WO2018041546A1

WO2018041546A1 - A hair dryer

Info

Publication number: WO2018041546A1
Application number: PCT/EP2017/069930
Authority: WO
Inventors: Unsal KAYA; Pinar YAVUZ; Oguzhan KAYA; Nihat Gunduz; Ahmet Alptekin
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2016-09-02
Filing date: 2017-08-07
Publication date: 2018-03-08
Also published as: TR201612452A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hair dryer (1) comprising a body (2), air inlet openings (3) provided on the back portion of the body (2), a fan (4) provided in front of the air inlet openings (3), an motor (5) provided in front of the fan (4), driving the fan (4), and heater plates (7) provided in the body (2) in front of the motor (5).

Description

A HAIR DRYER

The present invention relates to a hair dryer with heater plates.

In hair dryers, heating is performed by filaments heating upon supplying current. Air sucked from outside by means of a fan is heated by passing it via heater filaments, and is directed towards hair. Filaments occupying a much smaller sectional area than the fan inside the hair dryer body, enable heating the air to desired operation temperature by reaching very high temperatures. The operation temperature is determined so as not to injure the hair and the scalp. However, the heat distribution of the air blown is not homogeneous due to the placement of the filaments in the body. The air in line with the filaments is hotter whereas the air further away from the filaments tend to be cooler. Hair dryers with non-homogeneous heat distribution injure the hair and the scalp of the user. The greatest obstacle of the filaments to be lined up so as to offer a sectional area completely covering inside the body, is the swirling of the air flow through needed electrical connections.

State of the art European patent application no. EP2238856 mentions a hair dryer performing heating process by means of coating a heater film on ceramic material.

State of the art international patent application no. WO2014157777 mentions a hair dryer performing heating electromagnetically.

The aim of the present invention is to realize a hair dryer in which the air blown by means of a fan has a homogeneous flow and heat distribution.

The hair dryer realized to achieve the aim of the present invention and disclosed in the claims comprises plates lined up spacedly and side by side, coated with heater film, positioned so as to be in front of a fan and an motor inside a body with air inlet openings provided on its back portion, extending overall so as to cover the inside of the body almost completely. With the present invention, the hair and the scalp are dried with air having equal temperature at almost completely all points, instead of unequal heat and air flow distribution of known hair dryers. Thus, temperatures injuring hair and scalp are not necessarily reached in the hair dryer, and energy is saved as well as providing homogeneous heat distribution. Plates coated with heater film are preferably fed from a single port and complex electrical connections are not required. By this, air flow becomes stable and homogeneous. In another embodiment of the invention, the plates are lined up parallel to each other.

In another embodiment of the invention, the plates are lined up in the body so as to be equally spaced with each other. With this embodiment, the air blown by the fan is enabled to have a homogeneous flow when it passes through the body, and in turn, homogeneous heat distribution is provided by homogeneous flow of the air.

In another embodiment of the invention, the body has a cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, the widths of the plates narrow down further away from the circular center so as to almost cover the circular sectional area of the body. The heat distribution is homogenized by covering inside of the body almost completely.

In another embodiment of the invention, the plates are made of aluminum. The aluminum plates are coated with a non-conducting material for the heater plates not to short circuit. Thus, the aluminum is also heated when the heater film is heated, saving energy for heating the air thanks to high heat capacity of aluminum, and enabling the hair dryer to become operative rapidly in initial use.

In an embodiment of the invention, equal heat distribution is provided by the plates being coated by heater film in sizes proportional to their surface areas. Film resistances become proportional to the sizes of the plates by coating film proportionally to the sizes of the plates getting smaller further away from the center of the body, and heat is dissipated by the plates in proportion to their sizes by feeding the same amount of current to all plates. Thus, all of the plates are heated to the same temperature.

In another embodiment of the invention, flow regulating feet are provided on the ends of the plates, opening outwards in order to efficiently convey the air blown by the fan in between the plates. Air to enter in between the plates in the center portion becomes difficult due to the motor arranged right in front of the fan. The air blown is particularly enabled to enter in between the plates in the center portion thanks to the flow regulating feet opening outwards. Equal distribution of air enables equal distribution of the heat.

In another embodiment of the invention, the ends of the flow regulating feet proximate to the motor are parallel to the plates in order to convey the air blown by the fan to the plates without decelerating. By this, the air blown enters in the feet without meeting an obstacle, and is directed to the plates.

In another embodiment of the invention, the periphery of the motor is surrounded by flow regulating feet. With this embodiment, sizes of the hair dryer is kept more compact and instabilities in the air flow are eliminated.

In the hair dryer of the present invention, a homogeneous heat distribution and a homogeneous air flow is obtained thanks to the plates lined up side by side, covering inside the body. By this, the hair and the scalp are not injured through overheating during hair drying process. In addition to homogeneous distributions, energy is also saved thanks to the shape of the plates and the flow regulating feet.

The hair dryer realized to achieve the aims of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hair dryer.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of a hair dryer.

Figure 3a is a view of a plate in an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3b is a perspective view of the plates in an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the body from above in an embodiment of the invention.

The elements in the figures are numbered individually and the correspondence of these numbers are given hereinafter.

Hair dryer
Body
Opening
Fan
Motor
Handle
Plate
Foot

The hair dryer (1) comprises a body (2), air inlet openings (3) provided on the back portion of the body (2), a fan (4) provided in front of the air inlet openings (3), an motor (5) provided in front of the fan (4), driving the fan (4), a handle (6) preferably provided on the lower portion of the body (2), and heater plates (7) provided in the body (2) in front of the motor (5), preferably coated with film enabling their heating. The air blown by the fan (4) is heated by feeding electrical current to the films. In separate embodiments of the invention separate methods can be used for heating the plates (7).

The hair dryer (1) of the invention comprises a plurality of plates (7) lined up spacedly along the section of the body (2), extending from the front portion of the fan (4) to the end of the body (2). The plates (7) are preferably lined up side by side in the body (2) so as to almost cover the section of the body (2) perpendicular to the air flow plane. The air blown by the fan (4) is almost completely heated thanks to the plates (7) lined up side by side inside the body (2), and a homogeneous heat distribution is obtained thanks to the plates (7) covering the entire body (2). The air flow becomes stable since heating is performed by means of the heater films provided on the plates (7).

In an embodiment of the invention, the plates (7) are parallel to each other. With this embodiment, the air flow in the body (2) becomes linear. Thus, heating the air is facilitated and turbulence formation is eliminated.

In an embodiment of the invention, the plates (7) are equally spaced with each other. With this embodiment, it is intended to give an equal heat distribution to the air blown by the fan (4) when it is heated by contacting the plates (7) coated with heater film. Also, stable and homogeneous air flow is obtained by enabling the air flow rate to be equal between the plates (7).

In another embodiment of the invention, the hair dryer (1) comprises a body (2) having a cylindrical shape, and the widths of the plates (7) narrow down further away from the center so as to cover the circular sectional area of the body (2). With this embodiment, the plates (7) are enabled to cover inside the body (2) almost completely, providing homogeneity both for heat distribution and for air flow distribution. Heat distribution is homogenized by homogeneous distribution of the air blown by the fan (4) inside the body (2).

In another embodiment of the invention, the plates (7) are made by coating dielectric material on aluminum. The plates (7) are heated by feeding electrical current to the heater film provided on the plates (7). With this embodiment, high heat capacity of aluminum is utilized and the air blown by the fan (4) is enabled to reach a desired temperature right after starting the hair dryer (1).

In an embodiment of the invention, the plates (7) are coated with heater film in sizes proportional to their surface areas. The plates (7) are required to be heated to equal temperature in order to obtain a homogeneous heat distribution. For heating the plates (7) of separate sizes to the same temperature, they are coated with heater film in sizes proportional to their surface areas. With this embodiment, an electric circuit supplying separate amounts of currents to separate plates (7), is no longer required, thereby enabling using a circuit of a simpler structure, and consequently a hair dryer of a lower cost is obtained. In addition, all of the plates (7) being at the same temperature enable the air blown onto the hair to become almost completely at the same temperature, in other words, to have a homogeneous heat distribution.

In another embodiment of the invention, the hair dryer (1) comprises flow regulating feet (8) provided on the ends of the plates (7) proximate to the motor (5), opening outwards perpendicularly to the lineup plane of the plates (7). The motor (5) provided in front of the fan (4) makes it difficult to convey air to the plates (7). The volume of the air blown by the fan (4) increases towards the walls of the body (2) as a result of the position of the motor (5). The air blown by the fan (4) is enabled to be equally distributed to all of the plates (7) thanks to the flow regulating feet (8).

In another embodiment of the invention, the ends of the flow regulating feet (8) proximate to the motor (5) are parallel to each other. With this embodiment, the air blown by the fan (4) is enabled to couple with the plates (7) without meeting an obstacle, in other words without decelerating. Thus, a stable air flow in the body (2) is provided. This decreases the burden on the fan (4) saving energy.

In another embodiment of the invention, the flow regulating feet (8) extend backwards inside the body (2) so as to surround the motor (5). With this embodiment, the air sucked by the fan (4) through the air suction openings (3) is directed to the plates (7) directly. The air sucked is efficiently conveyed to the plates (7) by preventing disturbance of the air flow when it passes via the motor (5), in other words by preventing vortex formation.

The hair dryer (1) of the invention performs hair drying without injuring the hair and the scalp. Thanks to the air flow with a homogeneous heat distribution, it is not necessary to reach high temperatures in the body (2), thereby saving energy.

Claims

A hair dryer (1) comprising a body (2), air inlet openings (3) provided on the back portion of the body (2), a fan (4) provided in front of the air inlet openings (3), an motor (5) provided in front of the fan (4), driving the fan (4), and heater plates (7) provided in the body (2) in front of the motor (5), characterized by a plurality of plates (7) lined up spacedly along the section of the body (2), extending from the front portion of the fan (4) to the end of the body (2) where air exits.
A hair dryer (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the plates (7) being parallel to each other.
A hair dryer (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the plates (7) equally spaced with each other.
A hair dryer (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the body (2) having a cylindrical shape, and by the plates (7) whose widths narrow down further away from the center so as to cover the circular sectional area of the body (2).
A hair dryer (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the plates (7) made by coating dielectric material on aluminum.
A hair dryer (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the plates (7) coated by heater film in sizes proportional to their surface areas.
A hair dryer (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by flow regulating feet (8) provided on the ends of the plates (7) proximate to the motor (5), opening outwards perpendicularly to the lineup plane of the plates (7).
A hair dryer (1) according to claim 7, characterized by the feet (8) whose ends proximate to the motor (5) are parallel to each other.
A hair dryer (1) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized by the feet (8) extending backwards in the body (2) so as to surround the motor (5).