Hand dryer with reduced air-intake noise

• US 10,165,908 B1
• Filed: 09/06/2017
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hokwang Industries Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hokwang Industries Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Liu, Shen-Chen, Jheng, Cing-Fong
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US15/696,725
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 34218
• 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: F26B 21/001 Drying-air generating units, e.g. movable, independent of drying enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 21/004 Nozzle assemblies; Air knives; Air distributors; Blow boxes F26B3/082, F26B13/104, F26B13/108, F26B21/006 take precedence

Abstract

A hand dryer with reduced air-intake noise includes a housing, a flow-guide plate, and an air supply module. The housing includes an accommodating space and a plurality of narrow air inlets. The flow-guide plate is disposed inside the accommodating space, but the flow-guide plate is not contacted with the housing. The flow-guide plate includes a plurality of narrow air guide holes. The air supply module is disposed inside the accommodating space, and includes a blower that extracts air inside the accommodating space to generate a drying air flow after being started and an air-guide piece connected to the blower to receive the drying air flow. An interval between the narrow air inlet and the narrow air guide hole interferes with transmission of a sound wave formed by the air flowing between the narrow air inlet and the narrow air guide hole, so that generated noise can be greatly reduced.

Claims

1. A hand dryer with reduced air-intake noise, comprising:

a housing, including an accommodating space and a plurality of narrow air inlets connecting the accommodating space and an outside of the housing, and the housing defines an air intake surface that faces the accommodating space and on which the plurality of narrow air inlets are provided;

a flow-guide plate disposed inside the accommodating space and assembled, corresponding to the air intake surface with the housing, the flow-guide plate being not in contact with the air intake surface, and the flow-guide plate including a plurality of narrow air guide holes; and

an air supply module disposed inside the accommodating space, comprising a blower that extracts the air inside the accommodating space to generate a drying air flow after being started and an air-guide piece that is connected to the blower to receive the drying air flow and includes an end exposed from the housing; and

wherein the hand dryer includes an air intake path that enables, after the blower is started, the air sequentially flows from the outside of the housing to enter the blower through the plurality of narrow air inlets and the plurality of narrow air guide holes.

2. The hand dryer with reduced air-intake noise of claim 1, wherein the flow-guide plate includes a plate body on which the plurality of narrow air guide holes are provided and an extension sheet that extends from the plate body and is mounted at the housing.

3. The hand dryer with reduced air-intake noise of claim 2, wherein the flow-guide plate includes at least one support post that is disposed on a side facing the air intake surface and protrudes towards the housing to be connected to the housing.

4. The hand dryer with reduced air-intake noise of claim 1, wherein the plurality of narrow air inlets are arranged in a first matrix and provided on the housing, and the plurality of narrow air guide holes are arranged in a second matrix and provided on the flow-guide plate.

5. The hand dryer with reduced air-intake noise of claim 4, wherein the plurality of narrow air inlets are provided on the housing in a first extending direction, the plurality of narrow air guide holes are provided on the flow-guide plate in a second extending direction, and projection locations of the plurality of narrow air inlets are not overlapped with the plurality of narrow air guide holes.