JP3163049B2 - Automatic hair washer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic hair washer for washing hair by spraying warm water onto the hair and head of a person to be washed, and more particularly to a business-use automatic hair washer used in beauty salons and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been provided an automatic shampoo machine for automatically squirting warm water onto the hair and head of a person to be shampooed to wash the hair without human intervention. Such an automatic hair washer is provided with a hot water storage tank for storing hot water used for hair washing, and the hot water stored in this hot water storage tank is
Hair is washed by being pumped out by a pump and sprayed from a nozzle. When the amount of hot water in the hot water storage tank decreases with the washing of the hair, the hot water is automatically supplied to the hot water storage tank, so that the hot water storage tank is always filled with a certain amount of hot water.

[0003] The temperature of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank is:
It gradually decreases over time. Therefore, while the automatic hair washer is frequently used, the hot water in the hot water storage tank is replaced with use, so that the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank is maintained at an appropriate temperature (for example, 29 ° C.) or higher. If there is a long time between the end of the washing and the next washing, the temperature of the hot water remaining in the hot water storage tank after the end of the washing becomes lower than an appropriate temperature. Such low-temperature hot water, which is sprayed from the nozzle and hits the person to be washed, gives the person to be washed discomfort and cannot be used for hair washing.

Therefore, in the conventional automatic hair washer, when the temperature of the residual water in the hot water storage tank is lower than an appropriate temperature at the start of hair washing, the residual water in the hot water storage tank is automatically drained, and the hot water is stored. The tank is emptied once and hot water is stored. As a result, hot water at an appropriate temperature or higher is stored in the hot water storage tank, so that even if a long time elapses from the end of shampooing to the next shampooing, use hot water at an appropriate temperature or higher. You can wash your hair.

[0005]

However, in the conventional automatic hair washer described above, when the temperature of the residual water in the hot water storage tank at the time of starting the hair washing is lower than an appropriate temperature, the cooled residual water is forcibly removed. Because it is configured to drain
It was not possible to prohibit drainage of residual water at the request of the operator (such as a hairdresser) of this automatic hair washer.

If the operator can arbitrarily prohibit the drainage of residual water in the hot water storage tank, for example, additional hot water is supplied to the residual water, and when a certain amount of hot water is accumulated, the temperature of the hot water is reduced. By adjusting the temperature to the appropriate temperature, residual water in the hot water storage tank can be used for hair washing,
Waste of water can be eliminated. The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic hair washer capable of prohibiting drainage of residual water in a hot water storage tank at the start of hair washing.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hot water storage tank capable of storing a predetermined amount of hot water, and the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank is stored in the hot water storage tank. An automatic hair washer for washing hair by drawing it out and spraying it toward the hair of the person to be washed, and a hot water supply means for supplying hot water to a hot water storage tank, and hot water supply to the hot water storage tank by the hot water supply means. An operation panel having a hot water supply key for instructing start, a water amount detecting means for detecting whether or not there is hot water having a predetermined lower limit water level or more in the hot water storage tank, and detecting a temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank Prior to the supply of hot water to the hot water storage tank by the hot water supply means, the output of the water amount detection means and the output of the water temperature detection means are referred to, and the lower limit water is stored in the hot water storage tank. When there is the above residual water and the temperature of the residual water is out of the predetermined temperature range, a forced drainage unit for forcibly draining residual water in the hot water storage tank and an instruction signal from the hot water supply key are input. If a predetermined operation is performed on the operation panel after the above, the forced draining operation by the forced drainage unit is prohibited, and the hot water is additionally supplied to the remaining water in the hot water storage tank by the hot water supply unit. An automatic hair washer comprising drainage inhibiting means.

According to this configuration, when there is residual water in the hot water storage tank equal to or higher than the predetermined lower limit water level and the temperature of the residual water is out of the predetermined temperature range, the residual water must be drained before the hot water supply. When a predetermined operation is performed on the operation panel instead of performing the operation, the remaining water in the hot water storage tank is not drained, but is added to the remaining water. Thereby, even if the remaining water in the hot water storage tank is cooled to a low temperature, for example, the hot water supply means may supply the hot water so that the water temperature at the time when the hot water storage tank is filled with the hot water becomes an appropriate temperature. By adjusting the temperature of the hot water supplied to the tank to a high temperature and additionally supplying the high-temperature hot water to the remaining water in the hot water storage tank, the remaining water in the hot water storage tank can also be used for the next hair wash. Therefore, waste of water can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which residual water in the hot water storage tank is uniformly drained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the predetermined operation on the operation panel is performed within a predetermined time after the forced draining operation by the forced draining means is started, the forced draining operation is immediately performed. 2. The automatic hair washer according to claim 1, further comprising means for stopping the supply of hot water by the hot water supply means. According to this configuration, the operation of prohibiting the forced drainage is not necessarily performed immediately after pressing the hot water supply key, and even after the forced drainage of the remaining water in the hot water storage tank is started, the forced drainage is not performed. Within a predetermined time from the start, by performing a predetermined operation, the forced drainage from the hot water storage tank can be stopped, and hot water supply to the hot water storage tank can be started. This is convenient when, for example, the forced drainage of the remaining water in the hot water storage tank is to be prohibited, but the user forgets to perform a predetermined operation at the start of hot water supply.

[0010] When a large amount of cold residual water is present in the hot water storage tank at the start of supplying hot water to the hot water storage tank, if hot water is added without draining the cooled residual water at all, Since the amount of the supplied hot water is small, the temperature of the hot water may be lower than the temperature that can be used for hair washing when the hot water storage tank is filled with the hot water. According to the above configuration, at the time when the cold residual water is drained to some extent, by performing an operation of prohibiting forced drainage, the amount of hot water added to the residual water is increased, and the hot water storage tank is filled with hot water. At that time, the temperature of the hot water can be adjusted to a temperature suitable for hair washing. Therefore, when hot water is additionally supplied to the remaining water, the possibility that the stored hot water becomes lower than the temperature that can be used for hair washing and the stored hot water is wasted can be eliminated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the predetermined amount of hot water is filled in the hot water storage tank, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank is adjusted to the predetermined temperature range by referring to the output of the water temperature detecting means. The automatic hair washer according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a water temperature abnormality alarm means for outputting an alarm indicating that hot water in the hot water storage tank cannot be used for washing the hair when it is outside.

According to this configuration, when a predetermined amount of hot water is filled in the hot water storage tank, the water temperature in the hot water storage tank is detected, and if the water temperature is out of the predetermined temperature range, the hot water storage tank is detected. A warning is issued that the hot water stored inside cannot be used for washing hair. Therefore, when this alarm is issued, by prohibiting the next hair washing operation, for example, a predetermined operation is performed to prohibit forced drainage of remaining water,
Even when the temperature of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank falls outside a predetermined temperature range (for example, low temperature), it is possible to prevent the hot water having the abnormal temperature from being sprayed to the person to be washed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the predetermined amount of hot water has not been filled in the hot water storage tank even after a predetermined water supply time has elapsed since the supply of hot water by the hot water supply means was started. The automatic hair washer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a water shortage warning unit that outputs a warning that the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank is insufficient. .

According to this configuration, even if a predetermined amount of hot water has not been filled in the hot water storage tank even after a predetermined hot water supply time has elapsed since the supply of the hot water to the hot water storage tank was started, the hot water storage tank was not filled with hot water. A warning is issued that the hot water storage is not being performed well and the amount of water in the hot water storage tank is insufficient. Therefore, when the water shortage warning is issued, the next hair washing operation is prohibited, so that it is possible to prevent the inconvenience of running out of hot water during the hair washing.

The predetermined operation on the operation panel may be the operation described in claim 5. That is, the predetermined operation on the operation panel is an operation in which the hot water supply key is pressed a plurality of times within a first predetermined time, and the last hot water supply key is pressed continuously for a second or more predetermined time. It is. In addition to the operation described in claim 5, for example, an operation of simultaneously pressing a key other than the hot water supply key provided on the operation panel and a hot water supply key may be performed.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of an automatic hair washer according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the state of the automatic hair washer shown in FIG.

The appearance of the automatic hair washer is formed by a cabinet 1. In the center of the upper surface of the cabinet 1, an entrance 2 for inserting the head of the person to be washed is formed. Inside the entrance 2, a sink 3 for accommodating a head and hair is arranged. A plurality of nozzles not shown in FIG. 1 are arranged inside the sink 3, and hot water supplied from a hot water storage tank (described later) provided in the cabinet 1 via the plurality of nozzles. Can be sprayed toward the head of the person to be washed.

In connection with the entrance 2, a hood 4 that covers the periphery of the face of the person to be washed is openably and closably mounted. The hood 4 is formed with a cutout 5 for exposing the face of the person to be washed during use. A face seal 6 elastically in contact with the face exposed from the cutout 5 is provided around the cutout 5. Are located. The face seal 6 is for preventing water droplets scattered from inside the sink 3 from splashing on the face of the person to be washed, and is operated by operating the three adjustment knobs 7 to protrude from the periphery of the cutout 5. Can be adjusted.

On the left side of the entrance 2, there is provided a hand shower 8 which is used by a hairdresser or the like who operates this automatic hair washer to wash the sideburns of the person to be washed during hair washing. The hand shower 8 is provided so as to be able to be pulled out from the upper surface of the cabinet 1. Further, a recess 9 is formed on the back side of the hand shower 8, and a shampoo container 10 and a treatment container 11 in which a shampoo solution and a treatment solution used for hair washing are stored, respectively. Is placed.

On the other hand, on the right side of the entrance 2, there is provided an operation panel 12 on which various operation keys for inputting operation signals and a display for displaying information such as the temperature of warm water used for hair washing are arranged. Have been. A temperature adjustment knob 13 for adjusting the temperature of hot water used for hair washing and a shower adjustment knob 14 for adjusting the discharge amount of cold water or hot water from the hand shower 8 are arranged behind the operation panel 12. ing.

When starting hair washing by the automatic hair washing machine, first, the hood 4 is lifted up from the closed state shown in FIG. After inserting the head of the person to be washed into the entrance 2, the hood 4 is closed. Then, the user operates the three adjustment knobs 7 to cause the face seal 6 to protrude until the face seal 6 comes into contact with the face of the person to be washed, and then starts the hair washing operation.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the operation panel 12. The operation panel 12 can be divided into a hot water supply block section 20, an operation block section 30, and an auxiliary block section 40. A hot water supply key 21 for instructing hot water supply to the hot water storage tank and a hot water supply key 21
A hot water supply key lamp 22 for indicating ON / OFF of the hot water supply, a standby display 23 for indicating the state of hot water supply to the hot water storage tank, and a 7-segment display for hot water in the hot water storage tank A tank temperature indicator 24 for displaying a temperature is provided.

The operation block unit 30 includes a short key 31 for selecting and starting a short hair washing course, a short key lamp 32 indicating that the short hair washing course is being executed, and a medium long hair washing. A medium long key 33 for selecting and starting a course, and a medium long key lamp 34 indicating that a medium long hair washing course is being executed are arranged.

The operation block unit 30 further includes a remaining time display 3 for displaying the required time until the end of hair washing in minutes.
5 and shampoo process, plain rinse (P. rinse)
Operation status indicator 36 indicating which of the stroke and the treatment (treat M) stroke is being performed
A course select key 37 for selecting a process to be executed in a series of hair washing operations, and a course select key 3
A stroke indicator 38 for displaying the stroke selected by 7 is arranged.

The auxiliary block section 40 has a music selection key 41 for selecting a music or a buzzer sound by the electronic melody sound notified at the end of the hair washing, and a volume adjustment for adjusting the volume of the electronic melody sound or the buzzer sound. Key 42
A water pressure adjustment key 43 for adjusting the strength of the water pressure of the hot water injected from the nozzle, and a water pressure indicator 44 for displaying the strength of the water pressure adjusted by the water pressure adjustment key 43
A link key 45 for changing the position of a nozzle link (to be described later), a link key lamp 46 for indicating on / off of the link key 45, and a drain key 47 for instructing drainage of hot water in the hot water storage tank. And the drain key 47 on /
A drain key lamp 48 for displaying OFF and a link drain key 49 for discharging cold water remaining in the nozzle link and the pipe at the start of hair washing are arranged.

FIG. 3 is a simplified view of the water channel structure of this automatic hair washer. Inside the sink 3, there are provided an upper nozzle link 51 and a lower nozzle link 52 for jetting hot water toward the head of the person to be washed. The upper nozzle link 51 is formed in a substantially semicircular shape along the head of the person to be washed, and has one end rotatably supported by a side wall of the sink 3. A plurality of nozzles 53 for injecting hot water are arranged in the upper nozzle link 51, and the scalp and hair of the person to be washed can be washed by the hot water ejected from the nozzles 53.

The lower nozzle link 52 is formed in a rod shape extending substantially in a straight line, and has one end rotatably supported by a side wall of the sink 3. A plurality of nozzles 54 are arranged in the lower nozzle link 52, and the neck portion of the person to be washed can be mainly washed by the hot water jetted from the nozzles 54. A drive link mechanism 55 is connected to ends of the upper nozzle link 51 and the lower nozzle link 52 extending outward from the side wall of the sink 3. The drive link mechanism 55 includes a link motor 22 as a drive source.
Are connected. At the time of shampooing, the drive link mechanism 55 is driven by the link motor 22, and the upper nozzle link 5 is driven.
The first and lower nozzle links 52 are rocked and rotated, respectively. As a result, the plurality of nozzles 53 and 5 arranged on the upper nozzle link 51 and the lower nozzle link 52, respectively.
The direction of the hot water sprayed from 4 changes, and the hair of the person to be washed is washed evenly.

A plurality of fixed nozzles 56 are fixedly arranged on the lower side wall of the sink 3. These fixed nozzles 56 are for injecting warm water when the person to be washed has so-called long hair to wash the tip of the hair hanging down in the sink 3. Hot water to be supplied to the upper nozzle link 51, the lower nozzle link 52, and the fixed nozzle 56 is produced by a mixing valve 57. Mixing valve 57
, Water from an external water supply pipe (not shown) and hot water from an external hot water supply pipe (not shown) are supplied via a water supply unit 58 and a hot water supply unit 59, respectively.
In the mixing valve 57, the supplied water and hot water are mixed to produce warm water having a suitable temperature for washing the hair. The temperature of the hot water produced by the mixing valve 57 can be adjusted by operating a temperature adjustment knob 13 by a hairdresser or the like operating the automatic hair washer.

The hot water produced by the mixing valve 57 is
For example, when a hot water supply valve 60 constituted by an electromagnetic valve is opened, the hot water is supplied to a hot water storage tank 62 via a supply pipe 61.
A thermistor 63 for detecting the temperature of the hot water flowing through the supply pipe 61 is disposed in the middle of the supply pipe 61 on the upstream side of the hot water supply valve 60 so that the temperature of the hot water generated by the mixing valve 57 can be detected. It has become.

The hot water produced by the mixing valve 57 is jetted from the hand shower 8 through the check valve 65 and the supply passage 66 when the shower adjustment knob 14 is manually operated and the shower valve 64 is opened. You. As the hot water storage tank 62, for example, a tank having a capacity of 35 liters is employed. The hot water storage tank 62 is provided with a water level L switch 67, a water level M switch 68, and a water level H switch 69 for detecting the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 62. A thermistor 70 as a water temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 62 is provided below the hot water storage tank 62.

Further, at a position above the hot water storage tank 62,
An overflow port 71 is formed, and when excessive hot water is accumulated above the water level detected by the water level H switch 69, the hot water overflows to the outside of the hot water storage tank 62. A drain pan 72 for receiving warm water overflowing from the overflow port 71 is provided below the overflow port 71.
The warm water received by the drain pan 72 is discharged through a drain pipe 73 extending from the drain pan 72 to the outside of the machine. The drain pan 72 is provided with an overflow sensor 74 for detecting an abnormal state in which the water once drained into the drain pipe 73 flows back to the drain pan 72 and the drain pan 72 is filled with water.

Below the hot water storage tank 62, a hot water storage tank 6 is provided.
One end of an outflow pipe 75 for taking out the warm water in 2 is connected. The other end of the outflow pipe 75 is connected to a suction port 77 of a pump 76 for drawing out hot water from the hot water storage tank 62. An inverter 79 is connected to the pump 76 via a power supply line 78.
Is driven by the supply of an alternating current. When the pump 76 is driven, the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 62 passes through the outflow pipe 75 and passes through the suction port 77 of the pump 76.
From the pump 76.

A branch pipe 80 is formed in the middle of the outflow pipe 75. One end of the branch pipe 80 has the shampoo container 1.
The other end of the shampoo supply tube 81 inserted at 0 is connected. In the middle of the shampoo supply tube 81, a shampoo pump 82 for squeezing the shampoo supply tube 81 and sucking up the shampoo liquid in the shampoo container 10 is provided.

A branch pipe 83 is formed in the middle of the outflow pipe 75, for example, downstream of the branch pipe 80. The other end of the treatment supply tube 84, one end of which is inserted into the treatment container 11, is connected to the branch pipe 83. A treatment pump 85 for squeezing the treatment supply tube 84 and sucking up the treatment liquid in the treatment container 11 is provided in the middle of the treatment supply tube 84.

Therefore, when the shampoo pump 82 is driven during the operation of the pump 76, the shampoo container 10
The shampoo liquid stored in the outlet pipe 75 flows into the outflow pipe 75 through the shampoo supply tube 81 and the branch pipe 80.
Thereby, the shampoo is mixed in the hot water flowing out of the hot water storage tank 62. Similarly, when the treatment pump 85 is driven while the pump 76 is driven, the treatment liquid is mixed into the warm water flowing in the outflow pipe 75.

The warm water sucked into the pump 76 or the warm water mixed with the shampoo liquid or the treatment liquid is discharged from the discharge port 86 of the pump 76. A branch pipe 87 that guides the discharged hot water to four pipes is connected to a discharge port 86 of the pump 76. The first supply pipe 92, the second supply pipe 93, and the upper link valve 88, the lower link valve 89, the long valve 90, and the drain valve 91 are respectively provided at the ends of the branch pipes 87. Third
The supply pipe 94 and the fourth supply pipe 95 are connected.

The tip of the first supply pipe 92 is connected to the upper nozzle link 51 described above. The tip of the second supply pipe 93 is connected to the lower nozzle link 52. The third supply pipe 94 is connected to the fixed nozzle 5 disposed on the lower side wall of the sink 3.
6 for supplying warm water to the outside of the lower side wall of the sink 3. The distal end of the fourth supply pipe 95 is connected to a drain trap 96 provided continuously below the bottom surface of the sink 3. One end of a drain branch pipe 97 is connected to the drain trap 96, and the other end of the drain branch pipe 97 is connected in the middle of a drain pipe 73 extending from the drain pan 72.

With this configuration, the pump 76 is driven,
By selectively turning on the upper link valve 88, the lower link valve 89, and the long valve 90, hot water can be jetted from desired nozzles 53, 54, 56 in the sink 3. Also, the drain valve 91
By driving the pump 76 in a state where is turned on, the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 62 can be drained outside the machine.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the automatic hair washer. This automatic hair washer is provided with a microcomputer 100 as a control center.
The microcomputer 100 is provided with signals of various switches and sensors, and the microcomputer 100 outputs a control signal to each unit based on the given signals.

More specifically, the operation panel 12 (see FIG. 2)
In response to pressing of various keys arranged in the microcomputer, various set value signals are supplied from the corresponding key switch 101 to the microcomputer 100. The set value signal includes an on / off signal of the hot water supply key 21 arranged on the operation panel 12. The microcomputer 100 also has an on / off signal of a hood switch 102 for detecting opening / closing of the hood 4 (see FIG. 1) and a first lead for detecting the rotational position of the upper nozzle link 51 and the lower nozzle link 52. Switch 103 and second reed switch 10
4, an on / off signal of a water level L switch 67, a water level M switch 68, and a water level H switch 69 provided in the hot water storage tank 62 are provided. Furthermore, a supply water temperature detection thermistor 63 for detecting the temperature of the hot water supplied to the hot water storage tank 62 and a tank water temperature detection thermistor 70 for detecting the temperature of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 62 are provided. The output is provided to the microcomputer 100.

The microcomputer 100, based on the above input signals, displays a tank temperature display 24 and a remaining time display 35 disposed on the operation panel 12 and various lamps (stroke and status display) disposed on the operation panel 12. For controlling the light emission of the LED 105). Further, the output frequency of the inverter 79 is controlled to operate the pump 76 at a predetermined power. Further, the melody IC 106 is controlled to output a desired melody sound at a desired volume.

The microcomputer 100 also provides control signals to the hot water supply valve 60, the upper link valve 88, the lower link valve 89, the long valve 90, and the drain valve 91 to control the opening and closing of each valve.
Further, a control signal is given to the link motor 22 to control the swing and rotation of the upper nozzle link 51 and the lower nozzle link 52, respectively. Further, the shampoo pump 82
And the drive of the treatment pump 85 is controlled.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the flow of hot water supply control to hot water storage tank 62. The hot water supply control is a control performed to store hot water at an appropriate temperature (for example, 29 ° C. to 42 ° C.) in the hot water storage tank 62 prior to the hair washing operation.
When the upper hot water supply key 21 is pressed, the microcomputer 1
The processing is started in response to the input of the hot water supply signal at 00.

In the conventional hot water supply control, when the hot water supply control is started, the temperature and amount of the remaining water in the hot water storage tank 62 are detected, and the detected temperature of the remaining water is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature (for example, 29 ° C.). When the remaining water level is higher than the lower limit water level detected by the water level L switch 67, the remaining water is always drained and hot water is supplied. On the other hand, in the hot water supply control according to this embodiment, the operator performs a predetermined operation (tank forced drainage release operation) to add the remaining water in the hot water storage tank 26 to the remaining water without draining the remaining water. Hot water can be supplied.

Hereinafter, the hot water supply control according to this embodiment will be specifically described with reference to the flow charts shown in FIGS. When the hot water supply control is started, first, it is determined whether or not the operator has performed a tank forced drainage release operation (step S1). That is, in step S1, it is determined whether or not hot water supply key 21 has been pressed three times within two seconds and the third time hot water supply key 21 has been pressed for two seconds or more.

If the tank forced drain release operation is performed, "1" is set to a hot water supply flag indicating whether or not hot water is being supplied to hot water storage tank 62 (step S).
2). The hot water supply flag is set to “0” when the hot water supply control is started.
When the tank forced drainage release operation is not performed, the hot water storage flag is kept at “0”. The hot water supply flag = 1 indicates that hot water supply to the hot water supply tank 62 is being performed, and the hot water supply flag = 0 indicates that
This indicates that hot water is not being supplied to hot water storage tank 62.

When the tank forced drainage release operation is performed and the hot water supply flag is set to "1" (YES in step S3), hot water supply valve 60 is opened to supply hot water to hot water storage tank 62. It is started (step S4). Then, measurement of the elapsed time from when the hot water supply valve 60 is opened is started. After the start of hot water supply to the hot water storage tank 62, the elapsed time after the start of hot water supply and the water level in the hot water storage tank 62 are constantly monitored (steps S5 and S6). Specifically, in step S5, it is determined whether or not 10 minutes have elapsed since the hot-water storage valve 60 was opened.
Then, it is determined whether or not the water level H switch 69 has been turned on. Hot water supply to hot water storage tank 62 proceeds, and hot water storage tank 6
2 reaches the upper limit water level detected by water level H switch 69 (YES in step S6), hot water supply valve 6
0 is closed (step S7), and the thermistor 70
Of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 62 based on the output of the hot water storage tank 62.

When the water temperature in the hot water storage tank 62 is detected,
It is checked whether the water temperature is in the temperature range of 30 ° C. or more and 42 ° C. or less (step S8). Then, if the detected water temperature in the hot water storage tank 62 is within the above temperature range,
It is determined that hot water supply to hot water storage tank 62 has been performed normally (YES in step S8), and this hot water supply control ends.
If the water temperature in the hot water storage tank 62 is outside the above temperature range, the water temperature in the hot water storage tank 62 is abnormal, and it is determined that the water in the hot water storage tank 62 cannot be used for hair washing, and an alarm to that effect ( (Water temperature abnormal alarm) is issued. This processing corresponds to the function of the water temperature abnormality alarm unit.

If the water level in the hot water storage tank 62 does not reach the upper limit water level detected by the water level H switch 69 even after 10 minutes have passed since the hot water supply valve 60 was opened (YES in step S5), the hot water supply is performed. After the valve 60 is closed (step S9), an alarm (water shortage alarm) is issued to the effect that the hot water is not sufficiently stored in the hot water storage tank 62 and the amount of water in the hot water storage tank 62 is insufficient. This processing corresponds to the function of the water shortage warning means.

On the other hand, if the tank forced drainage release operation has not been performed since the start of the hot water supply control, and the hot water storage flag remains "0", the hot water supply flag is set to "1" in step S3. Is negative, the process proceeds to step S10, and it is determined whether the water level in the hot water storage tank 62 is equal to or lower than the lower limit water level detected by the water level L switch 67.

When the residual water in the hot water storage tank 62 is lower than the lower limit water level, it is not necessary to forcibly drain the residual water. This is because when the remaining water in the hot water storage tank 62 is small, the amount of hot water to be replenished to the remaining water is large.
This is because there is little decrease in temperature when the hot water is filled. Therefore, when the remaining water in the hot water storage tank 62 is lower than the lower limit water level, “1” is set in the hot water storage flag (step S11), the hot water supply valve 60 is opened (step S4), and the hot water storage tank 62 is opened. Is supplied (steps S5 to S8).

If it is determined in step S10 that the water level in the hot water storage tank 62 is higher than the lower limit water level, the process proceeds to step S12 in FIG. 6 to indicate whether or not drainage from the hot water storage tank 62 is being executed. The state of the tank draining flag is checked to determine whether the tank draining flag is “1”. The tank drain flag is reset to “0” at the start of the hot water supply control. Therefore, at this time, the determination of whether or not the tank draining flag in step S12 is “1” is denied.

If the determination in step S12 is negative, the output of the thermistor 70 is read, and the temperature of the remaining water in the hot water storage tank 62 is detected. Then, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the residual water is within a temperature range of 30 ° C. or more and 42 ° C. or less (step S13). If the temperature of the residual water in the hot water storage tank 62 is within the above temperature range, the temperature of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 62 will not decrease even if hot water is additionally supplied to the residual water. Therefore, in this case, "1" is set to the hot water supply flag (step S14), and FIG.
Returning to step S1, the determination as to whether or not the tank forced drainage release operation has been performed is denied.
, It is determined that the hot water supply flag is "1", and then in step S4, the hot water supply valve 60 is opened, and hot water is supplied to the hot water storage tank 62 (steps S5 to S8).

There is residual water in the hot water storage tank 62 that is higher than a predetermined lower limit water level, and the temperature of the residual water is 30 ° C. or higher.
If the temperature is outside the temperature range of 2 ° C. or less, the water in the hot water storage tank 62 cannot be used for the next hair wash, so the tank drain flag is set to “1” (step S15), and the drain valve 91 is opened. The remaining water in the hot water storage tank 62 is drained (step S16).

After the start of the drainage of the residual water, it is constantly monitored whether two minutes have passed since the drain valve 91 was opened (step S17). If two minutes have not elapsed after the start of drainage, it is checked whether or not the operator has performed a tank forced drainage release operation during the execution of the residual water drainage (step S18). Furthermore, if the tank forced drainage release operation has not been performed, it is checked whether the water level in the hot water storage tank 62 has fallen below the lower limit water level detected by the water level L switch 67 (step S19).

Then, "whether two minutes have elapsed since the opening of the drain valve 91", "whether the tank forced drain release operation is performed during drainage", or "whether the water level in the hot water storage tank 62 falls below the lower limit water level""Is met,
The drain valve 91 is closed (step S20), and the tank drain flag is reset to "0" (step S21). Thereafter, after the hot water supply flag is set to "1" (step S22), the process returns to step S1 shown in FIG. 5, and the determination as to whether or not the tank forced drainage release operation has been performed is denied. Medium flag is "1"
Is determined to be hot water supply valve 60 in step S4.
Is opened, and hot water is supplied to the hot water storage tank 62 (steps S5 to S8).

As described above, according to the automatic hair washer according to this embodiment, there is residual water in the hot water storage tank 62 that is higher than the predetermined lower limit water level, and the temperature of the residual water is 30 ° C. or higher.
If the temperature is outside the temperature range of 2 ° C. or less, the residual water in the hot water storage tank 62 is not drained and the hot water supply is performed. Instead of draining water, hot water is added to the remaining water.

Thus, even if the remaining water in the hot water storage tank 62 is cooled to a low temperature, for example, the water temperature at the time when the hot water storage tank 62 is filled with hot water is adjusted to an appropriate temperature. The operator operates the temperature adjustment knob 13 to adjust the temperature of the hot water generated by the mixing valve 57 to a temperature higher than the normal hot water supply temperature, and additionally supplies the high-temperature hot water to the remaining water in the hot water storage tank 62. The residual water in the hot water storage tank 62 can also be used for the next hair wash. Therefore, it is possible to reduce waste of water as compared with the configuration in which the residual water in the hot water storage tank 62 is forcibly drained uniformly.

Further, the operation of releasing the forced drainage of the tank does not necessarily have to be performed at the start of hot water supply. Even after the drainage of the remaining water in the hot water storage tank 62 is started, the operation is performed within two minutes from the start of drainage. If so, by performing the tank forced drainage release operation, the drainage from the hot water storage tank 62 can be stopped, and hot water supply to the hot water storage tank 62 can be started. Therefore, it is very convenient when, for example, the user wants to prohibit the drainage of the residual water in the hot water storage tank 62, but forgets to perform the tank forced drainage release operation at the start of hot water supply. At the start of hot water supply, hot water storage tank 62
If there is a large amount of cold residual water inside, the residual water can be drained to some extent, and then hot water can be additionally supplied to the remaining residual water.

Further, when the hot water storage tank 62 is filled with the hot water, the water temperature in the hot water storage tank 62 is detected, and the water temperature is set to a predetermined suitable temperature range (30 ° C. or more and 42 ° C. or less).
If not, a warning is issued that the temperature of the hot water stored in hot water storage tank 62 is abnormal. Therefore, when this water temperature abnormality alarm is issued, the next hair washing operation is prohibited, so that the operator performs the tank forced drain release operation, and operates the temperature adjustment knob 13 to operate the hot water generated by the mixing valve 57. Even when the temperature is changed, it is possible to reliably prevent the hot water outside the appropriate temperature range stored in the hot water storage tank 62 from being sprayed to the person to be washed.

Even if a predetermined hot water supply time (10 minutes) has elapsed since the hot water supply valve 60 was opened, the hot water storage tank 6
When the water level in 2 does not reach the upper limit water level detected by the water level H switch 69, the hot water storage in the hot water storage tank 62 is not performed well, and the amount of water in the hot water storage tank 62 is insufficient. An alert is issued. Therefore, when the water shortage warning is issued, the next hair washing operation is prohibited, so that it is possible to prevent the inconvenience of running out of hot water during the hair washing.

The description of one embodiment of the present invention is as described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment,
The tank forced drainage release operation is described as an operation such as "press the hot water supply key three times within two seconds and keep pressing the hot water supply key for two seconds or more". For example, the operation is disposed on the hot water supply key and the operation panel. The operation may be such that keys other than the hot water supply key are simultaneously pressed. Further, a key dedicated to tank forced drainage release may be provided on the operation panel, and the drainage of remaining water in the hot water storage tank may be prohibited by pressing the dedicated key.

In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the technical matters described in the claims.

[0064]

According to the present invention, by performing a predetermined operation on the operation panel, it is possible to prohibit uniform drainage of the residual water in the hot water storage tank. Therefore, for example, high-temperature hot water is additionally supplied to the cold residual water, and when the predetermined amount of hot water is filled in the hot water storage tank, the temperature of the hot water is adjusted to an appropriate temperature. Residual water can also be used for the next hair wash. therefore,
Water waste can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which residual water in the hot water storage tank is uniformly drained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of an automatic hair washer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration of an operation panel.

FIG. 3 is a simplified diagram showing a water channel structure of the automatic hair washer.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the automatic hair washer.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of hot water supply control to the hot water storage tank.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of hot water supply control to a hot water storage tank.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 Operation Panel 21 Hot Water Supply Key 57 Mixing Valve (Hot Water Supply Means) 60 Hot Water Supply Valve (Hot Water Supply Means) 62 Hot Water Storage Tank 67 Water Level L Switch (Water Quantity Detection Means) 70 Thermistor for Tank Water Temperature Detection (Water Temperature Detection Means) 100 Microcomputer (Forced) Drainage means, drainage prohibition means)

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Masaru Noro 2-5-5 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mitsuru Nagana 2-5-2-5 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo (56) References Patent 2520342 (JP, B2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A45D 19/08-19/14

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] An automatic hair washer having a hot water storage tank capable of storing a predetermined amount of hot water, and washing the hair by pumping out the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank and spraying the hot water toward the hair of the person to be washed. A hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the hot water storage tank; an operation panel having a hot water supply key for instructing a start of hot water supply to the hot water storage tank by the hot water supply means; A water amount detecting means for detecting whether or not there is hot water at or above the lower limit water level; a water temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of hot water in the hot water storage tank; and a supply of hot water to the hot water storage tank by the hot water supply means. Prior to this, with reference to the output of the water amount detection means and the output of the water temperature detection means, there is residual water in the hot water storage tank equal to or higher than the lower limit water level, and the temperature of the residual water is a predetermined temperature range. If the predetermined operation is performed on the operation panel after an instruction signal is input from the hot water supply key, the forcible drainage means for forcibly draining residual water in the hot water storage tank. An automatic hair washer comprising: a drainage prohibition unit that prohibits a forced drainage operation by a drainage unit and additionally supplies hot water to the remaining water in the hot water storage tank by the hot water supply unit. 2. When the predetermined operation on the operation panel is performed within a predetermined time after the forced draining operation by the forced draining means is started, the forced draining operation is immediately stopped. 2. The automatic hair washer according to claim 1, further comprising means for starting the supply of hot water by the hot water supply means. 3. When the predetermined amount of hot water is filled in the hot water storage tank, the output of the water temperature detecting means is referred to, and when the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank is out of the predetermined temperature range, The automatic hair washer according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a water temperature abnormality alarm unit that outputs an alarm indicating that hot water in the hot water storage tank cannot be used for hair washing. 4. Even if a predetermined amount of hot water has elapsed since the start of hot water supply by the hot water supply means, if the predetermined amount of hot water is not filled in the hot water storage tank, the hot water is stored in the hot water storage tank. The automatic hair washer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a water amount shortage alarm unit that outputs an alarm indicating that the amount of the supplied hot water is insufficient. 5. The predetermined operation on the operation panel means that the hot water supply key is pressed a plurality of times within a first predetermined time, and the last hot water supply key is pressed for at least a second predetermined time. 5. The automatic hair washer according to claim 1, wherein the operation is a pressing and holding operation.