Hand drying apparatus

• US 10,349,792 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Homma, Koichiro, Mori, Ryoji, Murai, Ryota, Fujimura, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): McCormack, John P
• Application Number:
  US15/116,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20170007081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,965 Days
• Field of Search: 34528, 34524, 34626, 34531
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/48 Drying by means of hot air hair-drying devices A45D20/00; curative hot-air baths A61H33/06; electric heating elements H05B
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96058 Fail-safe touch switches, where switching takes place only after repeated touch
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960705 Safety of capacitive touch and proximity switches, e.g. increasing reliability, fail-safe

Abstract

A hand dryer that includes a capacitance-detection-type proximity sensor structure that detects a capacitance generated in a capacitance detection electrode to detect a presence or absence of an object to be detected, includes a plurality of capacitance-detection-type proximity sensor structures. While one of the capacitance-detection-type proximity sensor structures is in operation, an operation of at least another of the capacitance-detection-type proximity sensor structures is stopped to operate the capacitance-detection-type proximity sensor structures during different periods of time.

Claims

1. A hand drying apparatus that includes a capacitance-detection-type sensor that detects a capacitance generated in a capacitance detection electrode to detect a presence or absence of an object to be detected, the hand drying apparatus comprising

a plurality of the capacitance-detection-type sensors, wherein

while one of the capacitance-detection-type sensors is in operation, an operation of at least another of the capacitance-detection-type sensors is stopped.

2. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capacitance-detection-type sensors are operated during different periods of time.

3. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing that includes a hand insertion portion into which a user is able to insert a hand and an air outlet that communicates with the hand insertion portion;

a high-pressure airflow generating device that is disposed in the housing;

a hand detection sensor that detects an insertion of a user'"'"'s hand into the hand insertion portion; and

a control unit that, when the hand detection sensor detects a user'"'"'s hand, drives the high-pressure airflow generating device to cause an airflow to be ejected from the air outlet to the hand insertion portion, wherein

the capacitance-detection-type sensors are used as the hand detection sensor.

4. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a period of non-operation, during which an operation of all the capacitance-detection-type sensors is stopped, is provided from when an operation of any of the capacitance-detection-type sensors ends to when an operation of another of the capacitance-detection-type sensors is started.

5. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the hand detection sensor is formed by disposing the capacitance-detection-type sensors on a surface of surfaces that surround the hand insertion portion.

6. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the hand detection sensor is formed by disposing the capacitance-detection-type sensors on two or more surfaces of surfaces that surround the hand insertion portion.

7. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an operation unit that is configured such that the capacitance-detection-type sensor is used for at least one of a power switch that switches a power supply on and off and an air-volume regulating switch that regulates a volume of airflow to be generated by the high-pressure airflow generating device, wherein

an operation time of the capacitance-detection-type sensor that constitutes the operation unit overlaps with an operation time of at least one of the capacitance-detection-type sensors that constitute the hand detection sensor.

8. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an operation unit that is configured such that the capacitance-detection-type sensor is used for at least one of a power switch that switches a power supply on and off and an air-volume regulating switch that regulates a volume of airflow to be generated by the high-pressure airflow generating device, wherein

the capacitance-detection-type sensor that constitutes the operation unit and the capacitance-detection-type sensors that constitute the hand detection sensor are operated during different periods of time.

9. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a period of non-operation, during which an operation of all the capacitance-detection-type sensors is stopped, is provided from when an operation of any of the capacitance-detection-type sensors ends to when an operation of another of the capacitance-detection-type sensors is started.