Shoe Dryer with Camera-Guided Air Direction for Even Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shoe dryers often inadequately dry the toe portion of shoes due to air being blown in the same direction regardless of the shoe's position, leading to insufficient drying, and may over-dry shoes when increasing air temperature or volume.
Innovation Solution
A shoe dryer with a camera to capture images of the shoes and control the direction of air blown by a rotatable blowing nozzle to target the center of the shoe's mouth portion, adjusting based on the shoe's shape and position, and including a control device to manage temperature, humidity, and air volume for optimal drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If air is blown in the same direction regardless of shoe position, then the blowing unit structure is simple, but the toe portion of the shoe is insufficiently dried
Solution Approach 1:
The blowing nozzle is made rotatable to dynamically adjust its blowing direction based on the detected shoe position, allowing the same simple structure to achieve effective drying of different shoe regions including the toe portion
2Productivity
If the temperature of air blowing is increased, then drying speed is improved, but the shoe may be excessively dried
Solution Approach 1:
The blowing system applies different air conditions to different regions of the shoe by rotating the nozzle to target specific areas (e.g., toe portion vs. heel), delivering higher temperature and velocity air precisely where needed without over-drying other regions
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a camera to detect shoe position and a control device to adjust the blowing direction in real-time, creating a feedback loop that prevents excessive drying by targeting air flow only to regions that need it
3Productivity
If the wind volume is increased, then drying efficiency is improved, but the shoe may be excessively dried
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable blowing nozzle concentrates high wind volume air flow onto specific local regions of the shoe (such as the toe portion) rather than distributing it uniformly, achieving efficient drying of targeted areas without excessively drying the entire shoe
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
Ensures even and efficient drying of shoes by directing air precisely to the shoe's mouth portion, preventing both insufficient and excessive drying, while maintaining optimal environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a blowing unit configured to blow air toward the shoe received in the shoe receiving portion
Data Source
AI summary
A shoe dryer including a main body, a shoe receiver provided inside the main body and configured to receive a shoe, a blower configured to blow air toward the shoe received in the shoe receiving portion, a camera configured to obtain an image of the shoe by photographing the shoe received in the shoe receiver, and a control device configured to recognize information about the shoe from the image of the shoe obtained by the camera, and control a direction of air blown by the blower based on the information about the shoe.