GB2580416A

GB2580416A - A haircare appliance

Info

Publication number: GB2580416A
Application number: GB1900392.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Francois Atkinson Antoine; John Thompson Daniel
Original assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2019-01-11
Filing date: 2019-01-11
Publication date: 2020-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 2039-01-11
Also published as: CN213215774U; CN111434267A; GB201900392D0; GB2580416B

Abstract

A hair care appliance such as a hair dryer or a hot styling brush comprises a control switch and a user operated button (60, 62, 64, 66, fig.3), wherein the control switch 106 controls two different functions. Each one of the two functions is selected by a different interaction between a user and the user operated button. A first function may be selected by a user activating the user operated button. A second function may be selected by a user activating and holding the user operated button. Also disclosed is a method for controlling a heater using a user activated button. If the button is activated for a time exceeding a threshold value, power to the heater is turned off and a cold shot of air is applied to the hair.

Description

A Haircare Appliance This invention relates to a ha care appliance and in particular to a hairdryer.

Traditionally, hairdryers have a casing and a handle where the casing houses components such as the filter, fan unit and heater. Fluid that flows through the hairdryer can be controlled via a user interface to provide different combinations of heat and flow of fluid exiting the hairdryer. A cold shot function can also be provided where power to the heater is switched off, usually whilst a button is actuated and this allows for quick cooling of the hai r to set a style in place. Alternatively, the cold shot is formed as one of a series of heat functions which are accessed by cycling through the heat settings until it is reached. I5

The invention provides a haircare appliance comprising a control switch and a user operated button adapted to engage with the control switch wherein the control switch controls two different functions and each one of the two different functions is selected by a different interaction between a user and the user operated button.

According to a second aspect the invention provides a haircare appliance having a user interface comprising at least one user operated button wherein the button has two functions, a first function comprises enabling a user to cycle through a number of control settings, and a second function provides a cold shot.

The control settings include both modes and individual settings. A mode is where the manufacturer has specified temperature and flow for a particular purpose; examples are wet mode for use on wet hair or dry mode for styling dry hair. The individual settings include temperature and flow rate.

Preferably, the control settings are for temperature. Typically there are two to four temperature setting of which one can be no heat.

Preferably, the two different functions include a first function which is selected by a first interaction and a second function which is selected by a second interaction.

in a preferred embodiment, a first function is selected by a user activating the user operated button. An activation occurs by, for example pressing or sliding the user operated button.

Preferably, a second function is selected by a user activating and holding the user operated button. This activation can also be a press or a slide motion. Both the first function and the second function can be activated by a press, a push, a slide or a combination of two of these actions PreferaMy. the different interactions are identified using the length of time a user interacts with the user operated button.

In a preferred embodiment, the appliance further comprises a controller comprising a timer and memory wherein the memory stores a threshold value whereby the threshold value is used to distinguish between different interactions with the user operated button.

Preferably, the threshold value is a pre-determined time value. In a preferred embodiment the threshold value is at least two times a nominal activation of the user operated button. More preferably it is at least four times a nominal activation of the user operated button. This stops the chance of a first interaction accidentally being interpreted as a second interaction and causing, for example an intended change in temperature setting resulting in activation of the cold shot.

Preferably, the second function is active until the user operated button is deactivated. Generally this is by the user releasing the user operated button.

Preferably, the memory additionally stores a current control setting. This is so when the user operated button is deactivated the control setting reverts to the previous level.

The current control setting may be set in non-volatile memory within the controller, and 5 may be set in electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

in one embodiment, the appliance additionally comprises a further control switch activated by a further user operated button. Preferably, the further control switch is a cold shot switch. Typically, the further control switch is located in a different region of the appliance. This functionality enables a user to choose which button to use depending on convenience and on the position of the users hand with respect to each button.

In a preferred embodiment the appliance is a hairdryer.

Preferably, the appliance is a hot styling brush.

According to a third aspect the invention provides a method for controlling a heater comprising: starting a timer in a controller in response to activation of a user operated button; comparing the time the button is activated to a threshold value and if the button is activated for at least the threshold value, turning off power to the heater.

Preferably, power to the heater is turned off by opening a switch.

in a preferred embodiment, power is turned off until the button is de-activated.

Preferably, when the button is de-activated the heater is turned on.

In a preferred embodiment, the heater has at least two heat settings and when the heater is turned on it reverts to the last used setting.

Preferably, if the button is activated for less time than the threshold value then the heat setting is changed.

In a preferred embodiment, the heater is in a haircare appliance.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a side view of a hairdryer; I0 Figure 2 shows a cross section through the hairdryer of Figure I; Figure 3 shows an end view of the hairdryer of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a circuit diagram showing components of a heater system; Figure 5 is a flow diagram of a first embodiment of steps of controlling a heater; and Figure 6 is a flow diagram of a second embodiment of steps for controlling a heater.

Figures 1,2 and 3 show a hairdryer 10 with a handle 20 and a body 30. The handle has a first end 22 which is connected to the body 30 and a second end 24 distal from the body 30 and which includes a primary fluid inlet 40. Power is supplied to the hairdryer 10 via a cable 50. At a distal end of the cable 50 from the hairdryer 10 a battery pack or a plug (not shown) is provided, the plug may provide electrical connection to mains power.

The handle 20 has an outer wall 200 which extends from the body 30 towards a distal end 24 of the handle. Within the outer wall 200 and downstream of the primary fluid 30 inlet 40, a fan unit 70 is provided. The fan unit 70 includes a fan and a motor. The fan unit 70 draws fluid through the primary fluid inlet 40 towards the body 30 through a primary fluid flow path 400 that extends from the primary fluid inlet 40 and into the body 30 where the handle 20 and the body 30 are joined 90. The body 30 has a first end 32 and a second end 34, the primary fluid flow path 400 continues through the body 30 towards the second end 34 of the body, around a heater 80 and to a primary fluid outlet 440 where fluid that is drawn in by the fan unit exits the primary fluid flow path 400.

The primary fluid flow path 400 is non-linear and flows through the handle 20 in a first direction and through the body 30 in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, The body 30 includes an outer wall 360 and an inner duct 310. The primary fluid flow path 400 extends along the body from the junction 90 of the handle 20 and the body 30 between the outer wall 360 and the inner duct 310 towards the primary fluid outlet 440 at the second end 34 of the body 30.

In this example, another fluid flow path 300 is provided within the body 30; this flow is not directly processed by the fan unit 70 or the heater 80 but is drawn into the hairdryer 10 by the action of the fan unit producing the primary flow through the hairdnier. This fluid flow is entrained into the hairdryer by the fluid flowing through the primary fluid flow path 400. This second fluid flow path is not essential to the invention.

The first end 32 of the body includes a fluid inlet 320 and the second end 34 of the body includes a fluid outlet 340. Both the fluid inlet 320 and the fluid outlet 340 are at least partially defined by the inner duct 310 which is an inner wall of the body 30 and extends within and along the body. A fluid flow path 300 extends within the inner duct 310 from the fluid inlet 320 to the fluid outlet 340. At the first end 32 of the body 30, a side wall 350 extends between the outer wall 360 and the inner duct 310. This side wall 350 at least partially defines the fluid inlet 320 The primary fluid outlet 440 is annular and surrounds the fluid flow path 300.

A PCB 75 including the control electronics for the hairdryer is provided. in this example the PCB 75 is located in the body 30 near the side wall 350 and fluid inlet 320 however this is not essential. The PCB 75 is ring shaped and extends round the inner duct 310 between the inner duct 310 and the outer wall 360. The PCB 75 extends about the fluid flow path 300 and is isolated from the fluid flow path 300 by the inner duct 310.

The PCB 75 controls parameters such as the temperature of the heater 80 and the speed of rotation of the fan unit 70. Internal wiring (not shown) electrically connects the PCB 75 to the heater 80 and the fan unit 70 and the cable 50. Two user operated buttons 60, 62 are provided and connected to the PCB 75 to enable a user to select from a range of temperature settings via the first user operated button 60 and flow rates via the second user operated button 62, in addition, a user operated on/off button 64 and a further user operated button 66 are provided and in this example, the further user operated button 66 provides a second cold shot function.

In use, fluid is drawn into the primary fluid flow path 400 by the action of the fan unit 70, is optionally heated by the heater 80 and exits from the primary fluid outlet 440. This processed flow causes fluid to be entrained into the fluid flow path 300 at the fluid inlet 320. The fluid combines with the processed flow at the second end 34 of the body. In the example shown in Figure 3, the processed flow exits the primary fluid outlet 440 and the hairdryer as an annular flow which surrounds the entrained flow that exits from the hairdryer via the fluid outlet 340. Thus fluid that is processed by the fan unit and heater is augmented by the entrained flow.

Referring now to Figure 4, the PCB 75 houses a microcontroller 100 which comprises a processor 110, a memory device 120, and a plurality of peripherals 130 (e.g. ADC, comparators, timers 132 etc.). The memory device 120 stores software instructions for execution by the processor 110. The memory device 120 can also comprise an EEPROM memory area where flags can be set and cleared.

A power supply 240 enters the hairdryer 10 via the cable 50 and is routed to the PCB 75. Each of the user operated buttons 60, 62, 64 and 66 cooperate with a switch 106 (one switch is shown for clarity) which is connected to the PCB 75. A user interaction with a user operated button 60, 62, 64, 66 causes a change in status of the switch 106 which is detected by the microcontroller 108 on the PCB 75 and this causes a change in state. For example a user interaction with the first user operated button 60 causes a change in the power supplied to the heater 80 which results in the temperature of fluid exiting the hairdryer 10 decreasing or increasing; a user interaction with via the second user operated button 62 causes a change in the power supplied to the fan unit 70 which results in the amount of fluid exiting the hairdryer 10 increasing or decreasing; a user interaction with on/off button 64 causes the hairdryer to switch off or on; and a user interaction with the further user operated button 66 tums of power to the heater 80 to provide the second cold shot function.

There are a number of different ways that the system can identify what a user is requesting. One way uses the processor 110 of the microcontroller 100 directly another uses peripheral devices 130 connected to the microcontroller 100, the skilled person will appreciate that there are a number of alternative ways, but two versions will be described herein.

Referring now to Figure 5, in one method, the peripheral devices 130 include a timer 132. When the button is activated, by for example being pressed 134, the timer is initiated 136. In order to detect when the button has been pressed there is an initial software delay so that any bouncing of the switch is not accidentally recognised as a user interaction. If the first threshold is not reached, the timer is reset 140 to zero.

When a first threshold 138 is reached, the button is considered to have been activated by a user. At this point, the current setting may be stored 142 in the memory device 120. The first threshold 138 is indicative of a press or push of a button and is set to around 100ms. Less than this value is considered to be a bounce event. The first threshold may be higher, for example up to 250ms.

A second threshold is pre-set and this second threshold is indicative of a user holding a button down thus this is a different interaction between the user and the button than for the first threshold. In this example, the second threshold is around 650ms. This is longer than a press (circa 200-250ms) so would not be confused with that type of interaction with the button, but is not so long that the user feels they are waiting for the change to occur.

If the button is released before the second threshold is reached, the control setting is changed 144 and the timer reset 146 to zero. A control setting is changed by varying the power supplied to the appliance, the heater and/or the fan unit.

If the second threshold is reached 148, the heater is turned off 150 until the button is deactivated 152 providing a cold shot function. When the button is deactivated 152, the heater is switched back on 154 and if the current setting was stored 142, the heater can be set to the heat level it was at before the cold shot fimction was activated. The timer is reset 156 to zero The heater is turned off by a switch which breaks the power circuit to the heater 80.

The first and second thresholds can be measured by the same timer or a separate timer can be used for the second threshold, either activated along with the timer or once the first threshold is reached In a second method, shown in Figure 6, the processor 110 checks the status of a switch 106 at a regular time interval and a change in status is flagged in the memory 120. The regular interval is conveniently set at 50ms in this example as multiples of this value indicate a bounce event, a first interaction (a press) and a second interaction (a hold). For different systems, a different regular interval may be more suitable.

The processor 110 checks the status 160 of the switch 106 at a count of 50ms to see if the button has been activated 162. if no then the counter is restarted 164 and the processor 110 rechecks the status 160 every 50ms until the button is activated and a flag is set 166 in the memory 120. in addition, a counter tally is kept 168. After a further 50ms the processor rechecks the status 170, and if the switch 106 indicates that the button is not activated, the flag is removed 172 and the counter restarted 164. If the processor rechecks the status 170, and if the switch 106 indicates that the button is still activated the flag status is unchanged and the counter tally is increased by one 174. At this point, the de-bounce threshold has been passed and a first interaction with a user and the switch 106 has occurred.

When the processor rechecks the status 176, if the switch 106 indicates that the button is not activated, the control setting is changed 178, the flag is removed 172 and the counter restarted 164.

The processor rechecks the status until the counter tally reaches 5 or 250ms, at any tally number between 2 and 4 the control setting is changed 178, once the counter reaches 5, this is considered to be a different interaction between the user and the button namely a hold rather than a press. At this point the heater is turned off 180 as the cold shot is deemed activated. The cold shot is activated until the button is deactivated 184. The processor continues to recheck status every 50ms 182 and only when the button is deactivated 184 is the heater turned on 186, the flag removed 172 and the counter restarted 164.

Whilst the tally for a different interaction between the user and the button was set at 5, the skilled person would understand that a different tally could easily be used. In addition, if a different count was used between status checks, then a different tally 25 number would be appropriate.

The invention has been described in detail with respect to a hairdryer however, it is applicable to any appliance that draws in a fluid and directs the outflow of that fluid from the appliance.

The fluid that flows through the appliance is generally air, but may be a different combination of gases or gas and can include additives to improve performance of the appliance or the impact the appliance has on an object the output is directed at for example, hair and the styling of that hair.

The invention is not limited to the detailed description given above. Variations will be apparent to the person skilled in the art

Claims

CLAIMS1 A haircare appliance comprising a control switch and a user operated button adapted to engage with the control switch wherein the control switch controls two different functions and each one of the two functions is selected by a different interaction between a user and the user operated button.
2. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein, the two different functions include a first function which is selected by a first interaction and a second function which is selected by a second interaction.
3. An appliance according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a first function is selected by a user activating the user operated button.
4. An appliance according to any preceding claim, wherein a second function is selected by a user activating and holding the user operated button.
An appliance according to any preceding claim, wherein the different interactions are identified using the length of time a user interacts with the user operated button.
6. An appliance according to any preceding claim, wherein the second function is active until the user operated button is deactivated.
7. A method for controlling a heater comprising: starting a timer in a controller in response to activation of a user operated button; comparing the time the button is activated to a threshold value and if the button is activated for at least the threshold value, turning off power to the heater.
8 A method according to claim 7, wherein power to the heater is turned off by opening a switch.
9. A method according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein power is turned off until the button is de-activated.
10. A method according to any of claims 7 to 10, wherein when the button is deactivated the heater is turned on.
11. A method according to any of claims 7 to 10, wherein the heater has at least two heat settings and when the heater is turned on it reverts to the last used setting. I0
12. A method according to any of claims 7 to 11, wherein if the button is activated for less time than the threshold value then the heat setting is changed.
13. An appliance according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the appliance is a hairdryer.
14. An appliance according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the appliance is a hot styling brush.
15 A method of controlling a heater in in a haircare appliance comprising: starting a timer in a controller in response to activation of a user operated button; comparing the time the button is activated to a threshold value and if the button is activated for at least the threshold value, turning off power to the heater.