower 1 through the circulation flow path 7, so that the wet separated at high speed. Water droplets of the hand can be prevented from scattering outside the main body 2. In addition, since the side of the drying chamber 4 is closed by the side plate 31, scattering can be more reliably prevented. For this reason, it can be used even in a place where a clean indoor environment is required, such as a hospital or a food counter.

Further, since the electric blower 1 is arranged below the drying chamber 4, it can be installed on a wall or the like in a space-saving manner in a compact form as viewed from the hand insertion direction.

Further, since the air flow circulates while passing through the electric blower 1, warm air can be blown out without any additional heating means, and hands can be dried comfortably, especially in winter.

In addition, the simple bent configuration of the circulation channel 7 from the vertical portion 7a to the underflow portion 7b allows water droplets separated from the hand to be efficiently collected while suppressing the channel pressure loss.

The drying chamber 4 (the drying chamber panel 4a and the side plate 31), the circulation channel 7 (including the inside of the bottom box 32), the drain tank 34, and the filter 35 are detachable and detachable from the main body 2. By notifying the administrator of the cleaning timing and cleaning and cleaning them, it is possible to maintain a clean feeling for a long period of time.

In the above-described embodiment, the ejection holes 5 are described as having a structure in which the ejection holes 5 are provided so as to be opposed to both sides of the palm and the back of the hand so as to simultaneously eject the ejection flows. However, the invention is not limited to this. Or one-handed.

The airtight seal is provided between the bottom box 32 and the main body 2 constituting the bottom flow portion 7b, that is, the detachable joint of the circulation flow path 7 in principle. There is no problem even if there is a gap and there is inflow of outside air, as long as the amount of suction from the nozzle 9 is reduced and splashing of water droplets around and splashing back to the user is not a problem.

The net or lattice of the intake port 9 may be made detachable from the main body 2, and the vertical portion 7a of the circulation flow path 7 may be made detachable from the main body 2 (for example, downward). May be detachable integrally with the side plate 31.

The method of determining and displaying the timing of the cleaning maintenance time display means 38 is not particularly limited as long as it informs the administrator of an appropriate maintenance time.
The power may be automatically turned off using various sensors when the detachable parts are removed.

The drain hole 32a and the drain tank 34
It is possible to change, for example, depending on the amount of collected moisture (frequency of use) and the installation environment. In the case of separation by the amount of recovery, when the amount of recovery is small, the drain hole 32a is not provided and air is naturally dried in the circulation flow path 7. When the amount of recovery is large, the drain hole 32a and the drain tank 34 are provided. It is conceivable to provide only the hole 32a. However, when only the drain hole 32a is provided, attention must be paid to its position and size so that water droplets do not flow backward due to the airflow flowing from the drain hole 32a.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to dry hands quickly with a warm high-speed jet while circulating an air flow in a compact main body and without scattering water droplets to the outside. The water droplets circulated together with the air flow can be collected at the bottom or discharged out of the main body without requiring an installation space and requiring a separate heating means. Also,
By separating and detaching each component from the main body, cleaning such as cleaning can be easily and carefully performed, a clean feeling can be maintained for a long time, and cleaning is performed by notifying the administrator of the cleaning timing Maintenance becomes easy. Further, by providing a filter so that foreign matter and the like do not enter the circulation flow path or the air flow path, drying can be performed with clean air safely.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a hand drying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view showing the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary exploded perspective view showing a detachable part according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a vertical side view showing a configuration of a conventional hand drying device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric blower 1a Suction side 1b Blowing side 3 Hand insertion part (open part of the upper surface) 4 Drying chamber 5 Spout hole 6a Blowing flow path 6b Blowing flow path 7 Circulation flow path 7a Vertical part 7b Bottom flow part 9 Intake port 32a Drain hole 34 Drain tank 35 Filter 38 Cleaning maintenance time display means

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Toshi Enguchi 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Eiichi Tanaka 1006 Oji Kadoma Kadoma City, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masami Fukumoto 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kazuma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 5-1-1, Koiehonmachi, Ichi-shi Inax Corporation

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An electric blower arranged below a main body forming an outer shell to blow an air flow, a drying chamber located above the electric blower and drying a hand inserted from an upper opening portion, An ejection hole that is arranged on the inner surface of the drying chamber and ejects the airflow blown from the electric blower, and an intake port that is arranged below the inner surface of the drying chamber to collect the airflow ejected from the ejection hole, A circulation flow path that communicates between the intake port and the suction side of the electric blower, and a ventilation flow path that communicates between the blow side of the electric blower and the ejection hole, and a part of the circulation flow path is provided from the suction side of the electric blower. A hand-drying device characterized by a bottom-flow portion disposed below. 2. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the circulation flow path between the air inlet and the underflow portion is formed substantially linearly in a substantially vertical direction. 3. The hand drying device according to claim 1, wherein a drain hole is provided in a bottom flow portion of the circulation flow path. 4. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the whole or a part of the circulation channel is detachable from the main body. 5. A drain tank is provided below the drain hole,
4. The hand drying device according to claim 3, wherein the drain tank and the circulation flow path are integrally or partially formed integrally, and they are detachable from the main body. 6. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the drain tank and the circulation channel, which are integrally detachable, can be entirely or partially separated. 7. The filter according to claim 1, wherein a filter is provided in a bottom stream portion of the circulation flow passage near the suction side of the electric blower.
A hand drying device according to the item. 8. The hand drying device according to claim 7, wherein the filter and the circulation channel are integrally or partly integrated, and are detachable from the main body. 9. The hand dryer according to claim 8, wherein the filter which can be integrally attached and detached and the whole or a part of the circulation channel can be freely separated. 10. An electric blower for blowing an air flow, a drying chamber for drying an inserted hand, an ejection hole arranged on an inner surface of the drying chamber for jetting the air flow blown from the electric blower, It is provided with a blower flow path communicating the blower side of the blower and the ejection hole, and a main body that covers the electric blower and the blower flow path to form an outer shell, wherein the whole or a part of the drying chamber is detachable from the main body. Hand drying equipment. 11. A whole or a part of a drying chamber, or a whole or a part of a circulation channel, or a drain tank,
The hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a cleaning maintenance time display unit that notifies a timing of cleaning maintenance of the filter.