JP3475746B2 - Hand drying equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hand dryer for sanitarily and quickly drying wet hands after washing. 2. Description of the Related Art In order to maintain hands in a sanitary condition, it is necessary to perform not only hand washing treatment but also drying treatment after washing in a sanitary manner. For example, a hand drying device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 23939/1990 is used. The conventional hand drying apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned publication includes a blowing unit including an induction motor and blades rotated by the induction motor, and a heating unit using an electric heater. The blowing means forms an air flow to be blown out to the hand drying section by the rotation of the sirocco-type blades, and the electric heater heats the air flow formed by the blowing means to make the air flow blown out to the hand drying section hot air. [0003] In the hand drying apparatus having the above-described structure, hands can be dried hygienically by holding a wet hand over a hand drying section from which hot air is blowing. That is, the moisture of the hand that has hit the hot air evaporates due to the heat and is removed from the hand. However, this type of method is a method of evaporating with heat, instead of blowing off moisture by lowering the wind speed and raising the hot air to a high temperature, and it takes a long time for the drying process,
It is cumbersome to use. Such a problem is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-63-154138 and JP-A-5-293055, which use a kinetic energy of an air stream to blow off moisture attached to a hand without using evaporation. This has been solved by the development of a hand drying device. This type is configured so that a high-speed air flow having high kinetic energy is ejected by a nozzle near an insertion port of a processing chamber through which a hand can be inserted and withdrawn, from the insertion port to a hand held over the processing chamber. When a wet hand is inserted into the processing chamber from the insertion port, a high-speed air flow is blown out from the nozzle, and when the hand is pulled out from the insertion port, moisture attached to the hand is blown off from the hand in a very short time without contact with anything other than the air flow Drying is performed hygienically. [0005] In the above-mentioned conventional hand drying apparatus of the type in which moisture attached to the hand is blown off by a high-speed air flow, water may splash back to the user during the drying process. Was. In addition, this type of equipment is often installed in places where water is often used in washrooms, etc.
If the water used for cleaning or the like adheres to the surface of the outer shell, there is a problem that water is sucked together with the air from the suction port of the blower that creates a high-speed air flow, which leads to failure of the blower. Such a problem becomes apparent particularly when the suction port of the blower is provided at the lower portion of the main body. On the other hand, this type of hand drying apparatus is provided with an air filter for collecting dust at a suction port of the blower. Is configured to be easily detachable from the outside. For this reason, if you forget to attach the air filter at the time of cleaning, or if it is installed in a public toilet or a public facility used by an unspecified number of people, the air filter may be removed due to mischief and the cause of failure without the air filter May be used in inappropriate conditions. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a device which can avoid being used without an air filter. It is an object of each of the second, third, and fourth inventions to obtain a drying device, and to obtain a hand drying device that can easily prevent water suction. What is needed is to obtain a hand-drying device that can prevent water from splashing to the outside. [0008] In order to achieve the above object , the present invention has a processing space in which a hand can be inserted and removed from an insertion opening opened to the outside, and the vicinity of the insertion opening of the processing space. A hand drying device configured to blow a working airflow generated by a high-pressure air generator against a hand inserted into the processing space in the above, and to wipe off moisture attached to the hand by kinetic energy of the working airflow, in the vicinity of the suction port to outside the opening of the intake for the high pressure air generator pathway provided with the first air filter detachably the high-pressure air
It is connected to the generator and detachably connected to the suction path.
A means for mounting a second air filter having the same function as the first air filter at the connection port of the ventilation path is adopted. Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1 FIG. FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show a hand drying apparatus according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, this hand drying device includes an upper high-pressure air generating unit 1 and a lower water receiving unit 2,
The space between the high-pressure air generating section 1 and the water receiving section 2 is configured as a processing space 3, and can be attached to a wall surface of a washroom or the like at a back surface via an attaching plate. The high-pressure air generator 1
A blower 7 including a motor 5 and a turbo fan 6 rotated by the motor 5 is incorporated in a casing 4 having a box-shaped container structure. The blower 7 is housed in a blower case 8 with the suction side on the back side and the exhaust side on the front side. The suction side of the blower 7 communicates with the upper end of a vertically extending ventilation path 9 defined on the back side of the high-pressure air generator 1. The ventilation path 9 has a lower end opening downward as a connection port 10. As shown in FIG. 1, a second air filter 11 is fixed to the connection port 10 by a welding dowel. An air outlet is formed at the front lower portion of the blower case 8 on the exhaust side of the blower 7, and the air outlet nozzle 12 converts the high-pressure air generated by the blower 7 into a high-speed air flow as a working air flow. Is installed.
The jet outlet 13 of the air flow jet nozzle 12 is formed of a row of slits or small holes that open downward in a laterally arcuate shape in the front part of the lower surface of the casing 4, and 5 ° to 30 ° behind the processing space 3. At a diagonally downward angle.
A heater 14 that raises the temperature of the high-pressure air passing therethrough is installed between the air outlet of the blower case 8 and the airflow jet nozzle 12. A light-emitting element and a light-receiving element constituting the hand-sensing sensor 15 are mounted side by side near the ejection port 13 on the lower surface of the high-pressure air generating section 1. Is configured to be detected. A circuit board 16 is provided above the blower case 8.
Are covered with a sheet metal cover 17 and incorporated. The back side of the sheet metal cover 17 is open, and the radiation fins 18 mounted on the circuit board 16 are arranged facing the open portion. Near the open portion of the sheet metal cover 17, there is a joining portion 19 between the rear side and the front side of the casing 4. The eave-shaped waterproof member 20 straddling the joining portion 19 inside and covering the opening portion with a gap from the outside. Are attached (see FIG. 2). The waterproof member 20 prevents water from entering the circuit board 16 even if water enters from the joint 19, so that waterproof measures such as applying silicone or packing to the joint 19 of the casing 4 are unnecessary. become. The waterproof member 20 may be integrated with the back member 41 of the high-pressure air generator 1. The power cord 21 of the high-pressure air generator 1 is connected to the outlet 2 opened on the back of the casing 4 as shown in FIG.
3 is drawn out. Inside the outlet 23, an open waterproof box structure 24 having an upper end in which a bottom end is connected to a lower rim of the outlet 23 and both ends are connected to both rims of the outlet 23. It is formed integrally. The power cord 21 is drawn out from the upper part of the waterproof box structure 24 through the outlet 23 through the waterproof box structure 24. Therefore, even if water flows down the back of the casing 4 from the upper portion and enters through the outlet 23, further intrusion into the interior is prevented by the waterproof box structure 24, and another component such as a rubber bush is used. This is an effective waterproofing measure for the outlet 23 without any. The water receiving section 2 has a substantially L-shaped base having a tank receiver 26 projecting forward at the lower part of the back structure 25, a drain tank 27 removably received by the tank receiver 26 of the base. , And the upper end of the back structure 25 is connected to the connection port 10 of the ventilation path 9 of the high-pressure air generation unit 1 by a screw. The inside of the back structure 25 of the water receiving portion 2 is configured as an air passage 28 communicating vertically, and a series of air passages 9 and 28 are connected to the connection port 10 of the high-pressure air generating portion 1.
Are formed. The lower end of the ventilation path 28 of the water receiving portion 2 is opened as a suction port 29, and a detachable first air filter 30 is mounted. The first air filter 30 has substantially the same performance as the second air filter 11 fixed to the connection port 10 of the high-pressure air generation unit 1, and removes dust contained in air sucked from the suction port 29. Remove. The drain tank 27 is a container body having an open upper surface, and a locking piece 3 having a projection 31 at the upper portion on the rear surface thereof.
2 is protruded and the bottom surface is placed on the tank receiver 26 and pushed in, so that a presser spring (not shown) provided on the upper back side of the tank receiver 26 is hooked on the projection 31 of the locking piece 32 so that the tank It is mounted on the receiver 26. Locking piece 3
The second protrusion 31 and the pressing spring may be configured by a locking device called a latch and strike. An overhang 33 having a gentle downward slope is formed integrally with the periphery of the open portion on the upper surface of the drain tank 27, and the open portion communicates with the inside of the drain tank 27 inside the drain port 3.
The cover is closed by a detachable tank cover 35 having a cover 4. The tank cover 35 is provided with a gradient for flowing water down the drain port 34. The processing space 3 is a space defined by the lower surface of the high-pressure air generator 1, the back structure 25 of the water receiver 2, and the tank cover 35 mounted on the upper surface of the drain tank 27. It is configured as an open space in which the front surface serving as the insertion port 36 to be inserted and the open sides on both sides following the front surface can freely reach out. The working airflow from the high-pressure air generator 1 is ejected from the high-pressure air generator 1 obliquely from the front to the back from the processing space 3 from the top to the bottom. This hand drying device is usually attached to a wall surface of a washroom or the like at a height where the processing space 3 is located at the position of the hand naturally extended when a person faces. When the wet hand is inserted into the processing space 3 from the insertion opening 36 of the hand drying device attached as described above, the hand detection sensor 15 detects the presence of the hand, the blower 7 and the heater 14 operate, and the warm air is discharged. The working airflow is blown into the processing space 3. Moisture adhering to the hand that has been inserted into the processing space 3 is blown away to the far side of the processing space 3 by the working airflow formed near the insertion port 36, is received by the tank cover 35, and is eventually discharged.
4 is stored in the drain tank 27. The wet hands are thus quickly dried. If the hand whose drying process is completed is pulled out of the processing space 3, the absence of the hand is detected by the hand detection sensor 15, the blower 7 and the heater 14 are stopped, and the hand drying device is in a standby state. The air supply to the blower 7 is performed from a suction port 29 below the water receiving section 2, and the air sucked from the suction port 29 is cleaned by a first air filter 30 to remove dust and dirt. After passing through the second air filter 11 via the ventilation path 28 of the water receiving section 2, the air reaches the ventilation path 9 of the high-pressure air generation section 1, is sucked into the blower 7, is pressurized, and is exhausted to the blower case 8. The high-pressure air exhausted to the blower case 8 is heated by the heater 14 when it exits from the outlet of the blower case 8, converted into a high-speed airflow as an operating airflow by the airflow ejection nozzle 12, and is blown into the processing space 3. . Since the working airflow blown into the processing space 3 has an angle of 5 to 30 degrees behind the processing space 3, the moisture of the hand is blown off toward the back side of the processing space 3, thereby inserting. Spattering of water from the mouth 36 to the outside is avoided. In this hand drying apparatus, even if the first air filter 30 is forgotten to be attached at the time of cleaning or is removed due to mischief, the second air filter 11 remains in the first air filter.
It functions in the same manner as the air filter 30, and can maintain an appropriate operating state that does not cause a failure. The second air filter 11 is not necessarily removed because it is housed inside even if it is not necessarily fixed. However, since the first air filter 30 normally functions, the second air filter 11 is not used. Since the number of maintenance operations of the filter 11 can be reduced, the filter 11 may be fixed as in this embodiment. Also, the mounting position of the second air filter 11 may be anywhere between the first air filter 30 and the suction port of the blower 7 on the downstream side. Embodiment 2 4 to 8 show a hand drying device according to the second embodiment. This hand drying device is the same as that shown in the first embodiment except for the configuration of the suction port portion of the water receiver 2. Therefore, the same portions as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. In many cases, the hand dryer is installed in a place where the water is frequently used in a washroom or the like, and if the water used for cleaning or the like adheres to the surface of the outer shell, a blower 7 that creates a high-speed air flow. Water is sucked in from the suction port together with the air, which is likely to cause a failure of the blower 7. In particular, when the suction port 29 for the blower 7 is provided at the lower end, water from above is transmitted to the surface and collected at the lower end, so that the water becomes apparent. In order to prevent this, the hand drying device according to the second embodiment is provided with a water separator for preventing water from being sucked around a suction port 29 which opens to the outside at the lower end of the water receiving portion 2 as shown in FIGS. The structure is provided. As the water separating structure, it is sufficient to form a path of water that keeps the flowing water away from the edge of the suction port 29, and the concave groove 37 that surrounds the entire circumference at a distance from the suction port 29 may be used. It may be 38. By providing such a water separating structure, the water flowing down from above is guided to the outside of the concave groove 37 as shown in FIGS.
The path to the suction port 29 is cut off, and the suction port 29
It is possible to avoid being sucked from. The water separation structure is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, if a plurality of barriers 39 are arranged in a zigzag pattern at intervals in the flow direction inside the suction port 29 and their ends are three-dimensionally overlapped with each other, the downward suction port 2
9 as well as the horizontal suction port 29.
That is, the water droplets sucked together with the air cannot move together with the air due to its large mass, and are caught one after another by the barrier 39, and eventually collect and drop, and are sucked into the blower 7. Can be avoided. If the distal end 40 of the barrier 39 is formed in a hook shape as shown in FIG. 8 toward the upstream side, the function of the barrier 39 to prevent intrusion of water can be further improved. Other functions are the same as those of the first embodiment. As is clear from the above description of the embodiment, according to the present invention, a hand drying apparatus which can be prevented from being used in an inappropriate state without an air filter can be obtained. .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a hand drying device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a vertical side view of the hand drying device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partial configuration diagram of a lead portion of the power cord according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a hand drying device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a water separation structure of a hand drying device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another water separation structure of the hand drying device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another water separation structure of the hand drying device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another water separation structure of the hand drying device according to the second embodiment. [Description of Signs] 1 High-pressure air generating unit, 2 Water receiving unit, 3 Processing space, 7 Blower, 11 Second air filter, 12 Air jet nozzle, 29 Suction port, 30
1st air filter, 36 insertion port, 37
Grooves, 38 ridges, 39 barriers.

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tomohiko Horii 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (56) References JP-A-7-116076 (JP, A) JP-A-63-154138 ( JP, A) JP-A-5-300847 (JP, A) JP-A-5-293055 (JP, A) JP-A-7-18694 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , (DB name) A47K 10/48

Claims (1)

(57) [Claim 1] There is a processing space through which a hand can be inserted and removed from an insertion opening opened to the outside, and a hand inserted into the processing space in the vicinity of the insertion opening of the processing space. Against the working airflow generated by the high-pressure air generator,
What is claimed is: 1. A hand dryer configured to wipe off moisture adhering to a hand by the kinetic energy of a working airflow, wherein a first air filter is attached and detached near a suction port opened outside a suction path for the high-pressure air generating section. Provided as possible, above
Connects to the high-pressure air generator and can be removed from the suction path
A hand dryer in which a second air filter having the same function as the first air filter is attached to a connection port of an air passage to be connected .