Hand dryer

• US 5,459,944 A
• Filed: 08/23/1993
• Issued: 10/24/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Tetsuya, Hotta, Kazuhiko, Horii, Toshihiko, Tatsutani, Toshio, Kawasaki, Keiu, Sendo, Masaaki, Hasegawa, Keiichi, Umai, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): ESQUIVEL, DENISE LYNNE
• Application Number:
  US08/110,803
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 34/202, 34/90, 34/91, 34/54, 34/55, 34/487, 34/565, 34/572, 392/380
• US Class Current: 34/202
• 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

Abstract

A hand dryer in which a channel-like hand insertion unit 5 opening at the front face and side faces is formed in the front face of a case 6 which functions as an outer shell. Upper and lower blowout nozzles 32 and 33 are disposed in the upper and lower faces of the hand insertion unit 5. A high-pressure air flow generation device 7 supplies high-pressure air flow to the blowout nozzles 32 and 33. A high-speed wind generated in the hand insertion unit 5 blows water on hands to the inner portion of the hand insertion unit 5. The blown water is drained to the outside of the hand insertion unit 5, through drainage holes 18 which are disposed at lateral ends of the bottom face of the hand insertion unit 5. Thereby, the blown water from the hands can be smoothly drained without remaining in the hand insertion unit.

Claims

1. A hand dryer comprising:

a case;

a hand insertion unit which is disposed in said case, which opens at the front and side faces of said case and which has a bottom face between two opposing faces of the hand insertion unit, and into which hands can obliquely be inserted through the opening and between the two opposing faces, said unit having a size sufficient for accommodating hands;

a high-pressure air flow generation device which is disposed in said case, and which has a fan for generating a high-pressure air flow; and

nozzles which are respectively disposed in the two opposing faces of said hand insertion unit, said nozzles communicating with an air flow path of said high-pressure air flow generation device and being located above the bottom face of the hand insertion unit, said nozzles release air at a velocity of 50 to 150 m/sec.

2. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein said nozzles are respectively disposed in the opposing faces of said hand insertion unit while being shifted from each other, so that said nozzles are not directly opposed to each other.

3. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein blowing angles of said nozzles are different from each other.

4. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the speeds of air flows blown from said nozzles are different from each other.

5. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the bore diameters of holes of said nozzles are different from each other.

6. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein an air inlet is formed in a face which constitutes said hand insertion unit, and an air duct is disposed, said air duct forming a path through which the air circulates from said air inlet to said high-pressure air flow generation device.

7. The hand dryer according to claim 6, wherein, in said face in which said air inlet is formed and which constitutes said hand insertion unit,a projection for guiding the air to said air inlet is disposed in front of said air inlet.

8. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein an air inlet for circulating the air to said high-pressure air flow generation device is disposed in a face of said hand insertion unit, said air inlet being beneath said nozzles, a filter having a large number of holes through which the air can pass being disposed so as to cover said air inlet.

9. The hand dryer according to claim 6, wherein a circuit portion for controlling said high-pressure air flow generation device is located in a part of said air flow path in which air to be supplied to said high-pressure air generation device is flowing.

10. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein a sound barrier is disposed at the periphery of an air inlet hole through which the air is sucked into said high-pressure air flow generation device.

11. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the size of the inner portion of said hand insertion unit is greater than the inlet portion of said hand insertion unit.

12. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein drainage holes for guiding water to the outside of said hand insertion unit are disposed at side portions of the inner bottom face of said hand insertion unit.

13. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the center portion of the inner bottom face of said hand insertion unit is protruded to form inclinations at both sides of said center portion, and drainage holes for guiding water to the outside of said hand insertion unit are disposed at the deepest portions of said inclinations.

14. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein a flange is formed at the periphery forming the opening of the inlet portion of said hand insertion unit.

15. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein said hand insertion unit is disposed at the upper portion of said case, and said high-pressure air flow generation device is disposed below said hand insertion unit.

16. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein a drain sink which communicates with said hand insertion unit is disposed below said hand insertion unit, said drain sink being able to store water.

17. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein sensors for detecting the insertion state of hands into said hand insertion unit are respectively disposed at the inlet and inner portions of said hand insertion unit, and, when the sensor at the inner portion detects the existence of hands, said high-pressure air flow generation device is operated, and, when the sensor at the inlet portion detects the nonexistence of hands, the operation of said high-pressure air flow generation device is stopped.

18. The hand dryer according to claim 4, wherein a sensor for detecting the existence of hands, and for actuating said high-pressure air flow generation device is disposed on the inner wall of said hand insertion unit, said sensor, said air inlet, and said nozzles being arranged in this sequence starting from the inlet of said hand insertion unit.

19. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein said hand dryer further comprises:

a sensor which is disposed in said hand insertion unit and which detects the insertion state of hands into said hand insertion unit; and

operation controlling means for, in response to the detection by said sensor, starting the operation of said high-pressure air flow generation device, and for stopping the operation of said high-pressure air flow generation device, when a predetermined period has elapsed after said sensor entered into the nondetection state.

20. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein said hand dryer further comprises:

sensors which are respectively disposed at the inlet and inner portions of said hand insertion unit, and which detect the insertion state of hands into said hand insertion unit; and

operation controlling means for causing said high-pressure air generation device to operate at a high speed, in the case where said sensor at the inlet portion is in the detection state even when said sensor at the inner portion is changed from the detection state to the nondetection state, for causing said high-pressure air flow generation device to operate at a high speed, in response to only the detection of said sensor at the inlet portion, during a predetermined period after the stop of the operation of said high-pressure air flow generation device, and for causing said high-pressure air flow generation device not to operate at high speed, in response to the detection of said sensor at the inlet portion, when the predetermined period has elapsed after the step of the operation of said high-pressure air flow generation device.

21. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein said hand dryer further comprises:

a sensor which is disposed in said hand insertion unit and which detects the insertion state of hands into said hand insertion unit; and

a display unit which is disposed at the upper portion of said hand insertion unit, and which, in response to the detection of said sensor, displays a guide to the operating procedure by illumination, using light emitting elements which are operated at predetermined time intervals.

22. The hand dryer according to claim 1 further comprising:

infrared sensors each having a light emitting element and a light receiving element which are respectively disposed at opposing positions of faces of said hand insertion unit, said faces opposing to each other, said light receiving element detecting a light from said light emitting element and other lights from other than said light emitting element;

means for controlling said high-pressure air flow generation device in accordance with a comparison of the output of said infrared sensors and a predetermined value; and

means for correcting said predetermined value in accordance with said detection result.

23. The hand dryer according to claim 1, further comprising a circuit box operatively connected to the high-pressure air flow generation device, a portion of the air flow generated by the high-pressure air flow generation device passing the circuit box, the circuit box being the only source of heat for the air flow from the nozzles.

24. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the air is directed generally downwardly toward the bottom face of the hand insertion unit.

25. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein an interior of the hand insertion unit between the nozzles is open and free of obstructions and wherein the hand insertion unit has a depth to thereby accommodate insertion of a majority of both hands of a user therein.

26. The hand dryer comprising:

a case;

a hand insertion unit which is disposed in said case, which opens at the front and side faces of said case and which has a bottom face between two opposing faces of the hand insertion unit, and into which hands can obliquely be inserted through the opening and between the two opposing faces, said unit having a size sufficient for accommodating hands, drainage holes for guiding water to the outside of said hand insertion unit being disposed at side portions of an inner bottom face of said hand insertion unit;

a high-pressure air flow generation device which is disposed in said case, and which has a fan for generating a high-pressure air flow; and

nozzles which are respectively disposed in the two opposing faces of said hand insertion unit, said nozzles communicating with an air flow path of said high-pressure air flow generation device and being located above the bottom face of the hand insertion unit.

27. The hand dryer according to claim 26, wherein a drain sink communicates with said hand insertion unit, the drain sink being disposed below said hand insertion unit and being able to store water.

28. The hand dryer according to claim 26, further comprising:

a sensor disposed in said hand insertion unit for detecting an insertion state of hands into said hand insertion unit; and

operation controlling means for, in response to the detection by said sensor, starting the operation of said high-pressure air flow generation device, when a predetermined period has elapsed after said sensor enters into the nondetection state.

29. The hand dryer according to claim 26, further comprising:

sensors which are respectively disposed at the inlet and inner portions of said hand insertion unit and which detect the insertion state of hands into said hand insertion unit; and

operation controlling means for causing said high-pressure air generation device to operate at a high speed, when said sensor at the inlet portion is in the detection state even when said sensor at the inner portion is changed from the detection state to the nondetection state, for causing said high-pressure air flow generation device to operate at a high speed, in response to only the detection of said sensor at the inlet portion, during a predetermined period after the stop of the operation of said high-pressure air flow generation device, and for causing said high-pressure air flow generation device not to operate at high speed, in response to the detection of said sensor at the inlet portion, when the predetermined period has elapsed after the stop of the operation of said high-pressure air flow generation device.

30. The hand dryer according to claim 26, further comprising:

a sensor disposed in said hand insertion unit for detecting an insertion state of hands into said hand insertion unit; and

a display unit which is disposed at the upper portion of said hand insertion unit, and which, in response to the detection of said sensor, displays a guide to the operating procedure by illumination, using light emitting elements which are operated at predetermined time intervals.

31. The hand dryer according to claim 26, further comprising:

infrared sensors each having a light emitting element and a light receiving element which are respectively disposed at opposing positions of faces of said hand insertion unit, said faces opposing to each other, said light receiving element detecting a light from said light emitting element and other lights from other than said light emitting element;

means for controlling said high-pressure air flow generation device in accordance with a comparison of the output of said infrared sensors and a predetermined value; and

means for correcting said predetermined value in accordance with said detection result.

32. The hand dryer according to claim 26, further comprising a circuit box operatively connected to the high-pressure air flow generation device, a portion of the air flow generated by the high-pressure air flow generation device passing the circuit box, the circuit box being the only source of heat for the air flow from the nozzles.