Hand dryer and display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hand dryers lack instant responsiveness to centralized control for displaying news, information, and advertising, and do not have interactive features or sensors to collect environmental and human data for analysis.
Innovation Solution
A hand dryer system with a digital display screen and sensors that communicate via high-speed links to a central location, including proximity sensors, audio sensors, and other data collection modules, allowing for real-time data analysis and dynamic advertising based on user interaction and environmental conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If hand dryers use traditional display screens with slow update mechanisms, then device complexity is reduced, but information freshness and responsiveness to centralized control deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the hand dryer into two processing segments: a primary processor for basic operations and a secondary processor dedicated to display content management and high-speed data reception. This segmentation enables fast display updates without overwhelming the main control system, resolving the contradiction between update speed and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
A high-speed link system acts as an intermediary between the centralized control location and the hand dryer display. This intermediary layer handles the rapid data transmission and processing, allowing the display to respond instantly to centralized commands without adding complexity to the hand dryer's core functionality.
2Loss of information
If hand dryers include multiple sensors and interactive features, then data collection capability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary processor serves multiple functions: it manages the display screen, processes sensor data from proximity and audio sensors, and handles high-speed communication with the centralized system. By making this component multi-functional, the system achieves comprehensive data collection without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the display control, sensor data processing, and high-speed communication functions into a single integrated secondary processor unit. This merging of functions allows the system to collect and process multiple types of information (user presence, audio signals, display content) without requiring separate complex subsystems for each function.
3Ease of operation
If hand dryers use centralized control for display content, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The high-speed link system serves as an intermediary that handles all communication between the centralized control location and the hand dryer. This intermediary manages the complexity of centralized control, allowing operators to update content easily from a remote location while the technical complexity is contained within the communication interface rather than the hand dryer itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The hand dryer's secondary processor is designed to automatically receive and process display content through the high-speed link without requiring manual configuration or complex local settings. This self-service capability allows centralized control to operate simply through remote commands while the local device handles all the complexity of implementation automatically.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a plurality of display devices such as hand dryers, each with a programmed computer display, and all communicating to a central location via a high speed link system. A display screen is mounted to each of the hand dryers and viewable by a user while drying the user's hands. A processor is located within the housing and is in signal-communication with the display screen. The high-speed link system is in signal-communication with each processor and an external data source, wherein the data source communicates with the processor to change the image displayed on the display screen. Sensors communicate ambient conditions outside of the display screen to a database.