JP4972053B2 - Hair care equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hair care device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hair dryer is known in which charged particles (transition metal fine particles) are generated by discharging between electrodes containing a transition metal, and the charged particles are released toward the hair (Patent Document 1).
JP 2008-23063 A

  However, since the hair dryer disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot know how much charged particles are generated, even if the generation capability of charged particles is reduced for some reason, this is recognized. There was a problem that it was difficult to take measures.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to obtain a hair care device capable of knowing the generation state of charged particles.

In the first aspect of the present invention, in the hair care apparatus that includes a charged particle generation unit that generates charged particles by a discharge action in the casing , and discharges the charged particles generated by the operation of the charged particle generation unit to the outside of the casing. A trap unit that traps charged particles generated in the charged particle generation unit, and a detection unit that detects charges of the charged particles trapped in the trap unit , wherein the housing has an opening, A cavity that terminates in the opening is formed, and the charged particle generation unit and the trap unit are accommodated in the cavity, and the charged particle generation unit includes a discharge electrode, a ground electrode, and the like. And at least one of the discharge electrode and the ground electrode is hit by ions generated by a discharge generated between the discharge electrode and the ground electrode And a metal material that emits metal fine particles, wherein the metal fine particles are the charged particles, the trap portion is formed in a ring shape, and the outer side of the casing in the discharge electrode It is arranged at a position on the side .

  The invention according to claim 2 further includes a control unit that controls generation of charged particles in the charged particle generation unit based on a detection result by the detection unit.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, an output unit is provided that performs output according to the detection result of the detection unit.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided an input unit for performing an input for changing a generation state of the charged particles in the charged particle generation unit.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the generation state of the charged particles can be known from the detection result of the detection unit.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the generation amount of charged particles can be automatically controlled according to the detection result.

  According to the invention of claim 3, it is possible to more easily grasp the generation state of charged particles from the output of the output unit.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the generation state of the charged particles can be controlled by operating the input unit.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same component is contained in several embodiment shown below. Therefore, common reference numerals are given to those similar components, and redundant description is omitted.

  (First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, among which FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a hair brush as a hair care device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a control block of the hairbrush, and FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of the correlation between the amount of current detected by the detector and the flow rate of charged particles.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the hairbrush 1 as a hair care device is formed in a rod shape, and the user holds the grip part 1a and applies the brush part 2 provided on the tip part 1b to the hair to adjust the hair ( Hair combing). A plurality of bristles 2 a are projected from the brush portion 2.

  The casing 3 as a housing is configured by joining a plurality of divided bodies 3a and 3b. A cavity is formed inside the casing 3, and various electrical components are accommodated in the cavity.

  In the divided body 3b of the casing 3, an opening 3d that is open toward the bristle 2a of the brush portion 2 is formed, and a cavity 4 that terminates in the opening 3d is formed. A charged particle generator 5 is accommodated in the cavity 4.

The charged particle generating unit 5 includes a needle-like discharge electrode 5a and a substantially disc-shaped ground electrode 5b disposed on the tip side thereof, and a high voltage is generated between the discharge electrode 5a and the ground electrode 5b. Is applied to cause discharge (corona discharge), and ions (negative ions such as NO ₂ ⁻ and NO ₃ ^{− in} this embodiment) are generated by the discharge action.

  At least one of the discharge electrode 5a and the ground electrode 5b is configured to include a metal material that emits metal fine particles when hit by ions generated here. In this embodiment, the metal fine particles correspond to charged particles charged by ions. Specific examples of such a metal material include transition metals (eg, gold, silver, copper, platinum, zinc, titanium, rhodium, palladium, iridium, ruthenium, osmium, etc.), and the discharge electrode 5a and At least one of the ground electrodes 5b can be configured as this transition metal or an alloy containing a transition metal. When the metal material is gold, silver, copper, or the like, the metal fine particles have an antibacterial action. Further, when the metal material is platinum, zinc, titanium, or the like, the metal fine particles have an antioxidant effect. It has been found that the use of platinum has a very high antioxidant effect.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the circuit unit 7 includes a high voltage circuit 7 a that drives the charged particle generation unit 5 and a control circuit unit 7 b that serves as a control unit that controls the high voltage circuit 7 a. The circuit unit 7 is accommodated in the casing 3 at a position adjacent to the charged particle generating unit 5 and between the gripping unit 1a and the tip unit 1b.

  And the ring-shaped trap part 6 is arrange | positioned in the position which becomes the outer side of the front end side of the discharge electrode 5a, and also the cover 9 which has the through-hole 9a is arrange | positioned. The metal fine particles generated in the charged particle generation unit 5 pass through the through hole 5c of the ground electrode 5b, the through hole 6a of the trap unit 6, and the through hole 9a of the cover 9, and pass through the opening 3d to the bristle of the brush unit 2. Released toward 2a. The metal fine particles discharged from the opening 3d act on the user's hair and background. Antibacterial action and antioxidant action are obtained by the fine particles of the metal material. It should be noted that the ion flow occurs even without an air flow.

  Here, in the present embodiment, a trap section 6 is provided, and the trapped section 6 traps charged particles (charged negatively in the present embodiment). Specifically, the trap portion 6 is made of a conductive material, and as shown in FIG. 2, the trap portion 6 is electrically connected to the ground (not shown) in the control circuit portion 7b via the lead wire 8c. Keep connected. By doing so, a charge flow (current) from the trap unit 6 to the ground is generated, and this current is detected by the current sensor 7c provided in the control circuit unit 7b, thereby trapping charged particles per unit time. The quantity, i.e. the flow rate of the charged particles, can be detected. In the present embodiment, the current sensor 7c corresponds to a detection unit.

  The inventors' research has revealed that there is a substantially linear correlation as shown in FIG. 3 between the amount of current I detected by the current sensor 7c and the charged particle flow rate Q measured by experiment. As an example, when the charged particle flow rate is 0.3 [ng / min], it has been found that the detected current amount I is about 10 [nA]. Such numerical values are merely examples, and may vary depending on the specifications of the trap unit 6 and the charged particle generation unit 5.

  In the present embodiment, the control circuit unit 7b serving as the control unit controls the generation of charged particles based on the detection result of the current sensor 7c serving as the detection unit. Specifically, for example, when the detected current amount I is larger than the control target value Ith, the voltage applied between the discharge electrode 5a and the ground electrode 5b is lowered by the high voltage circuit 7a, and conversely the detected current amount. When I is smaller than the control target value Ith, the voltage is increased and feedback control is performed so that the detected current amount I approaches the control target value Ith (FIG. 3). Accordingly, the charged particle flow rate Q is maintained at a value close to the control target value Qth, and charged particles, that is, metal fine particles are more stably discharged. Various control methods, control target values, and the like can be set. Of course, a range may be appropriately set for the control target value.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the trap unit 6 that traps charged particles generated by the charged particle generation unit 5, and the current sensor 7 c as a detection unit that detects the charge of the charged particles trapped by the trap unit 6. , Provided. Therefore, it is possible to know the generation state of charged particles from the detection result of the current sensor 7c. Therefore, even if the charged particle generation capability of the charged particle generator 5 is reduced for some reason, it can be recognized and treatment can be performed more quickly and appropriately. become.

  In the present embodiment, the control circuit unit 7b is provided as a control unit that controls the generation of charged particles in the charged particle generation unit 5 based on the detection result of the current sensor 7c. Therefore, the generation amount of charged particles can be automatically controlled according to the detection result.

  (Second Embodiment) FIGS. 4 to 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a hair dryer as a hair care device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a control block of the hair dryer, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a part of the hair dryer.

    A hair dryer 1A as a hair care device according to the present embodiment includes a grip portion 1c as a portion that a user grips with a hand, and a main body portion 1d coupled in a direction intersecting the grip portion 1c. 1c and the main-body part 1d are comprised so that the external appearance of a substantially T shape or a substantially L shape (this embodiment substantially T shape) may be exhibited. A power cord 13 is drawn from the protruding end side of the grip portion 1c. In addition, you may comprise the holding | grip part 1c so that folding is possible.

  The casing 14 as a housing is configured by joining a plurality of divided bodies. As shown in FIG. 4, a cavity is formed inside the casing 14, and various electrical components are accommodated in the cavity.

  Inside the main body 1d, a cavity 10 is formed from the opening 10a on one side (left side) in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4) to the opening 10b on the other side (right side). By rotating the fan 12 accommodated in the air 10, the air flows into the cavity 10 from the outside through the opening 10a and passes through the cavity 10 and is discharged from the opening 3d toward the brush portion 2. A flow is formed. That is, in this embodiment, the cavity 10 corresponds to a blower passage.

  In the present embodiment, a substantially cylindrical inner cylinder 15 is provided inside the main body 1 d, and the air flow mainly flows inside the inner cylinder 15. Inside the inner cylinder 15, a fan 12 is provided on the most upstream side, a motor 11 for driving the fan 12 is disposed on the downstream side, and a heater 16 as a heating mechanism is disposed on the further downstream side of the motor 11. ing. When the heater 16 is operated, warm air is blown out from the opening 10b serving as a blowout port. In the present embodiment, the heater 16 is configured as a belt-like and corrugated electric resistor wound around the inner periphery of the inner cylinder 15, but is not limited to this configuration.

  In the main body 1d, a charged particle generating unit 5, a trap unit 6, and a circuit unit 7 are arranged in a cavity 4 formed between the casing 14 and the inner cylinder 15.

  A communication passage 15a that communicates the inside and outside of the inner cylinder 15 is formed at a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the inner cylinder 15, and a part of the air flow flowing through the cavity 10 inside the inner cylinder 15 is branched to form a cavity. 4 is introduced. The air flow introduced into the cavity 4 is discharged from the opening 14 a and the opening 10 b formed in the casing 14. The charged particle generator 5 is arranged in the cavity 4 as described above, and the charged particles (metal fine particles) generated in the charged particle generator 5 are put on the air flow flowing in the cavity 4, It is mainly discharged from an opening 14a disposed opposite to the charged particle generator 5.

  The communication path 15 a is provided at a position downstream of the fan 12 and upstream of the heater 16. Therefore, the air flow introduced into the cavity 4 through the communication path 15 a becomes a relatively cool air flow before being heated by the heater 16.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the hair dryer 1 </ b> A according to the present embodiment has an input unit 18 that performs an input for changing the generation state of the charged particles in the charged particle generation unit 5, and a detection result by the current sensor 7 c. And an output unit 19 that performs output according to the above. The grip 1c is also provided with an operation unit 17 for switching the operation of the motor 11 and the fan 12 as a blower mechanism and the heater 16 as a heating mechanism.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the input portion 18 is provided in the grip portion 1 c as a slide-type switch, and has a substantially rectangular opening formed elongated along the longitudinal direction of the grip portion 1 c. An operating element 18a that is exposed from 14b and slides along the opening 14b is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the operation element 18 a is configured to be set at three positions corresponding to the three display elements 18 b, and the charged particle generation unit 5 is changed according to the positions. “Off” (mode in which the charged particle generator 5 is not operated), “L” (mode in which the amount of charged particles generated from the charged particle generator 5 is reduced), “H” (charged particles from the charged particle generator 5) The mode can be switched to three modes).

  And in order to implement | achieve the operation | movement according to the setting of the input part 18, control circuit part 7bA acquires the set state in the input part 18, and controls the high voltage circuit 7a according to the set position. That is, when “L” is selected, the voltage between the discharge electrode 5a and the ground electrode 5b is decreased, and when “H” is selected, the high voltage circuit 7a is controlled so as to increase the voltage. To do.

  In the present embodiment, the output unit 19 is provided in the gripping unit 1c as a display output unit that changes color, and the substantially hemispherical cover 19a exposed from the substantially circular opening 14c formed in the gripping unit 1c. And a plurality of LEDs of different colors (for example, LEDs of three colors of red, blue and green, not shown) arranged on the back side of the cover 19a. Depending on the detection result of the current sensor 7c, the control circuit unit 7bA, for example, the output unit 19 turns green when the detected current amount I is within a predetermined range near the control target value Ith, and the detected current amount I If the detected current amount I is larger than the range, it is controlled to emit light, and if the detected current amount I is larger than the range, it is controlled to emit light, and when the operation of the charged particle generator 5 is stopped, The LED should not emit light.

  In addition to the above-described manual control based on the setting input of the input unit 18, the control circuit unit 7bA automatically performs the control according to the detection result by the current sensor 7c, similarly to the control circuit unit 7b of the first embodiment. The high voltage circuit 7a and thus the charged particle generator 5 may be controlled.

  Of course, in the present embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In the present embodiment, the output unit further performs output according to the detection result by the current sensor 7c as the detection unit. Since 19 is provided, the generation state of the charged particles can be more easily grasped from the output of the output unit 19. Therefore, even if the charged particle generation capability of the charged particle generator 5 is reduced for some reason, it can be recognized and treatment can be performed more quickly and appropriately. become.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the input part 18 which performs the input for changing the generation state of the charged particle in the charged particle generation part 5 was provided, the charged particle in the charged particle generation part 5 is operated by operating the input part 18. It becomes possible to control the occurrence state. At this time, if the input unit 18 is operated based on the output of the output unit 19, the generation amount of charged particles can be kept within a predetermined range.

  (Third Embodiment) FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a hairbrush as a hair care device according to this embodiment.

  A hairbrush 1B as a hair care device according to the present embodiment basically includes the same components as those of the hairbrush 1 according to the first embodiment, and charged particles (metals) generated by the charged particle generation unit 5 are provided. Fine particles) are released from the opening 3d.

  However, in the present embodiment, a fan 12 for generating an air flow in the cavity 4 as a charged particle passage and a motor 11 for rotating the fan 12 are provided, and the charged particles generated by the charged particle generating unit 5 are placed on the air flow. The point which enabled it to discharge from the opening part 3d is different from the said 1st Embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the motor 11 and the fan 12 as the air blowing mechanism are accommodated in a cavity 10 formed by the casing 3. The motor 11 is rotationally driven by a drive circuit included in the circuit unit 7. An opening 10a serving as an air inlet is formed on the base end side (lower side in FIG. 7) of the casing 3, and flows into the cavity 10 from the outside through the opening 10a when the fan 12 rotates. An air flow discharged from the opening 3d toward the brush portion 2 through the cavity 10 is formed, and an air flow is blown out from the brush portion 2 as well. In the present embodiment, electric power is supplied to the electrical components via the power cord 13.

  According to the present embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In the present embodiment, a motor as a blower mechanism that further generates an air flow in the cavity 4 as a charged particle passage. Since 11 and the fan 12 are provided, it is possible to promote the discharge of the charged particles generated in the charged particle generator 5 from the opening 3d to the outside by the air flow.

  (Fourth Embodiment) FIGS. 8 and 9 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Of these, FIG. 8 is a side view of a hair iron as a hair care device according to the present embodiment. These are IX-IX sectional drawing of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the hair iron 1 </ b> C as the hair care device according to the present embodiment includes two arm portions 1 e and 1 f that can be expanded in a substantially V shape via the rotation connecting portion 23. The hair is pinched in the pinching portion 24 on the distal end side of the arm portions 1e and 1f, and the hair is heated by the heating portion 25 to adjust the hair.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a casing 26 as a casing is configured by joining a plurality of divided bodies 26 a and 26 b. A cavity is formed in the casing 26, and various electrical components are accommodated in the cavity.

  The split body 26b of the casing 26 of the arm portion 1e is bulged at a portion adjacent to the rotation connecting portion 23 side of the clamping portion 24. An opening 26c that opens toward the side of the sandwiching portion 24 is formed in the bulged portion, and a cavity 4 that terminates in the opening 26c is formed. In this cavity 4, a charged particle generation unit 5 and a trap unit 6 are accommodated. As can be seen from FIG. 15, in the present embodiment, the charged particle generation unit 5 and the trap unit 6 are provided on both sides of the heating unit 25. The charged particles generated by the charged particle generator 5 are emitted from the opening 26c. According to the present embodiment described above, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made. For example, a water supply unit may be added to the charged particle generation unit to configure as an electrostatic atomization mechanism. In this case, the water supply unit may include a water tank, a tube, a water-containing member, or the like. Alternatively, the water supply unit may condense moisture in the air using a cooling mechanism such as a Peltier element to generate condensed water. Good. Moreover, you may comprise a charged particle generation | occurrence | production part so that the ion produced by discharge may be applied to a metal member, and a charged particle may be generated from the said metal member.

  Also, the input unit and the output unit can be variously modified. For example, the input unit can be configured as a volume (knob), button, key switch, etc., and the output unit can be configured to blink or display numerical values or characters. It is. Moreover, it is also possible to configure as an input unit and an output unit by voice. Further, the detection unit can be configured other than the current sensor.

  It is of course possible to apply the control blocks exemplified above to other hair care devices.

It is sectional drawing of the hairbrush as a hair care apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the control block of the hairbrush as a hair care apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows an example of the correlation of the detection electric current amount by the detection part contained in the hair care apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention, and a charged particle flow rate. It is sectional drawing of the hair dryer as a hair care apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the control block of the hair dryer as a hair care apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a one part enlarged view of the hair dryer as a hair care apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the hairbrush as a hair care apparatus concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the hair iron as a hair care apparatus concerning 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is IX-IX sectional drawing of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Hairbrush (hair care device)
1A Hair dryer (hair care device)
1B Hairbrush (hair care device)
1C hair iron (hair care device)
5 Charged Particle Generation Unit 6 Trap Unit 7b, 7bA Control Circuit Unit (Control Unit)
7c Current sensor (detector)
18 Input section 19 Output section

Claims (4)

In a hair care device that includes a charged particle generation unit that generates charged particles by a discharge action in a housing and releases the generated charged particles,
A trap section for trapping charged particles generated in the charged particle generation section;
A detection unit for detecting the charge of the charged particles trapped in the trap unit;
Equipped with a,
The casing is formed with an opening, and a cavity with the opening as a terminal is formed.
The charged particle generating part and the trap part are accommodated in the cavity,
The charged particle generation unit includes a discharge electrode and a ground electrode,
At least one of the discharge electrode and the ground electrode includes a metal material that emits metal fine particles when hit by ions generated by a discharge generated between the discharge electrode and the ground electrode. ,
The fine metal particles are the charged particles,
The hair care device according to claim 1, wherein the trap portion is formed in a ring shape and disposed at a position on the outer side of the housing in the discharge electrode .   The hair care device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls generation of charged particles in the charged particle generation unit based on a detection result by the detection unit.   The hair care device according to claim 1, further comprising an output unit that performs output according to a detection result by the detection unit.   The hair care device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an input unit that performs an input for changing a generation state of the charged particles in the charged particle generation unit.

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