Movable Hand Dryer Nozzle for Wider Drying Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hand dryers have a directional and ergonomically limited drying zone, requiring users to constantly move their hands within a small area for efficient drying, which is not optimal for covering the maximum surface area of the hands.
Innovation Solution
A hand dryer device with a movable nozzle system that pivots or translates, allowing the air jet to cover a larger area without increasing the size of the air flow production components, utilizing a rotating or translating outlet part with thrust surfaces to generate movement and expand the drying zone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the nozzle is made small to maintain optimum drying efficiency, then the drying zone has small dimensions, but the user must constantly move hands which reduces ease of operation
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and orientation. The outlet part can pivot and translate to track the user's hands, maintaining a small effective nozzle size for efficient drying while automatically adapting to hand movements, thus eliminating the need for users to actively reposition their hands.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle system serves itself by automatically tracking and following the user's hands through pivot and translate mechanisms. The thrust surfaces respond to the air flow to generate movement that keeps the nozzle aligned with the hands, making the system self-adjusting without requiring user effort to move hands within a limited zone.
2Ease of operation
If the drying zone dimensions are increased to cover more hand surface area, then ease of operation is improved, but the air flow production means would need to be oversized
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing nozzle size to expand coverage, the invention uses a small nozzle that dynamically moves to cover a larger effective area. The pivot and translate mechanisms allow the compact nozzle to sweep across a wider zone, matching hand movements and covering maximum surface area without requiring larger air flow production components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a static, single-point nozzle to a dynamic system that adds temporal and spatial dimensions to the drying coverage. By allowing the nozzle to pivot and translate over time, a small nozzle effectively covers a large three-dimensional space, achieving extensive coverage without increasing the physical size of the air flow production means.
3Area of stationary object
If a movable outlet part with degree of freedom is used to expand drying zone, then device complexity increases, but drying efficiency is maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet part is designed with pivot and translate degrees of freedom, transforming it from a static component to a dynamic one. This mobility allows the nozzle to cover a larger drying zone area by adapting its position to hand movements, achieving expanded coverage through controlled motion rather than through increased structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable outlet part is equipped with thrust surfaces that interact with the air flow to generate self-propelled movement. This self-service mechanism reduces the need for complex external actuation systems, as the air flow itself drives the pivot and translate motions, expanding the drying zone with minimal additional device complexity.
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
The solution provides a spatially optimized drying zone that effectively covers more surface area of the hands without compromising the directional efficiency of the air jet and without requiring larger air flow production components, enhancing user convenience and drying efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
at least one thrust surface which equips said outlet part and which is shaped to cooperate with the flow of air coming from said means for producing the air flow in running configuration so as to generate the movement of said output part
Implementation Method 2
The jet of drying air obtained then allows elimination of the water by a phenomenon of evaporation and/or by a mechanical phenomenon of thrust in a determined drying zone
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The present invention relates to a hand dryer device comprising a frame (2) carrying: (i) means (3) for producing a flow of air which are extended by a duct (4) for the circulation of said flow of air, (ii) at least one nozzle (5) which is formed at a downstream end (42) of said duct (4) and which is capable of generating a jet of air intended to dry the hands of a user. Said at least one nozzle (5) is provided in a movable outlet part (10) which is positioned at said downstream end (42) of said duct (4) and which cooperates with said frame (2) by means of means link (11) defining at least one degree of freedom (11). And said hand dryer device (1) comprises means (12) for generating a movement of said outlet piece (10) and of said at least one nozzle (5) according to said degree of freedom (11) when said means of production of the air flow (3) are in the running configuration.