Hair care appliance with automatic mode change

Abstract

The invention relates to a hair care appliance. In particular, the invention relates to automatic control of a hair care appliance. More specifically, the present invention relates to a hair care appliance that changes its operating mode when brought in proximity to a passive element. Thus, a hand-held hair care appliance (100) is provided, comprising a proximity sensor device (106), where the hand-held hair care appliance is arranged to detect the presence or absence of a passive element (102) external to the hand-held hair care appliance (100) by means of the proximity sensor device (106), where the hand-held hair care appliance (100) is arranged to operate in at least two operating modes, and wherein the handheld hair care appliance (100) is arranged to transition between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation depending on the detected presence or absence of the passive element (102).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to hair care appliances. In particular, the present invention relates to the automatic control of hair care appliances. More specifically, the present invention relates to a hair care appliance that changes its operating mode when brought near a passive element. Background Art

[0002] The present invention relates to hair care appliances.

[0003] Hair care appliances are generally used for drying and / or styling hair. Typical hair care appliances include heaters and / or blowers for generating a hot air stream that is directed onto the hair of the user of the hair care appliance. By applying the (heated) air stream in a defined manner to the hair, wet or damp hair can be dried and the hair can be styled, i.e., processed by the air stream to be held in place and assume a desired form and shape. Examples of such hair care appliances are hair dryers, hair stylers, hair curlers or hair straighteners.

[0004] In order to dry and / or style hair within an acceptable amount of time, high-power heater elements and / or blower elements are used inside such hair care appliances. The use of such high-power heater elements and / or blower elements generally results in providing a high-power air stream, which can exert a great force on any object in the flow path of the air stream. Also, regular use of a high-power heater can heat the air stream to a temperature that requires special attention during use. When such a hot air stream is directed onto an object or surface in a particularly inattentive manner, it may cause rapid heating of the object or surface and, depending on the exposure time, may overheat the object / surface, resulting in damage to the object or surface. At the same time, such unattended activation of a hair care appliance requires a large amount of energy, thus unnecessarily wasting energy without producing any styling or drying effect.

[0005] Furthermore, in the case where a high-power air stream is directed onto a surface, the application of a force to the surface may cause a reaction force to act on the hair care appliance, which may result in a displacement and / or accidental movement of the hair care appliance. Such unattended movement may ultimately lead to an uncoordinated repositioning of the hair care appliance, e.g., when the reaction force moves the hair care appliance off a shelf or table, the hair care appliance may fall to the floor. Such a fall may cause damage to the hair care appliance. Finally, a hair care appliance operating without providing any styling / drying benefit to the user may cause premature aging of the hair care appliance and its electronic and electrical components.

[0006] Therefore, it may be necessary to automatically control a hair care appliance when it is in a non-use state.

[0007] In addition, it may be necessary to set defined operating modes according to the current use state of the hair care appliance. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The subject matter of the independent claims can meet at least one such requirement. Preferred embodiments are provided in the dependent claims and are explained in detail in the following description.

[0009] The present invention relates to a hair care appliance that changes its operating mode when brought near a passive element.

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a handheld hair care appliance comprising a proximity sensor device, wherein the handheld hair care appliance is arranged to detect the presence or absence of a passive element external to the handheld hair care appliance by means of the proximity sensor device, wherein the handheld hair care appliance is arranged to operate in at least two operating modes, and wherein the handheld hair care appliance is arranged to switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode in accordance with the detected presence or absence of the passive element.

[0011] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit of a handheld hair care appliance and a passive element according to the present invention, wherein the passive element is arranged to receive the handheld hair care appliance, and wherein the handheld hair care appliance is arranged to assume a second operating mode when received by the passive element.

[0012] One aspect of the present disclosure is that the hair care appliance is arranged to detect the presence or absence of a dedicated external element, in particular a passive element. The passive or external element is such an element that may not be necessary for the normal operating mode of the hair care appliance per se, but when the presence or absence of the element is detected, it may have an impact on the operating mode of the hair care appliance. The presence or absence of the element may substantially result in determining that the hair care appliance is near the element and may potentially include knowledge or information about how close the hair care appliance is to the element.

[0013] When the hair care appliance detects the presence of an external / passive element, the hair care appliance may be arranged to switch or change from the current operating mode to another operating mode. Here, the current operating mode may be a normal operating mode for drying and / or styling the hair, while the other operating mode may be an operating mode that does not provide / intend to provide styling and / or drying functions. In other words, the other operating mode may have reduced functionality, such as turning off the heater element and / or the blower element. Such an operating mode may result in a significant reduction in the energy used by the hair care appliance and may avoid damaging objects or surfaces in the flow path of the air stream of the hair care appliance, and may also avoid damaging the hair care appliance by avoiding inadvertent movement.

[0014] The passive component can be a dedicated component for accommodating a hair care appliance when it is not intended to be used. Such a dedicated component can be a positioning pad or a holder suitable for accommodating the hair care appliance, that is, for holding the hair care appliance in a defined state and / or position. When the hair care appliance detects its proximity to such a passive component, the hair care appliance, for example, the electronic control element of the hair care appliance such as a microprocessor, can switch the electronic devices within the hair care appliance to conform to another operating mode. In other words, the electronic control element can turn off the blower element and / or the heater element.

[0015] Which one or both of the blower element and the heater element are controlled to be turned off or deactivated may depend on the specific type of passive component. In other words, one type of passive component can turn off the blower, another type of passive component can turn off the heater, and yet another type of passive component can turn off both.

[0016] The passive component can include a detectable element that can be detected by the hair care appliance. Thus, the hair care appliance can detect the presence or absence of the passive component by detecting the detectable element of the passive component. The detectable element can be, for example, an RFID tag, which itself is not an active component but is only activated when exposed to an external electromagnetic field or external electromagnetic radiation, so that the detectable element emits a response in reaction to the external electric field or external electric radiation, and this response can in turn be detected by the hair care appliance.

[0017] When the hair care appliance is brought near the passive component, for example, when the hair care appliance is placed on a pad or a product holder equipped with the detectable element, the hair care appliance can obtain a response from the detectable element, and thus can change its operating mode as described above. Therefore, the function of the passive component is to prevent the hair care appliance from being inadvertently moved by the air flow and / or to protect the surface or object from the high temperature of the air flow of the hair care appliance.

[0018] In addition, the hair care appliance may include a sensor that detects movement of the hair care appliance, such as an accelerometer. When the presence of the passive element / detectable element is detected and the hair care appliance is not being moved, such as by detecting that the acceleration is substantially zero, the hair care appliance may be adapted to adopt only another / second operating mode. The advantage provided is that the hair care appliance does not enter the second operating mode merely because no movement is detected, as during hair styling, there may be situations where the hair care appliance remains substantially in place without moving, and thus deactivation based solely on the sensor readings of the motion sensor may not be ideal in all cases. Similarly, reactivation of the hair care appliance by detecting movement may be combined with detecting the presence or absence of the passive element, and reactivation occurs only when movement is detected and it is determined that the passive element is absent. This allows the hair care appliance to be repositioned with the passive element without reactivating the hair care appliance due to movement.

[0019] It is also conceivable to adopt the second operating mode by combining information from a motion sensor and a proximity sensor device that detects the presence or absence of the passive element. For example, when the proximity of the passive element is detected, the hair care appliance substantially immediately adopts the second operating mode, while when no movement is detected, the hair care appliance adopts the second operating mode only after a defined delay. It is also conceivable that the second operating mode may be adopted only after a delay defined based on information received from a motion sensor and / or a proximity sensor device that detects the presence or absence of the passive element.

[0020] Therefore, due to the immediate standby response, reduced power consumption during styling is provided. In addition, the user will learn safer behavior when using the mat / holder, reducing the risk of slipping or accidental burns. In addition, the chance of accidentally waking up due to touching the hair care appliance and / or its power cord is reduced.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first operating mode may be a normal operating mode, and the second operating mode may be a reduced function operating mode, in particular an operating mode with reduced power consumption and / or a standby operating mode.

[0022] Providing the second operating mode or the standby operating mode results in reduced power consumption during each styling, provides a faster standby than using a timer together with motion detection, and reduces the risk of accidental wake-up.

[0023] The reduced function can be understood as restricting the output power to elements of the appliance, such as a blower element and / or a heater element, while potentially not completely deactivating their respective functions, such as only restricting the power of the blower (motor) and / or restricting the temperature of the air flow.

[0024] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the handheld hair care appliance may be arranged to adopt a second operating mode when the presence of a passive element is detected.

[0025] The detection of the presence may occur substantially simultaneously with placing the hair care appliance on the passive element or receiving the hair care appliance by the passive element. Such detection may particularly include detecting the presence only when the hair care appliance is in close proximity to the passive element, for example, at a distance less than 20 cm, less than 10 cm, less than 5 cm or less than 2 cm.

[0026] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the proximity sensor device may include RFID reading capabilities and may detect the presence or absence of the passive element by detecting the presence or absence of an RFID tag in the passive element, or the proximity sensor device may include a magnetic sensor and may detect the presence or absence of the passive element by detecting the presence or absence of a magnetic element in the passive element.

[0027] Using an RFID tag or a magnetic element as a detectable element may result in automatically detecting the detectable element only in the immediate vicinity of the detectable element. For example, when the RFID transmitting and / or reading capabilities of the hair care appliance are within a defined distance from the RFID tag, such as less than 20 cm, less than 10 cm, less than 5 cm or less than 2 cm from the RFID tag, the RFID tag may respond only to external electromagnetic radiation or an external electromagnetic field. Similarly, the magnetic element may be arranged to be detectable by the magnetic sensor only within a defined distance from the magnetic element, such as less than 20 cm, less than 10 cm, less than 5 cm or less than 2 cm from the magnetic element.

[0028] The presence or absence of an RFID tag (usually the detectable element) may be understood as the RFID tag being readable or not readable.

[0029] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the handheld hair care appliance may be arranged to read multiple RFID tags substantially simultaneously.

[0030] By being able to read multiple RFID tags substantially simultaneously, particularly determining multiple different RFID tags, it may be allowed for the hair care appliance to adopt additional operating modes. Similarly, detecting different RFID tags may allow the hair care appliance to decide to ignore a particular operating mode, which would depend on the first RFID tag, because a second RFID tag associated with a different particular operating mode is detected. In other words, different RFID tags may have different importance or priorities such that detecting an RFID tag with a higher priority than another RFID tag allows ignoring the operating mode associated with the lower priority RFID tag by the higher priority RFID tag.

[0031] For example, an accessory for a hair care appliance may include an RFID tag for setting a defined operating mode, such as a defined maximum temperature and / or a maximum hair dryer setting. When the hair care appliance is thus operated in an operating mode associated with a particular accessory / its RFID tag, the detection of a detectable element in a passive element, such as another RFID tag, especially having a higher priority than the RFID tag of the accessory, may cause an operating mode associated with the passive element to be adopted, regardless of the detection of the RFID tag of the accessory. In other words, when the presence of a passive element is detected, a hair care appliance operating in a defined operating mode set by the RFID tag in the accessory may still adopt a second operating mode, such as a standby operating mode, triggered by the detection of a detectable element of the passive element.

[0032] According to another embodiment of the invention, a handheld hair care appliance may further include an accelerometer for obtaining motion information of the handheld hair care appliance, and the handheld hair care appliance may be arranged to adopt a second operating mode when no motion is detected, or the handheld hair care appliance may be arranged to adopt a second operating mode when no motion is detected and the presence of a passive element is detected.

[0033] Adopting a second operating mode based on the detection of the motion of the hair care appliance, for example by using an accelerometer or a similar motion sensor, may allow the handheld hair care appliance to adopt a second operating mode even when the hair care appliance is not placed near a passive element, i.e. when the presence of a passive element is not detected. This may occur when the user places the hair care appliance anywhere not near a passive element. Here, the hair care appliance may not immediately detect that the user is currently not using the hair care appliance, and thus the second operating mode may be activated based on a timing delay starting when no motion is detected any longer.

[0034] In addition, a second operating mode may be adopted when no motion is detected and the presence of a passive element is detected. This is substantially consistent with the user replacing the hair care appliance near a passive element, such as placing the hair care appliance on a passive element embodied as a mat or a stand. Adopting a second operating mode when no motion is detected and the presence of a passive element is detected may allow for an instantaneous switch to a standby operating mode with a reduced margin of error.

[0035] According to another embodiment of the invention, a handheld hair care appliance may be arranged to adopt a first operating mode when motion is detected and the absence of a passive element is detected.

[0036] When movement is detected and no passive element is detected, taking a first operating mode or more generally an operating mode different from a second operating mode allows the hair care appliance to be repositioned with the passive element without leaving the second operating mode. In other words, as long as the presence of the passive element is detected, movement of the hair care appliance does not cause activation of an operating mode different from the second operating mode.

[0037] According to another embodiment of the invention, a handheld hair care appliance may be arranged to use an encryption and / or signature function when reading an RFID tag.

[0038] Using an encryption and / or signature function when reading an RFID tag may only allow a linked, identified or authorized RFID tag to cause a mode switch, i.e., to cause a switch to the second operating mode.

[0039] According to another embodiment of the invention, the passive element may be a holder, a product support, a positioning pad or a mat for the handheld hair care appliance.

[0040] When the passive element is implemented as a holder, a product support, a positioning pad or a mat, the user may immediately associate the function of adopting the second operating mode with placing the hair care appliance on the holder, the product support, the positioning pad or the mat or receiving the hair care appliance by it. Receiving may in particular mean that the passive element has such means that the handheld hair care appliance is temporarily firmly and in particular reversibly connected to the passive element. For example, at least one of the handheld hair care appliance and the passive element includes engaging means for reversibly locking the two elements together such that one element can move to a certain extent while the other element does not leave the contact or vicinity of each other.

[0041] According to another embodiment of the invention, the passive element may include a connection mechanism for connecting the handheld hair care appliance to the passive element.

[0042] By having a connection mechanism, when the hair care appliance is placed on or received by the passive element, the connection mechanism provides a (reversible) connection between the hair care appliance and the passive element, thereby reducing the risk of accidental detachment of the hair care appliance from the passive element.

[0043] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the passive element may include anti-slip material, and / or the passive element may include heat-resistant or heat-insulating material.

[0044] By providing a non-slip material, it is possible to prevent a handheld hair care appliance from slipping off a passive component when the hair care appliance is placed on the passive component, especially when received by the passive component. When the hair care appliance is in contact with / placed on the passive component, the heat-resistant element can protect the passive component from being temporarily exposed to the heat of the air flow. Similarly, when the hair care appliance is in contact with / placed on the passive component, the heat-insulating material protects the surroundings of the passive component from being temporarily exposed to the heat of the air flow.

[0045] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the passive component may include an RFID tag and / or a magnetic element.

[0046] By providing an RFID tag and / or a magnetic element for the passive component, the presence or absence of the passive component can be detected by the hair care appliance. In other words, the hair care appliance can detect that the RFID tag and / or the magnetic element is arranged nearby, especially near its proximity sensor device, and thus infer that the passive component is also near the hair care appliance / proximity sensor device.

[0047] According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the handheld hair care appliance detects the presence of the passive component by reading the RFID tag of the passive component and reads another RFID tag related to the change of another third operation mode of the handheld hair care appliance, the handheld hair care appliance can be adapted to adopt and maintain the second operation mode as long as the presence of the passive component is detected.

[0048] In other words, the RFID tag associated with the passive component may have a higher priority than another RFID tag. When the hair care appliance detects two RFID tags, it can select to activate the operation mode associated with the RFID tag with the higher priority. In the case where the RFID tag of the passive component is the tag with the higher priority, it is possible to prevent the hair care appliance from inadvertently switching to different operation modes according to the chronological order of reading one or the other RFID tag.

[0049] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the handheld hair care appliance may be battery-powered, and the passive component may be arranged to charge the handheld hair care appliance in a second mode.

[0050] The passive element may comprise a charging element for charging the hair care appliance, in particular a battery of the hair care appliance. The hair care appliance may only accept wireless charging when the passive element and / or the hair care appliance is detected to be in the second operating mode. Being in the second operating mode, for example a standby mode, allows simplifying the charging of the battery, since the standby mode assumes that the hair care appliance itself uses only a minimum amount of energy, in particular no energy is used to operate the heater and / or the hair dryer. Furthermore, the hair care appliance may be arranged such that charging is only desired when the passive element is present, and any charging element of the hair care appliance, for example an element for receiving wireless energy, is substantially deactivated when the hair care appliance is not in the vicinity of the passive element, i.e. when the passive element is not present. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0052] Figure 1 A first embodiment of a handheld hair care appliance having passive elements according to the present invention is shown.

[0053] Figure 2 A second embodiment of a handheld hair care appliance having passive elements according to the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] Reference now Figure 1 , which shows a first embodiment of a handheld hair care appliance with passive elements according to the present invention.

[0055] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the handheld hair care appliance 100 is exemplarily depicted as a hair dryer. The hair dryer has a tubular head 114 with an opening 110 for air intake at the rear side and an air outlet at the rear side. Figure 1 100 because it points in the direction of the plane of the drawing. A handle 112 is provided for holding and operating the handheld hair care appliance 100, i.e., directing the air flow of the handheld hair care appliance 100 toward the hair of the user. A controller 108 is provided for turning the handheld hair care appliance 100 on / off and / or adjusting the intensity of the air flow and / or the temperature of the air flow, etc. Figure 1 The handheld hair care appliance 100 is illustratively a corded hair care appliance, ie, external energy is required to be provided via a power cord 116 .

[0056] Figure 1The passive external component 102 is further depicted in. The passive external component 102 is arranged as a holder or support for the handheld hair care appliance 100. The passive external component 102 exemplarily has a receptacle 118 which is adapted to mate with a side surface, such as a front side surface, and more specifically an exemplary opening 110 such that the handheld hair care appliance 100 can be firmly but reversibly attached to the passive external component 102. When attached to the passive external component 102, the handheld hair care appliance 100 is held in place, i.e., has a defined position relative to the passive external component 102. In Figure 1 the passive external component 102 is exemplarily tilted upwards to allow the handheld hair care appliance 100 to be easily inserted into and removed from the passive external component 102. Additional reversible connection means, such as one or more magnetic elements, may be provided in the passive external component, which are not shown in Figure 1 . The magnetic elements may be exemplarily arranged in the vicinity of the receptacle 118, such as on the circumference of the receptacle 118, and may engage with a corresponding one or more magnetic elements arranged at the handheld hair care appliance, such as in the vicinity of the opening 110 facing the passive external component 102. Thus, at least one magnetic element of the passive external component 102 can engage with at least one magnetic element of the handheld hair care appliance 100, thereby providing a reversible attachment and thus firmly holding the handheld hair care appliance 100 relative to the passive external component 102.

[0057] The passive external component 102 is exemplarily provided with an RFID tag 104. The head 114 of the handheld hair care appliance 100 in turn has an RFID reading element 106 which is in Figure 1It is not visible in [description], because it is arranged to point in the direction of the passive external component 102. The RFID tag 104 and the RFID reading element 106 are positioned such that when the handheld hair care appliance 100 engages with the passive external component 102, i.e., when the handheld hair care appliance 100 is placed on the passive external component 102 as intended, they are arranged nearby. When the RFID reading element 106 (usually a proximity sensor device with a proximity sensor) detects the presence of the RFID tag 104, the handheld hair care appliance 100 can adopt a second operating mode. For example, in the first operating mode, the handheld hair care appliance 100 can operate normally using the controller 108. When the handheld hair care appliance 100 detects the presence of the RFID tag 104, it switches to the second operating mode, such as a standby operating mode, in which the heating element and / or the blowing element in the handheld hair care appliance can be substantially turned off or at least can be in a standby mode. Thus, simply by placing the handheld hair care appliance 100 on the passive external component 102, the user can trigger the switch from the first operating mode to the second operating mode, thereby placing the handheld hair care appliance in the standby mode.

[0058] In addition, the handheld hair care appliance 100 can include an acceleration detection element, such as an accelerometer 120, which is only schematically shown as being arranged inside Figure 1 When determining whether to enter or exit the second operating mode, the handheld hair care appliance can also use the information obtained from the accelerometer 120. For example, when the handheld hair care appliance 100 is placed on the passive external component 102, it can adopt the second operating mode. At the same time, the accelerometer 120 does not record any movement. When the accelerometer 120 detects movement, but the handheld hair care appliance still records the presence of the passive external component 102 by detecting the RFID tag 104, the second operating mode can be maintained, although the accelerometer records the movement of the handheld hair care appliance 100, which in this case will be the movement of the handheld hair care appliance 100 together with the passive external component 102 attached to each other.

[0059] Now refer to Figure 2 , which shows a second embodiment of a handheld hair care appliance with a passive element according to the present invention.

[0060] In Figure 2In this case, the handheld hair care appliance 100 is exemplarily embodied as a hair curler. In addition, the handheld hair care appliance 100 includes a handle 112 and a head 114. The head 114 is arranged in this embodiment to directly engage with the user's hair, i.e., the hair is wound around the head 114, and the head 114 in turn has a plurality of grooves and a potential rotational movement to dry the user's hair while maintaining the curly shape of the hair. The passive external element 102 is arranged in this embodiment as a mat, for example a substantially flat surface, which can further be arranged to prevent the handheld hair care appliance from sliding, for example by providing a surface with a relatively large friction force to prevent the unintentional movement of the handheld hair care appliance 100 relative to the passive external element 102 when placed on the passive external element 102.

[0061] The handheld hair care appliance 100 also includes a controller for operating the handheld hair care appliance. In Figure 2 the embodiment, the controller may additionally include a controller for engaging or disengaging the rotation of the head 114 and / or defining the rotation direction.

[0062] The handle 112 and the head 114 of the handheld hair care appliance 100 can be detached from each other. In other words, the head 114 can be one of a plurality of attachments that can be assembled to the handle 112 of the handheld hair care appliance 100 to change the operating behavior of the handheld hair care appliance. For example, different heads or different sizes of curls or different rotation directions can be provided. Depending on the specific attachment attached to the handle 112, the button for starting and stopping the rotation can trigger a direction-related rotation in the direction suitable for the corresponding attached head 114. In order to determine how the handheld hair care appliance 100 operates in the first operating mode, for example whether the rotation is clockwise or counterclockwise, it can be determined by an attachment-related RFID tag 104c arranged in the attachment, i.e., the head 114. In other words, the RFID reading element 106 of the handheld hair care appliance 100 detects the presence of the RFID tag 104c and is adapted to determine from the information provided by the RFID tag 104c to the RFID reading element 106 that the RFID tag 104c is an RFID tag for a specific type of attachment and operating mode. In particular, the first operating mode of the handheld hair care appliance 100 can be adjusted according to the specific requirements provided by the presence of the RFID tag 104c.

[0063] In addition, Figure 2An exemplary passive external component 102 is shown that includes two particularly independent RFID tags 104a, b. When either of the RFID tags 104a, b is detected, the handheld hair care appliance 100 can switch to a second operating mode because it can determine that it is (will be) placed on the passive external component 102 by detecting the presence of the RFID tags 104a, b. Switching to the second operating mode by detecting one of the RFID tags 104a, b can in particular be independent of the continuous detection of the RFID tag 104c. In other words, the handheld hair care appliance 100 can detect one of the RFID tags 104a, b and additionally the RFID tag 104c, and give priority to the RFID tags 104a, b by switching to the second operating mode.

[0064] Figure 2 The handheld hair care appliance 100 in [description] is also a corded appliance that receives energy via a power cord 116. Additionally, the handheld hair care appliance 100 can also include an accelerometer 120, which implements a similar function as described in the embodiment of [reference]. Figure 1 of [reference].

[0065] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concepts described herein. Any of the features described above and below can be used alone or in combination with any other features described herein, as long as they are not mutually exclusive, and the present disclosure extends to and includes all combinations and sub - combinations of one or more of the features described herein.

[0066] Finally, it should be noted that the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Elements described with respect to different types of embodiments can be combined. The reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0067] List of reference signs

[0068] 100 Handheld hair care appliance

[0069] 102 Passive external component

[0070] 104 RFID tag

[0071] 106 RFID reading element

[0072] 108 Controller

[0073] 110 Opening

[0074] 112 Handle

[0075] 114 Head It should be noted that some parts in the original text seem to be incomplete (such as the missing content in "[description]" and "[reference]" in the translation of ID=4). You may need to check and supplement the complete information for a more accurate translation.

[0076] 116 Power cord

[0077] 118 Receptacle

[0078] 120 Accelerometer

Claims

1. A handheld hair care appliance (100), comprising: a proximity sensor device (106), wherein the handheld hair care appliance is arranged to detect the presence or absence of a passive element (102) outside the handheld hair care appliance (100) by means of the proximity sensor device (106), wherein the handheld hair care appliance (100) is arranged to operate in at least two operating modes, and wherein the handheld hair care appliance (100) is arranged to switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode according to the detected presence or absence of the passive element (102).

2. The handheld hair care appliance according to the preceding claim, Among them, wherein the first operating mode is a normal operating mode, and wherein the second operating mode is a reduced function operating mode, in particular an operating mode with reduced power consumption and / or a standby operating mode.

3. The handheld hair care appliance according to at least one of the preceding claims, Among them, when the presence of the passive element (102) is detected, the handheld hair care appliance (100) is arranged to adopt the second operating mode.

4. The handheld hair care appliance according to at least one of the preceding claims, Among them, wherein the proximity sensor device (106) includes RFID reading capabilities, and wherein the presence or absence of the passive element (102) is detected by detecting the presence or absence of an RFID tag (104) in the passive element, or wherein the proximity sensor device (102) includes a magnetic sensor, and wherein the presence or absence of the passive element (102) is detected by detecting the presence or absence of a magnetic element in the passive element (102).

5. The handheld hair care appliance according to at least one of the preceding claims, Among them, wherein the handheld hair care appliance (100) is arranged to read a plurality of RFID tags substantially simultaneously.

6. The handheld hair care appliance according to at least one of the preceding claims, further comprising: an accelerometer (120) for obtaining motion information of the handheld hair care appliance (102), and wherein the handheld hair care appliance (100) is arranged to adopt the second operating mode when no motion is detected, or wherein the handheld hair care appliance (100) is arranged to adopt the second operating mode when no motion is detected and the presence of the passive element (102) is detected.

7. The handheld hair care appliance according to the preceding claim, Among them, wherein the handheld hair care appliance (100) is arranged to adopt the first operating mode when motion is detected and the absence of the passive element is detected.

8. The handheld hair care appliance according to at least one of claims 4 to 7 preceding, Among them, wherein the handheld hair care appliance (100) is arranged to use encryption and / or signature functions when reading the RFID tag (104).

9. A kit of a handheld hair care appliance (100) and a passive element (102) according to at least one of the preceding claims, Among them, The passive element (102) is arranged to receive the handheld hair care appliance (100), and wherein, the handheld hair care appliance (100) is arranged to adopt a second operating mode when received by the passive element (102).

10. The kit according to the previous claim, Among them, the passive element (102) is a holder, a product support, a positioning pad or a mat of the handheld hair care appliance.

11. The kit according to at least one of the preceding claims, Among them, the passive element (102) includes a connection mechanism (118) to connect the handheld hair care appliance to the passive element.

12. The kit according to at least one of the preceding claims, Among them, the passive element (102) includes an anti-slip material, and / or wherein, the passive element (102) includes a heat-resistant or heat-insulating material.

13. The kit according to at least one of the preceding claims, Among them, the passive element includes an RFID tag (104) and / or a magnetic element.

14. The kit according to at least one of the preceding claims, Among them, When the handheld hair care appliance detects the presence of the passive element (102) by reading the RFID tags (104a, b) of the passive element (102), and reads another RFID tag (104c) related to the change of another third operating mode of the handheld hair care appliance (100), as long as the presence of the passive element (102) is detected, the handheld hair care appliance (100) is adapted to adopt and maintain the second operating mode.

15. The kit according to at least one of the preceding claims, Among them, the handheld hair care appliance (100) is battery-powered, and wherein, the passive element (102) is arranged to charge the handheld hair care appliance (100) in the second mode.

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