JP6902689B2 - Finger wetter - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a finger wetter used to moisten a fingertip with a trace amount of clean water without touching anything.

When trying to open the mouth of a thin plastic bag that packs purchased items when shopping at a supermarket, it is often the case that the fingertips are dry and cannot be opened properly. At supermarkets, etc., as a service, wet towels are often placed on the table for packing purchased items, but it is hygienic because an unspecified number of people use the wet towels with their fingers. It was a problem above. In addition, towels that should have been wet are often dry, and in that case, the fingertips may be moistened by licking one's fingertips, which is also unsanitary.
When wetting your fingers to open a plastic bag, a drop of water with a diameter of 3 mm to 4 mm, or about 10 μl of water, is sufficient, and if the amount of water is too large, your hands and table will get wet and return. Is inconvenient.

In order to solve such a problem, for example, in the fingertip wetting device described in Patent Document 1, a container having an open upper surface is filled with an aqueous solution, a ball-shaped body is floated in the aqueous solution, and a ball is formed by a lid. A part of the shaped body is rotatably formed so as to project in an arc shape, and the ball-shaped body is rotated and the wet portion is touched with a finger, so that the fingertip is appropriately wetted.

Further, in the fingertip wetting device described in Patent Document 2, the atomizer is mounted horizontally on the pedestal with the nozzle facing upward, and the lever of the atomizer is pushed with the palm of the hand while the fingertip is held over the nozzle position. , The lever works to atomize the water from the atomizer nozzle and blow it out to properly wet the fingertips.

Further, the fingertip wetting device described in Patent Document 3 has a container for water, a lid that covers the container, and a pressing member that penetrates the lid and is urged upward, and the pressing member has a spout. A groove narrower than the finger width of the hand is provided at the upper part of the pressing member, and a water spout is provided in the groove. By pushing the pressing member, a part of the water in the container is discharged from the spout. It is configured to spout and wet your fingertips.

However, in all of the finger wetters disclosed in Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3, the fingertip or palm directly touches the finger wetter, and an unspecified number of people use them. , There was a risk of bacterial and viral infections.

In addition to the conventional hand wetting device shown above, recently, a device for automatically dropping an appropriate amount of liquid detergent for washing dishes by simply holding a sponge for washing dishes is on the market. However, the appropriate amount of liquid detergent for washing dishes is about 1 to 2 ml, which is about 100 to 200 times more than that for finger wetting, and it is a principle to drop a small amount of water droplets of about 10 μl by the same method. Is almost impossible.

On the other hand, commercial dispensers capable of discharging a very small amount of liquid or viscous fluid are also widely used. Commercial dispensers can discharge various liquids from low-viscosity liquids such as water to high-viscosity liquids such as adhesives from a minimum of several hundred pl (picolitre), and the amount of liquid. Although it is also suitable for wetting fingers, the price of the device is extremely high, and it is impossible to install it on each shopping bag packing stand in a supermarket from the viewpoint of installation cost.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-150933 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-072748 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-250427

In the present invention, the amount of water droplets dropped at one time is about 10 μl, and it is possible to moisten the fingertips with a small amount of clean water without touching anything. Furthermore, the principle, mechanism, and structure are simple, and the supermarket The purpose is to provide a low-priced finger wetting device that can be installed on each shopping bagging stand.

According to the present invention, a cup-type automatic water dispenser including a water supply bottle and a saucer, a connection attachment for connecting the water supply bottle and the saucer, a vertically oriented water guide tube provided at the bottom of the saucer, and the water guide tube. An electromagnetically driven water stopcock provided, a finger sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a human finger, and a drive circuit for opening and closing the electromagnetically driven water stopcock based on the detection signal of the finger sensor. A finger wetter composed of a power source for the drive circuit, the opening of the saucer is covered with a breathable member, and the inner diameter of the water guide pipe is covered with water from the saucer with the water stopcock open. The thickness is such that it falls naturally, and the electromagnetically driven faucet is held in a state where the water faucet, which is usually urged by a spring, closes the water guide tube, and the finger sensor holds a person's finger. Only when it is detected, the electric magnet of the electromagnetically driven faucet is driven to suck the water stop rod urged by the spring for a predetermined time to open the electromagnetically driven faucet and conduct the water. A finger wetting device configured to drip a small amount of water droplets can be obtained from the lower tip of the thin tube.

According to the present invention, a water bottle containing clean water is set in a finger wetter, and one or two fingers to be wet are simply held over a predetermined place in the finger wetter to produce one or several drops of water. Since the fingertips are wet, a person can wet the fingertips without touching any part of the hand wetting device, and can easily open a plastic bag or the like.

Further, according to the present invention, for the water that wets the fingertips, a cup-type automatic water dispenser is formed by using a dedicated water bottle containing clean water, and an opening of a saucer capable of storing a certain amount of water is provided. Since it is covered with a member such as a breathable sheet, it prevents dust and dirt from entering from the outside, and can prevent water pollution. Therefore, it can be expected to prevent infectious diseases such as influenza and infectious gastroenteritis.

Further, according to the present invention, since the structure is such that the water stop rod is moved by a spring and an electromagnet to open and close the water stop valve, a device for dropping a small amount of water droplets is configured with a simple structure using an inexpensive member. In addition, since the electromagnet is configured to allow current to flow for a predetermined short time when the finger is held over, even if a dry battery is used as the power source for the drive circuit for opening and closing the electromagnetically driven water stopcock. It can be used for a long time.

In addition, about 10 μl is sufficient for the amount of water droplets to be dropped once to open a plastic bag, so even if a 50 ml water bottle is used, for example, 5,000 water drops can be dropped by simple calculation. Even assuming that one person wets the fingertips an average of 5 times, 1,000 people can use it, and the amount of bottle replacement work is compared to the amount of conventional wet cloth replacement work that is done at least several times a day. And it will be greatly improved.

Further, according to the present invention, the amount of water droplets dropped at one time is about 10 μl, and it is possible to moisten the fingertips with a small amount of clean water without touching anyone, and further, the principle, mechanism and structure are as follows. It is possible to provide a low-priced finger wetting device that is simple and can be installed on each shopping bagging table such as a supermarket.

Is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the overall structure of the finger wetting device of the present invention. Is a cross-sectional view for explaining the principle of the cup-type automatic water dispenser used in the present invention. Is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cup-type automatic water supply mechanism portion of the overall structural example of the finger wetting device of the present invention shown in FIG. Is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the water guide tube in which the experiment was conducted. Is a cross-sectional view showing a structural example of a water guide tube formed at the bottom of the saucer and an electromagnetically driven water stopcock. Is a cross-sectional view showing another structural example of a connection attachment with a water bottle. Is a cross-sectional view showing still another structural example of the connection attachment with the water supply bottle.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an overall structural example of the finger wetting device of the present invention, in which 1 is a water bottle, 2 is a connection attachment, 3 is a saucer, 4 is a nozzle formed at the bottom of the saucer 3, and 5 is. An electromagnetically driven water stopcock provided on the nozzle 4, 6 is a finger sensor, 7 is a drive circuit for opening and closing the electromagnetically driven water stopcock, and 8 is a finger wetter housing. The water bottle 1, the connection attachment 2, and the saucer 3 constitute the cup-type automatic water dispenser described in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the principle of the cup-type automatic water dispenser used in the present invention, in which a small opening 22 is formed in the lower portion of the cup-shaped container 21, and the opening 22 is formed. A water reservoir 23 is formed that is surrounded by an edge higher than the upper side of the opening 22. In the cup-type automatic water dispenser shown in FIG. 2, first, the cup-shaped container 21 is put into water with the opening facing upward, and water is put into the cup-shaped container 21 from the opening 22 or the opening is opened. Then, water is put into the cup-shaped container 21 using a hose or the like, and the cup-shaped container 21 is installed on a flat surface with the opening 22 facing down in a state where the cup-shaped container 21 is sufficiently filled with water. In this case, the water 24 in the cup-shaped container 21 leaks from the opening 22 of the cup-shaped container 21 to the water reservoir 23, but the water level of the water reservoir 23 reaches the upper side of the opening 22 and the opening When 22 is closed, the air pressure in the upper part of the inside of the cup-shaped container 21 drops, and the leakage of water from the opening 22 stops. However, when the water level of the water reservoir 23 drops below the upper side of the opening 22, air flows into the inside of the cup-shaped container 21 through the gap, and water leaks from the water reservoir 23 again, and the water reservoir 23 When the water level reaches the upper side of the opening 22, the leakage of water from the opening 22 is automatically stopped.
As explained above, the cup-type automatic water dispenser can realize an automatic water dispenser that can always supply a fixed amount of water with a simple structure without power supply, so water supply for livestock has been around for a long time. It is used as a container, and the principle is widely used in humidifiers and fan heaters even recently.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cup-type automatic water supply mechanism portion of the overall structural example of the finger wetting device of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, and the structures of the connection attachment 2 and the saucer 3 are described in more detail using FIG. explain. The connection attachment 2 has a cylindrical shape, a screw portion 31 for fixing the water supply bottle 1 is formed in the upper opening, and a screw portion 31 for fixing the connection attachment 2 to the saucer 3 is formed in the lower opening. The screw portion 32 is formed. Further, a cylindrical shielding wall 33 is formed in the upper opening of the connection attachment 2, and a sliding shaft guide 35 for sliding the sliding shaft 34 is formed in the central portion. A rubber packing 36 is formed at the upper end of the sliding shaft 34, and a collar 38 for holding the coil spring 37 is formed at the lower end of the sliding shaft 34. The coil spring 37 normally acts to push down the sliding shaft 34 downward, and the rubber packing 36 provided at the upper end of the sliding shaft 34 is pressed against the edge of the cylindrical shielding wall 33, so that the connection is established. Even if the water supply bottle 1 is turned upside down with the attachment 2 attached to the water supply bottle 1, water does not leak from the water supply bottle 1.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the water supply bottle 1 to which the connection attachment 2 is attached is attached to the saucer 3, and the screw portion 32 of the connection attachment 2 is tightened and fixed to the screw portion 301 provided on the saucer 3. When the connection attachment 2 is fixed to the saucer 3, the flange 38 formed at the lower end of the sliding shaft 34 of the connection attachment 2 is pushed up from the protrusion 303 formed at the bottom of the saucer 3, and the collar 38 is pushed up. As a result, the rubber packing 36 provided at the upper end of the sliding shaft 34 is separated from the cylindrical shielding wall 33, and the water of the water supply bottle 1 flows out to the connection attachment 2 through the gap. The water flowing out of the water supply bottle 1 flows into the saucer 3 through the water flow route 39 shown by the dotted line in FIG. At the lower end of the screw portion 32 of the connection attachment 2 and the screw portion 301 provided on the saucer 3, a hole is formed from the bottom surface of the saucer 3 at the position of the A-A'line in FIG. 2 to the saucer 3. , The water level of the water flowing into the saucer 3 becomes almost constant at the position of the A-A'line as explained in the principle of the cup-type automatic water dispenser described above.

In the saucer 3 shown in FIG. 3, a water guide tube 302 directed in the vertical direction is formed in a substantially central portion of the bottom surface, and a lower end of the sliding shaft 34 of the connection attachment 2 is formed so as to surround the water guide tube 302. A protrusion 303 for pushing up the collar 38 formed in the portion is formed. The protrusions 303 are formed of discrete protrusions, and even when the protrusions 303 are in contact with the collar 38, the water in the saucer 3 can flow into the water guide tube 302 from between these protrusions.

In the saucer 3 shown in FIG. 3, the upper opening of the saucer 3 is covered with a breathable film-like member 304. Since the membrane-like member 304 is breathable, even if the upper opening of the saucer 3 is covered with the membrane-like member 304, the upper opening is effectively according to the principle of the cup-type automatic water dispenser, and the upper opening is the membrane-like member. Since it is covered with, it is possible to prevent dust and dirt from entering the saucer 3 and prevent water pollution.

In the present invention, since a small amount of water droplets are obtained by using water that naturally falls in a thin pipe in the vertical direction, it is important to know how much water naturally falls in the thin pipe. In order to confirm this by the experiment, the experiment was carried out using the water guide tube having the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. The water guide pipe 41 used in the experiment has a water reservoir 42 having a diameter of 8 mm and a depth (L1) of about 5 mm formed on the upper part of an acrylic rod having a diameter of 10 mm and a length of 30 mm, in the vertical direction from the bottom of the water reservoir 42. A water guide tube 43 having a length (L2) of about 25 mm was formed, and the inner diameter of the water guide tube 43 was 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm. While holding the water pipe 41 vertically, close the lower part of the water pipe 43 with a finger, and with the water reservoir 42 filled with water, remove the finger that was blocking the lower part of the water pipe 43, and then remove the finger. , Checked if the water ran down. As a result, in either case, it can be confirmed that the water in the water reservoir 42 flows down the water guide tube 43, and even if the water height in the water reservoir 42 is 5 mm, it flows down the pipes having an inner diameter of 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm. Even in the cup-type automatic water dispenser used in the present invention, if the height of the edge of the saucer is 5 mm or more, water can be naturally dropped even if a water guide tube 43 having an inner diameter of 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm is used. Was confirmed.

In the present invention, as described with reference to FIG. 3, water that naturally falls in a thin pipe is used for dropping water. Therefore, in order to keep the amount of water flowing down constant, a water stopcock is used. Even if the opening time is constant, the water pressure, that is, the height from the position of the hole at the entrance of the pipe to the water surface, that is, the water level must be constant. In the present invention, by utilizing the principle of the cup-type automatic water dispenser, the water level can be kept constant at all times, so that the amount of water dropped can be kept constant.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a structural example of the electromagnetically driven water stopcock 5 formed in the saucer portion 3 of the finger wetting device of the present invention shown in FIG. The electromagnetically driven water stopcock 5 includes a water stop rod 51 and an electromagnetic solenoid 53 having a movable shaft 52. The water stop rod 51 is joined to the movable shaft 52, and the electromagnetic solenoid 53 including these is a saucer portion 3. It is fixed to the bottom of the. A nozzle 305 having a water guide tube 302 facing in the vertical direction is formed substantially in the center of the saucer portion 3, and in the middle of the nozzle 305, a water stop is formed in a horizontal hole 306 formed in the nozzle 305 to open and close the water guide tube 302. The structure is such that the rod 51 is inserted.
The water stop rod 51 is inserted into the horizontal hole 306 formed for opening and closing the water guide tube 302, which is usually urged by a coil spring 54 attached to an electromagnetic solenoid, to form the water guide tube 302. It is held in the closed state, and only when the finger sensor 6 detects a human finger, the electromagnet drive circuit 7 drives the electromagnet for a predetermined time, and the electromagnetic solenoid 53 causes the water stop rod. By sucking the movable shaft 52 connected to the water guide rod 51, the water stop rod 51 is pulled out to open the water stop plug, and water droplets are dropped from the lower tip of the water guide tube 302.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another structural example of the connection attachment between the water supply bottle 1 and the saucer 3. The connection attachment 20 shown in FIG. 6 basically has a structure in which the coil spring is removed from the connection attachment 2 shown in FIG. 3, and the water supply bottle 1 is fixed to the opening on the upper side of the connection attachment 20. The screw portion 61 of the above is formed, and the screw portion 62 for fixing the connection attachment 20 to the tray 3 is formed in the lower opening. Further, a cylindrical shielding wall 63 is formed in the upper opening of the connection attachment 20, and a sliding guide 65 for sliding the sliding shaft 64 is formed in the central portion. A rubber packing 66 is formed at the upper end of the sliding shaft 64, and a collar 68 is formed at the lower end of the sliding shaft 64.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which the connection attachment 20 is attached to the water supply bottle 1 containing water and the water supply bottle is turned upside down. In this state, the weight of the water in the water supply bottle and the weight of the sliding shaft 64 and the rubber packing 66 act to push down the sliding shaft 64 downward, and the rubber packing provided at the upper end of the sliding shaft 64. Since 66 is pressed against the edge of the cylindrical shielding wall 63, water does not leak from the water supply bottle 1. When the connection attachment 20 is fixed to the saucer 3, the collar 68 at the lower end of the sliding shaft 64 of the connection attachment 20 hits the bottom of the saucer 3 and the sliding shaft 64 is pushed up, so that water flows out from the water supply bottle 1 and the saucer 3 Flow into. The principle of keeping the water level of the saucer 3 constant is the same as when the connection attachment 2 of FIG. 3 is used, and is omitted here.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing still another structural example of the connection attachment between the water supply bottle 1 and the saucer 3. In FIG. 7, a screw portion 71 for fixing the water supply bottle 10 is formed in the upper opening of the connection attachment 200, and a screw portion 71 for fixing the connection attachment 200 to the saucer 3 is formed in the lower opening of the connection attachment 200. The screw portion 72 of is formed. Further, a perforated shaft 73 having a sharp tip is formed in the central portion of the connection attachment 200, and a headrace 74 connecting the upper and lower openings of the connection attachment 200 is formed at the connection portion between the perforated shaft 73 and the connection attachment 200. It is formed.

When using the connection attachment 200 shown in FIG. 7, the water supply bottle 10 containing water must be pre-covered with a film-like sealing material 11 as widely used for lactic acid bacteria beverages and the like. .. When the water supply bottle 10 in such a state is attached to the connection attachment 200, the perforated shaft 73 breaks the film-like sealing material 11, so that the water in the water supply bottle 10 flows into the saucer 3 through the headrace 74. .. The principle that water flows out from the water supply bottle 10 and keeps the water level of the saucer 3 constant is the same as when the connection attachment 2 of FIG. 3 is used, and is omitted here.

In the hand wetting device of the present invention described above, a plate-shaped water stop plate may be used instead of the water stop rod 51 shown in FIG. Further, instead of the electromagnetic solenoid 52 used for the water stopcock, a leaf spring and an electromagnet may be combined. Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the electromagnetically driven water stopcock 5 is formed in the middle of the water guide tube 302, but the electromagnetically driven water stopcock 5 may be formed at the uppermost portion of the water guide tube 302.

Further, in the hand wetting device of the present invention, the finger sensor 6 shown in FIG. 1 may be a charcoal sensor that detects by the temperature of the finger or the palm, or the LED and the photodiode are opposed to each other so that the finger blocks the optical path. It may be a method of detecting the above, or an aerial ultrasonic sensor may be used.

Further, when the cross-sectional area of the tip of the water guide tube 302 shown in FIG. 3 is large, a large amount of water adheres to the end surface of the water guide tube 303 due to the surface tension of water, so that the water droplets become large. Therefore, it is desirable that the tip of the water guide tube 302 is sharp and the wall thickness of the tip is as thin as possible while maintaining the shape of the tube.

Further, the ease of flow of water flowing through the water guide tube 302 may change depending on the material and the surface roughness inside the tube even if the inner diameter of the water guide tube 302 is the same. Therefore, the inner diameter of the water guide tube 302 is actually It is better to make a decision by conducting the experiment shown in Fig. 4 using the material used for. In this state, it is preferable to change the time for driving the electromagnet by the electromagnet drive circuit 7 so that an appropriate amount of water droplets is dropped.

The structures of the connection attachments of the water supply bottle 1 and the saucer 3, 2, 20, and 200 shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, respectively, show the structures of the examples, and are not necessarily the same. The structure is not limited to the above, and any structure may be used as long as the water bottle 1 or 10 and the saucer 3 are connected to exhibit the function of the cup-type automatic water dispenser.

Further, in the above description, an example of connecting the connection attachments 2, 20, and 200 and the saucer 3 with the screw portions 32, 62, and 72 provided on the connection attachments 2, 20, and 200 will be described. However, these connections do not necessarily have to be screwed, and a mechanism that forms a convex portion on one of these connection attachments and the saucer and a concave portion that meshes with this convex portion on the other, and rotates and fixes the connection attachment. Other connection mechanisms may be used.

As the clean water used in the present invention, in addition to purified water such as distilled water, a liquid obtained by adding a small amount of disinfectant such as ethyl alcohol or a bactericidal liquid can be used. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the alteration of these waters for a longer period of time.

1,10: Water bottle
2,20,200: Connection attachment
3: Dish
5: Electromagnetically driven water stopcock
6: Finger sensor
7: Drive circuit for opening and closing the electromagnetically driven water stopcock
8: Finger wetter housing
21: Cup-shaped container
22: Small opening
23,42: Water reservoir
24: Water in cup-shaped container 21
25: Air at the top inside the cup-shaped container 21
31: Screw part for fixing the water supply bottle 1 to the connection attachment 2
32: Screw part for fixing the connection attachment 2 to the saucer 3
33,63: Cylindrical shield wall
34,64: Sliding shaft
35,65: Guide for sliding shaft
36,66: Rubber packing
37,54: Coil spring
38,68: The brim at the lower end of the sliding shaft
39: Water flow route
302,43: Water conduit
303: A protrusion formed on the bottom of the saucer 3
304: Breathable sheet
305,4: Nozzle
306: Horizontal hole formed in nozzle 305
41: Water pipe
51: Water stop bar
52: Movable shaft
53: Electromagnetic solenoid
61: Screw part for fixing the water supply bottle 1 to the connection attachment 20
62: Screw part for fixing the connection attachment 20 to the saucer 3
11: Sealing material
71: Screw part for fixing the water supply bottle 10
72: Screw part for fixing the connection attachment 200 to the saucer 3
73: Drilling shaft
74: Headrace connecting the upper and lower openings of the connection attachment 200

Claims (1)

A cup-type automatic water dispenser consisting of a water supply bottle and a saucer, and a connection attachment for connecting the water supply bottle and the saucer, a vertically oriented water guide tube provided at the bottom of the saucer, and an electromagnetically driven type stop provided on the water guide tube. A faucet, a finger sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a human finger, a drive circuit for opening and closing the electromagnetically driven water stopcock based on the detection signal of the finger sensor, and a power supply for the drive circuit. A finger wetter composed of the above, the opening of the saucer is covered with a breathable member, and the inner diameter of the water guide pipe is the thickness at which the water of the saucer naturally falls with the faucet open. Only when the electromagnetically driven faucet is held in a closed state by a water stop rod normally urged by a spring and the finger sensor detects a human finger. The electromagnet of the electromagnetically driven water faucet is driven to suck the water stop rod urged by the spring for a predetermined time to open the electromagnetically driven water faucet, and from the lower tip of the water guide tube, A finger wetting device characterized by being configured to drip a small amount of water droplets

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