JP7346128B2 - dryer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dryer.

In recent years, tools with a variety of functions have been used for purposes such as drying or styling hair. It is expected that the functions of the above-mentioned tools will continue to increase in accordance with user needs.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a hair care tool that automatically changes the temperature according to the condition of the user's hair.

Special table 2014-516742 publication

Generally, the above-mentioned tools do not have a display section capable of displaying images, and various functions can be switched using only buttons as an input device. However, there is a limit to the ability to set and change a large number of functions using only buttons. Further, even if the above-mentioned tool is equipped with a display section, in order to change the settings, the display section must be viewed away from the user's hair, which is troublesome.

Additionally, the tools typically generate heat. On the other hand, it is known that when power supply components such as capacitors or CPUs that perform various controls are affected by heat, there is an adverse effect such as a shortened lifespan. When the number of components included in a tool is further increased, such as by including a display section, the influence of heat on the capacitor, CPU, etc. included in the tool cannot be ignored due to space constraints within the tool.

Further, in the invention according to Patent Document 1, settings related to temperature are changed on the tool side, but the user cannot change the settings according to his/her preference.

One aspect of the present invention aims to realize a dryer in which function settings can be easily changed.

In order to solve the above problems, a dryer according to one aspect of the present invention includes a communication unit that communicates with an external device, and a control unit that controls the motor and the heater, and the control unit , the motor and/or the heater is controlled based on setting information regarding the operation of at least one of the motor and the heater, which is acquired from the external device via the communication unit, and the setting information is set according to a user's request. The control unit may operate the motor, the heater, and the communication unit separately, and perform the communication when the motor and the heater are not operating . It is characterized by
Further, a dryer according to one aspect of the present invention is a dryer having a motor and a heater, and includes a communication section for communicating with an external device, and a control section for controlling the motor and the heater. , the control unit controls the motor and/or the heater based on setting information regarding the operation of at least one of the motor and the heater, which is acquired from the external device via the communication unit; The motor, the heater, and the communication section are operated separately, and the communication is performed when the motor and the heater are not operating.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a dryer in which function settings can be easily changed.

1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a dryer according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a dryer. It is a figure showing a heater with which a dryer is provided. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a power supply board and a control board included in the dryer. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a dryer.

[Embodiment 1]
<Configuration of dryer 100>
The structure of the dryer according to the present invention will be explained based on FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a dryer 100 according to the first embodiment. Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which a blow-off nozzle 120 is detachably attached to the main body cylindrical portion 102. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the dryer 100. Note that FIG. 2 shows a state in which the blow-off nozzle 120 is removed from the main body cylindrical portion 102. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the heater 107 included in the dryer 100. Reference numerals 1003 and 1004 in FIG. 4 are diagrams showing a power supply board 200 and a control board 300, respectively, included in the dryer 100. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of main parts of the dryer 100.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the dryer 100 includes a casing 101. As shown in FIGS. The casing 101 includes a main body cylindrical portion 102 and a handle portion 103 protruding from the main body cylindrical portion 102, and a power cable 104 for supplying power from an external power source to the dryer 100 from the handle portion 103. is being brought out.

As shown in FIG. 1, a blow-off nozzle 120 is attached to the main body cylindrical portion 102, and the blow-off nozzle 120 is provided with a blow-off port 102a that blows out hot air at one end, and a suction nozzle 120 that sucks outside air is attached to the other end. A port 102b is provided. Inside the main body cylindrical portion 102, a blower fan 105, a motor 106, and a heater 107 are arranged from the inlet 102b to the outlet 102a. Motor 106 rotates blower fan 105 . By rotating, the blower fan 105 generates a flow of air from the inlet 102b to the outlet 102a, and sends the heat generated by the heater 107 to the outlet 102a as warm air. The heater 107 is provided on the outer periphery of the motor 106 and generates heat using the supplied electric power.

Further, a heat insulating sleeve 108 is provided inside the main body cylindrical portion 102 from the motor 106 to the air outlet 102a. The heat insulating sleeve 108 forms a passage for the air generated by the blower fan 105, that is, an air path.

Further, two air outlets (not shown) are provided at the end of the main body cylindrical portion 102 on the side of the air outlet 102a. The warm air generated within the main body cylindrical portion 102 passes through the two blow-off ports, then joins within the blow-off nozzle 120, and is blown out from the blow-off port 102a.

The handle portion 103 is a portion for a user to grip the dryer 100. A switch 110 is provided on the handle portion 103. The switch 110 is provided for a user to turn the power of the dryer 100 on and off. Furthermore, when the dryer 100 is viewed from the outlet 102a side, the width of the handle portion 103 on the side closer to the main body cylindrical portion 102 is wider than the width on the side closer to the power cable 104.

As shown in FIG. 2, a power supply board 200 and a control board 300 are provided inside the handle portion 103. Further, inside the handle portion 103, the power supply board 200 is provided on a side closer to the air outlet 102a than the control board 300, and the control board 300 is provided on a side closer to the suction port 102b than the power supply board 200 is. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the power supply board 200 and the control board 300 have a shape that follows the internal shape of the handle portion 103. That is, when the dryer 100 is viewed from the outlet 102a side, the width of the power supply board 200 and the control board 300 at the end on the main body cylindrical part 102 side is wider than the width at the end on the power cable 104 side. .

As shown by reference numeral 1003 in FIG. 4, the power supply board 200 is a board including a capacitor 201, a power switch 202, and an AC/DC converter 203. The power supply board 200 is arranged inside the handle part 103 so that the power switch 202 is located close to the main body cylindrical part 102 and the capacitor 201 is located close to the power cable 104. Capacitor 201 is a component of AC/DC converter 203, and is, for example, an electrolytic capacitor. The capacitor 201 is provided on the power supply board 200 on the side farther from the main body cylindrical portion 102 than the power switch 202 is. Power switch 202 is a slide switch, and supplies power supplied via power cable 104 to each part of dryer 100, such as power supply board 200, motor 106, and heater 107, depending on the state of switch 110. AC/DC converter 203 converts AC power supplied via power cable 104 and power switch 202 into DC power, and supplies the DC power to control board 300 .

As shown by reference numeral 1004 in FIG. 4, the control board 300 is a board that includes a BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) module 301 (communication unit) and a control unit 302. The control board 300 is arranged inside the handle part 103 so that the control part 302 is located close to the main body cylindrical part 102 and the BLE module 301 is located close to the power cable 104. The BLE module 301 is a module in which a circuit, an antenna, and the like for performing wireless communication with the external device 400 using Bluetooth (registered trademark) are integrated. However, the wireless communication means according to one aspect of the present invention is not necessarily limited to Bluetooth (registered trademark), and means based on other wireless communication standards may be employed. The control unit 302 comprehensively controls the operation of the dryer 100. The BLE module 301 is provided on the control board 300 on a side farther from the main body cylinder part 102 than the control unit 302 is.

Here, the setting information is information regarding the operation of the dryer 100. The information regarding the operation of the dryer 100 is, for example, information such as the temperature and volume of hot air or cold air that the dryer 100 blows out. In other words, the setting information is information regarding the operation of at least one of the motor 106 and the heater 107. Further, when the dryer 100 has a function other than blowing out hot air or cold air at a constant temperature and air volume, the settings for the function may be used as setting information. For example, if the dryer 100 has an ion generation function, the setting information may be ON/OFF of the ion generation function or the amount of ions generated. For example, if the dryer 100 has a function of blowing hot air and cold air alternately at regular intervals, it is possible to turn the function ON/OFF, the temperature of the hot air and cold air, or the temperature of the hot air and cold air. Settings regarding the time for blowing air may be used as setting information.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control section 302 includes a setting information acquisition section 303 and an operation control section 304. The setting information acquisition unit 303 acquires setting information from the external device 400 via the BLE module 301 and inputs it to the operation control unit 304.

The external device 400 is a device that is operated by a user and can perform wireless communication with the setting information acquisition unit 303 via the BLE module 301. A user can change various settings of the dryer 100 using, for example, an application installed in the external device 400. Specifically, external device 400 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

The operation control unit 304 controls the driving of the motor 106 and the heater 107 based on the setting information that the setting information acquisition unit 303 has acquired from the external device 400 . When the setting information acquisition unit 303 has not acquired the setting information from the external device 400, the operation control unit 304 drives the motor 106 and the heater 107 based on the setting information set in advance by the designer of the dryer 100, for example. control.

In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the dryer 100 cannot be folded between the main body cylindrical portion 102 and the handle portion 103. With the dryer 100 having such a configuration, a sufficient space inside the casing 101 can be secured.

<An example of the operation of the dryer 100>
The operation of the dryer 100 is as follows. First, AC power is supplied to the power supply board 200 via the power cable 104. Further, when the switch 110 is turned on by the user's operation, AC power is supplied to the power supply board 200, the motor 106, and the power supply board 200 via the power switch 202. At this time, the AC/DC converter 203 provided on the power supply board 200 converts the supplied AC power into DC power and supplies it to the control board 300. The operation control unit 304 drives the motor 106 and the heater 107 based on preset setting information.

The user updates the setting information inside the external device 400 as necessary. When the setting information inside the external device 400 is updated, the external device 400 performs wireless communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark) and transmits the setting information to the dryer 100.

In the dryer 100, the setting information acquisition unit 303 acquires the setting information transmitted from the external device 400 via the BLE module 301. The setting information acquisition unit 303 inputs the acquired setting information to the operation control unit 304. The operation control unit 304 controls the driving of the motor 106 and/or the heater 107 based on the setting information input from the setting information acquisition unit 303.

For example, when the user uses the external device 400 to make settings to increase the temperature of the hot air, the setting information for the temperature of the hot air inside the external device 400 is updated. The operation control unit 304 controls the driving of the heater 107 to raise the temperature based on the setting information. As a result, the temperature of the hot air blown from the dryer 100 increases.

<Effects of Dryer 100>
The dryer 100 includes a BLE module 301. The setting information acquisition unit 303 performs wireless communication with the external device 400 via the BLE module 301 and acquires the setting information, so that the user can configure various functions of the dryer 100 according to his/her preference using the external device 400. Can be changed. Further, by using the external device 400, settings can be changed in more detail than when changing settings using a switch or button as is done with a general dryer.

In the dryer 100, a power supply board 200 and a control board 300 are provided in the handle portion 103. Since the handle portion 103 is less likely to reach a high temperature than the main body cylindrical portion 102, the above configuration can reduce the influence of heat on the power supply board 200 and the control board 300.

The capacitor 201 is provided on the power supply board 200 on the side farther from the main body cylindrical portion 102 than the power switch 202 is. Further, the BLE module 301 is provided on the control board 300 on a side farther from the main body cylinder section 102 than the control section 302 is. Although the capacitor 201 and the control board 300 are particularly susceptible to the influence of heat, the above-described configuration allows them to be located away from a high temperature location within the dryer 100. Therefore, the influence of heat on the capacitor 201 and the BLE module 301 is reduced.

Here, electrolytic capacitors are particularly susceptible to heat effects. Therefore, with the above configuration, there is a particularly great advantage in being able to move away from a high temperature location within the dryer 100. Therefore, the above configuration is particularly suitable when an electrolytic capacitor is used as the capacitor 201.

Furthermore, the motor 106 generates noise while being driven. The noise may adversely affect communication of the BLE module 301. However, as described above, since the BLE module 301 is separated from the main body cylindrical portion 102 where the motor 106 is provided, the influence of the noise on the BLE module 301 is reduced.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments of the invention will be described below. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

In the dryer 100 according to the first embodiment, when power is supplied from the power cable 104 and the switch 110 is ON, the setting information acquisition unit 303 receives the setting information transmitted from the external device 400 via the BLE module 301. get. On the other hand, when power is supplied from the power cable 104 and the switch 110 is OFF, power is not supplied to each part of the dryer 100, so the setting information acquisition unit 303 receives information transmitted from the external device 400 via the BLE module 301. settings information is not acquired.

On the other hand, in the dryer 100a according to the present embodiment, when power is supplied from the power cable 104 and the switch 110 is ON, even if setting information is transmitted from the external device 400, the BLE module 301 It is set not to receive the above setting information. That is, in the above state, the configuration information acquisition unit 303 does not acquire configuration information via the BLE module 301.

On the other hand, when power is being supplied from the power cable 104 and the switch 110 is OFF, the power supply board 200 supplies power only to the control board 300, and the BLE module 301 receives the setting information transmitted from the external device 400. programmed to receive. When the user updates the setting information using the external device 400, the external device 400 transmits the setting information to the dryer 100. When the dryer 100a is in the above state, the setting information acquisition unit 303 acquires updated setting information via the BLE module 301.

The control board 300 of the dryer 100a in this embodiment includes a storage area (not shown). The setting information acquisition unit 303 stores the acquired setting information in a storage area.

When power is being supplied from the power cable 104 and the switch 110 is ON, the power board 200 supplies power to the motor 106, the heater 107, and the control board 300 via the power switch 202. The operation control unit 304 acquires the setting information from the storage area, and controls the driving of the motor 106 and the heater 107 based on the setting information.

As described above, in the dryer 100a, when power is supplied from the power cable 104 and the switch 110 is OFF, the power supply board 200 supplies power only to the control board 300. Furthermore, when power is being supplied from the power cable 104 and the switch 110 is turned on, the BLE module 301 is configured not to receive setting information transmitted from the external device 400.

With the above configuration, the setting information acquisition unit 303 performs wireless communication via the BLE module 301 only when power is supplied from the power supply board 200 and the switch 110 is OFF. On the other hand, when power is being supplied from the power supply board 200 and the switch 110 is ON, that is, when the motor 106 and the heater 107 are being driven, the setting information acquisition unit 303 performs wireless communication via the BLE module 301. Don't do it. In other words, in this embodiment, the control unit 302 operates the motor 106, the heater 107, and the BLE module 301 separately. In the control unit 302, the setting information acquisition unit 303 communicates with the external device 400 via the BLE module 301 when the motor 106 and heater 107 are not operating. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the influence of noise caused by the motor 106 and heat caused by the heater 107 on the BLE module 301.

[Example of implementation using software]
The control block of the dryer 100 (particularly the control unit 302) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the dryer 100 includes a computer that executes instructions of a program that is software that implements each function. This computer includes, for example, at least one processor (control device) and at least one computer-readable recording medium storing the above program. In the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes the program, thereby achieving the object of the present invention. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, in addition to "non-temporary tangible media" such as ROM (Read Only Memory), tapes, disks, cards, semiconductor memories, programmable logic circuits, etc. can be used. Further, the computer may further include a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the above program. Furthermore, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast waves, etc.) that can transmit the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

〔summary〕
A dryer 100 according to aspect 1 of the present invention is a dryer that includes a motor 106 and a heater 107, and includes a communication unit (BLE module 301) for communicating with an external device 400, and a communication unit (BLE module 301) for communicating with an external device 400, and a communication unit (BLE module 301) for communicating with an external device 400. a control unit 302 that controls the motor and/or the heater based on setting information regarding the operation of at least one of the motor and the heater, which is acquired from the external device via the communication unit. Control the heater.

According to the above configuration, the dryer can change various settings of the dryer according to the user's preferences by communicating.

A dryer according to an aspect 2 of the present invention has a main body cylindrical portion 102, which has a suction port 102b for taking in air from the outside and an outlet 102a for blowing out the taken air to the outside. A control board 300 is provided on the handle part and includes a communication part and a control part, and the communication part is arranged on the control board more than the control part. It may be provided on a side far from the main body cylindrical portion.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to perform communication while reducing the influence of heat on the communication unit, which is a problem in dryers where settings are changed by communication.

The dryer according to aspect 3 of the present invention is the same as in aspect 2, further comprising a power supply board 200 having a capacitor 201 and a power switch 202 for converting AC power into DC power, and the power supply board is provided in the handle part. The capacitor may be provided on the power supply board on a side farther from the main body cylindrical portion than the power switch.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the influence of heat on the capacitor.

In the dryer according to aspect 4 of the present invention, in aspects 1 to 3, the control section separately operates the motor, the heater, and the communication section, and when the motor and the heater are not operating, the dryer You may also communicate.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to communicate while further reducing the influence of heat on the communication section, which is a problem in dryers that change settings by communicating.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. are also included within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

100 Dryer 102 Main body cylindrical part 102a Air outlet 102b Suction port 103 Handle part 106 Motor 107 Heater 200 Power supply board 201 Capacitor 202 Power switch 300 Control board 301 BLE module (communication part)
302 Control unit 400 External device

Claims (4)

A dryer having a motor and a heater,
a communication unit for communicating with an external device;
a control unit that controls the motor and the heater;
The control unit controls the motor and/or the heater based on setting information regarding the operation of at least one of the motor and the heater, which is acquired from the external device via the communication unit,
The setting information can be updated by the user as necessary ,
The control unit separately operates the motor, the heater, and the communication unit,
A dryer characterized in that the above-mentioned communication is performed when the above-mentioned motor and the above-mentioned heater are not operating. A dryer having a motor and a heater,
a communication unit for communicating with an external device;
a control unit that controls the motor and the heater;
The control unit controls the motor and/or the heater based on setting information regarding the operation of at least one of the motor and the heater, which is acquired from the external device via the communication unit,
The control unit separately operates the motor, the heater, and the communication unit,
A dryer characterized in that the above-mentioned communication is performed when the above-mentioned motor and the above-mentioned heater are not operating. a main body cylindrical portion having an inlet for taking in air from the outside and an outlet for blowing out the taken air to the outside;
and a handle portion protruding from the main body cylindrical portion,
A control board including the communication section and the control section is provided in the handle section,
The dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication section is provided on the control board on a side farther from the main body cylindrical section than the control section. A capacitor for converting AC power to DC power,
further comprising a power supply board having a power switch;
The power supply board is provided in the handle part,
The dryer according to claim 3 , wherein the capacitor is provided on the power supply board on a side farther from the main body cylindrical portion than the power switch.

Images