Hand dryer

• US 9,282,856 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2011
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Fukano, Manabu
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Kenneth
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCORMACK, JOHN PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US13/816,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20130139400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,877 Days
• Field of Search: 342/02, 342/10, 342/15
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 includes: a box body that includes a hand drying chamber whose upper portion and side portion are open; an airflow generating device provided in the box body and generates an airflow; a nozzle provided on an inner wall surface of the hand drying chamber and ejects an airflow generated in the airflow generating device to the hand drying chamber; a first sensor provided on an inner wall surface of the hand drying chamber; a second sensor provided on an inner wall surface of the hand drying chamber and is provided at a position below the first sensor and is more outward than the first sensor in a horizontal direction; and a control unit that detects presence or absence of a hand in accordance with a signal from the first sensor or the second sensor and controls an operation of the airflow generating device.

Claims

1. A hand dryer comprising:

a box body that includes a hand drying chamber whose upper portion and side portion are open;

an airflow generating device that is provided in the box body and generates an airflow;

a nozzle that is provided on an inner wall surface of the hand drying chamber and ejects an airflow generated in the airflow generating device to the hand drying chamber;

a plurality of first sensors provided on an inner wall surface of the hand drying chamber and aligned in a horizontal direction;

a plurality of second sensors provided on the inner wall surface of the hand drying chamber and aligned in a vertical direction at a position below the plurality of first sensors and more outward than a most outward first sensor of the plurality of first sensors in the horizontal direction; and

a control unit that detects a presence or an absence of a hand in accordance with a signal from the plurality of first sensors or the plurality of second sensors and controls an operation of the airflow generating device.

2. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first sensors are provided at a position closer to the nozzle than the plurality of second sensors.

3. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of second sensors are provided below the nozzle.

4. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of second sensors are provided more outward than the most outward nozzle in the horizontal direction.

5. The hand dryer according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of second sensors are provided below an intermediate position between the nozzle and a bottom surface of the hand drying chamber.

6. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein when a hand is detected by the plurality of first sensors or the plurality of second sensors, the control unit starts the airflow generating device after a lapse of a predetermined time.

7. The hand dryer according to claim 6, wherein a predetermined time before the control unit starts the airflow generating device after a hand is detected by the plurality of second sensors is shorter than a predetermined time before the control unit starts the airflow generating device after a hand is detected by the plurality of first sensors.

8. The hand dryer according to claim 6, wherein when a hand is detected by the plurality of first sensors or the plurality of second sensors and after a lapse of a predetermined time, the control unit starts the airflow generating device.

9. The hand dryer according to claim 1, further comprising a third sensor that is provided on an inner wall surface of the hand drying chamber and is provided at a position that is below the nozzle and is closer to a center than the plurality of second sensors in the horizontal direction.

10. The hand dryer according to claim 9, wherein the third sensor is provided below the plurality of second sensors.

11. The hand dryer according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of second sensors are provided below an intermediate position between the nozzle and the third sensor.

12. The hand dryer according to claim 9, wherein when a hand is detected by the plurality of second sensors or the third sensor, the control unit starts the airflow generating device.

13. The hand dryer according to claim 12, wherein when a hand is detected by the plurality of second sensors or when a predetermined time has elapsed after a hand is detected by the third sensor, the control unit starts the airflow generating device.

14. The hand dryer according to claim 13, wherein when a hand is detected by the plurality of second sensors or the third sensor and after a lapse of a predetermined time, the control unit starts the airflow generating device.

15. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein when a hand is detected by the plurality of second sensors in a state where a hand is not detected by the plurality of first sensors the control unit starts the airflow generating device.

16. The hand dryer according to claim 15, wherein after a hand is detected by the plurality of second sensors sensors and then, after a lapse of a predetermined time, when a hand is detected by the plurality of first sensors or the plurality of second sensors, the control unit starts the airflow generating device.

17. The hand dryer according to claim 9, wherein when a hand is detected by the plurality of second sensors in a state where a hand is not detected by the plurality of first sensors, and the third sensor, the control unit starts the airflow generating device.

18. The hand dryer according to claim 17, wherein after a hand is detected by the plurality of second sensors and then, after a lapse of a predetermined time, when a hand is detected by the plurality of second sensors or the third sensor, or, after a hand is detected by the plurality of second sensors and then, after a lapse of a predetermined time, when a hand is detected by the plurality of first sensors and thereafter a hand is detected by the third sensor in a state where the hand is detected by the plurality of first sensors, the control unit starts the airflow generating device.

19. The hand dryer according to claim 1, further comprising a second nozzle that is provided on an inner wall surface of the hand drying chamber, that is provided at a position that is below the nozzle and closer to a center than the plurality of second sensors in the horizontal direction, and that ejects an airflow generated in the airflow generating device to the hand drying chamber.

20. The hand dryer according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of second sensors are provided below an intermediate position between the nozzle and a bottom surface of the hand drying chamber.