Hand dryer comprising a detection volume
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hand dryers are inaccessible to children and individuals in wheelchairs due to sensor placement, and they often project water droplets onto the floor during use, causing cleanliness issues in public places.
Innovation Solution
A hand dryer design featuring capacitive detectors made of continuous conductive elements surrounding the superior and lateral walls, allowing detection from any entry point and minimizing water projection through strategically arranged air blowing holes that create air curtains to direct water inward.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If proximity sensors are incorporated on the upper side of the facing surfaces, then the hand dryer can be activated, but children and persons in wheelchairs cannot easily activate it
Solution Approach 1:
The capacitive detector is extended from the traditional upper surface placement to include the lateral walls of the housing. This spatial extension allows users to activate the hand dryer by approaching from any direction (front, side, or top), making it accessible to children and persons in wheelchairs who may approach from lateral positions.
2Ease of operation
If the cavity is opened superiorly and laterally to allow access, then users can insert hands, but water droplets are projected onto the floor
Solution Approach 1:
The air blowing holes, which could potentially project water droplets outward through the lateral openings, are strategically arranged to create air curtains that redirect water droplets inward toward the center of the cavity. This converts a potential harmful effect (water projection) into a beneficial one (water containment and redirection to drainage areas).
Solution Approach 2:
The air blowing holes are positioned at specific locations on the walls facing the cavity, creating localized air flows that form protective curtains. These localized air flows selectively redirect water droplets in specific directions, preventing projection onto the floor while maintaining effective hand drying in the cavity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If capacitive detectors are placed on lateral walls, then accessibility is improved, but the detector structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The capacitive detector system serves multiple functions: it detects hands approaching from the front, sides, or top, and simultaneously provides the activation signal for the air blowing holes. This multi-functional approach extends detection coverage to lateral walls without proportionally increasing system complexity, as the same detector infrastructure is utilized for multiple detection zones.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables easy and reliable activation for users of varying heights and mobility, while reducing water droplet projection onto the floor by utilizing air curtains to channel water back into the hand dryer.
Implementation Method 1
the detecting means comprise a capacitive detector made of at least a continuous conductive element
Implementation Method 2
strategically arranged air blowing holes that create air curtains to direct water inward
Data Source
AI summary
Hand dryer having volume for receiving the hands delimited by two facing walls and provided with blow holes, an opening delimiting the volume by its sides superior and lateral, the walls being provided in their part opposed to the volume for receiving the hands with a fence delimiting a volume wherein air is injected blown before its ejection by the holes, each one of the fences including an upper wall, two lateral walls and a lower wall, the hand dryer being provided with means for detecting the introduction of hands in the volume, wherein the detecting means include a capacitive detector made of at least a continuous conductive element which runs in the vicinity of the upper and lateral walls of one of the fences.