DK2953501T3

DK2953501T3 - CURLER ROLLERS

Info

Publication number: DK2953501T3
Application number: DK14705727.7T
Authority: DK
Inventors: Pierre Julemont
Original assignee: Babyliss Faco Sprl
Priority date: 2013-02-07
Filing date: 2014-02-06
Publication date: 2017-07-17
Also published as: IL240299B; KR20150003448U; EP2953501B1; WO2014122203A1; ES2626557T3; RU2651414C2; CN104918513A; RU2015126288A; EP2764794A1; CN104918513B; JP3204854U; IL240299A0; CA2889997C; RU2015126288A3; EP2953501A1; CA2889997A1; KR200484147Y1

Description

DESCRIPTION

Subject-matter of the invention

The present invention relates to a hairstyling device, and in particular to a motorized hair-roller winder comprising a stationary heating core and a mechanism allowing the hair roller to be rotated around said core before it is released from the apparatus and fixed on the user's head.

Prior art

Motorized hair-roller winders are well known by those skilled in the art. Examples include documents US 4,222,398, US 3,605,762, US 4,884,583 and US 2005/0199257, which disclose motorized hair-roller winders in various forms.

Furthermore, various heating means for hair rollers are also well known by those skilled in the art, as shown by documents US 2005/0000954, US 4,499,355, WO 2011/015874 and US 4,526,184. In these cases, the hair rollers are heated up by conduction, convection or induction in a separate device, before they are applied on a motorized winder and used for winding a lock of hair.

The independent management of the heating of the hair rollers and of the motorized rotation is simple, in particular because there is no risk of overheating the winding motor. The main drawbacks of this approach lie in the excessively quick cooling-off of the rollers, due to the fact that they are handled before the lock of hair is wound, and in the lack of temperature control when the hair roller is applied on the user's head.

Document EP 2,524,618 Δ1 describes a hair-roller winder with integrated heating means. In this scenario, the heating core rotates and drives the hair roller. When the hair roller is heated by conduction, the electric contact between the heating resistance and the handle is more difficult to manage than for a stationary heating core, which does not need rotating contacts .

Aims of the invention

The present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the state of the art, and in particular those of a rotating heating core. In particular, it aims to associate motorized winding means for hair rollers and heating means for the same hair rollers within a same apparatus equipped with a stationary heating core to allow quick access and maintenance at temperature of the hair roller until it is released from its stationary heating core.

Summary of the invention

The present invention discloses a hair-roller winder, comprising a handle, a motor and a heating core that is suitable for receiving a hair roller as well as a transmission allowing, in use, to transmit the rotational movement of the motor to said hair roller, while keeping the heating core stationary.

According to specific embodiments, the invention comprises one or more of the following features: - the winder comprises a micro-switch for detecting the presence of a hair roller, allowing in use to trigger a maximum heating power when the absence of hair roller is detected and allowing to trigger an electronic time delay for the heating power when the presence of a hair roller is detected; - the winder comprises a cylinder with a sinusoidal groove allowing, in use, to impart a to-and-fro movement to said hair roller in addition to the rotational movement around the stationary heating core; - the winder comprises a locking and unlocking mechanism for the hair roller on the handle; - the winder comprises a mechanism that limits the force torque; - the hair roller is heated in use by heat conduction between the stationary heating core and the hair roller; - the transmission comprises gears or friction drives.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows the diagram of a simplified electric circuit for a stationary heating core enslaved to electronic regulation of the temperature and time delay for the heating power.

Figure 2 shows how to remove the hair roller from the winder according to the invention, once the lock of hair is wound, by actuating the unlocking knob.

Figure 3 shows a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the hair-roller winder according to the invention with its stationary core and its main component elements.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 diagrammatically show the winding of a lock of hair around the hair roller fixed on the winder according to the invention.

Figures 7 and 8 show the embodiment of the invention in which the hair roller moves to-and-fro in the axis of the handle around the stationary core to perform cross-winding of the lock of hair.

Figure 9 shows different alternative mechanisms of transmission means for transmitting the rotational movement of the motor to the hair roller in order to cause it to rotate around the stationary heating core.

List of reference symbols 1: hair-roller winder according to the invention 2: hair roller 3: stationary heating core 4: transmission means for rotating the hair roller around the stationary heating core 5: motor 6: connecting wire of the heating resistance 7: drive link 8: printed circuit board (PCB) 9: sinusoidal groove of a cylinder allowing a to-and-fro movement 10: electric power supply cable 11: start/stop switch for the selected direction of rotation 12: locking and unlocking knob/mechanism 14: drive link 15: general switch

Detailed description of the invention

The invention is amply illustrated in the nine figures of the description using numerical references. Like all electric hair-treatment apparatuses, the hair-roller winder 1 according to the present invention has an electric power cable 10 and a start/stop switch 11 for choosing the direction of rotation, which may optionally be associated with increasing heating levels (not shown) .

The motorized hair-roller winder 1 according to the present invention combines the functions of heating the hair roller 2 and performing the motorized winding. To that end, it comprises a stationary heating core 3.

The hair rollers 2 used must be adapted to the conduction heating means. Thus, for conduction heating means using a ceramic heating core or an induction coil, the hair rollers 2 used will preferably be made from metal with a large contact surface with the winder to ensure maximum contact between the stationary heating core 3 and the hair roller 2.

The main difficulty in combining these two functions within a same apparatus is the bulk of the different elements, which must be minimized so that the apparatus remains manageable in size .

The advantage of placing a heating means 3 for the hair rollers 2 directly within the winder 1 is that there is no interruption in the heating of the hair roller 2 during the use of the winder 1. When the lock of hair is being wound around the hair roller 2, the latter continues to be heated up by conduction via the stationary heating core 3 previously brought to a temperature that is sufficient to bring the hair roller almost instantly to the use temperature. A time delay for the heating allows to adapt the temperature of the hair roller to its diameter and to the work mode of the user.

In the present invention, a "stationary" heating core 3 refers to a core that must not be set in rotation to rotate a hair roller 2. The hair roller therefore rotates around a heating core 3, which itself does not rotate.

The method for winding a lock of hair around a hair roller 2 using the winder 1 according to the invention begins with the locking of the hair roller 2 on the stationary heating core 3. The mechanism 12 for unlocking the hair roller 2 is located on the handle of the apparatus (Fig. 3) . Next, the hair roller/winder assembly is placed on the lock of hair to be wound (Fig. 4), and the winder is activated using the rotation switch 11. The lock of hair is then wound (Figs. 5 and 6) to its end. The rotation switch 11 is bidirectional, and therefore allows to rotate the hair roller 2 in both directions of rotation. The winder 1 according to the invention may be equipped with a torsion limiter (not shown), which is triggered beyond a certain force torque threshold developed by the winding mechanism, so that it automatically stops when the lock is wound. The hair roller 2 is next unlocked using the unlocking knob 12. The activation threshold for the torsion limiter is adjustable so as to account for the different diameters of the hair rollers 2. The hair rollers generally comprise means for catching in the hair that allow them to be fixed in the location where the rotation (lock) has driven them. To that end, hair rollers provided with hooks of the "Velcro" type may for example be used.

When a new hair roller 2 is placed on the stationary heating core 3, a time delay for the heating means is automatically activated by an activation "micro-switch" situated on the apparatus (not shown).

The heating element used in one preferred embodiment of the invention is a ceramic heating element placed in the stationary core. The resistance of this heating element increases with the temperature. It is therefore possible to have an indication of the temperature by measuring the voltage across the terminals of that heating element via a divider bridge .

In practice, the stationary core 3 is preheated to approximately 230°C before the hair roller 2 is placed on the apparatus 1. This allows to bring the hair roller 2, once placed on the apparatus 1, very quickly to approximately 120°C by heat exchange. With metal hair rollers, for example made of aluminum, this takes only a few seconds. During preheating, the heating power is adjusted to the maximum before it is cut once the micro-switch detects the presence of the hair roller, but after a time delay of approximately 20 seconds. When the absence of hair roller is detected by that same micro-switch, the heating power of the apparatus automatically returns to the maximum before the following hair roller 2 is placed.

The winder 1 according to the invention also comprises a detection for the diameter of the hair roller 2 allowing to adapt the heating power to the type of hair roller 2 to be heated. The presence or the diameter may be detected by a mechanical or electronic micro-switch situated on the winder.

Since the heating core is stationary, the connection 6 between the ceramic heating element 3 and the electronic circuit 8 is not subjected to the drawbacks of a connection by a rotating contact system.

According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the hair roller 2, in addition to being set in rotation, may be driven in a to-and-fro movement around the stationary heating core 3 by means of a cylinder comprising a sinusoidal groove 9 (Fig. 7). This type of movement added to the rotational movement allows the winding of the lock of hair as shown in figure 8.

Non-limiting examples of means 4 for transmitting the rotational movement from the motor to the hair roller 2 allowing it to rotate around the stationary heating core 3 are shown in figure 9.

The heating element used in the present invention is a ceramic heater placed in the heating core. The regulation diagram for this ceramic heater is shown in figure 1. A temperature sensor (NTC thermistor - Negative Thermal Coefficient Thermistor) is in physical contact with the ceramic heater. It is therefore possible to have a picture of the temperature by measuring the voltage across the terminals of the temperature sensor (NTC Thermistor) via a divider bridge. The resistance of an NTC decreases with the increase in the temperature and vice versa.

Once a predetermined temperature threshold is reached, the passage of the current is prevented and the ceramic heater no longer heats up. The resistance of the temperature sensor (NTC Thermistor) will therefore increase, given that the temperature of the ceramic heater will decrease. Once the temperature drops below a certain threshold determined via a reference voltage, the passage of the current is once again released to allow the ceramic heater to heat up again.

With a stationary heating core, the connection between the ceramic heater and the electronic regulation is not subject to the parasites intrinsic to a rotating contact system. The measurement is therefore much more precise and easier. Furthermore, four wires are used for measuring and powering of the ceramic heater (two wires for the sensor and two wires for the ceramic heater). Managing a connection via a rotating contact system with four wires is difficult.

Claims

A curler roller (1) comprising a handle, a motor (5) and a heating core (3) suitable for receiving a curler (2), and a transmission (4) enabling transfer the rotational movement of the motor (5) to the curler (2) during use, all the while holding the immobile and non-rotating heating core (3) so that the curler (2) rotates around the heating core (3).

Curler roller (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the roller comprises a micro-contact for detecting the presence of a curler (2), which micro-contact makes it possible to trigger a maximum heat effect when the absence of the curler (2) is detected during use. , and makes it possible to trigger an electronic timer for the heating effect when the presence of a curler (2) is detected.

Curler roller (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the roller comprises a cylinder with a sinusoidal groove (9) which makes it possible to impart to the curler (2) a reciprocating movement in addition to the rotational movement about the immobile heating core (3) during use.

Curler roller (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the roller comprises a mechanism (12) for locking and unlocking the curler on the handle.

Curler coil (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coil (1) comprises a mechanism for limiting the moment of force.

Curler roller (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the curler (2) is heated during use by heat conduction between the immovable heating core (3) and the curler (2).

Curler roller (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmission (4) comprises friction gears or gears.

Set comprising a curler roller (1) according to any one of the preceding claims and one or more curlers (2).