JP4077473B2 - Hand dryer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hand-drying device that dries wet hands after washing with wind.

  Conventionally, in a hand dryer having a hand insertion space that is blown and dried by the kinetic energy of a high-speed air flow with respect to wet hands after cleaning inserted in the device, in order to warm the high-speed wind, the drying device There has been proposed a hand dryer that equips the air intake of the dryer with a regenerative air heater that heats the air by supplying heat to the air.

  Such a hand dryer generally includes a dryer having a hand insertion space and a built-in high-pressure airflow generator, and a regenerative air heater connected to the air inlet of the dryer. There are many cases. The regenerative air heater incorporates an electric heater, and performs an operation of storing the amount of heat of the electric heater and an operation of radiating the stored amount of heat to the air. According to this hand drying device, when a hand is inserted into the hand insertion space of the device, this is detected by a sensor, and for example, a high-pressure airflow generator composed of a motor and a fan is activated to sandwich the hand insertion space. A high-pressure air stream is blown out from a nozzle provided oppositely. At this time, the heat storage type air heating device supplies the stored heat amount to the air sucked into the drying device to raise the temperature.

  The structure of the regenerative air heating apparatus is generally a structure in which an electric heater is surrounded by a heater box and an air chamber for storing heat in order to efficiently operate without escaping heat. The air chamber has an open / close shutter that is supported by, for example, a leaf spring and opens and closes the air path using wind pressure, inside the frame that forms the air path. The open / close shutter is constantly urged to the closed side by a leaf spring to close the air passage. The urging force of the leaf spring that closes the open / close shutter is set to be weaker than the wind pressure created by the high-pressure airflow generator for blowing air, and opens and stops when the high-pressure airflow generator operates. To close. With this structure, when a hand is inserted into the device and high-speed wind is blown onto the hand, heat is given to the wind from the structure that stores the amount of heat in the heater box, and when the hand is not inserted into the device Store the amount of heat in the heater box.

  With such a structure, the warming of the wind in the hand dryer that dries the hands by the kinetic energy of the wind can be realized quickly and efficiently with an electric heater having a relatively small capacity. The feeling is eliminated (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 3506198

  When drying a wet hand using the hand drying device configured in this way, for example, when moving the wet hand from the wash basin to the hand drying device, water droplets adhering to the hand are moved from the hand during the movement. May be dripped. In addition, even while the hand is inserted into the hand insertion space and dried, depending on how it is used, water droplets removed from the wet hand may splash out of the hand dryer. As described above, the hand dryer may be exposed to water droplets in places other than the hand insertion space depending on the purpose of use.

  When the air intake port of a regenerative air heating device is opened on a surface that is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane, that is, on the vertical side surface of the device, etc., it normally enters the air intake port when a water droplet drops from above. It is rare to end up. However, when the hand dryer starts to operate, external air is sucked from the air intake port by the high-speed airflow generator, so that a case where a water droplet dripped with the air is sucked in occurs. Then, the sucked water droplets may reach the heating device or even the high-speed airflow generator. Heating devices and high-speed airflow generators are generally made of metal, so rust is generated due to the adhesion of water droplets, causing problems such as a reduction in the amount of heat generated by the heating device and shutdown of the high-speed airflow generator. It is also expected that.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is a highly reliable and safe hand that can reliably prevent intrusion of water droplets even when installed in an environment where splashed water droplets are exposed. An object is to provide a drying apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a hand dryer according to the present invention includes a main body, an air flow generation device that sucks external air into the main body, and a nozzle for ejecting air from the air flow generation device to the outside of the main body. And a gallery provided in the middle of passage of external air sucked into the main body.

  The gallery is formed on a cover configured to cover the suction port of the main body. The gallery is composed of a plurality of holes and a blade plate provided with each of the plurality of holes.

  Furthermore, the gallery is formed by bending incisions provided on the upper side and both sides of the substantially rectangular hole toward the inside of the main body, or the gallery is provided on the lower side and both sides of the substantially rectangular hole. It is formed by bending the notch toward the outside of the main body.

  In this invention, even if it installs in the environment where the scattered water droplets are bathed, it can be set as the reliable and safe apparatus which can prevent a water droplet invasion reliably.

  Embodiments of a hand dryer according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is an external view of a hand dryer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention as viewed from the left side. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view as seen from the right side of the hand dryer. The outline will be explained first, and then the details will be explained. The hand dryer main body 100 of this embodiment includes a dryer 4 in which a high-pressure airflow generator 3 is incorporated in a box 2 in which an open sink-like hand insertion space 1 is formed, and the dryer 4 and a connecting member. 12 and a regenerative air heater 6 connected through 12.

  The drying device 4 has a high pressure air flow generator 3 incorporated in a box 2 that forms an outer shell and forms a hand insertion space 1 in the upper part, and the high pressure air flow generated by the high pressure air flow generator 3 is manually generated. Air is fed into the insertion space 1 to form a high-speed air flow as a drying working air flow sufficient to blow off moisture in the hand insertion space 1 and is installed on a wall surface 200 such as a hand-washing room.

  A regenerative air heating device (hereinafter simply referred to as a heating device) 6 is a heating means constructed by incorporating a sheathed heater 9 as an electric heater in a rectangular tube type heater box 31 that forms a vertical air passage. The heat storage radiator 8 is housed in a box-shaped frame 16 that forms an outer shell so as to form a ventilation path F that is open at the periphery, and in a state where the heating part is not in direct contact with the frame 16, An air chamber 10 is provided above the heat storage radiator 8. The air chamber 10 has an open / close shutter 11 that is opened by the action of a suction force. The open / close shutter 11 is opened, and a connection member 12 provided in communication with the air chamber 10 and a high-pressure air flow are generated. The inlet 3d of the apparatus 3 (drying apparatus 4) communicates. On the other hand, a suction port (not shown) formed on the left side surface of the heating device 6 is covered with a cover 27 that is detachably attached (FIG. 1). The cover 27 is provided with a gallery 20 that constitutes an air intake port of the heating device 6. The gallery 20 is formed as an aggregate (a plurality of holes) of small area holes (slits) 28 having a small width in the vertical direction and a long length in the width direction, and each slit 28 is a blade (not shown) that prevents intrusion of water droplets. A plate is provided.

  The hand insertion space 1 formed in the upper part of the drying device 4 is configured as an oblique U-shaped recess that is open on the upper side and both side surfaces and tilts downward toward the back side, and both hands are naturally aligned and provided. It has a front opening, a height and a depth that allow a hand to be inserted and removed freely in a visible state without feeling uncomfortable or uneasy in a state where a drainage outlet is formed.

  The high-pressure airflow generator 3 is configured as a unit including a motor 3a, a turbo fan 3b that is rotated by the motor 3a, and a duct 3c that houses these and forms an air passage, and constitutes the bottom of the box 2 The suction port 3d is attached to the frame to be directed downward.

  One end of each of the upper and lower air ducts is connected to the exhaust side of the high-pressure airflow generator 3, and an upper blowing nozzle 7 a and a lower blowing nozzle 7 b are attached to the other ends of the upper and lower air ducts, respectively. A plurality of nozzle holes are formed in a row in the upper blowing nozzle 7a and the lower blowing nozzle 7b in a row, and the high pressure air sent from the high pressure air flow generator 3 is 50 m / s to 150 m / s. It is converted into wind of wind speed and blown out.

  The upper blowing nozzle 7a is directed downward at the upper part of the inlet of the manual insertion space 1 and the lower blowing nozzle 7b is inclined downward so as to form a pressure gradient from the inlet to the rear at the lower part of the inlet of the manual insertion space 1. It is possible to apply high-speed wind to both the back side and palm side of the hand at the same time so that water drops attached to the hand can be removed from the front and back of the hand without rubbing the hand placed in the hand insertion space 1 It has been made possible.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view partially showing the inside of the heating device 6 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the heating device 6. The arrows in the figure indicate the flow of airflow. The heating device 6 has a rectangular parallelepiped box shape suspended and supported by the drying device 4 and has a structure in which a heat storage radiator 8 is incorporated in a frame 16 whose left side surface is open. The circular suction port 17 is opened. Support arms 19 are provided on the left and right sides of the upper surface so as to be suspended from the drying device 4. Between the two support arms 19 on the upper surface of the frame 16, an air supply port 21 communicating with the suction port 3 d opened at the bottom of the drying device 4 is opened. A connection member (seal frame) 23 is provided around the air supply port 21 so that the air supply port 21 is connected to the suction port 3d of the drying device 4 without air leakage when connected by the support arm 19. It has become.

  A box-shaped cover 27 is detachably attached for the purpose of forming the gallery 20 outside the suction port 17. A gallery 20 that forms an air intake port of the heating device 6 is formed on one side surface of the cover 27. The gallery 20 includes a plurality of slits 28 that form a plurality of holes and a blade plate 29 provided in each of the slits 28. The slit 28 is opened with a width of about 4 mm in the vertical direction over the entire width of the heating device 6. The slits 28 are produced by cutting and raising from a sheet metal material, and the cut and raised portions are bent inward to form a blade plate 29. That is, the gallery 20 is formed by bending incisions provided on the upper side and both side sides of the substantially rectangular slit 28 toward the inside of the main body.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a side plate on which a plurality of slits 28 and blades 29 are formed. The arrows in the figure indicate the flow of airflow. The slit 28 and the vane plate 29 form, for example, an armor door structure that is employed on the side wall of a hundred-leaf box. That is, a plurality of blades 29 are arranged side by side with predetermined dimensions in the vertical direction. The slats 29 are provided so as to be inclined at 65 degrees with respect to the respective slits 28, and when the water droplets flying from the outside are suppressed from entering, the inside of the heating device 6 is not pressurized. It has a structure that can easily suck external air. A duct chamber 32 that forms an air path from the gallery 20 to the heat storage radiator 8 is formed between the gallery 20 and the heat storage radiator 8.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the heat storage radiator 8 and the air chamber 10 disposed on the heat storage radiator 8. The arrows in the figure indicate the flow of airflow. The heat storage radiator 8 is disposed in the heater box 31 and a square tube heater box 31 that forms a vertical air passage connecting the suction port 17 and the air supply port 21 in the frame 16 (FIG. 3). The sheathed heater 9 is mainly used. The sheathed heater 9 has heat storage and radiation fins 9a made of a plurality of aluminum materials integrated by die casting, and is supported on the bottom plate of the frame 16 in a state where the heating portion is not in direct contact with the frame 16, and each heat storage and heat dissipation The fins 9a are fixed in a laterally spaced manner by fixing legs 33 (FIG. 4), and the whole is housed in the heater box 31.

  FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a heater control circuit of the heating device 6. The heater control circuit includes a current detection circuit 38 that detects the current of the power feeding system on the drying device 4 side. The current detection circuit 38 detects a change in current, and when the high-pressure airflow generator 3 is in an operating state. The heater drive circuit 39 stops energization of the sheathed heater 9 and controls the energization of the sheathed heater 9 when the high-pressure airflow generator 3 is stopped. Further, the heater control circuit is provided with a room temperature detection circuit 40 for detecting the room temperature of the installation location (the ambient temperature of the apparatus) and a heater temperature detection circuit 41 for detecting the heater temperature. By doing so, the energization to the sheathed heater 9 is controlled so that the temperature of the hot air related to the ambient temperature becomes substantially constant.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state where the open / close shutter 11 of the air chamber 10 is closed (the air chamber 10 shown in FIG. 6 shows a state where the open / close shutter 11 is opened). 6 and 8, the air chamber 10 is configured in a frame-shaped container having rises 48 formed on both sides of the bottom surface, and is stacked with the rises 48 on top of the heat storage radiator 8 in the heater box 31. It has been. The air chamber 10 buffers heat transfer between the heat storage radiator 8 and the air supply port 21. The air path formed by the heater box 31 and the air supply port 21 communicate with each other through a rectangular air vent 50 opened on the bottom surface of the air chamber 10, and are dried with the air intake (slit 28) of the heating device 6. The suction port 3d of the device 4 is communicated with a series of ventilation paths configured in the heating device 6. An opening / closing shutter 11 is attached to the vent 50 of each air chamber 10.

  The open / close shutter 11 is hinged on the long side on each bottom surface, and is normally urged to the closed side by the urging means by the leaf spring 53 to normally close each vent 50. The urging force of the urging means that closes the open / close shutter 11 is set to be weaker than the pressure of the wind generated by the high-pressure airflow generator 3 for blowing air, and is released when the high-pressure airflow generator 3 operates. Close by stopping.

  In the hand-drying apparatus having the above-described configuration, the wet water is blown to the back side of the hand insertion space 1 by the high-speed hot air formed in the hand insertion space 1 by inserting and pulling out a wet hand into the hand insertion space 1. In addition, it is possible to perform the drying process quickly without feeling cold air in a state where the hand can be visually observed without feeling uneasy. That is, when a wet hand is put into the hand insertion space 1, a hand detection signal is formed by the sensor, the motor 3a of the high-pressure airflow generator 3 is started by the control circuit, and the turbo fan 3b rotates. By the rotation of the turbo fan 3b, the warm air supplied from the bottom side of the box body 2 through the suction path by the heating device 6 is sucked into the high-pressure air flow generator 3 to form a high-pressure air flow due to the warm air. This high-pressure air flow is sent from the exhaust side of the high-pressure air flow generator 3 into the air duct, and is simultaneously high-speed on both the back side and palm side of the hand with a predetermined inclination from the upper and lower blowing nozzles 7a, 7b of the hand insertion space 1. It is blown out as hot air. The water droplets of the hand are blown off at a stretch by the high-speed hot air to the front, that is, the back side of the hand insertion space 1.

  The blown water droplets are pushed to the lower end of the inclined bottom side of the hand insertion space 1 by both its own weight and wind force, and flow down to the drain hose from the drain port formed at the lower end, and the hand insertion space 1 The water is drained smoothly from the inside. The water flowing down the drain hose is received in the drain tank. Thus, a wet hand is dried in about 5 seconds to 10 seconds. Thereafter, when the hand inserted in the hand insertion space 1 is removed from the hand insertion space 1, the absence of the hand is detected, and the high-pressure air flow generator 3 stops after a certain period of operation, and the hot and sanitary warm air causes The hand drying process is complete. That is, according to this hand drying device, it is possible to simply and quickly perform a hygienic and comfortable hand drying process with warm air without bothering, bothersome, uncomfortable and uneasy, and cold air. The amount of heat of the hot air blown out in the manual insertion space 1 is supplied by the heating device 6, but is not related to the hand drying process and is an amount of heat for eliminating the feeling of cold air during use. It is sufficient that it does not give a feeling of cooling.

  The heating device 6 is located below the drying device 4 and is connected to the suction side of the high-pressure airflow generator 3, and the heat source portion is separated from the hand insertion space 1, thereby improving safety for hands and users. Has been. However, the drying device 4 may be adversely affected by the heat of the heating device 6. On the other hand, it is eliminated by the air chamber 10 that buffers heat transfer. The suction port 3d of the drying device 4 and the air path of the heat storage radiator 8 are in communication with each other through the air chamber 10, and the open / close shutter 11 is closed while the high-pressure airflow generator 3 is stopped, thereby restricting the flow of air inside. Therefore, the heat transfer to the drying device 4 side is effectively buffered.

  When the high-pressure airflow generator 3 is activated, external air passes through the gallery 20 obliquely upward and is taken into the heating device 6. At this time, the water droplet dripped near the heating device 6 does not move upward together with the air due to its own weight, but falls as it is, or hits the blade 29 and adheres thereto. The water droplets adhering to the surface of the slats 29 slide off the surface of the slats 29 outward due to their own weight and eventually leave the heating device 6. That is, by providing the gallery 20, water droplets existing in the external space and water droplets attached to the gallery 20 cannot rise obliquely upward along the gallery 20 due to their own weight. The liquid does not drop downward along the surface and enters the heating device 6. Further, when the high-pressure airflow generator 3 is not in operation, there is no suction flow, so that it does not rise obliquely upward along the gallery 20 and does not enter the heating device 6. In order to prevent insects and the like from entering the apparatus, it is also effective to provide an insect screen or the like on the back surface of the slit 28.

  In the present embodiment, gallery 20 is formed on removable cover 27 for the purpose of facilitating cleaning. However, it may be provided directly on the side surface of the heating device 6 at the expense of easy cleaning. By providing directly on the side surface of the heating device 6, it is possible to reduce the cost by reducing the size of the device and reducing the number of components. The vane plate 29 is formed by cutting and raising together with the opening of the slit 28, and is manufactured by a method that does not increase the cost. That is, the slit 28 is formed by bending incisions provided on the upper side and both side sides in the main body direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the blades 29 may be provided by joining other members. Further, in the present embodiment, the sheet metal of the formation portion of the slit 28 is bent inward to prevent the expansion of the apparatus and the design is improved. However, if only the functional surface is considered, it is bent outward. May be. That is, it may be formed by bending notches provided on the lower side and both sides of the slit 28 toward the outside of the main body. By forming it by bending it toward the outside of the main body, the portion visible from the outside can be easily cleaned without removing the cover 27. Further, twisting may be applied to both ends so that the vertical portion provided between the slits 28 adjacent to each other at the top and bottom is at the same angle as the blades 29. Further, although the blade plate 29 of the present embodiment is inclined at an angle of 65 degrees, the angle of the blade plate 29 may be changed as needed depending on the installation environment or the like. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the design on the front side is improved by providing the gallery 20 on the side surface of the heating device 6, but the gallery 20 may be provided on the front side or on both sides. You may provide in a surface part.

  The drying device 4 and the heating device 6 may be configured integrally or separately, but the heating device 6 and the drying device 4 are functionally complete devices as described above. Since it can be configured, applicability can be increased by using a separate body. Moreover, although this Embodiment is a hand dryer by the high pressure air flow provided with the high pressure air flow generator 3, it is applicable also to the hand dryer which is not high pressure.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the heating device of the hand dryer according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The arrows in the figure indicate the flow of airflow. In the present embodiment, a water intrusion prevention weir 62 having a height of about 5 mm is provided over the entire width of the heating device 6 perpendicularly to the bottom surface 32 a of the duct chamber 32 between the gallery 20 and the heat storage radiator 8. Yes. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, since the water intrusion prevention weir 62 is provided in the duct chamber 32 constituting the air path from the gallery 20 to the heating device 6, even if a water droplet enters from the gallery 20, the heating device 6 Water does not reach the surface, synergistically with the effect of the gallery 20, failure due to rust can be suppressed, and further improvement in safety and reliability can be achieved. In addition, it has been found by experiments that a predetermined effect is obtained if the height of the water intrusion prevention weir 62 is 5 mm or more.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the heating device of the hand dryer according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The arrows in the figure indicate the flow of airflow. In the present embodiment, a drain hole 65 is opened in the bottom surface 32 a of the duct chamber 32 between the gallery 20 and the heat storage radiator 8. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, since the drain hole 65 is provided in the bottom surface 32a of the duct chamber 32 that constitutes the air path from the gallery 20 to the heating device 6, the water drains even if a water droplet enters from the gallery 20 by any chance. Since water drains from the hole 65 to the outside of the apparatus, water does not accumulate in the heating apparatus 6, and it is possible to further improve safety and reliability in synergy with the effect of the gallery 20. Moreover, even if the duct chamber 32 is made of metal, corrosion due to rust can be prevented. If the drain hole 65 of the present embodiment is provided together with the water intrusion prevention weir 62 of the second embodiment, the effect can be increased. Needless to say, the drainage hole 65 may have a circular or rectangular passage cross section because of its function.

  The present invention is applied to hand dryers installed in office buildings, hotels, family restaurants, amusement facilities, general supermarkets, food / pharmaceutical / cosmetic / other general factories, schools, public facilities, etc. Is preferred.

It is the external view which looked at the hand-drying apparatus of Embodiment 1 from the left side. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which looked at the hand-drying apparatus of Embodiment 1 from the right side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view partially transmitting the inside of the heating device according to the first embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the heating device of the heating device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is an expanded vertical sectional view of the side plate in which a plurality of slits and blades are formed. It is a perspective view of the heat storage heat radiator and the air chamber arrange | positioned in the upper part. It is a block diagram of the heater control circuit of a heating apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows a mode that the opening-and-closing shutter of an air chamber closed. It is a cross-sectional view of the heating device of the hand drying device of the second embodiment. It is a cross-sectional view of the heating device of the hand drying device of the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Hand insertion space 2 Box (main body)
3 High Pressure Air Flow Generator 3a Motor 3b Turbo Fan 3d Suction Port 3c Hood 4 Drying Device 6 Heating Device (Regenerative Air Heating Device)
7a Upper blowout nozzle 7b Lower blowout nozzle 8 Thermal storage radiator (heating means, thermal storage thermal release means)
9 Sheathed heater 9a Heat storage heat radiation fin 10 Air chamber 11 Opening / closing shutter 12 Connection member (seal frame)
16 Frame 17 Air inlet 19 Support arm 20 Gallery 21 Air inlet 27 Cover 28 Slit (small area hole)
29 Blades (Arashido structure)
31 Heater box 32 Duct chamber 32a Duct chamber bottom 33 Fixed leg 37 Comparison circuit 38 Current detection circuit 39 Heater drive circuit 40 Room temperature detection circuit 41 Heater temperature detection circuit 50 Ventilation hole 53 Leaf spring 62 Water intrusion prevention weir 65 Water drain hole 100 Hand dryer (main unit)

Claims (5)

The body,
An air flow generator for sucking external air into the body;
A nozzle for ejecting air from the airflow generator to the outside of the main body;
A gallery provided in the middle of the passage of the external air sucked into the main body,
The gallery includes a plurality of slits and a blade plate provided in each of the slits, and is formed on a box-like cover that is detachably attached so as to cover a side surface of the main body on which a plurality of air suction ports are formed. And
The main body includes a heating unit that heats external air that passes through the gallery and is sucked into the main body, and a duct chamber is provided between the gallery and the heating unit. apparatus. Hand drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that water entry dam is provided on the bottom surface of the duct chamber. Hand drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that drain holes are provided on the bottom surface of the duct chamber. Gallery hand according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the substantially rectangular upper and encased portion cut on both sides of the holes are formed by bending inside the body direction Drying equipment. Gallery hand according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the lower side and encased portion cut on both sides of the hole of substantially rectangular and is formed by bending the body outward Drying equipment.

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