JP2023034544A - body dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a body dryer that can dry a user's body efficiently and hygienically in a short time.SOLUTION: A body dryer 1 for drying a user's body by wind includes: a drying room 10 that has an opening/closing door through which a user can enter in and exit from the room; a blow-out part 20 that generates swirling air current by blowing out a wind which flows from an inner wall 12A of the drying room 10 in a circumferential direction into the drying room 10; a suction part 30 that varies the swirling air current to an eddy current which is sucked into a floor 14 side by applying a suction force from the floor 14 side in the drying room 10; and a circulation part 50 that circulates the wind sucked into the suction part 30 as a wind blowing out from the blow-out part 20. The circulation part 50 is provided with a water filter 54 that filters through a reservoir water W the wind sucked from the suction part 30 and with an intermediate filter 56 and a HEPA filter 57 that filter the wind passed through the water filter 54 by further filtering.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to body dryers. Specifically, it relates to a body dryer for drying the user's body with air.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a body drying device that blows air to dry a wet body after taking a bath or after a shower. The body drying apparatus is configured to blow air toward the user from the inner wall of the drying chamber.

JP 2006-223814 A

In the above-mentioned prior art, the blowing air is sucked from the floor side of the drying chamber and recirculated as it is, which is not preferable from a sanitary point of view. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a body dryer capable of drying the user's body in a short period of time, efficiently and hygienically.

In order to solve the above problems, the body dryer of the present invention employs the following means. That is, the body dryer of the present invention is a body dryer that dries the user's body with air, and includes a drying chamber provided with an opening and closing door that allows the user to enter and exit the room, and air flowing in the drying chamber in the circumferential direction from the inner wall of the drying chamber. A blowing section that blows air to generate a whirling air current, a suction section that applies suction pressure from the floor side to the drying chamber to change the whirling air flow into a vortex air flow that is sucked to the floor side, and the air that is sucked into the suction section. and a circulation section for circulating the air blown out from the blowing section. The circulation part includes a water filter for filtering the air sucked from the suction part through the stored water, and a filtration filter for further filtering the air that has passed through the water filter.

According to the above configuration, the combination of the blowing section that generates a whirling air current in the drying chamber and the suction section that applies suction pressure from the floor side to the drying chamber generates a vortex air current that is sucked toward the floor side in the drying chamber. can be made Due to the eddy current, the surface of the user's body in the drying chamber can be exposed to the air over a wide area for a long time. Therefore, the user's body can be dried efficiently in a short time. In addition, the wind sucked into the suction section can be effectively purified through the circulation section having both the water filter and the filtration filter, and hygienically circulated to the blowout section.

In addition, the body dryer of the present invention may further include a separation section interposed between the suction section and the circulation section to take in the wind sucked from the suction section and separate it into water and air. good. The separation section has a cylindrical inclined cylindrical wall inclined in an inverted conical shape that takes in the wind sucked from the suction section from above in the cylinder circumferential direction and flows it downward while rotating it. The suction pipe enters from above and sucks the separated airflow upward by the suction pressure applied from the circulation part and sends it to the circulation part, and the inclined cylinder wall opens in the direction of gravity to allow the water separated by the separation airflow to flow in the direction of gravity. and a drain port for draining water.

According to the above configuration, the separation section interposed between the suction section and the circulation section appropriately separates and drains water from the wind sucked from the drying chamber, while the air is removed from the circulation section provided with the water filter and the filtration filter. can be properly incorporated into

Moreover, the body dryer of the present invention may be further configured as follows. The circulation unit further includes a deep ultraviolet irradiation unit that irradiates the water that has passed through the water filter and/or the air that has passed through the water filter with deep ultraviolet rays for sterilization.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to simply and effectively sterilize water stored in the water filter and/or sterilize the air that has passed through the water filter with the deep ultraviolet rays emitted from the deep ultraviolet irradiation unit. Deep ultraviolet rays are the name of light in a wavelength range (200 to 300 nm) shorter than that of ultraviolet rays.

Moreover, the body dryer of the present invention may be further configured as follows. The blowout part has a heater for warming the air sent from the circulation part.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to promote drying of the body by warming the air blown out from the blowing part by the heater. Moreover, since the warmed air is circulated by the circulation unit, the heat component of the warmed air can be effectively reused.

Moreover, the body dryer of the present invention may be further configured as follows. The circulation unit is provided with an air blower that generates pressure for sucking air from the suction unit and sending the air from the blowing unit.

According to the above configuration, by providing the blower in the circulation section positioned between the suction section and the blowout section, air can be drawn in from the suction section and blown out from the blowout section in a rational and appropriate manner. can be done.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the body dryer which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing the internal structure of a body dryer. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing the flow of air blown into the drying chamber; FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing air flow in the suction section, the separation section, and the circulation section; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing the configuration of the drying chamber of the body dryer according to the second embodiment;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using drawing.

<<1st Embodiment>>
(Regarding the schematic configuration of the body dryer 1)
First, the configuration of a body dryer 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. In the following description, when directions such as front, back, up, down, left, and right are indicated, they refer to the respective directions shown in the respective drawings. The direction shown in each drawing is based on the direction in which the user enters the drying chamber 10 of the body dryer 1 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a body dryer 1 according to this embodiment is configured as drying equipment attached to a bathroom or a shower room. The body dryer 1 includes a cylindrical capsule-shaped drying chamber 10 into which a user can enter by opening an opening/closing door 11 .

When the user enters the drying chamber 10 and holds his or her hand over the detection sensor S provided in the drying chamber 10, the body dryer 1 automatically emits air (temperature) from the blowing part 20 provided in the drying chamber 10. wind) is blown out and blown to the user's body. The entire wet body of the user is dried by the blown air.

The body dryer 1 is provided with a suction part 30 below the floor 14 of the drying chamber 10 and is configured to apply suction pressure from below the floor 14 to suck the air blown into the drying chamber 10 . Further, the body dryer 1 is configured to further include a separation section 40 and a circulation section 50 ahead of the suction section 30 .

In the separation unit 40, the wind sucked from the drying chamber 10 is separated into air and water by a separation air current. Further, in the circulation section 50, the wind from which the water has been separated in the separation section 40 is further filtered and cleaned, and circulated again to the blowing section 20 to be reused as the wind for blowing.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the blowing section 20 provided in the drying chamber 10 is configured to blow air in the cylinder circumferential direction into the drying chamber 10 to generate a whirling air current. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the blowing of the air from the blowing part 20 and the suction of the air from below by the suction part 30 are performed at the same time. A vortex air current (cyclone) is generated in which the swirling air current is sucked in a vortex toward the suction portion 30 on the lower side.

Due to the eddy current, the wind blown from the blowing part 20 is applied over a wide range to the surface of the user's body for a long time. Therefore, the user's wet body can be dried efficiently and hygienically in a short time.

After the body dryer 1 starts operating when the user's hand is held over the detection sensor S, the blowing of air from the blowing part 20 is stopped by the control of the control part 70 described later after a predetermined time has passed. It is configured to automatically stop. Specifically, when the body dryer 1 is held over the detection sensor S as shown in FIG.

As a result, the body dryer 1 generates a blowing pressure for blowing air from the blowing portion 20 by the suction pressure caused by the driven rotation of the sirocco fan 52 . Also, the suction unit 30 is caused to generate a suction pressure for sucking air from the drying chamber 10 . Further, the separation unit 40 is caused to generate a suction pressure for separating the wind sucked from the suction unit 30 . In addition, the circulation unit 50 generates suction pressure and blowing pressure for cleaning the air sucked from the separation unit 40 and recirculating it to the blowing unit 20 .

(Regarding the configuration of each part of the body dryer 1)
A specific configuration of each part of the body dryer 1 will be described in detail below. In the following description, any one of FIGS. 1 to 5 will be referred to when there is no reference numeral corresponding to a reference figure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the body dryer 1 includes a cylindrical capsule-shaped drying chamber 10 having a sliding door 11; 10 and a wind suction part 30 provided immediately below. Furthermore, the body dryer 1 has a separation section 40 provided ahead of the suction section 30 for separating air into air and water, and an air circulation section 50 provided ahead of the separation section 40 .

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the body dryer 1 has a heater 60 for warming the air provided in the cylindrical wall portion 12 of the drying chamber 10, and a user's hand over the heater 60. It has a detection sensor S that detects contact, and a control unit 70 that controls blowing of air according to the detection of the detection sensor S.

(Regarding the drying chamber 10)
The drying chamber 10 includes a cylindrical wall portion 12 forming a peripheral wall of the cylindrical capsule, a ceiling plate 13 forming an indoor ceiling of the drying chamber 10, a wire mesh floor 14 forming a floor surface in the drying chamber 10, and the drying chamber 10. and a connection port 15 forming an opening on the lower side of the. The cylindrical wall portion 12 has a cylindrical shape with an inner diameter dimension and a height dimension that allow a person to enter the interior thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tubular wall portion 12 has an inner and outer double tubular wall structure including an inner wall 12A forming the inner peripheral side tubular wall and an outer wall 12B forming the outer peripheral side tubular wall. It is configured to have. The inner wall 12A and the outer wall 12B are concentric with each other and have a configuration in which an air passage 12C serving as a passage of air toward the blowing section 20 is formed between them.

As shown in FIG. 1, the opening/closing door 11 is electrically operated so that it is automatically opened and closed when the user holds his or her hand over sensors (not shown) provided on the inner and outer walls of the drying chamber 10 respectively. Configured as a door. The opening/closing door 11 has a curved plate shape curved along the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall portion 12 .

The opening/closing door 11 is attached to the cylinder wall portion 12 so as to be slidable in the cylinder circumferential direction along the outer peripheral surface of the outer wall 12B. The opening/closing door 11 is closed by the electric operation described above so as to close the doorway D formed in a part of the tubular wall portion 12 . Thereby, the opening/closing door 11 switches to a state in which the inside of the drying chamber 10 is sealed like a capsule.

Further, the opening/closing door 11 is opened by opening the doorway D of the cylinder wall portion 12 to the outside by being opened by the electric operation described above. As a result, the user can enter the drying chamber 10 through the entrance D or exit the drying chamber 10 to the outside. The opening/closing door 11 may be of a manual construction in which a user directly hooks the opening/closing door 11 by hand to open/close the opening/closing door 11 instead of the electric construction as described above.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cylindrical wall portion 12 has a cylindrical shape extending in the height direction in a region above the floor surface on which the wire mesh floor 14 is laid (floor region A1). be. Further, the cylinder wall portion 12 has an inverted truncated cone shape in which a region below the floor 14 (an underfloor region A2) tapers toward the connection port 15 on the cylinder bottom side. The connection port 15 on the cylinder bottom side is formed in a shape forming a circular opening concentric with the cylinder wall part 12 immediately below the cylinder wall part 12 .

A detection sensor S is provided on the inner wall 12A of the cylindrical wall portion 12. As shown in FIG. The detection sensor S is composed of an infrared sensor, and is configured to be capable of non-contact detection of whether or not the user's hand is held over a predetermined approach position.

(Regarding the blowing part 20)
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the blowout portion 20 includes four blowout openings 21 formed in the inner wall 12A of the cylindrical wall portion 12 and opening in a vertically elongated slit shape, and along the opening edge of each blowout opening 21. each of the vertically long plate-shaped louvers 22 extending in the height direction. The outlets 21 are arranged at equal intervals at four locations on the inner wall 12A of the cylindrical wall portion 12 in the cylinder circumferential direction.

Each outlet 21 is formed in a shape extending straight in the height direction over substantially the entire height direction of the floor area A1 of the inner wall 12A. Each air outlet 21 communicates with the air passage 12</b>C inside the cylinder wall portion 12 .

Each louver 22 serves as a louver for orienting the blowing direction of the air from each blowing port 21 in the circumferential direction of the cylinder. Each louver 22 is attached along the opening edge of each outlet 21 on the clockwise side in a plan view so as to extend over the entire height direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, each louver 22 has each outlet 21 slanted from the inner side of the cylinder so that the direction of the air blown out from each outlet 21 toward the inner side of the cylinder is switched counterclockwise in a plan view. It is provided in the form of covering the By switching the blowing direction of the air by each louver 22 , a whirling air current is generated in the drying chamber 10 by the interaction of the wind blown out from each blowing port 21 in the cylinder circumferential direction.

(Regarding suction unit 30)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the suction unit 30 is provided directly below the drying chamber 10 and is formed in a cylindrical container concentric with the drying chamber 10 . The suction part 30 is connected so as to communicate with a connection port 15 formed on the cylinder bottom side of the drying chamber 10 .

The suction unit 30 applies suction pressure to the connection port 15 on the cylinder bottom side of the communicating drying chamber 10 by the suction pressure applied from the circulation unit 50 which will be described later. Thereby, the suction unit 30 sucks the air blown into the drying chamber 10 from the blowing unit 20 from the lower side of the drying chamber 10 . At that time, since the floor 14 of the drying chamber 10 is made of wire mesh, the suction pressure applied from the suction part 30 is also applied to the inside of the drying chamber 10 through the mesh of the floor 14 and blown out into the drying chamber 10. Wind is sucked through the mesh of the floor 14 to the suction section 30 .

Specifically, as described above with reference to FIG. It is designed to effectively apply high suction pressure. In addition, the suction unit 30 can smoothly suck the swirling air current drawn downward from the drying chamber 10 while rectifying it by being guided by the sloped surface of the inverted truncated cone shape of the drying chamber 10 .

(Regarding Separation Unit 40)
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the separating portion 40 includes an inclined tubular wall 41 having an inverted conical tubular shape connected to the suction portion 30 via a connecting tube 41A, and an inclined tubular wall 41. and a suction pipe 42 for sucking air from the inside of the cylinder and sending it to the circulation part 50 . In addition, the separation section 40 has an S trap 43 that discharges the water dripping from the inclined cylindrical wall 41 to the outside by the gravitational action.

As shown in FIG. 5, the inclined cylindrical wall 41 is connected to the suction section 30 via a connecting tube 41A. The connecting pipe 41A is connected in such a manner as to be horizontally bridged between the cylindrical wall of the upper end portion of the inclined cylindrical wall 41 and the cylindrical wall of the suction portion 30 .

More specifically, the connecting pipe 41A is connected to the inclined cylindrical wall 41 so as to open in the cylinder in the circumferential direction. As a result, the air sucked into the cylinder of the inclined cylinder wall 41 from the suction part 30 through the connecting pipe 41A becomes a swirling air current (to be described later) that circles along the inner peripheral surface of the inclined cylinder wall 41 in the cylinder circumferential direction. separated airflow).

A drain port 41B is formed at the lower end of the inclined cylinder wall 41 for draining water centrifugally separated by the whirling airflow (separation airflow) downward by the action of gravity. An S trap 43 (drain trap) is connected to the drain port 41B. As a result, the water discharged from the drain port 41B in the direction of gravity is hygienically discharged to the outside through the S trap 43 .

The suction pipe 42 is made of a tubular member bent in an inverted J shape. The lower end of the suction pipe 42 on the front side of the drawing is inserted into a circular hole formed in the central portion of the top plate of the inclined cylindrical wall 41 from above, and extends into the cylinder of the inclined cylindrical wall 41 in the height direction. It is inserted up to approximately the center position. Further, the suction pipe 42 is connected such that the lower end of the pipe portion on the rear side of the drawing communicates with the upper end of the suction pipe 54A of the circulation portion 50 .

The separation section 40 is driven by a sirocco fan 52 of the circulation section 50, which will be described later, and a suction pressure is applied to the suction pipe 42 through the suction pipe 54A. Generate a swirling air current. As a result, a suction pressure is also applied to the inside of the suction portion 30 connected to the inside of the cylinder of the inclined cylinder wall 41 . By applying a suction pressure to the suction part 30, a suction pressure is applied from below inside the drying chamber 10 communicating with the suction part 30 as described above. Here, the sirocco fan 52 corresponds to the "blower" of the present invention.

The air in the drying chamber 10 is sucked into the suction unit 30 by applying suction pressure from the suction unit 30 to the inside of the drying chamber 10 . Then, the wind sucked into the suction portion 30 passes through the connection pipe 41A of the separation portion 40 and flows into the cylinder of the inclined cylinder wall 41 as wind in the cylinder circumferential direction. As a result, a whirling airflow that flows in a whirling manner in the circumferential direction of the cylinder is generated in the cylinder of the inclined cylinder wall 41 . The whirling air current acts as a separation air current that centrifugally separates air and water from the air sent from the suction unit 30 .

The swirling air current is changed into a vortex air current sucked downward in a vortex by the suction pressure applied from the tip of the suction pipe 42 inserted into the cylinder of the inclined cylindrical wall 41 . Furthermore, this vortex airflow is changed into an updraft that is sucked upward from the lower center of the vortex by the suction pressure applied from the suction pipe 42 immediately below the suction pipe 42 .

At this time, since the inclined cylindrical wall 41 has a shape that tapers downward, a strong suction pressure is applied directly below the suction pipe 42 for sucking up the vortex airflow. there is Therefore, the vortex airflow (separated airflow) that is sucked downward is abruptly changed into an ascending airflow immediately below the suction pipe 42 .

Due to this change in airflow, the water contained therein is separated from the wind taken into the cylinder of the inclined cylinder wall 41, and the separated water drips down to the drain port 41B by gravity and is discharged to the outside. be. Then, the air from which the water is separated is sucked up from the suction pipe 42 and flows to the suction pipe 54A of the circulation section 50 .

(Regarding circulation unit 50)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the circulation unit 50 includes a housing 51 having a box shape elongated in the front-rear direction, a sirocco fan 52 installed in the housing 51, and a fan for driving the sirocco fan 52. a motor 53; The circulation unit 50 also has a water filter 54 that is provided in the housing 51 and filters the air sucked from the separation unit 40 through the stored water W. As shown in FIG.

The circulation unit 50 also has a deep UV LED 55 which is provided in the housing 51 and irradiates the water W in the water filter 54 and the air that has passed through the water W with deep UV light to sterilize the water. In addition, the circulation unit 50 has an intermediate filter 56 which is provided in the housing 51 and filters the air irradiated with the deep ultraviolet rays. Here, the deep ultraviolet LED 55 corresponds to the "deep ultraviolet irradiation section" of the present invention.

The circulation unit 50 also has a HEPA filter 57 that is provided in the housing 51 and filters the air that has passed through the intermediate filter 56 . Also, the circulation unit 50 is connected to the lower part of the wall on the far side of the housing 51, and blows air from the sirocco fan 52 to the air passage 12C in the cylindrical wall 12 of the drying chamber 10. have Here, the intermediate filter 56 and the HEPA filter 57 each correspond to the "filtration filter" of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, inside the housing 51, there is formed a first partition wall 51A in the form of an upright plate that partitions the space inside the box into front and rear. In addition, inside the housing 51, a small room is formed in the upper part of the inner part of the inner space partitioned by the first partition wall 51A so that the sirocco fan 52 can be attached and the fan motor 53 can be stored. An L-shaped plate-shaped second partition wall 51B is formed so that

The sirocco fan 52 is a so-called centrifugal blower, and is configured to take in air from the front, which is the direction of its rotation axis, and send it out in the centrifugal direction. The sirocco fan 52 is installed between the first partition wall 51A and the upright portion of the second partition wall 51B, and is installed in a small room on the back side with the upright portion of the second partition wall 51B interposed therebetween. is connected to the output shaft of the fan motor 53 installed in the .

As a result, the sirocco fan 52 is configured such that its rotational axis is oriented in the front-rear direction, and the fan motor 53 is driven to draw in air from the front and send it out in the centrifugal direction. The fan motor 53 is electrically controlled to be driven and stopped by a controller 70 which will be described later.

In a portion of the first partition wall 51A facing the front side of the sirocco fan 52, a through hole is formed to open the front side region of the sirocco fan 52 in a circular shape having substantially the same diameter and concentricity as the sirocco fan 52. ing. A cylindrical portion 51C is formed along the peripheral edge of the through-hole and protrudes into the space on the front side of the first partition wall 51A.

The sirocco fan 52 described above is driven and rotated by the fan motor 53 to apply a suction pressure from the cylindrical portion 51C facing the front thereof to the space in front of the first partition wall 51A. Thereby, the sirocco fan 52 takes in air from the space on the front side of the first partition wall 51A and sends out centrifugal air into the space partitioned by the first partition wall 51A and the second partition wall 51B. As a result, the sirocco fan 52 causes the sent air to flow to the blower pipe 58 connected to the lower portion of the inner side wall portion of the housing 51 .

The water filter 54 is provided in a front side area partitioned by the first partition wall 51A of the housing 51 . Specifically, the water filter 54 includes a circular suction tube 54A that extends downwardly from the top plate of the housing 51, and a second tube that protrudes like an eave from the outer peripheral surface slightly above the lower end of the suction tube 54A. It has a first eaves plate 54B and a second eaves plate 54C projecting from a position higher than the first eaves plate 54B of the first partition wall 51A toward the near side in an eaves shape.

The water filter 54 has a structure in which the water W is stored in the lower space on the front side partitioned by the first partition wall 51A of the housing 51, and the air taken in from the suction pipe 54A is filtered and cleaned by the water W. It is said that The suction pipe 54A is connected at its upper end to the top plate of the housing 51 so as to communicate with the outside. The suction pipe 54A is provided in a state in which the lower end portion thereof is inserted into the stored water W, and extends straight down from the connecting portion with the top plate portion.

The first eaves plate 54B is configured as a projecting plate projecting in four directions so as to widely cover the water W stored in the lower space on the front side of the housing 51 from above. Specifically, the first eaves plate 54B projects from the outer peripheral surface of the suction pipe 54A in the front, rear, left, and right directions, and is connected to the left, right, and front inner peripheral walls of the housing 51, respectively.

The first eaves plate 54B projects backward from the suction pipe 54A, but does not reach the first partition wall 51A and has a gap in the front-rear direction with the first partition wall 51A. The first canopy plate 54B serves as a holding plate that prevents the water W stored in its lower part from scattering upward when it is mixed and stirred with the wind sucked out from the lower end of the suction pipe 54A. Function.

Specifically, the first eaves plate 54B has a shape extending obliquely downward in the front-rear direction around the suction pipe 54A. As a result, the first eaves plate 54B can appropriately suppress over a wide range the movement in which the stored water W is agitated in a wave-like manner by the force of the wind sucked out from the suction pipe 54A and is about to splash upward. It's like

The second eaves plate 54C protrudes forward from the first partition wall 51A and covers the gap formed between the first eaves plate 54B and the first partition wall 51A from above. Specifically, the second eaves plate 54C is shaped to protrude forward from a position higher than the first eaves plate 54B of the first partition wall 51A to a position directly above the first eaves plate 54B. The second eaves plate 54</b>C is shaped to protrude forward from the entire lateral direction of the first partition wall 51</b>A, and is shaped to be connected to the left and right inner peripheral walls of the housing 51 .

The second eaves plate 54C functions as a holding plate that suppresses the splashing of the above-described stored water W when it splashes upward from the gap between the first eaves plate 54B and the first partition wall 51A. . Specifically, the second eaves plate 54C has a shape in which it horizontally protrudes from the first partition wall 51A toward the near side, and then bends in a shape that slopes forward downward. As a result, the second eaves plate 54C is configured to more appropriately suppress the upward splashing of the stored water W.

The water filter 54 described above filters and purifies the air sucked out from the lower end of the suction pipe 54A by the suction pressure applied from the sirocco fan 52 described above. Specifically, the water filter 54 mixes and agitates the wind vigorously sucked out from the lower end of the suction pipe 54A by the suction pressure of the sirocco fan 52 with the stored water W, thereby removing the bacteria contained in the wind. and viruses are mixed in the stored water W. As a result, bacteria and viruses contained in the wind are removed by the stored water W, and the purified wind passes through the stored water W and flows downstream.

The deep UV LED 55 is composed of a light emitting diode that emits deep UV (light in a wavelength range (200 to 300 nm) shorter than UV). The deep ultraviolet LED 55 is electrically connected to the control unit 70 and configured to be switched ON/OFF by the control unit 70 .

The deep ultraviolet LED 55 has a light-emitting portion elongated in the left-right direction, and is installed in a horizontally elongated shape on the lower surface of the second eaves plate 54C. The deep ultraviolet LED 55 irradiates deep ultraviolet rays downward, and irradiates the stored water W of the water filter 54 facing downward and the wind that has passed through the stored water W with the deep ultraviolet rays. Thereby, the deep ultraviolet LED 55 kills the bacteria and viruses contained in the water W in the water filter 54 and the wind that has passed through the water W.

The intermediate filter 56 is tightly fitted inside the aforementioned cylindrical tube portion 51C formed in the first partition wall 51A. The intermediate filter 56 absorbs bacteria and viruses contained in the wind by allowing the wind that has passed through the water filter 54 and flowed into the tubular portion 51C due to the suction pressure applied from the sirocco fan 52 to pass downstream. , the filtered and purified air flows downstream.

Specifically, the intermediate filter 56 is configured by a metal filter made of metallic non-woven fabric. A metal filter is made of a metallic non-woven fabric formed into a sheet by entangling or sintering metallic fibers such as stainless steel.

The HEPA filter 57 is fitted between the bottom plate portion of the second partition wall 51B and the bottom plate portion of the housing 51 . Specifically, the HEPA filter 57 is fitted without a gap over the entire area in the left-right direction and the height direction between the bottom plate portion of the second partition wall 51B and the bottom plate portion of the housing 51 .

The HEPA filter 57 allows the air flowing from the sirocco fan 52 to the air duct 58 to pass through, adsorbs bacteria and viruses contained in the air, and flows the filtered and cleaned air downstream. The HEPA filter 57 adsorbs bacteria and viruses with a higher adsorption rate than the intermediate filter 56 does. The air that has passed through the HEPA filter 57 is sent to the blower pipe 58 . The HEPA filter 57 is a known air filter defined in JIS Z8122.

(About heater 60)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the heaters 60 are composed of so-called planar heating elements, and are provided at a plurality of locations on the inner peripheral surface of the outer wall 12B of the drying chamber 10 in the cylinder circumferential direction. Each heater 60 faces the air passage 12C between the outer wall 12B and the inner wall 12A of the drying chamber 10, and warms the air flowing through the air passage 12C. ON and OFF of each heater 60 is electrically controlled by a control unit 70 to be described later.

(Regarding the control unit 70)
The control unit 70 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and although not shown, includes a CPU, a storage unit such as a FlashROM, and a functional unit such as a timer. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 70 is electrically connected to the detection sensor S provided in the drying chamber 10. When the power is turned on and the function is started, the detection sensor S detects a predetermined detection time. Outputs length and interval detection signals. In the initial state, the control unit 70 stops driving the fan motor 53 and each heater 60 .

The control unit 70 drives the fan motor 53 and the heaters 60 when the detection sensor S detects that the user's hand has been held for a predetermined time (for example, one second). When the fan motor 53 is driven, the sirocco fan 52 rotates, applying a suction pressure from the bottom side of the drying chamber 10 and blowing air from the air pipe 58 into the air passage 12C of the drying chamber 10 . In addition, the driving of each heater 60 heats the air flowing through the air passage 12C.

As a result of the above operations, warm air is blown out from the outlets 21 into the drying chamber 10 in the circumferential direction to generate a whirling air current in the drying chamber 10 . Then, the generated whirling air current changes into a vortex air current sucked toward the bottom side of the drying chamber 10 by the suction pressure applied from the bottom side of the drying chamber 10 . The control unit 70 continues to drive the fan motor 53 and the heaters 60 even after the user's hand is released from the detection sensor S, and after a certain period of time (for example, 3 to 5 minutes) has elapsed, the control unit 70 continues to drive them. to stop

(How to use body dryer 1)
Then, the usage method of the body dryer 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. First, the user opens the opening/closing door 11 of the drying chamber 10 to enter the drying chamber 10 and closes the opening/closing door 11 of the drying chamber 10 . After that, a hand is held over the detection sensor S in the drying chamber 10 for a predetermined time (for example, 1 second).

As a result, warm air is blown out from each outlet 21 of the drying chamber 10 to generate a whirling air current, which changes into a whirling air current sucked toward the bottom side of the drying chamber 10 . Due to the vortex air currents, a long and warm wind blows over a wide area on the surface of the user's body. As a result, the user's wet body can be dried efficiently and hygienically in a short period of time.

In summary, the body dryer 1 according to the first embodiment has the following configuration. Note that the reference numerals in parentheses below correspond to the respective configurations shown in the above embodiments.

That is, the body dryer (1) includes a drying chamber (10) having an opening/closing door (11) through which a user can enter and exit, and a drying chamber (10) extending circumferentially from an inner wall (12A) of the drying chamber (10) into the drying chamber (10). a blowing part (20) for generating a whirling air current by blowing out the air flowing into the drying chamber (10); and a circulation part (50) for circulating the air sucked into the suction part (30) as the air blown out from the blowing part (20). A circulation part (50) has a water filter (54) that filters the wind sucked from the suction part (30) through the stored water (W), and further filters the wind that has passed through the water filter (54). filtering filters (56, 57).

According to the above configuration, the blowing part (20) for generating a whirling air current in the drying chamber (10) and the suction part (30) for applying suction pressure from the floor (14) side in the drying chamber (10). The combination can generate a vortex air current in the drying chamber (10) that is drawn toward the floor (14). Due to the eddy current, the surface of the user's body in the drying chamber (10) can be exposed to the air over a wide area for a long time. Therefore, the user's body can be dried efficiently in a short time. In addition, the wind sucked into the suction part (30) is effectively cleaned through the circulation part (50) having both the water filter (54) and the filtration filters (56, 57), and is hygienically delivered to the blowing part (20). can be circulated effectively.

In addition, the body dryer (1) further includes a separation section interposed between the suction section (30) and the circulation section (50), which takes in the wind sucked from the suction section (30) and separates it into water and air. (40). The separation part (40) has a cylinder-shaped inclined cylinder wall inclined in an inverted conical shape that takes in the air sucked from the suction part (30) from above in the circumferential direction of the cylinder and causes the separated air flow to flow downward while swirling. (41), a suction pipe (42) that enters the inclined cylindrical wall (41) from above and sucks the separation airflow upward by suction pressure applied from the circulation section (50) and sends it to the circulation section (50); and a drain port (41B) that opens in the gravity direction of the inclined cylindrical wall (41) and drains water separated by the separation airflow in the gravity direction.

According to the above configuration, the separation section (40) interposed between the suction section (30) and the circulation section (50) appropriately separates and drains water from the wind sucked from the drying chamber (10). , air can be adequately introduced into the circulation (50) comprising a water filter (54) and filtration filters (56, 57).

Further, the circulation unit (50) further irradiates the stored water (W) of the water filter (54) and/or the air that has passed through the stored water (W) with deep UV rays to sterilize the deep UV irradiation unit (55). Prepare. According to the above configuration, the deep ultraviolet rays irradiated from the deep ultraviolet irradiation section (55) can easily sterilize the water (W) stored in the water filter (54) and/or the air passing through the water filter (54). and can be done effectively. Deep ultraviolet rays are the name of light in a wavelength range (200 to 300 nm) shorter than that of ultraviolet rays.

Further, the blowout part (20) has a heater (60) for warming the air sent from the circulation part (50). According to the above configuration, the heater (60) warms the air blown from the blowing part (20), thereby promoting drying of the body. Also, since the warmed air is circulated by the circulation section (50), the heat of the warmed air can be effectively reused.

Further, the circulation section (50) is provided with an air blower (52) that generates pressure for sucking air from the suction section (30) and blowing air from the blowing section (20). According to the above configuration, by providing the blower (52) in the circulation section (50) located between the suction section (30) and the blowing section (20), air is sucked and blown from the suction section (30). Blowing air from the part (20) can be performed rationally and appropriately.

<<Second embodiment>>
Then, the structure of the body dryer 1 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 6, the body dryer 1 according to this embodiment has a configuration in which a faucet device 80 having an overhead showerhead 81 is installed in the drying chamber 10 .

The faucet device 80 is attached to the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 10 together with the shower head 81 . The faucet device 80 has a temperature control function capable of internally adjusting the mixing ratio (temperature) of hot water supplied from the outside of the drying chamber 10 and supplying it to the shower head 81 . The above temperature control is performed by operating a temperature control handle (not shown) provided on the faucet device 80 .

The faucet device 80 jets hot water from the shower head 81 toward the user when the user holds his or her hand over a sensor (not shown) provided on the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 10 . Then, after the faucet device 80 starts jetting hot water from the shower head 81, when the user's hand is held over the sensor (not shown) again, the jetting of hot water from the shower head 81 is stopped. It has become. Other configurations are the same as those of the body dryer 1 shown in the first embodiment.

<<About other embodiments>>
As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described using two embodiments, but the present invention can be implemented in various forms shown below in addition to the above embodiments.

1. The drying chamber of the body dryer may be of a cylindrical capsule type or a box type. Also, the drying chamber does not necessarily have a ceiling, and may be of a cylindrical or square tube configuration with an open ceiling. The body dryer may be configured without a separation section that takes in the air sucked from the suction section and separates it into water and air.

2. The separation section may be of any structure as long as it is interposed between the suction section and the circulation section and takes in the wind sucked from the suction section and separates it into water and air. In addition to the one that generates a vortex airflow, a vortex airflow that becomes a separated airflow may be generated by a cylindrical wall. Alternatively, the separation unit does not necessarily have to generate a vortex airflow that becomes a separated airflow, and simply has a structure in which the air sucked from the suction unit is sucked upward by the suction pipe, so that the sucked wind is mixed with water. It may be configured to be separated from the air.

3. The floor of the drying chamber may be made of wire mesh, or may be formed with holes or gaps formed in the center, the periphery, or at various locations to allow the drying chamber and the suction unit to communicate with each other.

4. The swirling airflow blown out from the blowing part into the drying chamber may be set to flow in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction with respect to the user. In addition, the air blowing section blows out air from an air outlet formed in the inner wall of the drying chamber and changes the direction of the air in the circumferential direction by means of a louver. It may be configured to blow out the wind in the circumferential direction.

5. In each of the above embodiments, the sirocco fan (blower) provided in the circulation unit is driven to blow air from the blowing unit, suck the air into the suction unit, separate the air from the separation unit, and send it to the circulation unit. An example of a configuration for generating wind pressure for taking in the wind and circulating the wind to the blow-out portion is shown. However, a configuration may be adopted in which a blower is individually provided in each of the blowout section, the suction section, the separation section, and the circulation section to generate the above-mentioned wind pressure respectively.

In addition, a blower for generating wind pressure only in the blowing part, the suction part, and the circulation part is provided, or a blower is provided only in the blowing part and the circulation part, only the suction part and the circulation part, or only in the blowing part and the suction part. It may be a configuration. Moreover, the configuration may be such that the blower is provided only in one of the blowing section, the suction section, the separating section, and the circulation section. A sirocco fan, as well as various types of blowers and fans, can be applied to the blower for generating wind pressure.

6. The deep ultraviolet irradiation section provided in the circulation section may be composed of a low-pressure mercury lamp as well as a deep ultraviolet LED. Further, the deep ultraviolet ray irradiation unit may be provided so as to irradiate only the water stored in the water filter or only the wind that has passed through the water filter with the deep ultraviolet ray.

7. The filtration filter is a filter for coarse dust (pre-filter: a filter mainly targeting particles of 50 μm or more), a medium-high performance filter (a filter mainly targeting particles of 25 μm or more), a HEPA filter, or an ULPA filter, or A combination of these may also be used. In addition to the water filter and the filtration filter, the circulation unit may also be configured to include another type of filter such as an electrically charged filter.

Reference Signs List 1 body dryer 10 drying chamber 11 opening/closing door 12 cylindrical wall portion 12A inner wall 12B outer wall 12C air passage 13 ceiling plate 14 floor 15 connection port 20 blowout portion 21 blowout port 22 louver 30 suction portion 40 separation portion 41 inclined cylindrical wall 41A connection pipe 41B Drain port 42 Suction pipe 43 S trap 50 Circulation part 51 Housing 51A First partition wall 51B Second partition wall 51C Cylinder part 52 Sirocco fan (blower)
53 Fan motor 54 Water filter 54A Suction pipe 54B First eaves plate 54C Second eaves plate 55 Deep ultraviolet LED (deep ultraviolet irradiation unit)
56 intermediate filter (filtration filter)
57 HEPA filter (filtration filter)
58 Blower pipe 60 Heater 70 Control unit 80 Faucet device 81 Shower head A1 Above-floor area A2 Under-floor area W Accumulated water D Entrance/exit S Detection sensor

Claims (5)

A body dryer for drying the user's body with wind,
A drying room equipped with an opening and closing door that allows the user to enter and exit,
a blowing section for blowing air flowing in the drying chamber in the circumferential direction from an inner wall of the drying chamber to generate a swirling airflow;
a suction unit that applies suction pressure from the floor side to the drying chamber to change the swirling airflow into a vortex airflow that is sucked toward the floor;
a circulation unit that circulates the wind sucked into the suction unit as the wind blown out from the blowing unit;
A body dryer in which the circulation unit includes a water filter for filtering the air sucked from the suction unit through stored water, and a filtration filter for further filtering the air that has passed through the water filter. A body dryer according to claim 1,
Furthermore, a separation unit is provided between the suction unit and the circulation unit to take in the wind sucked from the suction unit and separate it into water and air,
a cylinder-shaped inclined cylinder wall in which the separating part is inclined in an inverted conical shape for generating a separated airflow that takes in the wind sucked from the suction part from above in the cylinder circumferential direction and flows downward while swirling; a suction pipe that enters the cylinder wall from above and sucks the separation airflow upward by suction pressure applied from the circulation part and sends it to the circulation part; and a drain for draining separated water in the direction of gravity. A body dryer according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The body dryer, wherein the circulation unit further includes a deep ultraviolet irradiation unit that irradiates the water stored in the water filter and/or the air that has passed through the water filter with deep ultraviolet rays for sterilization. The body dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A body dryer in which the blowing section includes a heater for warming the air sent from the circulation section. The body dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A body dryer in which the circulation unit is provided with an air blower that sucks air from the suction unit and generates pressure for sending the air to the blowout unit.

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