WO2013072625A1

WO2013072625A1 - Hairdryer with special gripping means

Info

Publication number: WO2013072625A1
Application number: PCT/FR2012/052627
Authority: WO
Inventors: Benoît LINGLIN
Original assignee: Seb S.A.
Priority date: 2011-11-18
Filing date: 2012-11-14
Publication date: 2013-05-23
Also published as: CN204260059U; FR2982748B1; FR2982748A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a hairdryer comprising: a tubular member (2) that has a longitudinal axis (Δ), is open at a forward outlet end (4), and comprises a substantially peripheral air inlet (7) near a rear end opposite the outlet (4); a motor-blower unit that is placed in the tubular member (2) between the inlet (7) and the outlet (4) and that comprises an electric motor rotatingly driving, about an axis parallel or identical to the axis Δ, a rotor located in a working chamber and designed to suck air into the inlet (7) and force it out of the outlet (4). According to the invention, the hairdryer comprises gripping means (3) comprising a palm supporting surface (P) for supporting at least part of the palm of one hand, and an opposite supporting surface for supporting at least part of the back of said hand. The gripping means (3) can be moved between a first position (A) in which the palm supporting surface (P) lies opposite the outlet (4) in relation to the tubular member (2), and a second position (B) in which the supporting surface (P) lies to the side of the tubular member (2).

Description

HAIRDRYER WITH PARTICULAR MEANS OF GRIPPING

[01] The present invention relates to the technical field of hair dryers and, more particularly, electric hand-held hairdryers used by professionals and / or individuals. [02] A hand-held hair dryer generally comprises an elongate tubular body which contains a motor-fan unit formed of a propeller integral with the drive shaft of an electric motor. The electric motor is held in the tubular body by rigid arms which ensure the centering of the helix relative to the inner wall of the tubular body. Most often the tubular body is equipped with a handle comprising a connection cord to the electrical network and control members of the operation of the electric motor. During the operation of the hair dryer, the motorcycle fan unit draws air through an inlet located at the rear of the tubular body to push back through an outlet located at the front of the latter. The hair dryer also comprises, downstream of the propeller, means for electric heating of the blown air.

[03] Such a hair dryer gives satisfaction with regard to its primary function of drying hair. However, known hairdryers have the disadvantage of being particularly noisy which induces fatigue during their prolonged use by a professional or a nuisance for the user and those around him.

[04] It has therefore emerged the need for a new type of hair dryer that has heating performance and air flow similar to those of hair dryers according to the prior art while inducing a lower noise. [05] This noise nuisance results in particular from the speed of rotation of the engine which is generally between 7000 and 16000 rpm. One way to limit noise pollution is to reduce the speed of rotation of the motor. However, if the speed of rotation is reduced, it becomes necessary, to maintain a satisfactory air flow, to increase the diameter of the propeller. However, such an increase in the diameter of the propeller changes the proportions of the hair dryer which can be difficult to handle if it has a typical pistol type configuration with a handle extending perpendicular to the blow-off axis of the hair dryer. In addition, the increase in the diameter of the helix induces such an increase in the outer diameter of the body of the hair dryer that it is not possible to hold it by its body with one hand during the realization of a hairdressing.

[06] It has therefore appeared the need for a new type of hair dryer whose configuration of the air flow circuit makes it possible, in particular, to envisage different handling modes from those of hair dryers according to the prior art and / or to obtain a certain compactness with aeraulic performance and sound satisfactory or even better than those of hair dryers according to the prior art.

[07] In order to achieve this object the invention relates to a hair dryer comprising:

a tubular body of longitudinal axis Δ which is open at a said front end of output and which comprises, near a rear end opposite the outlet, a substantially peripheral air inlet,

- A motor-fan unit which is disposed in the tubular body between the inlet and the outlet and which comprises an electric motor driving in rotation, along an axis parallel to or coincident with the axis Δ, a rotor located in a working chamber. and adapted to suck the air through the inlet and push it back through the outlet,

According to the invention, this hair dryer comprises gripping means (3) comprising a palmar bearing surface (P) for at least part of the palmar surface of a hand and a counter-support surface (41). on at least part of the back of the hand. [08] Such an embodiment of the gripping means allows a reliable holding of the hair dryer with one hand without the need to tighten said hand which contributes to the comfort of use of the hair dryer.

[09] According to the invention the hair dryer can be equipped or associated with different types of gripping means and / or wall brackets or table.

[10] According to a variant of the preferred embodiment, the gripping means are adapted so that the bearing surface is located opposite the outlet relative to the tubular body. In the case of a compact and large diameter hair dryer, this configuration is particularly suitable for a user drying the hair of another person. [11] According to another variant of the preferred embodiment, the gripping means are movable between a first position in which the palmar bearing surface is located opposite the outlet relative to the tubular body and a second position wherein the bearing surface is located on the side of the tubular body. In the case of a compact hair dryer and large diameter, this configuration is particularly suitable for a drying user himself insofar as the user can choose the most appropriate grip configuration depending on the hairstyle that he realizes, from the area of his hair during drying or from his position.

[12] According to a feature of the preferred embodiment of the hair dryer, the gripping means comprises a plate whose upper face forms the palm surface and a hoop which is secured to the plate and which delimits with the plate a space for the passage of part of the hand, the face of the arch oriented towards the plate forming the counter-support surface.

[13] According to a variant of this characteristic, the plate is fixed on the tubular body by at least one arm which is connected to the tubular body by a pivot link axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis Δ.

According to a variant of the invention, the hair dryer may comprise:

at the rear of the tubular body, a central core of axis Δ comprising a peripheral surface which is concave and converges towards the working chamber and which delimits, with the tubular body, the air inlet and a duct of annular suction,

- In the suction duct, at least one annular curved fin axis Δ whose intrados and extrados converge to the working chamber.

[14] The implementation of the central core with its concave and converging peripheral surface makes it possible to define an angled suction duct which rectifies the flow of air to the extent that at the outlet the flow of air is substantially parallel to the Δ axis while at the inlet the air flow forms a non-zero angle with the axis Δ. In addition, the use of the annular fin makes it possible to obtain, in the suction duct, a laminar displacement of the sucked air, which contributes to increasing the performance of the hair dryer by reducing the pressure losses by upstream of the working chamber. [15] Furthermore, the implementation of the central core associated with the peripheral air inlet allows to release the rear face of the hair dryer which can then be used to place gripping means or fixing. In the same way, since the suction of the air does not occur at the back of the hair dryer, it is possible to fix the hair dryer to a wall with its rear face close to the wall without risk of deterioration of the performance of the hair dryer.

[16] The configuration of the air flow of the hair dryer according to the invention is particularly suitable for so-called large diameter hair dryers. Thus, according to one characteristic of the invention, the smallest dimension of the output section is greater than or equal to 80 mm. As part of this feature, the output section may be in the form of a disk whose diameter is greater than or equal to 80 mm.

[17] The configuration of the aeraulic circuit of the hair dryer according to the invention is also particularly suitable for so-called compact hair dryers whose length and outside diameter have close values. Thus according to one characteristic of the invention, the tubular body has a length, measured parallel to the axis Δ between the outlet and a rear end of the core, which is less than or equal to 1.5 times the largest outside diameter of the body. tubular.

[18] According to a variant of this characteristic, the largest outer diameter of the tubular body is between 100 mm and 250 mm.

[19] According to another characteristic of the invention, the core comprises, opposite the outlet, a flat or convex back.

[20] According to one embodiment of the invention for ensuring airflow in the suction duct as laminar as possible:

the upstream part of the peripheral surface of the central core, which is situated in the immediate vicinity of the air inlet, is tangential either to a plane perpendicular to the Δ axis or to a cone of revolution of axis Δ which converges towards the working chamber and whose angle at the apex is obtuse,

the downstream part of the peripheral surface of the central core, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the working chamber, is tangential to a cylinder of revolution of axis Δ.

[21] In the same sense and according to another embodiment of the invention: the upstream portion of the intrados and the extrados of each fin is tangent to a cone of revolution of axis Δ which converges towards the working chamber and whose apex angle is obtuse,

- The downstream portion of the lower surface and the upper surface of each fin is tangential to a cylinder of revolution axis Δ.

[22] According to the invention different implementations are possible for the electric motor. Thus, according to one characteristic of the invention, the electric motor is located inside the core.

[23] According to the invention the motor-fan can be of any suitable nature, for example a centrifugal fan motor. In a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment, the rotor comprises at least one axial fan propeller. The implementation of such an axial fan allows for a compact fan in that the working chamber can, in this case, have a small axial length.

[24] The hair dryer according to the invention has, at equivalent performance or higher, a noise pollution lower than that of hair dryers according to the prior art.

[25] Of course, the various features, shapes and variants of implementation and implementation of the invention can be associated with each other in various combinations to the extent that they are not incompatible or exclusive of each other .

[26] Furthermore, various other features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment of a hair dryer according to the invention.

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective of a hair dryer according to the invention whose output is equipped with a drying nozzle.

- Figure 2 is a schematic perspective torn along an axial plane of the hair dryer shown in Figure 1 without drying nozzle.

- Figures 3 and 4 are schematic perspectives showing another embodiment of a hair dryer according to the invention comprising movable gripping means. [27] A hair dryer, according to the invention, as illustrated in Figure 1 and generally designated by the reference 1, comprises a tubular body 2 substantially symmetrical in revolution along a longitudinal axis Δ, except for what relates to the gripping means 3 which are located at the rear as will be described later. The tubular body 2 can be formed in several pieces and, for example, in the form of two half-shells made of plastics material assembled along an axial plane and supplemented by inserts, especially with regard to the gripping means 3.

[28] As shown in Figure 2, the tubular body 2 comprises, at the front, an open end 4 of the air outlet. The outlet 4 has a substantially circular shape, it being understood that the air outlet 4 could also have an ellipse shape or an oblong shape. According to the example illustrated in Figure 1, the outlet 4 is equipped with a removable nozzle 5, not shown in Figure 2, to give the air flow an elliptical or oblong shape. The tubular body 2 further comprises near a rear end 6, opposite the outlet 4, a peripheral air inlet 7 which extends over the entire periphery of the body 2.

[29] In order to ensure air blowing through the outlet 4, the hair dryer 1 comprises a motorcycle fan unit 10 disposed in the tubular body 2 between the inlet 7 and the outlet 4. The motorcycle fan assembly 10 comprises a rotor 1 1 which is located in a working chamber 12 connected, on the one hand, to the air inlet 7 by a suction duct 13 and, on the other hand, to the outlet of the air 4 by a blowing duct 14. The rotor 1 1 is integral with the drive shaft 15 of an electric motor 16 whose axis of rotation is coaxial with the longitudinal axis Δ of the tubular body 2.

[30] According to the illustrated example, the rotor 1 1 is formed by an axial fan propeller sucking and blowing the air in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis Δ.

[31] Thus, the suction duct 13 must straighten the flow of air sucked, from a substantially radial direction at the inlet 7, to give it an axial orientation before reaching the working chamber 12. For this purpose, the hair dryer 1 comprises, at the rear of the tubular body 2, a central core 20 comprising a peripheral surface 21 which is concave and converges towards the working chamber 12. The central core 20 has a shape substantially symmetrical axis of rotation Δ and the peripheral surface 21 corresponds, according to the illustrated example, to a portion of the surface of a torus axis Δ. Thus, the central core 20 contributes to conferring, by its peripheral surface 21 and with the tubular body 2, an annular shape to the suction duct 13. According to the illustrated example, the core 20 is hollow and encloses in its central part the electric motor 16.

[32] In order to give the suction air a flow as laminar as possible in the suction duct 13, the hair dryer comprises at least one and, according to the example shown, two annular curved fins 22 and 23. Each curved vane 22 and 23 comprises, on the one hand, a concave underlining 24 oriented towards the tubular body 2 and, on the other hand, a convex extrados 25 oriented towards the core 20. The intrados 24 and the extrados 25 of each fin converge towards the working chamber 12. The curved fins 22 and 23 are kept at a distance from each other and connected to the core 20 and to the tubular body 2 by four radial spacers 26, of which only three are visible in Figure 1.

[33] It should be noted that the implementation of the curved fins 22 and 23 allows, in conformation of the peripheral surface and rotation speed identical, an increase in efficiency of 30% compared to a configuration without fins.

[34] In order to contribute to good air guidance, the upstream portion 30 of the peripheral surface 21 of the central core 20, that is to say the portion of the peripheral surface 21 located in the immediate vicinity of the air inlet 7, is preferably tangent to a plane perpendicular to the axis Δ. In the same direction, the downstream portion of the peripheral surface 21, that is to say the portion of the peripheral surface 21 located in the immediate vicinity of the working chamber 12, is tangential to a cylinder of revolution of axis Δ . Always in the same direction, the upstream portion 32 of the intrados and extrados of each fin is tangent with a cone of revolution axis Δ which converges to the working chamber 12 and whose apex angle a is obtuse. The downstream portion 33 of the intrados and extrados of each fin is, in turn, tangent with a cylinder C of revolution axis Δ.

[35] According to the illustrated example and always in order to optimize the flow of the sucked air, the peripheral edge 35 of the tubular body 2, which contributes to delimit the air inlet 7, is also curved towards the outside so that its inner face is convex and substantially parallel to the intrados of the fin 23 opposite.

[36] The hair dryer 1 further comprises, downstream of the motorcycle fan unit 10 means 36 for electric heating of the blown air. The heating means 36 are located in the blowing chamber 14 and can be made in any suitable manner and, for example, in the form of an electric heating resistance held by radial fins made of insulating materials such as for example mica sheets.

[37] The configuration of the hair dryer according to the invention, with the central core 20 and the curved fins allowing rectification of the air sucked from a substantially radial orientation to give it a substantially axial direction, is particularly suitable for the realization a compact diameter hair dryer. By compact hairdryer, it is to be understood a hair dryer whose length L, measured parallel to the axis Δ, between the outlet 4 and a rear end 6 of the core, is less than or equal to 1, 5 times the largest outside diameter D of the tubular body and preferably substantially equal to this diameter D. By large diameter hair dryer, it is to be understood a hair dryer whose smaller dimension d of the outlet section is greater or equal to 80 mm. In the case of a circular outlet section the diameter d of the latter will be greater than or equal to 80 mm. The largest outer diameter D of a large diameter hair dryer may for example be between 100 mm and 250 mm.

In the context of the invention it has been possible to produce a hair dryer whose largest diameter D and length L are equal to and substantially equal to 120 mm. This hair dryer with a turbine whose diameter is 1 13 mm and with a rotation speed of the order of 4500 rpm provides a flow rate of 120 m ³ / h with a reduced noise level of 15 dBA ( 80 to 65 dBA) compared to a conventional hair dryer having a maximum diameter of the order of 85 mm, and a rotation speed of the order of 7500 rpm for a flow rate of about 70 m ³ / h.

[38] The configuration of the hair dryer according to the invention, in particular its compactness as well as the presence of the central core 20 makes it possible to envisage a new embodiment of the gripping means 3. In fact, in accordance with an essential characteristic of the invention, the rear face of the core 20, can be closed by a flat back or convex back 40 situated opposite the outlet 4, this region can be used to dispose the gripping means 3 therein.

[39] According to the example illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the gripping means 3 comprise, firstly, a palmar bearing surface formed here by the convex back 40. The palmar support surface P is intended to provide support for at least a portion of the palmar surface of a user's hand. The gripping means 3 comprise, on the other hand, a counter-support surface 41 formed by the internal face of a arch 42 secured to the convex back 40. The counter-support surface 41 is then intended to bear on a part of the back of the hand whose palmar face rests on the convex back 40. [40] The gripping means 3, and constituted, allow a new type of grip of the hair dryer according to the invention. Indeed the hair dryer can be held with the hand substantially open engaged between the hoop 42 and the back 40 which allows a grip more relaxed than in the case where the hand is closed on a handle as is the case for a gun-type hair dryer according to the prior art.

[41] According to the example illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gripping means 3 have a fixed position situated opposite the outlet 4. However, another configuration can be envisaged for the gripping means of a dryer. hair according to the invention.

[42] Thus Figures 3 and 4 illustrate an embodiment of the invention according to which the gripping means 3 are movable between, on the one hand, a first position A, illustrated in Figure 3, in which the surface of the palmar support P is situated opposite the outlet 4 and, secondly, a second position B, illustrated in FIG. 4, in which the palmar bearing surface P is situated on the side of the tubular body 2 .

[43] According to this embodiment, the gripping means 3 comprise a plate 50 whose upper face forms the palmar bearing surface P. The plate 50 is fixed to the tubular body 2 by two arms 51, only one of which is visible to 3 and 4. Each arm 51 then comprises a first end rigidly connected to the plate 50 and, on the opposite side of the plate, a second end which is connected to the tubular body 2 by a pivot connection of axis Ω perpendicular to the longitudinal axis Δ of the tubular body 2. Thus, the plate 50 is movable in a 90 ° rotation between its first A and second B positions. The hair dryer may then comprise means for locking the rotation of the arms 51 in order to immobilize the plate 50 in one or other of these two positions A or B.

[44] The gripping means 3 further comprises a hoop 52 which is integral with the plate 50 and which together define a space 53 for the passage of part of the hand of a user. The inner face of the arch 52 then forms the counter-support surface intended to bear against the back of the hand of a user as described above.

[45] It should be noted that according to the example illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the longitudinal axis of the hoop 52 is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation Ω of the plate 50. However, in order to facilitate the gripping of the hair dryer when the plate 50 is in its second position B along the tubular body 2, the longitudinal axis of the arch 52 may be placed so as to be perpendicular to the axis of rotation Ω. Thus, the longitudinal axis of the arch 52 will be parallel to the longitudinal axis Δ of the tubular body when the plate 50 is in its second position B.

[46] The hair dryer 1, according to the invention, thus constituted operates at equivalent drying performance, emitting less noise than hair dryers according to the previous.

[47] Of course, various other modifications can be made to the hair dryer according to the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

B1 154EXT

CLAIMS 1. Hair dryer including:

a tubular body (2) having a longitudinal axis (Δ) which is open at a front end, called an outlet end (4), and which comprises, near a rear end (6) opposite the outlet (4), a substantially peripheral air inlet (7),

- a motor-fan unit (10) which is arranged in the tubular body (2) between the inlet (7) and the outlet (4) and which comprises an electric motor (16) driving in rotation along a parallel axis or merged with the axis Δ, a rotor (1 1) located in a working chamber (12) and adapted to suck the air through the inlet (7) and back through the outlet (4),

- gripping means (3) comprising a palmar bearing surface (P) for at least part of the palmar surface of a hand and a counter-support surface (41) on at least part of the back of the hand

characterized in that the gripping means (3) are movable between a first position (A) in which the palmar bearing surface (P) is situated opposite the outlet (4) relative to the tubular body (2). ) and a second position (B) in which the bearing surface (P) is located on the side of the tubular body (2)

2. Dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripping means are adapted so that the bearing surface (P) is located opposite the outlet (4) relative to the tubular body (2) .

3. Hair dryer according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the gripping means (3) comprise a plate (50) whose upper face forms the palmar surface (P) and a bow (42) which is secured to the plate (50) and which delimits with the plate (50) a space for the passage of a part of the hand, the face of the arch (42) oriented towards the plate forming the counter-support surface ( 41).

4. Hair dryer according to claim 3, characterized in that the plate is fixed on the tubular body (2) by at least one arm which is connected to the tubular body (2) by a pivot connection axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis Δ.

Hair dryer according to one of the preceding claims, comprising: - At the rear (6) of the tubular body (2), a central core (20) of axis Δ comprising a peripheral surface (21) which is concave and converges towards the working chamber (12) and which defines, with the tubular body (2), the air inlet (7) and an annular suction duct (13),

- In the suction duct (13), at least one annular curved fin of axis Δ whose intrados (24) and the extrados converge towards the working chamber (12).

Hair dryer according to claim 5, characterized in that the smallest dimension of the outlet section (4) is greater than or equal to 80 mm.

Hair dryer according to claim 6, characterized in that the outlet section (4) is in the form of a disc whose diameter (d) is greater than or equal to 80 mm.

8. Hair dryer according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the tubular body (2) has a length (L), measured parallel to the axis Δ between the outlet (4) and a rear end ( 6) of the core, which is less than or equal to 1.5 times the largest outside diameter (D) of the tubular body (2).

9. Hair dryer according to claim 8, characterized in that the largest outer diameter (D) of the tubular body (2) is between 100 mm and 250 mm.

10. Hair dryer according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the core (20) comprises opposite the outlet (4) a back (40) of flat or convex shape.

1 1. Hair dryer according to one of Claims 6 to 10, characterized in that:

the upstream portion of the peripheral surface (21) of the central core (20), which is situated in the immediate vicinity of the air inlet (7), is tangential to either a plane perpendicular to the Δ axis or to a cone of revolution of axis Δ which converges towards the working chamber (12) and whose apex angle (a) is obtuse,

- The downstream part of the peripheral surface (21) of the central core (20), which is located in the immediate vicinity of the working chamber (12), is tangential to a cylinder of revolution axis Δ.

Hair dryer according to one of Claims 6 to 11, characterized in that

the upstream portion (32) of the intrados (24) and the extrados (25) of each fin (22, 23) is tangent to a cone of revolution of axis Δ which converges towards the working chamber (12) and whose angle at the apex (a) is obtuse, - The downstream part (33) of the intrados (24) and the extrados (25) of each fin (22, 23) is tangent to a cylinder of revolution axis Δ.

13. Hair dryer according to one of claims 6 to 12, characterized in that the electric motor (16) is located inside the core (20).

14. Hair dryer according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the rotor (1 1) comprises at least one axial fan propeller.