EP2359711B1 - Hair styling or care appliance - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrically operated hair styling / care device for shaping and / or maintaining hair, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Known hair styling / care facilities, such as, for example, a flat iron, have at least one heatable arm, which in particular can be heated to different temperatures. However, if a hair styling / care device is stored in the switched-on state, the heating device continues to operate unnecessarily and, on the one hand, unnecessarily represents energy and, on the other hand, represents a certain potential for danger. Automatic shut-off functions are already known in which, for example, after 60 minutes without a setting change Hair styling / care device is turned off. In these 60 minutes, however, more energy is consumed, which is increasingly unacceptable especially from an ecological point of view.

For example, from the publications DE 44 18 292 A1 m US 4,673,798 A and EP 1 108 376 A2 Hair treatment devices known, in each of which by means of a motion sensor shutdown in a non-movement of the devices is realized.

The present invention therefore deals with the problem of providing for a generic electrically operated hair styling / care device an improved or at least one alternative embodiment, which takes into account in particular ecological aspects.

This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of independent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

The present invention is based on the general idea to couple an automatic shutdown in a Haarformungs- / care device, eg. In a hair straightener, with at least one motion sensor and thereby an automatic shutdown of the electrically operated Haarformungs- / care device unless it is moved for a predefined period of time. For this purpose, the hair styling / care device according to the invention mentioned above, at least one motion sensor which is communicatively connected to a control device, this control device is again designed such that it reduces a heating power of a heating element thereof, if it is no longer moved. In addition to the complete shutdown of the hair styling / care device, which appears most sensible from an ecological point of view, the control device can also only reduce the heating power of a heating element, if the hair styling / care device is not moved at least for a certain time. With the hair styling / care device according to the invention, it is thus possible to reduce both a potential danger, starting from a heating element unnoticed in function, as well as to reduce power consumption of such a Haarformungs- / care facility, as this automatically after a predefined period of time electrical power consumption is reduced if it is stored and no longer moving.

In an advantageous development of the solution according to the invention, the control device is designed such that it heats the heating element directly to a preset temperature, provided that the movement sensor detects a movement of the hair shaping / care device. Of course, the control device according to the invention may also be designed such that it first shuts off the hair styling / care device or a heating element after a predefined period without movement or at least reduces a heating power of the heating element and reactivated within a further predefined period of time, provided that Hair styling / care device is moved. If the second predefined period of time also passes without movement, then the hair styling / care device is preferably completely switched off by the control device and can then not be reactivated by a subsequent movement, but must be switched on again.

In the solution according to the invention, the heating power is reduced by the control device continuously or stepwise. Thus, the hair styling / care device according to the invention becomes a predefined period of time, for example five minutes, not moved, the control device begins to reduce the heating power continuously or stepwise. The period of time should be chosen so large in any case, that a usual Beiseitelegen the hair styling / care device during hairdressing not too a reduction of the heating power of the heating element leads, but the Haarformungs- / care device is only then reduced in terms of their heating power, if it is actually assumed that the Haarformungs- / care device was set after completion of the Frisiervorgangs aside.

Other important features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims, from the drawings and from the associated figure description with reference to the drawings.

It is understood that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained below can be used not only in the particular combination given, but also in other combinations or in isolation, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in more detail in the following description, wherein like reference numerals refer to the same or similar or functionally identical components.

Fig. 1

eine erfindungsgemäße Haarformungs-/Pflegeeinrichtung,

Fig. 2

ein Blockschaltbild.

Show, in each case schematically,

Fig. 1

a hair styling / care device according to the invention,

Fig. 2

a block diagram.

According to the Fig. 1 , has an inventive, electrically operated Haarformungs- / care device 1, which is here designed in the form of a hair straightener (smoothing iron), at least one motion sensor 2 and a control device 3 communicating therewith. The motion sensor 2 can be as in Fig. 1 shown, be arranged in the region of a handle 4, which of course also a different arrangement is conceivable. According to the invention, the control device 3 is now designed such that it reduces the hair styling / care device 1 a heating power of a heating element 6, if the hair styling / care device 1 is not moved for a predefined period of time, with a Movement of the hair styling / care device 1 is detected by the motion sensor 2. This should be achieved in particular for safety reasons, that the hair styling / care device 1 is automatically switched off, provided it is stored for a long time and unused. At the same time, by the inventive combination of the control devices 3 with the at least one motion sensor 2, an ecological operation of the hair styling / care device 1 according to the invention can be achieved, since an unnecessary and in particular unwanted energy consumption can be at least reduced, preferably even completely prevented.

The control device 3 can reduce the heating power of the heating element 6 continuously or stepwise, wherein the reduction of the heating power after expired, predefined period of time can also be done directly or with a time delay. It is also conceivable, in particular, that the control device 3 reheats the heating element 6 directly to a preset temperature, provided that the motion sensor 2 detects a movement of the hair styling / care device 1. Such a reactivation of the heating element 6 can be carried out, for example, after the automatic switch-off or after the automatic reduction of the heating power within a second, predefined period of time. After the second predefined period of time has passed, a movement of the hair styling / care device 1 no longer leads to its reactivation, but rather has to be switched on again manually, for example at a switch 5.

The hair styling / care device 1 according to the invention can be designed, for example, as a straightener, in particular as a hair straightener, but also as a heatable curling iron, whereby the predefined period of time should be chosen as short as possible from an ecological point of view, for example. It can be approximately five minutes.

According to the Fig. 2 a block diagram is shown, which is intended to explain the operation of the hair styling / care device 1 according to the invention in more detail.

First, the Haarformungs- / care device 1 is in operation and is then, without turning off the same switch 5, set aside. From the time of depositing, the motion sensor 2 monitors a movement of the hair styling / care device 1 and transmits it after a predefined period of time, for example after five Minutes, a corresponding signal to the control device 3, whereupon this either according to the alternative A, the hair styling / care device 1 turns off or according to the alternative B, a power output to at least one heating element 6 at least reduced. The reduction of the power output can take place directly or with a time delay and continuously or stepwise.

With the hair styling / care device 1 according to the invention, a danger source can also be reduced by unintentionally operated electrical appliances, since the hair styling / care device 1 according to the invention automatically shuts off after a predefined period of time or at least reduces its heating power. This is also desirable from an ecological point of view since unnecessary energy consumption with the hair styling / care device 1 according to the invention can at least be reduced.

Drawing reference list

1

Hair shaping device

2

motion sensor

3

control device

4

Handle

5

switch

6

heating element

Claims (5)

1. Electrically operated hair styling/care appliance (1) for styling and/or caring for hair, in particular a hair straightener, wherein the hair styling/care appliance (1) has at least one motion sensor (2), which is communicatively connected to a control device (3), wherein the control device (3) is designed such that it reduces the heating capacity of a heating element (6), provided that said control device (3) is not moved for a predefined length of time, characterised in that the control device (3) is designed such that the heating capacity is reduced continuously or in stages.
2. Hair styling/care appliance according to claim 1, characterised in that the control device (3) is embodied such that the heating capacity is reduced immediately or in a time-delayed manner.
3. Hair styling/care appliance according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the control device (3) is designed such that it heats the heating element (6) immediately to a preset temperature, provided that the motion sensor (2) detects a movement of the hair styling/care appliance (1).
4. Hair styling/care appliance according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the hair styling/care appliance (1) is embodied as a heatable curling iron.
5. Hair styling/care appliance according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the predefined length of time is about five minutes.

Images