JPH02176027A - Automatic hand washing system and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To miniaturize an automatic hand-washing apparatus as well as raise its economical advantage by a method in which water is supplied on the basis of using signal from a sensor set below a water outlet and air is supplied for a given time period on the basis of shunting signals by avoiding parallelized water and air supplying. CONSTITUTION:When the hand of an user comes near below the outlet 7a of a water supplyer 7, a sensor 9 detects it and sends out using signal. On the basis of the using signal, a solenoid valve 8 is opened by a controller to supply water from the outlet 7a. When the hand of the user is removed away, a shunting signal is sent out from the sensor 9 and the valve 8 is closed by controller to stop the supply of water B. On the basis of the shunting signal, an air blower 10 is controlled by controller to supply air C from an air port 5a for a given time period. When the hand of the user comes near below the outlet 7a again within the given time period, air supply is stopped and water supply is started.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a hand washing system and its device that automatically discharges water and blows air when a user moves his/her hand closer or farther away.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, this type of handwashing device includes a water supply device that is installed above the sink and dispenses tap water when the user approaches the sink, and shuts off the water when the user moves away from the sink. . Also,
A blower device is also used that blows air for a certain period of time when the user brings his or her hand close to the device. With these water supply devices and air blowers, you can dispense tap water from the water supply device, blow air from the blower device, or stop them by simply moving your hand closer or farther away. And drying becomes convenient.

By the way, after a user washes his or her hands using the water supply device, water droplets fall between the time when the user uses the air blower to dry his or her wet hands, so the air blower needs to be placed above the sink.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the water supply device 21 and the air blower 22 are installed side by side on the left and right of the user at a position above the washbasin, or the air blower 22 is placed side by side with the water supply device as shown in FIG. It is conceivable to arrange the air blower 22 separately above the water supply device 21, or to arrange the air blower 22 on the user side of the water supply device 21 (on the right side of the figure) as shown in FIG.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, when the water supply device 21 and the air blower device 22 are arranged side by side on the left and right, the space occupied in the left and right direction increases, and a large washstand A is required. There is a problem with becoming. Furthermore, if the blower device 22 is placed apart above the water supply device 21, there is a problem in that water droplets fall onto the water supply device 21 by the time the user finishes drying his/her hands, which is not sanitary. Furthermore, when the blower device 22 is disposed on the user side of the water supply device 21, not only does the space occupied in the front and rear directions become larger, but also
When a user washes his/her hands, the user's hands will be under the water supply device 21 and the air blower device 22 at the same time, and both devices 21.22
There is a problem in that both operate at the same time, which is uneconomical.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic hand washing system that does not issue water and blow air at the same time, and can blow air only after the user has washed his or her hands with water.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic hand washing system that can stop blowing air even when the user is drying his or her hands when the user washes the child again.

Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention that the water flow and air blowing are not carried out at the same time, and that air flow can only be performed after the user has washed his/her hands due to the water flow. To provide an automatic hand washing device capable of maintaining good sanitary conditions without causing water droplets to fall onto a water supply means during drying.

[Means for Solving the Problems] Therefore, in order to achieve the above object, the automatic hand washing system of the present invention includes a water supply means which is provided with a valve that can be opened and closed for supplying and shutting off water, and a water supply means provided below the water outlet of the water supply means. a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a user's hand; a blower means for blowing air from the air outlet; and when the detection means detects that the hand is brought close to the water outlet, opens a valve based on the use signal; After that, when it is detected that the hand has moved away from the water outlet, the valve is closed based on the evacuation signal, and
and control means for controlling the air blowing means to operate for a predetermined period of time based on the evacuation signal.

Further, when the detection means detects that a hand is brought close to the water outlet while the air blowing means is in operation, the control means stops the operation of the air blowing means based on the usage signal, and opens the valve of the water supply means. It is preferable that it be controlled as much as possible.

Further, in the automatic hand-washing device of the present invention, the air blowing means is integrally provided with the water supply means, and the air outlet of the air blowing means is arranged on the user side of the water outlet of the water supply means.

[Operation] When the detection means detects that the user's hand is brought close to the lower part of the water outlet of the water supply means, the control means controls the water supply means based on the usage signal and opens the valve. Therefore, when the detection means detects that water comes out from the water outlet of the water supply means and that the user's hand is moved away from the water outlet of the water supply means, the control means controls the water supply means based on the evacuation signal. control and close the valve. Therefore, water stops flowing from the water outlet of the water supply means. Further, at this time, the control means controls the air blowing means based on the evacuation signal, and operates the air blowing means for a predetermined period of time. Therefore, wind blows out from the air outlet.

If the detection means detects the user's hand again at the water outlet of the water supply means before a predetermined time elapses after the air blowing means is activated, the control means operates the air blowing means and the water supply based on the usage signal. Control the means. Therefore, the air blowing from the air blowing means stops and water comes out from the water supply means.

By the way, if the air blowing means is provided integrally with the water supply means in an automatic hand washing device, the installation space can be made smaller than when these are arranged separately. Also,
If the air outlet of the air blowing means is arranged on the user's side of the water outlet of the water supply means, water droplets will not fall onto the water supply means when the user dries his or her hands.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example in which the automatic hand washing system of the present invention is embodied in an automatic hand washing device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic hand washing device of this embodiment is installed above a washbasin A attached to a wall 1. A case 2 of this automatic hand washing device is divided into a water supply chamber 4 and a ventilation chamber 5 above the water supply chamber 4 by a partition plate 3, and the lower surface of the water supply chamber 4 is open. Further, the ventilation chamber 5 extends forward (to the right in the figure) toward the user along the water supply chamber 4, and its front portion is inclined downward. The lower end surface of this ventilation chamber 5 is opened and serves as a ventilation opening 5a.

An end of a water pipe 6 installed in the wall 1 protrudes into the water supply chamber 4, and a snake lower as a water supply means is attached to the water pipe 6. Blow room 5
It opens at a lower position than the air outlet 5a. The snake lower is equipped with a solenoid valve 8, and by opening and closing this solenoid valve 8 by energizing and demagnetizing a solenoid (not shown), the tap water B is supplied or stopped from the water output lower a. There is. Further, in the water supply chamber 4, an infrared sensor 9 as a detection means is disposed at a position near the front side of the water outlet lower a, and is configured to detect the presence or absence of a user's hand near the water outlet lower a. ing.

A blowing fan 10 as a blowing means is installed in the blowing chamber 5, and by operating the blowing fan 10, wind C is blown out from the blowing port 5a of the blowing chamber 5.

The automatic hand washing device in this embodiment is equipped with a control device shown in FIG. That is, a microcombinator (hereinafter abbreviated as microcomputer) 11 serving as a control means includes a timer function, a read-only memory (ROM) storing a control program, and a readable and rewritable memory (RAM). On the output side of this microcomputer 11, a magnetic valve 8 and a blower fan 10 are connected to a valve drive circuit 12.
and a fan drive circuit 13. On the other hand, an infrared sensor 9 is connected to an input end of the microcomputer 11.

This infrared sensor 9 detects the presence or absence of the user's hand at the water discharge lower a, that is, the use motion and withdrawal motion of the hand, and outputs the detection signal to the microcomputer 11. When the microcomputer 11 receives a detection signal from the infrared sensor 9, that is, a usage signal indicating that the user's hand is brought close to the lower part of the water discharge lower a and its usage is detected, the microcomputer 11 drives the valve drive circuit 12 to generate an electromagnetic The valve 8 is operated to discharge tap water from the water outlet lower a. After that, when the user's hand is moved away from the lower part of the water discharge lower a and a withdrawal signal is input that detects the withdrawal of the hand, the microcomputer 11 stops the output to the valve drive circuit 12,
When the timer starts measuring, the fan drive circuit 13
Outputs a control signal to drive the Then, by driving this fan drive circuit 13, the blower fan 10 is operated.

The microcomputer 11 stores the operating time of the blower fan 10 and the ROM.
and a predetermined time stored in advance. When it is determined that the operating time of the blower fan 10 has passed a predetermined time,
The microcomputer 11 stops measuring the timer and stops outputting the control signal for driving the fan drive circuit 13.

By the way, when the microcomputer 11 receives a usage signal from the infrared sensor 9 while outputting a control signal to the fan drive circuit 13, the microcomputer 11 stops the timer measurement in order to stop the operation of the blower fan 10. The measured time is cleared and the output of the control signal to the fan drive circuit 13 is stopped.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The microcomputer 11 waits for a human signal from the infrared sensor 9,
The presence or absence of a user's hand on the water outlet a of the automatic hand washing device is determined. (Step 1, hereinafter simply referred to as 81, other steps are the same) When the infrared sensor 9 detects that the user's hand is brought close to the water drain lower a, the microcomputer 11 activates the valve based on the usage signal. A control signal is output to the drive circuit 12 to operate the solenoid valve 8 (s2). Therefore, tap water B will be dispensed from the water supply lower a.
Users can wash their hands.

While the solenoid valve 8 is operating, the microcomputer 11 determines whether or not the user's hand is on the water discharge lower a (33).
), the operation of the solenoid valve 8 is maintained unless the hand is moved away from the water discharge lower a. When the hand is moved away from the water discharge lower a and the evacuation signal is input from the infrared sensor 9, the microcomputer 11 stops outputting the control signal to the valve drive circuit 12 and stops the solenoid valve 8 (S4).
A control signal is output to the fan drive circuit 13 to control the blower fan l.
Activate O (S5).

When the blower fan 10 is activated, the microcomputer 11 starts a timer measurement operation (s6).

From the start of measurement by the timer until a preset time elapses, the microcomputer 11 determines whether or not the user's hand is on the water release lower a (s7), and the user's hand is brought closer to the water release lower a. The operation of the blower fan 10 is maintained unless there is a problem. When the microcomputer 11 determines that a preset time has elapsed (S8), it stops the timer measurement (S9), stops outputting the control signal to the fan drive circuit 13, and stops the operation of the blower fan 10. Let (
SIO).

By the way, if the user's hand approaches the water flow lower a even though the blower fan 10 is operating in S7, the measurement is performed after the timer and the blower fan 10 are stopped. Time is cleared.

When the operation of the blower fan 10 is stopped as described above, since the detection signal from the infrared sensor 9 is input to the microcomputer 11, the routine from S1 onwards is repeated.

As described above, according to this embodiment, unlike the conventional system shown in FIG. Furthermore, even if the user is drying their hands, the air blower can be stopped when the user wants to wash the child again.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a snake lower, a solenoid valve 8,
Since the infrared sensor 9 and the blower fan 10 are integrated, it is possible to achieve a smaller size than the conventional one shown in FIG. In addition, in this embodiment, the ventilation port 5 of the ventilation chamber 5
Since a is provided in front of and above the water outlet a of the snake lower, when a user dries their hands by the air blowing from the air outlet 5a, water droplets do not fall on the snake lower, which is good for hygiene. In addition, there is no problem that the air outlet 5a becomes an obstruction and makes it difficult to see the water outlet lower a.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiments, and may be modified and embodied as desired without departing from the spirit of the invention, for example, as described below.

(1) In the above embodiment, the automatic hand washing device was attached to the wall 1, but it may also be attached to the wash basin A. Alternatively, the snake lower and the blower fan 10 may be separated, and the snake lower is attached to the washstand A, and the blower fan 10 is attached to the wall 1.

(2) A heater or an ozone generator may be incorporated in the ventilation chamber 5 of the automatic hand washing device, and hot air or wind C having sterilizing and deodorizing ability may be blown out from the ventilation opening 5a.

(3) In the embodiment described above, when the user's hand moves away from the water discharge lower a and the solenoid valve 8 is closed, the blower fan 10 is controlled to operate based on the detection signal from the infrared sensor 9. Another sensor may be provided in the electromagnetic valve 8, and the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve 8 may be detected by this sensor, and the operation of the blower fan 10 may be controlled based on the detection signal.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the automatic hand washing system of the present invention, water is not discharged and air is blown at the same time, and air can only be blown after the user has washed his hands. play.

Furthermore, even if the user is drying his/her hands, the air blowing can be stopped when the user washes the child again.

Furthermore, according to the automatic hand washing device of the present invention, water and air blowing are not carried out at the same time, and not only can air blowing only be carried out after the user has washed their hands with water flowing, but it is also possible to achieve miniaturization. This has the effect that water droplets do not fall onto the water supply means while hands are drying, and hygiene can be maintained in good condition.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 show an embodiment embodying the present invention.
The figure is a schematic sectional view showing the automatic hand washing device installed on the wall, Figure 2 is an electric circuit block diagram, Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the operation, and Figures 4 to 6 are a water supply device and a conventional technology. It is a schematic explanatory view of an air blower. 5a...Air outlet, 7...Faucet as a water supply means, 7
a...Water outlet, 8...'w, magnetic valve, 9...Infrared sensor as detection means, 10...Blower fan as blower means, 11...Microcomputer as control means, C
···Wind.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A water supply means provided with a valve capable of opening and closing a valve for supplying and shutting off water; a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a user's hand below the water outlet of the water supply means; a blowing means for blowing out water, and when the detection means detects that a hand is brought close to the water outlet, a valve is opened based on the use signal;
The present invention is characterized by comprising a control means that closes the valve based on the evacuation signal when it is detected that the hand has been moved away from the water outlet, and controls the air blowing means to operate for a predetermined period of time based on the evacuation signal. Automatic hand washing system. 2. When the detection means detects that a hand is brought close to the water outlet while the air blowing means is in operation, the control means stops the operation of the air blowing means based on the usage signal and opens the valve of the water supply means. The automatic hand-washing system according to claim 1, wherein the automatic hand-washing system is configured to control. 3. A water supply means that is capable of opening and closing a valve for supplying and shutting off water, a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a user's hand below the water outlet of the water supply means, and a blower means for blowing air from an air outlet; When the detection means detects that the hand is brought close to the water outlet, the valve is opened based on the usage signal, and then,
control means for controlling the valve to close the valve based on the evacuation signal when it is detected that the hand has been moved away from the water outlet, and to operate the air blowing means for a predetermined time based on the evacuation signal; 1. An automatic hand washing device, characterized in that it is integrally provided with the means, and the air outlet of the air blowing means is arranged on the user's side of the water outlet of the water supply means.