JP3533772B2 - Hand dryer - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hand dryer which is installed in a washroom, a toilet, a kitchen or the like to dry wet hands after hand washing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hand dryer has been put into practical use, which dries a hand by holding it over a warm air blown in place of a towel or a handkerchief that has been wet by washing with water. For example, one that can also be used as a hair dryer, one that is configured to prevent the scattering of water droplets, one that has an additional function such as sterilization by ultraviolet rays, one that circulates blast air, and one that uses a blast fan blade as a heating element. Some have been developed to improve heating efficiency.

[0003]

However, in the conventional warm air type hand dryer, it takes about 20 seconds to 1 minute to complete the drying, which is considerably longer than that of wiping with a towel or a handkerchief. ing. Also, if you stop drying in the middle without waiting for the completion of drying, especially in winter when the temperature is low, the hand is cooled by the heat of vaporization due to the evaporation of the water remaining on the surface of the hand,
It may cause discomfort and rough hands.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the time required for completion of drying can be shortened, and even if the user does not wait until the completion of drying, the hand can be sufficiently warmed and the discomfort of cooling the hand due to heat of vaporization can be reduced. The purpose is to provide a vessel.

[0005]

The first means of the present invention to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of, the irradiation and blowing means for blowing air, a heating means for heating the air blowing means for blowing, radiation heat radiation Means, a detecting means for detecting a hand, a control means for receiving the output of the detecting means and driving the air blowing means, the heat generating means and the radiating means, and the air blowing means, the heat generating means, the radiating means, the detecting means and the controlling means. A hand dryer that includes a main body for accommodating and a reflection plate provided at a lower portion of the main body so as to face the radiating means, and performs drying by inserting a hand between the main body and the reflection plate.

Other means of the present invention are: blowing means for blowing air, heating means for heating the air blown by the blowing means, radiating means for radiating radiant heat, detecting means for detecting a hand, and detecting means. Control means for driving the blower means, the heat generating means and the radiating means in response to the output of the above, a main body for accommodating the blower means, the heat generating means, the radiating means, the detecting means and the control means, and an inner side provided below the main body. A hand dryer that has a reflection tube as a reflection surface and puts a hand on the end surface of the reflection tube to perform drying.

Further, other means of the present invention include a blowing means for blowing air, a heating means for heating the air blown by the blowing means, a radiating means for radiating radiant heat, a detecting means for detecting a hand, and a detecting means. Control means for driving the blower means, the heat generating means and the radiating means in response to the output of the means, a main body accommodating the blower means, the heat generating means, the radiating means, the detecting means and the control means, and an inner side provided below the main body And a reflection chamber having a reflection surface as a reflection surface, and a hand dryer for drying by placing a hand in the reflection chamber.

Still another means of the present invention is a hand dryer which has a drainage port at the bottom of the reflection chamber.

[0009]

According to the first means of the present invention, the hand is dried by both the warm air discharged by the blowing means and the heat generating means and the radiant heat generated by the radiating means, and the reflecting plate reflects the radiant heat,
A hand dryer is used to dry both sides of the hand out.

Another means of the present invention is a hand dryer which guides most of the radiant heat escaping to the side to the hand by the reflecting tube and can efficiently dry the hand.

Another means of the present invention is a hand dryer which can irradiate most of the radiant heat from many directions to the hand by the reflection chamber and does not cause water droplets blown by warm air to be scattered on the surrounding wall or floor.

Further, another means of the present invention is a hand dryer capable of discharging water droplets accumulated in the reflection chamber from a drain port.

[0013]

EXAMPLES Example 1 Hereinafter, a first example of the hand dryer of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a body 1 of the hand dryer having the appearance shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which (hereinafter, simply referred to as a main body 1) is installed on a wall surface W of a toilet, a washroom, a kitchen, or the like. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the same.

A blower means 4 for blowing air in the main body 1.
And a heating means 6 for heating the air blown by the blowing means 4.
A radiation means 8 for radiating radiant heat, a detection means 7 for detecting a hand, and a control means 11 for receiving the output of the detection means and driving the blower means, the heat generation means and the radiation means are provided. The blower unit 4 is composed of a fan motor that blows the air sucked from the intake port 12 formed on the side surface of the main body 1. The heat generating means 6 uses an air guide 6b for guiding the air blown by the blowing means 4 to the warm air outlet 2 provided on the bottom surface of the main body 1, and a heater such as a nichrome wire provided inside the air guide 6b. And the heat generating portion 6a. The radiation means 8 is a wall surface W of the lower end of the main body 1.
A heat source 8a composed of a lamp heater such as a halogen lamp or a ceramic heater provided on the side, and a heat source 8a
Reflector 8b that reflects the infrared rays generated by the radiation downward of the radiation opening 3 and the reflector 8 provided in the radiation opening 3.
It is configured by a scattering filter 8c that scatters infrared rays and the like reflected by b. The cross section of the reflector 8b is in the shape of an arc or a parabola so that the radiant heat is effectively collected at the position where the hand is extended. As shown in FIG. 3, the detecting means 7 is composed of an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor provided on the side surface of the air guide 6b on the opening surface of the hot air outlet 2. The control means 11 monitors the output of the detection means 7, and based on this, supplies power to the blower means 4, the heat generation means 6 and the radiation means 8 to operate them. Moreover, the continuous action time is measured.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. As shown in FIG. 1, when a hand that is wet due to hand washing or the like is put out to a position of about 10 to 20 cm below the main body 1,
The detection means 7 detects this and starts the drying operation. That is, the control means 11 recognizes that the hand is extended by the signal from the detection means 7, and the air blowing means 4 and the heat generating means 6 are detected.
Then, the operation of the radiation means 8 is started. The heat generating means 6 heats the air blown by the blowing means 4 and the warm air is discharged from the warm air discharge port 3 as shown by the arrow a. At the same time, electricity is being supplied to the heat source 8a, and radiant heat from infrared rays is supplied from the radiant opening 3 as shown by an arrow r. In this embodiment, this drying operation is stopped in about 1 minute. That is, as a result of the experiment, it is confirmed that the hand is dried if the drying operation time is continued for 1 minute. If the hand is pulled back within 1 minute, the detection means 7 will not detect the presence of the hand, and the control means 11 will stop the drying operation. Further, if the dry state is insufficient even after 1 minute has passed, the drying operation for another 1 minute can be started by extending the hand again.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize the hand dryer which can perform the drying operation by utilizing both the warm air and the radiant heat by the infrared rays and can shorten the time until the completion of the drying as compared with the conventional case. Is. At this time, in particular, according to the present embodiment, since the hands are sufficiently warmed by the radiant heat of infrared rays, even when the hands are damp without waiting for the completion of drying in the winter when the temperature is low, the remaining moisture is It is possible to reduce the discomfort that the hand is cooled by the heat of vaporization at the time of evaporation.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 , a reflection plate 13 for reflecting radiant heat from infrared rays is provided below the radiation opening 3 provided at the bottom of the main body 1 so as to face the radiation means 8.
In this embodiment, the reflection plate 13 is made of aluminum or stainless steel whose inner surface is mirror-finished, and has a concave surface for collecting reflected infrared rays in the vicinity of the hand. A vertical surface 1a connecting the main body 1 and the reflector 13
It is more preferable to use a mirror-finished reflective surface.

With the above-described structure, the infrared ray energy of the heat source 8a forming the radiating means 8 can be used more effectively as a hand dryer. That is, when a hand is put out between the main body 1 and the reflection plate 13, the detection means 7 detects this and hot air and infrared rays are generated from the bottom of the main body 1.
The radiant heat by infrared rays is directly applied to the upper surface of the hand from above, and at the same time, passes through the surroundings of the hand or the gap between the fingers downward as shown by an arrow r1 and is reflected by the reflection plate 13 to be applied to the lower surface of the hand. To be done. Therefore, both sides of the hand can simultaneously receive radiant heat from infrared rays. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the trouble of frequently reversing the hand is reduced, and the time until the completion of drying can be further shortened.

(Embodiment 3) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG . In this embodiment, a reflection cylinder 14 is provided below the main body 1. The reflection cylinder 14 has a cross section in which the upper end surface surrounds the hot air outlet 2 and the radiation opening 3, and the lower end surface surrounds the area in which both hands are widened. The reflecting cylinder 14 is made of aluminum or stainless steel whose inner surface has a mirror-finished reflecting surface.

With the above-described structure, the infrared ray energy of the heat source 8a forming the radiating means 8 can be used more effectively as a hand dryer. That is, in the configuration according to the first embodiment, although the radiant heat generated by the infrared rays generated by the heat source 8a is collected to some extent by the reflector 8b, there is not a small amount of loss escaping to the side. Since the reflecting cylinder 14 is used in this embodiment,
The radiant heat due to the infrared rays to the side can be reflected as shown by an arrow r2 and guided to the hand placed on the end face of the bottom surface. The warm air generated from the warm air outlet 2 is reflected by the reflecting cylinder 14.
Since it passes inside, the temperature drop and diffusion are suppressed to reach the hand, and the wind speed is fast, which contributes to the drying more effectively at high temperature.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to efficiently radiate the radiant heat of the infrared rays generated by the radiating means 8 to the hand, prevent the temperature drop of the warm air, and reduce the time until the completion of drying. It can be shortened. Further, even if the radiation means 8 is replaced with a low output one, the radiation effect can be maintained and the energy consumption of the device can be suppressed.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , a reflection chamber 15 is provided at the bottom of the main body 1. The front surface of the reflection chamber 15 is an open surface, and the upper end surface is a shape that does not block the hot air discharge port 2 and the radiant opening 3. The lower reflective surface is a concave surface for collecting radiant heat near the hand. ing. The reflection chamber 15 is made of aluminum or stainless whose inner surface is a mirror-finished reflection surface as in the above-described embodiment.

With the above construction, the reflection chamber 15 reflects the radiant heat of infrared rays generated by the radiating means 8 as shown by the arrow r3 and irradiates the hand from multiple directions. Therefore, the radiant heat of the radiating means 8 can be efficiently radiated onto the hand from multiple directions with little waste, and the time until the completion of drying is further shortened. In addition, since water droplets blown off by warm air are received by the reflection chamber, they will not be scattered on the surrounding wall or floor.

At this time, if the drainage port 16 is provided at the bottom of the reflection chamber 15, the water droplets scattered in the reflection chamber 15 will be collected in the drainage port 16 and water will not be accumulated in the reflection chamber 15. Is. Therefore, drainage work after use can be reduced,
The feeling of cleanliness in the reflection chamber 15 is enhanced.

The treatment from the drainage port 16 is not particularly limited, and there is a method in which a tank is provided below and the water is collected and discarded, or a method in which a pipe is provided and the water is directly drained each time, and the like.

[0026]

The first means of the present invention is a blowing means for blowing air, a heating means for heating the air blown by the blowing means, a radiating means for radiating radiant heat, and a detecting means for detecting a hand. A structure for drying the hand by hot air and radiant heat, which is provided with the blower means, the heat generating means, and the control means for driving the radiant means in response to the output of the detection means, until the completion of the drying as compared with the drying with only the warm air. It is possible to realize a hand dryer which can shorten the time and can reduce discomfort such as cooling due to heat of vaporization because the hands are warmed even if they are rounded up during drying.

A second means of the present invention is a blowing means for blowing air, a heat generating means for heating the air blown by the blowing means, a radiating means for radiating radiant heat, and a detecting means for detecting a hand. A control means for receiving the output of the detection means and driving the blower means, the heat generating means and the radiating means, a main body for accommodating the blower means, the heat generating means, the radiating means, the detecting means and the control means, and the radiant portion at the bottom of the main body. It is equipped with a reflector plate facing the means and the hand is placed between the main body and the reflector plate to dry, so that the back side of the hand can be dried at the same time, further shortening the time to completion of drying. You can
It realizes a hand dryer that reduces the hassle of turning hands over.

A third means of the present invention is a blowing means for blowing air, a heating means for heating the air blown by the blowing means, a radiating means for radiating radiant heat, a detecting means for detecting a hand, and a detecting means. Control means for driving the blower means, the heat generating means and the radiating means in response to the output of the means, and the blower means.
As a configuration that includes a main body that accommodates the heat generating means, the radiating means, the detecting means, and the controlling means, and a reflecting tube that has a reflecting surface on the inner side provided below the main body, and extends the end surface of the reflecting tube to dry the hand, A hand dryer capable of efficiently receiving radiant heat, shortening the time until completion of drying, or using a low-output radiant means.

Further, a fourth means of the present invention is a blowing means for blowing air, a heating means for heating the air blown by the blowing means, a radiating means for radiating radiant heat, and a detecting means for detecting a hand, A control means for receiving the output of the detection means and driving the blower means, the heat generating means and the radiating means, a main body for accommodating the blower means, the heat generating means, the radiating means, the detecting means and the control means, and a main body provided below the main body With a reflection chamber having a reflection surface on the inner side, and as a configuration in which a hand is put out into the reflection chamber to perform drying, radiant heat can be efficiently received from multiple directions without waste, and the time until completion of drying can be further shortened. Further, since the water droplets blown by the warm air do not scatter and the surroundings are not polluted, a hand dryer capable of maintaining a cleanliness of the surroundings is realized.

The fifth means of the present invention, in particular, has a construction in which a drainage port is provided at the bottom of the reflection chamber, so that water does not collect in the reflection chamber, draining work can be reduced, and the cleanliness of the reflection chamber can be improved. It realizes a hand dryer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which a hand dryer according to a first embodiment of the present invention is installed on a wall surface.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the hand dryer.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing a state where the hand dryer is viewed from the bottom surface.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a main body and a reflector of a hand dryer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main body and a reflecting cylinder, which is a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a main body, a reflection chamber, and a drain port according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 body 4 Blower means 6 heating means 7 Detection means 8 Radiation means 11 Control means 13 Reflector 14 Reflector 15 Reflection room 16 drain

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-275019 (JP, A) JP-A-7-136079 (JP, A) JP-A-6-209879 (JP, A) Actual Kaihei 6- 58794 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47K 10/48

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A blowing means for blowing air, a heating means for heating the air blown by the blowing means, a radiating means for radiating radiant heat, a detecting means for detecting a hand, and an output of the detecting means for receiving the output. Control means for driving the blowing means, the heat generating means and the radiating means, and the blowing means, the heat generating means, the radiating means,
A hand dryer which includes a main body for accommodating the detection means and the control means, and a reflection plate provided at a lower portion of the main body so as to face the radiating means, and extends a hand between the main body and the reflection plate to perform drying. 2. An air blowing means for blowing air, a heat generating means for heating the air blown by the air blowing means, a radiating means for radiating radiant heat, a detecting means for detecting a hand, and an output of the detecting means for receiving the output. Control means for driving the blowing means, the heat generating means and the radiating means, and the blowing means, the heat generating means, the radiating means,
A hand dryer that includes a main body that houses the detection means and control means, and a reflection tube that is provided below the main body and has an internal reflection surface. The hand dryer extends the end surface of the reflection tube to dry the hand. 3. A blowing means for blowing air, a heat generating means for heating the air blown by the blowing means, a radiating means for radiating radiant heat, a detecting means for detecting a hand, and an output of the detecting means for receiving the output. Control means for driving the blowing means, the heat generating means and the radiating means, and the blowing means, the heat generating means, the radiating means,
A hand dryer that includes a main body that houses the detection means and control means, and a reflection chamber that is provided below the main body and has an inner reflection surface. 4. The reflection surface is mirror-finished.
Hand dryer as described. 5. providing the drain outlet at the bottom of the reflection chamber claims
The hand dryer according to 3 .