Apparatus for removing water droplet from umbrella

Abstract

To provide an apparatus for removing water droplets from an umbrella capable of effectively removing water droplets on the umbrella.SOLUTION: In an apparatus 20 for removing water droplets from an umbrella, when an umbrella is inserted into an umbrella-holding guide 60, a blower 50 starts blowing air, and a vertical drive mechanism 40 and a rotational drive mechanism 70 cause the blower 50 to blow water droplets off the umbrella by rotating around the umbrella while moving up and down. Since water droplets are blown from a single point, there is little possibility of causing the umbrella cloth to close due to turbulence, and water droplets can be blown with uniform strength throughout the entire vertical range, thereby effectively removing water droplets.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for removing water droplets from umbrellas. [Background technology]

[0002] In commercial facilities, hospitals, and other facilities with a lot of foot traffic, there have been problems such as water droplets from visitors' umbrellas falling onto the floor during rainy weather, causing stains or causing people to trip on wet floors.

[0003] In order to solve such problems, devices for removing water droplets from umbrellas have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device as shown in Fig. 12. Air from a blower 2 is carried upward through a blower pipe 4. The blower pipe 4 is provided around an umbrella 8, and has a plurality of holes 6 in the vertical direction. Therefore, air flows are ejected from the plurality of holes 6 and hit the umbrella 8, thereby removing water droplets adhering to the umbrella 8.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus as shown in Fig. 13. Air from a blower 12 is sent into a cylinder 14. The cylinder 14 is provided with a plurality of holes 16 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the airflow from the blower 12 is ejected from the holes 16 and strikes the side of the umbrella 18, thereby removing water droplets adhering to the umbrella 18. The cylinder 14 rotates around the umbrella 18 by a rotating table 19, so that water droplets can be removed from the entire circumference of the umbrella 18. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2004-361017 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 9-229553 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques have the following problems: In the device of Patent Document 1, air currents are ejected from multiple points around the umbrella, and these air currents interfere with each other, making it impossible to open the umbrella cloth stretched over the umbrella, and water droplets cannot be removed effectively.

[0007] In addition, in both the devices in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the airflow from the blower is guided through a flow path and blown out from multiple holes. For this reason, there was a problem that the blowing force from the holes becomes smaller the higher up the device goes, making it inefficient.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an umbrella water droplet removal device that can solve the above problems and effectively remove water droplets from umbrellas. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The features of the present invention that can be applied independently or in combination are listed below.

[0010] (1) The umbrella water droplet removal device of this invention comprises a storage section for storing an umbrella with its base facing down, an outlet for blowing air from a blower facing the umbrella cloth of the umbrella stored in the storage section, a drive mechanism for rotating the outlet around the outer periphery of the umbrella cloth and moving it up and down, and a control section for controlling the drive mechanism to move the outlet up and down while rotating it around the outer periphery of the umbrella cloth of the umbrella stored in the storage section.

[0011] Therefore, since the air blower blows air all around the umbrella while it is being moved up and down, water droplets can be effectively removed.

[0012] (2) The water droplet removal device according to the present invention is characterized in that the control unit operates the blower and the drive mechanism upon receiving an output from a sensor that detects that the umbrella has been stored in the storage section.

[0013] Therefore, the water droplet removal process can be started automatically when the umbrella is put away.

[0014] (3) The water droplet removal device of the present invention is characterized in that a lid with an opening is provided on the upper part of the storage section, and the opening is configured to be large enough to insert an umbrella when storing the umbrella, and can be changed to a size large enough to stably hold the umbrella handle after the umbrella is stored.

[0015] Therefore, the umbrella stored in the storage section can be properly held.

[0016] (4) The water droplet removal device of the present invention is characterized in that the control unit receives an output from a sensor that detects that an umbrella has been stored in the storage section, and controls the opening to be smaller and for the lid to hold the umbrella handle.

[0017] Therefore, by storing the umbrella in the storage section, the umbrella can be automatically held.

[0018] The term "apparatus" is a concept that includes not only one consisting of one computer, but also one consisting of multiple computers connected via a network, etc. Therefore, when the means of the present invention (or a part of the means) is distributed among multiple computers, these multiple computers correspond to the apparatus.

[0019] The term "program" is a concept that includes not only programs that can be executed directly by a CPU, but also programs in source format, compressed programs, encrypted programs, programs that work in conjunction with an operating system to perform their functions, and the like. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of an umbrella water drop removal device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 3A to 3C are diagrams showing the configuration of a holding guide 60. [Diagram 3] 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vertical drive mechanism 40. FIG. [Figure 4] 3A to 3C are diagrams showing the configuration of the lid 30. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 shows the hardware configuration of the control unit 100. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart of a control program 122. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart of a control program 122. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram showing a state in which an umbrella 8 is held by a holding guide 60. FIG. [Figure 9] 4A to 4C are diagrams for explaining the rotation and vertical movement of the blower 50. [Figure 10] 2A to 2C are diagrams showing the configuration of an attachment 200. [Figure 11] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating examples of use of the attachment 200. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional umbrella water drop removal device. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional umbrella water drop removal device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] 1.Overall composition 1 shows the overall configuration of an umbrella water drop removal device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A lid 30 capable of adjusting the size of an opening 32 is provided on the upper part of a housing 22. A cylindrical holding guide 60 serving as a container is provided below the opening 32. This holding guide 60 is fixed to a rotating table 72. A photoelectric sensor 63 (light emitting portion 62, light receiving portion 64) is provided below the holding guide 60.

[0022] The rotating table 72 is rotated horizontally around the central axis C by the motor 74. In this embodiment, the motor 74 and the rotating table 72 constitute a rotation drive mechanism 70. A vertical drive mechanism 40 is provided on the outer periphery of the rotating table 72. The vertical drive mechanism 40 includes a motor 42. By rotating the ball screw 44 by the motor 42, the middle plate 46 screwed thereto can be raised and lowered. The blower 50 is fixed to the middle plate 46, and this allows the blower 50 to be raised and lowered.

[0023] The air from the blower 50 is blown out from the air outlet 52 and directed at the umbrella cloth of an umbrella (not shown) held by the holding guide 60.

[0024] The blown-off water droplets fall to the bottom of the housing 22. A drain port (not shown) is provided on the bottom surface of the housing 22, and the water is collected in a drain tank 80 provided under the housing 22. The drain tank 80 can be pulled out, allowing accumulated water to be discarded.

[0025] The motor 74 is housed in a box 76. A control unit 100 for controlling the holding guide 60, the rotation drive mechanism 70, the vertical drive mechanism 40, etc. is housed in the box 76. This prevents the control unit 100 from being adversely affected by water droplets.

[0026] In this umbrella water droplet removal device 20, when an umbrella is inserted into the holding guide 60, the blower 50 starts blowing air, and the vertical drive mechanism 40 and the rotary drive mechanism 70 move the blower 50 up and down while rotating around the umbrella to blow off the water droplets. Because the air is blown from one point, there is little risk of the umbrella cloth closing due to turbulence, and the air can be blown with uniform strength all over the top and bottom, effectively removing the water droplets.

[0027] 2. Configuration of each part 2.1 Configuration of the holding guide 60 Fig. 2 shows the configuration of the holding guide 60. Fig. 2A is a plan view, and Fig. 2B is a front view. As shown in Fig. 2B, the holding guide 60 has a mesh structure. This allows the wind from the blower 50 and the blown-off water droplets to pass through.

[0028] The holding guide 60 is provided with a light emitting unit 62 and a light receiving unit 64 (photoelectric sensor 63) for detecting that an umbrella has been stored. When an umbrella is stored, the light from the light emitting unit 62 is blocked and is no longer received by the light receiving unit 64, making it possible to detect that an umbrella has been stored.

[0029] It is preferable to provide as much space as possible while maintaining the strength required to hold the umbrella so that airflow and water droplets can easily pass through.In addition, instead of a mesh, wires may be formed into rings and stacked at intervals, or wires may be wound in a spiral shape.

[0030] 2B, there is a portion 66 without mesh. The purpose is to introduce the blower 50 into this portion 66. Note that a mesh may also be provided in a location facing the blower 50.

[0031] 2.2 Configuration of the vertical drive mechanism 40 3 shows the configuration of the vertical drive mechanism 40. A top plate 41 and a bottom plate 43 support four columns at the top and bottom. A middle plate 46 is provided, supported by the four columns, so as to be able to slide up and down. A blower 50 is attached to this middle plate 46.

[0032] A ball screw 44 is provided in the vertical direction so as to screw into the middle plate 46. This ball screw 44 is connected to a motor 42 (preferably a geared motor) fixed to the bottom plate 43. Therefore, by rotating the motor 42, the blower 50 attached to the middle plate 46 can be raised and lowered.

[0033] 2.3 Configuration of Lid 30 Fig. 4 shows the structure and operation of the lid 30. Fig. 4A shows the state in which the opening 32 is open. The lid 30 is configured with a rotating plate 34 and eight triangular plates 31 (which may be a predetermined number).

[0034] The rotary plate 34 is provided with slide holes 36 corresponding to the respective triangular plates 31. The slide holes 36 are formed as elongated holes, and are provided so that one end is farther from the center of the rotary plate 34 and the other end is closer to the center of the rotary plate 34. The triangular plate 31 is provided with a pin 33, which is slidably inserted into the slide hole 36. In the state of FIG. 4A, the pin 33 is held in the slide hole 36 at a position farthest from the center of the rotary plate 34.

[0035] The rotating plate 34 is rotated in the direction of arrow A by a rotating plate drive motor (not shown). This causes the pin 33 to slide in the sliding hole 36, and the triangular plate 31 moves closer to the center of the rotating plate 34 while rotating around the pin 33. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, the opening 32 is narrowed by the triangular plate 31 protruding from the center.

[0036] When the rotary plate 34 is further rotated in the direction A, the opening 32 is completely closed by the triangular plate 31, as shown in Fig. 4C. In this state, the pin 33 is held in the sliding hole 36 at the position closest to the center of the rotary plate 34.

[0037] 2.4 Hardware configuration of the control unit 100 5 shows the hardware configuration of the control circuit 100. The CPU 110 is connected to a memory 112, a non-volatile memory 114, and an I / O port 116. The I / O port 116 is connected to a photoelectric sensor 63, a motor 74 for the rotating table 72, a motor 42 for the vertical drive mechanism 40, a rotating disk drive motor 38 for the lid 30, and a blower 50. The motor 38 not only controls whether it is driven or stopped, but also acquires the load current of the motor 38.

[0038] The non-volatile memory 114 stores an operating system 120 such as TORON, and a control program 122. The control program 122 performs its functions in cooperation with the operating system 120. Note that the control program 122 may perform its functions independently without the operating system.

[0039] 3. Control Processing 6 and 7 show a flowchart of the control program 122. The user inserts the umbrella 8 into the holding guide 60 through the opening 32. The CPU 110 detects the insertion of the umbrella 8 by the photoelectric sensor 63 (step S1), and starts driving the motor 38 to rotate the rotating plate 34 in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 4A (step S2). As a result, the opening 32 gradually closes as shown in FIG. 4B.

[0040] When the opening 32 is further closed and comes into contact with the handle 9 of the umbrella 8, a large load is applied, and the load current of the motor 38 increases. The CPU 110 monitors the load current of the motor 38, and when the load current exceeds a predetermined value, the motor 38 is stopped (steps S3, S4). In this manner, the umbrella 8 accommodated in the holding guide 60 can be held.

[0041] Next, CPU 110 starts driving blower 50 to blow air (step S5). As shown in Fig. 8, blower 50 is initially located at the upper end, so air is blown out onto the upper part of umbrella cloth 7 of held umbrella 8. The blown out air opens umbrella cloth 7, blowing away water droplets.

[0042] The CPU 110 starts driving the motor 74 to rotate the rotating platform 72 (step S6). Therefore, the blower 50 moves so as to rotate around the umbrella 8 held by the lid 30. The CPU 110 also starts driving the motor 42 to rotate the ball screw 44 to move the blower 50 downward (step S7).

[0043] Therefore, the blower 50 moves downwards while rotating around the umbrella 8 to spray water. In this way, water is sprayed from one location and the spray position is moved, so that water droplets on the umbrella can be appropriately removed.

[0044] When the CPU 110 determines that the blower 50 has reached the bottom end based on the number of rotations of the motor 42 since it started to drive (step S8), it reverses the rotation of the motor 42, reverses the rotation of the ball screw 44, and moves the blower 50 upward (step S9).

[0045] In this embodiment, the CPU 110 controls the rotation speed of the motors 74, 42 so that the rotating disk 72 rotates 72 degrees while the blower 50 moves from the upper end to the lower end.

[0046] As described above, once the fan 50 reaches the bottom end, it moves toward the top. When the fan 50 reaches the top end, the CPU 110 reverses the motor 42 to move the fan 50 toward the bottom. After that, this process is repeated.

[0047] In this manner, the blower 50 moves up and down while rotating around the umbrella 8, and can spray water evenly over the entire umbrella 8 to blow away water droplets.

[0048] When the CPU 110 determines that the rotating table 72 has made one rotation based on the rotation speed of the motor 72 (step S10), it stops the motor 42 and temporarily stops the up and down movement of the blower 50 (step S11).

[0049] As described above, while blower 50 moves from the upper end to the lower end (or from the lower end to the upper end), rotating plate 72 rotates 72 degrees. Therefore, blower 50, which is initially located at the upper end as shown in Fig. 9A, moves to the lower end as shown in Fig. 9B after rotating table 72 rotates once in the direction of arrow B.

[0050] Next, CPU 110 rotates motor 74 in the reverse direction to rotate turntable 72 in the direction of arrow C shown in Fig. 9B (step S12). Furthermore, CPU 110 starts driving motor 42 to move blower 50 upward (step S13).

[0051] Thereafter, as shown in steps S14 to S16, blower 50 moves up and down while rotating in the opposite direction around umbrella 8. When turntable 72 makes one rotation (step S16), CPU 110 stops blower 50 and motors 74, 42 (steps S17, S18, S19).

[0052] At this time, the blower 50 will be in its initial position, that is, at the upper end, as shown in FIG. 9C.

[0053] Next, CPU 110 rotates motor 38 in the opposite direction to step S2, rotates rotating plate 34 of lid 30, and opens opening 32 (step S20). Therefore, the state changes from that shown in FIG. 4B to that shown in FIG. 4A. When the state of FIG. 4A is reached, rotating plate 34 no longer rotates, and the load current of motor 38 increases. CPU 110 detects this (step S22) and stops motor 38 (step S23).

[0054] In this manner, the opening 32 opens widely, so that the umbrella 8 from which the water droplets have been blown off can be taken out.

[0055] 4. Variations (other) (1) In the above embodiment, CPU 110 counts the number of revolutions of motor 42 to determine when blower 50 has reached the upper end or the lower end. However, if a control error occurs, there is a possibility that blower 50 may break down when it is moved beyond the upper end or the lower end. Therefore, a sensor (e.g., a proximity sensor) may be provided to detect the positions of the upper end and the lower end, and a safety mechanism may be provided that reverses the up and down movement of blower 50 when the sensor detects the position.

[0056] Further, instead of controlling the rotation speed of the motor 42 by the CPU 110 using a coefficient, control may be performed only by a sensor that detects the upper and lower ends.

[0057] Similarly, in the above embodiment, CPU 110 counts the number of revolutions of motor 74 to determine that blower 50 has made one revolution. However, it may be possible to determine that turntable 72 has made one revolution by a sensor.

[0058] (2) In the above embodiment, the turntable 34 of the lid 30 is rotated by the motor 38. However, the turntable 34 may be provided with a handle so that the user can rotate it manually.

[0059] Also, instead of or in addition to the rotating disk 34, a guide for holding the ferrule of the umbrella 8 (for example, a cylindrical object configured to receive the ferrule) may be provided at the bottom of the holding guide 60.

[0060] (3) In the above embodiment, the holding guide 60 is provided and serves as the accommodation portion. However, the holding guide 60 may not be provided and the interior of the housing 22 may serve as the accommodation portion.

[0061] (4) In the above embodiment, the outlet 52 of the blower 50 is provided to face the umbrella 8 and is made to move up and down and rotate. However, a flow path may be formed from the blower 50 and the outlet 52 may be provided to face the umbrella 8. In this case, at least the outlet 52 is made to move up and down and rotate.

[0062] (5) In the above embodiment, only one blower 50 (outlet 52) ​​is provided. This makes it possible to prevent turbulence and efficiently remove water droplets. However, multiple blowers 50 (outlets 52) may be provided. Although turbulence will occur, the processing time can be shortened.

[0063] (6) In the above embodiment, the turntable 72 rotates once and then is inverted. However, the turntable 72 may rotate twice without being inverted. Also, the turntable 72 may rotate a predetermined number of times (for example, once).

[0064] (7) In the above embodiment, the photoelectric sensor 63 is used to detect the insertion of the umbrella 8. However, other sensors such as a proximity sensor may be used. Also, without using a sensor, the user may press a start button (not shown) after holding the umbrella 8 in the holding guide 60.

[0065] (8) In the above embodiment, only the function of the umbrella water drop removal device 20 has been described. However, as shown in Fig. 10, it is possible to prepare an attachment 200 having a recess 202 in the center and place the attachment 200 so that the recess 202 fits into the opening 32.

[0066] The recess 202 of the attachment 200 can be used as a flower vase, for example, as shown in Fig. 11A. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 11B, if the umbrella water drop removal device 20 is placed in front of a store, it can be used as a flower vase when the weather is good.

[0067] Also, if a light-emitting sheet (for example, a liquid crystal backlight) is provided on the outer periphery of the housing 22 and a display film 24 can be attached thereon, it is possible to display information, advertisements, etc., as shown in Fig. 11A. Also, if a sheet-type display is provided instead of the light-emitting sheet, the display content can be freely changed.

[0068] (9) In the above embodiment, the control unit 100 is configured using the CPU 110. However, some or all of the functions may be configured using a hardware logic circuit.

[0069] (10) In the above embodiment, the drive mechanism is configured by the rotation drive mechanism 70 and the vertical drive mechanism 40 that is rotated by the rotation drive mechanism 70. However, the drive mechanism may be configured by a vertical drive mechanism and a rotation drive mechanism that is moved up and down by the vertical drive mechanism.

[0070] (11) In the above embodiment, the blower 50 rotates around the umbrella 8 while moving up and down.

[0071] However, when blower 50 is moving up and down, blower 50 may not rotate around umbrella 8. In this case, when blower 50 is located at the upper end or the lower end, turntable 72 is rotated to rotate blower 50 around umbrella 8. This takes time, but allows water droplets to be removed more effectively.

[0072] (12) The above modifications can be implemented in any combination.

Claims

1. a storage section for storing the umbrella with the base facing down; An outlet for blowing air from a blower, the outlet facing the umbrella cloth of the umbrella stored in the storage section; A drive mechanism that rotates the nozzle around the outer periphery of the umbrella cloth and moves it up and down; A control unit controls the drive mechanism to move the nozzle up and down while rotating it around the outer periphery of the umbrella cloth of the umbrella stored in the storage unit; An umbrella water droplet removal device equipped with the device.

2. In the umbrella water drop removal device of claim 1, The control unit operates the blower and the drive mechanism upon receiving an output from a sensor that detects that the umbrella has been stored in the storage unit.

3. In the umbrella water drop removal device of claim 1, This umbrella water droplet removal device is characterized in that a lid with an opening is provided on the top of the storage section, and the opening is configured to be large enough to insert the umbrella when storing the umbrella, and can be changed to a size that can stably hold the umbrella handle after the umbrella is stored.

4. In the umbrella water drop removal device of claim 3, The control unit receives output from a sensor that detects that an umbrella has been stored in the storage unit and controls the opening to be smaller and for the lid to hold the umbrella handle.

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