JP3942797B2 - Hand dryer - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hand-drying device used in a washroom, a toilet, a kitchen, or the like in order to dry hands wet with water.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hand drying device that dries a hand hygienically by holding the hand over warm air that has been blown instead of wiping a wet hand with water or the like using a towel or handkerchief has been put into practical use. For example, those that can also be used as a hair dryer, those that have an additional function such as sterilization by ultraviolet rays, and those that improve the heating efficiency by forming a blower fan blade with a heating element have been developed. In these, an air flow is generated by rotating an air blowing means made of sirocco type blades by an induction motor, and the air flow is heated by a heating means made of an electric heater, and hot air is blown out to a manual insertion portion. Basically, in order to evaporate and dry the moisture of the wet hands with heat, it takes about 20 seconds to 1 minute to complete the drying, which is inconvenient.
[0003]
What improved this is also developed, for example, what is shown to Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 10-75915 is known. As shown in FIG. 5, the hand drying device blows an air flow blown from a high-pressure air flow generating device 51 through an upper blowing nozzle 52 and a lower blowing nozzle 53 simultaneously on both sides of the hand as a high-speed jet flow. The hand inserted from 3 is blown away and dried. As a countermeasure against the winter season, an external heating device 54 is also provided.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the hand dryer that blows away moisture with a high-speed jet as in the above-described conventional example has a clean indoor environment such as a hospital because water droplets peeled off from the hand are scattered outside the main body from the hand insertion part or the opened side surface. There is a problem that it is inconvenient at the required site.
[0005]
In addition, in winter, for example, since the outside air to be sucked is cold and the jet blown to the hand is also cold, there is a problem that a means for heating air must be provided separately so as not to give a feeling of cold wind that is difficult to use.
[0006]
Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, allows the hand to be dried with a high-speed jet while circulating the air flow, prevents the water droplets peeled off from the hand from splashing outside, and can supply a warm jet without providing additional heating means. An object is to provide a hand dryer.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention according to claim 1 is an electric blower that is disposed below the inside of the main body forming the outer shell and blows an air flow, and a hand that is positioned above the electric blower and is inserted from an open top surface is dried. In order to collect water droplets that are arranged on the inner surface of the chamber and the drying chamber and eject the air flow blown from the electric blower, and water droplets swept and separated from the wet hands together with the air flow ejected from the ejection hole comprising a disposed on the inner surface below the drying chamber inlet, and circulating flow path communicating the suction side of the air inlet and the electric blower, and air flow passage communicating the air blowing side ejection hole of the electric blower, said electric the suction side of the blower, said viewed from the top opening is provided on the opposite side of horizontal and said air inlet, a part of the circulation flow path, and the electric blower the underflow portion disposed below the suction side of, The circulating flow between the inlet and the bottom flow portion Characterized by being formed substantially in a straight line substantially in the vertical direction.
[0008]
According to this invention, the air flow sucked from the intake port and passed through the circulation flow path passes from the suction side of the electric blower, and is ejected from the blow hole from the blower side of the electric blower through the blow flow path, and the water droplets of the hand are discharged. It sweeps at high speed and peels off while sucking in the air inlet, and repeats the circulation and blowing as described above to quickly dry the wet hand. Therefore, the peeled water droplets are not easily scattered outside the main body and do not wet the surroundings, and it is possible to supply warm air circulated at high speed without any heating means. In addition, since the electric blower is arranged below the drying chamber, it is compact when viewed from the manual insertion direction. Furthermore, in the bottom flow part which is a part of the circulation channel, the water droplets can be separated from the circulating airflow including the water droplets peeled off from the hand.
[0009]
Further , by forming the circulation flow path between the intake port and the bottom flow portion in a substantially straight line in a substantially vertical direction, the inertial force can be increased by accelerating the circulation air flow including water droplets separated from the hand vertically downward. Water droplets can be more reliably separated at the bottom flow portion of the used circulation channel. According to further providing billing drain hole in the bottom stream portion as in claim 2 wherein, the water droplets separated from the circulating gas stream can be discharged from the drain hole to the outside of the body.
[0010]
Further, in the above-described configurations, by making the whole or a part of the circulation flow path detachable from the main body as described in claim 3 , cleaning such as cleaning of the circulation flow path can be facilitated. Further, as in claim 4 , a drain tank is provided below the drain hole provided in the bottom flow portion, and the drain tank and the circulation channel are configured in whole or in part so that they are detachable from the main body. According to this, water drops can be collected in the drain tank, and cleaning such as washing of the drain tank and the circulation channel can be facilitated.
[0011]
Furthermore, according to claim 5, by making the drain tank and the circulation flow path which can be attached and detached integrally or part of the circulation flow path freely separable, the surfaces to be cleaned of the drain tank and the circulation flow path can be fully opened. Therefore, cleaning such as washing can be made easier.
[0012]
Further, in each of the above-described configurations, by providing a filter in the vicinity of the suction side of the electric blower at the bottom flow portion of the circulation flow path as described in claim 6 , the electric blower is prevented from sucking in foreign matter, dust, or the like. Can do.
[0013]
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, if the filter and the circulation channel are configured in whole or in part and are made detachable from the main body, cleaning of the filter and the circulation channel is easy. It is a simple hand dryer.
[0014]
Further, as described in claim 8, by making the whole or part of the circulation channel and the filter that can be attached and detached integrally, the surfaces to be cleaned of the filter and the circulation channel can be fully opened. Cleaning such as washing can be made easier.
[0017]
Further, in each of the above configurations, as shown in claim 9, cleaning maintenance timing display means for notifying the timing of cleaning maintenance of the whole or a part of the drying chamber, the whole or part of the circulation channel, the drain tank, or the filter. By providing, it is possible to prompt the administrator for cleaning maintenance.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the overall configuration of the hand dryer according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG.
[0019]
First, the configuration of this hand dryer will be described. Reference numeral 1 denotes an electric blower that blows an air flow. Reference numeral 4 denotes a drying chamber for drying a hand inserted from a hand insertion portion (open portion) 3 whose upper surface is open, and an ejection hole 5 for ejecting an air flow blown by the electric blower 1 to an inlet portion (upper inner surface) An air inlet 9 for collecting the air flow ejected from the ejection hole 5 is provided in the inner part (below the inner surface).
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 4, the drying chamber 4 refers to an inner space surrounded by a drying chamber panel 4 a that is bent in a U-shaped cross section and two side plates 31 that close the side opening portions, 9 and the hand insertion portion 3 are surrounded by a wall surface. The housing constituting the main body 2 of the hand dryer is formed in a box shape with the side plate 31 together, the drying chamber 4 is formed in the upper open space thereof, and the electric blower 1 is accommodated below the electric blower. 1 is connected to the air blowing side 1b (FIG. 3) and the ejection hole 5, and the circulation passage 7 is connected to the suction port 9 and the suction side 1a (FIG. 2) of the electric blower 1. And a compact form as seen from the hand insertion direction.
[0021]
The intake port 9 is substantially mesh or lattice-like smaller than the ejection hole 5 (about 2 to 5 mm), and is arranged on one side (right side in FIGS. 1 and 2) behind the drying chamber 4. The suction side 1a of the electric blower 1 is arranged on the opposite side (left side in FIGS. 1 and 2), and the suction side 1a is laterally or rearward when viewed from the user (when standing on the front side in FIG. 1). It is arranged in the direction (landscape in the figure). Immediately before the suction side 1 a of the electric blower 1, a protective filter 36 having a substantially mesh-like and high rigidity (metal or the like) smaller than the ejection hole 5 (about 2 to 5 mm) is provided.
[0022]
The air flow paths 6a and 6b communicate with each other, occupy almost the entire width in the main body 2, and ensure a sufficiently wide cross-sectional area (about 10 times or more than the ejection hole 5). The circulation flow path 7 has a wide cross-sectional area (about 5 times or more than the ejection hole 5), and as shown in FIG. Is a bottom flow portion located below the electric blower 1 and passing through the lower portion of the main body 2. In the bottom flow portion 7b, a drain hole 32a is provided at a position slightly below the vertical portion 7a and slightly shifted from directly below, and an opening 33 of the main body 2 provided in front of the suction side 1a of the electric blower 1 downstream of the drain hole 32a. In addition, a substantially mesh-like filter 35 of about 1 mm or less is provided. A drain tank 34 is provided in the lower part of the bottom flow portion 7b of the circulation flow path 7 in response to the drain hole 32a. As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom box body 32 having the bottom flow part 7 b of the circulation flow path 7 mounted on the drain tank 34 as an inner space and the top open part (the opening 33) of the bottom box body 32 are mounted. The filter 35 is detachable from the main body 2 integrally with the drain tank 34 as a base, and can be separated from each other.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 4, the side wall surface of the drying chamber 4 is constituted by a side plate 31 of a light transmissive body that can be lit, so that sufficient lighting can be obtained during use and the inside of the drying chamber 4 can be seen through from the outside. Discomfort, rejection, fear, etc. for inserting a hand into a closed space can be alleviated. These side plates 31 can be freely inserted and removed along grooves or claws (not shown) provided on the front and rear surfaces of the drying chamber 4, and are detachable from the drying chamber panel 4a. Further, the drying chamber panel 4a itself constituting the drying chamber 4 is also detachable.
[0024]
Reference numeral 37 denotes a display unit provided on the upper surface of the main body 2, which performs energization and various displays by turning off, turning on, flashing, and the like of LEDs and pilot lamps. Cleaning maintenance timing display means 38 for informing the timing of cleaning maintenance. Reference numeral 43 shown in FIG. 2 denotes a control means that is housed in the waterproof case 42 and takes in a signal from a sensor (not shown) to control the display unit 37 and drive the electric blower 1.
[0025]
Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When a hand is inserted into the drying chamber 4 from the hand insertion part 3, a sensor (not shown) detects this and drives the electric blower 1. Then, the air flow sucked from the air inlet 9 is blown from the blower side 1b of the electric blower 1, and is guided to the ejection hole 5 through the blower flow paths 6a and 6b. In the air flow paths 6a and 6b, since the cross-sectional area is sufficiently wide as compared with the ejection holes 5 as described above, the air flow paths 6a and 6b are almost uniformly compressed, and a stable high-speed jet can be ejected from the ejection holes 5. . As shown in FIG. 3, the ejection holes 5 are provided so as to face the both sides of the palm and the back of the hand so as to spray the jets at the same time. The direction of the finger of the other hand: The hand is tilted slightly (5 to 10 °). The airflow after ejection is sucked into the intake port 9. Accordingly, the jet can strongly collide with the surface of the wet hand, and the water droplets can be smoothly swept and peeled away in the depth direction of the drying chamber 4 to dry the hand in a short time.
[0026]
The peeled water droplets hardly scatter around due to the suction of the air inlet 9 and the wall surface structure in which the side surface opened in the conventional example is covered with the side plate 31. Furthermore, since the air inlet 9 is provided on the side opposite to the suction side 1a of the electric blower 1, the airflow sound generated in the electric blower 1 is difficult to leak into the drying chamber 4, and the noise heard by the user is suppressed.
[0027]
The air flow sucked from the intake port 9 is guided to the suction side 1a of the electric blower 1 through the circulation channel 7, sucked from the suction port, and blown again as an air flow. The blown air flow is heated by repeatedly passing through the electric blower 1 and repeatedly compressed by the air flow passages 6a and 6b, and warm air is supplied from the ejection hole 5 without providing a separate heating means. can do. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the water droplets sucked into the air inlet 9 together with the air flow are accelerated vertically downward along the air flow at the vertical portion 7a of the circulation flow path 7, and bent to the bottom flow portion 7b. At the position, it is dropped and separated to the position of the substantially drain hole 32 a due to inertia, and is collected in the drain tank 34. The filter 35 mainly prevents dust from flowing into the electric blower 1.
[0028]
When the usage period reaches a predetermined number of hours (days), the cleaning maintenance time display means 38 performs a predetermined display, and the drying chamber 4 (the drying chamber panel 4a and the side plate 31) and the circulation channel 7 (in the bottom box 32). ), And prompts the administrator to clean the drain tank 34 and the filter 35. The administrator performs cleaning maintenance with reference to the display of the cleaning maintenance time display means 38. At the time of maintenance, the power switch (not shown) is once turned off and cleaning is performed, but the drying chamber panel 4a, the side plate 31, the bottom box 32, the drain tank 34, and the filter 35 are all removed from the main body 2 or any one of them. It can be separated and washed by applying physical force to running water. After cleaning, the removed parts are mounted on the main body 2 again, and the power switch is turned on. At this time, the timer of the cleaning maintenance time display means 38 is reset, and a predetermined number of hours are counted from zero. Even if the power supply is not accidentally turned off at the time of cleaning, the electric blower 1 is a protective filter 36, and the circulation flow path 7 prevents intrusion / inflow of fingers and cleaning tools by the mesh structure of the air inlet 9. These prevent the inflow of fingers and foreign matter into the electric blower 1 and the circulation flow path 7 even during normal use, but even if foreign matter flows in, they are discharged from the ejection hole 5.
[0029]
The hand drying device is used for drying the washed hands, but when the washing is insufficient, the water droplets contain dust, dirt components, and the like. For this reason, dirt will inevitably adhere to the inside of the drying chamber 4 and the circulation flow path 7 due to long-term use. For this reason, in this embodiment, it is set as the structure which is easy to clean, and it is very convenient.
[0030]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the air flow blown by the electric blower 1 is sent from the blower side 1b to the blowout holes 5 through the blower passages 6a and 6b, and the airflow from the blowout holes 5 is the intake port. Since the water circulates from 9 to the suction side 1a of the electric blower 1 through the circulation flow path 7, it is possible to prevent water droplets of the wet hands that have been peeled off at high speed from splashing outside the main body 2. In addition, since the side of the drying chamber 4 is closed by the side plate 31, it can be more reliably prevented from scattering. For this reason, it can be used even on the site where a clean indoor environment is required such as a hospital or a food department.
[0031]
Moreover, since the electric blower 1 is arranged below the drying chamber 4, it can be installed on a wall or the like in a space-saving manner as a compact form as viewed from the manual insertion direction.
[0032]
Further, since the air flow circulates while passing through the electric blower 1, warm air can be ejected without providing a separate heating means, and the hand can be dried comfortably even in winter.
[0033]
In addition, with a simple bent configuration from the vertical portion 7a to the bottom flow portion 7b of the circulation flow path 7, water droplets peeled off from the hand can be efficiently collected while suppressing flow path pressure loss.
[0034]
Further, the drying chamber 4 (the drying chamber panel 4a and the side plate 31), the circulation channel 7 (including the inside of the bottom box body 32), the drain tank 34 and the filter 35 are made detachable and separable from the main body 2 for cleaning. By informing the manager of the timing and cleaning and cleaning them, a clean feeling can be maintained for a long time.
[0035]
In the above embodiment, the ejection hole 5 has been described as a configuration in which both sides of the palm and the back of the hand are sprayed to face each other at the same time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one-side ejection may be used. Either can be used.
[0036]
In addition, between the bottom box 32 and the main body 2 constituting the bottom flow portion 7b, that is, the detachable joint portion of the circulation flow path 7 is provided with a highly airtight seal in principle. There is no problem even if there is a gap and there is an inflow of outside air, as long as the amount of inhalation is reduced and splashing around the water droplets and rebounding to the user are not a problem.
[0037]
In addition, the net or lattice of the air inlet 9 may be detachable from the main body 2, the constituent part of the vertical portion 7 a of the circulation flow path 7 may be detachable from the main body 2 (for example, downward), and the drying chamber panel 4 a is the side plate 31. And may be removable.
[0038]
Further, the method for determining and displaying the timing of the cleaning maintenance timing display means 38 is not particularly limited as long as it informs the manager of an appropriate maintenance timing, and various sensors can be used when removable parts are removed. The power supply may be automatically turned off using.
[0039]
The provision of the drain hole 32a and the drain tank 34 can be changed depending on, for example, the amount of collected water (frequency of use) and the installation environment. When separating by the recovery amount, when the recovery amount is small, the drain hole 32a is not provided and is naturally dried in the circulation flow path 7. When the recovery amount is large, the drain hole 32a and the drain tank 34 are provided, and when the recovery amount is intermediate, the drain is provided. It is conceivable to provide only the hole 32a. However, when only the drain hole 32a is provided, attention must be paid to its position and size so that water droplets do not flow backward due to the airflow flowing from the drain hole 32a.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to quickly dry a hand with a warm high-speed jet while circulating an air flow in a compact main body without splashing water droplets to the outside, so that the feeling of use is good and the installation space is good. Therefore, no additional heating means is required, and the water droplets circulated together with the air flow can be stored at the bottom or discharged out of the main body. Also, by separating each component from the main body and making it detachable, cleaning such as washing can be performed easily and carefully, and a clean feeling can be maintained for a long period of time, and the cleaning timing is notified to the administrator. This makes cleaning maintenance easier. Furthermore, by providing a filter so that foreign matter or the like does not enter the circulation channel or the air flow channel, it can be safely dried with clean air.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a hand dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal front view showing the embodiment.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a detachable component according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal side view showing a configuration of a conventional hand drying apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric blower 1a Suction side 1b Blower side 3 Hand insertion part (opening part of upper surface)
4 Drying chamber 5 Ejection hole 6a Air flow path 6b Air flow path 7 Circulation flow path 7a Vertical part 7b Bottom flow part 9 Air inlet 32a Drain hole 34 Drain tank 35 Filter 38 Cleaning maintenance timing display means

Claims (9)

An electric blower that is arranged in the lower part of the main body forming the outer shell and blows an air flow, a drying chamber that is located above the electric blower and that dries a hand inserted from an open top surface, and an inner surface of the drying chamber An ejection hole for ejecting an air flow blown from the electric blower, and an air flow ejected from the ejection hole, and a water droplet swept from the wet hand and separated from the wet hand, and disposed below the inner surface of the drying chamber an intake port, a circulation flow path communicating the suction side of the air inlet and the electric blower, and a blower passage communicating the air blowing side ejection hole of the electric blower, the suction side of the electric blower, the top opening provided on the opposite side of horizontal and the intake port when viewed from the part, a part of the circulation flow path, a stream portion to which the arranged from the suction side to the lower side of the electric blower, between the underflow portion and said intake port The circulation flow path is substantially straight in a substantially vertical direction Hand drying apparatus characterized by forming the. Circulation passage claim 1 Symbol placement of hand dryer provided with drain holes in the bottom stream of the. Circulation passage according to claim 1 or 2 SL placing the hand dryer the whole or part and detachable from the body of the. The hand dryer according to claim 2 , wherein a drain tank is provided below the drain hole, and the drain tank and the whole or a part of the circulation flow path are integrally formed and are detachable from the main body. The hand-drying device according to claim 4, wherein the drain tank and the circulation passage which can be attached and detached as a whole can be separated from the whole or a part of the circulation channel. The hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein a filter is provided in the vicinity of the suction side of the electric blower in the bottom flow portion of the circulation flow path. The hand dryer according to claim 6, wherein the filter and the circulation channel are entirely or partially configured so as to be detachable from the main body. The hand dryer according to claim 7, wherein the filter that can be attached and detached integrally and the whole or a part of the circulation flow path are separable. All or part of the drying chamber, or all or part of the circulation channel, or drain tank, or to any one of claim 1, further comprising a cleaning maintenance time display means for notifying the timing of cleaning maintenance of the filter 8 The hand dryer described.

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