JP7477690B2 - Hair styling equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hair styling device, such as a hair iron, for performing hair styling such as straightening, which presses the hair to straighten out curly hair, and curling, which curls straight hair.

The present invention relates to a hair styling device having a light source such as a halogen lamp, and a device having such a light source is disclosed, for example, in the eyelash curler of Patent Document 1. In the eyelash curler of Patent Document 1, a battery and a socket are housed inside the handle, and a thin rod-shaped light bulb attached to the socket and a curling rod that covers the bulb are protruding from one end of the handle. The curling rod is made of a thin stainless steel pipe and has a transparent opening at its tip to visually check whether the bulb is lit or not. When using the eyelash curler, the power switch is turned on to turn on the light bulb, the curling rod is heated by the heat radiated from the bulb, and the eyelashes are curled upwards by lifting them from bottom to top several times with the curling rod.

The applicant has previously proposed a hair processing device in Patent Document 2 for a hair iron. In the hair processing device in Patent Document 2, the case of the first of a pair of clamping arms is provided with a blower fan and motor, an ion generator, and a heating block, while the case of the second clamping arm is provided with a heating block of the same shape as the previous heating block. The heating block has a heating element made of a PTC heater and an outer case that covers the periphery of the heating element, and the hair held between the pair of heating blocks can be heated by heat conducted from the heating element to the outer case.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 05-74402 JP 2006-122313 A

The object of the present invention is to provide a hair styling device that can perform hair styling while irradiating the hair with light emitted from a light source.

The hair styling device of the present invention has first and second clamping arms 1, 2 connected so as to be swingable open and closed, and press bodies 5, 5 for clamping hair are provided on the opposing surfaces of clamping arm cases 8, 9 of both clamping arms 1, 2. The press bodies 5, 5 include press surfaces 14. A light source 13 is provided within the clamping arm cases 8, 9 of both clamping arms 1, 2. Each of the press bodies 5, 5 is provided with an irradiation opening 20 for irradiating radiation light from the light source 13. One irradiation opening 20 and the other irradiation opening 20 are formed alternately in each press body 5, 5.

In the hair styling device of the present invention, the light emitted from the light source 13 is irradiated from the irradiation opening 20, so that hair treatment can be performed while the light emitted from the light source 13 is irradiated onto the hair.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view of the hair styling device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a side view of a hair styling device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of a first clamping arm of the hair styling device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of use of the hair styling device according to the first embodiment. 1A and 1B are front views showing an example of how the hair styling device according to the first embodiment is used; FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway front view of the hair styling device according to Example 2. FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway front view of a hair styling device according to a third embodiment (the present invention). FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway front view of the hair styling device according to Example 4. FIG. 11 is a side view showing an example of use of the hair styling device according to Example 4. FIG. 13 is a partially cutaway front view of the hair styling device according to Example 5. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a hair drying method.

(Example 1) Figures 1 to 5 show a hair iron (hair styling device) according to Example 1. In the present invention, the terms front, back, left, right, and up and down refer to the crossed arrows shown in Figure 2 and the indications of front, back, left, right, and up and down written near each arrow. As shown in Figure 2, the hair iron is configured by connecting the base ends of a first clamping arm 1 and a second clamping arm 2 arranged opposite each other vertically with a swing shaft 3, and a press part A1 is provided on the tip half of both clamping arms 1 and 2, and a grip part A2 is provided on the remaining half. Both clamping arms 1 and 2 can swing open and close around the swing shaft 3, and are automatically urged to swing open by a torsion coil spring 4 attached to the swing shaft 3, and the hair iron in a free state is held in an open position shown by solid lines in Figure 2. When the grip part A2 of both clamping arms 1 and 2 in the open position is gripped with one hand, the hair iron switches to a closed position, and hair can be clamped by the press bodies 5 and 5 provided on the opposing surfaces of the pair of press parts A1.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the first clamping arm 1 and the second clamping arm 2 each have a long, narrow shuttlecock-shaped clamping arm case 8/9, and inside each hollow case 8/9, a blower fan 10, a motor 11 that rotates the fan 10, an ion generator 12, and a light source 13 are arranged in the order shown. A pressed body 5 is attached to the flat end walls 8a/9a of the clamping arm cases 8/9 on the opposing sides of the pair of press sections A1, and its pressed surface 14 bulges out from the flat end walls 8a/9a. The pressed body 5 is made of aluminum plate material and is a press-molded product formed into a long rectangular dish shape, and the pressed surface 14 side is coated with a fluororesin that promotes hair sliding.

As shown in FIG. 3, the blower fan 10 and motor 11 are supported by a motor holder 15 provided inside the clamp arm cases 8 and 9, and the ion generator 12 is supported by a bracket 16 extending from the motor holder 15. The second clamp arm 2 of the grip part A2 is provided with a slide knob 17 and a main switch 18 for starting or stopping the above-mentioned devices.

The light source 13 can be a commercially available halogen lamp, carbon lamp, LED lamp, etc., and in this embodiment, the light source 13 is composed of rod-shaped halogen lamps with two nozzles. In order to irradiate the light emitted from the light source 13 toward the hair sandwiched between the press bodies 5 (see FIG. 5) and heat the press body 5 directly facing the light source 13 with the radiant light, a reflector 19 is provided inside the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, and irradiation openings 20 are opened on both the left and right sides of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9. The reflector 19 has an outer mirror body 19a that covers the front, rear and top surfaces of the light source 13, and a pair of inner mirror bodies 19b that cover the left and right sides of the top opening surface of the press body 5. The mirror bodies 19a and 19b divide the horizontal heating light path 21 that guides the radiant light diagonally downward toward the left and right irradiation openings 20 and the vertical heating light path 22 that guides the radiant light toward the press body 5 in a mushroom cross-section. When the pressed body 5 is heated by the radiant light from the light source 13, in order to prevent the temperature of the pressed body 5 from becoming too high, a temperature adjustment means can be provided in both heating light paths 21 and 22. As the temperature adjustment means, for example, a structure in which a plate-shaped material with a group of small holes is placed in the vertical heating light path 22 to block part of the radiant light, or a structure in which the opening area of the entrance of the vertical heating light path 22 is reduced to limit the amount of radiant light, can be considered.

The inner surfaces of the mirror bodies 19a and 19b are each finished in a mirror-like shape, allowing light and heat to be efficiently reflected and guided toward the irradiation opening 20 and the press body 5. Incidentally, the light source 13, which is a halogen lamp, can heat the hair with radiant light emitted at the same time as the light source 13 is turned on, thereby performing hair treatment. Compared to conventional hair treatment devices that use, for example, a PTC heater as a heat source, the light source 13 has a sharp temperature rise and can emit high-temperature radiant light at the same time as it emits light, resulting in a hair styling device that can be used immediately when needed. Also, by irradiating part of the radiant light toward the press body 5, the press body 5 can be heated in a short time while heating the hair.

The light emitted from the light source 13 has high brightness, so if it is emitted directly from the irradiation opening 20, it is too dazzling and difficult to look directly at the irradiated light, making it difficult to perform hair styling smoothly. In order to prevent such problems, an anti-glare filter 23 is fitted into the irradiation opening 20. The anti-glare filter 23 is made of glass as a base material and has a filter function that blocks the passage of dazzling light but does not prevent the passage of light components that contribute to heating the hair (visible light and infrared light except blue light). Note that dazzling light means light in the short wavelength band of 500 nm or less, such as blue light and ultraviolet light. The radiated light emitted from the light source 13 is irradiated outside the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 through the anti-glare filter 23, and can heat the hair before it passes through the press body 5 and the hair after it passes through the pair of press bodies 5. The anti-glare filter 23 in this embodiment is made of a long-pass filter that absorbs electromagnetic waves with short wavelengths, and mainly absorbs visible light out of the visible light and infrared light emitted from the light source 13. In the case of light source 13 consisting of a halogen lamp, it emits electromagnetic waves (visible light and infrared light) of 400 to 3000 nm, but the visible light of 700 nm or less out of these electromagnetic waves is absorbed by anti-glare filter 23, reducing the glare of the emitted light that passes through anti-glare filter 23.

As described above, with a hair styling device in which the anti-glare filter 23 is disposed in the irradiation opening 20, the anti-glare filter 23 can block dazzling light in the short wavelength band from being emitted from the irradiation opening 20 when styling hair. Therefore, even if part of the emitted light emitted from the irradiation opening 20 reaches the user's eyes during hair styling, the user will not feel dazzled and can smoothly perform the hair styling work. In addition, since the outer surface of the anti-glare filter 23 is formed continuously and flush with the surfaces of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, when wrapping hair around the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, it is possible to prevent the hair from getting tangled on the surface of the anti-glare filter 23, and to wrap the hair smoothly.

The cross-sectional outer shape of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 in the press section A1 is formed into an outwardly curved shape with flat walls 8a and 9a at the front and a semicircular arc portion, and when hair is clamped, the semicircular clamping arm cases 8 and 9 continue into a roughly circular shape with the pair of press bodies 5 between them. In this way, when the cross-sectional outer shape of the press section A1 of the pair of clamping arm cases 8 and 9 is formed into an outwardly curved shape, the hair facing the irradiation opening 20 can be heated with the radiant light from the light source 13 when the hair is wrapped around the clamping arm cases 8 and 9. In addition, by slowly combing the hair while it is wrapped around the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, the hair passing through the outer surface of the irradiation opening 20 can be irradiated with radiant light and heated, and the hair can be curled or straightened.

As explained above, the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 house a blower fan 10, which cools the surrounding structure of the light source 13 with cooling air sent from the blower fan 10. In detail, the cooling air is sent along the cooling air passage 26 defined between the outer mirror body 19a and the surrounding wall of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, and cools the outer mirror body 19a facing the cooling air passage 26 and the socket of the light source 13 supported by the outer mirror body 19a from the outside. The cooling air that has removed the heat from the outer mirror body 19a is blown out of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 from the exhaust outlet 27 that opens in multiple stages adjacent to the irradiation opening 20. An intake port 30 is opened on each of the opposing surfaces of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 that face the blower fan 10 (see FIG. 3).

The cooling air discharged from the exhaust outlet 27 is heated by contact with the outer mirror body 19a, and further contains negative ions supplied from the ion generator 12. Therefore, by simultaneously blowing the cooling air containing negative ions onto the hair before it passes through the press body 5 and onto the hair after it has passed through the pair of press bodies 5, the negative ions can penetrate into the hair through the gaps in the cuticle, moisturizing it. It also neutralizes the static electricity in the positively charged hair, helping to maintain its moisture content.

Two types of bristles (hair combing bodies) 28, 29 are protruding in linear rows from the left and right flat end walls 8a, 9a of each press body 5, with the press body 5 sandwiched between them. In more detail, bristles 28 that comb the hair held by the press body 5 are protruding oppositely from both the left and right sides of the flat end walls 8a, 9a of the clamping arm cases 8, 9 that sandwich the press body 5, and bristles 29 that comb the hair wrapped around the periphery of the clamping arm cases 8, 9 protruding outward from the peripheral walls of the clamping arm cases 8, 9 adjacent to the flat end walls 8a, 9a.

As described above, when the bristles 28 and 29 are protruding from both the left and right sides of the press body 5, the hair is held by the pair of press bodies 5, and one of the hair combing bodies 28 and 29 is inserted into the hair bundle. The hair is then firmly held and greater tension can be applied to the hair held by the press body 5 by rotating the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 by 45 degrees or more to cause each of the bristles 28 and 29 to bite into the hair. Therefore, compared to when the hair is simply held by the pair of press bodies 5 and tension is applied, tension can be applied more accurately to the hair, allowing for more accurate drying and straightening. In addition, when the hair is wound around the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, the hair can be easily wound in a state where it is in close contact with the clamping arm cases 8 and 9. Furthermore, the bristles 29 protruding sideways are protruding along the direction of irradiation of the light emitted from the light source 13 passing through the irradiation opening 20, so that the light can be reliably irradiated onto the hair captured by the bristles 29. Therefore, the hair held by the press body 5 can be effectively dried and styled. In addition, the bristles 28 and 29 can create space while combing tangled hair, allowing the emitted light that passes through the irradiation opening 20 to reach deep inside the hair, allowing the hair to be effectively dried.

When using a hair iron, the hair is held in a band shape near the roots by a pair of press bodies 5, and with tension applied to the hair as shown in FIG. 4, the clamping arms 1 and 2 are moved toward the ends of the hair to straighten out the curly hair. At this time, the hair before passing through the press bodies 5 and the hair after passing through the press bodies 5 are heated by the radiation light from the light source 13 irradiated diagonally downward as shown by the dashed line through the anti-glare filter 23 as shown in FIG. 5(a), and at the same time, cooling air that is hotter than air at room temperature and contains negative ions can be blown onto the hair as shown by the solid line. Therefore, compared to conventional hair irons that use the heat of a heating element made of a PTC heater to heat the outer case to perform hair treatment, the straightening treatment using the press bodies 5 can be performed more effectively. In addition, the light source 13 contains visible light and infrared light, and in particular, near-infrared light is easily absorbed by moisture attached to the hair, so hair can be dried efficiently in a short time.

When curling hair, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the ends of the hair are held in a band shape by the pair of press bodies 5, and the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 are rotated toward the roots of the hair to wrap the hair around them, and this state is maintained for 5 to 10 seconds. With the hair wrapped around the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 in this way, the hair is heated and curled by the heat of the press bodies 5, the heat of the light emitted from the light source 13, and the heat of the cooling air discharged from the exhaust outlet 27. After a predetermined time has passed, the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 are rotated toward the ends of the hair, and both clamping arm cases 8 and 9 are returned to their open positions to separate the hair from the hair iron. As described above, when the hair is heated by the heat of the press bodies 5, the heat of the light emitted from the light source 13, and the heat of the cooling air, the hair wrapped around the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 is heated reliably and effectively, allowing curling with the hair iron.

According to the above hair styling device, hair is treated by heating the hair with the radiant light emitted at the same time as the light source 13 is turned on. Therefore, compared to conventional hair treatment devices that use a PTC heater as a heat source, the temperature rise is sharper and high-temperature radiant light can be emitted at the same time as light is emitted. Therefore, a hair styling device that can be used immediately when needed can be provided. When styling, tension is applied to the hair sandwiched between the pair of press bodies 5, 5, and the radiant light from the light source 13 is radiated diagonally downward from the irradiation opening 20, so that the hair pulled by the press bodies 5, 5 can be quickly heated by the heat of the radiant light from the light source 13. Therefore, hair can be effectively dried. In addition, the drying status of the hair can be confirmed while visually observing the state in which the radiant light from the light source 13 is radiated onto the hair, so that the hair can be dried evenly.

Irradiation openings 20, 20 are formed on both sides of the clamping arm cases 8, 9, and the radiation light of one light source 13 is irradiated diagonally downward from the pair of irradiation openings 20, so that the hair before passing through the pair of press bodies 5, 5 and the hair after passing through the pair of press bodies 5, 5 can be heated simultaneously. Therefore, compared to a case where two light sources 13 are provided corresponding to each irradiation opening 20, the structure of the hair styling device can be simplified and made lighter, improving the usability of the hair styling device and reducing the overall cost. In addition, since one light source 13 and the press body 5 are directly opposed to each other, the radiation light of the light source 13 can be irradiated from the irradiation opening 20 to heat the hair, while the press body 5 can be heated by the radiation light of the light source 13 at the same time. With such a hair styling device, the press body 5 can be heated using part of the radiation light of the light source 13, so compared to a case where the press body 5 is heated by a separately provided heater, the structure of the hair styling device can be simplified and made lighter, and the overall cost can be reduced. In addition, the hair pulled by the press bodies 5.5 can be quickly heated by the heat of the light emitted from the light source 13 and the heat of the press body 5, making it possible to dry the hair even more effectively.

The exhaust outlet 27 is opened adjacent to the irradiation opening 20, and the cooling air after cooling the reflector 19 is discharged from the exhaust outlet 27 to the outside of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, so that the high temperature cooling air after cooling the reflector 19 can be discharged toward the hair from the exhaust outlet 27. Therefore, the heat of the radiated light from the light source 13, the heat of the press body 5, and the heat of the high temperature cooling air can be simultaneously applied to the hair, making it possible to dry and style the hair more effectively.

The hair iron according to the first embodiment can be implemented in the following manner.
The vertical heating light path 22 is omitted so that the radiant light from the light source 13 can be radiated only from the irradiation opening 20, and a Peltier element (thermoelectric conversion element) is disposed on the inner surface of the press body 5 so that the press body 5 can be cooled by the Peltier element during styling. With this hair iron, the heated hair can be set with the cooled press body 5 while the hair is dried with the heat of the radiant light radiated from the irradiation opening 20.
In addition, ultrasonic elements are disposed on the inner surface of the press body 5 so that hair can be straightened by ultrasonic vibration. With this type of hair iron, ultrasonic vibration is applied via the press body 5 to the hair heated by the radiant light irradiated from the irradiation opening 20, so that hair can be straightened more accurately.

(Example 2) Figure 6 shows Example 2 of the hair iron. In this example, irradiation openings 20, 20 are opened in a facing state on each of the opposing surfaces of a pair of press bodies 5, 5, a light source 13 is placed in the center inside the clamping arm cases 8, 9, and the irradiation back surface of the light source 13 is covered with a reflector 19. The reflector 19 is made of a metal molded product such as aluminum with a U-shaped cross section, and a flange wall 19c protruding from the opening periphery is fastened and fixed to the inner surface of the press body 5 with screws, and the periphery of the anti-glare filter 23 attached to the irradiation opening 20 is clamped and fixed between the press body 5 and the reflector 19. The inner surface of the reflector 19 is finished in a mirror-like shape, and the radiation light irradiated from the light source 13 toward the irradiation back surface is reflected toward the irradiation opening 20, so that most of the radiation light irradiated from the light source 13 is irradiated from the irradiation opening 20, and the hair passing through the irradiation opening 20 can be efficiently heated from both the top and bottom sides at the same time, and straightening and curling can be performed in a shorter time.

In addition, since the anti-glare filter 23 is clamped and fixed to the press body 5 using the reflector 19, there is no need to provide a separate structure for fixing the anti-glare filter 23, and the internal structure of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 can be simplified accordingly, which contributes to reducing the cost of the hair iron. Furthermore, when the reflector 19 is heated to a high temperature by the heat of the radiant light of the light source 13, the heat of the reflector 19 can be conducted from the contact surface to the press body 5, and the press body 5 can be heated by the reflector 19. Therefore, the hair sandwiched between the pair of press bodies 5 can be effectively heated by the heat of the radiant light of the light source 13 and the heat of the press body 5, and hair treatment such as drying and curling the hair can be effectively performed. As described above, when the heat of the reflector 19 is conducted from the contact surface to the press body 5 to heat the press body 5, the temperature of the press body 5 may become too high depending on the light output of the light source 13. In such a case, a temperature buffer such as mica can be provided between the reflector 19 and the press body 5 to lower the temperature of the heat conducted from the reflector 19 to the press body 5. In this way, even when the reflector 19 and the pressed body 5 are in close contact with each other via a temperature buffer, the end of the reflector 19 on the irradiation opening 20 side is considered to be in close contact with the inner surface of the pressed body 5. Note that when the light output of the light source 13 is reduced, the heat generation temperature of the reflector 19 decreases, so the above-mentioned temperature buffer can be omitted.

To prevent damage to the cuticles that open outward due to heat when combing hair with a hair iron, the press body 5 is supported so that it can freely move in and out by guide bosses 33 provided on the flat end walls 8a and 9a of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, and the press body 5 is further biased forward and backward by a compression coil-shaped press spring 34. The press springs 34 are attached between the flange wall 5a that protrudes from the periphery of the opening of the press body 5 and the spring seat 35 provided inside the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, and are arranged in 4 to 8 locations around the flange wall 5a.

In this way, when the press body 5 is supported by the guide boss 33 so that it can freely move in and out and is biased forward by the press spring 34, if a large compressive force acts on the hair held by the pair of press bodies 5, the press body 5 can be retracted into the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, preventing the hair from being strongly rubbed. Therefore, when combing hair with a hair iron, even if the gripping force on the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 is excessively large, the compressive force acting on the hair can be absorbed by the press spring 34, preventing damage to the cuticles that open outward due to heat. Also, even if the press body 5 is dropped and impacted, the press spring 34 can absorb the impact by compressive deformation, effectively preventing damage to the light source 13.

When the irradiation openings 20, 20 are formed facing each other on the opposing surfaces of the press bodies 5, when the hair is sandwiched between the pair of press bodies 5, the radiation light from the light source 13 is irradiated from each irradiation opening 20 in an opposing manner, and the hair passing through the irradiation opening 20 can be heated simultaneously from both sides of the clamping part, making it possible to heat the hair more effectively. In addition, the pair of press bodies 5 can immediately pressurize the heated hair, preventing the heat of the heated hair from dissipating to the outside, and hair treatment such as drying and curling the hair can be performed without delay. Furthermore, since the radiation light from the light source 13 is irradiated toward the press body 5 facing the irradiation opening 20, it is possible to reliably prevent the radiation light from being irradiated outside the clamping arm case 8, 9. Therefore, the radiation light is prevented from reaching the user's eyes, and hair styling can be performed smoothly without feeling dazzled. It is also possible to prevent the facial skin from becoming hot due to the heat of the radiation light. The heat of the light emitted by the light source 13, the heat of the press body 5, and the heat of the high-temperature cooling air are all applied to the hair simultaneously, making it possible to dry and style the hair even more effectively.

In the hair iron according to the second embodiment, the space between the reflector 19 and the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 is made into a cooling air passage 26, and the cooling air is discharged in opposing directions from the exhaust air outlets 27 opening on the left and right sides of the flat end walls 8a and 9a with the press body 5 sandwiched therebetween. In this way, when the cooling air after removing the heat from the reflector 19 is discharged in opposing directions from the exhaust air outlets 27 on the left and right sides of the press body 5, the high-temperature cooling air after cooling the reflector 19 is simultaneously blown onto the hair before passing through the press body 5 and onto the hair after passing through the press body 5, thereby effectively drying the hair. Comb-shaped flat bristles 28 are provided on both the left and right ends of the flat end walls 8a and 9a in a state of protruding opposite each other.

As described above, when the bristles 28 are arranged on the opposing surfaces of the pair of clamping arm cases 8 and 9 and the bristles 28 are protruded along the irradiation direction of the radiation light passing through the irradiation opening 20, the hair is clamped and held by the pair of press bodies 5, and the bristles 28 are further inserted into the hair bundle, so that the hair can be held firmly. Therefore, compared to when the hair is simply clamped and held by the pair of press bodies 5 and tension is applied, tension can be applied more accurately to the hair, and the hair can be dried and straightened more accurately. In addition, when the hair is wound around the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, the hair can be easily wound in a state where it is in close contact with the clamping arm cases 8 and 9. Since the rest is the same as the hair iron of Example 1, the same members are given the same symbols and their explanations are omitted. The same applies to the following examples.

(Example 3) FIG. 7 shows Example 3 of the hair iron. Example 3 is an example of the present invention. In this example, like the hair iron of Example 2, an irradiation opening 20 is opened on each of the opposing surfaces of a pair of pressed bodies 5, but it differs from Example 2 in that one irradiation opening 20 and the other irradiation opening 20 are opened alternately in each pressed body 5. In detail, in the pressed body 5 on the side of the clamping arm case 8, the irradiation opening 20 is opened at the left end of the pressed surface 14 as viewed in FIG. 7, the anti-glare filter 23 attached to the opening 20 is covered with a reflector 19 having a U-shaped cross section, and the light source 13 is arranged inside the reflector 19. In addition, in the pressed body 5 on the side of the clamping arm case 9, the irradiation opening 20 is opened at the right end of the pressed surface 14 as viewed in FIG. 7, the anti-glare filter 23 attached to the opening 20 is covered with a reflector 19 having a U-shaped cross section, and the light source 13 is arranged inside the reflector 19. The press body 5 is supported by a guide boss 33 so that it can freely move in and out, and is biased forward by a compression coil-type press spring 34, just like the press body 5 described in Example 2. In addition, the cooling air that has absorbed the heat from the reflector 19 is discharged in opposing directions from the exhaust outlets 27 that open on the left and right sides of the flat end walls 8a and 9a, sandwiching the press body 5, so that the hair facing the exhaust outlets 27 can be heated. When the reflector 19 is heated to a high temperature by the heat of the radiant light from the light source 13, the heat of the reflector 19 is conducted from the contact surface to the press body 5, and the press body 5 can be heated by the reflector 19.

As described above, when the irradiation openings 20 are formed alternately on each of the opposing surfaces of the pair of press bodies 5, the hair passing through the irradiation openings 20 can be heated from both above and below at the same time, while a part of the radiant light of the light source 13 irradiated from each irradiation opening 20 toward the hair can be reflected by the surface of each press body 5 directly opposite each irradiation opening 20 to heat the hair sandwiched between the pair of press bodies 5. Therefore, even if a part of the radiant light of the light source 13 passes through the hair of the hair bundle, it can be reflected by the surface of each press body 5 to heat the hair, and the hair can be effectively heated by the radiant light. In addition, since the irradiation openings 20 are arranged alternately, the heat of the radiant light of the light source 13 can be dispersed and applied to the hair, which has the advantage of preventing a sudden rise in the temperature of the hair sandwiched and held by the pair of press bodies 5 and effectively preventing damage to the cuticle.

(Example 4) Figures 8 and 9 show Example 4 of the hair iron. In this example, like the hair iron of Example 1, irradiation openings 20 are opened in the flat end walls 8a and 9a of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, but the pair of irradiation openings 20 are formed toward the left end of the flat end walls 8a and 9a as viewed in Figure 8. In addition, a light source 13, a reflector 19, and an anti-glare filter 23 are provided corresponding to the irradiation openings 20, and an exhaust outlet 27 is opened between the irradiation openings 20 and the left end of the flat end walls 8a and 9a. Furthermore, a thermoelectric conversion element (Peltier element) 37 and a heat sink (heat dissipation section) 38 are arranged on the inner surface of the press body 5, so that the hair heated while passing through the pair of irradiation openings 20 can be cooled while being pressed by the press body 5. In addition, a partition wall 39 is disposed between the reflector 19 and the heat sink 38 to divide the downstream side of the cooling air passage 26 into a first branch passage 40 for cooling the reflector 19 and a second branch passage 41 for cooling the heat sink 38 of the thermoelectric conversion element 37. The partition wall 39 is made of heat-resistant resin or mica. Partition walls 44 that block the radiated light irradiated from the irradiation opening 20 are provided in opposing protruding positions at the portion adjacent to the irradiation opening 20 of the flat end walls 8a and 9a and the press body 5.

The partition 39 is provided from the rear end of the reflector 19 to the front end of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9. Therefore, most of the cooling air flowing through the first branch passage 40 is discharged from the exhaust outlet 27, but a part of the cooling air is discharged from the end opening 42 opened on the end wall on the tip side of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9. In addition, all of the cooling air flowing through the second branch passage 41 is discharged from the end opening 43 opened on the end wall on the tip side of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9. Therefore, even if the exhaust outlet 27 is blocked by hair clumps, the cooling air flowing through the first branch passage 40 can be reliably discharged from the end opening 42 to prevent the reflector 19 from overheating. In addition, all of the cooling air flowing through the second branch passage 41 can be smoothly discharged from the end opening 43 to prevent the thermoelectric conversion element 37 from overheating and reducing the conversion efficiency. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, when performing hair styling with one hand holding the grip portion 1B of the hair iron and the other hand placed against the tip of the clamping arm case 8/9, the cooling air blowing out from the end openings 42/43 hits the hand placed against the tip of the case strongly, so it is clear that the electrical equipment inside the clamping arm case 8/9 is operating normally. Similarly, when the tips of the clamping arm case 8/9 are pinched from above and below to help pinch the hair, the cooling air blowing out from the end openings 42/43 hits the hand placed against the tip of the case strongly, so it is clear that the electrical equipment inside the clamping arm case 8/9 is operating normally.

As described above, with a hair iron having a thermoelectric conversion element 37 disposed inside the press body 5, the hair heated while passing through the pair of irradiation openings 20 is cooled while being curled by the press body 5, so that the curled hair is immediately fixed and the hair is reliably prevented from returning to its pre-curling state. Therefore, hair straightening and curling can be performed accurately in a short time using a hair iron. In addition, by cooling the hair heated by the radiation light of the light source 13 while being curled by the press body 5, the cuticles that have opened due to the heat can be made to adhere to the surface of the hair, so that the surface of the hair after straightening or curling can be made glossy and shiny. This eliminates the need to blow cold air on the hair to make the open cuticles adhere to the surface of the hair after straightening or curling.

A partition wall 39 is provided between the reflector 19 and the heat sink 38, and the partition wall 39 blocks the heat sink 38 from being heated by the radiant heat of the reflector 19, so that the heat sink 38 can efficiently cool the thermoelectric conversion element 37, improving the thermoelectric conversion efficiency of the thermoelectric conversion element 37 and effectively cooling the press body 5. In addition, the cooling air sent from one blower fan 10 can be sent in an orderly manner along each branch passage 40/41 to the reflector 19 and the heat dissipation part 38 of the thermoelectric conversion element 37, so that the reflector 19 and the heat dissipation part 38 can be reliably cooled. Furthermore, a partition wall 44 is provided adjacent to the irradiation opening 20 and the press body 5, and the partition wall 44 blocks the radiant light irradiated from the irradiation opening 20 from entering the press body 5, so that the press body 5 can be prevented from being heated by the radiant light. The cooling air sent from a single blower fan 10 simultaneously cools the reflector 19 and the heat dissipation portion 38 of the thermoelectric conversion element 37, so the structure of the hair styling device can be simplified and made lighter than when a separate air blowing structure is provided to cool the structure surrounding the light source 13 and the thermoelectric conversion element 37. This not only improves the ease of use of the hair styling device, but also reduces the overall cost.

(Example 5) Figure 10 shows Example 5 of the hair iron. In this example, as in Example 4, the irradiation opening 20 and the press body 5 are arranged adjacent to each other on the flat walls 8a and 9a of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, and a thermoelectric conversion element 37 and a heat sink 38 are arranged on the inner surface of the press body 5. In addition, a light source 13 is arranged in the center of the left and right inside the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, and a reflector 19 curved toward the irradiation opening 20 is arranged to reflect and guide the emitted light of the light source 13 to the irradiation opening 20. The light source 13, reflector 19, and anti-glare filter 23 are provided corresponding to the irradiation opening 20, and an exhaust outlet 27 is opened between the press body 5 and the right end of the flat end walls 8a and 9a. Furthermore, a partition wall 39 that is bent in a mountain shape is placed between the reflector 19 and the heat sink 38, and the cooling air passage 26 near the partition wall 39 is divided into a first branch passage 40 for cooling the reflector 19 and a second branch passage 41 for cooling the heat sink 38 of the thermoelectric conversion element 37. Although not shown, the end walls on the tip side of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 have end openings 42 and 43 corresponding to the branch passages 40 and 41, as in the fourth embodiment. The partition wall 44 can be supported so that it can be projected and retracted relative to each of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, and in that case, damage to the hair can be suppressed when the hair is sandwiched between the pair of partition walls 44.

According to the hair iron of the fifth embodiment configured as described above, the hair heated while passing through the pair of irradiation openings 20 is cooled while being curled by the press body 5, so that the curled hair is immediately fixed and the hair can be reliably prevented from returning to the state before curling. Therefore, the hair can be straightened or curled accurately in a short time by the hair iron. In addition, a partition wall 39 is provided between the reflector 19 and the heat sink 38, and the partition wall 39 blocks the heat sink 38 from being heated by the radiant heat of the reflector 19, so that the thermoelectric conversion element 37 can be efficiently cooled by the heat sink 38, improving the thermoelectric conversion efficiency of the thermoelectric conversion element 37 and effectively cooling the press body 5. Furthermore, a partition wall 44 is provided adjacent to the irradiation opening 20 and the press body 5, and the partition wall 44 blocks the radiant light irradiated from the irradiation opening 20 from entering the side of the press body 5, so that the press body 5 can be prevented from being heated by the radiant light. The light emitted from the light source 13 is reflected and guided to the irradiation opening 20 by the curved reflector 19, so the position of the light source 13 can be selected according to differences in the cross sections of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9, allowing for greater freedom in design.

In the method of drying hair, the hair can be dried quickly by using a handheld hairdressing device such as a hair iron or a hair dryer equipped with a light source 13 described in each embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the hair dryer equipped with a light source 13 is equipped with a blower fan 10, a motor 11, a light source 13, and a bowl-shaped reflector 19 covering the back surface of the light source 13 inside a cylindrical dryer body 47. Reference numeral 48 denotes a grip. A group of ventilation holes that allow the passage of dry air are formed radially on the curved wall of the reflector 19. The blower port 49 of the dryer body 47 also serves as an emission opening 20 that emits the radiation light of the light source 13, and the dry air sent from the blower fan 10 and the radiation light irradiated from the light source 13 are sent toward the hair at the same time to heat and dry the hair. The light source 13 is covered with a cap-shaped anti-glare filter 23.

When drying hair using a hair dryer equipped with a light source 13, as shown in FIG. 11, the hair tip side is captured by a roll brush 50 to apply tension to the hair, and in that state, the light emitted from the light source 13 of the hair dryer is directly irradiated toward the hair, and drying air is further supplied from the air outlet 49 to heat and dry the hair. The halogen lamp that constitutes the light source 13 contains visible light and infrared light, and among them, near-infrared light is easily absorbed by moisture attached to the hair, so it can significantly accelerate the drying of the hair. Therefore, compared to conventional hair dryers that dry hair with the heat of a heater and the drying air supplied from a blower fan, the hair can be dried more quickly with light energy. In addition, by applying tension to the hair and drying the hair while maintaining that state, the hair can be straightened. When applying tension to the hair, it is effective to use a roll brush 50, but tension can also be applied to the hair using a comb or a flat hair brush. Alternatively, the hair can be heated and dried by applying tension to the hair by holding the ends of the hair with one hand and then irradiating the hair with radiation from the light source 13 of the hair dryer directly onto the hair.

When drying hair using a hair iron, as shown in FIG. 4, the hair is held by a pair of press bodies 5 and tension is applied to the hair, and the light emitted from the light source 13 is directly irradiated toward the hair through the irradiation opening 20 to heat and dry the hair. In this case, as in the case of drying hair using a hair dryer, the near-infrared light is absorbed by the moisture attached to the hair, and the drying of the hair can be significantly accelerated. Therefore, compared to conventional hair irons that dry hair with heat conducted from a PTC heater to an outer case and drying air blown from a blower fan, the hair can be dried more quickly with light energy. In addition, by applying tension to the hair and drying the hair while maintaining that state, the hair can be straightened.

As described above, when the hair is dried while tension is applied to the hair and the radiation light emitted from the light source 13 of the hair styling device is irradiated directly onto the hair, the hair can be dried more quickly with light energy than with conventional hair styling devices that dry hair with the heat of a heater or the drying air blown by a blower fan. The light source 13 is, for example, a halogen lamp, and includes visible light and infrared light. Among these, near-infrared light is easily absorbed by moisture attached to the hair, so that the hair can be dried efficiently in a short time. Furthermore, by applying tension to the hair and drying the hair while maintaining that state, the hair can be effectively straightened.

As described above, when using a hair styling device in which the press body 5 is provided on the opposing surfaces of the pair of clamping arm cases 8 and 9, and the irradiation opening 20 is opened in the case wall of the clamping arm cases 8 and 9 except for the place where the press body 5 is installed, hair is heated and dried as follows. While applying tension to the hair clamped between the pair of press bodies 5 and 5, the radiation light of the light source 13 is irradiated from the irradiation opening 20, and the hair pulled by the press bodies 5 and 5 is heated and dried by the heat of the radiation light of the light source 13. With this drying method, the hair can be dried quickly with light energy, and the radiation light of the light source 13 is directly irradiated onto the hair to dry it, so that the hair can be dried at a lower cost than, for example, when a heater is used as a heat source. In addition, since tension is applied to the hair by clamping and holding it with the pair of press bodies 5, drying and straightening of the hair can be performed simultaneously, and the hair styling work involving straightening can be performed effectively in a shorter time.

As described above, by applying tension to the hair using a brush or comb and then using a handheld hair styling device to irradiate the hair with radiant light from light source 13, the hair can be quickly dried with light energy, and the hair can also be dried by directly irradiating the hair with the radiant light from light source 13. Furthermore, since the hair is dried with the thermal energy contained in the radiant light irradiated from light source 13 provided in the handheld hair styling device, compared to conventional hair styling devices that dry hair with heated drying air, the light source 13 can be turned on and high-temperature radiant light can be irradiated at the same time, allowing hair drying to begin immediately.

In the hair iron in the above embodiment, the cross-sectional outer shape of each clamping arm case 8, 9 is formed as a semicircle of the same shape and size, but this is not necessary. The cross-sectional outer shape of each clamping arm case 8, 9 may be different as long as the cross-sectional outer shape is an outwardly curved shape, such as when the curvature of the curved peripheral surface of each clamping arm case 8, 9 varies, or when the cross-sectional outer shape is formed as a semi-ellipse. Also, in each of the above embodiments, functional parts such as the light source 13, ion generator 12, and blower fan 10 are arranged in a pair of clamping arm cases 8, 9, but this is not necessary. Functional parts may be arranged in only one of the clamping arm cases.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 First clamping arm 2 Second clamping arm 5 Press body 8 Clamping arm case No. 1 9 Clamping arm case No. 2 10 Blower fan 11 Motor 12 Ion generator 13 Light source 14 Press surface 19 Reflector 20 Irradiation opening 23 Anti-glare filter 26 Cooling air passage 27 Exhaust air outlet 28, 29 Combing body (bristles)
37 Thermoelectric conversion element 38 Heat dissipation part (heat sink)
39 Partition wall 40 First branch passage 41 Second branch passage A1 Press section A2 Grip section

Claims (1)

The hairdresser has first and second clamping arms (1, 2) connected to each other so as to be swingable open and closed, and a press body (5, 5) for clamping hair is provided on each of the opposing surfaces of clamping arm cases (8, 9) of both clamping arms (1, 2),
The pressing body (5.5) includes a pressing surface (14),
A light source (13) is provided in the clamping arm cases (8 , 9 ) of both clamping arms (1, 2) ,
Each of the press bodies (5, 5) is provided with an irradiation opening (20) through which radiation light from the light source (13) is irradiated;
A hair styling device characterized in that one irradiation opening (20) and the other irradiation opening (20) are formed in a staggered manner in each press body (5, 5) .