JP5975416B2 - Hand dryer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hand drying apparatus that blows air on a user's hand to dry the hand.

  In recent years, especially in public toilets and the like, there is an increasing tendency to reduce paper towels for wiping off water adhering to hands after hand washing, and there is an increasing number of cases where hand dryers are installed instead of paper towels. Such a hand-drying device is often installed on the wall surface of a wash counter slightly away from the place where the wash bowl is located, or on the wall surface of a toilet space away from the wash counter (the following patent document) 1).

  In the hand drying device proposed in the following Patent Document 1, when the user's hand is inserted into the opening recess of the housing and the sensors provided respectively on the palm side wall surface and the instep side wall surface of the opening recess detect the hand, Warm air is blown to the palm side and back side of the hand from a plurality of nozzles for the palm side and back side nozzles provided in a straight line on both wall surfaces, respectively, while flying water droplets attached to the hand It is designed to be dried.

  The hand drying apparatus described in Patent Literature 1 below has a structure in which a sensor for detecting a hand is arranged on the back side of the nozzle along the direction in which the user inserts the hand. Further, in the hand drying device having such a structure, even if the sensor detects the user's hand, even if the sensor moves from the detection state where the sensor does not detect the user's hand, A control method is adopted in which the spraying is not stopped immediately but is stopped after a predetermined off-delay time set in advance has elapsed. By setting such an off-delay time, it is possible to prevent the blowing of warm air from stopping even though the user's hand has not yet been pulled back to the front side of the nozzle.

  In addition to the above, the hand dryer with the off-delay time set has the following advantages. Depending on the user of the hand dryer, there is a case in which a hand once inserted into the opening recess is used to dry the hand while performing an operation of reciprocating back and forth between the back side and the near side. In such a case, even though the hand has not yet dried, the position of the hand may be closer to the front than the sensor during the repeated reciprocating operation, and a non-detection state may occur temporarily. However, even if the non-detection state temporarily occurs, the hot air blowout continues without stopping until the off-delay time elapses. There is no loss of usability.

  Furthermore, depending on the user of the hand drying device, when the hand is pulled out from the opening recess, the user feels that the hand is still insufficiently dried and inserts the hand deeply into the opening recess to dry the hand. is there. Even in such a case, the hot air blowing continues without stopping until the off-delay time elapses, so that the hot air is stopped before the hand is inserted again, thereby impairing the feeling of use. There is no.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-4784

  As described above, the hand drying device in which the off delay time is set has various advantages from the viewpoint of improving the feeling of use. However, since the hot air continues to be blown out until the off-delay time elapses after the user pulls out the hand from the opening recess, it is desirable that the off-delay time is as short as possible from the viewpoint of energy saving. . Also, from the viewpoint of extending the life of the blower built in the hand dryer, it is desirable that the off-delay time is short.

  In particular, after the hand is inserted into the opening recess for a long time, it is highly likely that the hand is completely dry when the user pulls out the hand from the opening recess. For this reason, it is considered that the possibility that the user inserts the hand into the opening recess again is low, and the effect of setting the off-delay time is small.

  Furthermore, in such a case, the user is aware that the hand is completely dry. For this reason, if the blowing of warm air continues for a while after pulling out the hand, it will give a strong impression that the user is wasting power, impairing the feeling of use There is also.

  The hand drying device described in Patent Document 1 always has a constant off-delay time set regardless of the usage state of the hand drying device. For this reason, depending on the state of use of the hand-drying device, although the effect of setting the off-delay time is small, power is wasted, and the feeling of use may be lost.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and the purpose thereof is to set the off-delay time according to the use state of the hand dryer so that the feeling of use is good and wasteful power is consumed. An object of the present invention is to provide a hand dryer capable of reducing consumption.

  In order to solve the above problems, a hand drying apparatus according to the present invention is a hand drying apparatus that blows air on a user's hand to dry the hand drying chamber in which a space into which the user's hand is inserted is configured. A housing, a nozzle formed in the housing and blowing air into the hand drying chamber, a blower having a motor built in the housing and driven to blow air from the nozzle, and a user A sensor that is provided behind the nozzle along the insertion direction and detects the user's hand inserted into the hand drying chamber, and the sensor inserts the user's hand into the hand drying chamber. A control unit that drives the motor when detected, and the control unit detects from the detection state in which the sensor detects the user's hand that the sensor has not detected the user's hand. Go to state Then, an off-delay time is set based on a detection time that is a time during which the detection state has been continued until the time when the off-delay time elapses after the motor shifts to the non-detection state. During this period, the driving is continued and then stopped, and the off-delay time is set to be gradually shorter as the detection time is longer.

  According to the present invention, an off delay time is set based on a time during which the state in which the sensor is detecting the user's hand has been continued, that is, based on the detection time. It can be a long off-delay time. Specifically, the off delay time is set to be gradually shortened as the detection time is longer. For this reason, when the detection time is short, even if a temporary non-detection state occurs, the motor is not stopped and the feeling of use is not impaired.

  On the other hand, when the detection time is long, since the motor is stopped in a short time after the non-detection state, the power consumption can be reduced and the replacement life of the motor can be improved. Furthermore, in addition to not giving the user the impression that wasteful power is consumed even after the drying is over, it also gives the user a sense of incongruity due to a sudden change in the off-delay time due to the difference in usage conditions. Therefore, the feeling of use is further improved.

In the hand dryer according to the present invention, the control unit multiplies the unit off-delay time, which is a preset time, by the number of continuations in which a numerical value is set according to the detection time. It is preferable to set the time so that the longer the detection time, the lower the number of continuations.

In this preferred embodiment, the off-delay time is set by multiplying the unit off-delay time, which is a preset time, by the number of times that a numerical value is set according to the detection time . Since the length of the off-delay time is set by changing the numerical value of the number of continuations, the setting of the off-delay time and the motor control based thereon can be simplified.

In the hand dryer according to the present invention, the control unit sets the off-delay time by shortening a unit off-delay time, which is a time set according to the detection time , as the detection time becomes longer. It is also preferable.

  Since the off-delay time is an integral multiple of the unit off-delay time, it is set discretely. In this preferred mode, by changing the length of the unit off-delay time, the setting resolution of the off-delay time set discretely can be made finer, and the setting of the off-delay time can be further optimized. It becomes.

  Further, in the hand dryer according to the present invention, the control unit sets the off-delay time to a constant longest off-delay time independent of the detection time when the detection time is shorter than a predetermined shortest detection time. It is also preferable to set so.

  In the hand drying device, the time during which the state where the sensor is detecting the user's hand continues, that is, the detection time, varies depending on the user. According to the investigation of the statistics by the present inventors, the distribution of the detection time is not uniform, and the distribution has a distribution in which a peak of the frequency exists in the detection time of a predetermined length. In other words, most users have finished using the hand dryer before the detection time at the peak elapses.

  In this preferred embodiment, when the non-detection state is reached after a predetermined time (the shortest detection time) has elapsed since the detection state is reached, the off-delay time is set to a certain longest off-delay that does not depend on the detection time. Set to be time. As a result, the off-delay time is not changed if many users become undetected before the time for ending the use of the hand dryer has passed. The possibility of giving the user a sense of incongruity that the time has been changed is small, and the usability is further improved.

  In the hand drying apparatus according to the present invention, the control unit sets the off-delay time to a constant shortest off-delay time independent of the detection time when the detection time is longer than a predetermined longest detection time. It is also preferable to set so.

  When a non-detection state occurs after a long detection time has elapsed, the required off-delay time is often very short. Therefore, even if the off-delay time is optimized so as to be further shortened according to the detection time, the effect is small and the power consumption that can be reduced is small.

  In this preferable mode, when the non-detection state is entered after a predetermined time (the longest detection time longer than the shortest detection time) has elapsed since the detection state is entered, the off-delay time is set to a constant value that does not depend on the detection time. Set to the shortest off-delay time. Thus, when the need for the off-delay time is small, the off-delay time is calculated and set by a simplified method, so that the control by the control device can be simplified.

  According to the present invention, by setting the off-delay time according to the use state of the hand dryer, a hand dryer capable of improving the feeling of use and reducing wasteful power consumption is provided. Can do.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the hand dryer which is embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the hand dryer shown in FIG. It is a block block diagram which shows the control structure of the hand dryer shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the hand dryer shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between detection time and the off-delay time set according to it in the hand dryer shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the hand dryer shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the hand dryer shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate the understanding of the description, the same constituent elements in the drawings will be denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant description will be omitted.

  With reference to FIG. 1, a hand dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hand dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The hand dryer 1 of this embodiment is installed on the side of a washbasin with a faucet installed on a wall such as a washroom, for example, and a person who has washed his / her hand using the faucet and washbasin Used to dry wet hands. In this embodiment, the case where the hand dryer 1 is installed on the wall surface of the washroom is described, but the installation mode of the hand dryer 1 is not limited to this, and for example, the floor is not fixed to the wall surface. It may be erected on the surface.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the hand dryer 1 includes a housing 2 and a water receiving tray 19. The housing 2 includes a front side member 2a, a back side member 2b, a side member 2c, and a side member 2d. The housing 2 has an opening recess 4 as a hand drying chamber, and a blower is incorporated below the opening recess 4. The opening recess 4 is open upward, and an opening 4u for the user to insert his / her hand is formed.

  The front-side member 2a that is on the near side with respect to the user with the hand dryer 1 attached to the wall surface has a plurality of nozzles 6a (shown clearly in FIG. 1) arranged in a straight line in the horizontal direction at substantially equal intervals. Without). In addition, the back-side member 2b that is on the wall surface side with respect to the user with the hand dryer 1 attached to the wall surface has a plurality of nozzles arranged in a straight line in the horizontal direction at substantially equal intervals in the same manner as the nozzle 6a. 6b. The nozzle 6 a and the nozzle 6 b are nozzles for blowing an air flow fed from the blower into the opening recess 4.

  Further, a side surface member 2d is detachably mounted on the right side surface of the housing 2, and the side surface member 2d is provided with a trapezoidal vent 5a having a louver 5 that prevents passage of water droplets. A side surface member 2c having a mirror-symmetrical shape with the side surface member 2d is also detachably mounted on the left side surface of the housing 2. A water receiving tray 19 is detachably attached to the bottom of the housing 2 in order to collect water droplets blown from the wet hand inserted into the opening recess 4.

  An operation unit 41 is provided on the side surface of the housing 2. The operation unit 41 is a part for setting the operation mode of the hand dryer 1. A display portion 42 is provided on the entire surface of the housing 2. The display unit 42 is a part that displays an operation status of the hand dryer 1 and a notification for maintenance.

  Next, the hand dryer 1 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view in the vicinity of the center of the hand dryer 1. In FIG. 2, the flow of air or wind is indicated by arrows.

  As shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the hand dryer 1 of this embodiment is provided with the housing 2 surrounding a hand dryer main body. In the upper part of the housing 2, an opening recess 4 having an open upper end is provided so that both hands lined up from above the housing 2 can be inserted.

  This opening recessed part 4 is a part (hand drying chamber) which arrange | positions a hand there and winds and dries. Usually, the hand is inserted into the opening recess 4 from above the housing 2 with the palm facing the front side member 2a side of the housing 2 and the back of the hand facing the back side member 2b side of the housing 2. .

  In the hand drying device 1 of the present embodiment, when a user's hand is inserted into the opening recess 4 from above the housing 2, the light projecting portions 3a provided on the front side wall 4a and the back side wall 4b of the opening recess 4 respectively. When the hand is detected by the light receiving portion 3b, the palm side and the back of the hand are separated from the plurality of palm-side nozzles 6a and the back-side nozzles 6b provided on the wall surfaces 4a and 4b in a substantially horizontal straight line. Warm air is blown to each side, and it flows downward while blowing water droplets adhering to the hand.

  The light projecting unit 3a is a light emitting element that is controlled by a control unit, which will be described later, so as to emit light at predetermined intervals (for example, every several tens of milliseconds) toward the inside of the opening recess 4. The light receiving unit 3b is a light receiving element that emits a light receiving signal when receiving light emitted from the light projecting unit 3a, and the light receiving signal is transmitted to the control unit. In a state where a hand is inserted into the opening recess 4, the path through which the light emitted from the light projecting unit 3 a reaches the light receiving unit 3 b is blocked by the hand. For this reason, the control part can determine the presence or absence of the hand in the opening recessed part 4 by making the light projection part 3a light-emit, and the light reception signal from the light reception part 3b corresponding to it having been emitted.

  A fan motor unit is provided in the housing 2 for blowing air to the palm side nozzle 6a and the back side nozzle 6b. The fan motor unit 8 is disposed such that the rotational drive shaft 10 extends in a direction perpendicular to the front side member 2a and / or the back side member 2b of the housing 2. The fan motor unit 8 is configured by a brush motor and a fan member, and is configured such that the fan member rotates and air can be blown by the rotation of the brush motor.

  When the hand dryer 1 is used, the cross-sectional areas of the flow paths of the palm-side air duct 30a and the back-side air duct 30b are such that the air volume supplied to the palm side is larger than the air volume supplied to the back side of the hand. Is set. A suction port 14 is provided at the rear end of the casing of the fan motor unit 8.

  On the other hand, a blower outlet 16 protruding upward is formed at the downstream end of the blowout duct 15 of the fan motor unit 8. The blower outlet 16 is provided with a fin heater 18 so that the air blown from the blower outlet 16 is heated by the fin heater 18.

  Further, a water receiving tray 19 is provided at the bottom 2e of the housing 2, and the water that has fallen on the wall surface 4cs of the shoulder-shaped bottom wall 4c and swept on both sides in the opening recess 4 is removed from the inner side of the housing 2. It falls in the water receiving tray 19 through the drainage groove in the area. Further, an air intake port 22 provided with a filter 20 is provided on the back side of the water receiving tray 19, and an intake duct 24 b is connected to the air intake port 22.

  The intake duct 24 has an upstream end 26 disposed on the filter 20 of the air intake port 22, and communicates the upstream end 26 and the suction port 14 along the rear side member 2 b of the housing 2 from the upstream end 26. It extends almost straight upward. During operation of the hand dryer 1, air outside the housing 2 is sucked into the intake duct 24 from the air intake port 22 through the filter 20.

  Furthermore, a sound absorbing material 28 is disposed in the upper portion of the intake duct 24 adjacent to the suction port 14 of the fan motor unit 8, and the sound absorbing material 28 leaks from the suction port 14 during operation of the fan motor unit 8. Each sound is absorbed.

  Further, a palm-side air duct 30a is connected to the air outlet 16, and the palm-side air duct 30a is adjacent to the front side member 2a of the housing 2 and extends upward from the air outlet 16a. Is formed. Furthermore, the rear side in the air duct 30a for the palm side has the wall surface 4as formed by the front side wall 4a of the opening recess 4 described above. The nozzle 6a is arranged so as to be positioned almost directly above the palm-side air outlet 16a.

  Further, an air duct 30b for the upper side is connected to the air outlet 16 in the same manner as the air outlet 16a for the palm side. The upper side air duct 30b is formed so as to extend from the upper side air outlet 16b to a plurality of nozzles 6b arranged on the wall surface 4bs of the back side wall 4b of the opening recess 4.

  As described above, the louvers 5 serving as the air venting means are provided on the side surface members 2c and 2d of the housing 2, and hot air is blown from the nozzles 6a and 6b to the hands disposed in the opening recess 4. At this time, water droplets scattered in the direction of the side members 2 c and 2 d of the housing 2 are blocked by the louver 5 so that only the wind passes through the louver 5.

  The hand dryer 1 of the present embodiment has a control unit (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) composed of components such as a CPU and a memory. When the user's hand is inserted into the opening recess 4 from above the housing 2, the light emitted from the light projecting unit 3a every predetermined period does not reach the light receiving unit 3b. The control unit detects that the light receiving signal is not transmitted from the light receiving unit 3b, thereby detecting that the hand is inserted into the opening recess, and drives the fan motor unit 8. As a result, warm air is blown to the palm side and back side of the hand from the plurality of palm side nozzles 6a and back side nozzles 6b provided on both wall surfaces 4as and 4bs in a substantially horizontal straight line. It is designed to flow downward while flying water droplets attached to the hand.

  Thereafter, when the user's hand is pulled out from the opening recess 4, the light emitted from the light projecting unit 3 a reaches the light receiving unit 3 b again, so that the light reception signal from the light receiving unit 3 b reaches the control unit. . As a result, the control unit determines that no hand is present in the opening recess 4 (shifted to a non-detection state), and stops the fan motor unit 8. However, the fan motor unit 8 is not stopped immediately when the light receiving signal from the light receiving unit 3b reaches the control unit, but the fan motor unit 8 is not operated until a predetermined off-delay time elapses after the light receiving signal arrives. It is controlled to drive continuously and then stop.

  Thus, by continuously driving the fan motor unit 8 until the off-delay time has elapsed, the user's hand is still pulled back to the front side (upper side in FIG. 2) of the nozzles 6a and 6b. Although it is not, the hot air blowing is prevented from stopping. In the hand drying device 1 of the present embodiment, the off-delay time is long based on the time (detection time) during which the state (detection state) in which the user's hand is present in the opening recess 4 is continued. Set the size. The specific contents will be described in detail later.

  In the present embodiment, since air is blown out from the nozzle 6a so as to have a relatively large air volume, there is a concern that air blows back from the opening recess 4 to the user side. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the regulating wall 4d is provided on the back side wall 4b. The regulating wall 4d adjusts its traveling direction so that the air blown from the nozzle 6a forms a swirling flow that flows across the front side wall 4a and the back side wall 4b after flowing along the bottom wall 4c. To do.

  More specifically, the regulation wall 4d is adjusted so that the air traveling direction that is blown out from the nozzle 6a and proceeds toward the back side wall 4b is directed toward the front side wall 4a. A swirling flow that flows from the side wall 4a to the front side wall 4a after flowing along the back side wall 4b through the bottom wall 4c is generated.

  Next, a control configuration of the hand dryer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block configuration diagram illustrating a control configuration of the hand dryer illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the hand dryer 1 includes a control unit 40, a light projecting unit 3 a, a light receiving unit 3 b, an operation unit 41, a brush motor 8 a, a fin heater 18, and a display unit 42. ing. The brush motor 8 a is a driving motor included in the fan motor unit 8.

  The control unit 40 is a control unit including constituent elements such as a CPU and a memory and an interface between the CPU and each element. The control unit 40 receives the light reception signal output from the light reception unit 3 b and outputs an operation instruction signal to the brush motor 8 a and the fin heater 18.

  The control unit 40 receives an instruction signal output from the operation unit 41 based on an instruction input to the operation unit 41. An instruction as to whether or not to energize the fin heater 18 can be input to the operation unit 41, and an instruction signal based on the instruction is output. When energizing the fin heater 18, the control unit 40 outputs an instruction signal for energizing the fin heater 18 in accordance with the light reception signal output from the light receiving unit 3 b. When the fin heater 18 is not energized, the control unit 40 does not output an instruction signal for energizing the fin heater 18 in accordance with the light reception signal output from the light receiving unit 3b.

  The operation unit 41 is configured to allow input of “strong operation” for increasing the rotation speed of the brush motor 8a and “weak operation” for decreasing the rotation speed of the brush motor 8a. When “strong operation” is input, the control unit 40 outputs an instruction signal for energizing the brush motor 8a so as to increase the rotational speed in accordance with the light reception signal output from the light receiving unit 3b. When “weak operation” is input, the control unit 40 outputs an instruction signal for energizing the brush motor 8a so that the number of rotations of the brush motor 8a is low in accordance with the light reception signal output from the light receiving unit 3b.

  The control unit 40 includes a detection time measuring unit 401 and an off-delay time setting unit 402 as functional components. The detection time measurement unit 401 calculates the elapsed time in a state where the light emitted from the light projecting unit 3a is blocked by the hand and does not reach the light receiving unit 3b when the user's hand is inserted into the opening recess 4. This is the part to be measured. That is, this is a part for measuring the time (detection time) during which the state (detection state) in which it is detected that the user's hand is in the opening recess 4 has been continued. The off-delay time setting unit 402 is a part that calculates and sets an appropriate off-delay time based on the detection time until then when the detection state shifts to the non-detection state.

  Next, the operation of the hand dryer 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the hand dryer 1. The operation shown in FIG. 4 is executed by the control unit 40 at a predetermined cycle even in a so-called standby state in which the user's hand is not inserted into the opening recess 4.

  In step S01, it is determined whether or not the presence of the user's hand in the opening recess 4 is detected (detected state). Specifically, the control unit 40 determines whether or not the light receiving unit 3b emitted from the light projecting unit 3a has reached and the light receiving unit 3b has issued a light reception signal to the control unit. The light receiving unit 3b emits light every predetermined period (for example, every several tens of milliseconds). However, when the light does not reach the light receiving unit 3b even once, the light receiving unit 3b immediately determines that it is in the detection state. In addition, the detection state may be determined only when the light does not reach the light receiving unit 3b continuously a plurality of times.

  If it is determined in step S01 that the state is a non-detection state, there is no user's hand in the opening recess 4, and the process is terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S01 that it is in the detection state, since the user is inserted into the opening recess 4, the control unit 40 starts driving the brush motor 8a, and the palm side side is driven. The blowing of warm air from the nozzle 6a and the nozzle 6b for the upper side is started (step S02). At the same time as the driving of the brush motor 8a is started in step S02, the time measurement is started by the detection time measuring unit 401 (step S03).

  In step S04, it is determined whether the detection state continues. If it remains in the detection state, the process of step S04 is repeated. When shifting from the detection state to the non-detection state, the measurement of time by the detection time measurement unit 401 ends (step S05). The time measured between step S03 and step S05 is stored in the control unit 40 as the detection time.

  In step S05, although there is no user's hand in the opening recessed part 4, the drive of the brush motor 8a is continued. As described above, the off-delay time setting unit 402 sets the time during which the brush motor 8a continues to be driven even after the transition from the detection state to the non-detection state based on the detection time (step S06). FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the detection time and the off-delay time set in accordance with the detection time in the hand dryer 1. In step S06, the off delay time is calculated and set so that the relationship between the detection time and the off delay time becomes the graph shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the detection time is shorter than the time T1 (shortest detection time), the off delay time is set to be a constant time ODT1 (longest off delay time) independent of the detection time. Is done. The time T1 is a time longer than the time when the statistics of the actual usage of the hand dryer are investigated and the peak of the detection time (the mode value in the time distribution in which the user inserts the hand into the opening recess 4). Is set as

  For this reason, when it becomes a non-detection state from the time of becoming a detection state to the time until many users complete | finish use of the hand dryer 1, the off delay time is detection time. Does not change. As a result, there is little possibility of giving the user a sense of incongruity that the off-delay time has been changed due to a difference in use situation, and the use feeling is good.

  When the detection time exceeds T1 and becomes T2, the off-delay time is set to be a time ODT2 that is shorter than the time ODT1. Further, when the detection time exceeds T2 and becomes T3, the off-delay time is set to be a time ODT3 shorter than the time ODT2. Thus, the longer the detection time, the shorter the off delay time is set.

  For this reason, when the detection time is short, the brush motor 8a is not stopped even if a temporary non-detection state occurs due to the user reciprocating his / her hand, and the feeling of use is not impaired. On the other hand, when the detection time is long, since the brush motor 8a is stopped in a short time after the non-detection state, the power consumption can be reduced and the replacement life of the brush motor 8a can be improved. Furthermore, in addition to not giving the user the impression that wasteful power is consumed even after the drying is over, it also gives the user a sense of incongruity due to a sudden change in the off-delay time due to the difference in usage conditions. Therefore, the feeling of use is further improved.

  When the detection time is longer than time T3 (longest detection time), the off-delay time is set to be a constant time ODT3 (shortest off-delay time) that does not depend on the detection time. In such a case, there is a high possibility that the user's hand is completely dry at the time of the non-detection state, and the necessary off-delay time is considered to be very short. Therefore, even if the off-delay time is optimized so as to be further shortened according to the detection time, the effect is small and the power consumption that can be reduced is small. Therefore, in the hand drying device 1 of the present embodiment, the control by the control device is simplified by setting the off-delay time to be a constant time ODT3 that does not depend on the detection time.

  Returning to FIG. 4 again, the description will be continued. In step S07, the control unit 40 starts measuring time. This time measurement is for waiting for the off-delay time set in step S06 to elapse. In step S08, it is determined whether the measured time has exceeded the off-delay time, that is, whether the off-delay time has elapsed.

  If the off-delay time has not elapsed, the process of step S08 is repeated. If the off-delay time has elapsed, after the time measurement is completed (step S09), the brush motor 8a is stopped (step S10), and the blowing of warm air from the nozzle 6a and the nozzle 6b is stopped.

  Next, an example of a more specific method for setting the off-delay time so as to have the relationship shown in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the hand dryer 1, and shows a specific method for setting the off-delay time performed in step S06 of FIG.

  The control unit 40 stores a unit off-delay time et having a predetermined length (for example, several tens of milliseconds), and the number of times that a numerical value is set for the unit off-delay time et according to the detection time. The off delay time is calculated by multiplying n.

  In the present embodiment, the unit off delay time et is set to coincide with the light emission period of the light projecting unit 3a. For this reason, the number of times of continuation n is that the light emitted by the light projecting unit 3a reaches the light receiving unit 3b after the user's hand is pulled out from the opening recess 4 and before the off-delay time elapses. It matches the number of times. In other words, whether or not the off-delay time corresponding to the set number of continuations n has elapsed can be determined by counting the number of times of light emission of the light emitting unit 3a (or the number of times of light reception of the light receiving unit 3b).

  In step S21, it is determined whether or not the detection time exceeds time T1. If the detection time is less than or equal to time T1, the value of the number of continuations n is set to n1, and the off delay time is calculated and set as a value obtained by multiplying this by the unit off delay time et, ie, n1 × et (step S24). n1 is a numerical value determined in advance so that the value of n1 × et substantially coincides with the time ODT1 shown in FIG.

  If the detection time exceeds the time T1 in step S21, the process proceeds to step S22. In step S22, it is determined whether or not the detection time exceeds time T2. If the detection time is less than or equal to time T2, the value of the number of continuations n is set to n2, and the off delay time is calculated and set as a value obtained by multiplying this by the unit off delay time et, ie, n2 × et (step S25). n2 is a numerical value smaller than n1, and is a predetermined numerical value so that the value of n2 × et substantially coincides with the time ODT2 shown in FIG.

  If the detection time exceeds the time T2 in step S22, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, it is determined whether or not the detection time exceeds time T3. If the detection time is equal to or shorter than time T3, the value of the number of continuations n is set to n3, and the off delay time is calculated and set as a value obtained by multiplying this by the unit off delay time et, ie, n3 × et (step S26). n3 is a numerical value smaller than n2, and is a numerical value determined in advance so that the value of n3 × et substantially coincides with the time ODT3 shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the off delay time is set by multiplying the unit off delay time et, which is a preset time, by a predetermined number of times n (n1, n2, n3). Since the length of the off-delay time is set by changing the numerical value of the number of continuations n (n1, n2, n3), the setting of the off-delay time and the control of the motor based thereon are simplified.

  In this embodiment, the example in which the off-delay time is discretely changed depending on whether the detection time exceeds T1 and T2 has been described. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the detection time is between the times T1 and T2 (T1a in FIG. 5), the off-delay time is between the times ODT1 and ODT2 (in FIG. 5). The value of the number of continuations n may be set so that ODT1a). That is, the value of the continuation number n may be set in step S24 of FIG. 6 so that the off-delay time changes smoothly between ODT1 and ODT2. The same applies when the detection time is between times T2 and T3.

  Further, the determination whether the detection time exceeds a predetermined time (steps S21, S22, S23) is performed in three stages in the flowchart shown in FIG. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and the determination may be made in more steps than three steps.

  Next, another specific method for setting the off-delay time so as to have the relationship shown in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the hand dryer 1 similar to that shown in FIG. 6, and shows a specific method for setting the off-delay time performed in step S06 of FIG. It is a thing.

  Also in the example shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 40 stores a unit off-delay time et having a predetermined length (for example, several tens of milliseconds). Multiply the value to calculate the off-delay time. However, the example shown in FIG. 7 is different from the example shown in FIG. 6 in that the unit off delay time et is not fixed and is variable. On the other hand, the number of continuations n is a fixed value, which is also different from the example shown in FIG.

  In step S31, it is determined whether or not the detection time exceeds the time T1. If the detection time is equal to or shorter than time T1, the unit off-delay time et is set to be time et1, and the off-delay time is calculated and set as a value obtained by multiplying the number of continuations n, that is, n × et1. (Step S34). et1 is a predetermined time such that the value of n × et1 substantially coincides with the time ODT1 shown in FIG.

  If the detection time exceeds the time T1 in step S31, the process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, it is determined whether or not the detection time exceeds time T2. If the detection time is equal to or shorter than time T2, the unit off-delay time et is set to be time et2, and the off-delay time is calculated and set as a value obtained by multiplying the number of continuations n, that is, n × et2. (Step S35). et2 is a time shorter than et1, and is a predetermined time so that the value of n × et2 substantially coincides with the time ODT2 shown in FIG.

  If the detection time exceeds the time T2 in step S32, the process proceeds to step S33. In step S33, it is determined whether or not the detection time exceeds the time T3. If the detection time is less than or equal to time T3, the unit off-delay time et is set to be time et3, and the off-delay time is calculated and set as a value obtained by multiplying the number of continuations n, that is, n × et3. (Step S36). et3 is a time shorter than et2, and is a time determined in advance so that the value of n × et3 substantially coincides with the time ODT3 shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the off-delay time is set by multiplying the unit off-delay time et (et1, et2, et3), which is a predetermined time, by a predetermined number of continuous times n. . The length of the off delay time is set by changing the numerical value of the unit off delay time et (et1, et2, et3). For this reason, the setting resolution of the discretely set off delay time can be made finer, and the setting of the off delay time can be further optimized.

  In this embodiment, the example in which the off-delay time is discretely changed depending on whether the detection time exceeds T1 and T2 has been described. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the detection time is between the times T1 and T2 (T1a in FIG. 5), the off-delay time is between the times ODT1 and ODT2 (in FIG. 5). The number of continuations n may be set so that ODT1a). That is, the number of continuations may be set in step S34 of FIG. 7 so that the off-delay time changes smoothly between ODT1 and ODT2. The same applies when the detection time is between times T2 and T3.

  Further, the determination of whether or not the detection time exceeds a predetermined time (steps S31, S32, and S33) is performed in three stages in the flowchart shown in FIG. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and the determination may be made in more steps than three steps.

  Further, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the number of continuations n is variable, and in the example shown in FIG. 7, the unit off-delay time et is variable, but it is also possible to make both variable simultaneously.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples. In other words, those specific examples that have been appropriately modified by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the characteristics of the present invention. For example, the elements included in each of the specific examples described above and their arrangement, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, and the like are not limited to those illustrated, but can be changed as appropriate. Moreover, each element with which each embodiment mentioned above is provided can be combined as long as technically possible, and the combination of these is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as it includes the features of the present invention.

1: Hand dryer 2: Housing 2a: Front side member 2b: Back side member 2c: Side member 2d: Side member 2e: Bottom 3a: Light projecting unit 3b: Light receiving unit 4: Opening recess 4a: Front side walls 4a, 4b: Wall surface 4as, 4bs: Wall surface 4b: Back wall 4c: Bottom wall 4cs: Wall surface 4d: Restriction wall 4u: Opening 5: Louver 5a: Vent 6a: Nozzle 6b: Nozzle 8: Fan motor unit 8a: Brush motor 10: Rotation Drive shaft 14: Suction port 15: Outlet duct 16: Outlet 16a: Outlet 16b: Outlet 18: Fin heater 19: Tray 20: Filter 22: Air intake 24: Intake duct 24b: Intake duct 26: Upstream end 28 : Sound absorbing material 30a: Air duct 30b: Air duct 40: Control unit 41: Operation unit 42: Display unit 401: Detection time measuring unit 402: Off delay time setting unit

Claims (5)

A hand drying device that blows air on a user's hand to dry it,
A housing having a hand drying chamber in which a space into which a user's hand is inserted is configured;
A nozzle formed in the housing and for blowing air into the hand drying chamber;
A blower having a motor built in the housing and driven to blow air from the nozzle;
A sensor that is provided behind the nozzle along the direction in which the user inserts the hand and detects the user's hand inserted into the hand drying chamber;
A controller that drives the motor when the sensor detects insertion of a user's hand into the hand drying chamber, and
The controller is
When the sensor shifts from a detection state in which the user's hand is detected to a non-detection state in which the sensor does not detect the user's hand, the detection time is a time during which the detection state has continued until then. Set the off delay time based on
The motor is continuously driven until the time when the off-delay time elapses after transitioning to the non-detection state, and then stopped.
The hand drying device is characterized in that the off-delay time is set to be gradually shortened as the detection time is longer.   The control unit sets the off-delay time by multiplying a unit off-delay time, which is a preset time, by the number of times that a numerical value is set according to the detection time, The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the continuous number of times is set to be gradually smaller as the detection time is longer. 2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the off-delay time by shortening a unit off-delay time, which is a time set according to the detection time , as the detection time becomes longer. The hand dryer described.   When the detection time is shorter than a predetermined shortest detection time, the control unit sets the off-delay time to be a constant longest off-delay time independent of the detection time, The hand-drying apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3.   When the detection time is longer than a predetermined longest detection time, the control unit sets the off-delay time to be a certain shortest off-delay time independent of the detection time, The hand dryer according to claim 4.

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