JPH0426652B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention <Industrial Application Field> The present invention provides a soap liquid discharge mechanism that discharges soap liquid into a hand wash basin based on the operation of a sensing section that detects the use of the hand wash basin, and The present invention relates to a hand washing dryer that operates a hand washing water discharging mechanism that discharges water and a drying mechanism that blows out warm air.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, this type of hand washer/dryer has been provided with a sensing section facing the inside of the hand washer, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-106732. , a control unit is provided in the electric circuit that communicates with the hand wash water discharge mechanism and the drying mechanism to automatically operate each of these mechanisms in sequence at preset times, so that when the user puts his/her hand into the wash basin, , first the soap liquid is discharged for a set time, then hand wash water is discharged for a set time to wash the hands, and finally warm air is discharged for a set time to dry the hands, or each of the above mechanisms can be operated separately for a set time. In some devices, manual switches are provided, and by operating these manual switches, the mechanisms corresponding to the manual switches are operated as desired.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in such a conventional hand washer/dryer, even if each mechanism is automatically controlled based on the sensing part, each mechanism only operates for a set period of time. , there is a problem that it is inconvenient when your hands are very dirty or when they are not dry enough, and to solve this problem, you have to operate a manual switch.
In this case, your finger will come into contact with the manual switch, so
There is a problem that the fingers get dirty easily and are unhygienic.

The sensing part of the soap liquid dispensing mechanism or the sensing part of the hand washing water dispensing mechanism first enters the sensing state, and the soap liquid dispensing mechanism or the hand washing water dispensing mechanism operates to discharge soap liquid or hand washing water to the hand. If your hand moves and the sensing part of the drying mechanism momentarily enters the sensing state, the soap liquid dispensing mechanism or hand washing water dispensing mechanism will stop operating and temporarily stop the drying mechanism. This poses a problem in that not only is the soap solution or hand wash water interrupted, but the soap solution or hand wash water has to be discharged again afterwards, making it inconvenient to use.

Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-95038 discloses the provision of a plurality of sensing sections, and it is considered to provide a sensing section dedicated to each mechanism that controls the operation of each of the above mechanisms separately, facing into the washbasin. It will be done.

However, in this case, each mechanism is placed close to each other taking usability into consideration, and the sensing areas of these dedicated sensing parts overlap, so the sensing part of the soap liquid dispensing mechanism or the hand washing water The sensing part of the dispensing mechanism enters the sensing state first, and while the soap solution dispensing mechanism or hand wash water dispensing mechanism is operating and discharging soap solution or hand wash water to the hand, if the hand moves and then When the sensing part of the drying mechanism momentarily enters the sensing state, the operation of the soap liquid dispensing mechanism or hand wash water dispensing mechanism stops and the drying mechanism is temporarily activated, causing the soap liquid or hand wash water to be discharged. Not only is the dispensing interrupted, but the soap solution or hand-washing water has to be dispensed again afterwards, which poses a problem of poor usability.

In view of such conventional circumstances, the present invention prevents temporary operation switching to the drying mechanism even if the sensing section of the drying mechanism momentarily enters a sensing state later while the soap liquid dispensing mechanism or the hand washing water dispensing mechanism is in operation. The purpose is to prevent.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The technical means taken by the present invention to solve the above problems is to provide a sensing section dedicated to each mechanism that communicates with the soap liquid discharge mechanism, the hand washing water discharge mechanism, and the drying mechanism, respectively. In the electric circuit that communicates these sensing parts and each mechanism, a control part is provided that outputs an operation signal to each mechanism based on the sensing of each sensing part, so that the sensing part of the soap liquid discharge mechanism or the hand washing water discharge mechanism Only when the sensing part of the drying mechanism continues to output a sensing signal to the control part for a predetermined period of time while the sensing part of the drying mechanism is outputting a sensing signal to the control part, the control part sends an operation signal to the soap liquid dispensing mechanism or the hand washing water dispensing mechanism. In addition to stopping the output,
This is characterized in that it starts outputting an operation signal to the drying mechanism.

<Function> According to the above-mentioned technical means of the present invention, the soap liquid discharge sensing section or the hand wash water discharge sensing section first enters the sensing state, and an operation signal is output to the soap liquid discharge mechanism or the hand wash water discharge mechanism. Only when the sensing parts of the drying mechanism enter the sensing state repeatedly during operation and continue for a predetermined period of time, the operation signal output to the soap liquid discharge mechanism or the hand washing water discharge mechanism is stopped. At the same time, an operation signal is started to be output to the drying mechanism, and if the sensing state of the sensing section of the drying mechanism does not continue for a predetermined period of time or more, the sensing signal is ignored and no operation signal is output from the control section to the drying mechanism. be.

<Example> An example of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a functional mount part 7 is provided upright on the rear upper surface of the washbasin 6, and the front surface of the functional mount part 7 is inclined toward the bowl part 6a of the washbasin 6. The temperature of the soap liquid discharge nozzle 1d and the soap liquid discharge sensing part 4a of the soap liquid discharge mechanism 1, the hand wash water discharge opening 2e and the hand wash water discharge sensing part 4b of the hand wash water discharge mechanism 2, and the drying mechanism 3 are shown on the inclined surface 7a. The wind nozzle 3c and the drying sensing section 4c are sequentially arranged so as to approach each other laterally.

The soap liquid discharge mechanism 1 includes a soap liquid container 1a.
A soap liquid supply pipe 1b connected to the lower end outlet of this container 1a, an electromagnetic pump 1c disposed in the middle of the supply pipe 1b, and a soap liquid discharge nozzle 1d connected to the end of the supply pipe 1b. By energizing the electromagnetic pump 1c, the soap liquid in the soap liquid container 1a flows through the soap liquid discharge nozzle 1d.
Discharge from.

The hand wash water discharge mechanism 2 includes a hand wash water supply pipe 2b that connects to a water supply source and a hot water source via a hot water mixing faucet 2a;
It consists of a solenoid valve 2c and a constant flow valve 2d disposed in the middle of the supply pipe 2b, and a wash water outlet 2e connected to the end of the supply pipe 2b. Hot water mixed with the mixing faucet 2a is discharged from the hand wash water outlet 2e.

The drying mechanism 3 includes a conventional hot air generator 3a having a heater installed at the outlet of a blower fan, and a hot air duct 3b connected to the hot air generator 3a.
and a hot air nozzle 3c connected to the end of the duct 3b. When the hot air generator 3a is energized, hot air is blown out from the hot air nozzle 3c.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the soap liquid discharge sensing section 4a, the hand washing water discharge sensing section 4b, and the drying sensing section 4c each include a light emitting element made of a light emitting diode and a light receiving element made of a phototransistor. It consists of a diffuse reflection type infrared sensor,
It communicates with the driving power source via the control section 5, and emits infrared rays from the light projecting element based on the output from the control section 5, and this infrared light hits the hand inserted in the washbasin 6 and is diffusely reflected. , a part of the reflected light is received by a light receiving element, exchanged with a sensing signal, and outputted to the control section 5.

The control section 5 is constructed as shown in the block diagram shown in FIG. 3 and the flowchart shown in FIG. 1c, communicates with the electromagnetic valve 2c of the hand washing water discharge mechanism 2 and the hot air generator 3a of the drying mechanism 3, respectively, and connects to each sensing portion 4a, 4.
A pulse signal is output to the terminals b and 4c to cause each light emitting element to emit infrared rays, and when the infrared light is emitted, each light receiving element receives reflected light and these sensing parts 4
By inputting the respective sensing signals output from a, 4b, and 4c, the electromagnetic pump 1c and the electromagnetic valve 2
c and the hot air generator 3a are respectively operated as shown in the time chart shown in FIG.

That is, when a user puts his/her hand into the washbasin 6, one of the sensing parts 4a, 4b, 4c senses that hand, but if this sensing state is less than _T1 hour, it is canceled and each mechanism 1, 2 and 3 are prevented, and in the case of the soap liquid discharge sensing section 4a, if the sensing state continues for T ₁ hour, for example, 75 msec or more,
The control unit 5 intermittently outputs an operation signal to the electromagnetic pump 1c to control the electromagnetic pump 1c for T ₂ hours, for example, 1.4 seconds.
If the electromagnetic pump 1c is in operation when the sensing section _4a finishes sensing, the controller waits until T ₂ hours have elapsed, and the control section By stopping the output of the operation signal from the electromagnetic pump 1c, the operation of the electromagnetic pump 1c is stopped, and the output of the operation signal is stopped as it is within the operation stop time of the electromagnetic pump 1c.

In addition, when the sensing state of the soap liquid discharge sensor 4a has elapsed for a predetermined period of time, which in this embodiment is longer than the time during which the electromagnetic pump 1c operates five times for _T2 hours, the controller 5 sends an electromagnetic signal regardless of the sensor 4a. pump 1
The output of the operation signal to c is stopped to prevent unnecessary discharge of soap liquid.

In the case of the hand washing water discharge sensor 4b, when the sensing state continues for _T1 hour or more, the control unit 5 outputs an operation signal to the solenoid valve 2c to start operating the solenoid valve 2c, and the sensing of the sensor 4b is stopped. When there is no re-sensing for _T4 hours, for example, 1.5 seconds or more after completion of the operation, the operation of the solenoid valve 2c is stopped by stopping the output of the operation signal.

Furthermore, when the detection by the soap liquid discharge sensing section 4a and the detection by the hand washing water discharge sensing section 4b overlap, an operation signal is output from the control section 5 based on the respective sensing, so that the electromagnetic pump 1c and the electromagnetic The valves 2c are operated independently.

In the case of the drying sensing section 4c, when the sensing state continues for _T1 hours or more, the control section 5 outputs an operation signal to the hot air generator 3a, similar to the sensing of the hand washing water discharge sensing section 4b. The hot air generator 3a is started to operate, and the sensing by the sensing section 4c is completed.
T By stopping the output of the operation signal when there is no re-sensing for ₄ hours or more, the operation of the hot air generator 3a is stopped, but when the sensing section 4c is in the sensing state, When the liquid discharge sensing section 4a enters the sensing state in duplicate, the control section 5 cancels sensing other than drying and stops outputting the operation signal to the other mechanisms 2 and 1, so that the solenoid valve 2c or The electromagnetic pump 1c does not operate, and only the hot air generator 3a operates preferentially.

In addition, the hand washing water discharge sensing section 4b or the soap liquid discharge sensing section 4a enters the sensing state first, and the solenoid valve 2c
Or, when the electromagnetic pump 2c is in operation, if the drying sensing section 4c detects duplicates later, the on-delay circuit built in each output circuit operates and the drying sensing section 4c detects the signal. The operation signal continues to be output until T ₅ hours, for example, 1 second _, which is longer than the above T 1 hour, and the solenoid valve 2c or electromagnetic pump 1
c is activated, and at the same time as it is stopped, an operation signal is output to the hot air generator 3a to start the hot air generator 3a with a delay, thereby detecting a slight amount of drying sensing portion 4c that does not reach T ₅ hours. is canceled so that the operation of the drying mechanism 3 is not easily switched even if the drying sensing part 4c momentarily senses it while hand washing water or soap liquid is being discharged.

Furthermore, when an operation signal is output from the control section 5 to the hot air generator 3a based on the sensing by the drying sensing section 4c, a drying timer built into the CPU is started at the same time, and the time-up of this drying timer is started. When the detection is no longer detected, the operation of the hot air generator 3a is stopped by stopping the output of the operation signal to the hot air generator 3a and returning the drying timer to the initial state after ₄ hours as described above. At least the drying timer is returned to its initial state, but if it is left undetected due to mischief or a malfunction of the sensing section 4c, T ₆
After the time e.g. 1 minute, the warm air generator 3
a, and thereafter enable the output of an operation signal from the control section 5 based on the sensing of the soap liquid discharge sensing section 4a or the hand washing water discharge sensing section 4b, respectively. The soap liquid discharging mechanism 1 and the hand washing water discharging mechanism 2 can be operated even if the part 4c becomes unusable.

Incidentally, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the soap liquid discharge sensing section 4a
When the detection of 1 and the detection of the hand wash water discharge sensing section 4b overlap, the control section 5 operates the soap liquid discharge mechanism 1 and the hand wash water discharge mechanism 2 independently, but the present invention is not limited to this. Each sensing section 4a, 4b, 4c is activated by operating only one of the mechanisms 1 and 2.
Only one of the mechanisms 1, 2, and 3 may be operated even if any one of the mechanisms senses redundantly, and the control section 5 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 3, for example. It goes without saying that it may be configured without using a microcomputer and may include an on-delay circuit.

<Effects of the Invention> Since the present invention has the above configuration, it has the following advantages.

The soap liquid discharge sensing section or the hand wash water discharge sensing section first enters the sensing state, and while the operating signal is output to the soap liquid discharge mechanism or the hand wash water discharge mechanism and it is operating, the drying mechanism is later sensed. Only when the sensing state continues for a predetermined period of time or more, the operation signal output to the soap liquid dispensing mechanism or the hand washing water dispensing mechanism is stopped, and at the same time,
When the operation signal output to the drying mechanism is started and the sensing state of the sensing section of the drying mechanism does not continue for a predetermined period of time or more, the sensing signal is ignored and no operation signal is output from the control section to the drying mechanism. Alternatively, even if the sensing portion of the drying mechanism momentarily enters the sensing state later while the hand washing water discharging mechanism is in operation, temporary switching of operation to the drying mechanism can be prevented.

Therefore, hot air is not blown out temporarily while soap solution or hand wash water is being dispensed, and the user can safely move his hand to dispense soap solution or hand wash water, making it easy to use.

Since each sensing section can arbitrarily control the operation of only the desired mechanism, it is more hygienic and simpler to control and operate than the conventional system which requires a separate manual switch.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view of a hand washer dryer showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view thereof, Fig. 3 is a block diagram, Fig. 4 is a flow chart, and Fig. 5 is a time chart. be. 1... Soap liquid discharge mechanism, 2... Hand wash water discharge mechanism, 3... Drying mechanism, 4a... Sensing section for discharging soap liquid, 4b... Sensing section for discharging hand wash water, 4c... Sensing section for drying, 5...Control unit, 6...Hand wash basin.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A soap liquid discharge mechanism that discharges soap liquid into the hand wash basin based on the operation of a sensing section that detects the use of the hand wash basin, and a hand wash water discharge mechanism that discharges hand wash water,
In a hand washer/dryer that operates a drying mechanism that blows out hot air, a sensing section dedicated to each mechanism is provided that communicates with the soap liquid discharging mechanism, hand washing water discharging mechanism, and drying mechanism, respectively, and these sensing sections and each mechanism are provided. A control section that outputs an operation signal to each mechanism based on the sensing of each sensing section is provided in the electric circuit that communicates with the control section, so that the sensing section of the soap liquid dispensing mechanism or the sensing section of the hand washing water dispensing mechanism is connected to the control section. Only when the sensing part of the drying mechanism continues to output a sensing signal to the control part for a predetermined period of time while the sensing signal is being output, the control part stops outputting the operation signal to the soap liquid dispensing mechanism or the hand washing water dispensing mechanism, and the drying A hand washer/dryer characterized by starting an operation signal output to a mechanism.