Hand Dryer

Abstract

A hand dryer has a housing having an interior. Exit openings communicating with the interior of the housing are provided. At least one blower motor is arranged in the interior of the housing and conveys air through the exit openings to an exterior of the hand dryer. The air steams exiting from the exit openings meet in a drying area for the hands.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hand dryer comprising:
 a housing having an interior;   exit openings communicating with the interior of the housing;   at least one blower motor arranged in the interior of the housing and conveying air through the exit openings to an exterior of the hand dryer;   wherein air streams exiting from the exit openings meet in a drying area for the hands.   
     
     
         2 . The hand dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein the air streams in the drying area form a swirl field. 
     
     
         3 . The hand dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein the axes of the exit openings, extending in an exit flow direction of the air streams, are positioned angularly relative to each other. 
     
     
         4 . The hand dryer according to  claim 3 , wherein the axes of the exit openings meet each other approximately at a point. 
     
     
         5 . The hand dryer according to  claim 1 , further comprising a wall connected to the housing, wherein the exit openings are provided in wall sections of the wall, the wall sections positioned angularly relative to each other. 
     
     
         6 . The hand dryer according to  claim 5 , wherein the wall sections are flat and positioned at an obtuse angle relative to each other. 
     
     
         7 . The hand dryer according to  claim 5 , wherein the wall is a continuously curved wall comprising the wall sections. 
     
     
         8 . The hand dryer according to  claim 5 , further comprising at least one distributor for air, the distributor for air arranged at a spacing upstream of the exit openings in a flow direction of the air. 
     
     
         9 . The hand dryer according to  claim 8 , wherein the distributor is plate-shaped. 
     
     
         10 . The hand dryer according to  claim 8 , wherein the distributor has an extension that matches an extension of the wall. 
     
     
         11 . The hand dryer according to  claim 8 , wherein the distributor and the wall sections of the wall, said wall section neighboring the distributor, define an acceleration space for the air 
     
     
         12 . The hand dryer according to  claim 11 , wherein the acceleration space narrows in a flow direction of the air. 
     
     
         13 . The hand dryer according to  claim 11 , further comprising a common flow space communicating with the exit openings, wherein the common flow space is positioned upstream of the exit openings in a flow direction of the air and is positioned downstream of the acceleration space in the flow direction of the air. 
     
     
         14 . The hand dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein the blower motor is a high-pressure blower motor. 
     
     
         15 . The hand dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein the exit openings are formed as grid or aperture plates. 
     
     
         16 . The hand dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein the exit openings are slit-shaped. 
     
     
         17 . The hand dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein the exit openings are formed by a plurality of holes in a wall connected to the housing, wherein the holes are selected from the group of bores, slits, and a combination of bores and slits. 
     
     
         18 . The hand dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein an exit surface area of the exit openings is sized such that the exit flow speed of the air is greater than approximately 35 m per second. 
     
     
         19 . The hand dryer according to  claim 1 , wherein the air streams exiting from the exit openings blow at a slant away from a user of the hand dryer.