Developments relating to washing/drying stations in washrooms

Abstract

A combined washing/drying station for a washroom comprising a water outlet for discharging water to wash a user's hands connected to a mains water supply and an air outlet for discharging airflow to dry a user's hands. The airflow is generated by a blower module connected to a mains electricity supply via a connector unit hard-wired to the electrical mains. The blower module comprises an electrical connector which connects to an electrical connector on the connector unit to allow modular replacement of the blower module. Connection to the mains water supply is via the same or an additional connector unit plumbed into the water mains. A flow-control valve is provided on the respective connector unit for isolating the water mains at the connector unit. An inlet port of the valve is connected to the water mains and an outlet port of the valve is connected to the water outlet.

Claims

1. A combined washing/drying station for a washroom, the station comprising: a blower module for generating an airflow; a connector unit, the connector unit having a first electrical connector hard-wired to a mains electricity supply and a flow-control valve plumbed into a mains water supply; a water-dispensing part having a water outlet arranged for connection to an outlet port of the flow control valve; and an air-discharging part having an air outlet arranged for fluid connection to the blower module to drive airflow through the air outlet, wherein the blower module is arranged for connection to the air outlet via a duct on the connector unit and the blower module is arranged for connection to the mains electricity supply via a second electrical connector on the blower module which releasably connects to the first electrical connector on the connector unit.

2. The combined washing/drying station of claim 1, wherein the first electrical connector on the connector unit is a shrouded electrical connector for reducing accidental physical contact with a live terminal on the connector.

3. The combined washing/drying station of claim 1, wherein the connector unit comprises one or more electrical components, the electrical components being located inside a sealed compartment inside the connector unit.

4. The combined washing/drying station of claim 3, wherein the sealed compartment is formed in part by a removable front cover, which cover can be removed for access to the inside of the compartment.

5. The combined washing/drying station of claim 4, wherein an access panel is provided in the front cover, which panel allows access to the flow control valve without removing the front cover.

6. The combined washing/drying station of claim 5, wherein the flow-valve is a solenoid valve, the solenoid valve being connected to a low-voltage controller inside the sealed compartment.

7. The combined washing/drying station of claim 1, in which the water-dispensing part and air-discharging part are incorporated as part of a single fixture which can be mounted next to the basin of a sink.

8. The combined washing/drying station of claim 1, further comprising a filter module incorporating an air filter for filtering air drawn in through an air intake on the blower module, the filter module being releasably connectable to the air intake on the blower module for modular replacement of the filter module.

9. The combined washing/drying station of claim 7, wherein the blower module is arranged for connection to the air outlet via an air hose which connects the duct on the connector unit to a duct on the fixture.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combined washing/drying station in a washroom;

(3) FIG. 2 is a section through the combined washing drying station in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an arrangement for use in the combined washing/drying station in FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a blower, or compressor;

(6) FIG. 5 is a part-sectioned perspective view of a fan unit;

(7) FIG. 6 is a part-section perspective view of a blower moduleincorporating the fan unitforming part of the arrangement in FIG. 3;

(8) FIG. 7 is a part-sectioned perspective view illustrating spring-mounting of the fan unit inside the blower module;

(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the fan unit in isolation, illustrating the configuration of the spring-mounting arrangement;

(10) FIG. 9 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 8;

(11) FIG. 10 is a close-up view of the mounting arrangement for one of the springs shown in FIGS. 8 and 9;

(12) FIG. 11 is a sectional perspective view of a filter module for use in the arrangement shown in FIG. 3;

(13) FIG. 12 is a part-sectioned perspective view showing attachment of the filter module to the blower module;

(14) FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a connector unit used in the arrangement of FIG. 3;

(15) FIG. 14 is a sectional perspective view through the connector unit in FIG. 13;

(16) FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a back plate forming part of the connector unit, including some components mounted onto the back plate;

(17) FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a front cover forming part of the connector unit, showing the inside of the front cover; and

(18) FIG. 17 is a frontal view of the back plate in FIG. 15, but with some of the mounted components removed, for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(19) Combined Washing/Drying Station

(20) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a combined washing/drying station 1 in a washroom.

(21) The washing/drying station 1 incorporates a water tap, or faucet, for washing a user's hands and a hand dryer for subsequently drying a user's hands.

(22) The water faucet is incorporated as part of a fixture 3 which is mounted next to the basin 5a of a sink 5.

(23) The fixture 3 comprises a main body 7 which sits adjacent the basin 5a of the sink 5 and a spout 9 which projects from the main body 7 out over the basin 5a of the sink 5.

(24) On demand, water for washing is supplied from a main supply line (not shown) via a water supply pipe 11 (FIG. 2), which runs inside the main body 7 and the spout 9 to a downwardly-facing water outlet 13 (FIG. 2) provided at the fore-end of the spout 9.

(25) The water tap is configured for hands-free operation using a conventional sensor and control loop (not shown): water is discharged through the water outlet 13 in response to detection of a user's hands in a washing position. Alternatively, the water tap may be configured for manual operation.

(26) The fixture 3 also comprises an air outlet of the hand dryer, and the hand dryer utilizes the inside of the main body 7 and the spout 9 as an air duct for feeding this air outlet. In this case, there are two air-knife outlets 15 on the fixtureone for each hand. The air-knife outlets are provided either side of the spout 9, extending along supply ducts 17 which branch off from the spout 9.

(27) The hand dryer is configured for hands-free operation using a conventional sensor and control loop (not shown), which automatically switches on a fan unit in response to detection of a user's hands in a drying position (distinguishable from the aforementioned washing position). The fan unit then drives an airflow through the fixture 3 and out through the air-knife outlets 15 for drying the user's hands. Alternatively, the hand dryer may be configured for manual operation.

(28) The fan unit 24 is shown in isolation in FIG. 5, It forms part of a lower assembly which is hidden away under the countertop in FIGS. 1 and 2. You can see the lower assembly 16 in FIG. 3. It comprises three modular components: a connector unit 19, a filter module 21 and a blower module 23 which comprises the fan unit.

(29) The Fan Unit

(30) The fan unit 24 comprises a centrifugal blower, or compressor, 25.

(31) An exploded view of the centrifugal blower 25 is shown in FIG. 4. It comprises a drive unit 27 incorporating an electric motor (not shown), a centrifugal fan impeller 29 which connects to the output shaft of the motor, and a diffuser 33.

(32) Air is drawn axially into the blower 25 by the fan impeller 29, through an air intake 27a on the drive unit 27 (the air intake 27a is not visible in FIG. 4, but is just visible in FIG. 6).

(33) The diffuser 33 comprises a diffuser ring 31, incorporating a number of swirl vanes for static pressure recovery, and a diffuser cap 35 which fits onto the diffuser ring 31 and which channels airflow from the impeller 29 out through an annular fan outlet 35a, as indicated by the arrows (in use, there will be a certain degree of residual swirl to the airflow as it leaves the fan outlet 35anot illustrated in FIG. 4).

(34) The fan unit 24 also comprises a manifold 37 which fits onto the diffuser cap 35. You can see this in FIG. 5. The manifold 37 collects the airflow and discharges it radially through a nozzle 39 on the side of the manifold 37 (see also FIG. 7).

(35) The fan unit 24 is spring-mounted vertically inside a motor bucket 41 fixed to an external casing 43 of the blower module 23, with the fan outlet 35a facing upwards (see FIG. 7), the air intake 27a facing downwards (FIG. 6) and the rotation axis A of the impeller (hereafter the fan axis) extending vertically.

(36) The spring mounting arrangement comprises an upper set of springs 45 and a lower set of springs 47, spaced axially (along the fan axis) from the upper set of springs 45. You can see these sets of springs clearest in FIG. 8.

(37) The lower set of springs 47 comprises four coil extension springs 47a (three of which are visible in FIG. 8) spaced equi-angularly around the fan axis A. Each spring 47a extends along the fan axis A at a plane angle to the fan axis, in this case 30 degrees. The lower set of springs is thus arranged in a frusto-conical configuration, with cone angle =30. The frusto-conical configuration allows the springs 47a to resist a load having both an axial and a radial component. The springs 47a have the same spring constant k=1.1 N/mm, and the same length l=12.7 mm in order to provide a uniform load bearing response.

(38) The upper set of springs 45 likewise comprises four coil extension springs spaced equi-angularly around the fan axis. The springs are arranged into two groups of two: two relatively stiff springs 45a (k=7.5 N/mm, l=12.7 mm) and two relatively weak springs 45b (k=1.1 N/mm, l=12.7 mm). You can see the two groups of springs in FIG. 9.

(39) The two relatively weak springs 45b are arranged in a first frusto-conical configuration, having a cone angle =30, which configuration is inverted with respect to the frusto-conical configuration of the first set of springs to provide bi-directional axial support for the fan unit 24.

(40) The two relatively stiff springs 45a are arranged in a second frusto-conical configuration. The cone angle of this second frusto-conical configurationcorresponding to the plane angle of the springs 45a to the fan axis Ais different from the cone angle of the first frusto-conical configuration. In this case =50

(41) The stiff springs 45a are arranged on the same side of the fan unit 24 as the discharge nozzle 39 in the manifold 37. The weak springs 45b are arranged on the opposite side of the fan unit 24. This provides the upper set of springs 45 with a bi-directional asymmetric response characteristic: the stiff springs 45a provide a hard response characteristic in order to resist the lateral recoil force on the fan unit 24 as airflow is discharged through the nozzle 39in particular to control the kick of the fan unit 24 on start-upwhereas the relatively weak springs 45b provide a more compliant, soft response characteristic in the opposite direction, better suited for damping smaller amplitude vibrations which occur in the steady state following the start-up phase of the blower 25.

(42) Compression springs may be used instead of extension springs, but extension springs provide the advantage of a relatively short unloaded length.

(43) The springs 45a, 45b, 47a are coil-bound in their unloaded state, to minimize the unloaded length of the springs. To reduce compressive loading on the springs each spring 45a, 45b, 47a is pivotally mounted at both ends. The mounting arrangement is shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, in this case for one of the stiff springs 45a. The same arrangement is used for each of the other springs 45b, 47a. The spring 45a has looped ends, and is secured in place at one end by a washer 51 which is screwed down onto the fan unit 24 and at the other end by a snap ring 53 which snap-fits into a channel formed in the wall of the motor bucket 41. This arrangement permits a degree of pivoting movement of the spring 45a to allow relative displacement of the motor bucket 41 and fan unit 24 without imposing excessive compressive load on the spring 45a.

(44) The motor bucket 41 is housed inside the external casing 43 of the blower module 23. A grille 55 (FIG. 6) is provided on the bottom of the motor bucket 41near to the air intake 27a on the fan unit 24which acts as the air intake for the blower module 23.

(45) The Filter Module

(46) The filter module 21 is shown in isolation in FIG. 11 and connected to the blower module 23 in FIG. 12.

(47) The filter module 21 comprises a filter casing 59 which houses a filter 61.

(48) The filter casing 59 comprises a chamber 63. At one end of the chamber 63 is an airflow inlet, formed in a lower end face 59a of the casing 59. At the opposite end of the chamber 63 is an airflow outlet, formed in an upper end face 59b of the casing 59.

(49) The airflow inlet to the filter casing 59 is a louvred inlet comprising a series of intake slots 65. The airflow outlet is a circular outlet 67 formed at the centre of the upper end face 59b.

(50) The upper end face 59b is rebated around its perimeter for mating engagement with the lower end of the blower module 23 in use (you can see the rebate 69 best in FIG. 11). A seal 71 around the perimeter of the grille 55 seals against the upper end face 59b of the filter casing 59, around the outlet 67. Airflow is thus drawn in to the blower module 23 via the chamber 63 inside the filter casing 59, passing into the blower module 23 through the airflow outlet 67 and the grille 55. The filter module 21 is provided with a catch 73 (FIG. 3) which catches against a catch surface on the blower module 23 to secure the filter module 21 to the blower module 23.

(51) The filter 61 is arranged inside the filter casing 59 so that it partitions the chamber 63the filter 61 does not merely line the chamber 63. Thus, airflow passing through the chamber 63 necessarily passes through the filter 61.

(52) The filter 61 is a HEPA filter, comprising a layer of fleece 61a and a layer of HEPA media 61b, such as Technostat. The precise configuration of the filter 61 may vary.

(53) The chamber 63 acts as an expansion chamber which helps to muffle sound propagation back through the grille 55, originating from the fan unit 24 (the sound will propagate in the opposite direction to the airflow).

(54) Initial tests suggest that the acoustic impedance of the filter 61 has a beneficial effect on acoustic performance by reducing the low-pass cut-off frequency of the expansion chamber so that the acoustic impedances of the expansion chamber 63 and the filter 61 interact to provide a better performing low-pass acoustic filter. This reduction in the cut-off frequency helps to suppress low frequency noise transmission externally through the intake slots 65.

(55) The reduction in the cut-off frequency is achieved without compromising the exit airspeed at the air-knife outlets 15 by taking advantage of the inherent acoustic impedance of the filter 61 inside the hand dryer, and without having to increase the overall length L of the expansion chamber 63.

(56) The Connector Unit

(57) The connector unit 19 is arranged to be mounted on a wall using conventional wall fixings. Generally, the connector unit 19 will be located under the countertop and will therefore be hidden away from the user.

(58) The connector unit 19 acts as a hub for various connections. Firstly, the connector unit 19 connects the water outlet 13 on the fixture 3 to the mains water supply (not illustrated). Secondly, the connector unit 19 connects the blower module 23 (and various other components) to the mains power supply (not illustrated). Thirdly, the connector unit 19 connects the air-knife outlets 15 on the fixture 3 to the discharge nozzle 39 on the fan unit 24.

(59) Air Connection

(60) The air-knife outlets 15 are connected to the discharge nozzle 39 on the fan unit 24 via an elbow duct 73, which runs through the top of the connector unit 19. You can see this elbow duct in FIG. 14. The air-knife outlets 15 connect to one end of the elbow duct 73 via an air hose 75 (FIG. 3). This air hose 75 is connected at its upper end to the main body 7 of the fixture 3 (underneath the countertop in FIG. 1) and at its lower end to the end 73a of the elbow duct 73. The discharge nozzle 39 on the blower module 23 seals against the opposite end 73b of the elbow duct 73, via a flexible seal.

(61) In use, air is discharged from the blower module 23 into the elbow duct 73 and is then carried up the air hose 75 to the hollow main body 7, before eventually being forced out through the air-knife outlets 15.

(62) A resilient, sliding catch 77 is provided on a front cover 79 of the connector unit 19. The catch 77 is spring-biased for locking engagement with a catch projection (not shown) on the blower module 23 in order to secure the blower module 23 on the connector unit 19. The catch 77 holds the discharge nozzle in sealing engagement with the respective end 73b of the elbow duct 73.

(63) A push rod 79 is provided for manual release of the catch; the push rod 79 is hidden in use behind the blower module 23 and the filter module 21 to discourage tampering, but can be accessed from underneath the connector unit 19 to release the catch 77 as required to remove the blower module 23.

(64) Water Connection

(65) Connection to the mains water supply is via an electrically-actuated flow valvein this case a solenoid valve 81which is housed inside the connector unit 19. The inlet port 81b of the solenoid valve 81 is arranged to be plumbed into the mains water supply andonce it is plumbed inthe solenoid valve 81 acts as a flow valve which isolates the mains water supply at the connector unit 19.

(66) The water outlet 13 connects to the outlet port 81a of the solenoid valve 81 via the flexible water supply pipe 11 (FIG. 2), which runs down through the inside of the air hose 75 and is routed externally through a hole in a wall of the elbow duct (the flexible supply pipe is not actually shown in FIG. 15). A sealing grommet is used to provide a functioning air-seal between the wall of the elbow duct 73 and the flexible water supply pipe 11.

(67) The flexible water supply pipe 11 engages with the outlet port 81a of the solenoid valve 81 in a conventional push-fit.

(68) Power Connections

(69) Power connections are made via a PCB 83 housed inside the connector unit 19.

(70) The PCB 83 is housed inside a sealed dry compartment 85 inside the connector unit 19. This configuration isolates the PCB 83 from the solenoid valve 81. Consequently, if the solenoid valve 81 is faulty then water cannot easily leak onto the PCB 83.

(71) The compartment 85 is a two-part assembly. The first part of the compartment 85 comprises a rectangular, inner perimeter wall 87a provided on a back-plate 87 of the connector unit 19. The PCB 83 and other electrical components are mounted on the back-plate 87, inside the boundary of this perimeter wall 87a. The second part of the compartment 85 is provided on the inside of the front cover 79 of the connector unit 19 (FIG. 16), which fits over the back-plate 87. The second part of the compartment comprises a perimeter wall 79a which fits around the outside of the perimeter wall 87a on the back-plate 87 so that the two perimeter walls 79a, 87a form a perimeter labyrinth seal. This effectively seals the compartment 85 against water ingress.

(72) As an additional precaution against water ingress, an outer perimeter wall 87b is provided on the back-plate 87. This outer perimeter wall 87b extends around the outside of the perimeter wall 79a on the front cover 79, so that the three perimeter walls 79a, 87a, 87b together form a double labyrinth seal around the perimeter of the compartment 85. In this particular arrangement, the outer perimeter wall 87b only extends on three sides of the inner perimeter wall 87abecause the fourth side of the intermediate perimeter wall 79a forms part of an external wall of the connector unit 19but an outer perimeter wall may alternatively be provided which extends all the way around the respective inner perimeter wall, as appropriate.

(73) A gasket 91 is provided on the back-plate 87 (FIG. 17), running in the channel between the inner perimeter wall 87a and the outer perimeter wall 87b. This gasket 91 forms a seal against the end of the intermediate perimeter wall 79a, to further reduce the chances of water ingress through the labyrinth seal. The gasket 91 may extend all the way round the perimeter of the compartment 85, but in this case only extends part-way around the perimeter to allow for the positioning of drain outlets 93 between the inner and outer perimeter wall 87a, 87b. These drain outlets 93 act as overflow outlets which prevent the compartment 85 from filling up with water in the event that there is a sealing failure somewhere around the perimeter of the compartment 85. The drain outlets 93 are located so that they are at the bottom of the compartment 85 when the connector unit is in its normal orientation in use (the orientation shown in FIGS. 14-17).

(74) A high-voltage side of the PCB 83 is hard-wired to the mains power supply via a mains wiring loom 95 which runs externally through a cable gland 97 in the perimeter wall(s) of the compartment 85. The cable gland 97 seals around the loom 95 to prevent water ingress into the compartment 85.

(75) In the present context, the term hard wired is intended as a catch-all term to cover any permanent or semi-permanent electrical connection. The connection need not be via wiring, specifically.

(76) The solenoid 81, and a sensor on the fixture 3, connects to a low-voltage side of the PCB 83 inside the compartment 85, via respective wiring looms 99, 101 which run externally through sealing grommets 99a, 101a to prevent water ingress into the compartment 85. Connection to the solenoid 81 and sensors is via respective plug connectors 99b, 101b provided at the end of the wiring looms 99, 101neither the solenoid 81 nor the sensors are hard-wired to the PCB 83. This allows easy disconnection of the sensors and solenoid 81 for maintenance or replacement.

(77) Similarly, the blower module 23 is not hard-wired to the PCB 83. Instead, connection is via a pin socket 103 which is hard-wired to the high-voltage side of the PCB 83. A complementary pin connector 105 (just visible in FIG. 12) is provided on the blower module 23, which plugs into this pin socket 103. This arrangement allows easy disconnection of the blower module 23 from the mains power supply for ease of servicing and replacement.

(78) The pin socket 103 is shrouded. The shroud 103ain this case a rubber maskhelps prevent water ingress in the event of failure of the solenoid valve 81, but also helps prevent accidental contact with the high-voltage live terminals of the pin socket 103 in the absence of the blower module 23.

(79) Installation/Servicing

(80) Installation of the connector unit 19 requires connection of the high voltage side of the PCB 83 to the mains power supply and connection of the solenoid valve 81 to the mains water supply.

(81) Connection of the high voltage side of the PCB 83 to mains-power requires removal of the front cover 79 of the connector unit 19 to access the inside of the compartment 85. This is preferably therefore carried out prior to connecting the solenoid valve 81 to the mains-water supply to prevent risk of water contacting live components.

(82) Once the front cover 79 is replaced, the compartment 85 is sealed against water ingress, and subsequently connection to the mains-water supply can safely be made without shutting off mains power to the connector unit 19. This may be particularly advantageous in large commercial buildings, where permits may be required to shut off the mains power; here, it may be desirable to connect to the mains water supply sometime after initial connection to the mains power supplyusing a qualified plumber as opposed to a qualified electricianand the cost of seeking multiple permits to shut off the mains power may be burdensome.

(83) Installation of the connector unit 19 may form part of an initial installation phase, for example during the construction phase of a new building. It may be preferable in such circumstances to delay installation of the fixture 3 until fitting out the building. In the meantime, the solenoid valve 81 effectively isolates the connector unit from the mains water supply and the shrouded pin socket 103 reduces the risk of physical contact with the live terminals.

(84) An access panel 107 is provided in the front cover 79 of the connector unit 19 to provide access to the solenoid valve 81 without removing the front cover 79. During subsequent installation of the fixture 3, this panel 107 provides access for push-fitting the water supply pipe 11 onto the outlet port 81a of the solenoid valve 81.

(85) The low-voltage plug connectors 99b, 101b are also accessible through the access panel 107 and can be connected to the solenoid 81 and sensor cable (not shown), again without removing the front cover 79 of the connector unit 19.

(86) The air hose 75 connects externally to the elbow duct 73 and so no access inside the connector unit 19 is required to fit the air hose. The air hose 75 may simply be secured in place using one or more cable ties (not shown).

(87) The blower module 23 and filter module 21 is installed simply by docking it with the connector unit 19. The pin connector 105 engages the pin socket 103 to provide mains power to the fan unit 24. The discharge nozzle 39 engages the end of the elbow duct 73 for connecting the fan unit 24 to the air-knife outlets 15 on the fixture 3. The blower module 23 is held in position by the resilient catch 77 on the connector unit 19.

(88) The blower module 23 is preferably installed after the fixture 3, so that the blower module 23 does not hinder access to the access panel 107, but where the blower module 23 has already been installed it may easily be removed to allow installation of the fixture 3, simply by releasing the catch 77 on the connector unit 19.

(89) Following installation, the access panel 107 provides access for maintenance, servicing or repair of the solenoid valve 81 without removing the front cover 79.