JP2014503277A - Hand washing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

  The present invention falls within the field of hand-washing devices, specifically the field of washing and drying hands in public toilets. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for washing hands, in particular for wetting hands continuously using a small amount of water to deposit and rinse and / or disinfect components. An air water including two nozzles, wherein the first nozzle is in fluid communication with the supply liquid source and the second nozzle is connected to the compressed air source in order to clean the hand in a short time using a small amount of water. It has been found that a jet nozzle assembly may be used.

Description

  The present invention falls within the field of hand-washing devices, specifically the field of washing and drying hands in public toilets.

  Hand washing is generally considered hygienic and has proven to be an effective way to prevent the spread of several diseases.

  Research shows that people do not necessarily wash their hands in public toilets (also known as restrooms). Although not wishing to be bound by theory, it is generally considered that the public toilet itself is unsanitary, and users prefer not to touch anything in the public toilet, and there is as soon as possible I want to leave.

  Over the years, many things have been tried to make hand washing in public toilets more attractive.

  For decades, electric dryers for drying hands after washing have been used to avoid dirty towels and paper towel dispensers that are quickly out of stock.

  The soap dispenser replaced solid soap and the automatic faucet solved the problem of touching the dirty faucet handle to stop the water after washing.

  U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,987 A (Kooper, Rudolph J.) describes a hand and forearm cleaning apparatus that includes a plurality of nozzles that inject a stream of fluid inward at a predetermined flow rate and pressure to perform a cleaning procedure. Disclosure. Although the device discloses an integrated solution for hand washing, it does not solve the problem of saving water and using the least amount for action.

  All of these solutions are still very cumbersome and take time and space. In addition, although these developments have improved normal hand-washing habits, there is still a need for an integrated solution to wash, disinfect and dry hands with less water consumption.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,987

  An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus.

  A further object is to provide an apparatus for continuously wetting hands, applying cleaning and / or disinfecting components and rinsing.

  Yet another object is to provide an apparatus that also allows the hands to dry after washing.

  Yet another object is to use a small amount of water during cleaning.

  Surprisingly, two nozzles in which the first nozzle is in fluid communication with the supply liquid source and the second nozzle is connected to the compressed air source in order to clean the hand in a short time using a small amount of water. It has been found that an air water jet nozzle assembly can be used.

  The present invention includes at least one opening for inserting at least one hand, and two nozzles, wherein the first nozzle is in fluid communication with a supply liquid source and the second nozzle is connected to a compressed air source. A hand wash apparatus including a chamber is provided that includes two air water jet nozzle assemblies.

  In another aspect, the present invention employs at least one air water jet nozzle assembly including two nozzles, wherein the first nozzle is in fluid communication with the supply source and the second nozzle is connected to the compressed air source. A process of washing hands, the process of spraying mist mist of detergent ingredients into the hand, the step of rinsing the hand by spraying water of mist mist into the hand, and blowing air to the hand Drying the hand.

  These and other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following detailed description and the appended claims. To avoid doubt, any feature of one aspect of the invention may be utilized in another aspect of the invention. The term “comprising” means “including”, but does not necessarily mean “consisting of” or “composed of”. In other words, the listed steps or options are not necessarily exhaustive. The examples set forth in the following description are intended to clarify the invention, but are not intended to limit the invention to these examples themselves. Similarly, all percentages are weight / weight percentages unless otherwise indicated. Unless otherwise specified in the operation and comparative examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numerical values indicating the amount of substances or reaction conditions, materials and / or physical properties of the materials are modified by the word “about”. It should be understood that Numerical ranges expressed in the format “from x to y” are understood to include x and y. When multiple preferred ranges for a particular feature are described in the form “from x to y”, it is understood that all ranges that combine different endpoints are contemplated.

It is a schematic diagram of an air water jet nozzle. It is a figure which shows an air water jet nozzle.

  The present invention provides an apparatus for washing hands. The device according to the invention may also be suitable for drying hands. The device is particularly suitable for use in public toilets such as airport toilets, gas station toilets, company toilets, hospital toilets and the like. It is envisaged that the device will be adopted at home.

  The device according to the invention comprises an opening for inserting at least one hand, and two nozzles, wherein the first nozzle is in fluid communication with a supply liquid source and the second nozzle is connected to a compressed air source. A chamber including an air water jet nozzle assembly.

The chamber chamber includes an opening for placing a hand for washing with the apparatus. The chamber may optionally include two or more openings for simultaneous insertion of two or more hands, or a larger opening for the same purpose.

  The opening may be at either end of the chamber. The most suitable side for the opening is on the top for vertical hands, or on either side for horizontal hands, or somewhere in between. The opening for putting the hand at the bottom is not excluded from the scope of the present application, but is generally not preferred by the target user.

  The chamber further includes an air water jet nozzle assembly including two nozzles, one for air and one for liquid. Preferably, the chamber may include two or more air water jet assemblies, and more preferably the apparatus includes an array of air water jet nozzles covering the entire surface of the hand, at least one side, but preferably both sides simultaneously. To do.

Air Water Jet Assembly The air water jet assembly includes two nozzles in which a first nozzle is in fluid communication with a supply source and a second nozzle is connected to a compressed air source. The air water jet device is incorporated into the hand washing device.

  The liquid source is located directly from the water main, through a pump, through a pressurized container holding water, or by any other means, or by gravity (ie above the height using the air water jet). As a result, any water supply source supplied to the air water jet device may be used.

  The supply liquid may be any liquid. For normal skin cleansing, aqueous components are usually preferred. Liquid nozzles are referred to in the following as water nozzles, but it is understood that a water nozzle may pass through water or any other liquid containing skin treatment ingredients including an aqueous liquid or other beneficial agent. The

  Similarly, the air source can be any air source supplied through a compressor independent of or incorporated in the hand-washing device, or often through a compressed air tube as available in hospitals.

  It is preferred that the air can be heated. It is preferred that the air temperature is at least 30 ° C, more preferably at least 35 ° C, even more preferably at least 40 ° C, but usually less than 70 ° C, more preferably less than 65 ° C, or even less than 60 ° C.

  Both the first nozzle (water nozzle) and the second nozzle (air nozzle) are positioned with respect to the virtual central axis (NOR). The first nozzle is positioned at an angle (α) of 1 to 60 °, preferably 10 ° to 30 ° with respect to the central axis, and the second nozzle is 1 to 45 °, preferably 15 ° to 30 with respect to the central axis. It is an angle (φ) of °.

  The mouth of the second nozzle is located forward in the direction of flow along the direction of the central axis than the mouth of the first nozzle, where the offset (OS) distance between the mouth of the first nozzle and the second nozzle is , Between 0.5 and 5 mm in the direction, preferably 1-3 mm.

Best results, 10 mm ² from the first nozzle is 0.05, preferably at least 0.2 mm ^2, except 7 mm ² or less, when more preferably 5 mm ² or less, or further having a 3 mm ² or less of the opening, can get. Similarly, the opening of the second nozzle is preferably 0.2 to 3 mm ² .

  For nozzles with a circular opening, the diameter of the first nozzle is preferably 0.25 to 3.5 mm, preferably at least 0.5 mm, but preferably 3 mm or less, more preferably 2.5 mm or less, or even 3 mm. While the diameter of the second nozzle is preferably between 0.5 and 2 mm.

  The scope of the present invention further includes configurations that include two or more water nozzles directed to a single air nozzle. This complicates the equipment and is usually undesirable, but provides the additional advantage of the action of mixing or reacting different or incompatible ingredients.

  In addition, different nozzle shapes are contemplated for one or both nozzles, including but not limited to circular, square, rectangular, and elliptical openings. For larger surfaces, slit type (elliptical or rectangular) air nozzles and water nozzles of similar dimensions, or multiple water nozzles are preferred, more preferably the longest distance from end to end of the elliptical or rectangular slit. The ratio to the shortest distance to the end is 2: 1 to 20: 1, and even more preferably 2: 1 to 10: 1. In this context, cross or star air nozzles with one or more water nozzles located between the extension parts (ie in the recesses) are also conceivable.

  While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the performance of the present invention stems from the positioning of the nozzle relative to the virtual axis and the offset of the water nozzle (first nozzle) relative to the air nozzle (second nozzle). Because of this positioning, the feed liquid from the water nozzle forms a film around the air nozzle, thereby providing a finer spray with a low liquid-air ratio (ie using less liquid). The air flow from the air nozzle is thought to create a localized pressurization that ensures that liquid is pushed in the direction of the air nozzle along the air nozzle end, regardless of which direction the nozzle is pointing. . In addition, due to the separation of the air and water nozzle openings, the liquid flow is not affected by air pressure, which is a common problem with internal mixing nozzle designs.

  The distance from the nozzle to the hand is preferably at least 1 cm and at most 15 cm. The distance is preferably at least 2 cm, more preferably at least 3 cm, or even at least 4 cm. The distance is preferably 12 cm or less, more preferably 10 cm or less, or even 8 cm or less.

  The liquid: air ratio is between 10:90 and 1: 9999, more preferably less than 5:95, even more preferably less than 4:96, even more preferably less than 3:97, less than 2:98, or even It is preferred that the ratio is less than 1:99, while the ratio is preferably greater than 3: 9997, more preferably greater than 5: 9995.

  It is further preferred that there is only a short distance between the water nozzle opening and the air nozzle side, which distance is preferably less than 2 mm, more preferably less than 1 mm, or even less than 0.5 mm. Most preferably, the opening of the water nozzle is in contact with the air nozzle.

  The air nozzle preferably does not surround the water channel coaxially. It is also desirable that the water nozzle not coaxially surround the air nozzle.

  The air pressure of the air source is preferably in the range of 1 to 5 bar. The air preferably has a speed at the nozzle outlet (nozzle opening) higher than 80 m / s, preferably higher than 120 m / s, more preferably higher than 180 m / s, most preferably higher than 250 m / s. . Although the present invention will work up to very high air velocities, for structural reasons and user convenience, the air velocity is preferably less than the speed of sound (ie less than 334 m / s). Depending on the nozzle diameter, the air flow rate is preferably between 3 and 50 l / min, preferably exceeding 5 l / min or even exceeding 10 l / min. The air flow rate is preferably less than 40 l / min, more preferably less than 30 l / min, or even less than 25 l / min.

  The liquid flow rate is generally between 2 and 100 ml / min, preferably more than 5 ml / min, or even more than 10 ml / min, while the liquid flow rate is preferably less than 80 ml / min, more preferably Less than 50 ml / min, or even less than 40 ml / min.

The constituent air and / or liquid source may be integrated into the device or attached to a separate unit. In the latter case, a separate unit is provided that includes a compressor, compressed air cartridge or cylinder, or other air source and / or a liquid reservoir optionally connected to the water supply main. The unit is connected to the portable device by a pipe material as an air pipe and / or a water pipe.

  A device that fully incorporates air, water, and drain piping is preferred for public toilets, while at home, the water may be manually refilled and drained.

The nozzle array device includes at least one nozzle assembly including an air nozzle and a water nozzle.

  The apparatus preferably comprises several nozzles per hand, preferably 1 to 25 nozzles per hand. However, for easy positioning and operation purposes, 1 to 12 nozzles per hand have been found to give the best results. The nozzle may be configured to spray on only one side of the hand or on both sides simultaneously. The nozzle assembly may be configured in a row to curve along a straight profile or, for example, a curve along an average hand shape. Usually, one nozzle row contains 1 to 6 nozzle assemblies, preferably 2 to 4 assemblies. In the context of the present invention, it is also conceivable to have more than one row of nozzle assemblies per side of the hand.

  The device of the present invention may further incorporate other cleaning functions such as brushes, scrubbers, and / or massage elements, but this is not preferred from a hygiene standpoint.

  An array with air water jet nozzles may be mounted on the movable rig so that the mist spray moves over a larger area instead of using more nozzles.

  The apparatus may further include an air compressor as an air source. The compressor may be mounted within the chamber of the device or may be provided as a separate device connected to the air water jet by a tube. The compressor preferably provides a pressure of at least 1 bar and no more than 5 bar, preferably less than 4 bar. For this reason, very low power compressors, typically in the range of 0.05 to 1 horsepower, can be used to achieve the above specifications. Due to the pressure drop in the tubing and the device, the pressure in the air nozzle is preferably in the range of 1 to 4 bar, more preferably 2 to 3 bar. An apparatus comprising means for setting the pressure is also conceivable. In this case, the user can select skin surface cleaning or pore cleaning, for example.

  The liquid source may be a water main, i.e. connected directly to the faucet, or may be in the form of a separate reservoir. The pressure of the liquid source for use with the cleaning device is relatively low, preferably at least 0.05 bar, more preferably at least 0.1 bar, but preferably does not exceed 3 bar, more preferably 2.5. Less than bar, and even more preferably less than 2 bar.

  When a separate reservoir is used as the liquid source, the reservoir may be filled with components including only water, a cleaning component, and a benefit agent.

  The liquid reservoir may be placed above the use level of the cleaning device to provide pressure, or may be separately pressurized. When separately pressurized, it is particularly preferred that the reservoir is pressurized using compressed air from a compressed air source.

Drying The device according to the invention may further provide the possibility of drying the hands after cleaning / treatment.

  This may be done by blowing only air, preferably hot air, through the air nozzle and the water flow to the water nozzle is stopped. Alternatively, other arrangements of drying nozzles within the same cleaning and drying chamber are also conceivable.

  The air velocity is preferably at least 10 m / s, more preferably at least 20 m / s, even more preferably at least 30 m / s, while the air velocity is generally less than 200 m / s, more preferably 150 m / s. Or even less than 100 m / s.

  The air flow is preferably at least 10 L / s, preferably at least 20 L / s, even more preferably at least 30 L / s, or even at least 50 L / s, while the flow is generally less than 1000 L / s, Or more preferably less than 800 L / s, even more preferably less than 500 L / s, even more preferably less than 300 L / s, or even less than 100 L / s.

  The temperature of the air for drying is at least 30 ° C, more preferably at least 40 ° C, or even more than 50 ° C, but usually less than 100 ° C, more preferably less than 90 ° C, even more preferably less than 80 ° C, or Furthermore, it is preferable that it is less than 70 degreeC.

  Air may be blown from any direction, but is preferably blown from top to bottom.

Treatment ingredients Various types of treatment ingredients are envisaged within the scope of the present invention.

  The device according to the present invention may apply a variety of skin care and cleaning products to the skin including but not limited to hand soap, hand hygiene and fragrance ingredients.

  It is preferred that the contact time between the product and the skin before rinsing is at least 5 seconds, more preferably at least 10 seconds, even more preferably at least 15 seconds, or even at least 20 seconds.

  The hand washing method according to the present invention is preferably capable of washing hands in less than 1 minute, more preferably in less than 45 seconds, or even in less than 30 seconds.

  The pH of the component is preferably neutral or weakly acidic, more preferably pH 2 to 9, even more preferably at least pH 3, while more preferably less than pH 8, even more preferably less than pH 7 or even less than pH 6. is there.

Handwashing hand wash ingredients and / or disinfecting products generally contain surfactants, preferably nonionic surfactants such as anionic surfactants such as SLS and SLES, soluble soaps, and / or alcohol ethoxylates including. The concentration of the surfactant is generally 0.2 to 5 g / L, preferably 1 to 3 g / L.

The hand sanitizer is also suitable for spraying hand sanitizers on the hands. The disinfectant may be incorporated into the cleaning component or applied instead of or after cleaning. Common disinfectants include lower alcohols and quaternary ammonium biocides, as is commonly understood by those skilled in the art.

During use of the operating device, the air water jet may be used continuously or discontinuously. One possible method of operation is to use an air water jet during part of the operation. In another embodiment, the air water jet is used early in the cleaning process for cleaning and operates with a liquid flow alone or with a liquid flow and a low air flow to attach a benefit agent such as a hand cream or lotion to the hand. Let

  In another embodiment, the air water jet is operated in a pulsed mode, i.e., air flow is controlled on-off over time. In yet another embodiment, a push button for turning on and off the air water jet while washing and treating the skin (including hair, scalp, and other keratin surfaces as defined above) is provided with a portable Attached to the device.

  In any discontinuous operation, it is preferable to open and close the air supply and / or liquid supply pipe using an appropriate solenoid valve.

  A valve system may be used to open the liquid and / or air line during operation of the device while closing the liquid and / or air line when the device is not in use.

  The invention will now be described with reference to the following non-limiting drawings and examples. The embodiments and examples are illustrative only and do not limit the scope of the invention in any way.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a process for washing hands using an air water jet nozzle assembly that includes two nozzles, wherein the first nozzle is in fluid communication with a supply liquid source and the second nozzle is connected to a compressed air source. The process includes spraying a mist of detergent component into the hand; rinsing the hand by spraying the mist of water into the hand; and blowing the air to the hand to dry the hand. ,including.

  Preferably, the process is preceded by the step of spraying water of mist mist to wet the hands.

  The most preferred air temperature for skin comfort is 30-70 ° C.

  The ratio of air to water from the nozzle assembly is typically between 90:10 and 99.9: 0.1.

Detailed Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which a nozzle (N) has a liquid outlet port (OPW) that is offset from the substrate relative to an air outlet port (OPA), offset by a distance (OS). . The incident angle of the liquid outlet port with respect to the substrate (FS) is defined by an angle α. The incident angle of the air outlet port with respect to the substrate (FS) is defined by an angle φ. A dotted line NOR represents a virtual line perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. As can be seen, in this embodiment of the nozzle, the angle α is greater than the angle φ. Air exits the nozzle through an air outlet port (OPA) and liquid exits through a liquid outlet port (OPW).

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration with one air nozzle and one water nozzle.

    The invention will now be demonstrated by the following non-limiting examples.

Example 1: Hand Washing In this example, hand washing using a device according to the invention is compared to normal hand washing using the same cleaning formulation.

Prior to the pretreatment test, the hands of the examples and comparative examples were disinfected with 70% alcohol to remove normal flora from the hands, dried and washed with sterile distilled water to remove traces of alcohol. It was done.

Next, 100 microliters containing 10 ⁷ non-pathogenic strains of E. coli (in 100 microliters) were attached to each hand, and the volunteers were asked to spread the culture throughout the palms and fingers.

One hand (Example 1) was washed with 10 ml of 3 g / L alcohol ethoxylate nonionic surfactant (C _<12> EO _<7> nonionic surfactant) for 15 seconds and another hand (comparison) Example A) was washed with the same amount of the same surfactant for 15 seconds using an air water jet device according to the invention.

  The air water jet in the example contained two nozzle assemblies, and the air water jet device air pressure was 4 bar at a liquid flow rate of 20 ml / s for each nozzle assembly.

  Hand washing according to the present invention was performed in an airtight chamber for safety purposes.

  Residual bacteria in the hands were measured by conventional methods.

Results The wash results for residual colonies (expressed in CFU / hand) are shown in the table below.

  result

上記の表より、エアウォータジェット装置を用いる洗浄プロセスは従来の洗浄方法よりも大腸菌を約０．６ｌｏｇ多く除去することが明らかになった。

From the above table, it became clear that the washing process using the air water jet apparatus removes about 0.6 log of E. coli more than the conventional washing method.

Claims (7)

A hand washing apparatus including a chamber, wherein the chamber is
i an opening for inserting at least one hand;
ii. at least one air water jet nozzle comprising two nozzles, wherein the first nozzle (PW) is in fluid communication with a supply liquid source and the second nozzle (PA) is connected to a compressed air source An assembly, and
The first nozzle has an angle (α) of 1 to 60 ° with respect to the central axis, and the second nozzle has an angle (φ) of 1 to 45 ° with respect to the central axis (NOR),
The air nozzle does not surround the water channel coaxially,
The mouth of the second nozzle (OPA) is located in front of the mouth of the first nozzle (OPW) in the flow direction along the direction of the central axis, and the offset between the mouth of the first nozzle and the second nozzle Hand wash device, wherein the distance (OS) is between 0.5 and 5 mm in said direction. The first nozzle mouth a device has an opening of 0.2~3.5mm ^2,
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mouth of the first nozzle of the apparatus is less than 1 mm away from the wall of the second nozzle.   3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus is connected to a separate unit comprising a compressor and a reservoir for holding liquid, the compressor being a source of compressed air and the reservoir holding the liquid being a liquid source. The device described. A process of washing hands with an air water jet nozzle assembly comprising two nozzles, wherein a first nozzle is in fluid communication with a supply source and a second nozzle is connected to a source of compressed air,
a spraying a mist of detergent ingredients into the hand;
b rinsing the hands by spraying them with water of misty mist;
c. blowing the air to the hand to dry the hand.   The process of claim 4, wherein the process is preceded by spraying water of mist mist to wet hands.   The process according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the air is heated to 30C to 70C.   The process according to any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the ratio of air to water from the nozzle assembly is between 90:10 and 99.9: 0.1.

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