JP2001258789A - Air dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] An air dryer capable of preventing a malfunction of an electric blower without a sensor detecting a mounting surface even when a dryer is moved to a position away from a recess for water treatment. Provide a machine. A portable case body (1) having an air inlet (4) and an air outlet (24b) is provided, and air provided in the case body (1) and sucked from the air inlet (4) is supplied to the air outlet (2).
An electric blower (blower means) 20 for blowing out from 4b;
An air dryer having an infrared sensor 10 for detecting an object to be dried facing an air outlet 24b.
The detection direction of 0 is substantially matched with the air blowing direction of the air outlet 24b, and the detection range of the infrared sensor 10 is a predetermined height h above the mounting surface S of the case body 1 from the position of the air outlet 24b. Air dryer set in the range up to the position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air dryer for evaporating or blowing off moisture on the surface of an object to be dried by blowing air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional hand dryer, when a sensor provided at an air outlet detects a hand, an internal electric blower is operated, and the operating electric blower blows hot air from the air outlet at a high speed. And blows off water droplets attached to the hands and evaporates them with the warm air that is blown out. This hand dryer is used, for example, installed in a washroom or the like.

[0003]

However, since such a hand dryer is fixed to a wall of a washroom, it cannot be used by moving to a sink or a washstand.

Therefore, it is conceivable to make the dryer portable so that it can be used in a sink or a wash basin. This dryer is used at the edge of a water treatment recess, such as a sink or a washstand, and has an air outlet facing the water treatment recess. Therefore, in this case, it is better that the detection range of the sensor slightly enters the water treatment recess below the mounting surface of the dryer, and the water droplets blown away from the hands and the like scatter outside the water treatment recess. Not desirable.

However, if the detection range of the sensor includes a portion below the mounting surface of the dryer, the sensor detects the mounting surface when the dryer is moved to a position away from the recess for water treatment. It is possible that the electric blower malfunctions.

The present invention provides an air dryer that can prevent a malfunction of an electric blower without detecting a mounting surface even if the dryer is moved to a position away from a water treatment recess. It is intended to provide.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable case body provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, and the portable case body is provided in the case body. An air dryer including a blower that blows air sucked from an air inlet from the air outlet and a sensor that detects a body to be dried facing the air outlet, wherein a detection direction of the sensor is: The air outlet direction of the air outlet is substantially the same as the air outlet direction, and the detection range of the sensor is set in a range from the position of the air outlet to a predetermined height position above the mounting surface of the case body. It is characterized by using an air dryer.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 (a) and 2, a portable case body 1 of an air dryer A has an outer case 1a and a middle case 1b. The outer case 1a has a lower case 2 and an upper case 3 detachably mounted on the lower case 2. An air inlet 4 is provided on the upper portion of the rear wall 2a of the lower case 2.
Is formed, and a bulging protrusion 5 bulging (protruding) to the front side is formed on the upper case 3.

A filter 6 for covering the air inlet 4 is attached to the rear wall 2a. The filter 6 has a slit forming plate 6b in which a number of slits 6a are formed, and a filter body 6c such as sponge rubber attached to the slit forming plate 6b.

An opening 5a which opens downward is formed in the bulging projection 5, and a sensor mounting plate 7 is detachably attached to the opening 5a. A nozzle opening 7a is formed at the tip of the sensor mounting plate 7, and a bulging projection 8 for mounting the sensor is formed at an intermediate portion of the sensor mounting plate 7 so as to project diagonally downward and forward. An opening 8b is formed in the end wall 8a of the protrusion 8. An infrared filter 9 is attached to the opening 8b.

In addition, an infrared sensor 10 is mounted in the bulging projection 8 as detecting means for detecting the object to be dried. The infrared sensor 10 has a light emitting element 10a such as an infrared light emitting diode and a light receiving element 10b.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the light emitting element 10a emits the detection light La obliquely downward and forward. Moreover, the detection light La is applied to the case body 1.
When the object to be dried (not shown in FIG. 1A), which is disposed at a position of a predetermined height h from the mounting surface S, is irradiated and reflected, the reflected light Lb is detected by the light receiving element 10b. It has become.

Further, on the upper surface of the upper case 3, an operation panel 3a is provided as shown in FIG. The operation panel 3a includes a power switch 11, a heater switch 1
2. The continuous operation switch 13 is mounted. The ON / OFF signals from the switches 11, 12, and 13 and the detection signal from the light receiving element 10b are input to the control circuit 14 shown in FIG. The control circuit 14 has a lower case 2
Is provided on a circuit board (not shown) in the storage section 15 provided in the bottom of the hologram. 16 is a power cord of the control circuit 14, 1
Reference numeral 7 denotes a power plug of the power cord 16. The light emission of the light emitting element 10a is controlled by the control circuit 14.

The middle case (motor case) 1 b is disposed above the storage section 15. This middle case 1b is attached to the front case 18 detachably attached to each other.
And a rear case 19. A communication hole 18b is formed in an upper part of a front wall 18a of the front case 18, and an air inlet 19b is formed in a rear wall 19a of the rear case 19.

An electric blower 20 is provided in the middle case 17. The electric blower 20 has a centrifugal fan 21 held in the rear case 19 and a motor unit 22 held in the front case 18. An exhaust chamber 23 is formed between the motor section 22 and the front case 18. The drive of the electric blower 20 is controlled by the control circuit 14. Here, 21a is an air inlet of the centrifugal fan 21, and 22a is an outlet of the motor unit 22.

The rear end of the nozzle member 24 is connected to the communication hole 18b of the front case 18, and a heater 25 is mounted between the communication hole 18b and the rear end of the nozzle member 24. The operation of the heater 25 is also controlled by the control circuit 14. The nozzle portion 24a of the nozzle member 24 is projected from the nozzle opening 7a of the sensor mounting plate 7. Then, at the tip of the nozzle portion 24a,
An air outlet 24b is formed.

The nozzle portion 24a, that is, the air outlet 24b
The air blown out from is blown diagonally forward and downward. Further, the air blowing direction C and the emission direction (detection direction) of the detection light La of the infrared sensor 10 are substantially matched and are substantially the same direction. In addition, the detection range B of the infrared sensor 10 is, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 3 (a portion surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 3), the air outlet 24.
b above the mounting surface S of the case body 1a at a predetermined height h.
And the infrared sensor 10 does not detect the mounting surface S.

Next, the operation of the air dryer A having such a configuration will be described.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the air-type dryer A is provided with a concave portion (sink, water tank) 31 for water treatment of a sink 30 as shown in FIG.
And the nozzle portion 24a is disposed toward the water treatment concave portion 31. Then, the plug 17 of the cord 16 is inserted into an outlet 33 provided on the wall 32 of the sink 30, and the power switch 11 is turned on.

When the power switch 11 is turned on, the control circuit 14 causes the light emitting element 10a to emit light (lights up) and emits the detection light La toward the water treatment concave portion 31 as shown in FIG. At this time, the detection light La is transmitted to the infrared filter 9.
Through.

In this state, the hand 34 as the object to be dried is placed above the sink (mounting surface) 30 as shown in FIG.
When the tableware 35 such as a dish to be dried is positioned at a position facing the nozzle portion 24a as shown in FIG. 8 at a position above the sink (mounting surface) 30 as shown in FIG. The reflected light Lb reflected from 34 or the tableware 35 is received by the light receiving element 10 b via the infrared filter 9.
Thus, the light receiving element 10b detects the hand 34 and the tableware 35 as the object to be dried, and inputs a detection signal to the control circuit 14.

When receiving the detection signal from the light receiving element 10b, the control circuit 14 operates the electric blower 20. As a result, the electric blower 20 sucks the air into the centrifugal fan 21 through the filter 6, the air suction ports 4, 19 b, and 21 a, and then discharges the sucked air to the exhaust port 22 a of the motor unit 22.
From the exhaust chamber 23. The air exhausted into the exhaust chamber 23 is blown out at a high speed from an air outlet 24b provided in the nozzle portion 24a of the nozzle member 24, and the water droplets 36 attached to the hand 34 or the tableware 35 and the like are discharged into the water treatment recess 31. And a part of the water adhering to the hand 34 or the tableware 35 is evaporated as shown by an arrow 37.

At this time, the heater switch 12 is turned on.
If so, the heater 25 is operated by the control circuit 14 to heat the exhaust air passing through the heater 25. As a result, the exhaust air that has been heated and becomes hot air is supplied to the air outlet 24 provided in the nozzle portion 24a of the nozzle member 24.
b, the water droplets blown out at a high speed and attached to the hand 34 or the tableware 35 and the like are blown into the water treatment concave portion 31,
Part of the water adhering to the hand 34 or the tableware 35 or the like will be positively evaporated.

As described above, the detection range of the infrared sensor 10 of the air dryer A is set to a range from the air outlet 24b to a position at a predetermined height h above the mounting surface S of the case body 1a. Thus, the infrared sensor 10 does not detect the mounting surface S. Therefore, after the water droplets on the hand 34 or the tableware 35 are dried, the air dryer A is moved to the vicinity of the wall 32 away from the water treatment recess 31 as shown in FIG. However, a situation in which the infrared sensor 10 detects the mounting surface S and malfunctions does not occur.

In the embodiment described above, the object to be dried such as a hand or tableware is detected by using the photoelectric infrared sensor 10, but the invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, an object to be dried such as a hand or tableware can be detected by a sensor using ultrasonic waves.

[0027]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a portable case body provided with an air inlet and an air outlet is provided, and the case is provided in the case body and sucked from the air inlet. Air blowing means for blowing air out of the air outlet, and a sensor for detecting a body to be dried facing the air outlet, the detection direction of the sensor is the direction of the air outlet Since it is configured to be substantially coincident with the air blowing direction, and the detection range of the sensor is set in a range from the position of the air outlet to a predetermined height position above the mounting surface of the case body, Even if the dryer is moved to a position away from the recess for water treatment, the malfunction of the electric blower can be prevented without the sensor detecting the mounting surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1A is a sectional view of an air dryer according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a circuit diagram of the air dryer of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the air-type dryer, which also shows a cross section of the electric blower of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the air dryer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as viewed obliquely from the upper front.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the filters shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are removed;
It is the schematic perspective view which looked at the air-type dryer from diagonally upper back.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state of use of the air dryer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the air dryer shown in FIG. 5 when not in use.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a use state of the air dryer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a use state of the air dryer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Air dryer 1: Case body 4: Air suction port 10: Infrared sensor 20: Electric blower (blowing means) 24: Nozzle member 24a: Nozzle part (Nozzle) 24b ・ ・ ・ Air outlet

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A portable case body provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, and blowing means disposed in the case body for blowing air sucked from the air inlet through the air outlet. An air dryer having a sensor for detecting a body to be dried facing the air outlet, wherein a detection direction of the sensor is made substantially coincident with an air blowing direction of the air outlet, and the sensor Is set in a range from the position of the air outlet to a position at a predetermined height above the mounting surface of the case main body.