Hand drier

• US 5,974,685 A
• Filed: 04/08/1998
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hironaka, Yasumasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennett, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON, PAMELA ANNE
• Application Number:
  US09/057,094
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 34/524, 34/549, 34/554, 34/572, 34/90, 34/201, 34/202, 34/210, 34/215, 34/218, 62/3.3, 62/3.4, 62/93
• 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

In a hand drier for drying the hands by blowing hot wind at the extended hands, a drying time is contracted. Unpleasant feelings are avoided by excessively increasing the hot wind temperature.

By perceiving the hands extended to the drying portion 2 with a hand sensor 9, the air is sucked by the fan 7 and the air is heated by the heater 8 to discharge the air to the drying portion 2. The Peltier effect element 6 is arranged in a ventilation passage from the air sucking opening 4 to the discharging opening 3 so that the heat sucking side A may be thermally exchanged for the air within the ventilation passage 5, so as to remove the humidity of the air.

Claims

1. A hand drier, comprising:

a hand sensor for perceiving a hand extended to a drying portion;

a fan for sucking the air from an air sucking opening to blow out the air to a drying portion from the discharging opening when the hand is perceived with a sensor;

an heater, provided in a ventilation passage between a air sucking opening and a discharging opening, for heating the air sucked by a fan; and

a Peltier effect element provided in the ventilation passage so that the heat sucking side may be thermally exchanged for the sucked air.

2. The hand drier described according to claim 1,

wherein a Peltier effect element is positioned on the upstream side of the heater within the ventilation passage.

3. The hand drier described according to claim 2,

wherein a fan is positioned on the upstream side of a heater within the ventilation passage and the Peltier effect element is positioned on further upstream side of the fan.

4. The hand drier described according to claim 2,

wherein the Peltier effect element is arranged so that the heating side is confronted with the drying portion.

5. The hand drier described according to claim 2,

wherein the ventilation passage is constructed so that the air thermally exchanged for the heat sucking side of the Peltier effect element may be thermally exchanged for the heating side of the Peltier effect element on the upstream side by a heater.

6. The hand drier described according to claim 3,

wherein the Peltier effect element is arranged so that the heating side is confronted with the drying portion.

7. The hand drier described according to claim 3,

wherein the ventilation passage is constructed so that the air thermally exchanged for the heat sucking side of the Peltier effect element may be thermally exchanged for the heating side of the Peltier effect element on the upstream side by a heater.

8. The hand drier described according to claim 1,

wherein the Peltier effect element is arranged so that the heating side is confronted with the drying portion.

9. The hand drier described according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation passage is constructed so that the air thermally exchanged for the heat sucking side of the Peltier effect element may be thermally exchanged for the heating side of the Peltier effect element on the upstream side by a heater.