JP2573814Y2 - Hot air dryer - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot-air dryer that automatically blows out hot air by means of a sensor that senses a hand when the hand is held under a hot-air spout to dry hands.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to dry hands after washing hands, a hot air dryer fixed by using a wall or the like has been conventionally used. This hot-air dryer includes a fan for air blowing in a casing, a motor for driving the fan, and a heater for air heating provided in a duct flow path downstream of the fan. The air from the fan is heated by the heater. By doing so, hot air is blown from the flow path end of the duct. An example of this type is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-66336.

In such a hot-air dryer, the driving of the fan and the energization of the heater are controlled so as to be performed only when a person holds his hand under the hot-air outlet. For this control, a sensor for sensing a human hand is provided, for example, near the hot air outlet.

[0004]

The hot air outlet is provided at the lower end of the casing for ease of use, and discharges the hot air downward or in a direction slightly inclined toward the user. For this reason, when used by a person, the hot air outlet is likely to be hidden by the shadow of the casing, and a mark or the like indicating a hot air blowing portion is provided on the front of the casing to indicate the position of the hand. .

[0005] However, since the sensor senses the hand with the sensor and receives the warm air to dry it, the user changes his / her hand position so that the warm air hits the hot air most strongly after the warm air starts to blow. As described above, since the warm air is received depending on the sense of the hand, the warm air tends to hit the hand in a biased manner during the period when the warm air starts to be blown, and the hand easily shifts during use. Therefore, it is not possible to perform drying while sufficiently receiving the warm air, so that time is wasted and power is wasted.

Further, since the hot air is blown out only during the period when the sensor senses the hand, if the hand goes out of the sensing area of the sensor during the drying, the warm air stops. For this reason, the hand is used while repeatedly changing the hand position, which leaves a point that is difficult for children and elderly people to use.

As described above, in the conventional hot air dryer, the position of the hot air outlet and the direction to which the hot air is blown cannot be clearly understood, and the hand cannot be placed at the position where the hot air is best received. There is a problem.

The problem to be solved in the present invention is to make it possible to dry hands comfortably in a short time by visually recognizing the position and direction of the actual blown hot air.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a fan for blowing air, a heater for heating air in a blowing channel, a hot air outlet for discharging heated air, and a hot air outlet for the hot air outlet. and a sensing means for sensing which when brought into position a hand in response to a hot-air dryer to control the energization of the fan and the heater by the sensing signal of said sensing means, said sensing hand
The step shall be of the optical reflection type using visible light,
The characterized in that was a direction of the flow of warm air emitted <br/> from the warm-air blow port.

The optical reflection type sensing means has a sensing function.
Both of the light emitting functions are combined into one unit.

[0011]

When the visible light is emitted from the optical reflection type sensing means, the direction of the flow of the hot air from the hot air jet is indicated by the visible light. For this reason, if the user holds his hand while the visible light is traveling, the user can surely hit the warm air from the hot air outlet. Thus, without knowing the actual blowing direction of the position and the warm air of the warm air blowing port clearly, it is possible to put a hand and just for a soluble <br/> visible light into a stream of hot air.

[0012] The present invention is, visible light and to order the illumination light of the optical reflection type sensing means, the position and the warm air in the flow direction and are substantially coincident when made to correspond to hand warm-air blow port when dry Therefore, if the hand is put out using the visible light from the sensing means as an eye, the hand can be exposed to the flow of warm air.

[0013]

1 is a partially cutaway side view showing the internal structure of a hot air dryer according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a bottom view.

In the drawing, a fan housing 2 is housed inside a casing 1 for fixing a back side (right side in FIG. 1) to a wall surface, and a fan 2a is accommodated in the fan housing 2.
Is incorporated. A motor 3 for rotationally driving the fan 2a is fixed in the casing 1, and communicates with the fan housing 2 when the fan 2a is rotationally driven.
The air is blown into the hot-air jet port 4 which opens to the lower end of the hot air outlet.

The hot air outlet 4 is the end of the flow path of the duct 4a connected to the housing 2, and has a lattice-shaped rectifying plate 4b for rectification at the open end. Further, a heater 5 is provided inside the duct 4a, and the air supplied from the fan 2a is heated by the heater 5 and discharged from the hot air outlet 4. It is to be noted that a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the hot air and the like are incorporated, and the amount of heating of the heater 5 is controlled in the same manner as the conventional one.

Behind the open end of the duct 4a, a chamber 4c for incorporating a sensor or the like is provided with its lower end opened, and an optical reflection type sensing means for sensing a human hand is provided therein.
10 is incorporated.

The optical reflection type sensing means 10 is fixed to the substrate 8 and is fixed in the chamber 4c so that its optical axis is substantially the same as the axis of the duct 4a or slightly inclined toward the front side. The optical reflection type sensing means 10 has a sensing function.
And the light projection function in one unit.
That is, visible light including infrared light was used for one substrate 8.
One reflection type infrared sensor 10 is provided. Like this
In the case of using the infrared sensor 10 for visual light, hand detection
Visualization of hot air blowing direction from hot air outlet 4
It works.

Further, a controller 9 is provided at the back of the motor 3.
Is provided. The controller 9 energizes the motor 3 and the heater 5 when a human hand is sensed by the sensing sensor 6 and automatically stops the energization when the human sensor no longer senses it. Controls all control targets .

In the above configuration, visible light including infrared rays is emitted from the sensing means 10 located at the back of the hot air outlet 4. Then, since the optical axis of the sensing means 10 is directed to the flow direction of the hot air from the hot air blowing port 4, the sensing means
Once you have an indication that the irradiation light from the 10 is balloon orientation of the warm air, people use as shown in FIG. 3 only holding the hand in the irradiation light, in the range of irradiation Shako Sensing hand
Visible light, including infrared light, from step 10 can be received by hand. Therefore, even when first used, simply by placing a hand rely on visible light from the sensing means 10, the sensing by the sensing means 10 is surely performed, warm air by energizing the motor 3 and the heater 5 by the controller 9 Is blown out from the hot air outlet 4.

In FIG. 3, an arrow indicated by a solid line indicates a sense.
It is the path of light from the means 10 , and the dashed-dotted arrow indicates the direction in which hot air is blown out from the hot air outlet 4.

Further, sensing even when dry hands while blowing warm air, since the visible light continuously from the sensing means 10 is irradiated, if you put a hand into the irradiation zone
It does not deviate from the sensing range of the means 10 . For this reason,
The hot air does not stop during use, and the sensing hand is
The warm air can be reliably captured simply by seeing that the light from the step 10 is received by hand, and the hands can be dried in a short time.

FIG . 4 shows an infrared ray having both sensing and light emitting functions.
It is a schematic diagram showing arrangement of a line sensor to a substrate.

In the present invention , both the sensing function and the light projecting function are made into an optical reflection type using visible light.
Things . That is, as shown in FIG. 4, a reflective infrared sensor 10 with visible light including infrared rays onto a substrate 8 Ru provided one. Such a visible light infrared sensor 1
If utilizing 0, it is possible to blow-out direction of the visualization of the warm air from the hand of the sensing and warm-air blow port 4.

When the infrared sensor 10 is provided in the chamber 4c, the infrared sensor 10 is always energized for the function of detecting a human hand. Therefore, from the infrared sensor 10 is irradiated infrared visible light at all times, people use can dry the hands by using the irradiation light this. Further, since performing a sensing function and a light projecting function by one of the infrared sensor 10, the bulk is reduced as compared with the case Ru <br/> divided into sensing sensor and the light projecting heads, also simplified wiring and assembly .

[0025] Thus, since visible light is irradiated along If using an infrared sensor 1 0 utilizing the visible light to a sensing and projection, the balloon flow of warm air, people use the visible It suffices to just reach out to the position of the hot air jet 4 with the aim of light. For this reason, even if the position of the hot-air outlet 4 and the direction of hot-air blowing are not known, it is possible to sufficiently apply hot air from the beginning to the end of use, and to dry hands in a short time.

[0026]

[Effects of the Invention] In the present invention, visible light is emitted in the direction of the flow of hot air from the hot air outlet, and when the hand is put out using the visible light as a target, a hand is inserted in the flow of the hot air. Can be placed correctly. For this reason, when using for the first time, it is possible to easily dry the hands without knowing the position of the hot air outlet and the direction of the flow of the hot air. Therefore, compared to the conventional method of searching for the optimal drying point while moving the hand by relying on the feeling of the hand after the start of hot air, it can be used by extending the hand to the appropriate position from the beginning, so it can be used in a short time It can be dried and power is not wasted.

Further, if the drying is performed while the hand is exposed to the light, the hand does not deviate from the sensing area of the sensing means during use, and the warm air does not stop on the way. Also improve.

To use the visible light [0028] a sense of knowledge means as optical
Therefore , it can also serve as a light emitting means, and a simple structure is sufficient.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cutaway side view of a hot air dryer.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the hot air dryer.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a state in which a hand is placed under a hot air outlet to dry the hand, and also shows a direction of blowing hot air and an optical axis direction of a sensor and a light projection head. .

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an arrangement of an infrared sensor having a sensing function and a light projecting function used on the hot air dryer of the present invention on a substrate.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 casing 2 fan housing 2a fan 3 motor 4 hot air outlet 5 heater 6 sensing sensor 7 light emitting head 8 substrate 9 controller 10 infrared sensor

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A fan for blowing air, a heater for heating air in a blowing channel, a hot air outlet for discharging heated air, and a hand corresponding to the hot air outlet. A hot air dryer that controls the energization of the fan and the heater according to the sensing signal of the sensing means , wherein the sensing means is an optical filter using visible light.
Assume the Ishiki, hot air drier, characterized in that the light projection direction to the direction of flow of the hot air emitted from the warm-air blow port.