Patent Grant
12226055
The present disclosure relates to drying apparatuses and methods of drying, and more particularly, to air circulation apparatuses and methods of air circulation based on a drying apparatus.
In this specification where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge, or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.
Regular showering or bathing are commonplace activities across modern society. In many cultures, a shower bath is taken on a daily basis. People may even wash more than once a day, for example, where they have done some form of exercise during the day.
As a result of washing, or also due to perspiration, a person may become wet. Drying of this moisture is important to a person's health in order to prevent bacterial and fungal growth on the person.
Given the right environment, such moisture may evaporate away on its own, but for expediency and comfort, most people towel themselves dry following washing or exercise. Toweling can be a good way to remove water from a person, but drying effectively to prevent bacterial and fungal growth—particularly around the feet—can be time consuming thus such areas may commonly be inadequately dried. Towel drying of hair, particularly for those with long hair, can additionally be a frustrating and involved process.
Aside from any issues with the use of towels to desirably dry a person, the number towels used and frequency of their use means that towels account for a significant proportion of total laundry loads. This is particularly the case in settings where towels are only used once, such as in gyms, sports clubs, and commonly in hotels.
Laundering of towels is energy intensive, and consumption of fresh water is also of concern from an environmental point of view. The depletion of fresh water resources is known to be a widespread issue across many parts of the world. The number of towels washed and frequency with which they are commonly washed consumes significant amounts of water resources.
In addition, showering and bathing often leave behind water residues that evaporate over time leading to moist air in the bathroom. A bathroom is usually a confined space that traps these moist air leading to dampness, humidity, and an unpleasant smell. Further, such atmosphere fosters bacterial and fungal growth that may lead to health problems such as congestion and asthma attacks. Furthermore, hot bath or showers usually results in a hot and humid environment which may be unpleasant to the user in the bathroom after such hot bath or showers.
Many bathrooms include extractor fans which are intended to remove moist air or hot and humid air from the bathroom as they accumulate in the bathroom. An extractor fan may remove some of these moist air or hot and humid air when they are operational and is usually manually operated by the user when the user is in the bathroom. However, the extractor fan is usually turned off when the user exits the bathroom. While the extractor fan may aid in removing some of the moist air or hot and humid air from the bathroom, the duration being used may not completely remove the moist or hot humid air. Also, existing conditions remain that may continue to generate moist air or hot and humid air, which if left unchecked, leads to dampness, humidity, and an unpleasant smell as well as mold related issues.
It is desired to address or ameliorate one or more of the problems discussed above by providing a drying apparatus to at least provide the public with a useful alternative.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the disclosure, Applicants in no way disclaim these technical aspects, and it is contemplated that the claimed invention may encompass or include one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.
The present disclosure seeks to address one or more of the above-mentioned issues by providing apparatus and methods that improve health and hygiene, as well as have a positive impact on the environment.
It should be understood that, unless expressly stated otherwise, the claimed invention comprehends any and all combinations of the individual features, arrangements and/or steps detailed herein, including but not limited to those features, arrangements and/or steps set forth in the appended claims.
The disclosure describes an air circulation system that includes at least one flow generator to generate an airflow, an air inlet, a first air outlet and a second air outlet each for exhausting airflow, an air conditioning device to air condition the exhausted airflow, and a controller. The controller is configured to position at least one of the first and second air outlets to be vertically separated from each other and to operate the flow generator to provide the exhaust airflow to the first and second air outlets. The exhaust airflow from the first and second air outlets are of different temperature.
As used herein the term “and/or” means “and” or “or”, or both.
As used herein “(s)” following a noun means the plural and/or singular forms of the noun.
For the purposes of this specification, the term “plastic” shall be construed to mean a general term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products, and includes hydrocarbon-based polymer(s).
For the purpose of this specification, where method steps are described in sequence, the sequence does not necessarily mean that the steps are to be chronologically ordered in that sequence, unless there is no other logical manner of interpreting the sequence, or expressly stated.
To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.
Other aspects of the embodiments of the invention may become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The objects and features of the invention can be better understood with reference to the drawings described below, and the claims. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the drawings, like numerals are used to indicate like parts throughout the various views.
Preferred embodiments or aspects of the invention will be described by way of example only and with reference to the drawings, in which:
Reference is made in detail to one or more embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
A drying apparatus may be provided according to the disclosure for a range of applications. In at least a primary application, the drying apparatus may be a dryer for drying a person, such as following bathing or showering. The drying apparatus may be provided as a supplement to towel drying, or in various preferred forms may be provided as a substitute for towel drying. By the use of the drying apparatus as a body dryer, a person may present themselves and be dried by one or more forced airflows of the drying apparatus.
Referring to
The drying apparatus 10 may be sized so as to correspond to human body dimensions. For example, in the configuration of the drying apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, the drying apparatus 10, and in particular the body 100, may be sized in proportion to human body dimensions to enable the delivery of the forced airflow across the human body.
The forced airflow may be provided through a first air outlet 101 distributed along a periphery of the body 100. The forced airflow may also be provided through a second air outlet 201 located at the bar 200. Unlike the first air outlet 101 which is stationary with respect to the body 100, the second air outlet 201 moves as the bar 200 travels along a longitudinal length L1 of the body 100 to expel forced airflow to different parts of the human body.
The body 100 may define a drying side or face 14 adjacent to which a user may present themselves for drying by the drying apparatus 10. The drying face 14 may generally define a face or plane from which the forced airflow is provided by the drying apparatus 10 through the first air outlet 101 and/or the second air outlet 201. For example,
For example, when the drying apparatus 10 is to be provided within a confined space, such as a bathroom, it may be desirable that a minimum of space is taken up by the drying apparatus 10, and perhaps, be aesthetically pleasing. To this end, the portion including the drying face 14 of the body 100 may be provided having a low profile, such as is seen in the side view of
To achieve this low profile, at least some internal components of the body 100 which are bulky may be distributed toward an upper region of the body 100 (in the vicinity of the air inlets 102 shown in
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of flow generators 110 are used. In alternative embodiments, only a single flow generator, or a greater number of flow generators, may be used. A flow generator may be an axial fan or the like. Embodiments that include multiple flow generators may cooperate to produce an even airflow into the body 100. Embodiments also include generating independent airflows into the body 100 to vary the strength of the airflow at various portions of the body 100. In the present embodiment, outside air may be received into the flow generator housing 103, by operation of the pair of flow generators 110, through a pair of air inlets 102. The pair of air inlets 102 provide inlet points for outside air into the body 100.
As seen in
Air received at the air inlets 102 is ducted by respective flow guides 116 located between the air inlets 102 and the filter unit 104. In the present embodiment, each flow guide 116 may also in part define an outlet air flow pathway 105 (see
Because the present embodiment is described as comprising a pair of flow guides 116, it will be understood that the following description of one flow guide 116 also reflects the other flow guide of the flow guide pair 116. To this end, each flow guide 116 may have a curved form as seen in
Thus, each flow guide 116 forms a flow path between a respective air inlet 102 and the upstream side of the filter unit 104. Also each flow guide 116 forms, at least in part, a wall of the flow path between the downstream side of the filter unit 104 and a respective flow generator 110. In this configuration, each flow guide 116 may duct air received from a respective air inlet 102 and pass the air to the filter unit 104. Air passed through the filter unit 104 may flow to the outlet air flow pathway 105 where a flow generator 110 may force the air to the first air outlet 101.
In the configuration above, each flow guide 116 may function to separate between the inlet side and outlet side of the filter unit 104. Each flow guide 116 may also function to separate the air received from the air inlet 102 from the filtered air flowing towards the flow generator 110.
In an alternative configuration, the flow guide 116 may not have a dual function of guiding inlet air to the filter unit and guiding filtered air between the filter unit outlet and the flow generator. For example, the air inlets 102, the flow guides 116, the filter unit 104, and the flow generators 110 may be arranged to be linear or sequentially adjacent to each other. Here, each flow guide 116 only ducts the air between the air inlet 102 and the filter unit 104.
A pair of thermoelectric devices 117 may also be included in the upper region of the body 100. Each thermoelectric device 117 may be a semiconductor device that heats and/or cools air, for example, using the Peltier effect. In alternative embodiments, other types of known thermal elements may be employed, such as, a heater, a cooler, or a combination thereof. For example, a refrigeration cycle, having a compressor, evaporator, and condenser, may be utilized to provide cooling and/or heating of air. In another example, a resistance heater may be utilized to provide heating of the air.
In the present embodiment, there is a pair of thermoelectric devices 117. Thus, in the following description of one of the thermoelectric device 117, it will be understood that other thermoelectric device is the same. To this end, each thermoelectric device 117 has a first side 118 and a second side 119. Depending on the direction of current supplied to the thermoelectric device 117, one side may be cooled or heated while the other side is respectively heated or cooled. For example, when the first side (i.e., outward) 118 is cooled, the second side (i.e., inward) 119 is heated. Conversely, when the first side 118 is heated, the second side 119 is cooled.
Each thermoelectric device 117 may heat or cool the air in the outlet air flow pathway 105 (see
A processor may control the direction of the current flowing through thermoelectric device 117. For example, a voltage source coupled to the thermoelectric device 117 may be coupled to an analog-to-digital converter (A/D). The A/D converter may be able to generate positive or negative values to control the voltage and therefore the current applied to the thermoelectric device 117. In other embodiments, the A/D converter could have half of its output values corresponding to negative current and half corresponding to positive current.
An exhaust vent 130 may be provided at the upper region of the body 100 when a thermoelectric device 117 is used in the drying apparatus.
When the thermoelectric device 117 operates as a heater, the cool exhaust air may be vented by a respective exhaust vent 130 to the outside of the drying apparatus 10. When the thermoelectric devices 117 operates as a cooler, the hot exhaust air may be vented by the exhaust vents 130.
The present embodiment will now be described in greater detail with reference to
The filtered air, after exiting filter unit 104, arrives at the outlet air flow pathway 105 illustrated by air flow arrows 108 in
A configuration of an air conditioning system of the body 100 has been described above. The drying apparatus 10 having the configuration above may vent cool air or hot air to condition a space in which the drying apparatus is occupying. The space may be a bathroom. During hot days the drying apparatus 10 may cool the bathroom. During cold days the drying apparatus 10 may heat the bathroom. The drying apparatus may also use the air conditioning system described herein to dry a user. For example, the cool air or hot air forced by the flow generator 110 is vented by the first air outlet 101 along the periphery of the body 100 at the drying face 14 (see
As shown, the flow generators 110 force the airflow into a duct 121. At the duct 121, the forced airflows from the two flow generators 110 are combined into a single forced airflow. The duct 121 then guides the combined forced airflow through a common opening 125 into the first air outlet 101 of the body 100. In the present embodiment, a resistance heater 120 is disposed at the common opening 125 to further heat the forced airflow. This configuration may be used where it is desirable that a heated forced airflow from the flow generators 110 is further heated prior to being expelled into the first air outlet 101. This configuration may be used, for example, where a quick heating of a bathroom is desired or a more heated forced airflow is desired during a drying of the user.
While in
The forced airflow in the present embodiment may be stronger than the forced airflow of the embodiment of
The fan assembly 1101 is connected to the conduit 1102 which may be a cylindrical tube that connects to the first air outlet 101. However, it should be appreciated that the conduit 1102 is not limited to a cylindrical tube and other configurations may be used such as an oval tube, a square tube, a rectangular tube, etc. The conduit 1102 contains the air sucked in by the fan assembly 1101 within the confines of the conduit 1102 thereby increasing the speed of the forced airflow if not maintaining the speed of the forced airflow expelled by the fan assembly 1101. Thus, a forced airflow of relatively high speed is introduced into the first air outlet 101.
Again, referring to
The duct 122 is connected to the vent 126 which also runs along the periphery of the body 100 and is visible from the drying face 14 of the body 100 (see
In an alternative configuration, the fin may be adjustable to be moved to the left or to the right to direct the forced airflow exiting the body 100 in the left direction or the right direction, as desired. For example, the fin of the left side of the body 100 may be moved in the right direction and the fin on the right side of the body 100 may be moved in the left direction so that at least a portion of the forced airflow may converge inwardly towards a center with respect to the body 100. Conversely, the fin of the left side of the body 100 may be moved in the left direction and the fin on the right side of the body 100 may be moved in the right direction so that at least a portion of the forced airflow may diverge outwardly away from the center with respect to the body 100.
Thus far, the body 100 of the drying apparatus 10 according to embodiments of the present invention has been described. The drying apparatus 10 may include a bar 200 that may expel forced airflow. The bar 200 may be movable relative to the body 100, as previously mentioned.
The bar 200 may be moveable along the longitudinal length L1 of the body 100 driven by a drive apparatus to be described later. The travel bounds of the bar 200 may be fixed to coincide with longitudinal length L1, of the body 100 or, alternatively, it could be adjustable to more closely coincide with the height by a particular user. Accordingly, the drying apparatus 10 may be configured such that when the user is positioned adjacent to the drying face 14, the desired length (e.g., the height) of the user may be covered by the drying airflow of the second air outlet 201 by the movement of the bar 200. For example, the bar 200 may move from the top position as shown in
Referring to
Referring to
For example, when the motor 50 rotates the lead screw 40 clockwise, the nut 41 moves up the lead screw 40, which in turn moves the bar 200 up with respect to and along the longitudinal length of the body 100. On the other hand, when the motor 50 rotates the lead screw 40 counterclockwise, the nut 41 moves down the lead screw 40, which in turn moves the bar 200 down with respect to and along the longitudinal length of the bar 200.
In another example, when the motor 50 rotates the lead screw 40 clockwise, the nut 41 moves down the lead screw 40, which in turn moves the bar 200 down with respect to and along the longitudinal length of the body 100. When the motor rotates the lead screw 40 counterclockwise, the nut 41 moves up the lead screw 40, which in turn moves the bar 200 up with respect to and along the longitudinal length of the bar 200.
Referring to
For example, the guide members 45 and guide tracks 46 may operate to retain the bar 200 against rotational movement about the longitudinal axis which may be caused due to the rotation of the lead screw 40. The dual guide tracks 46 may also provide stability to the bar 200 as it moves up and down along the body 100.
In the present embodiment, the bar 200 may include a fastening mechanism 210 to fasten to the guide member 45 of the bracket assembly 44. A fastening mechanism 210 is provided at both ends of the bar 200 in the present embodiment. The guide member 45 may include a recess 47 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the fastening mechanism 210. When the bar 200 is attached to the bracket assembly 44, the fastening mechanism 210 slides into the recess 47 of the guide member 45, thus attaching the fastening mechanism 210 to the guide member 45.
The fastening mechanism 210 may include one or more protrusions 212 that protrude from the sides of the fastening mechanism 210. The one or more protrusions 212 may be elastically deformable or may be spring loaded. When the fastening mechanism 210 has been fully inserted into the recess 47 of the guide member 45, the one or more protrusions 212 may hook into one or more corresponding slots in the recess 47 to attach the bar 200 to the bracket assembly 44.
The fastening mechanism 210 may provide for easy detachment of the bar 200 from the bracket assembly 44. Because the protrusions 212 are elastically deformable or spring loaded, the bar 200 may be detachable from the body 100 by exerting sufficient force. The bar 200 may be replaced with another bar 200 or may be serviced without the need for taking the entire drying apparatus 10 for servicing.
An embodiment of a drive apparatus using a lead screw and nut has been described. In other exemplary configurations, the bar 200 may be driven upon the body 100 by components other than a lead screw and nut. In fact, any suitable drive apparatus capable of providing the desired relative motion may be used. For example, the lead screw and nut may be replaced by a rack and pinion system, a pulley and belt drive, or, where the desired motion is a linear motion, a linear actuator.
Referring to
Based on the configuration of the exemplary embodiment described above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that even more bars may be employed in the drying apparatus 10. The drive apparatus 11 may be modular to accommodate multiple bars at the body 100.
As an example, as shown in
Accordingly, with each additional bar, a corresponding motor, a lead screw, a nut, and a bracket assembly may be added to the drive apparatus 11 to accommodate that bar. In this manner the drying apparatus 10 may be configured with a number of bars on the body 100 according to the preference of the user. Alternatively, each drive apparatus may accommodate more than one bar spaced apart from each other, which move in unison along the longitudinal length of the body 100.
Referring to
One or more air inlets 205 may be located at the ends of the bar 200. The air inlet 205 may be protected in a cavity formed between the end of the bar 200 and a shield 206. The shield 206 may extend from the end of the bar 200 to form a shield at the top and side surfaces thereof except for the bottom surface. The open bottom surface of the shield 206 allows for the air inlet 205 to access inlet air. This configuration may act to prevent drips or splashes of water from entering the air inlet 205. The air inlet 205 provides for inlet air to enter into the bar 200 which houses one or more flow generators 204 (see
Referring to
The forced airflow from the pair of flow generators 204 pass through the air conduit 207 to be expelled from the intermediate outlet 208. The air conduit 207 is shown to be cylindrical but is not limited to this shape and other configurations may be used such as an oval tube, a square tube, a rectangular tube, etc. The air conduit 207 contains the air sucked in by the pair of flow generators 204 within the confines of the air conduit 207 thereby increasing the speed of the forced airflow if not maintaining the speed of the forced airflow expelled by the pair of flow generators 204. Thus, a forced airflow of relatively high speed is introduced into the intermediate outlet 208. The expelled air is ultimately forced out of the second air outlet 201. While the present embodiment illustrates using a pair of flow generators, in other configurations a single flow generator or more than two flow generators may be used.
In the present embodiment, a pair of resistance heaters 120 are shown as part of the bar 200. A resistance heater 120 is located downstream of each of the flow generators 204. In alternative configurations, the resistance heater may be located upstream of the flow generator or may be integrated with the flow generator. In the present embodiment, the flow generators 204 and resistance heaters 120 are at least partially enclosed within the air conduit 207 (see
While this embodiment uses resistance heaters to heat the inlet air flow, in another exemplary embodiment, a thermoelectric device, for example, using the Peltier effect may be used to heat or cool the inlet air flow. In this configuration, the bar 200 is not limited to expelling heated air but may also expel cold air.
The bar 200 may further comprise one or more motors 220. As shown in
The second air outlet 201 may be configured such that the expelled airflow may cover a width of the user as the bar 200 moves up or down along the length of the user. The bar 200 may be provided with a suitable second air outlet 201 that may direct the forced airflow across the full width of the user.
Referring to
The intermediate outlet 208 of the air conduit 207 may be a circular, oval, or quadrilateral air outlet from which the forced airflow may fan out as the air flow travels further from the second air outlet 201. As an example, a circular air outlet may form a relatively narrow but relatively strong forced airflow over a small area of the user's body. A rectangular air outlet may form a relatively wider but relatively weaker forced airflow over a larger area of the user's body.
The degree to which the forced airflow fans out may be determined by the angle of the arc at the intermediate outlet 208. As an example, a narrow arc may form a narrow but strong airflow covering a small part of the user's body. A wider arc may form a wider but weaker airflow covering a wider part of the user's body. The shape of the intermediate outlet 208 and the angle of the arc may be selected depending on a desired effect of the forced airflow over the user's body.
Referring now to
In addition to being redirected upwards and/or downwards, or around one or more other axes, in some exemplary embodiments the forced airflow 215 may be selectively expanded, as illustrated in
The second air outlet 201 illustrated in
The forced airflow 215 may be additionally, or alternatively, expanded in a lateral direction, and may have different characteristics, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The forced airflow 215 may be configured to extend from the second air outlet 201 with minimal or no lateral expansion, as illustrated
The second air outlet 201 of
The up and down movement of the second air outlet 201 may be provided by a corresponding movement of a part or the whole of the bar 200 with which the second air outlet 201 is associated. Examples of such movement of a part or all of the bar 200 are illustrated in
One or more drive mechanisms may be provided between the body 100 and the bar 200 to enable the up and down movement of the bar 200. An example of such a drive mechanism is the drive apparatus 11, as illustrated in previously described
In addition to, or alternatively, it may be possible to reorient or otherwise configure the second air outlet 201 itself to redirect the forced airflow 215. Examples of such configurations where the air outlet 201 is reoriented to redirect the forced airflow 215 are illustrated in
Thus far, the various embodiments described herein includes one bar 200. However, the drying apparatus is not limited to having one bar 200. For example, for a faster drying process, two or more bars may be used. All of the exemplary embodiments described herein may include one or more bars.
The controller 53 may control the operation of the body flow generator 110 and the thermoelectric device 117 of the body 100; the controller 53 may control the operation of the flow generator 204 and the resistance heater 120 associated with the bar, and may control the motor 220, among others. The various operations which are performed by the components have been described above and further description will be omitted. The controller 53 may access or store information in a memory 58 for controlling the operation of the drying apparatus 10.
The drying apparatus 10 may include one or more sensors 209 which are also controlled by the controller 53. These sensors 209 may variously be associated with the body 100 and the bar 200 (e.g.,
According to various embodiments, such as the embodiments shown in
As an example, sensing information of the one or more sensors may be utilized by the controller 53 to determine various characteristics of the environment surrounding the apparatus and/or various characteristics and/or conditions of a user. For example, the sensing information may be utilized to determine the presence of a user; physical characteristics of the user including their overall and/or particular dimensions; wetness of a user's body and/or different parts of their body; temperature or heat of the ambient air and/or humidity of the ambient air, among others. To achieve this, the drying apparatus 10 may include one or more sensors 209 described below.
The one or more sensors 209 may include a thermal sensor such as an infrared sensor. The infrared sensor may be used to obtain information on the heat of the surroundings. For example an infrared sensor may be used as a temperature sensor to sense the temperature of the ambient air. Information on the temperature of the ambient air may be obtained to determine whether to condition the ambient air.
The infrared sensor may be used on a user's body located adjacent to the drying apparatus 10. Information from the infrared sensor may be utilized to infer or determine moisture levels of the user's body, and/or specific parts of the user's body. Information from the infrared sensor may be utilized to obtain an indication of the overall dimensions of a user's body, where body temperature differs from the temperature of the surrounding air.
The one or more sensors 209 may include a proximity sensor. The proximity sensor may be utilized to determine the proximity of the user to the drying apparatus 10. For example, information from the proximity sensor may be utilized to determine the distance of the user from the drying face 14 of the drying apparatus 10. When the user is within a predetermined distance of the drying face 14, the drying apparatus may be activated to dry the user. Information from the proximity sensor may utilized to control a forced airflow speed from the air outlet 101 and/or the air outlet 201 dependent on the distance of the user, in order to obtain a desired forced airflow speed directed at the user.
The proximity sensor may be utilized to determine if a user is undesirably close to the drying apparatus or a part thereof. For example, for safety reasons, it may be desirable to limit or prevent the movement of the bar 200 when a person is within a particular distance or position relative to it. This may include where part of a person's body is located above or below the bar 200, within its path of movement.
The one or more sensors 209 may include an image sensor. The image sensor may be utilized to obtain image information of the surroundings, determine the presence of a user, and determine overall dimensions of a user's body and/or specific parts of the user's body. The image sensor may be used in conjunction with or in lieu of the thermal sensor for information such as those mentioned above in order to obtain a more accurate information.
The one or more sensors 209 may include a humidity sensor. The humidity sensor may also be utilized to obtain information on the humidity of surrounding ambient air, for example, a humidity level of the bathroom in which the drying apparatus is installed. The drying apparatus 10 may be activated or used to remove moisture in the air until the humidity level is below a predetermined level. The humidity sensor may also be utilized to obtain information regarding the level of wetness/dryness of the user's skin. The information may be used to control heat applied to the forced airflow so that the user's skin does not become too dry.
Besides the exemplary sensors described above, other sensors known in the art may be used to achieve a desired result.
As previously mentioned, the drying apparatus 10 may perform air conditioning of a given space. For example, the space may be a bathroom. During hot days, the drying apparatus 10 may cool the bathroom and during cold days the drying apparatus 10 may heat the bathroom for the comfort of the user. In such a scenario, the controller 53 may determine the ambient temperature or ambient heat level of the bathroom, and use this information to control the temperature to the satisfaction of the user.
For example, in a hot bathroom, the user may perspire to keep cool. The perspiration evaporates taking some of the heat from the user's body providing a sensation of coolness. However, when the humidity level is high in the bathroom, the perspiration does not evaporate as efficiently and thus remains as moisture on the user's body. This may cause discomfort to the user as the user feels hotter than the temperature of the bathroom.
Accordingly, the controller 53 in conditioning the bathroom may need to consider the temperature as well as the humidity. In one embodiment, the controller 53 may consider a comfort level index correlating temperature and humidity to determine user comfort. The temperature-humidity index (THI), also known as the discomfort index, may be used to determine a comfort sensation with respect to the current sensed temperature and the current sensed humidity.
There are several equations devised to determine THI. One equation may be:
THI=Td−(0.55−0.55RH)(Td−58)
where Td is the dry-bulb temperature in ° F., and RH is the relative humidity in percent, expressed in decimal. For example, 50% relative humidity is 0.5.
It should be noted that the THI is not absolute but relative. Temperatures affect people differently. Various factors such as height, weight, sex, health condition, etc., may cause one person to feel temperature differently than another person.
Below is a table that illustrates a THI which reflects the comfort level of a typical person.
Referring to
In step S130, the controller 53 may determine whether the derived THI is greater than or equal to 75. The reference index of 75 may be stored in the memory 58. It should be noted that the reference index of 75 is not absolute. For example, the reference index of 75 may be increased or decreased in the memory 58 to tailor to individual user's need. If the THI is less than 75 the controller 53 may continue to step S160 where the controller 53 may terminate the control of the THI.
Otherwise, in step S130, if the controller 53 determines that the THI is greater than or equal to 75, the controller 53 may continue to step S140. In step S140, the controller 53 may send a signal to activate the flow generator. The flow generator may be either on or off, i.e., producing a constant air flow. Alternatively, the controller 53 can be configured to control a variable air intake amount by using an air intake amount value corresponding to the desired air flow. For example, the flow generator may be the flow generator 110 located at the body 100. At step S150 the controller 53 may activate the thermoelectric device 117. It should be noted that the activation of the flow generator and the thermoelectric device need not be in sequence; it can be simultaneous or in reverse order.
The controller 53 may send a signal to the thermoelectric device 117 to cool (or warm) the air sucked in through the air inlet 102. The cooled air may reduce the temperature of the intake air as well as dehumidify the air. The cooled, dehumidified air may then be expelled through the air outlet 101. The controller 53 may be configured to adjust the amount of heating or cooling via a heat level value. The heat level value can correspond to a heat level, either cooler or hotter than the ambient air. The controller 53 continues to step S100 to repeat steps S100 to S130.
At step S130, the controller 53 may again determine whether the THI is greater than or equal to 75. If the controller 53 again determines that the THI is greater than or equal to 75, the controller 53 continues to steps S140 and S150 and continues to intake air and to cool the air. The controller 53 continues unless and until the controller 53 determines at step 130 that the THI is less than 75. In which case, the controller 53 continues to step S160 where the controller 53 terminates the method.
In some instance, the forced airflow provides a wind chill to the user, which the system can also use as a comfort level to adjust air intake and temperature. This is where the user perceives the airflow at a temperature lower than that of the ambient air temperature. There are several equations devised to determine wind chill. For the purpose of this disclosure, reference may be made to the North American and UK wind chill index as follows:
Twc=13.12+0.6215Ta−35.75v+0.16+0.4275Tav+0.16
where Twc is the wind chill index, based on the Celsius temperature scale; Ta is the air temperature in degrees Celsius; and v is the airflow speed in kilometers per hour.
Based on the above equation, the higher the forced airflow speed the lower the perceived temperature of the air flow by the user. Thus, when airflow speed increases the controller 53 may increase the temperature of the forced airflow to obtain the target temperature.
Embodiments may not have a sensor to determine the airflow speed, but can estimate it due to known constraints within the system. For example, the size of chambers for airflow, the power of the air flow generator, and the size of the outlet for the airflow are all known variables. Therefore, embodiments include estimating the airflow speed based on these known parameters. Embodiments may also include a table that correlates airflow speed with the speed at which the airflow generators operate. Therefore, for a known air flow generator input, the system may know the airflow speed based on corresponding predetermined values. In one embodiment, the target surface skin temperature of the user may be about 30 to about 32 degrees Celsius. Thus forced airflow heating or cooling may be provided to maintain or obtain this temperature.
In one embodiment the temperature of the forced airflow generated by the drying apparatus 10 should be at a temperature that provides little or no discomfort to the user. The Humidex index of apparent temperature may provide a suitable guide on the level of comfort or discomfort provided by a temperature applied to a user's skin. The Humidex index takes into account both temperature and relative humidity in determining the level of comfort or discomfort. The humidex formula is as follows:
Where H denotes the Humidex, Tair is the air temperature in ° C., and Tdew is the dew point in ° C.
In some embodiments, the apparent temperature to be applied to the user is between 20 to 39° C. In a preferred embodiment, the apparent temperature to be applied to the user is between 20 and 29° C. As mentioned above, the apparent temperature may be determined by taking into account the wind chill factor of the airflow temperature.
Referring to
In step S210, the controller 53 receives the revolutions per minute (RPM) of the flow generator 204. In this configuration, the RPM of the flow generator 204 is variable. In a configuration where the flow generator 204 is not variable, but fixed, the controller 53 may retrieve the RPM stored in the memory 58. The RPM of the flow generator 204 is equated to an airflow speed of the forced airflow.
In step S220, the controller 53, having the air temperature at the bar 200 and the airflow speed of the forced airflow, may determine the wind chill index. One equation that the controller 53 may use to derive the wind chill index may be the equation provided above. The equation may be stored in the memory 58 where it is accessed by the controller 53.
In step S230, the controller 53 determines whether the derived wind chill index is greater than or equal to a predetermined target. The predetermined target may be chosen from among many different temperatures or temperature ranges. For example, the target may be the target surface skin temperature of about 30 to about 32 degrees Celsius. The target may be stored in the memory 58.
If the wind chill index is less than the target, the controller 53 may continue to step S240. In step S240, the controller 53 may increase the temperature of the forced airflow by heating the air flow using the resistance heater 120 at the bar 200, for example. The controller 53 may continue to step S200 and then repeat steps S200 to S230. Since the thermal sensor is close to the air outlet 201, the thermal sensor may sense an increase in temperature. Also, step S210 may be skipped where the RPM of the flow generator does not change.
As indicated, the controller 53 repeats the process unless and until the controller 53 determines, at step S230, that the wind chill index is greater than or equal to the target. If the wind chill index is greater than or equal to the target, the controller 53 continues to step S250, deactivates the resistance heater 120 and terminates the method.
Referring to
As the bar 200 is driven upward, the thermal sensor scans the user. When the thermal sensor no longer detects thermal heat from the user, then the height of the user is determined to have been reached and the drive apparatus 11 may stop the movement of the bar 200. The drive apparatus 11 now may move the bar 200 downwards in the direction of arrow 2. At the same time the thermal sensor scans the user. The thermal sensor may operate to detect wetness at the part of the user being scanned. The thermal sensor may detect wetness on the user as being a cooler temperature and dryness as being a warmer temperature. The flow generator 204 and perhaps the resistive heater 120 may be activated to dry the user.
In another configuration, the flow generator 110 and perhaps the thermoelectric device 117 may be activated to dry the user. The flow generator 110 and the thermoelectric device 117 may be operated in combination with the operation of the flow generator 204 and the resistive heater 120 of the bar 200. The flow generator 110 and the thermoelectric device 117 may be continuously operated until the bar 200 has reached the bottom of the drying face 14 and then the flow generator 110 and the thermoelectric device 117 may be deactivated.
As shown in
As the bar 200 moves downward in the direction of the arrow 2, the heated forced airflow expelled from the second air outlet 201 may dry the head, the body, and eventually the legs. While the bar 200 is transitioning from the head to the legs, the bar may stop, dry parts of the user which are more wet than other parts, before moving further down in the direction of arrow 2, until the bar 200 has reached to the bottom of the drying face 14.
In another embodiment, the bar 200, after initially reaching the head of the user, may move up and down repeatedly from head to toe until the thermal sensor senses that the user is dry. The movements of the bar described are exemplary and other forms of movement of the bar to dry the user may be conceived.
Referring to
In step S320, the controller 53 moves the bar 200 downward by a predetermined amount, such as one width of the user's body covered by the forced airflow from the bar 200. In step S330, the controller 53 operates the flow generator 204. In this step, the controller 53 may also activate the flow generator 110 and perhaps the thermoelectric device 117. Thus forced airflow from the air outlet 201 may dry a corresponding part of the user adjacent to the bar 200. Also, the forced airflow from the air outlet 101 may aid in the drying of the user. The controller 53 then continues to step S340.
In step S340, the controller 53 determines whether the thermal sensor detects heat greater than or equal to a predetermined amount. The predetermined amount may indicate that the part of the user is sufficiently dry. If the thermal sensor detects heat less than the predetermined amount, the controller 53 continues with step S330 where the controller 53 continues to dry corresponding the part of the user. Otherwise, the controller 53 continues to step S350.
In step S350, the controller 53 determines whether the bar 200 has reached the bottom of the drying face 14 of the body 100. If the bar 200 has not reached the bottom of the drying face 14, the controller 53 continues to step S320, and repeats steps S320 to S340. Otherwise, if the bar 200 has reached the bottom of the drying face 14, the controller 53 deactivates the flow generator 204 and the resistance heater 120. If the flow generator 110 and the thermoelectric device 117 were activated, the controller 53 deactivates these as well.
The filter unit 104 may provide one or more filtrations or treatments to inlet air flow. Ambient air, particularly in cities or other urban settings, may contain undesirable levels of particulate matter. Such particulate matter may be harmful to a person's health, and may also have undesired effects on a person's skin if blown onto the person when using the drying apparatus to dry their body.
For example, particulate matter may be either basic or acidic, and thus cause damage to a user's body. The filter unit 104 may comprise one or more particulate filters 113, such as is seen in
Ambient air is also likely to contain bacteria and viruses, which may pose a risk of infection to a user of the drying apparatus. If not entrained by a particulate filter 113, a filter unit 104 may include a bacterial and/or viral filter 114. Such a filter may include antimicrobial or antibacterial elements.
It may be desirable to reduce or remove moisture in inlet air before it is vented for drying. The filter unit 104 may include one or more dehumidifying filters 115, having for example a desiccant material.
In the present embodiment, a pair of air inlets 102 each pass the inlet air to the filter unit 104. The use of a single filter unit 104 may be desirable particularly where there are multiple flow generators to provide for a single point of servicing of any filters within the filter unit.
Referring to
As shown in
Alternatively the inlet filter 111 may be in the form of a macroscopic filter, such as a macroscopic mesh filter for guarding against the inletting of larger matter. Where it is desired to guard against water being drawn in with the inlet air or to dehumidify the inlet air the inlet filter 111 it may include a desiccant material for absorbing water.
As a further measure to dehumidify the inlet air, a resistance heater (not shown) may be placed adjacent to the inlet filter 111. When operated, the resistance heater may heat the inlet air to remove moisture in the air. Further, the resistance heater may remove moisture in the inlet filter 111 to increase the life of the inlet filter 111.
While
Thermal elements such as resistance heaters 120 may be provided at the downstream side of respective flow generators 110. The resistance heaters 120 may further heat the air forced by the flow generators 110 towards the first air outlet 101. The resistance heater 120 may be used as a booster to further heat or super heat the air heated by the thermoelectric device 117.
While in
As shown in
In this embodiment, the bar 200 may receive air from the flow generator or generators 110 of the body 100. For example, the bar 200 may have one or more air inlets, such as air inlets 203 as shown in
In the present embodiment, the bar 200 is provided with a pair of flow generators 204 that further speeds the forced airflow received from the flow generators 110 of the body 100. However, in other embodiments, the bar 200 is not provided with flow generators 204 and vents the forced airflow received from the flow generators 110 of the body 100 as is. Although not shown, the bar 200 may include resistance heaters 120 as shown in
Referring back to
The body 100 may be covered with molded plastic covering. As shown in
Embodiments of the drying apparatus described above may be used as an air circulation system, for example, in a confined space such as a bathroom. Description will now be provided of implementations of the drying apparatus as an air circulation system for circulating air. This air circulation may be independent of or used together with an extractor fan.
The drying apparatus 10 is shown located on a wall of the bathroom 600. The drying apparatus 10 may extend vertically along at least a part of the height of the wall on which it is located.
With reference to
For use as an air circulation system, the drying apparatus 10 such as shown in
For example, an air conditioning device to generate hot air and/or cold air may include one or more thermoelectric devices 117. An air conditioning device to generate just hot air may include one or more resistance heaters 120. The drying apparatus 10 having such air conditioning devices and one or more flow generators may expel forced airflow 603 from the first air outlet 601 which may have a temperature different from the forced airflow 604 expelled from the second air outlet 602. To generate a circulating air flow within the bathroom 600, the forced airflow 603 from the first air outlet airflow 601 may have a different temperature to that of the forced airflow 604 from the second air outlet airflow 602 which will be further described below.
The drying apparatus 10 expels forced airflow 603 from the first air outlet airflow 601 which has a colder temperature than the forced airflow 604 expelled from the second air outlet airflow 602. This relative difference in temperature may be achieved by either or both of a cooling of the forced airflow 603 from the first air outlet 601 or a heating of the forced airflow 604 from the second air outlet 602. Any heating or cooling will be understood to generally be with reference to the ambient temperature of the air in the bathroom 600.
In the present embodiment, the forced airflow 603 from the first air outlet 601 is cooled while the forced airflow 604 from the second air outlet 602 is heated. In another embodiment the temperature difference may be provided by a heating of the forced airflow 604 from the second air outlet 602 with no forced airflow 603 being expelled from the first air outlet 601 or the forced airflow 603 is expelled from the first air outlet 601 at ambient temperature (e.g., the forced airflow 603 is expelled with no air conditioning being performed on the forced airflow 603).
Where the forced airflow 603 from the first air outlet 601 has been cooled by the air conditioning system of the drying apparatus 10, the forced airflow 603 may cool the air surrounding the first air outlet 601 to a temperature lower than the ambient air temperature. The cooled air may be relatively denser than the ambient air and may begin to sink as falling airflows 605 and 606. Meanwhile, the forced airflow 604 from the second air outlet 602 is heated to a temperature higher than the ambient air temperature. The forced airflow 604 may heat the air surrounding the second air outlet 602. The heated air may be relatively less denser than the ambient air and may begin to rise from the bottom of the bathroom towards the top as rising airflows 607 and 608.
Where the forced airflow 603 from the first air outlet 601 has been cooled and the forced airflow 604 from the second air outlet 602 has been heated, the temperature difference in relative air density between the first air outlet 601 and the second air outlet 602 may become relatively large, and results in a circulation of the air in the bathroom 600 illustrated as the airflows 605-608 in
To increase the effect of any air circulation and to circulate as much air as possible in the bathroom 600, it may be desirable to space the first air outlet 601 and the second air outlet 602 to be apart from each other as far as possible. For example, as shown in
The circulating air may be sufficient to evaporate the water residuals remaining in the bathroom. The circulating air may be sufficient to expel the moist air or hot and humid air through the bathroom door when opened. In various configurations, the circulating air may be vented through the extractor fan located in the bathroom 600. Various ways in which the circulating air may be used to ventilate the bathroom may be conceived.
In various embodiments a drying apparatus 10 configured to perform air circulation may include a sensor 609. In one embodiment, the sensor 609 may be a humidity sensor under the control of the controller 53. The humidity sensor may sense a humidity level of the bathroom 600 and provide the sensed information to the controller 53. The controller 53 may activate the circulating air operation of the drying apparatus 10 when the humidity level is above a predetermined threshold. In another configuration, the sensor 609 may be a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor under the control of the controller 53 may sense an air pressure within the bathroom 600, and dependent on a sensed change in pressure, the controller 53 may activate the circulating air operation of the drying apparatus 10. For example, an extractor fan (not shown) may be installed in the bathroom 600. When the extractor fan is activated, a change in pressure may be detected by the pressure sensor and sent to the controller 53. The controller 53 may then activate the circulating air operation of the drying apparatus 10. The circulating air operation of the drying apparatus 10 may assist or enhance the extraction of the air in the bathroom 600 by the extractor fan. Besides the sensors described above, other sensors may be used. For example, a thermal sensor may be used to detect hot and humid air. Various sensors may be used to achieve a desired result.
At step S410, the controller may check if the monitored pressure information matches some predetermined criteria. For example, this may include a predetermined relative or absolute decrease in pressure associated with the activation of an extractor fan in the bathroom. If such predetermined criteria is met, the controller may then operate to step S420.
In another configuration, the operation of the controller leading up to the step S410 may be independent of sensed pressure information. For example, the controller may operate beginning from step S420 when the drying apparatus has completed or is in the process of drying the user without checking the pressure information from the pressure sensor.
At step S420, the controller may operate the flow generator or flow generators to generate a flow of air to the first air outlet and the second air outlet of the drying apparatus. In one configuration, the drying apparatus may take the form illustrated in
The monitored pressure information matching another predetermined criteria may be utilized to cease the operation of the drying apparatus to provide air circulation. This is shown at step S440. This second predetermined criteria may include a predetermined relative or absolute increase in pressure associated with the switching off of an extractor fan in the bathroom. If the predetermined criteria is met, the controller may operate back to step S400 or otherwise cease the control process. The operating back to step S400 or ceasing of the control process may include switching off the flow generator or flow generators and/or switching off the air conditioning system. If the predetermined criteria is not met, the controller may operate back to step S420 to continue generating the circulating airflow.
Referring to
In the air circulation mode, the drying apparatus 10 may position the bar 200 and the second bar 300 to be at an end of the drying apparatus 10 such that the first air outlet 101, and the second air outlet 201 and third air outlet 301 are located at substantially vertical ends of the drying apparatus 10. While the second air outlet 201 and the third air outlet 301 do not necessarily need to be located at the opposite end of the drying apparatus 10, it may be desirable to space the first air outlet 101, and the second air outlet 201 and the third air outlet 301 to be apart from each other as far as possible to achieve optimal air circulation.
Referring now to
An operation of the air circulation mode of the drying apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of
Meanwhile, the controller 53 controls the bar 200 and the second bar 300 to expel heated forced airflow. This operation will now be described. The bar 200 may have a configuration similar to the bar shown in
Where the forced airflow 603 from the first air outlet 101 has been cooled and the forced airflows 604 and 614 from the respective second air outlets 201 and 301 have been heated, there is a relative temperature difference between the first air outlet 101, and the second air outlet 201 and the third air outlet 301. The greater the temperature difference is between the first air outlet 101, and the second air outlet 201 and the third air outlet 301, the greater the circulation of airflows 605-608 may be amplified. The temperature difference in relative air density between the first air outlet 101, and the second air outlet 201 and the third air outlet 301 may result in a circulation of the air in the bathroom 600 illustrated as the airflows 605-608 in
The forced airflow 603 may cool the air surrounding the first air outlet 101 to a temperature lower than the ambient air temperature. The cooled air may be relatively denser than the ambient air and may begin to sink as falling airflows 605 and 606. Meanwhile, the forced airflows 604 and 614 from the respective second air outlet 201 and third air outlet 301 may heat the air surrounding the second air outlet 201 and the third air outlet 301. The heated air may be relatively less denser than the ambient air and may begin to rise from the bottom of the bathroom towards the top as rising airflows 607 and 608.
In the present embodiment, the bathroom 600 is provided with an extractor fan 650. This may be a conventional extractor fan which is already installed in the bathroom 600. When the extractor fan 650 is operational, the suction of the extractor fan 650 may accelerate the airflow 608 rising towards the extractor fan 650 which is then sucked out of the bathroom 600 through the extractor fan 650. The extractor fan 650 may be manually operated by the user. In the present embodiment, the extractor fan may be wired/wirelessly operated by the drying apparatus 10. The controller 53 of the drying apparatus 10 may wired/wirelessly activate the extractor fan 650 through the extractor fan switch 655 mounted on the wall of the bathroom or may wired/wirelessly activate the extractor fan 650 directly through a wired/wireless receiver installed at the extractor fan 650. Various configurations may be conceived. For example, the drying apparatus may include a humidity sensor as described above. Based on the humidity of the bathroom 600, the drying apparatus may activate the extractor fan 650 and also activate the air circulation mode. Other sensors may be used, some which have been described above and others that may be conceived based on the present disclosure.
It may be desirable that the bar 200 provides a relatively cooler forced airflow than an ambient airflow. The cooler forced airflow may amplify the air circulation effect as the cooler air may be relatively denser than the ambient air and may begin to sink faster as falling airflows 605 and 606. Thus, in another configuration, unlike the second bar 300, the bar 200 may include a flow generator or flow generators and a thermoelectric device or thermoelectric devices instead of a resistance heater or resistance heaters. The bar 200 having a thermoelectric device is able to generate cool air as well as heated air.
In another configuration the body and the bars of the drying apparatus may take a form similar to that illustrated in
In the drying apparatus, a pair of flow generators 110 may expel forced airflow to a duct 121, to a duct 122, and finally on to a plurality of outlet ducts 123 from which the forced airflow is vented from the drying apparatus. The duct 122 may receive the forced airflow from the duct 121. The duct 122 may include a plurality of vertical slits running along a longitudinal length of the body 100 corresponding to the vertical slits of the outlet ducts 123. The duct 122 may vent the forced airflow to the plurality of outlet ducts 123 through the plurality of slits which, in turn is vented to the outside of the body 100 by the outlet ducts 123 (see
In this embodiment, the bar 200 may receive air from the flow generator or generators 110 of the body 100. For example, the bar 200 may have one or more air inlets, such as air inlets 203 as shown in
An operation of the air circulation mode of the present embodiment will now described. In the air circulation mode, the controller 53 may position the bar 200 in the uppermost bound and the second bar 300 in the lowermost bound of their travel on the body 100. Then the controller 53 may activate the flow generators of the bar 200 to suck in intake air and expel towards the second air outlet 201. The controller 53 may also activate the thermoelectric devices of the bar 200 to cool the intake air. Thus, the flow generators of the bar 200 expel out cool forced airflow 603 from the second air outlet 201. Meanwhile, the controller 53 may activate the flow generators of the second bar 300 to suck in intake air and expel towards the third air outlet 301. The controller 53 may also activate the resistance heaters 120 of the second bar 300 to heat the intake air. Thus, the flow generators of the second bar 300 expel out heated forced airflow 614 from the third air outlet 301.
Where the forced airflow 603 from the second air outlet 201 has been cooled and the forced airflow 614 from the third air outlet 301 have been heated, there is a relative temperature difference between the second air outlet 201, and the third air outlet 301. The greater the temperature difference is between the second air outlet 201 and the third air outlet 301, the greater the circulation of airflows 605-608 may be amplified. The temperature difference in relative air density between the second air outlet 201 and the third air outlet 301 may result in a circulation of the air in the bathroom 600 illustrated as the airflows 605-608 in
The forced airflow 603 may cool the air surrounding the second air outlet 201 to a temperature lower than the ambient air temperature. The cooled air may be relatively denser than the ambient air and may begin to sink as falling airflows 605 and 606. Meanwhile, the forced airflow 614 from the third air outlet 301 may heat the air surrounding the third air outlet 301. The heated air may be relatively less denser than the ambient air and may begin to rise from the bottom of the bathroom towards the top as rising airflows 607 and 608.
In the configuration where the drying apparatus 10 includes dampers similar to that illustrated in
The controller 53 controls the damper actuators to cause the dampers to close off the duct of the first air outlet 101 at the dampers, thereby preventing any forced airflow from flowing into the region of the first air outlet 101 beyond the dampers. Then the controller 53 may activate the flow generators to suck in intake air and expel to the first air outlet 101. Meanwhile, the controller 53 may also activate the thermoelectric devices to cool the intake air. The cooled air is sucked in by the flow generators and expelled out towards the first air outlet 101 as cooled forced airflow. The cooled forced airflow flows through the duct of the first air outlet 101 but is prevented from going further than the dampers which blocks the pathway of the duct beyond the dampers. Hence, the cooled forced airflow is expelled out through the upper region of the first air outlet 101 as cooled forced airflow which may enhance the cooled forced airflow 603 being expelled from the second air outlet 201. The greater temperature difference between the first air outlet 101 and the second air outlet 201, and the third air outlet 301, may result in an amplification of the circulation of airflows 605-608.
Exemplary embodiments of the drying apparatus have been described above. Embodiments may be modified for particular usage or suitability.
For example, regarding the above described embodiments shown in
For example, the bars may take the forms shown in
For example, the bars may take the forms shown in
Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to elements or integers having known equivalents, then such equivalents are included as if they were individually set forth.
Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the preferred embodiments should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, and also the technical scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments. Furthermore, the present invention is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being comprised in the present disclosure.
None of the features recited herein should be interpreted as invoking 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the term “means” is explicitly used.
Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2020-0052552 | Apr 2020 | KR | national |
This application claims the benefit and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/992,138, filed on Mar. 19, 2020, and Korean Application No. 10-2020-0052552, filed on Apr. 29, 2020, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4961272 | Lee | Oct 1990 | A |
| 6154916 | Ayers | Dec 2000 | A |
| 8973286 | Hyde | Mar 2015 | B1 |
| 20030234100 | Ross | Dec 2003 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210289997 A1 | Sep 2021 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62992138 | Mar 2020 | US |
