TWI551253B - Hand drying device - Google Patents

Description

Hand dryer

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

Conventionally, instead of wiping a wet hand after washing with a towel or a hankerchief, a hand drying device that inserts a wet hand into the hand insertion portion and ejects a high-speed air stream is used. To the inserted hand, blow off the water attached to the hand and make the hand dry.

Patent Document 1 discloses a hand drying device including an electrostatic body type human body detective sensor, which detects a change in electrostatic capacitance due to proximity of a human body, The human body is detected from the signal determination means.

[Prior patent documents] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-099396

The hand drying device disclosed in Patent Document 1 detects a user's hand and moves an author based on a change in electrostatic capacitance when a user's hand is inserted into the hand insertion portion. In the use of this electrostatic capacitance detection sensor The touch switch of the (detective sensor) is used as an operating switch for setting the machine, and the detecting electrode for detecting the change of the electrostatic capacitance is disposed inside the casing, and the casing The outer surface becomes the operation surface, and it is necessary to use the detecting electrode in the casing to judge whether the user's hand has contacted (has been operated) the operation surface of the casing. Therefore, in order to improve the detection accuracy, it is important to fix the positional relationship between the detecting electrode and the body surface forming the operating portion, especially if a gap is formed between the housing and the detecting electrode, because the dielectric constant becomes low, It has a large impact on detection accuracy.

On the other hand, the front cover of the front surface of the casing of the general hand dryer is detached for accessing the power terminal block or circuit disposed inside the product during maintenance or during construction. Since the front cover is detachable, when the detecting electrode is disposed on the front cover, the detecting electrode and the control portion in the body need to be connected with a detachable wire, but the length of the wire is longer. The larger the electrostatic capacitance of the wire becomes, the more difficult it is to detect the change in the electrostatic capacitance detected by the electrode. Therefore, the detecting electrode system needs to be fixed inside the body, and the operating surface (the portion in contact with the finger) and the detecting electrode system cannot be fixed to each other.

Therefore, in the hand drying device in which the touch switch using the electrostatic capacitance detecting sensor is disposed on the front side of the most operable casing, the positional relationship between the casing and the detecting electrode may be caused by the opening and closing of the front cover. It becomes a state that is not appropriate, and therefore, the detection accuracy is lowered, and there is a problem that a problem occurs that is malfunctioning or cannot be detected.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to obtain a hand dryer which can accurately and stably detect an operation based on a change in electrostatic capacitance composed of a dismounting component and a detecting electrode. Device.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a hand drying device comprising: a casing, an air blowing port through which a hand insertion portion of a user can be inserted into the hand and an opponent insertion portion; and a blowing portion provided in the air blowing portion The inside of the casing generates airflow; and a hand detective sensor detects that the user's hand has been inserted into the hand insertion portion; the hand detection sensor detects the user's hand In the case where the airflow generated by the air supply unit is ejected from the air supply port to the hand insertion portion, the front panel includes a front panel that is detachable from the front of the housing and is provided with an operation for changing the setting of the device. The holder is disposed at a position corresponding to the operation portion on the back side of the front panel; the electrode is held by the holder and detects the electrostatic capacitance generated when the user has operated the operation portion And the control unit controls the fan motor according to the change in the electrostatic capacitance generated by the electrode; the electrode is held by the holder so that the electrode portion abuts against the back surface of the front plate.

The hand drying device of the present invention maintains the casing and the electrode in an appropriate state, and has the effect that the detecting sensor can correctly and stably detect the operation according to the change of the electrostatic capacitance.

1‧‧‧Hand dryer

2‧‧‧Air Supply Department

3‧‧‧Lighting Department

4‧‧‧heater

5a, 5b‧‧‧air outlet

7‧‧‧Drainage trough

8‧‧‧Detection sensor

8a‧‧‧ front side detection sensor

8b‧‧‧Backside detection sensor

9‧‧‧Hand Insertion

9a‧‧‧ front wall

9b‧‧‧Back wall

9c‧‧‧ bottom wall

10‧‧‧Shell

11‧‧‧ front board

12‧‧‧Operation Department

12a‧‧‧Open switch

12b‧‧‧Air volume adjustment switch

12c‧‧‧heater switch

12d‧‧‧Key lock switch

12e‧‧‧ full water mode switch

13‧‧‧Display Department

13a ₁ , 13a ₂ , 13b ₁ , 13b ₂ , 13b ₃ , 13b ₄ , 13b ₅ , 13c , 13d , 13e‧‧‧ LED lights

14‧‧‧Electrode

15‧‧‧Operating substrate

16‧‧‧Clamps

17‧‧‧ Spacer

21‧‧‧ Rear flange

22‧‧‧Front flange

30‧‧‧Control Department

31‧‧‧ means of detection

32‧‧‧Dry condition detection means

33‧‧‧Hand detection means

34‧‧‧Control means

41‧‧‧Protruding

42‧‧‧Clamping Department

50‧‧‧ suction port

51‧‧‧Air filter

52‧‧‧ suction pipe

60‧‧‧Exhaust chamber

61‧‧‧Exhaust port

62‧‧‧ front exhaust pipe

63‧‧‧ rear exhaust pipe

64‧‧‧Drainage road

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a hand dryer of an embodiment of the hand dryer according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the hand dryer of the embodiment.

Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the hand dryer of the embodiment.

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the hand dryer with the front panel removed.

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the lower part of the hand dryer.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the operating portion.

Fig. 7 is a partially enlarged view showing a cross section of the operation portion.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the operation portion.

Figure 9 is a rear view of the front panel.

Figure 10 is a partial enlarged view of the lower portion of the back of the front panel.

Fig. 11 is a view showing another structural example of the operation unit.

Fig. 12 is a view showing another configuration example of the operation unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the hand dryer according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. Further, the present invention is not limited by the embodiment. Further, the shape or size of each constituent element in each drawing is not intended to limit the inventors.

Implementation form

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hand dryer according to an embodiment of the hand dryer of the present invention. Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the hand dryer of the embodiment. Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the hand dryer of the embodiment. The casing 10 of the hand dryer 1 has a rear flange (a rear protruding portion away from the user's protruding portion) 21 and a front flange (front side) disposed in a substantially front-rear direction of the user. The protruding portion is close to the protruding portion 22 of the user, and the hand insertion portion 9 is formed between the rear flange 21 and the front flange 22. The hand dryer 1 has a capacitive detecting sensor 8 (front detective sensor 8a, rear detective sensor 8b), Detecting the presence or absence of the user's hand in the hand insertion portion 9 Detecting the dry condition of the hand inserted by the user; the air blowing unit 2 includes a blower motor that forms a dry wind for the user's hand inserted in the hand insertion portion 9 to be dry; and the illumination unit 3 An illumination lamp that sterilizes or sterilizes the surface of the user's hand by irradiating ultraviolet rays into the hand insertion portion 9 is included. Further, it is also possible to provide the illumination unit 3 also on the rear flange 21, and to irradiate the ultraviolet rays to the back side of the user's hand.

The hand dryer 1 is configured such that each of the rear flange 21 and the front flange 22 of the casing 10 has air blowing ports 5a and 5b, and the dry air blown from the air blowing unit 2 passes through the rear flange 21 and the front flange 22. A front exhaust duct 62 and a rear exhaust duct 63 are blown from the air outlets 5a and 5b toward both sides of the palm of the user and the back of the hand.

Further, the blower motor of the blower unit 2 may be any one that can form a dry wind for making the wet hand dry, and can control the rotation speed and freely adjust the air volume. Further, the air blowing unit 2 may not be a blower motor, but may store compressed air in a tank by a compressor or the like, and control by opening and closing of a variable valve.

As shown in FIG. 3, the casing 10 has air blowing ports 5a and 5b for blowing the dry air formed by the air blowing unit 2 to the hand insertion portion 9 so as to face the hand insertion portion 9. The heater 4 is disposed between the air blowing unit 2 and the air blowing ports 5a and 5b, and is heated by the dry air formed by the air blowing unit 2 to be heated, so as not to feel cold feeling in winter or the like. Further, the air blowing ports 5a and 5b may be arranged such that a plurality of small holes are arranged linearly in the side surface direction, or may be formed by slender slits in the side surface direction, or the air blowing portion 2 may be formed as a blowing portion to form high-pressure air. The wind blown from the small holes or the slit-shaped air blowing ports 5a and 5b is changed to a high speed.

Further, the detecting sensor 8 is connected to the control unit 30 and adjacent to the inner wall of the casing 10, and prints a printed wiring board on which a conductor has been printed on a printed circuit board. The front side detecting sensor 8a is fixed to the front flange 22 side, and is fixed to the rear side flange 21 side as the rear side detecting sensor 8b. When the hand dryer 1 is operated, since the user expects to make the hand dry faster, the user tends to move to the vicinity of the air blowing ports 5a and 5b that blow the dry air, so that it is easier to detect the user's hand, and It is easy to detect a change in the amount of water attached to the user's hand, and the detecting sensor 8 is preferably formed so as to be disposed at least in the vicinity of the air blowing ports 5a and 5b in the hand insertion portion 9.

Next, an electrostatic capacitance type detecting sensor will be described. In the control unit 30, a detection sensor 8, a drain conductive plate (not shown), a dry state display unit (not shown), an operation board 15, a display unit 13, a blower unit 2, and a heater are connected. 4. The control unit 30 includes a detecting means 31 connected to the detecting sensor 8 and detecting the electrostatic capacitance generated by the detecting sensor 8; the drying condition detecting means 32 is detected based on the detecting means 31. The value of the electrostatic capacitance is used to detect and determine the dry condition of the hand inserted in the hand insertion portion 9. The hand detecting means 33 determines whether or not the hand insertion portion 9 is present based on the value of the electrostatic capacitance detected by the detecting means 31. The control means 34 controls the operations of the display unit 13, the drying status display unit (not shown), the air blowing unit 2, the heater 4, and the like based on the detection results of the dry condition detecting means 32 or the hand detecting means 33. Moreover, the control means 34 detects the operation of the operation unit 12, and performs processing such as changing the setting of the main body in response to the detected operation content.

Further, a drain conductive plate (not shown) is also connected to the detecting means 31. The water amount detecting means (not shown) provided in the control unit 30 detects the amount of water in the drain tank 7 based on the change in the electrostatic capacitance detected by the detecting means 31, and then based on the water amount detecting means not shown. As a result of the detection, the control means 34 controls to display the full water on the display unit 13.

The holder 16 is fixed to the front of the control unit 30, and the holder 16 will be described later.

Next, the operation unit will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the operation unit 12 is provided on the lower portion of the front surface of the front panel 11. By displaying the display unit 13 adjacent to the vicinity of the operation unit 12, it is possible to confirm the state of operation by LED (Light Emitting Diode). The operation unit 12 is arranged to be long in the width direction of the casing 10, and is operable to turn on and off the air supply, adjust the air volume, turn the heater 4 on and off, and switch the mode when the water is full. Moreover, when it is desired to prohibit the operation, it is also possible to switch to the prohibition operation.

Open on-off switch 12a, air volume control switch 12b, heater switch 12c, key lock switch 12d, and full tank mode The switch 12e is provided in the operation unit 12. The turn-on switch 12a is a switch that switches the on (on) and off (off) operations. In addition, when the on/off switch 12a is set to the "off" state, only the detection of the front side detection sensor 8a and the rear side detection sensor 8b becomes invalid, and the power supply system to the control circuit is not cut. Broken. The air volume adjustment switch 12b is a switch that adjusts the air volume when the air blowing unit 2 operates. The heater switch 12c is a switch that switches the opening and closing of the heater 4. The key lock switch 12d is configured to set the open switch 12a, the air volume adjustment switch 12b, the heater switch 12c, and the full water mode switch 12e. The operation becomes an invalid key lock state switch. The full water mode switch 12e is a switch for setting an operation mode when the drain tank 7 is in a full water state. Further, above the various switches, a display unit 13 in a state of the LED display device (in the set state of each switch) is provided.

On the display unit 13, above each of the opening/closing switch 12a, the air volume adjusting switch 12b, the heater switch 12c, the key lock switch 12d, and the full water mode switch 12e, a notification opening opening switch 12a, an air volume adjusting switch 12b, and heating are provided. The LED lamps 13a ₁ to 13e in the respective states set by the switch 12c, the key lock switch 12d, and the full water mode switch 12e. When the turn-off switch 12a is turned on, the LED lamps 13a ₁ and 13a ₂ are respectively disposed so as to correspond to the display characters of "on" and "off", and the lights are turned on by the respective LED lamps 13a ₁ and 13a _{2 to} notify that the operation becomes The state of being turned on or the state of being turned off. Further, five LED lamps 13b ₁ to 13b ₅ are disposed above the air volume adjusting switch 12b so as to be arranged in a horizontal row, and the amount of air blown from the air blowing ports 5a and 5b is notified, and the lighting is sequentially performed from the left. The notice is large.

Further, an LED lamp 13c is provided above the heater switch 12c, and the heater 4 that heats the air blown from the air outlets 5a and 5b is turned "on", and the heater 4 is turned "off". The situation is turned off, and the heater 4 is turned on and off. Further, an LED lamp 13d is provided above the key lock switch 12d, and is lit when the set key is locked, and is turned off when the key is not locked, and the key lock setting state is displayed. The LED lamp 13e is provided above the full water mode switch 12e. For example, when the drain tank 7 is in the full water state, the mode is set to stop the operation, and the lighting is turned on when the drain tank 7 is in the full water state. The setting state of the mode of continuing operation is turned off, and The action mode when the water is full.

In a capacitance switch, since the electrostatic capacitance changes depending on the contact area of the finger, the electrostatic capacitance changes by making the finger reliably contact, but gently contacts or contacts the end of the electrostatic capacitance switch. At the time, the change in electrostatic capacitance becomes small. Further, when the capacitance switch or the conductor such as water contacts the contact, the electrostatic capacitance changes as in the case of contact with a finger. In the case of small water droplets, the change in electrostatic capacitance is small, but in the case where water droplets as large as the body pass over the electrostatic capacitance switch, the change in electrostatic capacitance becomes slightly larger.

Here, in order to prevent detection errors caused by the adhesion of water, if the threshold value of the switch detection is set to be high, since the touch is not detected when the switch is touched, the operational feeling is deteriorated. On the other hand, if the threshold value is set to be low, a detection error occurs when a finger is in contact with a large water droplet. Moreover, in the case of a large water droplet along the body, since it does not stay on the electrostatic capacitance switch and is removed in a short time, it can be detected by a situation in which the change exceeding the threshold value continues for a fixed time or longer. Prevent detection errors, but it is necessary to pre-contact the electrostatic capacitance switch for more than a fixed time during operation. In the case where the air volume adjustment switch 12b or the like needs to be operated for a plurality of times, the operability is deteriorated each time the operation time becomes long.

Therefore, in the hand dryer 1, the time required for the contact to the acceptance operation is changed in accordance with the function of the operated switch. The switching of the opening and closing switch 12a, the air volume adjusting switch 12b and the heater switch 12c, and the time required for the key lock setting of the key lock switch 12d are the same, but only the key unlocking of the key lock switch 12d is performed. The required time is made longer, for example, if the contact is not continued for about 2 seconds or more, the operation is not accepted. By doing this, try to maintain good It is operability and prevents malfunction caused by the flow of water droplets.

Next, an outline of the operation will be described. And an open portion 12 of the operation switch 12a is turned off, "off" corresponding to the state of the red LED lamp 13a lighting system ₁ of a hand dryer operation stopped state. First, when the finger contacts turn off the switches 12a, 12a open and close the switch operation, the operation is turned on, corresponding to the "Open" of the LED lighting lamp 13a _2, and corresponds to "close" the red LED-based lamp lights 13a _1. When the operation is turned on, the hand dryer 1 becomes a standby state that can be used at any time. Therefore, if the wet hand is inserted into the hand insertion portion 9, the front side detecting sensor 8a and the rear side detecting sensor 8b detect the hand, and the air blowing portion 2 is operated, and the air is blown from the air blowing ports 5a, 5b. Make your hands dry.

Further, when the operation is turned on, the LED lamps 13b ₁ to 13b ₅ corresponding to the air volume adjusting switch 12b, the LED lamp 13c corresponding to the heater switch 12c, and the LED lamp 13d corresponding to the key lock switch 12d are fitted at that point in time. The setting status is still lit or turned off, and each setting status is notified. In the open state of the opening operation of the contact portion 12 when the closing operation of the switch 12a, to switch off the power supply 1 of the dryer, while the corresponding display unit 13 to the "off" LED lamp 13a lighting _1, and corresponds to the "On"LED's The lamp 13a _{2 is} turned off, and the LED lamps 13b ₁ to 13b ₅ corresponding to the air volume adjusting switch 12b, the LED lamp 13c corresponding to the heater switch 12c, and the LED lamp 13d corresponding to the key lock switch 12d are all turned off.

The air volume adjustment switch 12b, the heater switch 12c, and the key lock switch 12d of the operation unit 12 are accepted only in the state where the operation is turned on. When the air volume adjustment switch 12b is touched in the state in which the operation is turned on, the amount of air is increased step by step for each contact, and the corresponding LED lamps 13b ₁ to 13b _{5 are} sequentially turned on from the left. The air volume is set to 5 segments, and the state of the five LED lamps 13b ₁ to 13b _{5 which} are arranged in the horizontal direction is set to the maximum air volume. When the air volume adjustment switch 12b is operated once again in the state of being set to the maximum air volume, the minimum air volume is returned, and only the left end LED lamps 13b ₁ of the five LED lamps 13b ₁ to 13b ₅ arranged in the horizontal direction are lit, and the remaining LED lamps are turned on. 13b ₂ , 13b ₃ , 13b ₄ , 13b ₅ are turned off.

When the heater switch 12c is touched in the state in which the operation is turned on, the "on" and "off" of the heater 4 can be switched. If the heater is in the "on" setting state, the heater 4 is activated, and the corresponding LED lamp 13c is turned on. . If the heater is in the "off" setting state, the heater 4 does not operate, and the corresponding LED lamp 13c is turned off. The switching of the heater on and off is repeated each time the heater switch 12c is touched, and the "on" and "off" are repeated in sequence.

When the key lock switch 12d is touched in the state where the operation is turned on, the setting of the key lock can be switched. When the key is locked, the corresponding LED lamp 13d blinks, and the corresponding LED lamp 13d is turned off when the key is not locked. When the key lock switch 12d is touched in a state where the key lock is not set, the key lock is set, and when the key lock lock switch 12d is touched while the set key is locked, the key lock is released.

When the setting key is locked, the operation of the opening/closing switch 12a, the air volume adjusting switch 12b, the heater switch 12c, and the full water mode switch 12e of the operation unit 12 of the operation switch is prohibited. Therefore, in the state where the key is locked, the finger touches either the open/close switch 12a, the air volume adjustment switch 12b, the heater switch 12c, and the full water mode switch 12e, and the operation system does not accept, and the setting cannot be changed or switched.

When the operation is turned on and the full water mode switch 12e is touched, The operation mode in which the drain tank 7 is switched to the full water state is switched. For example, the mode in which the operation is stopped and the mode in which the operation is continued can be switched when the drain tank 7 is in the full water state. For example, when the drain tank 7 is in the full water state, it is the setting state of the mode in which the operation is stopped, and the corresponding LED lamp 13e is turned on. When the drain tank 7 is in the full water state, it is the setting state of the mode of continuing operation, and the corresponding LED lamp 13e is turned off.

Next, the operation of the hand dryer 1 will be described. The user of the hand dryer 1 stands on the front side of the hand dryer 1, and inserts a wet hand into the hand insertion portion 9 from the opening provided in the upper portion of the hand dryer 1. Then, the hand gradually enters the lower portion (depth side) of the hand insertion portion 9, and the detecting means 31 detects that the electrostatic capacitance of the front side detecting sensor 8a and the rear side detecting sensor 8b is changed due to the inserted hand. In other words, the hand detecting means 33 determines that the hand has been inserted into the hand insertion portion 9. Thereby, the control means 34 outputs an instruction to start the operation of the blower unit 2. When the blower unit 2 is operated, air outside the dust is removed from the intake port 50 by the air filter 51, and the air is sucked into the blower unit 2 through the air intake duct 52. The suction side. The blower unit 2 generates high-pressure air from the air taken in in this manner.

The high-pressure air that is pressurized by the air supply unit 2 is exhausted from the exhaust side of the air blowing unit 2 into the exhaust chamber 60. At that time, in the case where the heater switch 12c is turned on, a part of the high-pressure air is heated by passing through the heater 4. Then, the high-pressure air heated by the heater 4 is mixed with the high-pressure air that has not been heated through the exhaust port 61 and is not heated by the heater 4, and is branched to the front exhaust pipe 62 and the rear exhaust pipe 63. Circulation. The high-pressure air that is branched into the front exhaust pipe 62 and the rear exhaust pipe 63 and flows through the warm air The air supply port 5a placed in the front flange 22 and the air supply port 5b provided in the rear flange 21 are converted into high-speed air from high-pressure air. Then, the warm air of the warm air is ejected from the air blowing ports 5a and 5b into the hand insertion portion 9.

Since the air blowing ports 5a and 5b are arranged in a substantially straight line in the width direction of the hand insertion portion 9, a gas curtain extending in the width direction of the hand insertion portion 9 is ejected in the vicinity of the opening portion of the hand insertion portion 9. (air curtain) high-speed air. The air curtain-shaped high-speed air collides with the wrist of the user inserted in the hand insertion portion 9 or both the back of the hand and the palm of the hand in the vicinity of the wrist, and the water adhered to the front and back of the hand becomes water droplets and is blown off.

At that time, the discharge direction of the air supply ports 5a, 5b is inclined slightly downward from the horizontal direction and faces the depth side of the hand insertion portion 9. Therefore, the high-speed air ejected from the air blowing ports 5a and 5b is also ejected toward the depth side of the hand insertion portion 9 in a direction slightly inclined downward from the horizontal direction. In other words, the high-speed air collides at an angle where the opponent is not vertical but is inclined toward the fingertip direction (downward). Therefore, most of the high-speed air ejected from the air blowing ports 5a and 5b flows after the collision hand, and flows along the hand from the wrist toward the fingertip, and most of the water adhering to the hand flows along the hand from the wrist toward the fingertip. . Then, the water reaching the fingertip is in the vicinity of the bottom of the hand insertion portion 9, and is peeled off from the fingertip to become a water drop, and most of the water is directed downward, that is, the bottom wall 9c of the hand insertion portion 9 is blown off.

The water droplets which are blown off from the wet hand are hit against the front wall 9a, the rear wall 9b or the bottom wall 9c of the hand insertion portion 9. Further, the water droplets that hit the front wall 9a and the rear wall 9b flow down toward the bottom wall 9c which is the bottom of the hand insertion portion 9, and pass through the drainage path from a drain port (not shown) provided in the bottom wall 9c of the hand insertion portion 9. After 64, it is recovered by the drain tank 7.

The user's hand is withdrawn from the hand insertion portion 9, and the detecting means 31 detects that there is no change in the electrostatic capacitance of the front side detecting sensor 8a and the rear side detecting sensor 8b, and the hand detecting means 33 determines that the hand is not inserted into the hand insertion. In the portion 9, the control means 34 stops the blower unit 2.

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the hand dryer with the front panel removed. Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the lower part of the hand dryer. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the operating portion. Fig. 7 is a partially enlarged view showing a cross section of the operation portion. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the operation portion. The front plate 11 is formed of a synthetic resin such as ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) material or PC (Polycarbonate) material or an aluminum material thereof. The thickness of the operation portion 12 which is a part of the front plate 11 is thicker than the thickness of the front plate 11 other than the operation portion 12, and is about 2.5 to 4.0 mm. Since the front plate 11 is a resin molded article, deformation or distortion may occur. In this case, in order to prevent the operation substrate 15 from being in angular contact with the operation portion 12, in other words, in order to make the operation portion 12 and the electrode 14 are in parallel contact, it is preferable to increase the thickness.

On the back side (the back side of the product) of the operation unit 12, an electrode 14 that detects a change in electrostatic capacitance is disposed. The electrode 14 is printed on the operation substrate 15 and fixed to the front side of the control unit 30 via the clamp 16 . A spacer 17 is disposed between the front plate 11 and the electrode 14 in order to avoid occurrence of a gap. The spacer 17 may be made of a flexible conductive rubber material or another material having conductivity. This is because the detection accuracy of the hand or the finger is lowered when a space is generated between the front plate 11 and the electrode 14. By arranging the spacer 17 having the conductive spacers between the back surface of the front plate 11 and the electrode 14 to be deformed, the predetermined distance between the back surface of the front plate 11 and the electrode 14 can be maintained. Next, fill the space between the two. Because of Since the spacer 17 is formed to have conductivity, it is in the same state as the protruding portion of the electrode 14 that detects the change in electrostatic capacitance to the back side of the front plate 11, and can be seen as the back surface of the electrode 14 and the front plate 11. Abut. Further, if the electrode 14 can be brought into close contact with the back surface of the front plate 11 without a gap, a structure in which the spacer 17 is omitted may be employed.

Next, a method of fixing the front plate 11 and the holder 16 will be described. Figure 9 is a rear view of the front panel. Figure 10 is a partial enlarged view of the lower portion of the back of the front panel. The front panel 11 is provided with a fitting portion (not shown) that is fixed to the lower end portion of the front panel 11 in order to be detachable during construction or maintenance of the hand dryer 1. When the front plate 11 is removed, the screw (screw) located at the fitting portion (not shown) is loosened and then removed. In order to avoid a gap between the front plate 11 and the electrode 14, on the back side of the front plate 11, the projection 41 is provided at a portion opposed to the holder 16. Further, on the side of the holder 16, the nip portion 42 of the projection 41 of the front plate 11 is sandwiched when the projection 41 of the front panel 11 is inserted in a state where the front panel 11 is closed.

When the projection 41 is inserted, the nip portion 42 is elastically deformed by being widened by the projection 41, and the distance between the front plate 11 and the electrode 14 can be kept constant. Further, the protrusion 41 has a maximum width in the intermediate portion, and the width of the portion of the root portion (that is, the boundary portion with the front plate 11) is thinner than the intermediate portion. Therefore, when the projection 41 is inserted into the nip 42, the state in which the tip end of the nip 42 is located at the root portion of the projection 41 is stabilized, and the front panel 11 is always replaced by the projection 41 and the nip 42. Pull to the state on the back side. Thereby, since no space is generated between the front plate 11 and the electrode 14, the operation at the operation portion 12 can be stably detected. Further, during construction or maintenance, even if the lock screw is mistakenly forgotten, no gap is formed between the front plate 11 and the electrode 14, and the gap can be stably detected. The operation at the operation unit 12. Further, since the front plate 11 can be firmly fixed to the casing 10 without screws, it is not necessary to use screws, and workability can be improved.

Fig. 11 is a view showing another structural example of the operation unit. The description of the same portions as those of Fig. 8 is omitted. The electrode 14 is made of a metal such as a coil spring or a leaf spring that is expandable and contractible in the front-rear direction. It is preferable that the contact portion of the electrode 14 with the front plate 11 and the contact portion with the operation substrate 15 are large and the thickness of the plate is thick, because the detection sensitivity is improved.

Fig. 12 is a view showing another configuration example of the operation unit. The description of the same portions as those of Fig. 8 is omitted. The operation substrate 15 is detachably fixed to the holder 16 via a spring. Here, although a spring is used, as long as it is a member which is expandable and contractible, the same effect can be acquired by using another member.

In the above description, the configuration having the front side detecting sensor 8a and the rear side detecting sensor 8b is exemplified, but it may have only one of them.

[Industrial Applicability]

As described above, the hand drying device of the present invention is useful for accurately detecting a change in electrostatic capacitance generated when a user operates an operation portion.

1‧‧‧Hand dryer

2‧‧‧Air Supply Department

3‧‧‧Lighting Department

4‧‧‧heater

5a, 5b‧‧‧air outlet

7‧‧‧Drainage trough

8‧‧‧Detection sensor

8a‧‧‧ front side detection sensor

8b‧‧‧Backside detection sensor

9‧‧‧Hand Insertion

9a‧‧‧ front wall

9b‧‧‧Back wall

9c‧‧‧ bottom wall

10‧‧‧Shell

11‧‧‧ front board

12‧‧‧Operation Department

13‧‧‧Display Department

14‧‧‧Electrode

15‧‧‧Operating substrate

16‧‧‧Clamps

17‧‧‧ Spacer

21‧‧‧ Rear flange

22‧‧‧Front flange

30‧‧‧Control Department

31‧‧‧ means of detection

32‧‧‧Dry condition detection means

33‧‧‧Hand detection means

34‧‧‧Control means

50‧‧‧ suction port

51‧‧‧Air filter

52‧‧‧ suction pipe

60‧‧‧Exhaust chamber

61‧‧‧Exhaust port

62‧‧‧ front exhaust pipe

63‧‧‧ rear exhaust pipe

64‧‧‧Drainage road

Claims (8)

A hand drying device comprising: a housing formed with a hand insertion portion of a user insertable into a hand and an air supply opening communicating with the hand insertion portion; the air blowing portion being disposed inside the housing and generating an air flow; The hand detecting sensor detects that the user's hand has been inserted into the hand insertion portion; when the hand detecting sensor detects the user's hand, the airflow generated by the air blowing portion is from the The air supply port is sprayed to the hand insertion portion; and the front plate is detachably mounted on the front surface of the casing, and an operation portion for changing the setting of the device is provided; the clamp is disposed on the front plate a position corresponding to the operation portion on the back surface; the electrode is held by the holder, and detects a change in electrostatic capacitance generated when the user has operated the operation portion; and the control portion is based on the electrode The air capacitance is controlled by a change in the generated electrostatic capacitance; the electrode is held by the clamp so that the electrode abuts against the back surface of the front plate. The hand drying device of claim 1, wherein the front panel is positioned in the front-rear direction by the clamp. A hand drying device according to the second aspect of the invention, further comprising: a protrusion provided on a portion facing the holder on a back side of the front panel; and a concave clamping portion The protrusion is fitted to the back side of the front panel; The front plate is positioned in the front-rear direction by the tip end portion of the protrusion contacting the bottom of the clamping portion. A hand dryer according to claim 3, wherein the gripping portion biases the projection in a direction subsequent to the device. The hand drying device of claim 1, wherein the front side of the front plate is thicker than the other portion corresponding to the electrode. A hand drying device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive elastic member is interposed between the back surface of the front plate and the electrode. The hand drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electrode is formed into a metal that can be stretched in the front-rear direction of the device. The hand drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electrode is formed by printing on one surface of the operation substrate; the operation substrate is fixed to the holder via an elastic member, and The elastic member is biased to the front plate side.