RU2782694C1 - Hair drying device with battery power supply - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: hairdressing equipment.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a hair drying device with battery power supply. The hair drying device with battery power supply contains a battery and a fan with rotating fan blades driven by an engine powered from the battery, and non-rotating stationary blades forming an airflow between the engine and an engine support. Non-rotating stationary blades forming an airflow serve as cooling ribs for the battery installed near the fan. The battery is located near the engine support of the fan, installed near the fan (F). The engine support (MM) is between non-rotating stationary blades (V) forming an airflow and case (DH) of the drying device. The battery (B) is installed around engine support (MM).

EFFECT: present invention allows for minimization of a number of elements, as one element will act as a non-rotating stationary blade forming an airflow and as a heat absorber, and distribution of weight, as a fan is located in the middle of a hair drying device, as well as increase in the efficiency of cooling.

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Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The invention relates to a battery powered hair dryer. In the present invention, the term "hair dryer" is not limited to devices that simply dry hair, such as a hair dryer. The hair dryer may also be used to style the hair and may be in the form of a brush or curler with warm air blowing and may alternatively be referred to as an air styler.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

US 2018/0233788 discloses a battery powered hair dryer capable of simultaneously cooling the batteries and improving the performance of the hair dryer. All batteries have a certain level of internal electrical resistance/impedance that generates heat both when charging and when discharging. Thus, the use of batteries to power the heating element and fan also generates heat within the batteries, battery packs, or internal circuitry as they are discharged. This heat can shorten the life of the batteries and affect the rate of discharge or battery life. Thus, a battery-powered hair dryer is disclosed that is capable of cooling the batteries and associated circuitry to improve their performance, prevent overheating and safety issues, and/or prolong the life of the batteries. The handle may include a handle airflow path in communication with the body airflow path such that air passing through the handle exits into the body airflow path. The batteries may be located within the channel with gaps formed between the handle and the batteries which allow air to flow around the batteries. To cool the batteries, the handle may include one or more intake vents that allow air to flow up a channel in the handle around the batteries through gaps between individual cells. The fan draws in air that flows around the battery cells, then passes through the case and flows around the heating element. While the air flow cools the batteries, it also heats up, and the air heated by the battery passes to the heating element and is not wasted.

EP 2255692 discloses a hair dryer comprising a hand-held unit for releasing or forcing a stream of air directed onto the hair. The handheld unit has a power source that is located in the path of the air flow being discharged or injected from the unit. Thus, the thermal energy generated in the power supply can be transferred directly to the air flow in the device.

US 9526311 discloses a battery powered hair dryer powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery. The heat from the battery is directly used to heat the forced air generated by the fan of the hair dryer. This is achieved by placing the battery in the path of the forced air or by connecting the battery to the heat sink and placing at least a portion of the heat sink in the path of the charge air. To further improve efficiency, the fan motor is located in the path of the forced air. The entire circuitry within the hair dryer is either located in the blowing air path or thermally connected to a heat sink which is at least partially located in the blowing air path. Thus, any heat generated by the electrical components of the hair dryer is used to preheat the blown air inside the hair dryer. Then, the preheated air is further heated by a heating element inside the hair dryer.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hair dryer.

The invention is defined by an independent claim. A preferred embodiment of the invention is defined in the dependent claim.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a battery powered hair dryer comprising a dryer housing, a battery and a fan having rotating fan blades driven by a battery powered motor and around the motor non-rotating static blades forming an air flow between the motor and a motor support, the non-rotating static airflow vanes serving as cooling fins for a battery mounted adjacent to the fan, the engine support being between the non-rotating static airflow vanes and the dryer housing, the battery being mounted around or against engine mounts. Advantageously, the battery is partially located in the handle of the battery powered hair dryer, with the fan located adjacent to the handle.

Embodiments of the invention are based on the following considerations. In hair dryers, weight and its distribution are very important. Embodiments of the invention use non-rotating static airflow vanes on the outlet side of the hair dryer fan within the hair dryer as a heat sink for the hair dryer batteries. This results in minimizing the number of cells (because one element will act as both a non-rotating static airflow vane and as a heat sink), and furthermore, placing the battery close to the fan results in good weight distribution (because the fan is well positioned in the middle of the unit for drying hair). In addition, the non-rotating static airflow vanes at the fan outlet also process all the air from the fan so that the cooling efficiency is optimal. The use of non-rotating static airflow vanes as battery cooling elements and thus mounting the battery close to the fan results in optimal weight distribution and reduced need for cooling ducts to cool the batteries, while the cooling ducts can cause noise.

These and other aspects of the invention will be understood and explained with reference to the embodiments of the invention described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a battery powered hair dryer according to the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a section along line A-A in FIG. one.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INVENTION

On FIG. 1 and 2 schematically show a battery powered hair dryer having a dryer body DH. The main air flow AF1 passes almost directly from the air intake grille AIG to the air outlet grille AOG. The airflow is generated by a fan F driven by a motor M mounted in a motor support MM. To enable drying and/or styling of the hair, the air from the fan F is heated by the heater H. The heater H and the motor M are powered by a battery B located around the fan F, the motor M and the motor support MM.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fan F has non-rotating static airflow vanes V between the motor M and the motor support MM. As a result of battery B being located (immediately) near (i.e., mounted around or opposite) the engine support MM and thus in close contact with the non-rotating static airflow-forming fan blades V, said non-rotating static the airflow-forming fan blades V act as cooling fins for cooling the stack B by the main airflow AF1.

Since the speed of the main air flow AF1 is relatively high when the air passes through the relatively narrow openings in the motor support MM, the possibilities for cooling the battery B at this point are optimal.

In the embodiment shown, battery B has a larger volume at the bottom of the dryer case DH than at the top of the dryer case DH. In this case, additional cooling of battery B at the bottom may be required. In this regard, it is possible to provide an auxiliary air flow AF2 from the air intake grille AIG to the air outlet grille AOG along the bottom of the dryer body DH.

It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are illustrative and not limiting of the invention, and many alternative embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art within the scope of the appended claims. The body DH of the dryer need not have a rectangular cross section; it may, for example, be round. The heater H can be connected to the motor M in series or in parallel. The battery B may be shaped so that the weight distribution of the battery is optimal for the handheld hair dryer. The asymmetric shape of battery B shown in FIG. 2 is less favorable in the shown orientation of the dryer body DH, but if the dryer body DH is rotated so that its lower left corner becomes the bottom (i.e. the handle of the hair dryer will be installed in the lower left corner of the dryer body shown dryers), this form of battery can be very suitable to ensure good weight distribution. To ensure good weight distribution battery B can be partially placed in the handle, while fan F is located close enough to battery B so that the non-rotating static fan blades V that form the airflow can still serve to cool battery B. In the claims no parenthesized references are to be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. An element in the singular does not preclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The invention can be carried out by means of equipment containing several separate elements. In a claim listing multiple devices, some of these devices may be implemented by the same piece of equipment.

Claims (4)

A battery powered hair dryer comprising: body (DH) of the dryer; battery (V) and a fan (F) having rotating fan blades driven by a motor (M) powered by a battery (B), wherein around the motor (M) the fan (F) has non-rotating static blades (V) forming an airflow between the motor ( M) and a motor support (MM), with the non-rotating static vanes (V) forming the air flow serving as cooling fins for a battery (B) installed next to the fan (F), with the motor support (MM) located between the non-rotating static vanes ( V) shaping the air flow, and the body (DH) of the dryer, while the battery (B) is installed around the motor support (MM).

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