KR20230093492A - hand drying device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a hand drying device capable of efficiently drying hands after washing while preventing scattering of germs and the like contained in water droplets adhering to hands to the surroundings and realizing noise reduction during driving. is to provide Compressed in the insertion port (3), the drying chamber (4), the drip tray (5), the exhaust duct (6), the blower motor (7), the air compression chamber (8), and the air compression chamber (8). A reflux passage (11) is provided for refluxing air to the air outlets (9, 10) opening to the drying chamber (4), and the air blown from the air outlets (9, 10) into the drying chamber (4) is passed through an exhaust duct (6). ), gutter tray 5, blower motor 7, air compression chamber 8, reflux passage 11, and air outlets 9 and 10 in this order, an air circulation flow is formed in the device body 1A In the hand drying apparatus (1), a reflux passage (11) is formed around the drying chamber (4). Moreover, the exhaust duct 6 is straightly extended vertically downward from the drying chamber 4 toward the drip tray 5.

Description

hand drying device

The present invention relates to a hand drying device for drying wet hands with water after washing.

In order to keep hands (fingers) in a hygienic state, in addition to hand washing treatment, drying treatment after washing is also important. For this reason, various hand drying devices have been proposed so far to dry hands by blowing away water droplets adhering to the hands by blowing a high-speed air current onto the hands, rather than wiping the hands wet with water after washing with a towel or handkerchief. has been

For example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, an air stream is blown toward the drying chamber inside the device body, and water droplets adhering to the hand inserted into the drying chamber are blown away by the air flow from the hand insertion port opening on the upper surface of the device body. [0004] Hand drying apparatuses for drying hands have been proposed, but in these hand drying apparatuses, an open loop method is employed in which air (exhaust) blown into the hands is discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body. Specifically, in the hand drying device proposed in Patent Document 1, ventilation holes are opened on the left and right side walls of the device body, and air (exhaust) supplied to dry hands is discharged from the ventilation holes to the outside of the device body. Further, in the hand drying device proposed in Patent Document 2, both sides of the drying chamber are open, and air (exhaust) supplied to dry hands is discharged from openings on both sides of the drying chamber to the outside of the main body of the device as it is.

However, when an open loop method is adopted as a method of blowing air, such as the hand drying device proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, germs and the like contained in the blown off water droplets are scattered around, and the user of the hand drying device and the surroundings are scattered. There is a possibility that people will inhale germs and the like.

Therefore, Patent Document 3 proposes a hand drying device employing a closed loop system in which air is circulated inside the device body without being discharged outside the device body. This hand drying device also blows the air blown into the drying chamber from the air blowing part onto the hand inserted into the drying chamber to dry the hand. The air is circulated and returned to the air outlet, and the operation in which this air is again used to dry hands is repeated. Therefore, according to this hand drying device, since the air (exhaust) supplied to dry hands is not discharged outside the device main body, germs and the like contained in the water droplets blown away by this air are discharged out of the device main body together with the air. There is no work.

Patent Publication No. 2019-088978 International Publication No. WO2017/130336 International Publication No. WO2017/057597

By the way, explaining the hand drying device proposed in Patent Document 3 in more detail, in this hand drying device, air (exhaust) supplied to dry hands in the drying chamber flows downward through an exhaust duct (air passage), This air is sucked into the blower motor through a drip tray disposed under the main body of the device. Then, the air sucked in by the blower motor is discharged to and compressed into an air compression chamber formed above the blower motor, and this compressed air is passed through two return ducts (front) extending upward from the air compression chamber to the drying chamber. It flows back into the drying chamber through piping and rear piping), and is blown out from air outlets opening in the front and rear (front side and rear side) of the drying chamber, respectively. By continuously repeating this operation, air circulates inside the device body without being discharged outside the device body, but this hand drying device has the following problems.

That is, two reflux ducts (front pipe and rear pipe) extending upward from the air compression chamber toward the drying chamber are composed of thin pipes, and furthermore, they are bent on the way. For this reason, these reflux ducts do not sufficiently reduce the flow resistance of the air flowing toward the drying chamber, and the flow rate and flow rate of the air blown from each air outlet into the drying chamber cannot be sufficiently secured. There is a risk that it may not be able to dry well. Therefore, as a countermeasure for this, an increase in the cost of the apparatus due to installation of a large blower motor or the like or the complexity of the manufacturing process becomes a problem. In addition, when the air does not flow sufficiently smoothly, there is a concern that air passage noise is increased and noise associated with it is generated. Therefore, as a countermeasure for this, a countermeasure such as installing a silencer around the pipe of the reflux duct is required, and in that respect, the cost increase of the device and the complexity of the manufacturing process become problems.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to efficiently dry hands after washing while preventing scattering of miscellaneous germs and the like contained in water droplets adhering to hands to the surroundings, while driving An object of the present invention is to provide a hand drying device capable of realizing silence.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an insertion port (3) for inserting a hand after washing into the device body (1A) by opening an upper portion of the device body (1A), and disposed below the insertion port (3). A drying chamber 4 for drying the hand inserted through the insertion port 3, a drip tray 5 disposed at the lower end of the main body 1A, and extending downward from the drying chamber 4 to An exhaust passage 6 communicating with the drip tray 5, a blower motor 7 leading to the exhaust passage 6 through the drip tray 5, and discharge from the blower motor 7 An air compression chamber 8 for compressing the air to be compressed, and a reflux passage for returning the air compressed in the air compression chamber 8 to the air outlets 9, 10, 21, and 22 opening to the drying chamber 4 ( 11), and the air blown into the drying chamber 4 from the air outlets 9, 10, 21, and 22 flows through the exhaust passage 6, the drip tray 5, and the blower motor 7 , a hand drying device in which an air circulation flow circulating in this order through the air compression chamber 8, the reflux passage 11, and the air outlets 9, 10, 21, 22 is formed in the main body 1A of the device ( 1, 1-2), characterized in that the reflux passage 11 is formed around the drying chamber 4.

According to the present invention, since a reflux passage having a relatively large flow passage area is formed around the drying chamber, and this reflux passage extends substantially straight to the air outlet without bending greatly on the way, the air flowing through this reflux passage The flow resistance of is suppressed to be small. For this reason, the amount of air blown from the air outlet into the drying chamber increases, the flow rate increases, and the water droplets adhering to the hand inserted into the drying chamber are effectively blown away by the air flow, so that the hand can be dried efficiently. . In addition, since the air flows smoothly without resistance through the substantially straight reflux passage and no air turbulence or vortex is generated in the reflux passage, generation of noise accompanying the flow of air is suppressed and operation of the hand drying device is suppressed. Silence in the middle is realized.

And, in this hand drying device, a closed loop method is employed as a flow method, and air circulates in the device main body. Therefore, the air (exhaust) used to dry the hands is not discharged outside the device body, and there is no inconvenience that germs and the like contained in the water droplets adhering to the hands are discharged together with the air outside the device body and contaminate the surrounding environment. nothing happens

Here, the entire circumference of the drying chamber 4 may be constituted by inner and outer double walls 4a and 4b, and a space formed between the inner and outer double walls 4a and 4b may be configured as the reflux passage 11.

According to the above configuration, since a reflux passage having a rectangular ring-shaped passage cross-section in plan view (in a plan view) is formed over the entire circumference of the drying chamber, the passage area of the reflux passage is further increased, and air is refluxed here. The flow rate and flow rate of the air led to the outlet are further increased, so that hands can be dried more efficiently by the high-speed air flow.

In addition, a pair of air outlets 9, 10, 21, 22 are provided on the front and rear or left and right sides of the drying chamber 4, and the reflux passage 11 is a pair of partitions arranged on the front and rear or left and right sides. They may be partitioned off by walls 16 and 23.

According to the above configuration, the air flowing through the reflux passage is divided into two by the partition wall, and the divided air is equally allocated to each of the pair of air outlets, so that the amount of air blown out from both air outlets The flow rate becomes equal, and the unevenness of these flow rates and flow rates is prevented, and the front and back of the hands are dried almost simultaneously and efficiently.

In addition, it is preferable that the exhaust passage 6 straightly extends vertically downward from the drying chamber 4 toward the drip tray 5 .

According to the above configuration, since the air (exhaust) provided for hand drying in the drying chamber flows smoothly toward the drip tray through the straight exhaust passage, the flow resistance of the air is suppressed to a low level, and the flow rate and flow rate of the air are increased. As a result, the flow rate and flow rate of the air circulating in the device main body are increased, and hands are dried more efficiently, and noise accompanying the flow of air is suppressed to a lower level, resulting in quieter operation of the hand drying device. do.

A concave portion 4b1 recessed toward the rear side may be formed in a part of the outer wall 4b on the front side among the inner and outer double walls 4a and 4b constituting the reflux passage 11.

According to the above configuration, the concave portion formed on a part of the outer wall on the front side among the inner and outer double walls constituting the reflux passage can be effectively used, for example, as a storage space for the control board, and the hand dryer can be downsized.

In addition, the air outlets 9, 10, 21, 22 are provided in a plurality of slits or round holes opening toward each of the plurality of crotch portions Y of the hand H inserted into the drying chamber 4. may be constituted by

According to the above configuration, the air blown out from the air outlet in the drying chamber directly touches the crotch of the hand where water droplets tend to stay and effectively blows off the water droplets to remove them, so that the entire hand is quickly dried at the same time.

Moreover, the 1st filter member 12 may be arrange|positioned between the said drip tray 5 and the said blower motor 7 in the direction of air flow.

Moreover, the 2nd filter member 13 may be arrange|positioned between the said blower motor 7 and the said air compression chamber 8 in the flow direction of air.

According to the above configuration, the air circulating in the main body of the device is purified by passing through the first filter member and/or the second filter member, and fine particles such as dust and germs contained therein are removed. Dry hands are maintained in a hygienic condition without the back adhering to the hands.

Then, a control means (19) for driving and controlling the blower motor (7) and a detection means (17) for detecting insertion of a hand into the drying chamber (4) are provided, and the detection means (17) is provided with the insertion port It is provided in (3), and the control means 19 may start driving the blower motor 7 when the detection means 17 detects the tip of the hand.

According to the above configuration, when the tip of the hand inserted into the drying chamber is detected by the detecting means, the blower motor is driven to blow air from the air outlet before the entire hand is inserted into the drying chamber, so drying of the hand is time-consuming. It is done quickly, without delay (time lag). In addition, since the blower motor does not stop unless the dried hand is completely withdrawn from the drying chamber and the tip of the hand does not pass through the detecting means, the hand is sufficiently dried.

According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently dry hands after washing while preventing scattering of germs and the like contained in water droplets adhering to hands to the surroundings, and to realize noise reduction during operation of the hand drying device. effect is obtained.

1 is a front view of a hand drying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a BB line cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 is a view in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2 showing a blowing state of air from an air outlet of the hand drying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
5(a) and 5(b) are diagrams showing another example of the opening shape of the air blowing port.
Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the hand drying apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Fig. 7 is a side sectional view showing circulation of air in the device main body of the hand drying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation procedure of the hand drying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Fig. 9 is a side sectional view of a hand drying device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view along the line D-D of Fig. 9;
Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a hand drying device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, Fig. 11 (a) is a perspective view, Fig. 11 (b) is a front view, Fig. 11 (c) is a side view, Fig. 11 (d) is a rear view.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, embodiment of this invention is described based on an accompanying drawing.

<Embodiment 1>

1 is a front view of a hand drying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 2, and FIG. It is a view in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2 showing the blowing state of air from the air outlet of the hand drying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) show openings of the air outlet. It is a figure which shows another example of a shape, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram which shows the system structure of this hand drying apparatus. In the following description, directions indicated by arrows in Figs. 1 to 3 are "left, right", "front (front), rear (rear)", and "upper, lower", respectively. (down)” direction.

The hand drying device 1 according to the present embodiment is a device for drying hands (fingers) wet with water after washing, and is installed, for example, near a sink in a washbasin. This hand drying device 1 includes an outer case 2 made of synthetic resin covering the outer circumferential surface of the main body 1A of the device (see FIG. 2 ). It is composed of a cover member 2A covering the upper part of the main body 1A and a main body case 2B covering parts other than the upper part of the device main body 1A, and the cover member 2A is composed of a main body case 2B. It is integrally mounted on the top.

And, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, an insertion port 3 for inserting the hands after washing into a drying chamber 4 (refer to Fig. 2) described later is formed in the center of the cover member 2A. The insertion port 3 slopes obliquely from the front side (front side) toward the back side (rear side) with the opening area narrowing toward the drying chamber 4 in a funnel shape. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the lower end part of the outer case 2 is provided with the detachable drip tray 5.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, in the outer case 2, the drying chamber 4 disposed below the insertion port 3 and used to dry the hand inserted through the insertion port 3, and the drip tray 5 ), an exhaust duct 6 as an exhaust passage extending downward from the drying chamber 4 and communicating with the drip tray 5, and a blower motor 7 connected to the exhaust duct 6 through the drip tray 5, An air compression chamber (8) for compressing the air discharged from the blower motor (7), and an air outlet (9, 10) opening the drying chamber (4) to return the compressed air in the air compression chamber (8). In addition to the reflux passage 11, a pre-filter 12 as a first filter member and a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter) 13 as a second filter member are accommodated.

The drying chamber 4 constitutes a funnel-shaped planar rectangular space with an opening area narrowed downward, and the insertion port 3 is opened at an upper end of the drying chamber 4. Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the entire circumference of the drying chamber 4 is constituted by an inner wall 4a and an outer wall 4b constituting an inner and outer double wall of a rectangular frame shape, and these inner walls 4a The reflux passage 11 constituted as a rectangular cylindrical space is formed between the outer wall 4b and the outer wall 4b. Accordingly, the reflux passage 11 is formed over the entire circumference (four circumferences) of the drying chamber 4 to form a rectangular cylinder of a rectangular ring in plan view. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 , a part of the outer wall 4b on the front side among the inner and outer double walls constituting the reflux passage 11 is formed with a concave portion 4b1 recessed toward the rear side, and this concave portion ( A space S is formed between 4b1) and the outer case 2 (main body case 2B). In addition, the size (volume) of the drying chamber 4 is such that it can be rotated sideways with a hand inserted therein spread out.

In addition, from the rear side of the drying chamber 4, the exhaust duct 6 extends straight down vertically without bending toward the drip tray 5, and the lower end opens upward to the drip tray 5. are doing And, in the space near the front side (front side) in the outer case 2, the blower motor (blower driven by the motor) 7 as a blowing means is disposed in a state accommodated in the motor case 7A The pre-filter 12 is disposed on the suction side of the blower motor 7 (between the drip tray 5 and the blower motor 7 in the direction of air flow). In addition, between the drip tray 5 and the pre-filter 12, a partition plate 14 constituted by a lattice-shaped plate member is interposed and installed, and the pre-filter 12 and the motor Between the cases 7A, a mesh-shaped partition plate 15 is interposed and provided. Here, the mesh (mesh) of one partition plate 15 is set significantly smaller than the grid size of the other partition plate 14 .

2, the HEPA filter 13 is disposed on the discharge side (upper side) of the blower motor 7, and the air compression chamber 8 is formed above the HEPA filter 13, there is. That is, the HEPA filter 13 is disposed between the blower motor 7 and the air compression chamber 8 in the air flow direction, and the air compression chamber 8 is connected to the lower end of the reflux passage 11 has been

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , there are one set of clothes in two places (front side and back side) before and after the upper part (near the insertion port 3) of the inner wall 4a constituting a part of the drying chamber 4 (near the insertion port 3). A plurality of air blowing ports 9 and 10 are open, respectively. In this case, as shown in Fig. 2, the rear air outlet 10 formed on the inclined surface of the inner wall 4a opens at a higher position than the front air outlet 9 formed on the vertical surface of the inner wall 4a. The air outlets 9 and 10 open toward the point P shown in the vicinity of the upper center of the drying chamber 4, respectively. Point P is set at a position corresponding to the crotch of the finger of the hand inserted into the drying chamber 4 .

Here, a state in which the air outlets 9 on the front side (front side) are viewed from the inside of the drying chamber 4 is shown in FIG. 4 (a view in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2), but each air outlet 9 is It is configured as a rectangular slit that is thin and long in the direction, and these are arranged spaced apart from each other on the left and right corresponding to the crotch portion Y of the left and right hand H inserted into the drying chamber 4. In addition, the left and right hands H shown in FIG. 4 are shown as an image to explain the positional relationship with the air outlet 9, and do not represent actual conditions.

By the way, in the present embodiment, each air outlet 9 is formed as a horizontally elongated rectangular slit, but a circular hole 9a shown in Fig. 5(a) or a horizontally connected 1 shown in Fig. 5(b) It may be formed as a single long slit 9b. Here, the shape and number of each air outlet 9 are arbitrary without being limited to those shown in the present embodiment.

In addition, although the above has explained only the shape and arrangement of one (front) air outlet 9, the shape and arrangement of the other (rear side) air outlet 10 are also the same as those of the one air outlet 9, so this Descriptions and illustrations are omitted.

And, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the reflux passage 11 formed on the outer periphery of the drying chamber 4 is the central portion in the front-back direction of the left and right portions (upper and lower portions in FIG. 3 ) of the reflux passage 11. It is partitioned into a front region 11F and a rear region 11B by a long partition wall 16 provided in the vertical direction (vertical direction of the paper in Fig. 3). A plurality of air outlets 9 on the front side are opened in the front region 11F of the reflux passage 11, and a plurality of air outlets 10 on the rear side are open in the rear region 11B.

And, in the hand drying device 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 , the insertion port 3 at the upper end of the drying chamber 4 detects the insertion and withdrawal of the hand into the drying chamber 4. An optical sensor (detection means) 17 for doing so is provided. This optical sensor 17 includes a light emitter (not shown) arranged on one side of the left and right sides of the insertion port 3 and a light receiver (not shown) arranged on the other side. It is called a photo-interrupter that detects hand insertion by not detecting light. Here, this optical sensor 17 is disposed above the straight line L indicated by a broken line connecting the centers of the front and rear air outlets 9 and 10 as shown in FIG. 2 . Because of this, the optical sensor 17 can detect the hand before it is inserted into the drying chamber 4. In addition, the optical sensor 17 may be installed on both left and right sides of the insertion port 3, or may be installed only on one side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2 , an LED lamp 18 for illuminating the inside of the drying chamber 4 by turning on while the hand drying device 1 is operating is provided in the upper part of the front side of the drying chamber 4 . This LED lamp 18 is configured by arranging a plurality of LED light sources in a straight line at appropriate intervals along the left-right direction in the drying chamber 4 (the vertical direction of the paper in FIG. 2), and the cover member of the outer case 2 It is covered by the side wall of the insertion port 3 constructed as a part of 2A. For this reason, the LED lamp 18 cannot be directly seen from above the insertion port 3, and for the user of the hand drying device 1, the light emitted from the LED lamp 18 directly hits the eyes. Without it, the entire lighting of the drying chamber 4 can be made indirect lighting that is gentle on the eyes. In addition, the color of the light emitted from the LED lamp 18 may be white, red, or the like other than blue, but a sterilization effect can be obtained by setting it to blue in particular.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, in the space S formed between the outer case 2 and the concave portion 4b1 formed in a part of the outer wall 4b constituting a part of the drying chamber 4, the control board is provided. Means 19 are arranged. In this way, by effectively utilizing the space S and arranging the control means 19, the size and compactness of the hand drying apparatus 1 can be achieved.

Here, the system configuration of the hand drying device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described based on Fig. 6. As shown in this figure, the control unit 19 has a power source (eg, commercial power supply) 20 ) is electrically connected, and the optical sensor 17, the blower motor 7, and the LED lamp 18 are electrically connected. In addition, the control unit 19 drives the blower motor 7 and lights the LED lamp 18 when a signal detecting the insertion of a hand into the drying chamber 4 is input from the optical sensor 17. , Details thereof will be described later.

In the hand drying device 1 configured as described above, the back surface of the outer case 2 is placed at the height of the user's waist so that the upper part of the outer case 2 (the insertion port 3 and its periphery) is at the height of the user's waist. It is installed by being attached to the wall surface of the back, but its operation will be described below based on FIGS. 7 and 8 .

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional side view showing circulation of air in the main body of the hand drying device, and Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation procedure of this hand drying device.

First, it is determined whether the user's hand is inserted into the drying chamber 4 or not, that is, whether or not the optical sensor 17 has detected the hand from the insertion port 3 opening on the upper surface of the hand drying device 1 (FIG. 8). Step S1). In this case, since the optical sensor 17 is disposed in the insertion port 3, before the user's hand is inserted into the drying chamber 4, if the tip of the hand is detected by the optical sensor 17, the optical sensor (17) transmits the detection signal to the control means (19).

When insertion of the user's hand into the drying chamber 4 is detected by the optical sensor 17 (step S1: Yes), the control means 19 starts driving the blower motor 7, The LED lamp 18 is turned on (step S2). When the blower motor 7 is driven, the air discharged from the blower motor 7 passes through the HEPA filter 13 and flows into the air compression chamber 8 as shown by the arrow in FIG. 7, and the air compression chamber ( The air introduced into 8) is compressed in the air compression chamber 8, and its pressure is increased. Then, the air compressed in the air compression chamber 8 flows into the reflux passage 11, as shown in Fig. 7, and flows upward through the reflux passage 11 toward the front and rear air outlets 9 and 10. .

Here, as shown in FIG. 2 , since the reflux passage 11 is divided into a front region 11F and a rear region 11B by the partition wall 16, the reflux passage 11 from the air compression chamber 8 The air flowing into ) is equally divided into two parts, distributed to the front region 11F and the rear region 11B, and flows through the front region 11F and the rear region 11B, respectively, between the front air outlet 9 and the rear region. Air blows out from the air outlet 10 in opposite directions toward point P in the drying chamber 4, and is used to dry the front and back of the user's hand inserted into the drying chamber 4.

And, since the reflux passage 11 is formed over the entire outer circumference of the drying chamber 4 as described above, the flow passage area becomes larger than before, and furthermore, this reflux passage 11 bends greatly on the way. Since it extends substantially straight toward the air outlets 9 and 10 without this, the flow resistance of the air flowing through this reflux passage 11 is suppressed to a low level. For this reason, the flow rate and velocity of the air flowing through the bifurcated front region 11F and rear region 11B of the reflux passage 11 are increased, so that the air blown from the air outlets 9 and 10 to the drying chamber 4 As the amount increases, the flow rate also increases. As a result, water droplets adhering to the front and back of the user's hand inserted into the drying chamber 4 are effectively blown away by the high-speed airflow, and the front and back of the hand are dried efficiently and simultaneously. In addition, since air flows smoothly without resistance through the substantially straight reflux passage 11 and no turbulent flow or vortex is generated in the reflux passage 11, generation of noise accompanying the flow of air is suppressed, resulting in damage. Noise reduction during operation of the drying apparatus 1 is realized.

In particular, in the present embodiment, since each air divided in the reflux passage 11 is equally allocated and flows through the front region 11F and the rear region 11B toward the air outlets 9 and 10, respectively, The amount and flow rate of the air blown out from both air outlets 9 and 10 are equalized, and the unevenness of these flow rates and flow rates is prevented, and the front and back of the hands are dried almost simultaneously and efficiently.

Further, in the present embodiment, air is blown from the respective air outlets 9 and 10 toward point P of the drying chamber 4 (refer to FIG. 7 ), and point P is the crotch portion of the hand as described above. Since it is set assuming, air is blown intensively to the crotch of the fingers where water droplets tend to remain, and the whole hand is dried evenly and at the same time reliably. And, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 , since the air outlets 9 and 10 (only one side is shown in FIG. The air blown out from 9, 10) is blown intensively to the crotch part Y of each finger of both hands H as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4 . For this reason, the crotch portion Y of the hand H, where water droplets tend to remain, is dried more effectively.

As described above, the air (exhaust) supplied to dry the user's hands flows downward through the drying chamber 4 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. Because of this, the flow rate of the air flowing through the drying chamber 4 gradually increases. Then, this air (exhaust) flows into the exhaust duct 6 from the drying chamber 4 and flows downward through the exhaust duct 6 toward the drip tray 5, but as described above, the exhaust duct 6 , Since it extends straight downward, the air (exhaust) smoothly flows through this exhaust duct 6 toward the drip tray 5. For this reason, the flow resistance of the air (exhaust) is suppressed to a low level, the flow rate and flow rate of the air are increased, and the generation of noise accompanying the disturbance of the air flow is suppressed, so that during operation of the hand dryer 1 Silence is promoted.

Then, the water droplets contained in the air (exhaust) flowing into the drip tray 5 from the exhaust duct 6 are separated from the air due to the difference in specific gravity from the air and fall to the drip tray 5, and the water droplets fall to the drip tray 5. stored in (5). In addition, when the drip tray 5 is filled with water, the drip tray 5 is pulled forward to remove it from the device main body 1A, and the water collected in the drip tray 5 can be discarded. .

The air from which water droplets are removed in the drip tray 5 passes through the pre-filter 12 and is purified, then is sucked into the blower motor 7, boosted by the blower motor 7, and then discharged. The same operation as described above is repeated, and the hands inserted into the drying chamber 4 are continuously dried by the air blown out from the respective air outlets 9 and 10 respectively.

Therefore, in the hand drying device 1 according to the present embodiment, as indicated by arrows in FIG. ), the HEPA filter 13, the air compression chamber 8, the return passage 11, and the air outlets 9 and 10 in this order, an air circulation flow is formed in the main body 1A of the device. In this way, in the hand drying device 1 according to the present embodiment, a closed loop method is employed as an air flow method, so that the air (exhaust) supplied to dry the hands is discharged outside the device main body 1A. There is no inconvenience that various germs and the like contained in water droplets adhering to the hand are discharged out of the device main body 1A together with the air and pollute the surrounding environment.

In addition, since the air circulating in the device main body 1A is purified by passing through the pre-filter 12 and the HEPA filter 13, and fine particles such as dust and germs contained therein are removed, these fine particles and germs are removed. Dry hands are maintained in a hygienic condition without the back adhering to the hands.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the mesh-shaped partition plate 15 is provided between the pre-filter 12 and the motor case 7A, the flow through the pre-filter 12 and the motor case 7A Airborne noise is kept low by the partition plate 15. In addition, although not shown, by wrapping a sound absorbing material around the outer circumference of the drying chamber 4 or the exhaust duct 6, noise associated with the flow of air can be suppressed to a low level.

By the way, in step 2 shown in FIG. 8, when the blower motor 7 is driven and the LED lamp 18 is turned on, the inside of the drying chamber 4 is indirectly illuminated by the light emitted from the LED lamp 18, The user can see the inside of the drying chamber 4 with his eyes, and in particular, when blue light is emitted from the LED lamp 18, the inside of the drying chamber 4 can be sterilized by a sterilizing action by ultraviolet rays. Here, since the optical sensor 17 is installed in the insertion port 3 above the drying chamber 4, when the tip of the hand inserted into the drying chamber 4 is detected by the optical sensor 17, the drying chamber 4 ), since the blower motor 7 is driven and air is blown out from the air outlets 9 and 10 before the whole hand is inserted into the hand, the hand is dried quickly without a time delay (time lag). It is done.

After that, it is determined whether or not the optical sensor 17 has detected that the user removed his/her hand from the drying chamber 4 because hand drying has ended (step S3). When the user withdraws his/her hand from the drying chamber 4, in the optical sensor 17, since the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit, the optical sensor 17 is not removed from the drying chamber 4 by this. Loss is detected, and the signal is transmitted to the control means 19. That is, when the optical sensor 17 detects the withdrawal of the hand from the drying chamber 4 (step S3: Yes), the control means 19 stops the drive of the blower motor 7, and The LED lamp 18 is turned off (step S4), and a series of operations are completed (step S5).

Then, the circulation of air in the device main body 1A stops, and the blowing of air from the air outlets 9 and 10 also stops, and the indirect lighting of the drying chamber 4 by the LED lamp 18 is also stopped. also stop Here, since the optical sensor 17 is installed in the insertion port 3 above the drying chamber 4, even after the hand is taken out of the drying chamber 4, the tip of the hand can pass through the optical sensor 17. The blower motor 7 is driven for a short period of time until hand drying continues, and the LED lamp 18 continues lighting. For this reason, the blowing of air from the air outlets 9 and 10 does not end before the hand is completely removed from the drying chamber 4, or the lighting of the drying chamber 4 by the LED lamp 18 does not end. Hand drying becomes necessary and sufficient, and user convenience is enhanced.

<Embodiment 2>

Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below based on FIGS. 9 and 10 .

Fig. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of a hand drying device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view along the line D-D of Fig. 9. In these figures, the same elements as those shown in Figs. 1 to 3 are included. The same reference numerals are attached, and further descriptions thereof will be omitted below.

In the hand drying apparatus 1-2 according to the present embodiment, a pair of air outlets 21 and 22 opening to the drying chamber 4 are provided on the left and right sides of the inner wall 4a of the drying chamber 4 (FIG. 10). In addition, the reflux passage 11 formed on the outer periphery of the drying chamber 4 is provided in the center of the left and right directions of the front and rear portions of the reflux passage 11 (the left and right portions in FIG. 10) in the vertical direction (Fig. 10) is divided into a left region 11L and a right region 11R by a long partition wall 23. Then, the left air outlet 21 opens to the left region 11L of the reflux passage 11, and the right air outlet 22 opens to the right region 11R. Note that other configurations of the hand drying apparatus 1-2 according to the present embodiment are the same as those of the hand drying apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

And, also in the present embodiment, when the insertion of a hand into the drying chamber 4 is detected by the optical sensor 17, the blower motor 7 is driven, and the LED lamp 18 is turned on, and the device main body ( In 1A), a circulating flow of air as shown in FIG. 7 is generated, and the air blown into the drying chamber 4 from the plurality of air outlets 21 and 22 opening on the left and right sides of the drying chamber 4 causes the hand to feel the above-mentioned. It is dried similarly to Embodiment 1. Here, in this embodiment, since the reflux passage 11 is divided into the left region 11L and the right region 11R by the partition wall 23, the reflux passage 11 from the air compression chamber 8 ), the air flowing in is equally divided into the left region 11L and the right region 11R, and flows through the left region 11L and the right region 11R, respectively, to the air outlet 21 on the left side and the air outlet 21 on the right side. is blown from the air outlet 22 toward the inside of the drying chamber 4, and is used to dry the hands of the user inserted into the drying chamber 4.

Also in the present embodiment, the same effects as those obtained in the first embodiment are obtained, and the hands after washing are efficiently prevented from scattering to the surroundings of various germs contained in the water droplets adhering to the hands. In addition to drying well, noise reduction during operation of the hand drying device 1 can be realized.

<Embodiment 3>

Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described below based on FIG. 11 .

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a hand drying device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, Fig. 11 (a) is a perspective view, Fig. 11 (b) is a front view, Fig. 11 (c) is a side view, Fig. 11 (d) is a rear view. In addition, in this figure, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements as those shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and further explanations thereof are omitted below.

In the hand drying apparatus 1 of Embodiment 1 shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the reflux passage 11 formed around the drying chamber 4 is provided at a position covering the circumference from the upper end to the lower end of the drying chamber 4. Contrary to this, in the hand drying apparatus 1-3 according to the present embodiment, the reflux passage 11-3 formed around the drying chamber 4 is located at the upper end of the drying chamber 4 and its vicinity. It is installed only around the (height position), and is not installed around the upper end of the drying chamber 4 and lower positions than its vicinity. In addition, the reflux passage 11-3 of the hand drying device 1-3 of the present embodiment is a front blowing duct 11 communicating from the blower motor 7 to the front portion of the reflux passage 11-3. -3F) and two ventilation ducts, a rear side ventilation duct 11-3B communicating from the blower motor 7 to a portion on the rear side of the return passage 11-2.

In addition, although illustration is omitted other than what is shown in FIG. 11, as a ventilation duct communicating from the blower motor 7 to the return passage 11-3, the front ventilation duct 11-3F and the rear ventilation duct 11-3B It is good also as a structure in which only one of the is provided. Adoption of such a structure results in a hand drying device capable of further reducing the labor of cleaning and maintenance.

In addition, application of this invention is not limited to the embodiment demonstrated above, Various modifications are possible within the scope of the claim, the technical idea described in the specification, and drawings.

For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the partition wall 16 or the partition wall 23 is provided in the reflux passage 11 has been described, but these partition walls 16 or the partition wall 23 are omitted. It is also possible. Alternatively, when providing a partition wall in the reflux passage 11, the installation position and number are not limited to what is shown in the said embodiment, It is also possible to provide another position and number. For example, partition walls may be provided at one or three or more locations within the reflux passage 11, and the position of each partition wall in that case can be set to an arbitrary position within the reflux passage 11.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the inner wall 4a and the outer wall 4b of the drying chamber 4 are viewed from above (planar view shape) is a horizontally elongated rectangular shape (rectangular shape) has been shown, but the drying chamber 4 The shape seen from above of the inner wall 4a and the outer wall 4b of ) may be a shape other than an ellipse or the like.

Claims (9)

an insertion port opening in the upper part of the device main body for inserting the hand after washing into the device main body;
A drying room disposed below the insertion hole to dry the hand inserted through the insertion hole;
A drip tray disposed at the lower end of the device body;
An exhaust passage extending downward from the drying chamber and communicating with the drip tray;
A blower motor connected to the exhaust passage through the drip tray;
an air compression chamber for compressing the air discharged from the blower motor;
A reflux passage for refluxing the air compressed in the air compression chamber to an air outlet opening to the drying chamber;
An air circulation flow in which the air blown from the air outlet into the drying chamber circulates through the exhaust passage, the drip tray, the blower motor, the air compression chamber, the reflux passage, and the air outlet in this order is formed in the main body of the device As a hand drying device that becomes,
Hand drying device, characterized in that the reflux passage is formed around the drying chamber. According to claim 1,
An entire circumference of the drying chamber is constituted by inner and outer double walls, and a space formed between the inner and outer double walls is constituted as the reflux passage. According to claim 1 or 2,
The hand drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pair of air outlets are provided in the front and rear or left and right sides of the drying chamber, and the reflux passage is partitioned by a pair of partition walls disposed in the front and rear or left and right sides. According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The exhaust passage is a hand drying device, characterized in that extending straightly vertically downward from the drying chamber toward the drip tray. According to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The hand drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a concave portion recessed toward the rear side is formed in a part of an outer wall on the front side of the inner and outer double walls constituting the reflux passage. According to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The hand drying device according to claim 1, wherein the air outlet is composed of a plurality of slits or circular holes that open toward each of a plurality of finger crotch portions of a hand inserted into the drying chamber. According to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A hand drying device, characterized in that a first filter member is disposed between the drip tray and the blower motor in the direction of air flow. According to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A hand drying device characterized in that a second filter member is disposed between the blower motor and the air compression chamber in the air flow direction. According to any one of claims 1 to 8,
a control means for driving and controlling the blower motor, and a detection means for detecting insertion of a hand into the drying chamber;
The detecting means is installed in the insertion port,
The hand drying device according to claim 1, wherein the control means starts driving the blower motor when the detection means detects the tip of the hand.

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