Patent Grant
8201344
The present invention relates to a hand drying apparatus for mounting on a side of a washbowl of a washstand or a sink of a sink cabinet and that blows an air to user's wet hands after being washed thereby drying the hands in a sanitary manner.
In a conventional air dryer, a case main body including an air inlet is divided into an upper case and a lower case, and an electric fan is mounted in the upper case to take air from the outside through the air inlet and blow the air from an exhaust nozzle. The air inlet is arranged on the rear side of the case main body, and the exhaust nozzle is arranged on the front side of the upper case (for example, see Patent document 1).
However, in the conventional air dryer, a high-speed airflow from the exhaust nozzle is blown downward to the front side of a drying space in a lateral line direction. Therefore, it is necessary for a user to put the hands in and out of the drying space such that the hands cross the high-speed airflow at a substantially right angle thereby drying the hands.
However, because the drying space is not a closed space, the user does not always put the hands in and out of the drying space such that the hands cross the high-speed airflow at the substantially right angle. If the user puts the hands in and out of the drying space in a direction parallel to the lateral line of the high-speed airflow, it is difficult to blow water off the hands, resulting in a low drying efficiency. Moreover, the exhaust nozzle needs to have an appropriate size in the lateral direction (right and left direction) to perform the drying operation in a short time. This causes another problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the air dryer.
In addition, the high-speed airflow blown from the exhaust nozzle hits the washbowl, or the like. Therefore, if the air dryer is used in a situation where water is kept in the washbowl, in a situation where water runs from the tap, or in a situation where the washbowl is wet, the high-speed airflow blown from the exhaust nozzle causes the water inside the washbowl to be splashed around. As a result, there is a problem that the water is splashed around a washstand, a washstand mirror, or a kitchen counter, which may make the user feel uncomfortable.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems in the conventional air dryer and it is the first object of the present invention to provide a hand drying apparatus that provides a drying space with a high degree of freedom in directions in which the user puts the hands in and out of the drying space, and provides a high drying efficiency. Moreover, it is the second object of the present invention to provide a hand drying apparatus that prevents water from being splashed around, even if the hand drying apparatus mounted in the washstand or the kitchen counter is used in a situation where water is kept in the washbowl or the sink or in a situation where water runs from the tap, thereby preventing the user from feeling uncomfortable.
To solve the above problems and to achieve the object, a hand drying apparatus according to the present invention includes: a high-pressure airflow generator that takes air through an air inlet arranged at a lower portion of the high-pressure airflow generator and generates a high-pressure airflow; a main body casing in which the high-pressure airflow generator is accommodated; a first air path that is protruded from the main body casing and that allows passage of air from the high-pressure airflow generator; and a nozzle that is located in a position ahead of the main body casing in a direction of the first air path and that blows air from the first air path toward a front portion and side portions of a drying space under the first air path. The main body casing includes a main-body air inlet through which outside air is taken and a second air path that causes air from the main-body air inlet to flow upward and then downward to a level where the air inlet of the high-pressure airflow generator is located.
A hand drying apparatus according to the present invention produces an effect that it is possible to provide a drying space with a high degree of freedom in directions in which the user puts the hands in and out of the drying space and a high drying efficiency.
Exemplary embodiments of a hand drying apparatus according to the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.
As shown in
As shown in
A protruded portion 6 is protruded from an upper portion of the main body casing 2 in a lateral direction as a protruded structure. An air path 7 is arranged inside the protruded portion 6 to pass the high-pressure airflow generated by the high-pressure airflow generator 3. An end of the air path 7 extends to an end of the protruded portion 6, and a nozzle 8 is arranged on the end of the air path 7. The nozzle 8 converts the high-pressure airflow into a high-speed airflow, and blows the high-speed airflow to a drying space (hand insertion space) 12 under the nozzle 8.
The high-speed airflow blown from the nozzle 8 has kinetic energy to blow water off user's hands that are put in the drying space 12. A heater 10 is arranged in the air path 7 to heat the high-pressure airflow. In addition, a sensor 9 is arranged in the protruded portion 6, and is located closer to the rear side of the main body casing 2 than the nozzle 8 is. The sensor 9 senses the presence of the hands.
Air flows through an air path leading from the outside of the main body casing 2 to an air inlet 14 of the high-pressure airflow generator 3 such that outside air taken through a main-body air inlet 18 opened on the rear side of the main body casing 2 is caused to flow upward and then downward by a trap 15 (see
As shown in
A blind 16 for concealing the inside from view and an air filter 17 are arranged in the main-body air inlet 18. An HEPA filter or a sterilization filter can be used instead of the air filter 17. Alternatively, an HEPA filter or a sterilization filter can be arranged downstream of the air filter 17.
The nozzle 8 according to the first embodiment includes a blowing port 11 that is formed in a slit or a series of holes. The high-speed airflow is blown from the nozzle 8 on the lower surface of the protruded portion 6 downward to the drying space 12 in a line shape such that the front side (the front portion) and the both sides (the both side portions) of the drying space 12 are enclosed by the high-speed airflow.
In a case where the blowing port 11 is formed in a slit shape, slits of the blowing ports 11 in two rows are spaced at a pitch of about 30 mm, so that the high-speed airflow is easily affected by surrounding air, and the high-speed airflow quickly attenuates. Thus, it is possible to reduce scattering of water in the washbowl 1 having a hemisphere surface.
The drying space 12 has an entrance width, a height (each of the width and the height is about 100 mm to 200 mm), and a depth (about 65 mm to 150 mm) such that a user can put hands in the drying space 12 without feeling uncomfortable or restless, and can see the hands while freely putting the hands in and out of the drying space 12.
A planar shape (a cross-sectional shape) of the high-speed airflow blown to the drying space 12 under the protruded portion 6 such that the front side and the both sides of the drying space 12 are enclosed by the high-speed airflow is an arc shape (nonlinear shape) as a whole (see
In addition, as shown in
When the user puts the hands in the drying space 12 of the hand drying apparatus 91 according to the first embodiment, the sensor 9 senses the presence of the hands, and each of the high-pressure airflow generator 3 and the heater 10 starts its operation. The high-pressure airflow in the air path 7 is heated by the heater 10, and is then blown from the nozzle 8 to the drying space 12 as the high-speed airflow.
The high-speed airflow is blown from the protruded portion 6 downward to the drying space 12 such that the front side and the both sides of the drying space 12 are enclosed by the high-speed airflow. With this configuration, if the user puts the hands in and out of the drying space 12 in any directions, i.e., the user puts the hands through the front side of the drying space 12, diagonally through the front side, through the lateral side of the drying space 12, or diagonally through the lateral side, the hands cross the high-speed airflow at a substantially right angle. Thus, it is possible to improve the drying efficiency, and to reduce energy loss. The water removed from the hands by the high-speed airflow is blown off to the washbowl 1 or the sink, and then is drained off through an existing drain.
A hand drying apparatus 92 according to the second embodiment is different from the hand drying apparatus 91 according to the first embodiment only in the configuration of the nozzle. Therefore, the nozzle according to the second embodiment will be explained with reference to
A nozzles 28 are arranged in front and rear rows on the end of the air path 7 shown in
As shown in
Tilted surfaces 28e are formed on the inner sides of the partitioning portions 28b. The tilted surfaces 28e are tilted at a tilt angle of 15° to 45° downward toward the sub-blowing port of the blowing port 28a. The tilted surface 28e formed on the partitioning portion 28b at the middle has a shape like a mountain. As shown in
The nozzle 28 according to the second embodiment is configured such that the high-speed airflow is blown from the protruded portion 6 downward to the front side of the drying space 12 in a lateral line shape. With this configuration, if the user puts the hands in and out of the drying space 12 on the front side of the hand drying apparatus 92, the hands cross the high-speed airflow at a right angle. Thus, it is possible to quickly dry the hands by blowing water off the wet hands.
The high-pressure airflow in the guide path 28d of the nozzle 28 flows toward the blowing port 28a along the vertical surfaces 28c, 28c. The flow path of the high-pressure airflow toward the blowing port 28a is sharply narrowed in the longitudinal direction of the blowing port 28a. Because the flow path of the high-pressure airflow is divided into two paths by the partitioning portions 28b located at the both sides and the middle of the guide path 28d, the high-pressure airflow at the middle of the guide path 28d combines the high-pressure airflow that flows from the side of the guide path 28d toward the middle, and the high-pressure airflow is narrowed at each of the sub-blowing ports of the blowing port 28a. Thus, the high-pressure airflow is converted into the high-speed airflow.
Because this high-speed airflow is formed by combining the high-pressure airflow at the middle of the guide path 28d and the high-pressure airflow that flows from the side of the guide path 28d toward the middle, an initial blowing speed of the high-speed airflow can be lowered. Moreover, the high-speed airflow is divided by the partitioning portion 28b at the middle in the longitudinal direction, and an area of the high-speed airflow to be in contact with surrounding air is made large, so that the high-speed airflow quickly attenuates. Furthermore, compared to a case where the partitioning portion 28b is arranged at a right angle to the vertical surface 28c as shown in
If a hand insertion position is about 30 mm under the nozzle 28, and a wind speed of the high-speed airflow is set such that a wind speed near the hand insertion position is about 140 m/s that is sufficient to dry the hands, the wind speed attenuates to become about 24 m/s near a position 250 mm under the nozzle 8. The high-speed airflow at the wind speed of about 24 m/s does not have kinetic energy to blow water drops off the hands. For this reason, if the washbowl 1 or a water receiving unit is arranged near the position 250 mm under the nozzle 28, a water drop on the washbowl 1 or the water receiving unit is not splashed around the outside of the washbowl 1 or the water receiving unit by the high-speed airflow.
The blowing port 28a is divided by the partitioning portions 28b in the longitudinal direction, a size of the nozzle 28 is reduced in the longitudinal direction, and the plurality of the blowing ports 28a is arranged in the nozzle 28, so that the nozzle 28 can be reduced in size and the hand drying apparatus 92 can be compact. Furthermore, because the sub-blowing ports of the blowing ports 28a are arranged in a zigzag pattern, an area of the high-speed airflow to be in contact with surrounding air is made larger, and an effect of attenuation of the high-speed airflow is increased.
As shown in
Because the partitioning portions 28b are arranged in the nozzle 28, the wind speed is increased in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 28, i.e., in a depth direction. Thus, the hands can be effectively dried by rubbing the hands together other than keeping the hands open.
When the user puts the hands in the drying space 12 of the hand drying apparatus 92 according to the second embodiment, the sensor 9 senses the presence of the hands, and each of the high-pressure airflow generator 3 and the heater 10 starts its operation. The high-pressure airflow in the air path 7 is heated by the heater 10, and is then blown from the nozzle 28 to the drying space 12 as the high-speed airflow. The high-speed airflow is blown from the protruded portion 6 downward to the front side of the drying space 12. Water removed from the hands by the high-speed airflow is drained off from the washbowl 1 through the existing drain.
A hand drying apparatus 93 according to the third embodiment is different from the hand drying apparatus 91 according to the first embodiment only in the configuration of the nozzle. Therefore, the nozzle according to the third embodiment will be explained with reference to
As shown in
Each of the blowing ports 38a is formed to have a length of 15 mm to 20 mm in the lateral direction and a width of 1 mm to 2 mm in the front and back direction. The blowing ports 38a are arranged at a pitch of 10 mm to 20 mm in the lateral direction. Blowing ports 38b on both sides of the front row are obliquely arranged at an oblique angle θ of 30° to 60° between a lateral line direction of the front row and a normal of the blowing port 38b, so that the outer sides of the blowing ports 38b are located close to a lateral line direction of the rear row than to the lateral line direction of the front row. The three blowing ports 38a in the rear row is arranged in a zigzag pattern with respect to the two blowing ports 38a at the middle of the front row.
As shown in
The blowing angles α and β of the blowing ports 38a and 38b with respect to the longitudinal direction can be set by tilting the protruded portion 6 with respect to a lateral direction, or tilting the nozzle 38 with respect to the protruded portion 6.
In the nozzle 38 according to the third embodiment, the high-speed airflow is blown downward from the front of the protruded portion 6 in a line shape across a substantially full width of the protruded portion 6 at a flow speed of 130 m/s to 150 m/s. Each of the high-speed airflows blown from the blowing ports 38a in the front and rear rows in a diagonally backward and downward direction are increased in the widths in a substantially oblong shape while interacting with the surrounding air, and then the high-speed airflows are joined together to be one airflow, so that the high-speed airflow having a wide width in the front and back direction is obtained.
Because an area of this high-speed airflow to be in contact with the surrounding air is made large, the high-speed airflow quickly attenuates. For example, if the washbowl 1 or the water receiving unit is arranged near a position 250 mm from the blowing ports 38a, water drops on the washbowl 1 or the water receiving unit is not blown off by the high-speed airflow, or splashed around the outside of the washbowl 1 or the water receiving unit.
The high-speed airflows blown from the blowing ports 38b in a diagonally forward direction do not interfere with the high-speed airflows blown from the blowing ports 38a in the front and rear rows. The high-speed airflows blown from the blowing ports 38b are increased in the widths in a substantially oblong shape while interacting with the surrounding air. The high-speed airflows from the blowing ports 38b are blown in a diagonally forward direction to an area outside of the width of the substantially oblong-shaped high-speed airflow blown from the blowing ports 38a in the front and rear rows.
Therefore, as shown in
Even if a width of the nozzle 38 is small in the lateral direction, the drying space is made larger as described above, and the dying efficiency is improved. Therefore, a width dimension of the hand drying apparatus 93 can be reduced in the lateral direction, and the hand drying apparatus 93 can be compact. Water removed from the hands by the high-speed airflow is drained off from the washbowl 1 or the water receiving unit through the existing drain.
A hand drying apparatus 94 according to the fourth embodiment is different from the hand drying apparatus 91 according to the first embodiment only in that the hand drying apparatus 94 includes a wind receiving plate 40 that is arrange on the front side of a lower portion of the main body casing 2 to receive the high-speed airflow from the nozzle 8. Therefore, the wind receiving plate 40 according to the fourth embodiment will be explained with reference to
As shown in
The drying space 12 has an entrance width, a height, and a depth such that a user can put hands in the drying space 12 without feeling uncomfortable or restless, and can see the hands while freely putting the hands in and out of the drying space 12. The height is set to about 100 mm to 250 mm, and the depth is set to about 65 mm to 150 mm.
As shown in
Although a case where the hand drying apparatus 94 is mounted around the washbowl 1 of the washstand 1b is explained with reference to
The wind receiving plate 40 is arranged in a position to cross the axis line of the high-speed airflow blown from the nozzle 8 (a position opposed to the nozzle 8). The wind receiving plate 40 prevents water drops blown off the hands from being splashed into the washstand 1b, the washstand mirror, or the like. Furthermore, if the hand drying apparatus 94 operates in a situation where water is kept in the washbowl 1, or in a situation where water runs from the tap, the high-speed airflow from the nozzle 8 hits the wind receiving plate 40, and does not directly hit the washbowl 1, so that scattering of water in the washbowl 1 toward the washstand 1b or the floor is prevented.
The wind receiving plate 40 is provided with a plurality of air holes 40a. The high-speed airflow from the nozzle 8 hits the wind receiving plate 40, and passes through the air holes 40a, so that a speed of the high-speed airflow attenuates. In this manner, a speed at which the air hits the washbowl 1 after passing through the air hole 40a can be reduced, and scattering of water in the washbowl 1 can be prevented. If the air hole 40a is a circular hole with a small diameter, scattering of water can be prevented with high effectiveness. A shape of the air hole 40a is not limited to the circular hole, but can be a slit hole.
A tilted surface 40b is formed around the air hole 40a of the wind receiving plate 40 in a tapered manner. Water drops blown off the hands flow down from the tilted surface 40b through the air hole 40a in a smooth manner without remaining on the wind receiving plate 40. The wind receiving plate 40 can be laterally attached to the main body casing 2, or the wind receiving plate 40 can be attached to the main body casing 2 such that the wind receiving plate 40 is tilted downward in the forward direction. The water drops can flow down in a smooth manner if the wind receiving plate 40 is laterally arranged, or is tilted downward.
If the wind receiving plate 40 is made of a resin, and an antibacterial agent is applied to the wind receiving plate 40 by impregnation or coating, adhesion of dirt can be reduced, and bacterial growth can be lowered. In addition, the wind receiving plate 40 can be made of perforated metal that includes a plurality of circular holes with a small diameter.
As shown in
As shown in
The wind receiving plate 50 prevents water drops blown off the hands from being splashed around the washstand 1b, the washstand mirror, or the like. Moreover, if the hand drying apparatus 95 operates in a situation where water is kept in the washbowl 1, or in a situation where water runs from the tap, the high-speed airflow from the nozzle 8 hits the wind receiving plate 50, and does not directly hit the washbowl 1, so that scattering of water in the washbowl 1 toward the washstand 1b or the floor is prevented. When the washbowl 1 is to be cleaned, the wind receiving plate 50 is retracted inside the storage portion 50a, so that the wind receiving plate 50 does not interfere with the cleaning operation.
As shown in
When the wind receiving plate 60 is in the substantially horizontal position, the wind receiving plate 60 prevents water drops blown off the hands from being splashed around the washstand 1b, the washstand mirror, or the like. Moreover, if the hand drying apparatus 96 operates in a situation where water is kept in the washbowl 1, or water runs from the tap, the high-speed airflow from the nozzle 8 hits the wind receiving plate 60, and does not directly hit the washbowl 1, so that scattering of water in the washbowl 1 toward the washstand 1b or the floor is prevented. When the washbowl 1 is to be cleaned, the wind receiving plate 60 is rotated to the upward position, so that the wind receiving plate 60 does not interfere with the cleaning operation.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Although it is explained in the fourth embodiment to the ninth embodiment that the hand drying apparatuses 94 to 99 are mounted on the washstand 1b, installation locations of the hand drying apparatuses 94 to 99 are not limited to that, but can be mounted on a wall in abutment with the washstand 1b. Furthermore, it can be configured such that the wind receiving plates 40 to 85 are detached from the main body casing 2. With this configuration, the wind receiving plates 40 to 85 are cleaned to remove dirt due to water drops blown off the hands in a state that the wind receiving plates 40 to 85 are detached from the main body casing 2.
As described above, the hand drying apparatus according to the present invention is suitable for a hand drying apparatus to be installed in a hand-washing place or a rest room in an office building, a hotel, a family restaurant, amusement facilities, a general supermarket, a food/medical/cosmetic/other general factory, a school, or public facilities.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2008/061139 | 6/18/2008 | WO | 00 | 11/24/2009 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2009/011198 | 1/22/2009 | WO | A |
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