JP2011218001A - Hand washer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hand washer, in which an electrode can be replaced at reduced cost.SOLUTION: The hand washer includes: a body 1 internally having a tank storage chamber 4 and a nozzle 38 for spraying electrolytic water; an electrolytic unit 9 arranged in the bottom part of the tank storage chamber 4; an electrolytic cell 10 formed inside the electrolytic unit 9 and having the electrode 26 for electrolyzing water to be electrolyzed; and a water tank 15 removably stored in the tank storage chamber 4 and supplying the water to be electrolyzed to the electrolytic cell 10. The electrolytic unit 9 is formed so as to be removable with respect to the bottom part of the tank storage chamber 4.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hand washer that cleans fingers and the like using electrolyzed water.

In recent years, the sterilizing power of hypochlorous acid has attracted attention and is used in various fields. Mainly containing water containing chloride ions such as tap water, or water added with an electrolysis auxiliary agent such as sodium chloride as water to be electrolyzed, stored in an electrolytic cell provided with two opposing electrodes, By electrolyzing the electrolyzed water, hypochlorous acid is generated on the anode side and alkali ion water is generated on the cathode side. Hereinafter, in this specification, the produced water containing hypochlorous acid obtained by electrolyzing the electrolyzed water is referred to as electrolyzed water. The generated hypochlorous acid concentration is influenced by chloride ion concentration in electrolyzed water, electrolysis time, electrode area, current value flowing through the electrodes, distance between the electrodes, and the like.
As a hand washer having an electrolyzed water generation function, there is one having an electrolyzer that generates electrolyzed water in the main body, sucking the generated electrolyzed water from the electrolyzer with a pump, and spraying electrolyzed water from a nozzle ( Patent Document 1).

JP 11-241381

  The hand washer of Patent Literature 1 employs a configuration in which an electrode for generating electrolyzed water is disposed in a water tank that stores electrolyzed water.

  Since the electrode deteriorates due to aging due to long-term use, it is necessary to replace the electrode. However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, water leakage from the electrode fixing portion to the tank and change in the distance between the electrodes are prevented. A structure etc. are needed. In such a configuration, since it is difficult to replace the electrode from the tank, it is necessary to replace the tank itself, and there is a problem that the cost for replacing the electrode increases.

  The present invention provides a hand washer that can reduce the cost of electrode replacement.

A main body having a tank housing chamber and having a nozzle for spraying electrolyzed water, an electrolysis unit disposed at the bottom of the tank housing chamber, and formed in the electrolysis unit to electrolyze the electrolyzed water An electrolysis tank having an electrode and a water tank that is detachably stored in the tank storage chamber and supplies electrolyzed water to the electrolysis tank, the electrolysis unit being detachable from the bottom of the tank storage chamber It is formed.
The electrolysis unit includes a connector plug connected to the electrode, and a connector jack that is detachably fitted to the connector plug is disposed at the bottom of the tank storage chamber. It is preferable.
The water supply port is preferably formed at a position away from the electrode.
The electrolytic cell is partitioned into a generation tank in which an opening is formed on the upper surface and the electrode is disposed, and a storage tank in communication with the generation tank and the water supply port is formed on the upper surface. It is preferable that an electrode holding portion that detachably holds the electrode and a cover that covers the electrode holding portion and closes the upper surface opening so as to be openable and closable are provided at a position facing the upper surface opening. .

According to the first aspect, when the electrode is replaced, there is an effect that it is not necessary to replace the water tank.
According to the second aspect, when the electrolytic cell is mounted on the bottom of the tank storage chamber, the connector plug and the connector jack are fitted with each other. Therefore, there is an effect of preventing poor conduction due to poor contact or the like. .
According to the third aspect, since the water supply port formed in the electrolytic cell and the electrode disposed in the electrolytic cell are located at separate positions, an electrode protection member for preventing a change in the distance between the electrodes is not required. The effect of doing etc. is produced.
According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to easily replace the electrode from the upper opening of the generation tank.

It is sectional drawing in embodiment of this invention. It is the same top view. It is sectional drawing of the same electrolysis unit. It is a top view of the same electrolysis unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the tank storage chamber. It is a disassembled perspective view of the same electrolysis unit. It is a graph which shows an example of the relationship between the applied voltage and electrolyzed water concentration.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

  Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body in which a spray chamber 2 and a tank storage chamber 4 which will be described later are formed. An opening 3 communicating with the spray chamber 2 is formed on a side surface, and a finger is inserted into the spray chamber 2 from the side surface opening 3. Etc. are inserted, and electrolyzed water is sprayed from a nozzle 38, which will be described later, disposed in the spray chamber 2, so that fingers and the like can be washed. The exterior of the main body 1 and the inner surface of the spray chamber 2 are formed of a corrosion resistant material such as stainless steel in order to prevent corrosion due to electrolyzed water.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes a tank storage chamber formed inside the main body 1, in which an outlet 6 having an opening / closing lid 5 that can be opened and closed is formed on the upper surface. 6 can be taken in and out. In the tank storage chamber 4, a recess 7 is formed in a part of the bottom surface, and an electrolysis unit 9 described later can be disposed in the recess 7. Moreover, the hollow part 7 has the jack holding part 8 for comprising so that the connector jack 35 fitted to the connector plug 34 mentioned later of the electrolysis unit 9 can be arrange | positioned.

  An electrolysis unit 9 is detachably attached to the recess 7 and has an electrolyzer 10 having an upper surface opened. The electrolytic cell 10 is partitioned into a storage tank 23 described later, a generation tank 25 communicating with the storage tank 23, and a connector portion 28 in which a connector plug 34 described later is stored. On the upper surface of the electrolytic cell 10, a frame body 12 is formed with a water supply port 11 for supplying electrolyzed water from a water tank 15 described later into the electrolytic cell 10 (more specifically, in a storage tank 23 described later). A cover 13 that protects an electrode 26, a lead wire 33, and the like, which will be described later, is fitted. The frame body 12 is fitted via rubber packing 14 so as to cover the upper surface of the storage tank 23, and the cover 13 is fitted so as to cover the upper surface of the generation tank 25 and the connector portion 28. Although not shown in detail, the frame 12 is fixed by a clamp (not shown), and the cover 13 is screwed. The electrolytic unit 9 is constituted by the electrolytic cell 10, the frame body 12, the cover 13, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 4, reference numeral 15 denotes a water tank for storing the electrolyzed water, and a water injection port 16 for pouring the electrolyzed water into the water tank 15 is formed. The water injection port 16 is sealed by a cap 17 formed so as to be fitted to the water supply port 11. A substantially cylindrical supply path 18 is formed in the approximate center of the cap 17, and a lid portion is formed on the supply path 18 so as to close the opening of the substantially cylindrical pin 19 and the supply path 18. 20 is loosely fitted from the inside of the water tank 15 to be slidable. The plug 21 is urged to the outside of the water tank 15 via a spring 22 provided around the pin 19, and the lid portion 20 closes the supply path 18. When the cap 17 is fitted into the water supply port 11, a projection 24 formed in a storage tank 23 described later comes into contact with the stopper 21, pushes up the stopper 21, and is closed by the lid portion 20. The supply path 18 is opened.
With this configuration, the cap 17 and the plug 21 constitute a supply mechanism for supplying the electrolyzed water from the water tank 15 to the electrolytic cell 10, and when the cap 17 is fitted into the water supply port 11, the plug 21 is formed by a protrusion 24 described later. The water to be electrolyzed is supplied to the electrolytic cell 10 through the supply path 18. The supplied electrolyzed water is maintained at a constant water level by the atmospheric pressure applied to the water surface of the electrolytic cell 10.

  Reference numeral 23 denotes a storage tank to which electrolyzed water is supplied from the water tank 15, and a protrusion 24 is formed at a position facing the water supply port 11 at the bottom. As described above, the water tank 15 is connected to the water supply port 11. When it is attached to the stopper 21, it comes into contact with the stopper 21. Reference numeral 25 denotes a generation tank which is communicated with the storage tank 23 and is provided with two opposed electrodes 26 for generating electrolyzed water. An electrode which will be described later holds the electrode 26 by a peripheral wall of the generation tank 25. The holding part 27 can be supported. Reference numeral 27 denotes an electrode holding portion for detachably holding the electrode 26. The electrode holding portion 27 is inserted from the upper opening of the generation tank 25 and is supported by the peripheral wall of the generation tank 25. Fixed. The outer periphery of the electrode holding part 27 is formed to coincide with the inner periphery of the peripheral wall of the generation tank 25, and the upper surface opening of the generation tank 25 is closed by the electrode holding part 27.

With this configuration, when the electrolyzed water is supplied to the storage tank 23, the electrode 26 held by the electrode holding unit 27 is immersed in the electrolyzed water in the generation tank 25 that has a constant water level. Yes.
Furthermore, since the water supply port 11 is formed at a position away from the electrode 26, for example, when attaching / detaching the electrolysis unit 9, it is possible to prevent a finger or the like from coming into contact with the electrode 26 to change the interelectrode distance. It is possible to eliminate the need for an electrode protection member for maintaining the distance between the electrodes.
On the bottom surface of the generation tank 25, a water supply port (not shown) to which a later-described water distribution pipe 39 is detachably connected is formed. The water supply port is provided with a valve (not shown) for closing the water supply port, and when the electrolytic cell 10 is disposed in the hollow portion 7, a water distribution pipe 39 is connected to the water supply port, The valve opens.
With this configuration, since the water supply port is formed on the bottom surface of the generation tank 25, the electrolyzed water generated near the electrode 26 is stagnated near the electrode 26 because the electrolyzed water near the electrode 26 is fed to the nozzle 38 described later. It is supposed not to.
28 is a connector part which is adjacent to the generation tank 25 and is vertically divided by a partition wall (not shown) having a through hole through which a connector pin 31 described later passes, and a wiring chamber 29 having an upper surface opening on the upper part, a lower part A connector plug chamber 30 having a bottom opening is formed.
A connector pin 31 for conducting the electrode 26 and a control circuit to be described later is a pin holding portion for holding the connector pin 31. The pin holding portion 32 holding the connector pin 31 is connected to the upper surface of the wiring chamber 29. By inserting from the opening and disposing on the partition wall, the tip of the connector pin 31 protrudes from the through hole toward the bottom opening of the connector plug chamber 30. The connector pin 31 and the electrode 26 are connected by a lead wire 33, and the lead wire 33 is disposed on the wiring chamber 29 and the electrode holding portion 27. Further, the upper surface opening of the generation tank 25 is closed by the electrode holding unit 27, thereby preventing the lead wire 33 from coming into contact with water.
The pin holding portion 32 holding the connector pin 31 is inserted from the upper surface opening of the wiring chamber 29 so that the connector pin 31 penetrates the through hole, and is fixed to the partition wall by screws (not shown), so that the connector plug The connector pin 31 protrudes into the chamber 30, and the connector pin 31 and the connector plug chamber 30 constitute a connector plug 34 that fits into a connector jack 35 described later.
A connector jack 35 is provided in the jack holding portion 8 and has a pin receiver 36 that fits with the connector pin 31. By fitting the connector jack 34 with the connector plug 34, the connector pin 31 and the pin receiver 36 are connected. It is designed to fit.
With this configuration, when the electrolytic cell 10 is mounted in the recess 7, the connector plug 34 and the connector jack 35 are fitted and disposed in the main body 1 via the connector pin 31 and the pin receiver 36. A control circuit 37, which will be described later, and the electrode 26 are electrically connected to each other, so that a conduction failure due to a contact failure or the like can be prevented.

  Reference numeral 37 denotes a control circuit disposed in the main body 1 for controlling the electrode 26 electrically. The control circuit 37 includes a control unit (not shown) for controlling the current flowing through the electrode 26 to a constant current value determined at the design stage, and a voltage value applied to the electrode 26. A voltage monitoring means (not shown) for detecting and a calculation means (not shown) for calculating a voltage change rate from the voltage detected by the voltage monitoring means. The control circuit controls the voltage applied to the electrode 26 so that electrolyzed water having a hypochlorous acid concentration within a predetermined concentration range can be generated based on arithmetic processing described later.

  38 is a nozzle disposed in the spray chamber 2 for spraying electrolyzed water onto fingers and the like inserted in the spray chamber 2, 39 is a water distribution pipe having one end connected to the nozzle 38, and the other end. It is connected to the bottom surface of the recess 7 of the tank storage chamber 4 and is configured such that the other end of the water distribution pipe 39 communicates with the water supply port of the electrolysis unit 9 when the electrolysis unit 9 is attached to the recess 7. Has been. Reference numeral 40 denotes a pump disposed in the water distribution pipe 39. When a finger sensor (not shown) detects that a finger or the like has been inserted into the spray chamber 2, the pump 40 operates to remove from the generation tank 25 of the electrolysis unit 9. The electrolytic water is configured to be supplied to the nozzle 38 through the water distribution pipe 39.

In the present invention, the electrolytic cell 10 is divided into a storage tank 23 and a generation tank 25, and each upper surface opening is covered with the frame body 12 and the cover 13, so that when the electrolysis unit 9 is cleaned, The storage tank 23 can be cleaned while only the frame 12 is removed and the electrode 26, the connector plug 34, and the lead wire 33 are protected by the cover 13, and wiring by water droplets or the like scattered during cleaning Prevents short circuit. When replacing the electrode, the cover 13 is removed, whereby the electrode holding portion 27 can be removed from the upper surface opening of the generation tank 25, and the electrode 26 can be easily replaced. In addition, the generation tank 25 can be cleaned during electrode replacement.
As described above, according to the present invention, only the electrode 26 can be replaced, so that the water tank can be omitted when replacing the electrode. Further, since the water tank 15 and the tank storage chamber 4 are configured to be detachable, maintenance work such as cleaning of the electrolytic cell 10 can be easily performed.

Next, details of control performed by the control circuit of the present embodiment will be described in detail.
As a calculation process performed by the control circuit 37, the calculation means measures a voltage value E applied to the electrodes every predetermined time interval t seconds via the voltage monitoring means, and determines a predetermined prescribed number n. The voltage change rate A is calculated for each piece. An elapsed time T from the start of electrolysis until the voltage value E is measured is assigned to the measured voltage value E. As a method of calculating the voltage change rate A, linear approximation by the least square method is performed using the measured n sets of data (voltage value E, elapsed time T). The voltage change rate A of the voltage value E with respect to the elapsed time T is calculated from the slope of the approximate line by the least square method. The control unit determines whether or not the voltage change rate A calculated by the calculation means is equal to or less than a set value set in a design stage. If this happens, the electrolysis is stopped assuming that the voltage has not changed. Such a process is performed as one cycle, and is repeated until the calculated voltage change rate A is equal to or less than a set value.
The above-described control is for determining a state in which the voltage does not change over time during electrolysis, and the set value serving as a determination criterion for the voltage change rate A is determined while the elapsed time T elapses. The voltage applied to the electrode 26 is preferably set to a value that can be regarded as almost unchanged.
When electrolysis is carried out at a constant current to generate electrolyzed water, as shown in FIG. 7, when approaching a state where the concentration of hypochlorous acid does not increase even when electrolysis continues (electrolytic saturation state), the electrode The voltage change applied to 26 becomes gradual. Therefore, by performing the control as described above, it is possible to detect the electrolytic saturation state of the hypochlorous acid concentration.

In the present embodiment, since it is only necessary to know the value of the voltage change rate A, the measured voltage value indicates the measured value of the n pieces of data instead of the elapsed time T. It is also possible to assign the number k from 1 to n and estimate the voltage change rate A using the voltage value E and the value of kt (product of k and t). Specifically, the control circuit 37 is configured by an AD converter (analog-digital conversion circuit), a microcomputer, or the like, and the control circuit 37 uses the voltage value E (analog data) applied to the electrodes. Since the microcomputer performs the above calculation using the digital data and the value of kt at every time interval t determined by the converter, a measuring mechanism for measuring the elapsed time T can be dispensed with.
Further, as a method for calculating the voltage change rate A, a calculation method other than the least square method may be used. However, since the read voltage value E is not stable, the measured voltage value E includes a certain amount of error. Therefore, it is preferable to use a calculation method that provides an accurate approximation. At that time, depending on the selected calculation method, the calculation content and the configuration of the control circuit may be changed as appropriate, but this does not affect the effect of the present invention.

In order to be able to generate hypochlorous acid having a predetermined concentration, preferably 50 ppm to 100 ppm, it is necessary to use water to which chloride such as sodium chloride is added as electrolyzed water. In the present embodiment, when sodium chloride is added to pure water, when hypochlorous acid is in an electrolytic saturation state, sodium chloride is added so that the concentration is about 50 ppm. The electrolyzed water can be obtained.
Generally, in Japan, except for some exceptional areas, the concentration of chloride ions contained in tap water is a concentration that can produce about 0 to 20 ppm hypochlorous acid in an electrolytic saturation state. In such areas, tap water can be used instead of pure water. In addition, other water, for example, lake water or well water, may be used as long as the concentration of chloride ions is approximately the same as that of the tap water.
While the current flows through the electrode 26, the generated hypochlorous acid concentration is not sufficient. Therefore, the finger sensor detects the insertion of a finger or the like until the control unit stops electrolysis. However, it is preferable that the pump is not operated.

  Thus, a water tank 15 in which water to which a predetermined concentration of sodium chloride is added is stored is disposed in the tank storage chamber 4, electrolysis is started, and the control unit stops the electrolysis. When the finger sensor detects the insertion of the finger, etc., the finger or the like can be sterilized by spraying electrolytic water on the finger or the like.

With the above configuration, it is possible to provide a hand washer that sterilizes inserted fingers and the like with electrolyzed water containing hypochlorous acid having a predetermined concentration.
In this embodiment, in order to generate electrolyzed water containing hypochlorous acid having a predetermined concentration, a control circuit that performs the control as described above is provided, but electrolyzed water having a predetermined concentration is generated. In other methods, for example, by making the voltage applied to the electrode 26 constant, the electrode 26 is controlled at a constant voltage, and the concentration of hypochlorous acid generated from the accumulated amount of current flowing through the electrode 26 is estimated, A method of generating electrolyzed water having a predetermined concentration may be used.

  The present invention is widely applicable to a hand washer that generates electrolyzed water using electrolysis.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Spraying chamber 3 Opening 4 Tank storage chamber 5 Opening and closing lid 6 Taking out port 7 Depression part 8 Jack holding part 9 Electrolytic unit 10 Electrolytic tank 11 Water supply port 12 Frame body 13 Cover 14 Rubber packing 15 Water tank 16 Water injection port 17 Cap 18 Supply path 19 Pin 20 Lid 21 Plug 22 Spring 23 Storage tank 24 Projection 25 Generation tank 26 Electrode 27 Electrode holding part 28 Connector part 29 Wiring room 30 Connector plug room 31 Connector pin 32 Pin holding part 33 Lead wire 34 Connector plug 35 Connector Jack 36 Pin receiver 37 Control circuit 38 Nozzle 39 Water pipe 40 Pump

Claims (4)

A main body having a tank housing chamber and having a nozzle for spraying electrolyzed water, an electrolysis unit disposed at the bottom of the tank housing chamber, and formed in the electrolysis unit to electrolyze the electrolyzed water An electrolytic cell having electrodes, and a water tank that is detachably stored in the tank storage chamber and supplies electrolyzed water to the electrolytic cell,
A hand washer characterized in that the electrolysis unit is detachably attached to the bottom of the tank storage chamber. The electrolysis unit has a connector plug connected to the electrode,
The hand washer according to claim 1, wherein a connector jack that is detachably fitted to the connector plug is disposed at the bottom of the tank storage chamber.   The hand washer according to claim 1, wherein the water supply port is formed at a position away from the electrode. The electrolytic cell is partitioned into a generation tank in which an opening is formed on the upper surface, the electrode is disposed, and a storage tank in communication with the generation tank and the water supply port is formed on the upper surface.
The generation tank has an electrode holding portion that detachably holds the electrode at a position facing the upper surface opening, and a cover that covers the electrode holding portion and closes the upper surface opening so as to be opened and closed. The hand washer according to any one of claims 1 to 3.