JP2004337424A - Hand drying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an excellently sanitary and safe hand drying device capable of reducing the frequency of maintenance of a filter and reducing the cost without ejecting various germs from an air nozzle and without giving harm to a user. <P>SOLUTION: The hand drying device comprises a hand insertion part 2 with an insertion hole formed on a body 1 for inserting/drawing a hand, a high pressure air current generating device 6 incorporated in the body 1 for sucking air through an intake 4 disposed at a position other than the hand insertion part and ejecting the air from the air nozzle 3 facing the hand insertion part 2, and a capture filter 11 with a disinfection function set in a wind passage 5 from the intake 4 to the air nozzle 3. The hand drying device is structured to prevent wet air blown out of the hand from being sucked into the wind passage, keeping the interior of the wind passage and the filter in the state in which various germs hardly propagate and to securely capture the various germs included in the air by the capture filter to disinfect the air. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a hand drying device for sanitarily and quickly drying wet hands after washing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a device that sanitarily and quickly dries wet hands after washing, avoiding direct contact with handkerchiefs and hand wipes, etc., hand drying that blows water droplets attached to hands by high-speed air flow and dries Devices are known.
[0003]
In such a case, a filter is generally installed in the air path. If this filter does not have a sterilizing function, it is possible to collect bacteria at first and clean air, but the collected bacteria grows over time and flows downstream to cause secondary contamination. It becomes. In addition, since bacteria grow in the filter, it is necessary to replace the filter. Further, when replacing the filter, there is a possibility that the worker is contaminated and spread to the surrounding environment.
[0004]
Therefore, having a hand insertion part with an open front, the hand insertion part has an air nozzle that blows out high-speed air flow, and an intake port connected to the suction port of an electric blower that generates high-speed air flow behind it, An antibacterial and fungicide-treated net is provided at the air intake, air is taken in through the net, high-speed airflow generated by the electric blower is blown out from the air nozzle, and moisture attached to the hand is blown off by the high-speed airflow. (For example, see Patent Document 1).
[0005]
Further, there has been proposed a device in which an ozone generator is provided in an air passage so that air passing through the air passage is sterilized by ozone (for example, see Patent Document 2).
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-113790 [Patent Document 2]
JP 2002-153399 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the case where both the air nozzle serving as a high-speed air outlet and the intake port are arranged in the hand insertion portion, the inside of the air passage is moist due to the structure that sucks moist air including water droplets blown from the hand. It becomes a state, and it becomes an environment where various germs easily grow. Furthermore, although the net has been treated with antibacterial and fungicide treatment, some stitches attached to the net can be removed due to the stitch structure, but most of the germs pass through and can be removed. Can not. For this reason, the air ejected from the air nozzle contains many germs.
[0008]
Further, since the air inlet is located at the back of the hand insertion portion, it is easy to suck in dirt such as dust around the net, and the net is very dirty. Furthermore, if the net which exhibits the antibacterial effect is not cleaned in a state where the surface is not soiled, it becomes a source of the growth of various bacteria rather than the reduction of various bacteria because the net is wet. Particularly in places where hygiene is very important, such as in food factories, this may be a problem. Furthermore, it is necessary to frequently clean the net and keep it clean in order to maintain the stain removal and antibacterial performance of the net, which is troublesome for the cleaner.
[0009]
Also, in the case where air passing through the air passage is sterilized with ozone, ozone is harmful to the human body if it exceeds a certain amount, so not only the ozone generator but also the generated ozone is decomposed. And a costly device is required.
[0010]
A technical object of the present invention is to prevent germs from being ejected from an air nozzle, not to cause harm to humans, to be excellent in hygiene and safety, to reduce filter maintenance, and to reduce costs.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The hand drying device according to the present invention includes a hand insertion portion into which a hand is inserted and withdrawn from an insertion hole provided in the main body, and a device that is incorporated into the main body and sucks air from an air inlet provided at a position other than the hand insertion portion. A high-pressure airflow generator for jetting from an air nozzle facing the hand insertion portion; and a collection filter with a sterilization function installed in an air passage from an intake port to the air nozzle.
[0012]
Like the hand drying device of the present invention, the suction port is disposed at a position other than the hand insertion section, and a collection filter with a sterilizing function is installed in an air path from the suction port to the air nozzle, so that the wet air blown out of the hand. Air can be prevented from being sucked into the air passage, and the inside of the air passage and the filter can be kept in a dry state where bacteria are difficult to propagate. For this reason, the bacteria contained in the air are reliably collected and sterilized by the collection filter, and the air after passing through the collection filter becomes clean air containing no bacteria.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a horizontal insertion type hand drying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0014]
In the hand drying device of the present embodiment, a U-shaped hand insertion portion 2 that opens from the front (the front is the left side in FIG. 1) to both sides and has a U-shape in the depth direction is formed in a main body 1 formed of a box that forms the outer shell. The air nozzle 3 is provided on the upper side of the entrance opening as viewed from the front of the hand insertion unit 2 so as to face the hand insertion unit 2. An intake port 4 is provided at a position (here, the lower surface of the main body) of the main body 1 distant from the hand insertion section 2, and a high-pressure air for generating a high-pressure air flow is provided in the air path 5 from the intake port 4 to the air nozzle 3. An air flow generator 6 is arranged. The high-pressure air flow generator 6 includes a DC brushless motor (which may be a normal commutator motor) 7 and a turbo fan 8 driven by the DC brushless motor 7. Are linked.
[0015]
A collection filter 11 with a sterilizing function and an air filter 12 coarser than the collection filter 11 having a sterilizing function are sequentially arranged near the intake port 4 in the air passage 5 from the downstream side. It collects and sterilizes germs contained in the air. It is preferable that the air filter 12 also has a sterilizing function. The sterilizing function of the collection filter 11 and the air filter 12 is performed by an antibacterial process or a lytic enzyme. In particular, as the collection filter 11, it is possible to use a dust filter, a medium-performance filter, a high-performance filter, a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, and an ULPA (Ultra Low Penetrate Air) filter. It can be selected according to conditions such as size. In the case of sterilization by lytic enzyme or antibacterial processing, unlike sterilization by ozone, it is safe for the human body and does not require a large-scale device, so that it can be manufactured in a small size and at low cost. Thereby, since air containing various bacteria does not pass through the air passage 5 inside the main body, various bacteria do not adhere and grow inside the main body, which is very sanitary.
[0016]
A drain tank 13 is provided at a lower portion of the main body 1, and water blown from a hand is collected by dropping into the drain tank 13 from a drain port 2 a formed at the bottom of the hand insertion portion 2. It has become so.
[0017]
Further, the hand insertion unit 2 is provided with a sensor 14 that detects the inserted hand and outputs a detection signal to a control unit (not shown).
[0018]
In the hand drying apparatus of the present embodiment having the above configuration, when drying wet hands, firstly, stand on the front of the apparatus main body, insert the hands with the wet hands slightly spread and both hands substantially horizontal. When inserted into the unit 2, the sensor 14 provided on the hand insertion unit 2 detects that a hand is present in the hand insertion unit 2, and the control unit determines the DC of the high-pressure airflow generator 6 based on the detection result. The brushless motor 7 is driven to rotate the turbo fan 8. As a result, air is taken into the air passage 5 from the intake port 4 as shown by the arrow in the drawing, passes through the air filter 12, and further passes through the collection filter 11 composed of a bacteriolytic enzyme filter or an antibacterial filter. Then, the working airflow from the turbofan 8 is blown to the hand from the air nozzle 3 as a high-speed airflow, so that moisture attached to the hand is blown off into the hand insertion space by the kinetic energy of the high-speed airflow and dried.
[0019]
At this time, the high-speed air sent to the hand insertion portion 2 hits the inner wall of the hand insertion portion and the like while blowing off moisture, and is discharged to the outside through openings on both side surfaces thereof. After the drying, when both hands are pulled out from the hand insertion section 2, the sensor 14 detects that both hands are not present in the hand insertion section 2, and the control section determines the DC brushless motor 7 of the high-pressure air flow generator 6 based on the detection result. To stop. Then, the water blown off from the hands during drying is dropped by its own weight to the bottom of the hand insertion portion 2 and flows to the drain port 2a side, and is dropped into the drain tank 13 from the drain port 2a to be drained and collected. You.
[0020]
As described above, in the hand drying device of the present embodiment, since the air inlet 4 is disposed on the lower surface of the main body 1 away from the hand insertion section 2, the moist air blown from the hands is sucked into the air passage 5. The inside of the air passage 5 can be kept in a dry state where no germs propagate, and the air filter 12 and the collection filter 11 with a sterilizing function, which are arranged in the air passage 5, are kept in a dry state. can do. Therefore, the germs contained in the air are reliably collected and sterilized by the collection filter 11, and the air after passing through the collection filter 11 becomes clean air containing no germs. Even after a lapse of time, the collected germs do not proliferate, so that the collection filter 11 does not need to be replaced, and the diffusion of environmental pollution from the replacement worker to the surroundings can be prevented. Further, since there is no growth of various bacteria, an increase in pressure loss can be suppressed. Furthermore, since there are no germs, disposal is easy. In addition, since the collection filter 11 and the air filter 12 do not get wet with water droplets, dirt hardly adheres and the number of times of cleaning is reduced.
[0021]
In addition, since the collection filter 11 is detachably provided, even if the pressure loss of the collection filter changes due to dust or the like and the wind speed of the high-speed air flow decreases, it can be easily cleaned or replaced with a new one. The function can be repaired.
[0022]
Further, since the collection filter 11 is disposed near the intake port 4 at the most upstream side of the air path 5, various bacteria are collected by the collection filter 11 from the air immediately after being taken into the air path and sterilized. As a result, air containing germs does not pass through, and germs do not adhere and grow inside the main body, which is very hygienic. Furthermore, the collection filter 11 can be replaced without disassembling the main body 1, making cleaning and replacement work very easy and visually checking the degree of contamination of the collection filter 11 from outside. can do.
[0023]
In addition, since the air filter 12 having a coarser size than the collection filter 11 is arranged on the air inlet 5 side of the collection filter 11 with a sterilizing function in the air passage 5, dust adheres to the collection filter 11. This can prevent the sterilization action from being reduced. A plurality of the air filters may be provided. In this case, if the air filters are arranged so as to increase the collection rate from the upstream side (the suction side) to the downstream side (the discharge side), the air filters may be provided on the downstream side. The adhesion of dust is reduced, and the sterilizing effect can be further maintained.
[0024]
In addition, by providing the air filter 12 with a sterilizing function, the effect of suppressing germs can be further enhanced, and the inside of the main body becomes more sanitary.
[0025]
Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a vertical insertion type hand drying device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those of the first embodiment (FIG. 1). Is attached.
[0026]
The hand drying device of the present embodiment is provided with a U-shaped hand insertion portion 2A that is open from the upper surface to both side surfaces and that is inclined in a lower direction, on a main body 1A that is a box that forms an outer shell. Air nozzles 3a and 3b are installed on the upper side and the lower side of the entrance opening viewed from above the hand insertion portion 2A, respectively, facing the hand insertion portion 2A. An intake port 4 is provided in the main body 1A at a position away from the hand insertion portion 2A (again, on the lower surface of the main body), and an air passage 5 from the intake port 4 to the air nozzle 3 branches into two branches in the middle. The ends of the passages 5a and 5b are connected to the air nozzles 3a and 3b, respectively.
[0027]
In addition, an air filter 12 similar to that described in the first embodiment is detachably disposed at the intake port 4, and a germicidal function similar to that described in the above-described first embodiment is provided at a branch point of the air passage 5. The attached collection filter 11 is detachably disposed, and a high-pressure air flow generator 6 for generating a high-pressure air flow is disposed in the air passage 5 between the filters 11 and 12. The high-pressure air flow generator 6 includes a DC brushless motor (which may be a normal commutator motor) 7 and a turbo fan 8 driven by the DC brushless motor 7. Are linked. As described above, it is preferable that the air filter 12 also has a sterilizing function. The sterilizing function of the collection filter 11 and the air filter 12 is also performed by an antibacterial process or a lytic enzyme similarly to the first embodiment, and the collection filter 11 is used for dust, medium performance, high performance, and HEPA. (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter and ULPA (Ultra Low Penetrate Air) filter can be used, and can be selected according to conditions such as a pressure loss rate and a size of various bacteria.
[0028]
A drain tank 13 is provided at a lower portion of the main body 1A, and water blown from a hand is supplied to the drain tank 13 through a drain pipe (not shown) formed at the bottom of the hand insertion portion 2A via a drain pipe. It is drained and collected.
[0029]
Further, a sensor 14 that detects the inserted hand and outputs a detection signal to a control unit (not shown) is provided in the hand insertion unit 2A.
[0030]
In the hand drying apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, when drying wet hands, first, stand on the front of the apparatus main body, and insert the wet hands from above into the hand insertion portion 2A with the hands spread slightly. The sensor 14 detects that the hand is in the hand insertion section 2A, and the control section drives the DC brushless motor 7 of the high-pressure airflow generator 6 to rotate the turbo fan 8 based on the detection result. As a result, air is taken into the air passage 5 from the intake port 4 as shown by the arrow in the drawing, passes through the air filter 12, passes through the turbo fan 8, and is further collected by a bacteriolytic enzyme filter or an antibacterial filter. After passing through the filter 11, it separates into the branch air paths 5a and 5b, blows out from the air nozzles 3a and 3b as a high-speed air flow into the hand insertion portion 2A, and is sprayed simultaneously on the back and palms of both hands to blow off the attached moisture from the hands. And dry. After drying, when both hands are pulled out from the hand insertion portion 2A, the sensor 14 detects that both hands are not present in the hand insertion portion 2A, and the control portion determines the DC brushless motor 7 of the high-pressure air flow generator 6 based on the detection result. To stop. Then, the water blown off from the hand during drying is drained from the drain port at the bottom of the hand insertion portion 2A to the drain tank 13 via the drain pipe and collected.
[0031]
As described above, also in the hand drying device of the present embodiment, since the suction port 4 is disposed on the lower surface of the main body 1A remote from the hand insertion portion 2A, the moist air blown from the hand is sucked into the air passage 5. The inside of the air passage 5 can be kept in a dry state in which no germs propagate, and the air filter 12 and the collection filter 11 with a sterilizing function, which are arranged in the air passage 5, are kept in a dry state. can do. For this reason, the bacteria contained in the air are reliably collected and sterilized by the collection filter 11, and the air after passing through the collection filter 11 becomes clean air containing no bacteria. Even after a lapse of time, the collected germs do not proliferate, so that the collection filter 11 does not need to be replaced, and the diffusion of environmental pollution from the replacement worker to the surroundings can be prevented. Further, since there is no growth of various bacteria, an increase in pressure loss can be suppressed. Furthermore, since there are no germs, disposal is easy. In addition, since the collection filter 11 and the air filter 12 do not get wet with water droplets, dirt hardly adheres and the number of times of cleaning is reduced.
[0032]
Also, in this embodiment, since the collection filter 11 is detachably provided, even if the pressure loss of the collection filter changes due to dust or the like and the wind speed of the high-speed air flow decreases, it is cleaned or replaced with a new one. By doing so, the function can be easily repaired.
[0033]
Also in this embodiment, since the air filter 12 having a coarser size than the collection filter 11 is disposed on the air inlet 5 side of the collection filter 11 with a sterilizing function in the air passage 5, the collection filter 11 has Can be prevented from adhering, and the bactericidal action can be prevented from lowering. A plurality of air filters can be provided. If the air filters are arranged so as to increase the collection rate from the upstream side (the suction side) to the downstream side (the discharge side), dust on the downstream filter can be reduced. Adhesion is reduced, and the bactericidal effect can be further maintained. Further, by providing the air filter 12 with a sterilizing function, the effect of suppressing various germs can be further enhanced, and the inside of the main body becomes extremely sanitary.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the intake port is arranged at a position other than the hand insertion portion, and the collection filter with a sterilizing function is installed in the air passage from the intake port to the air nozzle. It is possible to prevent the blown moist air from being sucked into the air passage, keep the inside of the air passage and the filter in a dry state where it is difficult for bacteria to multiply, and collect the bacteria contained in the air with a filter. Collection and sterilization could be performed reliably, and the air after passing through the collection filter could be made into clean air containing no germs. For this reason, the germs were not ejected from the air nozzle, did not harm humans, were excellent in hygiene and safety, the maintenance of the filter could be reduced, and the cost could be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a hand dryer according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a hand dryer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 1A main body, 2, 2A hand insertion part, 3, 3a, 3b air nozzle, 4 air inlet, 5, 5a, 5b air passage, 6 high pressure air flow generator, 11 collection filter with sterilization function, 12 air filter.

Claims (7)

A hand insertion portion through which a hand is inserted and withdrawn from an insertion hole provided in the main body, and air that is incorporated in the main body and is suctioned from an air inlet provided at a position other than the hand insertion portion to face the hand insertion portion. A hand drying device, comprising: a high-pressure airflow generating device that jets air from an air nozzle; and a collection filter with a sterilizing function installed in an air passage from the intake port to the air nozzle. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the collection filter with a sterilizing function is detachable. 3. The hand according to claim 1, wherein one or more air filters coarser than the collection filter are installed on the air inlet side of the collection filter with a sterilizing function in the air path. Drying equipment. The hand dryer according to claim 3, wherein the air filter has a sterilizing function. The hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bactericidal function is based on a lytic enzyme. The hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sterilization function is performed by an antibacterial agent. The hand dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the collection filter with a sterilizing function is arranged at the air inlet.

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