WO2024024057A1

WO2024024057A1 - Hand dryer

Info

Publication number: WO2024024057A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/029184
Authority: WO
Inventors: 晋也鈴村
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2022-07-28
Filing date: 2022-07-28
Publication date: 2024-02-01
Also published as: JPWO2024024057A1

Abstract

A hand dryer (1) comprises: a hollow casing (2) having two side walls (2e), (2f) disposed with a gap therebetween in a first direction orthogonal to the vertical direction; and a nozzle (3) that is provided to at least one of the side walls (2e), (2f) and sprays an airflow. A nozzle hole (3c) that allows communication between the inside and outside of the casing (2), and a plurality of dividing walls (3d) for dividing the nozzle hole (3c) into a plurality of sections are formed in the nozzle (3). The plurality of dividing walls (3d) are disposed with gaps therebetween in the vertical direction. The adjacent dividing walls (3d) are disposed so as to spaced further apart from each other going toward the outside of the casing (2) from the inside.

Description

hand dryer

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

In order to maintain hand hygiene, it is necessary to wash hands and dry wet hands after washing. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device for drying wet hands after washing, a hand dryer is known, which blows off moisture attached to the hands by jetting a high-pressure air stream to dry the hands.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a hollow casing equipped with two nozzles that spray airflow toward a user's hand, and a hollow casing that is installed inside the casing to spray high-pressure airflow toward each of the two nozzles. A hand dryer is disclosed that includes an air flow generating section that generates an air flow. The two nozzles are provided symmetrically on the bottom wall of the casing, and each nozzle is inclined so that it is located upward as it moves away from the center of the width direction of the casing along the width direction. The shape of the two nozzles when viewed from the front of the hand dryer is V-shaped.

Each nozzle is formed with a nozzle hole that communicates the inside and outside of the casing, and a plurality of dividing walls that divide the nozzle hole into a plurality of parts. The plurality of dividing walls are vertically spaced apart from each other. The plurality of dividing walls are parallel to each other. A plurality of through parts separated by dividing walls are formed in the nozzle hole. In the hand dryer disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a user's hand is placed below the nozzle from the front of the hand dryer, a high-pressure air stream is ejected from each of the plurality of penetration parts. The airflow is injected obliquely downward away from the widthwise center of the casing.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-039379

When the vertical jet width of the air flow jetted from the nozzle hole toward the outside of the casing increases, the range of the air flow that hits the user's hands increases, making it possible to dry hands efficiently. However, if the plurality of dividing walls are parallel to each other as in Patent Document 1, the width of the vertical passage of the airflow when passing through the nozzle hole and the width of the airflow injected from the nozzle hole toward the outside of the casing. The jet width in the vertical direction is the same, making it difficult to direct an air flow with a jet width wider than the passage width to the user's hand.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present disclosure is to obtain a hand dryer that can make the jetting width of the airflow wider than the passage width.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objects, a hand dryer according to the present disclosure includes a hollow casing having two side walls spaced apart from each other in a first direction perpendicular to the up-down direction; a nozzle disposed on at least one side wall for ejecting an air stream. The nozzle is formed with a nozzle hole that communicates the inside and outside of the casing, and a plurality of dividing walls that divide the nozzle hole into a plurality of parts. The plurality of dividing walls are vertically spaced apart from each other. Adjacent dividing walls are arranged so as to be separated from each other from the inside to the outside of the casing.

According to the hand dryer according to the present disclosure, there is an effect that the jet width of the air flow can be made wider than the passage width.

A front view showing the hand dryer according to the first embodiment. A perspective view showing a hand dryer according to Embodiment 1 FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the hand dryer according to the first embodiment, taken along line III-III shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side view of the hand dryer according to the first embodiment, showing an enlarged view of the nozzle and the periphery of the nozzle. A cross-sectional view along the VV line shown in Figure 4 A cross-sectional view schematically showing the range of the air flow injected toward the outside of the casing from the nozzle shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the hand dryer according to Embodiment 2, showing an enlarged view of the nozzle and the periphery of the nozzle. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII shown in FIG. 7, and schematically shows the range of airflow injected from the first row of nozzle holes toward the outside of the casing. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX shown in FIG. 7, and schematically shows the range of airflow injected from the second row of nozzle holes toward the outside of the casing. FIG. 2 is a front view of the hand dryer according to the second embodiment, schematically showing the range of airflow ejected from the first row of nozzle holes and the second row of nozzle holes toward the outside of the casing. Figure A diagram schematically showing the range of airflow that hits the palm side of the user's right hand in the hand dryer according to Embodiment 2. A diagram schematically showing the range of airflow that hits the palm side of the user's right hand in a hand dryer according to a modification of Embodiment 2.

Below, a hand dryer according to an embodiment will be described in detail based on the drawings.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a hand dryer 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the hand dryer 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the hand dryer 1 according to the first embodiment, and is a sectional view taken along the line III-III shown in FIG. The hand dryer 1 is a device that blows off moisture attached to a user's hands by jetting an air stream to dry wet hands after washing. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hand dryer 1 includes a casing 2 and a nozzle 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the hand dryer 1 includes an air flow generator 4 and a control circuit 5. The hand dryer 1 is attached to a wall 9 of a building or the like.

Hereinafter, when describing the directions of each component of the hand dryer 1, the width direction of the casing 2 will be referred to as the X-axis direction, the height direction of the casing 2 will be referred to as the Y-axis direction, and the depth direction of the casing 2 will be referred to as the Z-axis direction. The + direction in the X-axis direction is the left side, and the - direction in the X-axis direction is the right side. The + direction in the X-axis direction is the direction from the - side to the + side of the X-axis, and the - direction in the X-axis direction is the direction from the + side to the - side of the X-axis. The + direction in the Y-axis direction is defined as upward, and the - direction in the Y-axis direction is defined as downward. The + direction in the Y-axis direction is the direction from the - side to the + side of the Y-axis, and the - direction in the Y-axis direction is the direction from the + side to the - side of the Y-axis. The + direction in the Z-axis direction is the front, and the - direction in the Z-axis direction is the rear. The + direction in the Z-axis direction is the direction from the - side to the + side of the Z-axis, and the - direction in the Z-axis direction is the direction from the + side to the - side of the Z-axis. In this embodiment, the X-axis direction, which is the width direction of the casing 2, is the first direction. In this embodiment, the Y-axis direction, which is the height direction of the casing 2, is the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the Z-axis direction, which is the depth direction of the casing 2, is the second direction. The second direction is a direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the vertical direction. Hereinafter, the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction may be referred to as the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the casing 2 is a hollow member having two

side walls

2e and 2f spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction. The casing 2 forms the outer shell of the hand dryer 1. The shape of the casing 2 is not particularly limited as long as it has two

side walls

2e and 2f spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction, but in this embodiment it is semi-cylindrical. The shape of the casing 2 may be, for example, a cube or a rectangular parallelepiped. As shown in FIG. 3, the casing 2 houses a nozzle 3, an airflow generator 4, a control circuit 5, and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 2 has a bottom wall 2a, a ceiling wall 2b, a front wall 2c, a back wall 2d, and left and

right side walls

2e and 2f.

The bottom wall 2a is a horizontal wall. The ceiling wall 2b is a horizontal wall arranged above the bottom wall 2a and apart from the bottom wall 2a. The ceiling wall 2b has a semicircular shape in plan view.

The front wall 2c, the back wall 2d, and the two

side walls

2e, 2f stand up from the periphery of the bottom wall 2a. The front wall 2c is a wall that a user faces when drying wet hands after washing, and is a wall that connects the front ends of the bottom wall 2a and the ceiling wall 2b. The back wall 2d is a wall facing opposite to the front wall 2c, and is a vertical wall that connects the rear ends of the bottom wall 2a and the ceiling wall 2b. The rear wall 2d is attached to the wall 9 of the building shown in FIG.

When the casing 2 is viewed from the front, the two

side walls

2e and 2f are walls located on the left and right sides of the casing 2. The left side wall 2e is a wall that connects the left ends of the bottom wall 2a and the ceiling wall 2b. The right side wall 2f is a wall that connects the right ends of the bottom wall 2a and the ceiling wall 2b. The front portions of the

side walls

2e and 2f extend in a curved shape so as to approach each other from the rear toward the front.

As shown in FIG. 1, an intake port 2g is formed in the upper part of the casing 2 to take air from outside the casing 2 into the inside of the casing 2. The intake port 2g is formed in each of the left and

right side walls

2e and 2f. The intake port 2g is provided at a position closer to the ceiling wall 2b than the center of the

side walls

2e and 2f in the Y-axis direction. The intake port 2g is provided above the nozzle 3. Although the side view shape of the intake port 2g shown in FIG. 2 is not particularly limited, in this embodiment, it is a slit shape extending in the Z-axis direction. The number of intake ports 2g on each

side wall

2e, 2f is not particularly limited, but is four in this embodiment. The four intake ports 2g are arranged in line in the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, a hand detection section 6 for detecting a hand is installed at the bottom of the casing 2. The hand detection unit 6 may be appropriately selected from known sensors capable of detecting a hand. The hand detection section 6 is installed on each of the left and

right side walls

2e and 2f. The number of hand detection sections 6 is two in total, one on each of the left and

right side walls

2e and 2f, but there may be three or more. The hand detection unit 6 is provided at a position closer to the bottom wall 2a than the center of the

side walls

2e and 2f in the Y-axis direction.

The left hand detection unit 6 is installed on the side wall 2e near the boundary with the front wall 2c. The right hand detection unit 6 is installed on the side wall 2f near the boundary with the front wall 2c. The hand detection section 6 is installed near the nozzle 3. The hand detection section 6 is installed in front of the nozzle 3. The hand detection unit 6 and the nozzle 3 are aligned in position in the Y-axis direction. The hand detection section 6 is electrically connected to the control circuit 5 by wire or wirelessly. The detection result of the hand detection section 6 is sent to the control circuit 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, an intake filter 7 is housed inside the casing 2. In FIG. 3, the intake port 2g is illustrated with a dashed line for ease of understanding. The intake filter 7 is installed downstream of the intake port 2g in the air flow direction. The intake filter 7 plays a role of collecting impurities such as dust, dirt, and floating bacteria contained in the air sucked through the intake port 2g. Since the hand dryer 1 is equipped with the intake filter 7, impurities contained in the air around the hand dryer 1 are suppressed from being sucked into the casing 2, and the user's hands are dried with a hygienic air flow. can be done.

The intake filter 7 may be, for example, a resin mesh or a metal mesh, but is preferably a high-performance filter with high air purifying ability, such as a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. The intake filter 7 has an intake surface 7a. The intake surface 7a is a surface of the intake filter 7 into which air flows when the air flow generating section 4 is operated. The intake surface 7a is located at the uppermost surface of the intake filter 7. The intake surface 7a of the intake filter 7 is arranged above the intake port 2g. In this way, when moisture is sucked in from the intake port 2g, it is possible to prevent the moisture from dripping or adhering to the intake filter 7.

An air passage 2h through which air flows is formed inside the casing 2. In addition, the broken line arrow shown in FIG. 3 represents the flow of the air flow 8 in the air path 2h. The air passage 2h is an air passage that communicates the intake port 2g and the nozzle 3, and extends in the Y-axis direction.

The air flow generation unit 4 is a device that is installed inside the casing 2 and generates a highly pressurized air flow 8. The air flow generator 4 is installed below the intake port 2g and above the nozzle 3 within the air passage 2h. The air flow generator 4 takes air into the air passage 2h from the intake port 2g and sends a high-pressure air flow 8 toward the nozzle 3. The airflow generating section 4 includes a housing 4a, blades 4b disposed inside the housing 4a, a motor 4c for rotating the blades 4b, and the like. The airflow generator 4 is electrically connected to the control circuit 5 by wire or wirelessly. It is preferable that the output of the air flow generator 4 is set so that the speed of the air flow 8 injected from the nozzle 3 toward the outside of the casing 2 is 80 m/s or more.

The control circuit 5 is installed inside the casing 2 and controls the operation and stop of the air flow generator 4. The control circuit 5 operates the airflow generation section 4 when the hand detection section 6 detects the user's hand. The control circuit 5 is installed between the air intake port 2g and the airflow generating section 4 in the Y-axis direction. The control circuit 5 is arranged adjacent to the air passage 2h, or so that at least a portion of the control circuit 5 is located within the air passage 2h. In this way, when the temperature of the control circuit 5 rises due to the operation of the hand dryer 1, the air flow 8 generated by the air flow generator 4 takes away the heat from the control circuit 5 as it flows through the air path 2h. Therefore, the control circuit 5 can be cooled. In addition, since the temperature of the airflow 8 increases as the airflow 8 removes heat from the control circuit 5, the airflow 8, which is warmer than room temperature, hits the user's hands, making it possible to dry the user's hands comfortably. The energy required to heat the air flow 8 using an electric heater (not shown) or the like can be suppressed.

The nozzle 3 is a member that sprays the airflow 8 generated by the airflow generator 4 toward the user's hand. The nozzle 3 is installed at the bottom of the casing 2. The nozzle 3 is installed below the airflow generating section 4 and above the bottom wall 2a of the casing 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle 3 is installed on each of the left and

right side walls

2e and 2f. The nozzle 3 is provided at a position closer to the bottom wall 2a than the center of the

side walls

2e and 2f in the Y-axis direction. The nozzle 3 is formed separately from the casing 2. The nozzle 3 is attached to attachment holes 2j formed in

side walls

2e and 2f of the casing 2.

The nozzle 3 includes a left-hand nozzle part 3a provided on the left side wall 2e, and a right-hand nozzle part 3b provided on the right side wall 2f. The left-hand nozzle section 3a injects an air flow 8 toward the user's left hand. The right-hand nozzle part 3b injects an air flow 8 toward the user's right hand. When a line along the vertical direction passing through the center of the casing 2 in the X-axis direction is the first center line Ca, the left-hand nozzle part 3a and the right-hand nozzle part 3b are arranged on both sides of the first center line Ca. They are arranged symmetrically.

The left-hand nozzle part 3a and the right-hand nozzle part 3b are inclined to be located upward as they move away from the center of the casing 2 in the X-axis direction along the X-axis direction. The left-hand nozzle section 3a and the right-hand nozzle section 3b inject the airflow 8 obliquely downward away from the center of the casing 2 in the X-axis direction. A breath portion 2i that does not inject air is provided in a portion of the casing 2 between the left-hand nozzle portion 3a and the right-hand nozzle portion 3b. Note that the nozzle 3 only needs to be provided on at least one

side wall

2e, 2f.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the hand dryer 1 according to the first embodiment, and is an enlarged view showing the nozzle 3 and the periphery of the nozzle 3. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 5, only the nozzle 3 and the bottom wall 2a are shown in cross section. As shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle 3 is formed with a nozzle hole 3c that communicates the inside and outside of the casing 2, and a plurality of dividing walls 3d that divide the nozzle hole 3c into a plurality of parts.

The opening shape of the nozzle hole 3c in a side view is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it is a slit shape that is inclined so as to be located toward the front from the top to the bottom. An imaginary line R is defined as an imaginary line along the extending direction of the nozzle hole 3c. A line along the Z-axis direction passing through an arbitrary point P on the first center line Ca is defined as a second center line Cb. The inclination angle θa between the virtual line R and the second center line Cb when the nozzle hole 3c is viewed from the side surface of the casing 2 is preferably greater than 0° and less than 90° with respect to the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the nozzle hole 3c is inclined so as to approach the front of the casing 2 as it goes from above to below, but it may extend linearly along the up-down direction.

The opening shape of the nozzle hole 3c when viewed from the side is a slit whose width along the direction perpendicular to the stretching direction is smaller than its length in the stretching direction. Hereinafter, the width of the nozzle hole 3c along the direction orthogonal to the stretching direction will be referred to as the slit width D. The slit width D of the nozzle hole 3c is preferably 2 mm or less. A plurality of through parts 3e are formed in the nozzle hole 3c, which are divided by a dividing wall 3d. The number of penetrating portions 3e is not particularly limited, but is three in this embodiment. The three penetrating portions 3e are arranged at intervals from each other in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the nozzle holes 3c are arranged in one row in the Z-axis direction. Note that the opening shape of the nozzle hole 3c is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be circular, for example.

As shown in FIG. 5, the dividing wall 3d includes a boundary wall 3f located between adjacent penetration parts 3e, an upper end wall 3g of the nozzle hole 3c, and a lower end wall 3h of the nozzle hole 3c. The dividing wall 3d plays a role of rectifying the airflow 8 passing through the penetrating portion 3e. That is, since the air flow 8 flows along the dividing wall 3d in the penetrating direction of the penetrating portion 3e, turbulence in directions other than the penetrating direction of the penetrating portion 3e is smoothed out. The dividing wall 3d extends from a portion of the nozzle hole 3c that opens on the inner surface of the casing 2 to a portion that opens on the outer surface of the casing 2.

The number of dividing walls 3d is not particularly limited, but is four in this embodiment. The four dividing walls 3d are arranged at intervals from each other in the vertical direction. Adjacent dividing walls 3d are arranged so as to be separated from each other as they go from the inside of the casing 2 to the outside. Each of the plurality of dividing walls 3d is arranged on the same straight line as any one of the plurality of virtual lines V extending radially from an arbitrary point P on the first center line Ca when the casing 2 is viewed from the front. has been done. Each of the plurality of dividing walls 3d is inclined in a range of more than 0° and less than 120° with respect to the vertical direction. The higher the dividing wall 3d is located, the larger the inclination angle θb with respect to the vertical direction. That is, when the inclination angle θb of each of the plurality of partition walls 3d is set to θb1, θb2, θb3, and θb4 in order from the partition wall 3d located above, the relationship is θb1>θb2>θb3>θb4.

The upper end wall 3g of the nozzle hole 3c extends in a nearly horizontal state compared to the other dividing walls 3d. The air flow 8 passing through the uppermost penetrating portion 3e is injected to the outside of the casing 2 in a state closer to horizontal than the other penetrating portions 3e. The lower end wall 3h of the nozzle hole 3c is arranged above the bottom wall 2a of the casing 2. The lower end wall 3h of the nozzle hole 3c extends more vertically than the other dividing walls 3d. The lower end wall 3h of the nozzle hole 3c extends diagonally downward away from the center of the casing 2 in the X-axis direction so that the air flow 8 is not injected vertically downward. The air flow 8 passing through the lowermost penetration part 3e is injected to the outside of the casing 2 in a state closer to vertical than the other penetration parts 3e. The airflow 8 passing through each through-hole 3e is ejected obliquely downward away from the center of the casing 2 in the X-axis direction.

The plurality of dividing walls 3d are arranged at equal angles in the circumferential direction centered on the second center line Cb. In this embodiment, the plurality of dividing walls 3d are arranged at intervals of 10° in the circumferential direction around the second center line Cb. The dividing wall 3d needs to have a sufficient length to rectify the airflow 8 passing through the penetrating portion 3e. The length L of the dividing wall 3d along the extending direction is preferably at least twice the slit width D of the nozzle hole 3c shown in FIG. 4 and at most 5 times. For example, when the slit width D of the nozzle hole 3c is 2 mm, it is preferable that the length L of the dividing wall 3d along the extending direction is within the range of 4 mm to 10 mm. The outer end 3d1 of the upper dividing wall 3d located on the outside of the casing 2 among the adjacent dividing walls 3d is located on the inner side of the casing 2 of the lower dividing wall 3d among the adjacent dividing walls 3d. It is preferable to be located above the inner end portion 3d2.

Next, the operation of the hand dryer 1 when drying the user's hands will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the user's hand is placed below the nozzle 3 from the front of the hand dryer 1 toward the wall 9, the hand located in front of the nozzle 3 is detected as shown in FIG. Section 6 detects the user's hand.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control circuit 5 operates the airflow generation section 4 when the hand detection section 6 detects the user's hand. When the air flow generation section 4 is operated, air outside the casing 2 is sucked into the air passage 2h from the intake port 2g, and an air flow 8 directed from the intake port 2g toward the nozzle 3 is generated.

The airflow 8 generated by the airflow generator 4 is ejected from the nozzle 3 toward the user's hand. By hitting the user's hands with the ejected air flow 8, moisture adhering to the user's hands can be blown away, thereby drying the wet hands after washing.

Next, the effects of the hand dryer 1 according to this embodiment will be explained.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the range of the air flow 8 injected from the nozzle 3 shown in FIG. 5 toward the outside of the casing 2. In FIG. 6, the air flow 8 is illustrated by dot hatching, and only the nozzle 3 and the bottom wall 2a are shown in cross section. Further, although FIG. 6 shows a state in which the air stream 8 is injected from only one nozzle 3, in reality, the air stream 8 is injected from the nozzles 3 on both sides. In this embodiment, the nozzle 3 provided on the

side walls

2e and 2f of the casing 2 includes a nozzle hole 3c that communicates the inside and outside of the casing 2, and a plurality of dividing walls 3d that divide the nozzle hole 3c into a plurality of parts. is formed. The plurality of dividing walls 3d are arranged at intervals from each other in the vertical direction. Adjacent dividing walls 3d are arranged so as to be separated from each other as they go from the inside of the casing 2 to the outside. With these configurations, when the hand dryer 1 is viewed from the front, the vertical jet width W of the air flow 8 jetted toward the outside of the casing 2 from the nozzle hole 3c increases as the distance from the nozzle hole 3c increases. That is, the air flow 8 injected toward the outside of the casing 2 from the nozzle hole 3c is diffused in a fan shape. Therefore, the jetting width W of the airflow 8 jetted toward the outside of the casing 2 from the nozzle hole 3c can be made wider than the vertical passage width of the airflow 8 when passing through the nozzle hole 3c. As a result, compared to the case where the vertical passage width of the airflow 8 when passing through the nozzle hole 3c and the injection width W of the airflow 8 injected from the nozzle hole 3c toward the outside of the casing 2 are the same. This can increase the area of the airflow 8 hitting the user's hand. In other words, the air flow 8 having the jet width W wider than the passage width can be applied to the user's hand.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, when a line along the vertical direction passing through the center of the casing 2 in the X-axis direction is the first center line Ca, each of the plurality of dividing walls 3d It is arranged on the same straight line as any one of the plurality of virtual lines V extending radially from an arbitrary point P on the center line Ca of 1. Each of the plurality of dividing walls 3d is inclined in a range of more than 0° and less than 120° with respect to the vertical direction. The higher the dividing wall 3d is located, the larger the inclination angle θb with respect to the vertical direction. With these configurations, the airflow 8 can be ejected over a wider range in the width direction of the user's hand, so the range of the airflow 8 that hits the user's hand can be increased.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the direction perpendicular to both the X-axis direction and the vertical direction is defined as the Z-axis direction, and the direction along the Z-axis passing through an arbitrary point P on the first center line Ca When the line is taken as the second center line Cb, the plurality of dividing walls 3d are arranged at equal angles in the circumferential direction centering on the second center line Cb. This configuration makes it easier for the airflow 8 to flow evenly through each of the plurality of penetration parts 3e, making it easier for the airflow 8 to disperse and hit the user's hand evenly. Note that the plurality of dividing walls 3d may be arranged at unequal angles in the circumferential direction centering on the second center line Cb. In this way, it is possible to arbitrarily set the penetration portion 3e through which the airflow 8 easily flows and the penetration portion 3e through which the airflow 8 does not easily flow. For example, the airflow 8 can be set to locally hit the center of the user's hand.

If the length L along the extending direction of the dividing wall 3d shown in FIG. 5 is at least twice and no more than 5 times the slit width D of the nozzle hole 3c shown in FIG. 8 can be reliably rectified.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, when the casing 2 is viewed from the front, the two

side walls

2e and 2f are walls located on the left and right sides of the casing 2, and the nozzle 3 is located on the left side wall 2e. It includes a left-hand nozzle section 3a provided on the right side wall 2f and a right-hand nozzle section 3b provided on the right side wall 2f. With this configuration, the ejected air flow 8 hits the user's right and left hands, thereby blowing away moisture adhering to both hands of the user and drying both hands after washing. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the left-hand nozzle section 3a and the right-hand nozzle section 3b are arranged symmetrically across the first center line Ca, so that the left hand and right hand The air flow 8 can be applied at the same height position. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a breath part 2i that does not inject airflow is provided in a portion of the casing 2 between the left-hand nozzle part 3a and the right-hand nozzle part 3b. With this configuration, when the injected airflow 8 hits the user's left and right hands, moisture tends to scatter toward the left and right, so the amount of moisture scattering around the user facing the front of the casing 2 is suppressed. can do. Additionally, with this configuration, it is possible to form a sheet-shaped airflow 8 that hits the user's left hand and a sheet-shaped airflow 8 that hits the user's right hand, resulting in an efficient drying method such as drying the hands with the palms spread out. Users can be naturally guided to

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer end 3d1 of the upper dividing wall 3d located on the outside of the casing 2 of the adjacent dividing walls 3d is It is located above the inner end portion 3d2 of the dividing wall 3d located on the inside side of the casing 2. With this configuration, when molding the nozzle hole 3c with a metal mold, it is possible to perform mold cutting in the same axial direction, making it easier to mold the nozzle hole 3c. Note that an outer end 3d1 located on the outside side of the casing 2 of the upper dividing wall 3d among the adjacent dividing walls 3d is inside the casing 2 of the lower dividing wall 3d among the adjacent dividing walls 3d. It may be at the same height position as the inner end 3d2 located on the side, or below the inner end 3d2 located on the inside of the casing 2 of the lower dividing wall 3d among the adjacent dividing walls 3d. It may be located in

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle hole 3c is inclined so as to approach the front of the casing 2 from the top to the bottom. With this configuration, the plurality of penetration parts 3e can be arranged in a staggered manner in the Z-axis direction, which is the depth direction of the hand dryer 1, so that the injection range of the air flow 8 in the depth direction of the hand dryer 1 can be expanded.

Although the nozzle 3 is formed separately from the casing 2 and attached to the attachment holes 2j of the

side walls

2e and 2f in this embodiment, it may be formed integrally with the casing 2. In such a configuration, the nozzle hole 3c and the dividing wall 3d are formed in the

side walls

2e and 2f. That is, the nozzle hole 3c penetrates from the inner surface to the outer surface of the

side walls

2e, 2f, and the dividing wall 3d becomes a part of the

side walls

2e, 2f.

Embodiment 2.
Next, a hand dryer 1A according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 12. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in that the number of rows of nozzle holes 3c is plural. In addition, in the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the first embodiment described above, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the hand dryer 1A according to the second embodiment, and is an enlarged view showing the nozzle 3 and the periphery of the nozzle 3. The nozzle holes 3c are arranged in multiple rows at intervals in the Z-axis direction. Although the number of rows of nozzle holes 3c is two in this embodiment, it may be three or more. Hereinafter, the rows closest to the front of the casing 2 will be referred to as the first row and the second row in order.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII shown in FIG. 7, and schematically shows the range of the air flow 8 injected from the first row of nozzle holes 3c toward the outside of the casing 2. FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX shown in FIG. 7, and schematically shows the range of the air flow 8 injected toward the outside of the casing 2 from the second row of nozzle holes 3c. FIG. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the air flow 8 is illustrated by dot hatching, and only the nozzle 3 and the bottom wall 2a are shown in cross section. Moreover, although FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a state in which the air stream 8 is injected from only one nozzle 3, in reality, the air stream 8 is injected from the nozzles 3 on both sides. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the airflows 8 injected toward the outside of the casing 2 from the nozzle holes 3c in each row, the airflow 8 injected toward the outside of the casing 2 from the nozzle holes 3c in the first row. is referred to as an air flow 8a, and the air flow 8 injected toward the outside of the casing 2 from the second row of nozzle holes 3c is referred to as an air flow 8b.

The inclination angle θb4 of the lower end wall 3h located at the lowest position among the inner walls of the nozzle holes 3c differs from row to row. Hereinafter, the inclination angle θb4 of the lower end wall 3h of the first row may be referred to as an inclination angle θb41, and the inclination angle θb4 of the lower end wall 3h of the second row may be referred to as an inclination angle θb42. The inclination angle θb41 of the lower end wall 3h of the first row is larger than the inclination angle θb42 of the lower end wall 3h of the second row.

The inclination angle θb1 of the uppermost wall 3g of the inner walls of the nozzle holes 3c differs from row to row. Hereinafter, the inclination angle θb1 of the upper end wall 3g of the first row may be referred to as the inclination angle θb11, and the inclination angle θb1 of the upper end wall 3g of the second row may be referred to as the inclination angle θb12. The inclination angle θb11 of the upper end wall 3g of the first row is larger than the inclination angle θb12 of the upper end wall 3g of the second row. That is, the inclination angle θb4 of the lower end wall 3h located lowermost among the inner walls of the nozzle hole 3c is larger as the row is located closer to the front side of the casing 2, and the inclination angle θb4 of the lower end wall 3h located lowermost among the inner walls of the nozzle hole 3c is larger. The inclination angle θb1 of the wall 3g is larger in the row located on the front side of the casing 2. In the rows of adjacent nozzle holes 3c, the inclination angle θb41 of the lower end wall 3h of one row located on the front side of the casing 2 is greater than the inclination angle θb12 of the upper end wall 3g of the other row located on the back side of the casing 2. small. In other words, it is preferable that the relationship θb42<θb41<θb12<θb11 exists in the rows of adjacent nozzle holes 3c.

In the present embodiment, the nozzle holes 3c are arranged in a plurality of rows at intervals in the Z-axis direction, and the inclination angle θb1 of the upper end wall 3g located at the uppermost position among the inner walls of the nozzle holes 3c is different for each row. are different. With this configuration, when viewed from the front of the hand dryer 1, the spray range of the air flow 8 sprayed from the nozzle hole 3c toward the outside of the casing 2 in the vertical direction and the Z-axis direction is different, and the width of the user's hand is different. Since it is possible to widen the injection range of the directional and longitudinal airflow 8, the range of the airflow 8 hitting the user's hand can be increased.

As a means of expanding the injection range of the air flow 8 using only one row of nozzle holes 3c, there is a method of increasing the opening area of the part of the nozzle holes 3c that opens on the outer surface of the casing 2. The opening area of the portion opened to the inner surface of the casing 2 becomes small. This causes a problem in that sufficient air volume cannot be secured to dry wet hands after washing. In this regard, in this embodiment, a plurality of rows of nozzle holes 3c are arranged, and the injection range of the air flow 8 in the vertical direction and the Z-axis direction is made different for each nozzle hole 3c. The injection range of the air flow 8 can be expanded without increasing the opening area of the portion opened on the outer surface of the casing 2. Therefore, the opening area of the part of the nozzle hole 3c that opens into the inner surface of the casing 2 does not become smaller than necessary, so that a sufficient air volume can be ensured to dry wet hands after washing.

In addition, as a means of expanding the vertical injection range of the air flow 8 using only one row of nozzle holes 3c, there is a method of increasing the length of the nozzle holes 3c in the extending direction, but in this case, the length of the nozzle holes 3c in the extending direction is increased. The dimension, that is, the width dimension of the casing 2 becomes large. In this regard, in this embodiment, the nozzle holes 3c are arranged in a plurality of rows, and the vertical injection range of the air flow 8 is made different for each nozzle hole 3c, so that the length of the nozzle hole 3c in each row in the extending direction is The vertical injection range of the airflow 8 can be expanded without increasing the height. Therefore, the vertical injection range of the airflow 8 can be expanded while suppressing an increase in the width dimension of the casing 2.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a hand dryer 1A according to the second embodiment, in which air is injected toward the outside of the casing 2 from the first row of nozzle holes 3c and the second row of nozzle holes 3c. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the range of flow 8; In FIG. 10, the air flow 8 is illustrated by dotted hatching. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the inclination angle θb4 of the lower end wall 3h located lowermost among the inner walls of the nozzle hole 3c is larger as the row is located closer to the front side of the casing 2, and The inclination angle θb1 of the upper end wall 3g located at the uppermost position among the inner walls of the nozzle hole 3c is larger as the row is located closer to the front side of the casing 2. In the present embodiment, the inclination angle θb41 of the lower end wall 3h of one row of adjacent nozzle holes 3c located on the front side of the casing 2 is the same as that of the upper end wall 3h of the other row located on the back side of the casing 2. It is smaller than the inclination angle θb42 of the wall 3g. With these configurations, as shown in FIG. 10, when viewed from the front of the hand dryer 1, the ranges of the air streams 8 injected from each nozzle hole 3c toward the outside of the casing 2 can partially overlap. Can be done. Hereinafter, the range where the air flows 8 injected toward the outside of the casing 2 from each nozzle hole 3c partially overlap may be referred to as the overlapping range 8c of the air flows 8. In FIG. 10, in order to clarify the overlapping range 8c of the airflows 8, the overlapping range 8c of the airflows 8 is made clearer than the range in which the airflows 8 injected from each nozzle hole 3c toward the outside of the casing 2 do not overlap. Illustrated with dark dot hatching. In this embodiment, a portion of the user's hand that is overlapped with the air flow 8 jetted toward the outside of the casing 2 from each nozzle hole 3c and a portion of the user's hand that is overlapped with the air flow 8 that is injected toward the outside of the casing 2, The portion that is hit by the air flow 8 that is injected toward the outside of the casing 2 can be arbitrarily set. Since the amount of moisture attached varies depending on the part of the hand, by changing the volume of the air flow 8 applied to each part of the hand as in this embodiment, it is possible to efficiently dry the wet hand after washing.

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing the range of the air flow 8 that hits the flat side of the user's right hand 10 in the hand dryer 1A according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 11, the air flow 8 is illustrated by dotted hatching. In FIG. 11, the overlapping range 8c of the airflows 8 is surrounded by a chain line. As shown in FIG. 11, in this embodiment, the first row of nozzle holes 3c spreads over the entire thumb 10a, the root side of the index finger 10b, the root side of the middle finger 10c, the root side of the ring finger 10d, and the palm 10f. It is possible to apply the air flow 8a in the form of a sheet in plan view. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the second row of nozzle holes 3c can apply the sheet-like air flow 8b to the entire index finger 10b, the entire middle finger 10c, the entire ring finger 10d, and the entire little finger 10e in plan view. In this embodiment, the overlapping range 8c of the airflow 8 injected from each nozzle hole 3c toward the outside of the casing 2 is the root side of the index finger 10b, the root side of the middle finger 10c, and the root side of the ring finger 10d. be. In this embodiment, the air flow 8 can be applied to each of five fingers having different lengths.

Note that the inclination angle θb41 of the lower end wall 3h of the first row may be smaller than the inclination angle θb42 of the lower end wall 3h of the second row. The inclination angle θb11 of the upper end wall 3g of the first row may be smaller than the inclination angle θb12 of the upper end wall 3g of the second row. That is, the inclination angle θb4 of the lower end wall 3h located lowermost among the inner walls of the nozzle hole 3c is smaller as the row is located closer to the front side of the casing 2, and the upper end wall 3h located lowermost among the inner walls of the nozzle hole 3c is smaller. The inclination angle θb1 of the wall 3g may be smaller as the row is located closer to the front side of the casing 2. In the rows of adjacent nozzle holes 3c, the inclination angle θb11 of the upper end wall 3g of one row located on the front side of the casing 2 is greater than the inclination angle θb42 of the lower end wall 3h of the other row located on the back side of the casing 2. big. In other words, it is preferable that the relationship θb41<θb42<θb11<θb12 exists in the rows of adjacent nozzle holes 3c. FIG. 12 shows the range of the airflow 8 hitting the user's hand when such a relationship holds.

FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing the range of airflow 8 that hits the flat side of the user's right hand 10 in a hand dryer according to a modification of the second embodiment. In FIG. 12, the air flow 8 is illustrated by dotted hatching. In FIG. 12, the overlapping range 8c of the airflows 8 is surrounded by a chain line. As shown in FIG. 12, in this modification, the nozzle holes 3c in the first row are applied to the root side of the index finger 10b, the root side of the middle finger 10c, the root side of the ring finger 10d, almost the entirety of the little finger 10e, and the palm 10f. An air flow 8a having a sheet-like shape in plan view can be applied over the entire area. Further, in this modification, the second row of nozzle holes 3c can apply a sheet-like air flow 8b in plan view over the fingertip side of the thumb 10a, the entire index finger 10b, the entire middle finger 10c, and the entire ring finger 10d. The overlapping ranges 8c of the airflows 8 injected toward the outside of the casing 2 from each nozzle hole 3c are also in the base side of the index finger 10b, the base side of the middle finger 10c, and the base side of the ring finger 10d. .

In this modification, the air flow 8a is injected downward in the nozzle holes 3c in the first row compared to the second embodiment shown in FIG. The air flow 8b is ejected laterally than in the second embodiment. As a result, when the airflow 8a injected toward the outside of the casing 2 from the nozzle holes 3c in the first row near the user hits moisture on the user's hands, the moisture tends to scatter downward. It is possible to suppress the amount of moisture that scatters around the user.

The configurations shown in the embodiments above are merely examples, and can be combined with other known techniques, or can be combined with other embodiments, within the scope of the gist. It is also possible to omit or change part of the configuration.

1, 1A hand dryer, 2 casing, 2a bottom wall, 2b ceiling wall, 2c front wall, 2d back wall, 2e, 2f side wall, 2g intake port, 2h air passage, 2i breath part, 2j mounting hole, 3 nozzle, 3a Left hand nozzle part, 3b Right hand nozzle part, 3c nozzle hole, 3d dividing wall, 3d1 outer end, 3d2 inner end, 3e penetration part, 3f boundary wall, 3g upper end wall, 3h lower end wall, 4 air flow generation part , 4a housing, 4b blade, 4c motor, 5 control circuit, 6 hand detection unit, 7 intake filter, 7a intake surface, 8, 8a, 8b air flow, 8c overlap range, 9 wall, 10 right hand, 10a thumb, 10b Index finger, 10c middle finger, 10d ring finger, 10e little finger, 10f palm.

Claims

a hollow casing having two side walls spaced apart from each other in a first direction perpendicular to the up-down direction;
a nozzle provided on at least one side wall to inject an air flow;
The nozzle is formed with a nozzle hole that communicates the inside and outside of the casing, and a plurality of dividing walls that divide the nozzle hole into a plurality of parts,
The plurality of dividing walls are arranged at intervals from each other in the vertical direction,
A hand dryer characterized in that the adjacent dividing walls are arranged so as to be separated from each other as they go from the inside to the outside of the casing.
When a line along the vertical direction passing through the center of the casing in the first direction is defined as a first center line, each of the plurality of dividing walls extends radially from an arbitrary point on the first center line. arranged on the same straight line as any one of the plurality of virtual lines extending in
Each of the plurality of dividing walls is inclined with respect to the vertical direction in a range of more than 0° and less than 120°,
The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the dividing wall located higher up has a larger inclination angle with respect to the vertical direction.
A direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the vertical direction was defined as a second direction, and a line along the second direction passing through an arbitrary point on the first center line was defined as a second center line. The hand dryer according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of dividing walls are arranged at equal angles in a circumferential direction centering on the second center line.
The opening shape of the nozzle hole is slit-shaped,
The hand dryer according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the length of the dividing wall along the extending direction is at least twice the slit width of the nozzle hole and at most 5 times the width of the slit of the nozzle hole.
When the casing is viewed from the front, the two side walls are walls located on the left and right sides of the casing,
The nozzle includes a left-hand nozzle part provided on the left side wall, and a right-hand nozzle part provided on the right side wall,
The left-hand nozzle part and the right-hand nozzle part are arranged symmetrically across the first center line,
Any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a breath part that does not inject airflow is provided in a portion of the casing between the left-hand nozzle part and the right-hand nozzle part. The hand dryer described in.
An outer end portion of the upper dividing wall located outside the casing of the adjacent dividing walls is located inside the casing of the lower dividing wall among the adjacent dividing walls. The hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the hand dryer is located above an inner end portion of the hand dryer.
When a second direction is a direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the vertical direction, the first direction is the width direction of the casing, and the second direction is the depth direction of the casing. and
The nozzle holes are arranged in a plurality of rows at intervals in the second direction,
The hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an inclination angle of an upper end wall located uppermost among the inner walls of the nozzle hole is different for each row.
When a second direction is a direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the vertical direction, the first direction is the width direction of the casing, and the second direction is the depth direction of the casing. and
The nozzle holes are arranged in a plurality of rows at intervals in the second direction,
The inclination angle of the lower end wall of the inner wall of the nozzle hole that is located lowermost is larger as the row is located closer to the front side of the casing, and the inclination angle of the upper end wall of the inner wall of the nozzle hole that is located uppermost is larger. is larger in the row located on the front side of the casing,
In the rows of adjacent nozzle holes, the angle of inclination of the lower end wall of one row located on the front side of the casing is smaller than the angle of inclination of the upper end wall of the other row located on the back side of the casing. The hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by:
When a second direction is a direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the vertical direction, the first direction is the width direction of the casing, and the second direction is the depth direction of the casing. and
The nozzle holes are arranged in a plurality of rows in the second direction,
The inclination angle of the lower end wall located at the lowest position among the inner walls of the nozzle hole is smaller as the rows are located closer to the front side of the casing, and the inclination angle of the upper end wall located at the uppermost position among the inner walls of the nozzle hole is smaller as the rows are located closer to the front side of the casing. is smaller as the row is located closer to the front side of the casing;
In the rows of adjacent nozzle holes, the angle of inclination of the upper end wall of one row located on the front side of the casing is smaller than the angle of inclination of the lower end wall of the other row located on the back side of the casing. The hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by:
The hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the nozzle hole is inclined so as to approach the front of the casing as it goes from above to below.