CN117580485A

CN117580485A - Rotary accessory for a blowing hair cutting device

Info

Publication number: CN117580485A
Application number: CN202280046235.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 莱昂内尔·雷耶斯
Original assignee: SEB SA
Current assignee: SEB SA
Priority date: 2021-07-13
Filing date: 2022-07-12
Publication date: 2024-02-20
Also published as: FR3125209A1; FR3125209B1; KR20240033238A; WO2023285448A1

Abstract

An air-guiding accessory (1) designed to convert a substantially unidirectional first air flow (F1) of a hair-cutting device (2) into a second air flow (F2) sweeping a plurality of different directions, comprising: a stator (11) extending along and around a stator axis (S-S') from a stator inlet Plane (PES) to a stator outlet Plane (PSS); a rotor (12) extending from a rotor inlet Plane (PER) to a rotor outlet Plane (PSR) and comprising pneumatic drive means (121) designed to drive the rotor in rotation about a stator axis by means of a first air flow; the rotor comprises at least a portion extending along and around a sweep axis (R-R'), the sweep axis forming an intersection angle (β) with the stator axis of between 5 and 40 degrees; characterized in that the intersection of the sweep axis and the stator axis is between the rotor inlet plane and the stator outlet plane.

Description

Rotary accessory for a blowing hair cutting device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of blowing hair cutting devices, such as hair dryers, for shaping hair, and their air guiding or orienting attachments.

More precisely, the present invention relates to the technical field of air-guiding attachments designed to be mounted on the air outlet of a hair-cutting apparatus that blows a substantially unidirectional first air flow, the attachment being designed to convert the first air flow into a second air flow that sweeps a plurality of different directions. This type of attachment is commonly referred to as a rotating or oscillating nozzle.

The invention also relates to the technical field of hair clipping devices comprising a hair clipping device, such as a hair dryer, which blows a substantially unidirectional first air flow, and an air guiding accessory as defined above.

Background

Blowing hair cutting devices, such as hair dryers, are well known and allow a user to dry and/or shape his hair (if the user is using the hair cutting device on himself) or hair (if the user is using the hair cutting device on a third person). Most of these devices contain a motor that drives a propeller that creates an air flow between an air inlet and an outlet that allows air, typically heated by an internal heating element, to be diffused onto the hair. These known devices are conventionally provided with a cartridge that allows the user to grasp the handle of the device with his hand and group the above components together. Typically, the air flow emitted by these hair clipping devices is substantially unidirectional, that is to say the air flow is emitted along only a main direction, which is generally the direction of the longitudinal axis of the cartridge of the device. Thus, the air flow emitted by the device is concentrated and limited to a relatively limited hair area. This results in a low hair drying efficiency and, if the air stream is hot, a risk of hair deterioration and even scalding.

Thus, if the user wishes to spread air over another area or a larger area of hair, the hair-cutting device must be moved, for example by moving his wrist, in particular in order to impart an oscillating movement to the hair-cutting device. In addition, such wrist movements are often carried out by hair cutting professionals (e.g., hairdressers) who are very clear of the drawbacks of unidirectional air flow on a single same area of hair, such as the risk of hair spoilage or even scalding, and the drying efficiency is limited. However, such movement may be tiring for the user, especially if the user is handling the hair cutting device throughout the day (e.g. a hairdresser). Thereby creating a user's fatigue and even risk of injury (e.g., musculoskeletal disease).

In an attempt to improve this situation, U.S. patent application publication No. US5473824 was proposed. This document proposes an accessory for a hair dryer comprising a rotating element driven in rotation by the air flow of a hair cutting device. The rotating element is also offset with respect to the air flow axis of the hair cutting device in order to orient the air flow in different directions according to a circular trajectory. However, the solution proposed by this document is still perfect, in particular in terms of the area covered by the air flow, the dimensions of the accessories and the aerodynamic performance and the trade-off between these different elements.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention therefore aims at improving, perfecting and optimizing a blowing hair cutting apparatus and its known accessories.

It is an object of the present invention to propose an accessory for a hair-cutting device of the blowing type which allows to widen the area handled by the air flow of the hair-cutting device of the blowing type without requiring the user to provide a particular force.

Another object of the present invention is to propose an accessory for a blowing hair cutting device which is particularly effective, irrespective of the area or type of hair.

Another object of the present invention is to propose an accessory for a blowing hair-cutting device which is particularly simple, intuitive, comfortable and ergonomic, and which is both for the user who uses the device on his own and for the user who uses the device on the other person (the user who cuts hair for the other person), whatever the area or type of hair treated.

Another object of the present invention is to propose an accessory for a hair-cutting appliance that is particularly safe.

Another object of the present invention is to propose an accessory for a hair-cutting appliance that is particularly reliable and sturdy.

Another object of the present invention is to propose an accessory for a hair-cutting appliance that is particularly economical to design and manufacture.

It is an object of the present invention to also propose a hair clipping device which provides the user with a large area to be treated by the air flow without the user having to provide special forces.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a blowing hair-cutting device which is particularly effective, irrespective of the area or type of hair treated.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a blowing hair-cutting device which is particularly simple, intuitive, comfortable and ergonomic, and which is both for the user who uses the device on his own and for the user who uses the device on the other person (the user who cuts hair for the other person), whatever the area or type of hair.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a blowing hair-cutting device that is particularly safe.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a blowing hair-cutting device that is particularly reliable and robust.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a blowing hair-cutting device which is particularly economical to design and manufacture.

To achieve these objects, the present invention relates to an air guiding accessory designed to be mounted on an air outlet of a hair-cutting device, which air outlet blows a substantially unidirectional first air flow, said air guiding accessory being designed to convert said first air flow into a second air flow sweeping a plurality of different directions.

An air directing attachment is understood to be any component or component assembly, such as a nozzle or diffuser, that allows for directing, orienting, containing, or diffusing an air flow. Preferably, the accessory is separate from and detachable from the hair cutting apparatus. However, attachments forming part of the hair cutting apparatus are conceivable without departing from the scope of the invention.

By a hair-cutting device that blows a substantially unidirectional first air flow is meant any device that blows air in only a main direction, as is the case with blowers. The direction of the jet of the first air flow is then generally parallel and coaxial with the main axis of the hair-cutting apparatus, as will be described in detail hereinafter.

The hair-cutting accessory thus allows to transform a substantially unidirectional first air flow emitted by the hair-cutting device into a multiparty second air flow, i.e. sweeping, overlaying or describing a different direction advantageously neither parallel nor aligned with the direction of the first air flow. Thereby creating an expansion (i.e., increase) in the area covered by the air flow and thus an expansion in the area treated by the air flow. Thus, the user is able to treat a larger area of hair than if the hair cutting device were used alone. Furthermore, this increase in the treatment area is done without any special force of the user, as the accessory will automatically allow the second air flow to sweep (or cover) multiple directions. Thus, the user may keep the hair cutting device stationary, which avoids any fatigue or injury associated with any movement of the arms and/or wrists holding the hair cutting device.

According to the invention, the air guiding accessory comprises: an accessory air inlet designed to cooperate with an air outlet of the hair-cutting apparatus; and an accessory air outlet allowing said second air flow to be blown in the direction of the user's head. In other words, the accessory air inlet, which is the subject of the present invention, is designed to cooperate in a substantially sealed manner with the air outlet of the hair-cutting apparatus, for example by being designed to be mounted on the air outlet of the hair-cutting apparatus. In contrast, the air outlet, which is the accessory of the subject of the present invention, is a free outlet, i.e. not connected to the hair-cutting apparatus or to any object, and is designed to diffuse the second air flow in the direction of the surface to be treated, such as, but not limited to, the hair and/or the head of the user.

According to the invention, the air guiding accessory comprises a stator extending along and around a stator axis from a stator inlet plane to a stator outlet plane. In other words, the stator is a rotating member. For example, the stator is cylindrical in shape, which allows it to easily cooperate with the air outlet of a hair-cutting apparatus, which itself is generally cylindrical in shape. The expressions "stator inlet plane" and "stator outlet plane" denote virtual planes defining the stator, whether at its air inlet or its air outlet, respectively. Thus, the first air flow will enter the stator through the stator inlet plane and leave the stator through the stator outlet plane.

Preferably, the stator comprises an accessory air inlet and is designed to be assembled on the air outlet of the hair-cutting apparatus. The stator is then stationary, stationary when it is connected to the hair cutting apparatus. Advantageously, in this case, the stator inlet plane comprises an accessory air inlet, and said stator inlet plane, accessory air inlet and air outlet of the hair-cutting apparatus are then parallel to each other and preferably coincide when the accessory is connected to the hair-cutting apparatus.

Preferably, the accessory, more preferably the stator, is designed to be assembled on the air outlet of the hair management device in a removable manner, i.e. in a non-limiting manner. The air guiding accessory is thus designed to be easily connected, hooked to, or disconnected from the hair cutting apparatus by its stator without requiring special force from the user. Furthermore, the user does not need to assemble or disassemble the air guiding accessory of the hair cutting device, which is the subject of the invention, by means of a specific tool. This allows the user to use the hair cutting device without an accessory, with another accessory, or to connect an accessory, which is the subject of the invention, to another hair cutting device.

According to the invention, the air guiding attachment comprises a rotor extending from a rotor inlet plane to a rotor outlet plane and comprising pneumatic drive means designed to drive the rotor in rotation about a stator axis by means of the first air flow. In other words, the rotor is a rotating member which is rotationally movable about the stator axis, and it is the first air stream which is emitted by the hair-cutting apparatus that is supposed to impart to the rotor its rotational movement. For this purpose, the rotor is preferably mounted in a pivotal connection with the stator. The expressions "rotor inlet plane" and "rotor outlet plane" denote virtual planes defining the rotor, whether at its air inlet or its air outlet, respectively. Thus, the first air flow will enter the rotor through the rotor inlet plane and the second air flow will leave the rotor through the rotor outlet plane. A pneumatic drive means may be understood as any means allowing to convert pneumatic energy (in this case pneumatic energy of the first air stream) into mechanical movement (in this case rotation). Thus, by way of illustration and not limitation, the aerodynamic drive may include a propeller, a turbine, one or more blades, one or more wings, and the like. The pneumatic drive is thus arranged in a first air flow which will be slightly opposite to its passage and thus rotate the rotor about the stator axis. However, the pneumatic drive means are advantageously designed to limit the pneumatic disturbance to a minimum (not to significantly obstruct the flow of the first air stream) while ensuring a good rotation of the rotor, as will be described in detail below.

Advantageously, the rotor outlet plane comprises an accessory air outlet. The accessory may then advantageously be defined by an accessory air inlet located on the stator and an accessory air outlet located on the rotor as previously described.

According to the invention, the rotor comprises at least one portion extending along and around the sweep axis, said at least one portion being designed to direct the second air flow according to said plurality of different directions. In other words, the rotor comprises a portion, i.e. a section of the rotor, which allows to change the direction of the first air flow emitted by the hair cutting device. The at least one portion may in particular comprise a cylinder or a cylinder portion inclined with respect to the stator axis. Thus, the at least one portion converts the unidirectional first air flow of the hair cutting device into a multidirectional second air flow, i.e. sweeps a plurality of different directions due to the rotational movement of the rotor as detailed above. Preferably, the plurality of different sweep directions take the form of circular trajectories, which allow increasing the area treated by the air which is then transferred from the disc (unidirectional first air flow) to the disc of increased diameter. The portion may form the entire rotor indifferently or only a part of the rotor. The sweep axis may be understood as the axis about which the second air flow will sweep a plurality of different directions as the rotor rotates. The scan axis is then defined as the virtual axis about which the at least a portion extends. Just like the rotor, the at least one part is preferably a rotating part.

According to the invention, the sweep axis forms an intersection angle with the stator axis of between 5 and 40 degrees. The angle between said axes is thus strictly greater than 0 degrees, which allows a multidirectional second air flow to be obtained at the outlet of the accessory. In other words, the inclination between the rotor axis and the sweep axis is such that the rotor, or more precisely the at least part of the rotor in rotation, can rotate around the stator axis, whereas the sweep axis describes a circular trajectory, thus allowing to convert a unidirectional first air flow into a multidirectional second air flow. Thus, the further away the intersection angle between the sweep axis and the stator axis is from a value of 0 degrees (axes parallel or coincident), the greater the scan angle becomes, which widens the hair area swept by the second air stream. That is, the greater the sweep angle, the greater the resistance of the rotor to air flow and thus the loss of aerodynamic performance and efficiency. In this case the forces generated on the rotor will also be greater, which risks often causing premature wear of the rotor or air guiding accessory. Furthermore, the noise emitted by the air guiding accessory becomes very loud, which reduces the comfort of use of the air guiding accessory. Finally, the size of the air guiding attachment also increases depending on the angle of intersection. It is therefore important to find a good compromise between these different parameters. The inventors have determined that an intersection angle between the stator axis and the sweep axis of between 5 and 40 degrees allows to obtain an optimal compromise between drying (or haircut) efficiency, volume, reliability and comfort of use of the air guiding accessory.

Advantageously, said angle of intersection is comprised between 5 and 25 degrees, preferably equal to 18 degrees, or equal to 20 degrees, or equal to 22 degrees. Each of this range of values or these intersecting angle values is considered as the best possible compromise between drying (or haircut) performance, volume, reliability and comfort of use (in particular noise level) of the air guiding accessory, as previously described.

According to the invention, the stator and the rotor are located between the accessory air inlet and the accessory air outlet and are connected to each other by a substantially fluid-tight connection. Such a connection is necessary in order to avoid or at least limit leakage of the first and/or second air flow. Preferably, said substantially sealed connection comprises guiding means and complementary guiding means designed to effect a seal between said stator and rotor and located between the rotor inlet plane and the stator outlet plane. The guide means and the complementary guide means are for example each realized by a stop of the stator housed in a shoulder of the rotor. The rotor as a rotating part preferably has a functional clearance with the stator allowing it to easily rotate about the stator axis. However, such functional clearances should not unduly compromise the fluid seal between the stator and the rotor.

According to the invention, the intersection of the sweep axis and the stator axis is between the rotor inlet plane and the stator outlet plane. This allows to very significantly limit the volume of the hair accessory while ensuring that the area swept by the second air flow is as wide as possible. In fact, in the prior art, this intersection point is located downstream (in the flow direction of the air flow) of the rotor inlet plane and of the stator outlet plane, which results in the production of a particularly long and therefore heavy rotor. By providing an intersection of the sweep axis and the stator axis between the rotor inlet plane and the stator outlet plane, the inventors have significantly reduced the volume of the air directing attachment while providing excellent drying (or haircutting) performance, i.e. by providing a wide sweep area through the second air flow.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the rotor inlet plane is located upstream of the stator outlet plane in the flow direction of the first air flow. In other words, the rotor inlet plane is located before the stator outlet plane in the flow direction of the first air flow. This allows to ensure an overlap between the rotor and the stator and thus an optimal mounting between these two components and in particular a substantially fluid-tight connection.

Advantageously, the overlap length defined between the rotor inlet plane and the stator outlet plane is between 1mm and 5mm, and advantageously substantially equal to 3mm. This length allows to significantly ensure a seal between the stator and the rotor, while ensuring a good rotational guidance of the rotor with respect to the stator, and also maintaining a limited volume of the air guiding accessory.

Naturally, according to the invention, the stator and the rotor are located between said accessory air inlet and accessory air outlet and are connected to each other by a substantially fluid-tight connection, in order to avoid any excessive loss of the first and/or second air flow between the stator and the rotor.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the sweep axis and the stator axis intersect in a transition plane parallel to the rotor inlet plane, said stator axis being orthogonal to said transition plane. This means that the transition plane including the intersection point is parallel to the rotor inlet plane and the stator outlet plane. The stator inlet plane, rotor inlet plane and stator outlet plane are parallel to each other and orthogonal to the stator axis. This arrangement between these planes ensures a particularly simple and compact construction of the accessory while ensuring good aerodynamic performance.

Preferably, the distance between the transition plane and the rotor inlet plane is less than 5mm, preferably between 0mm and 2.5mm and if necessary equal to 0mm. This distance allows to guarantee the compactness of the air guiding accessory without affecting the aerodynamic performance.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the rotor is cylindrical in shape, thus allowing a particularly simple and compact design. This shape of the rotor can be easily mechanically connected to the stator, which is also cylindrical in shape.

Alternatively, according to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotor is of truncated cone shape, which allows accelerating the second air flow, as will be described in detail below. Preferably, the cone angle of the rotor is between 5 and 20 degrees and preferably equal to 16 degrees, or equal to 14 degrees, or equal to 6 degrees, these values having the best compromise between air speed, volume of the accessory and aerodynamic performance.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the stator comprises a hub holder connected to an outer wall of the stator by at least one arm. The at least one arm allows to hold the hub holder along the stator axis, preferably at the centre of the stator. In order to increase the rigidity of the stator and the hub-holder, the hub-holder is advantageously connected to the outer wall of the stator by three arms, preferably equally distributed at 120 ° around the hub-holder.

Preferably, the pneumatic drive means comprises a hub connected to the outer wall of the rotor by at least one blade. The term "blade" refers to any mechanical component or component assembly shaped such that it allows conversion of the pneumatic energy (i.e. from the air stream, in this case the first air stream emitted by the hair cutting device) into mechanical force. Thus, the blade may preferably take the shape of an inclined parallelepiped. The blades are advantageously arranged in the first air flow and are connected to the hub on the one hand and to the outer wall of the rotor on the other hand. The vanes then partially block the air flow into the rotor, which will cause the rotor to rotate as previously described. Preferably, the hub is connected to the outer wall of the rotor by three blades, which allows a good distribution of aerodynamic forces and optimizes the rotation of the rotor. The three blades are then advantageously distributed at 120 ° around the hub.

Advantageously, the hub is mounted in a pivotal connection with the hub holder, the hub holder of the rotor and the hub holder of the stator thus ensuring excellent rotational guidance between the rotor and the stator.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the air guiding accessory comprises a shell surrounding at least the rotor, said shell being integral with the stator and designed to protect the rotor from contact with the user. The shell is understood to be any component or component assembly forming a semi-closed shell, such as a jacket, and allowing to protect the rotor from interfering with the free rotation of the rotor or with the diffusion of the second air flow.

Preferably, the shell is frustoconical in shape, advantageously having a shell cone angle between 25 and 60 degrees, preferably equal to 40 degrees. In fact, the truncated cone shape ensures a free rotation of the rotor, has no or little effect on the diffusion of the second air flow and has a relatively reduced volume. The angular range preferably adopted by the designer of the invention has the best possible compromise between compactness and effect on the second air flow, and this is independent of the shape and size of the rotor defined by the invention. The purpose of the housing is in particular to prevent or at least to prevent a user from touching the rotor, in order to avoid any injury to the user. In practice, the rotor is a potentially hot and moving component.

Accordingly, the present invention also relates to a hair clipping device comprising: a hair cutting device, such as a hair dryer, that blows a first substantially unidirectional air flow; and an air guiding accessory as defined above.

Preferably, the blowing hair cutting device comprises a main axis parallel to and preferably coincident with the stator axis. In other words, the stator is arranged parallel to the main axis of the hair-cutting apparatus, even preferably coincides with the hair-cutting apparatus. This allows to provide a particularly compact hair cutting apparatus (device and accessory). Furthermore, the hair cutting device is particularly ergonomic and intuitive for the user, as it is naturally activated to position the air guiding accessory (via its stator, as described above) in a continuous portion of the main axis of the hair management device.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a hair cutting apparatus comprising a blowing hair cutting device equipped with an air guiding attachment according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the hair cutting device of FIG. 1 along axis M-M';

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of FIG. 2, showing an air guiding accessory according to a first embodiment in cross-section;

FIG. 4 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the hair cutting device of FIG. 1 along axis M-M';

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an air guiding accessory along axis M-M' according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic view of the principal plane and axis of fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a schematic front view of a trajectory described by the first and second air streams of fig. 1.

Fig. 8a is a schematic view of the treatment area and temperature emitted by a hair clipping device equipped with an air guiding accessory according to the invention. Such a representation may be obtained from a thermal photograph of the surface of the air outlet arrangement facing the air guiding accessory.

Fig. 8b is the same illustration as fig. 8a, the hair cutting apparatus having no air guiding attachment (and therefore only hair cutting equipment).

Detailed Description

As can be seen in fig. 1 to 4, the present invention relates to an air guiding attachment 1, which air guiding attachment 1 is designed to be mounted on an air outlet 28 of a hair-cutting apparatus 2. The invention also relates to a hair-cutting apparatus comprising said hair-setting device 2 and said air-guiding attachment 1.

The air guiding accessory 1 comprises an accessory air inlet 117, which accessory air inlet 117 is designed to cooperate with the air outlet 28 of the hair-cutting apparatus 2, as can be seen in fig. 3. More precisely, when the air guiding accessory 1 is mounted (assembled) on the air outlet 28 of the hair-setting device 2, the accessory air inlet 117 coincides with the air outlet 28 of the hair-setting device 2. The air guiding accessory 1 further comprises an accessory air outlet 127, which accessory air outlet 127 allows said second air flow F2 to be blown in the direction of the user's head, as can be seen in fig. 3. The accessory air outlet 127 is, for example, circular in shape so as to form a cylindrical or conical shaped air flow.

According to the embodiment shown, the hair-cutting apparatus 2 is a hair dryer and comprises, in a manner known per se, an apparatus air inlet 21, a propeller 23 rotated by a motor 24, and a heating element 25. The heating element 25 is advantageously designed to be activated or deactivated or even regulated to different power levels according to techniques known to the person skilled in the art and will therefore not be described in detail here. These various components are located within the body 22, also referred to as a cartridge, which body 22 extends longitudinally along a main axis F-F', as can be seen in fig. 2. The body 22 is a hollow rotating solid body of substantially frustoconical shape, as can be seen in fig. 2. Thus, the air outlet 28 of the hair-cutting apparatus 2 represents a part of the main body 22 and thus takes the form of a disc.

The hair-cutting apparatus 2 allows the generation of a preferably hot first air flow F1 which is emitted from the hair-cutting apparatus 2 through an air outlet 28, which air outlet 28 comprises, in particular, a grille 26. Various parameters associated with the air flow, such as its speed and/or its temperature, may be adjusted by the user, in particular by the control means 291. The control means 291 are preferably integrated in a handle 29 attached to the body 22, said handle 29 allowing a user of the hair-cutting apparatus 2 to easily grasp and manipulate the hair-cutting apparatus 2 in order to dry and/or shape, in particular, the hair thereof (or the hair of a third person). As can be seen in fig. 1 and 2, the handle 29 (or shank) extends longitudinally along a shank axis M-M'. The stem axis M-M 'neither coincides with nor is parallel to the main axis F-F'. For example, stem axis M-M 'has an angle between 50 and 90 relative to main axis F-F'.

The hair-cutting apparatus 2 then blows a substantially unidirectional first air flow F1 in a manner known per se. As can be seen in fig. 2 and 3, the first air flow F1 is parallel to the main axis F-F'. The first air flow F1 is unidirectional to the extent that it takes substantially the form of a cylinder, the diameter of which corresponds substantially to the diameter of the air outlet 28. Thus, when this first air flow F1 encounters a surface, such as the hair of a user (or a person desiring to dry the hair), the area treated by the air flow is a disc, the diameter of which substantially corresponds to the diameter of the air outlet 28.

The air guiding attachment 1 comprises a stator 11, as can be seen in the different figures. The stator 11 extends along and around a stator axis S-S' so as to form a hollow member. The stator 11 extends longitudinally along a stator axis S-S' from a stator inlet plane PES to a stator outlet plane PSS, as can be seen in fig. 3 or 5. In other words, the stator 11 is a hollow member having a certain length. The stator 11 also extends around a stator axis S-S' so as to form a hollow rotating member.

According to the first embodiment of fig. 1 to 4, the length of the stator 11 is comprised between 5mm and 30mm, advantageously between 10mm and 15mm and is for example substantially equal to 13mm.

According to the embodiment of fig. 5, the length of the stator 11 is comprised between 20mm and 60mm, advantageously between 30mm and 40mm and is for example substantially equal to 37mm. Such length values each allow ensuring a good air guidance while maintaining a relatively compact air guidance accessory 1.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 4, the stator 11 is cylindrical in shape. Preferably between 40 and 70mm in diameter, advantageously between 55 and 60mm and for example substantially equal to 57mm. The stator 11 is thus a hollow piece rotating about an axis S-S' (stator axis) comprising the outer wall of the stator 113, as can be seen in particular in fig. 3. Thus, this outer wall of the stator 113 allows to channel the first air flow F1 inside the stator 11 when the air guiding accessory 1, more precisely the stator 11, is attached (i.e. connected, fixed, assembled or mounted) to the air outlet 28 of the hair-cutting apparatus 2.

As can be seen in the different figures, the stator 11 comprises an accessory air inlet 117 and is designed to be assembled on the air outlet 28 of the hair-setting device 2, preferably in a detachable manner, i.e. in a non-deterministic, temporary manner, so that the user of the hair-setting device 2 and/or the air-guiding accessory 1 can freely assemble or disassemble these elements to each other without any special forces or tools. For this purpose, different assembly means may be used, such as ring clamping, so-called "bayonet" systems, tight fits, magnetic means, etc., without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 4, the air guiding attachment 1, more precisely the stator 11, is temporarily assembled on the hair management device 2, more precisely on the air outlet 28 thereof, by means of a ring clamp. For example, the outer wall of the stator 113 has a certain elasticity so as to be temporarily deformed when it is hooked on the hair management device 2. In order to ensure a good hooking of the air-guiding accessory 1 to the hair-cutting apparatus 2, the stator 11 comprises first hooking means 114, which first hooking means 114 cooperate with first complementary hooking means 224 belonging to the hair-cutting apparatus 2, more precisely to the main body 22. Then, when the air-guiding accessory 1 is mounted on the hair-managing device 2, the cooperation between said first hooking means 114 and first complementary hooking means 224 takes place in an elastic and temporary manner. As can be seen in fig. 3, the first hooking means 114 comprises a circular hollow groove, while the first complementary hooking means 224 comprises a circular solid rib.

As can be seen in fig. 3 or 5, the stator 11 comprises a hub holder 1112, which hub holder 1112 is connected to the outer wall of the stator 113 by means of at least one arm 1111, more precisely by means of three arms 1111. As can be seen in fig. 1, the three arms 1111 are distributed at 120 ° in diameter around the stator axis S-S'. This allows ensuring the rigidity of all the components of the stator 11, in particular the rigidity of the outer walls of the stator 113 and the hub holder 1112. Each arm 1111 is formed by a parallelepiped having its narrowest section in the first air flow F1 so as to limit aerodynamic interference. The hub holder 1112 is a hollow cylindrical member designed to receive a rotation guide 1113, such as a shaft or screw, of the rotor 12, which will be described in detail below.

The air guiding attachment 1 further comprises a rotor 12 extending from the rotor inlet plane PER to the rotor outlet plane PSR, as can be seen in the different figures. In other words, the rotor 12 extends longitudinally a length between the rotor inlet plane PER and the rotor outlet plane PSR.

In the embodiment of fig. 1 to 4, the distance between the rotor inlet plane PER and the rotor outlet plane PSR, i.e. the length of the rotor, is between 15mm and 40mm, advantageously between 22mm and 28 mm.

In the embodiment of fig. 5, the distance between the rotor inlet plane PER and the rotor outlet plane PSR, i.e. the length of the rotor, is between 10mm and 50mm, advantageously between 17mm and 35 mm.

As can be seen in the different figures, the rotor outlet plane PSR comprises an accessory air outlet 127. When the air guide accessory 1 is assembled on the hair management device 2, the path of the air flow is as follows. The first air flow F1 leaves the hair-cutting apparatus 2 through the air outlet 28, enters the air-guiding attachment 1 through the attachment air inlet 117 (i.e. through the stator inlet plane PES), circulates in a relatively sealed manner between the rotor inlet plane PER and the stator outlet plane PSS, is converted into a multidirectional second air flow F2 and is ejected from the air-guiding attachment 1 through the rotor outlet plane PSR (i.e. through the attachment air outlet 127). The rotor outlet plane PSR is not perpendicular to the stator axis S-S ', i.e. it forms an angle with the stator axis S-S' other than 90 ° (it also forms an angle other than 0 °). Thus, the rotor outlet plane PSR is not parallel to the rotor inlet plane PER. In other words, the rotor 12 is an asymmetric component with respect to the stator axis S-S'. In other words, the length of the rotor 12 is not identical depending on its rotation about the stator axis S-S'. This particular shape of the rotor 12 and the rotor outlet plane PSR allow defining a sweep axis R-R', which will be described in detail below.

As can be seen in particular in fig. 3 and 5, the rotor 12 further comprises a pneumatic drive 121, which pneumatic drive 121 is designed to drive the rotor 12 in rotation about a stator axis S-S' by means of the first air flow F1. In other words, the rotor is designed to automatically rotate by the first air flow F1 when the air guiding accessory 1 is connected to the hair-cutting apparatus 2, as previously described. More precisely, the pneumatic drive 121 comprises a hub 1212, which hub 1212 is connected to the outer wall of the rotor 125 by at least one blade 1211, more precisely by three blades 1211. The three blades 1211 are equally distributed in diameter by 120 ° in order to ensure good rigidity of the rotor 12 and hub 1212. The profile of each vane 1211 is a pseudo "NACA" type aircraft wing profile with an angle of incidence of 10. The angle of incidence and profile of each blade 1211 has been selected to achieve the best compromise of bearing capacity/fineness at the usual speeds of the hair-conditioning apparatus. This translates into better comfort of use. In particular, each blade 1211 has been designed to produce minimal load loss (fineness), providing sufficient rotational torque (bearing capacity) to move the rotor, i.e., overcome inertia and friction. Furthermore, the designer of the present invention has very significantly demonstrated the existence of induced suction due to the profile of each blade 1211. In other words, the profile of the blades 1211 allows the suction phenomenon to be generated, which is then added to the first air flow F1. This, therefore, creates an induced air flow, which is an additional free air flow that significantly helps to limit the flow losses associated with the presence of the blades 1211 and/or arms 1111 and thus improves the overall performance of the air guiding accessory 1.

In the embodiment of fig. 3, the rotor 12 is cylindrical in cross-section. This allows a particularly simple and economical design to be obtained.

However, the embodiment of fig. 5 may be preferred wherein the rotor 12 is frustoconical in shape. More precisely, as can be seen in fig. 5, the rotor 12 has a cross section defining a truncated cone. Thus, unlike the embodiment of fig. 3, the rotor 12 has a non-zero taper angle γ. The cone angle gamma of the rotor 12 is between 5 and 20 degrees and preferably equal to 16 degrees, or equal to 14 degrees, or equal to 6 degrees, as will be detailed in the table below. Indeed, the shape of the truncated conical rotor 12 allows to accelerate the second air flow F2 and thus to improve the drying and/or haircut performance, since the air speed is an important parameter of the drying efficiency of the hair-cutting accessory and of the hair-cutting device.

As can be seen in the different figures, the rotor 12 is mounted in a pivotal connection with the stator 11. More precisely, the hub 1212 is mounted in pivotal connection with the hub holder 1112. As can be seen in fig. 3 or 5, the hub 1212 includes a second guide 1222, which second guide 1222 is formed, for example, by a shoulder. The second guiding means 1222 passes through the interior of a second complementary guiding means 1122, which second complementary guiding means 1122 is for example formed by a hole belonging to the hub holder 1112. Thus, a connection of the rotary guide and sliding pivot type is achieved. To prevent axial translation of the rotor 12 relative to the stator 11 and to achieve said pivotal connection, any known fixing means may be used, such as screws, clamps, pins or the like (not shown). Naturally, the invention is in no way limited to one or the other of these mechanical mounting means known to the person skilled in the art.

Regardless of the embodiment of the present invention, the rotor 12 includes at least a portion that extends along and about the sweep axis R-R'. This portion plays a critical role in the air guiding attachment 1 that is the subject of the invention, since it is this portion that allows, in particular, to switch the first substantially unidirectional air flow F1 when the rotor rotates, so as to orient it into the second air flow F2 according to a plurality of different directions.

As can be seen in fig. 3 or 5, the at least a portion comprises a rotor outlet plane PSR. The sweep axis R-R' is defined as an imaginary axis perpendicular to the rotor outlet plane PSR. The at least one portion is then a rotating member extending along and about the sweep axis R-R'. Thus, the sweep axis R-R 'forms an intersection angle β with the stator axis S-S' that is different from 0 °. It should be understood that this intersection angle β is the maximum angle that the sweep axis R-R' can adopt during its movement. In other words, the sweep axis R-R 'is neither coincident nor parallel with the stator axis S-S'. In view of this non-zero angle, and in view of the fact that the rotor 12 is mounted for rotation relative to the stator 11 along the stator axis S-S ', the sweep axis R-R ' will be excited to a sweeping movement along a circular trajectory around the stator axis S-S ' upon rotation of the rotor 12. This trajectory is schematically shown in fig. 7. The air flow is no longer unidirectional but rather multidirectional, since each unidirectional component F1 of the first air flow F1 is now radially redirected according to the component F2. The accessory which is the subject of the invention is therefore designed to convert said first air flow F1 into a second air flow F2 which sweeps a plurality of different directions and thus widens the area treated by the air flow of the hair-cutting device 2.

The sweep axis R-R' is shown in dashed lines at two of its extreme positions in fig. 3 and 5. These extreme positions are positions having the same intersection angle beta with the stator axis S-S'. The rotor outlet plane PSR is also shown in dashed lines at two of its extreme positions in fig. 3 and 5. It can thus be seen that the rotor outlet plane PSR and the sweep axis R-R' remain perpendicular to each other. Thus, it should be appreciated that regardless of the embodiment, the rotor 12 will sweep a plurality of different positions over time between an initial position (shown in solid lines) and a final position (shown in dashed lines). From this sweeping movement of the rotor a sweep along multiple directions of air flow and thus ultimately a transition of the substantially unidirectional first air flow F1 to a second air flow F2 sweeping multiple different directions is produced.

The angle of intersection β is between 5 and 40 degrees, advantageously between 5 and 25 degrees, and preferably equal to 18 degrees, or equal to 20 degrees, or equal to 22 degrees. In fact, each of these values has been tested, verified and defined by the designer of the present invention to ensure that the air-guiding accessory 1 meets the above-mentioned objectives, in particular by providing the best possible compromise between compactness, aerodynamic performance and drying efficiency.

As can be seen in fig. 3 or 5, the intersection of the sweep axis R-R 'with the stator axis S-S' is between the rotor inlet plane PER and the stator outlet plane PSS. This allows to guarantee a good compactness of the air guiding accessory 1 while providing a wide area swept by the second air flow F2, as can be appreciated by reading fig. 3 and 5. Furthermore, a sweep angle α may be defined between extreme positions that the rotor 12 may occupy on either side of the sweep axis R-R'. The sweep angle α may be calculated according to the following formula:

[ math 1] α= (β - (γ/2)). 2

As can be seen in the different figures, the sweep axis R-R ' and the stator axis S-S ' intersect in a transition plane T parallel to the rotor inlet plane PER, the stator axis S-S ' being orthogonal to the transition plane T. More precisely, the distance d between the transition plane T and the rotor inlet plane PER is less than 7mm, preferably between 0 and 5 mm.

Furthermore, the designer of the air guiding accessory 1, which is the subject of the present invention, has made various measurements of the dryness index according to the IEC 61855 version 1 standard, english titled "household electrical hair care appliances-methods of measuring the performance (household electrical hair care equipment-method of measuring performance)". This standard is well known to those skilled in the art and is often used to measure the dryness index of various hair cutting devices and thus their overall performance. Different air guiding attachments according to the embodiment of fig. 5 have been tested. Each accessory has a different intersection angle beta. These results are compared with those of a device without an accessory.

TABLE 1

For example, these results indicate that for substantially equal drying indexes, accessory 2.1 allows an increase in air flow spread of 24 ° compared to an apparatus without an accessory. This allows to greatly improve the comfort of use for the user who is less required to move the hair-cutting apparatus 2.

Fig. 8a and 8b also schematically show an improvement of the temperature uniformity and an enlargement of the area treated by the second air flow F2 from the air guiding attachment 1 that is the subject of the invention. In fig. 8b, the heat borrowing of the hair-cutting device 2 without the air guiding attachment 1 is schematically shown. A first medium hotplate (shown in grey) can be seen, the diameter of which essentially corresponds to the diameter of the air outlet 28 of the hair-cutting apparatus 2. However, it is noted that there are two hotter regions in the air stream (shown in black). These hotter areas are related to the inherent structure of the hair-cutting apparatus 2 and in particular to the positioning and operation of its heating elements. These areas are relatively uncomfortable for the user, who will have to manually move the hair-cutting device 2 to homogenize the air flow and enlarge the treatment area. In fig. 8A, the heat borrowing of the hair-cutting apparatus 2 of fig. 8b is schematically shown, but the hair-cutting apparatus 2 is now equipped with an air guiding attachment 1 as defined by the invention. It should be noted that the average diameter handled by the air flow increases with respect to the average diameter of fig. 8b due to the sweep performed by the rotor 12 as described above. It will also be noted that the temperature is much more uniform and that both hot areas have disappeared, since the air flow is constantly and automatically moved by the rotor 12, as previously described. Thus, the user no longer has to manually move the hair-cutting apparatus 2. Thereby resulting in increased comfort of use and less fatigue for the user.

Naturally, in order to ensure a good working of the invention, the stator 11 and the rotor 12 are located between said accessory air inlet 117 and accessory air outlet 127 and are connected to each other by means of substantially fluid-tight connections 116, 126, so as to avoid any excessive loss of the first and/or second air flow F2 between the stator 11 and the rotor 12. As can be seen in fig. 3, the substantially fluid-tight connection 116, 126 comprises on the one hand a guiding means 116 belonging to the stator 11 and on the other hand a complementary guiding means 126 belonging to the rotor 12. More precisely, the guide means 116 comprise a circular edge passing inside a circular shoulder formed by the complementary guide means 126. Furthermore, the complementary guiding means 126, i.e. the shoulder according to the embodiment of fig. 3, extend longitudinally along the stator axis S-S'. In other words, a portion of the rotor 12 passes through the inside of the stator 11. Accordingly, the rotor inlet plane PER is located upstream of the stator outlet plane PSS depending on the flow direction of the first air flow F1. This allows to ensure a good seal between the stator 11 and the rotor 12 and thus a good operation of the air guiding attachment 1. More precisely, the overlap length L defined between the rotor inlet plane PER and the stator outlet plane PSS is substantially equal to 3mm, which guarantees a good compromise of sealing/volume, but also a rotational guidance. In practice, the overlap length L should not be too great in order not to interfere with good rotation of the rotor 12 relative to the stator 11. Various means known to those skilled in the art may also be used without departing from the scope of the invention, which allow to seal the mechanical connection, in particular between the moving part (in this case the rotor 12) and the stationary part (in this case the stator 11), for example an O-ring, while ensuring that such means do not hinder the free rotation of the rotor 12.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the stator 11 is still a hollow rotating member, but its shape is more complex. In particular, the air guiding accessory 1, more precisely the stator 11, comprises a housing 13, which housing 13 extends at least around the rotor 12. Also, the housing 13 may be an integral part of the stator 11 or otherwise be a distinct component. In the embodiment shown, the housing 13 is integral with the stator 11, i.e. it is a continuous piece of material. In other words, the outer wall 113 of the stator forms the shell 13. This allows for easy assembly of the air guiding accessory 1. Thus, the housing 13 is integral with the stator 11 and is designed to protect said rotor 12 from contact by a user. The housing 13 is of a truncated conical shape advantageously having a housing cone angle θ of between 25 and 60 degrees, preferably equal to 40 degrees, which allows to ensure a good movement of the rotor 12 while maintaining a relatively compact air guiding attachment 1. Thus, the rotor can freely perform its sweeping movement within the housing 13 while being externally protected. The shell 13 then particularly helps to prevent the user from touching the moving (and possibly hot) rotor 12 with his hand and with his head, his hair, etc. The housing 13 then significantly improves the safety of the air guiding accessory 1 in use, for example by avoiding the risk of any accidental contact between the moving rotor 12 and the user's hair and thus by limiting any risk of hair tangles. The housing 13 also improves the reliability of the air guiding attachment 1 by protecting the rotor 12 when the air guiding attachment 1 is dropped.

Claims

1. An air guiding accessory (1) designed to be mounted on an air outlet (28) of a hair-cutting apparatus (2), said air outlet (28) blowing a substantially unidirectional first air flow (F1), said air guiding accessory (1) being designed to convert said first air flow (F1) into a second air flow (F2) sweeping a plurality of different directions, said air guiding accessory (1) comprising:

-an accessory air inlet (117), the accessory air inlet (117) being designed to cooperate with the air outlet (28) of the hair-cutting apparatus (2);

-an accessory air outlet (127), the accessory air outlet (127) allowing to blow the second air flow (F2) towards the head of the user;

-a stator (11), the stator (11) extending along and around a stator axis (S-S') from a stator inlet Plane (PES) to a stator outlet Plane (PSS);

-a rotor (12), the rotor (12) extending from a rotor inlet Plane (PER) to a rotor outlet Plane (PSR) and comprising pneumatic driving means (121), the pneumatic driving means (121) being designed to drive the rotor (12) in rotation about the stator axis (S-S') by means of the first air flow (F1);

-the rotor (12) comprises at least one portion extending along and around a sweep axis (R-R'), said at least one portion being designed to orient the second air flow (F2) along the plurality of different directions;

-the sweep axis (R-R ') forms an intersection angle (β) with the stator axis (S-S') of between 5 and 40 degrees;

-the stator (11) and the rotor (12) are located between the accessory air inlet (117) and the accessory air outlet (127) and are connected to each other by means of a substantially fluid-tight connection (116, 126);

characterized in that the intersection of the sweep axis (R-R ') with the stator axis (S-S') is interposed between the rotor inlet Plane (PER) and the stator outlet Plane (PSS).

2. The air guiding accessory (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the rotor inlet Plane (PER) is located upstream of the stator outlet Plane (PSS) along the flow direction of the first air flow (F1).

3. The air guiding accessory (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the overlap length (L) defined between the rotor inlet Plane (PER) and the stator outlet Plane (PSS) is comprised between 1mm and 5mm, and advantageously substantially equal to 3mm.

4. The air guiding accessory (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stator (11) comprises the accessory air inlet (117) and is designed to be assembled, preferably in a detachable manner, on the air outlet (28) of the hair-cutting apparatus (2).

5. The air guiding accessory (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the rotor outlet Plane (PSR) comprises the accessory air outlet (127).

6. The air guiding accessory (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sweep axis (R-R ') and the stator axis (S-S ') intersect in a transition plane (T) parallel to the rotor inlet Plane (PER), the stator axis (S-S ') being orthogonal to the transition plane (T).

7. The air guiding accessory (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the intersection angle (β) is between 5 degrees and 25 degrees, preferably equal to 18 degrees, or equal to 20 degrees, or equal to 22 degrees.

8. The air guiding accessory (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the rotor (12) is frustoconical in shape.

9. The air guiding accessory (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the cone angle (γ) of the rotor (12) is between 5 and 20 degrees and preferably equal to 16 degrees, or equal to 14 degrees, or equal to 6 degrees.

10. The air guiding accessory (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the stator (11) comprises a hub holder (1112), the hub holder (1112) being connected to an outer wall of the stator (113) by at least one arm (1111), preferably by three arms (1111).

11. The air guiding accessory (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pneumatic drive means (121) comprises a hub (1212), the hub (1212) being connected to the outer wall of the rotor (125) by at least one blade (1211), preferably by three blades (1211).

12. The air guiding accessory (1) according to claims 10 and 11, characterized in that the hub (1212) is mounted in a pivotal connection with the hub holder (1112).

13. The air guiding accessory (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air guiding accessory (1) comprises a shell (13) surrounding at least the rotor (12), the shell (13) being integral with the stator (11) and designed to protect the rotor (12) from contact by a user.

14. The air guiding accessory (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the shell (13) is frustoconical in shape, advantageously having a shell cone angle (θ) comprised between 25 and 60 degrees, preferably equal to 40 degrees.

15. A hair clipping device, comprising: a hair-cutting apparatus (2), such as a hair dryer, for blowing a substantially unidirectional first air flow (F1); and an air guiding accessory (1) according to any of the preceding claims.