HAND DRYER

• US 20110277342A1
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ishii, Hikoya, Yagi, Hisaharu
• Granted Patent: US 8,607,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/526
• 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: A61L 2/0005 for pharmaceuticals, biologicals or living parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/02 using physical phenomena
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/035 Electrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/24 Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/17 Combination with washing or cleaning means
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/22 Ionisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/205 With feed-out of predetermined length from work supply

Abstract

A hand dryer is equipped with a hand insertion area (10), having a width that is able to accommodate hands, a high-pressure air generator (2), which generates a high-pressure airflow, discharge nozzles (N1, N2), which are disposed in the upper surface of the hand insertion area (10) and blow the high-pressure airflow, an exhaust duct (4), which is connected between the exhaust side of the high-pressure air generator (2) and the discharge nozzles (N1, N2), an ejection port (23), which opens to the space surrounding the hand dryer, a switching damper (24), which opens a portion of the exhaust duct (4) and is connected to the ejection port (23), and an ion generator (22), which generates ions having sterilization action into the high-pressure airflow passing through the exhaust duct (4) on the upstream side of the switching damper (24).

Claims

1. A hand dryer that blows out a high-pressure airflow generated by a high-pressure air generator into a hand insertion area which is so sized as to be able to accommodate a hand, to have moisture that is adhered on the hand blown away inside the hand insertion area by kinetic energy of the high-pressure airflow,

the hand dryer comprising:

an ejection port that opens to a space around the hand dryer;

a switching damper that is provided to be openable and closable and that, in an open state thereof, opens part of an airflow path extending from the high-pressure air generator to the hand insertion area to make the airflow path communicate with the ejection port; and

an ion generator that generates ions having a sterilization function in the high-pressure airflow flowing at an upstream side of the switching damper in the airflow path.

3. The hand dryer of claim 1, further comprising:

a hand detecting sensor that detects a hand inserted into the hand insertion area, wherein,

when the hand detecting sensor detects a hand, the high-pressure air generator is operated with the switching damper closed, and the ion generator is driven; and

when the hand detecting sensor does not detect a hand, the high-pressure air generator is operated with the switching damper opened, and the ion generator is driven.

4. The hand dryer of claim 1, further comprising:

a hand detecting sensor that detects a hand inserted into the hand insertion area,

wherein

a power stage of the high-pressure air generator is switchable between two power stages of a high power stage and a low power stage;

when the hand detecting sensor detects a hand, the high-pressure air generator is operated in the high power stage with the switching damper closed, and the ion generator is driven; and

when the hand detecting sensor does not detect a hand, the high-pressure air generator is operated in the low power stage with the switching damper opened, and the ion generator is driven.

5. The hand dryer of claim 4, further comprising:

a timer,

wherein

the timer starts counting time at a time point when the hand detecting sensor stops detecting the hand, and the high-pressure air generator is operated in the high power stage until a predetermined period of time elapses after the time point.

6. The hand dryer of claim 4, further comprising:

an ion sensor,

wherein

the ion sensor starts detecting ion concentration at a time point when the hand detecting sensor stops detecting the hand, and the high-pressure air generator is operated in the high power stage until a predetermined level of ion concentration is detected.

7. A hand dryer of any one of claim 1,

wherein

the ions having the sterilization function mainly include H⁺ (H₂O)_m ions as positive ions and O₂⁻

(H₂O)_n ions as negative ions.

11. A hand dryer of claim 3,

wherein

the ions having the sterilization function mainly include H⁺ (H₂O)_m ions as positive ions and O₂⁻

(H₂O)_n ions as negative ions.

12. A hand dryer of claim 4,

wherein

the ions having the sterilization function mainly include H⁺ (H₂O)_m ions as positive ions and O₂⁻

(H₂O)_n ions as negative ions.

13. A hand dryer of claim 5,

wherein

the ions having the sterilization function mainly include H⁺ (H₂O)_m ions as positive ions and O₂⁻

(H₂O)_n ions as negative ions.

14. A hand dryer of claim 6,

wherein

the ions having the sterilization function mainly include H⁺ (H₂O)_m ions as positive ions and O₂⁻

(H₂O)_n ions as negative ions.

2. A hand dryer, comprising:

a hand insertion area which is so sized as to be able to accommodate a hand;

a high-pressure air generator that generates a high-pressure airflow;

a discharge nozzle that is provided in an upper surface of the hand insertion area and blows out a high-pressure airflow;

an exhaust duct that is connected between an exhaust side of the high-pressure air generator and the discharge nozzle;

an ejection port that opens to a space around the hand dryer;

a switching damper that opens part of the exhaust duct to make the exhaust duct communicate with the ejection port; and

an ion generator that generates ions having a sterilization function in the high-pressure airflow flowing at an upstream side of the switching damper in the exhaust duct.

8. The hand dryer of claim 2, further comprising:

a hand detecting sensor that detects a hand inserted into the hand insertion area,

wherein,

when the hand detecting sensor detects a hand, the high-pressure air generator is operated with the switching damper closed, and the ion generator is driven; and

when the hand detecting sensor does not detect a hand, the high-pressure air generator is operated with the switching damper opened, and the ion generator is driven.

9. The hand dryer of claim 2, further comprising:

a hand detecting sensor that detects a hand inserted into the hand insertion area,

wherein

a power stage of the high-pressure air generator is switchable between two power stages of a high power stage and a low power stage;

when the hand detecting sensor detects a hand, the high-pressure air generator is operated in the high power stage with the switching damper closed, and the ion generator is driven; and

when the hand detecting sensor does not detect a hand, the high-pressure air generator is operated in the low power stage with the switching damper opened, and the ion generator is driven.

10. A hand dryer of claim 2,

wherein

the ions having the sterilization function mainly include H⁺ (H₂O)_m ions as positive ions and O₂⁻

(H₂O)_n ions as negative ions.