WO2024013849A1

WO2024013849A1 - Hand-drying device and method for controlling same

Info

Publication number: WO2024013849A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/027410
Authority: WO
Inventors: 裕子中森; 康之糸魚川
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2022-07-12
Filing date: 2022-07-12
Publication date: 2024-01-18

Abstract

This hand-drying device (1) comprises: a nozzle (30) that blows air toward a drying space (32) where a hand is to be disposed; a blowing unit (40) that sends out air blown from the nozzle (30); a hand-sensing unit (50) that senses whether or not there is a hand disposed in the drying space (32); and a control unit (60) that controls operation of the blowing unit (40) such that the air speed of the air blown from the nozzle (30) reaches a preset drying air speed when the hand-sensing unit (50) senses that a hand is present, controls operation of the blowing unit (40) such that the air speed of the air blown from the nozzle (30) reaches a preset warming air speed from the drying air speed when the hand-sensing unit (50) senses that no hand is present after having sensed that a hand was present, and prevents operation of the blowing unit after operation of the blowing unit has continued for a preset time.

Description

Hand drying device and its control method

The present disclosure relates to a hand dryer and a control method thereof.

Hand drying devices that dry the user's hands by blowing air are widely used. As a conventional hand drying device, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a main body, a high-pressure air flow generating section that sucks external air into the main body, and a main body that is provided with a high-pressure air flow generation section that blows out high-pressure air from the high-pressure air flow generation section as high-speed air. A hand drying device comprising: a nozzle that supports a main body, a support member that supports a main body, a fixing member that attaches the support member to a detergent attachment arm attached to a washbasin or washbowl, and fixes the support member and the detergent attachment arm. is listed.

A hand drying device is generally equipped with a hand detection sensor that detects the presence or absence of a user's hand. When the hand detection sensor detects a hand, the high-pressure airflow generator is activated and blows high-speed air from the nozzle toward the hand, drying the hand. When the user removes his/her hand from the hand dryer, the hand detection sensor no longer detects the hand, the high pressure air flow generator stops, and the high speed air jetting stops.

JP2008-272086A

In conventional hand drying devices, the position of the user's hand during drying, the direction in which the hand is pulled out at the end of drying, and the speed at which the hand is pulled out vary depending on the user. It was difficult to stop the high-pressure airflow generator after the high-speed airflow stopped hitting the airflow. For this reason, in order to ensure that high-speed airflow continues to be applied to the hand that is being pulled out until the end to dry the entire hand, high-pressure airflow is generated for a certain period of time after the hand detection sensor changes from the hand detection state to the non-detection state. The high-pressure airflow generation section was stopped after a certain period of time. This ensures that the hand is withdrawn from the drying space below the nozzle before the high-speed airflow emerging from the nozzle is stopped.

In such a configuration, while drying the hands, the high-speed airflow ejected from the nozzle collides with the hands, so the high-speed airflow is greatly decelerated and diffused in all directions. Therefore, the speed at which the high-speed airflow collides with the washbowl after colliding with the hand is small. However, after the hand is removed from the drying space, the high-speed airflow ejected from the nozzle is not decelerated by hitting the hand, but instead directly impinges on the washbasin. As a result, the high-speed air flow bounces back toward the user due to collision with the washbowl, causing discomfort to the user, and causing water droplets in the washbowl to scatter around, for example on the counter where the washbowl is installed. There was the issue of getting the water wet.

The present disclosure has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a hand that reduces the discomfort of the user by suppressing the splashing of airflow and the scattering of water droplets after the hand is pulled out of the drying space. A drying device and a method for controlling the same are provided.

The hand drying device according to the present disclosure includes a nozzle that blows air toward a drying space where a hand is placed, a blower unit that sends out air from the nozzle, and a hand detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a hand that is placed in the drying space. When the hand detection section detects that a hand is present, the operation of the air blowing section is controlled so that the speed of the air blown out from the nozzle becomes a preset drying wind speed, and when the hand detection section detects that a hand is present. If it is detected that there is no hand after the hand is detected, the operation of the air blower is controlled so that the speed of the air blown out from the nozzle changes from the drying air speed to a preset relaxation air speed, and the air blower is operated. and a control section that stops the operation of the blowing section after continuing for a preset period of time.

Furthermore, the method for controlling a hand drying device according to the present disclosure includes a nozzle that blows air toward a drying space where hands are placed, a blower unit that sends out air from the nozzle, and a control method that controls whether or not hands are placed in the drying space. A method for controlling a hand drying device, comprising: a hand detection section that detects a hand; and a control section that controls operation of a blower section based on a detection result of the hand detection section, wherein the presence of a hand is detected by the hand detection section. the control unit controls the operation of the blowing unit so that the wind speed of the air blown out from the nozzle becomes a preset drying wind speed; is detected, the control unit controls the operation of the blowing unit so that the wind speed of the air blown out from the nozzle changes from the drying wind speed to a preset relaxation wind speed; and a step in which the control section causes the control section to continue operating the air blowing section that blows air out of the nozzle for a preset time, and a step in which the control section stops operating the air blowing section that has been continued for the preset time. .

According to the present disclosure, when the hand detection unit detects that a hand is present and then detects that there is no hand, the wind speed of the air blown from the nozzle changes from the drying wind speed to the relaxation wind speed, so that the hand is removed from the drying space. It is possible to suppress the rebound of airflow and the scattering of water droplets after being pulled out, and it is possible to reduce the user's discomfort.

It is a right view of the hand drying device which shows embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a wash basin in which a hand drying device according to an embodiment is installed. It is a bottom view of the casing of the hand drying device which shows embodiment. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4. FIG. It is a block diagram showing composition of a control function of a hand drying device showing an embodiment. It is a table showing an example of the relationship between the distance between the nozzle of the hand drying device showing the embodiment and the bottom surface of the washbowl and the wind speed for relaxation. It is a figure showing an example of the hardware composition of the processing circuit of the control part of the hand drying device which shows an embodiment. It is a flow chart of operation control of a hand drying device showing an embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals.

Embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a right side view of a hand drying device 1 in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the wash basin 10 in which the hand drying device 1 is installed. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the casing 20 of the hand dryer 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV--IV in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 1 and 2, the hand drying device 1 is shown installed on a wash basin 10.

The wash basin 10 has a wash bowl 12. In this embodiment, the wash basin 10 is installed on the floor FL adjacent to the wall WL of the building. The wash basin 12 is formed into a bowl shape so that it can receive and store water. A drain port 14 is formed at the bottom of the washbowl 12. A drain pipe 16 is connected below the drain port 14. The drain pipe 16 has a drain trap (not shown), and is connected to the sewer via the drain trap.

The wash basin 10 is provided with a water discharge part 18. The water discharge part 18 is arranged so as to discharge water toward the inside of the washbasin 12. In this embodiment, the water discharge part 18 is provided to extend in a direction facing the user who uses the washstand 10. The water discharge part 18 is, for example, a faucet connected to a water pipe. The water discharge part 18 penetrates the wall part 11 of the washstand 10 and is connected to a water supply for supplying water to be discharged. The water discharge section 18 has a conventional sensor, control circuit, and solenoid valve (not shown). When this sensor detects the user's hand, the solenoid valve automatically opens and water is discharged from the water discharge portion 18.

The hand drying device 1 includes a nozzle 30, a blower section 40, a hand detection section 50, and a control section 60.

The nozzle 30 blows air toward a drying space 32 where the user's hands are placed. In this embodiment, the nozzle 30 is provided in the casing 20 of the hand dryer 1. The casing 20 is arranged above the washbasin 12. Specifically, the casing 20 is provided extending from the outside of the washbowl 12 toward the upper part of the washbowl 12 , and the tip of the casing 20 is located above the washbowl 12 . In the present embodiment, the casing 20 has a substantially cylindrical outer shape, and extends above the washbowl 12 from the wall 11 of the washstand 10 toward the user who uses the washstand 10. It is extending. A portion of the casing 20 that protrudes from the wall 11 of the wash basin 10 is arranged in parallel near the water discharge portion 18. The base end of the casing 20 is inserted into a through hole provided in the wall 11 of the washbasin 10, and is fixed to the wall 11 using a fixing nut (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the casing 20 has an outer cylinder part 22 and an inner cylinder part 24. The outer cylinder part 22 constitutes the outer shape of the casing 20, and is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape having an internal space. The inner cylindrical portion 24 is disposed in the inner space of the outer cylindrical portion 22 and is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape having an inner space that constitutes an air passage 26 for sending air to the nozzle 30. The tip of the inner tube 24 is spaced apart from the tip of the outer tube 22, and a hand detection section 50, which will be described later, is arranged between the tips of the inner tube 24 and the outer tube 22. A distal end side space 28a is provided in which the distal end side space 28a is disposed. Moreover, the inner cylinder part 24 is provided with a recessed part 24a extending along the extending direction of the casing 20, in which a part of the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder part 24 is recessed. Thereby, an air passage outer space 28b is provided between the recess 24a of the inner cylinder part 24 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder part 22. The air path outside space 28b communicates with the tip side space 28a. Further, at the base end of the casing 20, the outer diameter of the inner cylinder part 24 is formed smaller than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder part 22, and the central axis of the inner cylinder part 24 is relative to the central axis of the outer cylinder part 22. They are placed out of alignment. Thereby, an air passage outside space 28c is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder part 24 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder part 22. The space outside the air path 28c communicates with the space outside the air path 28b. The outside air path space 28b and the outside air path space 28c are used as spaces for passing signal lines to the hand detection unit 50 and the like arranged in the tip side space 28a. The inner cylinder part 24 is fixed to the outer cylinder part 22, for example, by screwing.

The nozzle 30 communicates with the air passage 26 of the inner cylinder portion 24. Further, in this embodiment, the nozzle 30 is provided on the lower surface of the casing 20 and blows air downward from the casing 20. Therefore, the drying space 32 becomes a spatial region below the casing 20. Since the wash basin 12 is provided below the casing 20, the air blown out from the nozzle 30 finally collides with the wash basin 12.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the nozzle 30 is formed in the shape of an elongated slit that extends linearly in the direction in which the casing 20 extends. The slit width of the nozzle 30 is set to, for example, 2 mm or less. Note that the nozzle 30 may have a shape in which a plurality of elongated slits are arranged in parallel as shown in FIG. 3, or may have a shape in which round holes are arranged in a row instead of slits. Good too.

The blowing section 40 sends out air blown out from the nozzle 30. In this embodiment, the air blower 40 is housed in a box 42 attached to the wall WL below the washstand 10. The blower unit 40 functions as a high-pressure air generation source, and includes, for example, a fan casing, a fan body such as a turbo fan housed in the fan casing, and a fan motor that rotates the fan body. It is configured to draw in air from the suction port to generate high-pressure air. The suction port is removably provided with an air filter (not shown) that collects dust, dirt, etc. in the air. The air filter may be, for example, a resin mesh or a metal mesh, or may be a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter that can collect finer dust.

One end of a ventilation duct 44 is connected to the discharge side of the ventilation section 40. The other end of the air duct 44 is connected to the base end of the casing 20, more specifically, the base end of the inner cylinder part 24. The air duct 44 is a tubular member through which air passes. The high-pressure air generated in the blower section 40 passes through the air passage 26 of the inner cylinder section 24 of the casing 20 from the blower duct 44 and is blown out from the nozzle 30. The ventilation duct 44 is molded from resin and has a bellows structure that can be flexibly bent to facilitate construction.

Furthermore, the box body 42 is provided with a heater (not shown) that heats the high-pressure air generated in the blower section 40. By using this heater, the air blown out from the nozzle 30 can be heated.

A power switch 43a, an air volume switch 43b, and a heater switch 43c are provided on the surface of the box 42. The power switch 43a is a switch for turning on and off the power of the hand drying device 1. The air volume switch 43b is a switch for switching the speed of air blown out from the nozzle 30 in multiple stages. The heater switch 43c is a switch for turning on and off the above-mentioned heater.

The hand detection unit 50 detects the presence or absence of a hand placed in the drying space 32. In this embodiment, the drying space 32 is a space area below the casing 20, so more specifically, the hand detection unit 50 detects the presence or absence of a hand inserted between the casing 20 and the washbowl 12. Detect. The hand detection unit 50 is provided in the casing 20 near the nozzle 30. Further, the hand detection unit 50 is arranged in the casing 20 on a side closer to the user than the nozzle 30. With this arrangement, the user's hand can be detected well and the usability can be improved. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the hand detection unit 50 is housed in the distal end space 28a of the casing 20, and is arranged on the lower surface of the casing 20 on the side closer to the user than the nozzle 30. has been done. The hand detection unit 50 can use, for example, an optical infrared sensor, a distance sensor, a capacitance sensor, or the like as a sensor for detecting a hand.

The control unit 60 controls the operation of the ventilation unit 40 based on the detection result of the hand detection unit 50. In this embodiment, the control section 60 is provided inside the box 42, as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control function of the hand drying device 1. As shown in FIG. The control section 60 is electrically connected to each of the air blowing section 40 and the hand detection section 50. The hand detection section 50 outputs a hand detection signal indicating whether or not the placement of the hand in the drying space 32 has been detected, and sends it to the control section 60 . The control unit 60 controls the operation of the blower unit 40 based on the hand detection signal output from the hand detection unit 50. For example, the control unit 60 operates the blower unit 40 when the hand detection unit 50 detects that a hand is present. As a result, high-pressure air is generated in the blower section 40 and sent to the nozzle 30 through the blower duct 44. The nozzle 30 converts the high-pressure air generated by the blower 40 into a high-speed airflow and blows it out toward the drying space 32 . At this time, the control section 60 controls the operation of the blowing section 40 so that the speed of the air blown out from the nozzle 30 becomes a preset drying wind speed. The drying wind speed is set, for example, to a speed of 80 m/s or more. By changing the rotation speed of the fan main body of the blower 40, the control unit 60 can change the pressure generated in the blower 40 and change the speed of air blown out from the nozzle 30. Further, for example, when the hand detection section 50 detects that a hand is not detected, that is, when it is detected that there is no hand, the control section 60 stops the operation of the ventilation section 40 without operating the ventilation section 40. maintain the condition.

Further, when the hand detection unit 50 detects that a hand is present and then detects that there is no hand, the control unit 60 changes the wind speed of the air blown from the nozzle 30 from the drying wind speed to a preset relaxation wind speed. The operation of the blower section 40 is controlled so that Then, the control unit 60 causes the air blower 40 to continue operating for a preset time, and then stops the operation of the air blower 40.

The relaxation wind speed is set to be lower than the drying wind speed. In this embodiment, for example, three levels of wind speed are set as the relaxation wind speed, as shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a table showing an example of the relationship between the distance L1 between the nozzle 30 and the bottom surface of the washbowl 12 and the relaxation wind speed. For example, three air volume notches of "strong", "medium", and "weak" are set to set the operating state of the air blower 40, and when the air volume notch is "strong", the wind speed of the air blown out from the nozzle 30 is The operation of the blower unit 40 is controlled so that the wind speed is the highest among the three wind speeds (high speed), and when the air volume notch is set to "medium", the wind speed of the air blown out from the nozzle 30 is lower than the high speed (medium speed). When the air volume notch is "weak", the operation of the blower section 40 is controlled so that the speed of the air blown out from the nozzle 30 is lower than the medium speed (low speed). is controlled. Further, in the present embodiment, the relaxation wind speed is set based on the distance L1 between the nozzle 30 and the bottom surface of the washbowl 12, which will be described later.

The functions of the control unit 60 are realized, for example, as a processing circuit with the hardware configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the processing circuit. The functions of the control unit 60 are realized, for example, by the processor 62 shown in FIG. 9 executing a program stored in the memory 64. Furthermore, multiple processors and multiple memories may cooperate to realize the above functions. Further, some of the functions of the control unit 60 may be implemented as an electronic circuit, and other parts may be implemented using the processor 62 and the memory 64.

In this embodiment, the hand drying device 1 further includes a distance detection section 70. The distance detection unit 70 detects the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the distance detection unit 70 detects the distance L1 between the nozzle 30 and the bottom surface of the washbowl 12 in the direction D1 of air blown out from the nozzle 30. For example, an optical distance sensor can be used in the distance detection section 70 as a sensor for detecting distance. In an optical distance sensor, light emitted from a light source inside the distance sensor is reflected when it hits an object, and is received by a light receiving element of the distance sensor. The distance is measured from the difference between the amount of light emitted by the light source and the amount of light received by the light receiving element.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the distance detection section 70 is provided closer to the tip than the center in the extending direction of the casing 20. Furthermore, the distance detection section 70 is provided at a position adjacent to the nozzle 30 in the casing 20. For example, the distance detection section 70 is housed in the distal end side space 28a of the casing 20 similarly to the hand detection section 50, and is arranged between the nozzle 30 and the hand detection section 50 on the lower surface of the casing 20. Note that the distance detection section 70 does not need to accurately detect the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12, but only needs to be able to substantially detect the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12. For example, since there is virtually no large error, the distance between the portion of the casing 20 near the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12 may be treated as the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12. In this embodiment, as described above, the distance detecting section 70 is provided in the casing 20 at a position adjacent to the nozzle 30, and the distance detecting section 70 disposed at a position adjacent to the nozzle 30 is connected to the wash basin 12. The distance is used as the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbasin 12.

As shown in FIG. 7, the distance detection section 70 is electrically connected to the control section 60. The distance detection section 70 outputs a signal indicating information on the detected distance and sends it to the control section 60. The control unit 60 sets the mitigation wind speed based on the distance detected by the distance detection unit 70. In the present embodiment, when the distance detected by the distance detection unit 70 is the first distance, the control unit 60 sets a first wind speed preset as the relaxation wind speed, and the distance detection unit 70 When the distance detected by is a second distance smaller than the first distance, a second wind speed smaller than the first wind speed is set as the relaxation wind speed.

As a specific example of setting the mitigation wind speed, the control unit 60 stores a table shown in FIG. 8 in advance, and sets the mitigation wind speed based on this table. For example, when the distance L1 between the nozzle 30 and the bottom surface of the washbowl 12 detected by the distance detection unit 70 is 250 mm, the control unit 60 sets the air volume notch of the air blower 40 to “strong” to reduce the wind speed. Set to "Fast". Further, when the distance L1 between the nozzle 30 and the bottom surface of the washbowl 12 detected by the distance detection unit 70 is 150 mm, the control unit 60 sets the air volume notch of the air blower 40 to “medium” to achieve the relaxation air speed. Set to "medium speed", which is smaller than "high speed". The relaxation wind speeds of "high speed", "medium speed", and "low speed" shown as an example in FIG. The velocity is set to such an extent that when the air collides with the bottom surface of the washbowl 12, water droplets attached to the inner surface of the washbowl 12 are not scattered. As an example of such a speed, the relaxation wind speed is set to such a speed that the air blown out from the nozzle 30 collides with the bottom surface of the washbowl 12 at a speed of 20 m/s or less.

Further, the control unit 60 does not set the relaxation wind speed while the hand detection unit 50 detects that a hand is present. This prevents the distance detection section 70 from detecting the distance between the nozzle 30 and the user's hand, and the control section 60 from setting the mitigation wind speed based on this distance.

Next, the operation of the hand drying device 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of operation control of the hand drying device 1.

In the hand drying device 1, control is started when the power is turned on. First, in step ST1, the distance detection section 70 detects the distance L1 between the nozzle 30 and the bottom surface of the washbowl 12, and outputs a signal including information indicating the detected distance to the control section 60. Subsequently, the control unit 60 receives the signal output from the distance detection unit 70, and sets the relaxation wind speed based on the distance detected by the distance detection unit 70 (step ST2).

In step ST3, the hand detection section 50 detects the presence or absence of a hand placed in the drying space 32, and outputs a hand detection signal indicating the detection result to the control section 60. The control unit 60 determines whether or not there is a hand in the drying space 32 based on the hand detection signal output from the hand detection unit 50. When it is determined that there is a hand in the drying space 32, that is, when the hand detection section 50 detects that there is a hand (step ST3, YES), the process proceeds to step ST4. If it is determined that there is no hand in the drying space 32, that is, if the hand detection unit 50 detects that there is no hand (step ST3, NO), the process of step ST3 is repeated.

In step ST4, the control unit 60 operates the blower unit 40 so that the wind speed of the air blown out from the nozzle 30 becomes a preset drying wind speed.

Subsequently, in step ST5, the hand detection section 50 detects the presence or absence of a hand placed in the drying space 32, and outputs a hand detection signal indicating the detection result to the control section 60. The control unit 60 determines whether or not there is a hand in the drying space 32 based on the hand detection signal output from the hand detection unit 50. If it is determined that there is a hand in the drying space 32, that is, if the hand detection unit 50 detects that there is a hand (step ST5, YES), the process of step ST5 is repeated. If it is determined that there is no hand in the drying space 32, that is, if the hand detection unit 50 detects that there is no hand (step ST5, NO), the process proceeds to step ST6.

In step ST6, the control unit 60 starts a timer provided in the control unit 60. Subsequently, the control unit 60 controls the operation of the blower unit 40 so that the wind speed of the air blown out from the nozzle 30 becomes the relaxation wind speed set in step ST2 (step ST7).

Subsequently, in step ST8, the control unit 60 determines whether the time set in advance by the timer has elapsed. Here, the preset time is set in consideration of drying the entire hand by reliably continuing to apply the high-speed airflow until the end when the hand is pulled out of the drying space 32. If it is determined that the preset time has elapsed (step ST8, YES), the process advances to step ST9. If it is determined that the preset time has not elapsed (step ST8, NO), the process of step ST8 is repeated.

In step ST9, the control unit 60 stops the operation of the blower unit 40. This completes the series of operations.

As described above, the hand drying device 1 according to the present embodiment includes the nozzle 30 that blows air toward the drying space 32 in which hands are placed, the blowing section 40 that blows out the air from the nozzle 30, and the drying device 1. A hand detection section 50 detects the presence or absence of a hand placed in the space 32, and when the presence of a hand is detected by the hand detection section 50, the wind speed of the air blown out from the nozzle 30 becomes a preset drying wind speed. The operation of the air blowing unit 40 is controlled in such a manner that when the hand detection unit 50 detects that a hand is present and then detects that there is no hand, the wind speed of the air blown from the nozzle 30 is set in advance from the drying wind speed. A control unit 60 that controls the operation of the air blower 40 so as to achieve the relaxation wind speed, and stops the operation of the air blower 40 after continuing the operation of the air blower 40 for a preset time. It is something.

In this way, when the hand detection unit 50 detects that a hand is present and then detects that there is no hand, the control unit 60 does not immediately stop the operation of the air blowing unit 40, but controls the air blowing from the nozzle 30. The operation of the blower unit 40 is controlled so that the wind speed changes from the drying wind speed to the relaxation wind speed, and the operation is continued for a preset time, so that the high-speed air flow is reliably maintained until the hand is pulled out of the drying space 32. You can keep applying it to dry your entire hand. In addition, since the wind speed of the air blown out from the nozzle 30 has changed from the drying wind speed to the relaxation wind speed, the air blown out from the nozzle 30 is Even if the flow directly collides with the inner surface of the washbowl 12, the wind speed at the time of collision with the washbowl 12 is suppressed. This makes it possible to suppress the bounce of the airflow caused by the collision between the airflow blown out from the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12 and the scattering of water droplets adhering to the inner surface of the washbowl 12, thereby reducing the user's discomfort. be able to.

Further, the hand drying device 1 further includes a casing 20 provided with a nozzle 30 and arranged above the washbasin 12, and a distance detection unit 70 that detects the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbasin 12. The wind speed is set based on the distance detected by the distance detection section 70. In this way, by setting the relaxation wind speed based on the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12 detected by the distance detection unit 70, it is possible to set the relaxation wind speed based on the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12, which is detected by the distance detection unit 70. After the hand is pulled out from the drying space 32, while preventing the relaxation wind speed from being unnecessarily reduced and making it difficult to dry the fingertips, etc. of the hand, such as setting the air speed to a very low value. It is possible to suppress the rebound of the airflow caused by the collision between the airflow blown out from the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12 and the scattering of water droplets adhering to the inner surface of the washbowl 12. In this way, a suitable balance between hand drying performance and suppression of air flow bounce and water droplet scattering after the hand is withdrawn can be obtained. In addition, the installer or constructor of the hand drying device 1 does not need to set the relaxation air speed according to the depth of the washbasin 12 of the washstand 10 where the hand drying device 1 is installed. 1. Construction can be made easier.

When the distance detected by the distance detection section 70 is the first distance, the control section 60 sets a first wind speed set in advance as the mitigation wind speed, and when the distance detected by the distance detection section 70 is the first distance. When the second distance is smaller than the first distance, a second wind speed smaller than the first wind speed is set as the relaxation wind speed. With such a configuration, the distance detected by the distance detection unit 70 is smaller than the first distance than the mitigation wind speed that is set when the distance detected by the distance detection unit 70 is the first distance. The relaxation wind speed set for the second distance is smaller. Generally, when the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12 is long, the speed of the air blown out from the nozzle 30 is attenuated before reaching the washbowl 12, and the air blows into the washbowl 12 at a slower speed than when it is blown out. Since the airflow collides with the washbowl 12, the rebound of the air flow due to the collision with the washbowl 12 is small, and water droplets adhering to the inner surface of the washbowl 12 are difficult to scatter. On the other hand, when the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12 is small, the air blown out from the nozzle 30 collides with the washbowl 12 at a speed close to that of the air being blown out, so the air flow bounces back due to the collision with the washbowl 12. Water droplets adhering to the inner surface of the washbasin 12 are easily scattered. Therefore, with the above-described configuration, when the distance detected by the distance detection section 70 is small, the mitigation wind speed is set to a low value, and conversely, when the distance detected by the distance detection section 70 is large, the mitigation wind speed is set to a high value. By doing so, it is possible to reliably suppress the rebound of the airflow and the scattering of water droplets after the hand is pulled out, and the drying performance of the hand can be maintained since the relaxation wind speed is not unnecessarily reduced. In this way, a better balance between hand drying performance and suppression of airflow bounce and water droplet scattering after the hand is withdrawn can be obtained.

The casing 20 is provided extending from the outside of the washbowl 12 toward the upper part of the washbowl 12 , and the tip of the casing 20 is located above the washbowl 12 . It is provided closer to the tip than the center in the installation direction. With this configuration, the distance detection unit 70 is provided in the casing 20 in which the nozzle 30 is provided, and is also placed above the washbowl 12, so that the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12 can be detected more reliably. can do.

The distance detection section 70 is provided at a position adjacent to the nozzle 30 in the casing 20. With such a configuration, the distance detection unit 70 can detect the distance between the nozzle 30 and the point where the air flow blown out from the nozzle 30 collides with the bottom surface of the washbowl 12, and the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12. Distance can be detected more accurately.

The relaxation wind speed is smaller than the highest wind speed among the wind speeds of the air sent out from the blower section 40 and blown out from the nozzle 30. By suppressing the speed of the relaxation wind in this way, the airflow blown out from the nozzle 30 after the hand is pulled out of the drying space 32 collides with the washbowl 12, causing the airflow to rebound and adhere to the inner surface of the washbowl 12. The scattering of water droplets can be more reliably suppressed.

The relaxation wind speed is lower than the drying wind speed. By making the relaxation wind speed lower than the drying wind speed in this way, the air flow blown out from the nozzle 30 after the hand is pulled out of the drying space 32 collides with the washbowl 12, and the airflow bounces and the washbowl 12 It is possible to more reliably suppress the scattering of water droplets adhering to the inner surface of the container.

Furthermore, the method for controlling the hand drying device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a nozzle 30 that blows air toward the drying space 32 where hands are placed, a blower section 40 that sends out air from the nozzle 30, and a A method for controlling a hand drying device 1, which includes a hand detection section 50 that detects the presence or absence of a hand placed on a hand, and a control section 60 that controls the operation of a blower section 40 based on the detection result of the hand detection section 50. a step in which, when the presence of a hand is detected by the hand detection section 50, the control section 60 controls the operation of the blower section 40 so that the speed of the air blown out from the nozzle 30 becomes a preset drying wind speed; When the hand detection unit 50 detects that a hand is present and then detects that there is no hand, the control unit 60 changes the wind speed of the air blown from the nozzle 30 from the drying wind speed to a preset relaxation wind speed. a step in which the control unit 60 continues to operate the blower unit 40 to blow air from the nozzle 30 at a relaxation wind speed for a preset time; , and a step of stopping the operation of the blower unit 40 that has continued for a preset period of time.

In this way, when the hand detection unit 50 detects that a hand is present and then detects that there is no hand, the control unit 60 does not immediately stop the operation of the air blowing unit 40, but controls the air blowing from the nozzle 30. The operation of the blower unit 40 is controlled so that the wind speed changes from the drying wind speed to the relaxation wind speed, and the operation is continued for a preset time, so that the high-speed air flow is reliably maintained until the hand is pulled out of the drying space 32. You can keep applying it to dry your entire hand. In addition, since the wind speed of the air blown out from the nozzle 30 has changed from the drying wind speed to the relaxation wind speed, the air blown out from the nozzle 30 is Even if the flow directly collides with the inner surface of the washbowl 12, the wind speed at the time of collision with the washbowl 12 is suppressed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the rebound of the airflow caused by the collision between the airflow blown from the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12 and the scattering of water droplets adhering to the inner surface of the washbowl 12, thereby reducing the user's discomfort. be able to.

In the present embodiment described above, the hand detection unit 50 is provided in the casing 20 near the nozzle 30, and is arranged on the side closer to the user than the nozzle 30. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the casings 20 are arranged in parallel near the water discharge part 18 in the washbasin 10. Therefore, when the user places his or her hand below the water discharge part 18 to wash his or her hands, the hand enters a part of the water discharge part 18 side below the casing 20, and the hand detection part 50 detects the hand. Then, high-speed wind may blow out from the nozzle 30. In this case, the water discharged from the water discharge section 18 and the high-speed wind from the nozzle 30 are discharged simultaneously, so that the water discharged from the water discharge section 18 may be scattered by the high-speed wind. Therefore, it is preferable that the hand detection section 50 is arranged at a position away from the water discharge section 18 in the casing 20. With such a configuration, when the user places his or her hand below the water discharge section 18, the possibility that the user's hand enters the detection range of the hand detection section 50 can be reduced, and water and high-speed wind can be detected at the same time. Release can be suppressed.

Furthermore, the nozzle 30 is formed in the shape of an elongated slit that extends linearly in the direction in which the casing 20 extends. When the nozzle 30 has an elongated slit shape, the potential core of the airflow blown out from the nozzle 30 becomes small, and as the airflow moves away from the nozzle 30, the wind speed of the airflow tends to attenuate. For this reason, at the position of the user's hand, the airflow is maintained after the user finishes drying the hand and withdraws the hand from the drying space 32, while ensuring sufficient wind speed to blow away water droplets attached to the hand. The wind speed when colliding with the washbasin 12 can be suppressed. This makes it difficult for water droplets adhering to the inner surface of the washbasin 12 to scatter to the surroundings, allowing for more hygienic use. Further, by setting the slit width of the nozzle 30 to 2 mm or less, it becomes easier to obtain the wind speed damping effect.

The distance detection unit 70 detects the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12. Here, depending on the type of sensor used in the distance detection unit 70, such as an optical distance sensor, the distance detection unit 70 may The distance between the nozzle 30 and the water surface stored in the washbasin 12 can be detected. In this case, since the relaxation wind speed is set based on the distance between the nozzle 30 detected by the distance detection unit 70 and the water surface of the water stored in the washbasin 12, the air flow blown out from the nozzle 30 It is possible to reduce the scattering of the water stored in the washbasin 12 due to collision with the water surface of the water stored in the washbasin 12.

Note that in the present embodiment described above, the distance detection section 70 is provided in the casing 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. The distance detection unit 70 may be provided separately from the casing 20 as long as it can detect the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbasin 12.

Furthermore, although three levels of wind speed are set as the relaxation wind speed, the present invention is not limited thereto. The wind speed for relaxation may be set to one or two stages of wind speed, or four or more stages of wind speed. Further, although the relaxation wind speed has been set in stages according to the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12, the present invention is not limited to this, and the relaxation wind speed can be set continuously according to the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12. It may be set as follows.

Although the mitigation wind speed is set based on the distance detected by the distance detection unit 70, the present invention is not limited thereto. The hand drying device 1 may further include a wind speed setting means that allows the user to set the relaxation wind speed from the outside. For example, the air volume switch 43b provided on the surface of the box body 42 may be provided with the function of a wind speed setting means, so that the user can set the relaxation wind speed by operating the air volume switch 43b. As a specific example, the air volume switch 43b may be configured as a tactile switch, and the state of the air volume notch (either "strong", "medium", or "weak") set by the tactile switch may be displayed using an LED or the like. Alternatively, when the tactile switch is held down for 5 seconds or more while the air volume notch is set, the wind speed corresponding to the air volume notch may be set as the relaxation wind speed. With such a configuration, even if the hand drying device 1 does not include the distance detection unit 70, the relaxation wind speed can be set with a simple configuration, and the nozzle after the hand is pulled out from the drying space 32 can be set with a simple configuration. It is possible to suppress the rebound of the airflow caused by the collision between the airflow blown from the washbowl 30 and the washbowl 12 and the scattering of water droplets adhering to the inner surface of the washbowl 12.

In the operation control of the hand drying device 1, first, in step ST1, the distance detection unit 70 detects the distance between the nozzle 30 and the washbowl 12, and in step ST2, the distance detection unit 70 detects the distance between the control unit 60 and the washbowl 12. Set mitigation wind speed based on distance. That is, once the wind speed for relaxation is set, it is not changed, but the present invention is not limited to this. After a certain period of time has elapsed, the setting of the relaxation wind speed may be reviewed. For example, in step ST3, when the hand detection section 50 detects that there is no hand (step ST3, NO), after a certain period of time, the process returns to step ST1, and the distance detection section 70 detects the distance and the detected distance. The setting of the mitigation wind speed (step ST2) may be performed based on the following. Thereby, the relaxation wind speed can be reset in response to a change in distance, such as when water accumulates in the washbasin 12.

Note that it is also within the scope of the technical idea shown in the embodiments to modify or omit the embodiments described above as appropriate.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a hand drying device that can suppress the rebound of airflow and the scattering of water droplets after the hand is pulled out of the drying space, and can reduce the user's discomfort.

1 hand dryer, 10 washstand, 11 wall, 12 washbowl, 14 drain, 16 drain pipe, 18 water discharge section, 20 casing, 22 outer cylinder, 24 inner cylinder, 24a recess, 26 air passage, 28a Tip side space, 28b, 28c Space outside the air path, 30 Nozzle, 32 Drying space, 40 Air blower, 42 Box, 43a Power switch, 43b Air volume switch, 43c Heater switch, 44 Air blower duct, 50 Hand detection part, 60 Control unit, 62 processor, 64 memory, 70 distance detection unit, D1 blowing direction, FL floor, L1 distance, WL wall.

Claims

a nozzle that blows air toward the drying space where the hand is placed;
a blower unit that sends out air from the nozzle;
a hand detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a hand placed in the drying space;
When the hand detection section detects that a hand is present, the operation of the air blowing section is controlled so that the speed of the air blown out from the nozzle becomes a preset drying wind speed, and the hand detection section detects that the hand is present. When it is detected that there is no hand present after it is detected that there is no hand, the operation of the blowing section is controlled so that the wind speed of the air blown out from the nozzle becomes a preset relaxation wind speed from the drying wind speed, and a control unit that stops the operation of the air blower after continuing the operation of the air blower for a preset time;
A hand drying device with
a casing provided with the nozzle and arranged above the washbasin;
a distance detection unit that detects a distance between the nozzle and the washbasin;
Furthermore,
The hand drying device according to claim 1, wherein the relaxation wind speed is set based on a distance detected by the distance detection section.
When the distance detected by the distance detection unit is a first distance, the control unit sets a first wind speed set in advance as the relaxation wind speed, and the control unit sets a first wind speed set in advance as the relaxation wind speed, and the distance detected by the distance detection unit The hand drying device according to claim 2, wherein when is a second distance smaller than the first distance, a second wind speed smaller than the first wind speed is set as the relaxation wind speed.
The casing is provided extending from the outside of the washbowl toward above the washbowl, and the tip of the casing is located above the washbowl,
The hand drying device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the distance detection section is provided closer to the tip than the center in the extending direction of the casing.
The hand drying device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the distance detection section is provided in a position adjacent to the nozzle in the casing.
The hand drying device according to claim 1, further comprising a wind speed setting means that allows a user to set the relaxation wind speed from the outside.
The hand drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the relaxation wind speed is smaller than the highest wind speed among the wind speeds of the air sent out from the blower section and blown out from the nozzle.
The hand drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the relaxation wind speed is lower than the drying wind speed.
a nozzle that blows air toward a drying space where a hand is placed; a blower unit that sends out air from the nozzle; a hand detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a hand placed in the drying space; A control method for a hand drying device, comprising: a control unit that controls the operation of the blower unit based on a detection result,
If the hand detection unit detects that a hand is present, the control unit controls the operation of the blowing unit so that the speed of the air blown out from the nozzle becomes a preset drying wind speed;
When the hand detection unit detects that a hand is present and then detects that there is no hand, the control unit changes the wind speed of the air blown from the nozzle to a preset relaxation wind speed from the drying wind speed. a step of controlling the operation of the air blower so as to
a step in which the control unit continues operation of the blowing unit that blows air out of the nozzle at the relaxation wind speed for a preset time;
a step in which the control unit stops the operation of the air blowing unit that has been continued for the preset time;
A method of controlling a hand drying device comprising: