Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids – Apparatus – With means to treat gas or vapor
Patent
1990-08-21
1992-11-17
Bennet, Henry A.
Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids
Apparatus
With means to treat gas or vapor
34 48, 34 54, 34 55, 34202, 392380, 392381, F26B 1900
Patent
active
051632349
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a warm-air machine control apparatus which is suitably used as an apparatus for controlling warm-air drying machines, for example, hand driers, hair driers, etc., and warm-air heating machines, for example, foot heaters, which are used in kitchens or toilets, and electric heating appliances. More particularly, the present invention relates to a warm-air machine control apparatus which is arranged such that an electric fan is energized after an electric heater has been energized.
2. Background Art
A typical conventional apparatus for controlling a hand drier used to blow warm air over the user's hand has heretofore been arranged such that both an electric heater and an electric motor for an electric fan are energized at the same time as the user's hand is detected by means of a non-contact switch, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, pyroelectric sensor, photoelectric sensor, etc.
In such an apparatus, a current of air is produced before the electric heater heats up sufficiently because the supply of power to the electric heater and the electric motor is started at the same time as the user's hand is detected by the sensor section. Accordingly, cold air is first blown against the user's hand, and this displeases the user.
To solve the above-described problem, an apparatus has heretofore been proposed, wherein an electric heater is constantly energized, while an electric motor is energized at the same time as the user's hand is detected, thereby enabling warm air to be blown immediately.
However, the apparatus which adopts the electric heater preheating control for constantly energizing consumes excessive electric power, and since the electric heater is in a heating condition at all times, it may adversely affect other parts.
Further, an apparatus 100 which has a delay circuit such as that shown in FIG. 7 has been proposed.
In the apparatus 100, when the power supply is turned on by actuating a main switch (not shown), an electric signal is sent from an oscillator circuit 101 to a sensor section 102. When the user's hand is detected by the sensor section 102, a current signal is sent from the sensor section 102 to a current-to-voltage converter circuit 103. This current signal is converted into a voltage signal in the current-to-voltage converter circuit 103 and subsequently amplified in an amplifier circuit 104. The amplified voltage is sent to a comparator circuit 105 where it is compared with a preset reference voltage. If, at this time, the amplified voltage is higher than the reference voltage, the comparator 105 sends an "on" signal to a first timer circuit 106.
The first timer circuit 106 turns on a transistor 107 for a predetermined time (from 1 to 3 seconds) and sends an "on" signal to an AND circuit 108. In response to the turning on of the transistor 107, an electric heater 109 is electrically connected to the power supply. The transistor 107 that is turned on also sends an "on" signal to a delay circuit 110. The delay circuit 110 sends an "on" signal to the AND circuit 108 with a delay time (from 5 to 10 seconds) with respect to the "on" signal sent thereto. When receiving "on" signals from both the first timer circuit 106 and the delay circuit 110, the AND circuit 108 sends an "on" signal to a second timer circuit 111. The second timer circuit 111 turns on a transistor 112 for a predetermined time (from 1 to 3 seconds). In response to the turning on of the transistor 112, a triac (not shown) is turned on to electrically connect an electric fan 113 to the power supply. Thus, warm air is blown over the user's hand.
In this apparatus 100, the starting of the electric fan is delayed with respect to the starting of the electric heater by the delay time by the operation of the delay circuit 110. The object of hand driers is to dry the user's hands quickly by blowing warm air over them. Accordingly, the latter apparatus, which is incapable of immediately blowing warm air over the user's hands, suffers from the problem of great inconvenience
REFERENCES:
patent: 2606274 (1952-08-01), Spierer
patent: 3603002 (1971-09-01), Spierer
patent: 3643346 (1972-02-01), Lester
patent: 4087925 (1978-05-01), Bienek
patent: 4876435 (1989-10-01), Hawkins
patent: 5031337 (1991-07-01), Pilolla et al.
Hayashi Hidetaka
Hosaka Tadanobu
Kojima Takashi
Nara Akio
Tsukamoto Ryohei
Bennet Henry A.
Gromada Denise L. F.
Inax Corporation
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