JP7158295B2 - hand dryer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hand dryer for drying wet hands.

Conventionally, a hand dryer is known that dries hands by applying a high-pressure air stream to wet hands. The hand dryer is equipped with an operation unit composed of a power switch that can switch the hand dryer on and off for cleaning or maintenance, a switch that can adjust the air volume and temperature, etc. .

In Patent Document 1, the main body case has a nozzle holding surface that faces the floor surface and holds the nozzle portion, a part of the nozzle holding surface has a recess recessed in the direction of the electric blower, and the recess faces the horizontal surface. The first plane is inclined from the front side of the main body case 2 toward the wall surface side, which is the rear side of the main body case, toward the floor surface. By providing a hand dryer, a hand dryer configured to prevent general users of the hand dryer from easily touching the operation unit while improving the visibility of the operation unit for the operator is disclosed. .

JP 2015-177851 A

However, in the hand dryer disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the operation part is placed horizontally at the bottom of the main body case so that the user who uses the hand dryer for the purpose of drying hands cannot easily touch the operation part. It is installed facing the floor at an angle close to However, the operation performed by the operator who uses the operation unit for the purpose of cleaning, maintenance, air volume adjustment, etc. is the same as that of the user in that the operator inserts and withdraws his hand from the front side of the main body case to the lower part of the main body case. Therefore, the hand dryer disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that when the operator tries to operate the operation part, the response of the hand detection part causes the operation of the electric blower unintended by the operator. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a hand dryer that prevents an electric blower from operating against the operator's intention.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a body case that forms a hand drying space below which hands are inserted from the front, and an electric blower that generates high-pressure air inside the body case. , a nozzle portion provided on the nozzle holding surface, which is the lower surface of the body case, for blowing out high-pressure air, and a hand detection portion for detecting a hand inserted in the hand drying space. The present invention includes an operation unit provided on the nozzle holding surface behind the hand detection unit to operate the operating state of the electric blower, and an operation unit installed on the nozzle holding surface so as to be openable and closable and covering the operation unit when closed. cover, a cover opening/closing detection unit for detecting opening/closing of the operation unit cover, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the electric blower in conjunction with the detection result of the cover opening/closing detection unit.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is effective in the hand dryer which prevented the electric blower from operating against an operator's intention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The schematic diagram which shows the side cross section of the hand-drying apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. Schematic diagram showing a horizontal cross section passing through the hand drying space of the hand dryer according to Embodiment 1 Schematic diagram showing a side cross-section of the hand dryer according to Embodiment 1 with the operating unit cover opened Schematic diagram showing a horizontal cross section passing through the hand drying space of the hand dryer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention FIG. 11 is a diagram showing operations of a hand detection unit and a cover open/close detection unit of the hand dryer according to the second embodiment; The figure which shows the structure which implement|achieved the function of the control part of the hand-drying apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 with hardware. The figure which shows the structure which implement|achieved the function of the control part of the hand-drying apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 by software.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the hand dryer which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated in detail based on drawing. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a side cross section of a hand dryer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a horizontal cross section passing through the hand drying space of the hand dryer according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The hand dryer 100 according to the first embodiment includes a main body case 2 forming an outer shell, an electric blower 3 that generates high pressure air inside the main body case 2, and a nozzle portion that blows a high pressure air flow 13 below the electric blower 3. 4. A heater 99 for warming blown air is arranged in an air passage inside the main body case 2 that continues from the electric blower 3 to the nozzle portion 4 . A wall-hanging portion 5 is provided on the rear surface of the main body case 2 , and by engaging the wall-hanging portion 5 with a convex portion of the wall surface 1 , the main body case 2 is attached to the wall surface 1 so that the rear surface is in contact with the wall surface 1 . Below the body case 2, a hand drying space 6 is formed in which a user of the hand dryer 100 puts in and takes out his/her hands 15. - 特許庁

The body case 2 has a nozzle holding surface 8 on which the nozzle portion 4 is provided. The nozzle holding surface 8 is a downward surface. An operation portion 9 and a hand detection portion 10 are arranged on the nozzle holding surface 8 .

The hand detection unit 10 includes a light emitting element 10a, which is the first light emitting element that emits light to the hand drying space 6 regardless of whether the operation unit cover 97 is opened or closed, and a light receiving element that detects reflected light emitted from the light emitting element 10a. 10b, when the light receiving element 10b receives the light emitted from the light emitting element 10a, the light reflection amount and the reflection distance are detected, and the hand 15 inserted in the hand drying space 6 is detected.

Further, the control unit 30 controls the operation of the electric blower 3 based on the detection result of the hand detection unit 10, and blows the high-pressure airflow 13 from the nozzle unit 4 only when the hand 15 is detected. Infrared rays emitted by the light emitting element 10a are reflected by the water receiver 14 and the reflected light is sent to the light receiving element 10b. The controller 30 operates the electric blower 3 when the intensity of the reflected light received by the light receiving element 10b exceeds a preset threshold value.

When the high-pressure airflow 13 blown out from the nozzle part 4 hits the hands 15 of the user of the hand dryer 100, the water droplets adhering to the hands 15 are blown off and the hands 15 are dried. When the user of the hand dryer 100 dries the hands 15 , the hands 15 are often inserted into the hand drying space 6 from the front of the body case 2 toward the wall surface 1 . When the hand 15 inserted in the hand drying space 6 is out of the detection range of the hand detection unit 10 and a certain time elapses, the electric blower 3 stops.

The operation unit 9 arranged on the nozzle holding surface 8 includes a power switch 9a for switching the energization of the hand dryer 100, an air volume switch 9b for switching the air volume, and a heater switch 9c for switching the temperature. Although one power switch 9a, one air volume switch 9b, and one heater switch 9c are shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of switches may be provided. For example, if the air volume can be set in multiple steps, the same number of air volume switches 9b as the number of steps that can be set may be provided.

The operation portion 9 is provided on the nozzle holding surface 8 on the rear surface side of the main body case 2 with respect to the optical axis center 7 of the hand detection portion 10 .

An operation unit cover 97 that fits with the nozzle holding surface 8 is installed on the floor surface side of the operation unit 9 . The operating section cover 97 covers the operating section 9 from below. The operating section cover 97 can be opened and closed, and the operating section 9 is exposed to the hand drying space 6 when the operating section cover 97 is opened.

The operation unit cover 97 has a cover removal groove 96 formed at a position outside the detection range of the hand detection unit 10 , and can be opened and closed from the open side of the hand dryer 100 . Therefore, the operator of the hand dryer 100 can open and close the operation section cover 97 outside the detection range of the hand detection section 10 .

FIG. 3 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the hand dryer according to Embodiment 1 with the operating section cover opened. The operating portion cover 97 has a shaft-shaped portion on the main body rear surface side, and is fixed to the nozzle holding surface 8 of the main body case 2 . Each switch of the operating section 9 can be operated by opening the operating section cover 97 from the groove 96 for removing the cover.

In the hand dryer 100 according to the first embodiment, the operation unit cover 97 is fixed to the lower part of the main body case 2 where dirt tends to accumulate. The water droplets thus applied do not enter the operation part 9. - 特許庁Therefore, it is possible to prevent dirt from accumulating on the operation unit 9 when the device is used continuously. In addition, it is possible to prevent the problem of water entering the operation unit 9 and corroding the electric parts, causing them to malfunction.

Further, the operating section cover 97 may be detachable and removable. When the operating portion cover 97 is detachable, the upper surface portion of the outer peripheral portion of the operating portion cover 97 has a shape corresponding to the nozzle holding surface 8 of the main body case 2 . That is, the operating portion cover 97 and the nozzle holding surface 8 of the main body case 2 can be connected and fixed by a fitting structure. As a result, the upper surface portion of the outer peripheral edge of the operating portion cover 97 is fitted to the nozzle holding surface 8 of the main body case 2 , thereby fixing the operating portion cover 97 to the main body case 2 .

Water droplets splashed when drying the hands 15 adhere to the operation unit cover 97, and dirt gradually adheres to the operation unit cover 97 as the use continues. By making the operating section cover 97 detachable, the operating section cover 97 fixed to the lower part of the main body case 2 where dirt tends to accumulate can be removed from the main body case 2 and easily cleaned.

By covering the operation unit 9 with the operation unit cover 97 in this way, the operation unit 9 can be arranged at a position where the user cannot easily touch it.

The nozzle holding surface 8 is provided with a cover open/close detector 98 for detecting opening/closing of the operation unit cover 97 . The cover open/close detector 98 is a mechanical switch that is turned on and off by opening and closing the operation unit cover 97 . Note that the cover open/close detector 98 may be an optical switch or a capacitive switch. When the operation unit cover 97 is open, the control unit 30 turns off the function of the hand detection unit 10, and the hand 15 is inserted into the hand detection range while the operation unit 9 is being set. However, the control unit 30 does not start the operation of the electric blower 3 . That is, the hand dryer 100 according to Embodiment 1 enters a forced stop state in which the control unit 30 does not operate the electric blower 3 while the operation unit cover 97 is open. Further, when various settings are completed and the operating section cover 97 is closed, operation is started according to the specifications set by the operating section 9 . That is, in the hand dryer 100 according to Embodiment 1, when the operation section cover 97 is closed, the control section 30 cancels the forced stop state in which the electric blower 3 is not operated.

When the operating section cover 97 is closed, the operator inserts the hand 15 into the hand drying space 6. Therefore, when the operating section cover 97 is closed, the function of the hand detection section 10 is turned on. A high-pressure airflow 13 is blown out from the nozzle portion 4 into the hand drying space 6 and is blown onto the hands 15 of the operator, which may make the operator feel uncomfortable. Therefore, the control unit 30 may turn on the function of the hand detection unit 10 after a certain period of time has elapsed since the cover opening/closing detection unit 98 detected that the operation unit cover 97 was closed. That is, the control unit 30 may cancel the forced stop state after a certain period of time has passed since the operation unit cover 97 was closed. By turning on the function of the hand detection unit 10 after a certain period of time has passed since the operation unit cover 97 is closed, the function of the hand detection unit 10 is turned on after the operator pulls out the hand 15 from the hand drying space 6. , and the operator's hand 15 can be prevented from being blown with high-pressure air.

As described above, in the hand dryer 100 according to the first embodiment, when the operator opens the operation unit cover 97 to change the setting of the operation unit 9, the function of the hand detection unit 10 is turned off. , the operation unit 9 can be operated while preventing the operation of the electric blower 3 unintended by the operator while the setting of the operation unit 9 is being changed.

That is, the operator can keep the operation of the electric blower 3 in a stopped state by opening the operating section cover 97 once at the start of maintenance. For this reason, even if a hand 15 is inserted from the front surface of the main body case 2 toward the wall surface 1 which is the rear surface, the hand detection unit 10 does not react even if a general operation performed during maintenance is performed. 3 will no longer work.

In addition, since the operator often operates the operation unit 9 while looking from below, if the electric blower 3 operates during operation, high-pressure air may be blown to the operator's face, which may cause discomfort to the operator. can make you embrace The hand dryer 100 according to Embodiment 1 can operate the operation unit 9 without making the operator feel uncomfortable by preventing the operation of the electric blower 3 unintended by the operator.

As described above, the operation of the electric blower 3 is not hindered by unintended operation of the electric blower 3 during operation, and the operation of the electric blower 3 can be started by closing the operating section cover 97 when the maintenance is completed. A good hand dryer 100 can be obtained.

In the above description, the operation of the electric blower 3 is stopped by turning off the function of the hand detection unit 10 by the cover open/close detection unit 98. 30, and the control unit 30 stops the electric blower 3 to enter a forced stop state, and the stop of the electric blower 3 may be maintained until the operation unit cover 97 is closed.

According to the present invention, by covering the operation unit 9 arranged on the nozzle holding surface 8, which is the lower surface of the main body case 2, with the operation unit cover 97, it is possible to prevent water adhesion due to scattering of water droplets during use by the user. can. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water from entering the main body case 2 from the operating portion 9 . In addition, since the electric blower 3 is stopped in conjunction with the operation of opening the operation unit cover 97 by the operator, unintended operation of the electric blower 3 by the operator is prevented, and the operability of the operation unit 9 is improved. can be done.

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a horizontal cross section passing through the hand drying space of the hand dryer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. A hand dryer 100 according to Embodiment 2 includes a light emitting element 10c for detecting cover opening/closing. A portion of the operation unit cover 97 is arranged so as to overlap the light emitting element 10c in parallel with the floor surface direction. The light emitting element 10c is a second light emitting element that is covered by the operating section cover 97 when the operating section cover 97 is closed and emits light to the hand drying space 6 only when the operating section cover 97 is open. In the hand dryer 100 according to Embodiment 2, the light receiving element 10b also detects the reflected light of the light emitted by the light emitting element 10c. The light-emitting element 10a and the light-receiving element 10b constitute the hand detection section 10, and the light-emitting element 10c and the light-receiving element 10b constitute the cover open/close detection section 98. As shown in FIG. In the hand dryer 100 according to the second embodiment, it is preferable that the operating section cover 97 has a low transmittance for the light emitted by the light emitting element 10c.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the hand detection unit and the cover open/close detection unit of the hand dryer according to the second embodiment. The vertical axis in FIG. 5 indicates the amount of light received by the light receiving element 10b, and the horizontal axis in FIG. 5 indicates time. The light emitting element 10a and the light emitting element 10c emit light at different timings. In FIG. 5, the light emitting element 10a emits light at time T1 and time T3, and the light emitting element 10c emits light at time T2 and time T4. At time T1, the hand 15 is not inserted into the hand drying space 6, and the amount of light received by the light receiving element 10b is equal to or less than the threshold Th. At time T2, the operation unit cover 97 is open, and light emitted from the light emitting element 10c is received by the light receiving element 10b. At time T3, the hand 15 is inserted into the hand drying space 6, and the light emitted by the light emitting element 10a is reflected by the hand 15, so that the amount of light received by the light receiving element 10b exceeds the threshold Th. At time T4, the operation unit cover 97 is closed, and light emitted from the light emitting element 10c is no longer received by the light receiving element 10b.

Although the amount of light received by the light receiving element 10b at time T1 and the amount of light received by the light receiving element 10b at time T2 are the same, the light emitting elements 10a and 10c periodically emit light at different timings. 30 can determine which of the light-emitting elements 10a and 10c emits the infrared light reaching the light-receiving element 10b. Therefore, when the reflected light reaches the light receiving element 10b at the timing when the light emitting element 10c emits light, the control section 30 determines that the operating section cover 97 is in the open state. When the operating section cover 97 is closed, the light emitting element 10c is covered with the operating section cover 97, so that reflected infrared light emitted from the light emitting element 10c does not reach the light receiving element 10b. Therefore, if the reflected light does not reach the light receiving element 10b at the timing when the light emitting element 10c emits light, the control section 30 determines that the operating section cover 97 is in the closed state.

That is, since the open/closed state of the operation unit cover 97 and the change in the amount of light received by the light receiving element 10b of the reflected infrared light emitted by the light emitting element 10c are linked, the hand detection unit 10 can be used to detect the operation unit. The open/closed state of the cover 97 can be recognized.

Since the hand dryer 100 according to the second embodiment uses the light receiving element 10b constituting the hand detection unit 10 to detect the opening/closing of the operation unit cover 97, it is necessary to separately provide a light receiving element for detecting the opening/closing of the cover. This makes it possible to simplify the structure around the operation unit 9 .

The functions of the control unit 30 according to the first and second embodiments are implemented by a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware or a processing device that executes a program stored in a storage device. A microcontroller can be applied to the control unit 30, but is not limited to this.

If the processing circuit is dedicated hardware, it may be a single circuit, multiple circuits, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or a combination thereof. is applicable. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the functions of the control unit of the hand dryer according to Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 are realized by hardware. The processing circuit 29 incorporates a logic circuit 29 a that implements the functions of the control section 30 .

When the processing circuit 29 is a processing device, the functions of the control unit 30 are implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the functions of the control unit of the hand dryer according to Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 are realized by software. The processing circuit 29 has a processor 291 that executes the program 29b, a random access memory 292 that the processor 291 uses as a work area, and a storage device 293 that stores the program 29b. The function of the control unit 30 is realized by the processor 291 developing the program 29b stored in the storage device 293 on the random access memory 292 and executing it. Software or firmware is written in a programming language and stored in the storage device 293 . Processor 291 can be exemplified by, but not limited to, a central processing unit. The storage device 293 is a semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), or EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). can. The semiconductor memory may be either non-volatile memory or volatile memory. In addition to the semiconductor memory, the storage device 293 may be a magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). Note that the processor 291 may output data such as calculation results to the storage device 293 for storage, or may store the data in an auxiliary storage device (not shown) via the random access memory 292 .

The processing circuit 29 implements the functions of the control section 30 by reading and executing the program 29b stored in the storage device 293 . It can also be said that the program 29b causes a computer to execute procedures and methods for realizing the functions of the control unit 30. FIG.

The processing circuit 29 may implement part of the functions of the control unit 30 with dedicated hardware and part of the functions of the control unit 30 with software or firmware.

Thus, the processing circuit 29 can implement each function described above by means of hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

The configuration shown in the above embodiment shows an example of the content of the present invention, and it is possible to combine it with another known technology, and one configuration can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is also possible to omit or change the part.

1 wall surface, 2 main body case, 3 electric blower, 4 nozzle part, 5 wall hanging part, 6 hand drying space, 7 optical axis center, 8 nozzle holding surface, 9 operation part, 9a power switch, 9b air volume switch, 9c heater switch, 10 hand detection part, 10a, 10c light emitting element, 10b light receiving element, 13 high pressure air flow, 14 water receiving part, 15 hand, 29 processing circuit, 29a logic circuit, 29b program, 30 control part, 96 groove, 97 for operation part Cover 98 Cover open/close detector 99 Heater 100 Hand dryer 291 Processor 292 Random access memory 293 Storage device.

Claims (5)

a body case forming downwardly a hand drying space into which a hand is inserted from the front;
an electric blower for generating high-pressure air inside the body case;
a nozzle portion that is provided on a nozzle holding surface that is the lower surface of the main body case and that blows out the high-pressure air;
a hand detection unit that detects a hand inserted into the hand drying space;
an operation unit provided on the nozzle holding surface behind the hand detection unit and configured to operate the operating state of the electric blower;
an operation unit cover that is openable and closable on the nozzle holding surface and covers the operation unit when closed;
a cover opening/closing detection unit that detects opening/closing of the operation unit cover;
and a control unit that controls the operation of the electric blower in conjunction with the detection result of the cover opening/closing detection unit. 2. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the control unit puts the electric blower into a forced stop state when the operation unit cover is open. 3. The hand dryer according to claim 2, wherein the controller cancels the forced stop state when the operation unit cover is closed in the forced stop state. 4. The hand dryer according to claim 3, wherein the control unit cancels the forced stop state after a certain period of time has elapsed since the operation unit cover was closed. a first light emitting element that emits light to the hand drying space irrespective of opening/closing of the operation unit cover;
a second light emitting element that is covered by the operation part cover when the operation part cover is closed and emits light to the hand drying space only when the operation part cover is open;
a light receiving element for detecting reflected light of the light emitted by the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element;
the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element emit light to the hand drying space at different timings;
The first light-emitting element and the light-receiving element constitute the hand detection unit,
The hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second light-emitting element and the light-receiving element constitute the cover opening/closing detection section.

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