Body drier for shower or bath

Abstract

The invention relates to a body drier for a shower or bath, formed by a column which longitudinally defines a channel (6) on the inside thereof, said channel becoming progressively narrower from the upper part to the lower part, with a distribution of diffusion openings (7) for the outflow of air on the front part and an opening (8) on the upper part, in relation to which a mouth element (9) is arranged, to which the air outlet of a fan (10) is coupled.

Claims

1. A body drier for a shower or bath comprising: a column having a front side and a back side, a vertical middle segment, an upper forward tilting segment and a lower backward tilting segment, the column has an opening on the back side of the upper forward tilting segment and is closed on a lower end of the lower backward tilting segment; an inner cavity channel inside the column which is progressively narrower from the upper segment to the lower segment of the column; a mouth element arranged on the back side of the upper forward tilting segment of the column; a fan driving forced airflow coupled to said mouth element; a plurality of diffusion openings forming outlets for projecting forced airflow are arranged throughout the front side of the column, wherein the plurality of diffusion openings on the upper forward tilting segment of the column projects forced airflow towards the head of a user and the plurality of diffusion openings on the lower backward tilting segment projects forced airflow towards the feet of the user.

2. The body drier for a shower or bath according to claim 1, wherein a ratio between a section for the passage of air from the fan to the mouth element and a section for an outflow of air through the plurality of diffusion openings is comprised in a range between 42% and 50%.

3. The body drier for a shower or bath according to claim 2, wherein the ratio between the section for the passage of air from the fan to the mouth element and the section for the outflow of air through the plurality of diffusion openings is 47%.

4. The body drier for a shower or bath according to claim 1, wherein an inner conduit of the column is wider in the angle between the vertical middle segment and the forward-tilted upper segment than in the rest of said inner channel.

5. The body drier for a shower or bath according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of diffusion openings has an outwardly protruding edge, according to a taper with a curved wall with a radius of curvature between 10 millimeters and 20 millimeters, and with a ratio between an end aperture section and a base aperture section between 32% and 42%.

6. The body drier for a shower or bath according to claim 5, wherein the radius of curvature is 15 millimeters and the ratio between the end aperture section and the base aperture section is 38%.

7. A body drier for a shower or bath comprising: a column comprising a front plate having a forward-tilted upper segment and a backward-tilted lower segment, and a back plate having a corresponding forward-tilted upper segment and a corresponding backward-tilted lower segment arranged facing one another; an inner cavity channel inside the column which is progressively narrower from the upper segment to the lower segment of the column; a mouth element arranged on the back side of the upper forward tilting segment of the column; a fan driving forced airflow coupled to said mouth element; a plurality of diffusion openings forming outlets for projecting forced airflow are arranged throughout the front side of the column, wherein the plurality of diffusion openings on the upper forward tilting segment of the column projects forced airflow towards the head of a user and the plurality of diffusion openings on the lower backward tilting segment projects forced airflow towards the feet of the user.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the body drier object of the invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the body drier of the preceding figure assembled in this case, seen from the front part.

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same body drier seen from the back part.

(4) FIG. 4 is a side view of the body drier.

(5) FIG. 5 is a sectioned side view of the body drier.

(6) FIG. 6 is an enlarged section detail of an area in which a diffusion opening of the column of the body drier is located.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) The object of the invention relates to a drier intended for drying a person's body after a shower or bath, based on projecting air that is guided towards the user, through projections oriented towards the body, the head and the feet, such that integral drying of the entire body is obtained without requiring the user to make any effort or adopt uncomfortable postures.

(8) The proposed drier consists of a column that is the height of an average person, said column being envisaged with a longitudinal configuration formed by a vertical middle segment (1), a forward-tilted upper segment (2) and a backward-tilted lower segment (3).

(9) According to a particular embodiment, structurally speaking, the body of the column can be formed by a front plate (4) and a back plate (5), arranged facing one another; however, said body of the column can also be formed by a one-piece element, internally defining in either case a longitudinal channel (6), which is closed along the side edges and at the ends of the column, a distribution of diffusion openings (7) forming outlets for projecting air to the outside being open from said inner channel (6), on the front part of the three segments (1, 2 and 3) of the column.

(10) The column furthermore has an opening (8) on the upper part, in relation to which a mouth element (9) is arranged, to which the air outlet of a fan (10) is coupled, including in said coupling one or more heating resistors (11) the activation of which is selectively controlled in combination with the operation of the fan (10).

(11) An apparatus is thereby obtained in which an airflow is driven through the mouth element (9) towards the inner channel (6) of the column by means of the fan (10), the airflow circulating through said inner channel (6) to flow out by being projected through the diffusion openings (7), such that the air that flows out projected through the diffusion openings (7) of the vertical middle segment (1) can strike the body of a user standing in front of the apparatus, whereas the air that flows out projected through the diffusion openings (7) of the forward-tilted upper segment (2) strikes the head of the user and the air that flows out projected through the diffusion openings (7) of the backward-tilted lower segment (3) strikes the feet of the user; thereby directly achieving integral drying of the entire body of the user by means of the air that is projected out.

(12) The effectiveness of the drying and the functional performance of the apparatus for that function essentially depend on the conditions of the projection of the air through the diffusion openings (7), which conditions, in turn, depend on the drive provided by the fan (10) and on the circulation of the airflow from the outlet of the fan (10) to the outlet for projection through the diffusion openings (7).

(13) In that sense, the mouth element (9) through which the air passes from the fan (10) to the inner channel (6) of the column of the drier apparatus is defined with a ratio between the section of the inlet through which it receives the air from the fan (10) and the section of the outlet through which the air passes into inner channel (6) of the column in a range between 18% and 25%, and particularly 23.6%, whereby achieving conditions for the passage of air which favor taking advantage of the drive of the fan (10).

(14) The inner channel (6) is wider in the angle between the vertical middle segment (1) and the forward-tilted upper segment (2) than the rest of said inner channel (6), whereby achieving circulation of the air through the inner channel (6) virtually without head loss; this is also aided by the fact that the projection of the air driven by the fan (10), in the inlet into the inner channel (6) of the column, through the mouth element (9), is virtually aligned with said inner channel (6) of the column.

(15) In addition, the section of the inner channel (6) for the circulation of air becomes progressively narrower from the upper part to the lower part of the column, which allows compensating for the loss of speed of the air due to the flow rate gradually dropping as a result of the outflow of part of the air through the diffusion openings (7) from the upper part to the lower part.

(16) In order to achieve an outflow of air projected through the diffusion openings (7) such that it is effective for the drying function and with optimal performance of the operation of the fan (10) for driving the air, the ratio between the section for the passage of air from the fan (10) to the mouth element (9) and the section for the outflow of air through the set of diffusion openings (7) is defined in a range between 42% and 50%, said ratio particularly being envisaged to be 47%.

(17) In order to improve the outflow of air that is projected out, the diffusion openings (7) are defined with an outwardly protruding edge, according to a taper with a curved wall with a radius of curvature between 10 millimeters and 20 millimeters, particularly 15 millimeters, and with a ratio between the end aperture section and the base aperture section in a range between 32% and 42%, and particularly 38%, whereby achieving an outflow of air that is projected without head loss and with an increase in speed, favoring performance.

(18) For the purpose of mounting the drier apparatus, the mouth element (9) is envisaged to have an elongated configuration between the part that is coupled with the fan (10) and the part that is coupled with the opening (8) in communication with the inner channel (6) of the column, thereby allowing an installation of the drier apparatus in which the fan (10) can be concealed in a suspended ceiling.