Hair styler

EP4678057A4Pending Publication Date: 2026-07-01LG ELECTRONICS INC

Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
EP · EP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
LG ELECTRONICS INC
Filing Date
2024-03-14
Publication Date
2026-07-01

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing hair stylers cause significant hair damage due to direct heat application, and alternating hot and cold air is difficult to achieve effectively for improved styling without separate tools, leading to reduced styling efficacy.

Method used

A hair styler with integrated thermoelectric modules for alternating hot and cold air, a dual airflow channel system, and a sensor-activated controller for easy operation, allowing seamless switching between hot and cold air modes.

Benefits of technology

Minimizes hair damage by providing effective alternating hot and cold air styling with improved efficiency and ease of use, enhancing styling results.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

This hair styler comprises: a head case extending in the horizontal direction and comprising an air discharge portion on the front end thereof; a handle case coupled to a handle connector formed on the lower portion of the head case; a fan motor mounted in the handle case; an inner case positioned in the head case, the inner case comprising a first portion positioned on the rear side thereof and a first portion positioned on the front side thereof; a thermoelectric module positioned on the first portion of the inner case, the thermoelectric module comprising a heat-absorbing portion and a heat-radiating portion; a heater module positioned on the second portion of the inner case; and an air guide for supplying winds which are supplied from the handle case to the head case to the inner case entrance on the rear side of the inner case. The hair styler can provide cold winds at a temperature lower than the room temperature by using the thermoelectric module, thereby improving the styling effect.
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a hair styler for hair styling that fixes a shape of hair.[Background]

[0002] A hair dryer that discharges gas via an air discharge port is used as a representative hair styling device when removing moisture as much as desired from wet hair or when styling the hair in a desired shape from a current shape.

[0003] In recent years, a use of a hair styler for straightening or waving the hair beyond simply drying hair is increasing. However, because such a hair styler uses a method of directly transferring heat to the hair using a hot plate, there is a problem in that a damage to the hair becomes severe.

[0004] The hair styling using wind rather than directly applying high heat may reduce the hair damage, but when using the hair dryer, there is a hassle of using a separate roll comb or hair roll.

[0005] In addition, to increase a fixing force of the styling, it is more effective to alternately provide hot air and cold air rather than simply supplying only hot air. However, it is not easy for a user to switch between hot air and cold air, and even when a heater is turned off, a temperature difference between cold air and hot air is not great because of residual heat and thus a styling effect is not high.[Summary][Technical Problem]

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a hair styler that enables easy hair styling at home.[Technical Solutions]

[0007] Provided is a hair styler including a head casing extending in a horizontal direction and including an air discharge port at a front end thereof, a handle casing coupled to a handle connector formed at a lower portion of the head casing, a fan motor mounted in the handle casing, an inner casing positioned inside the head casing and including a first portion positioned at a rear portion thereof and a first portion positioned at a front portion thereof, a thermoelectric module positioned in the first portion of the inner casing and including a heat absorber and a heat dissipator, a heater module positioned in the second portion of the inner casing, and an air guide that supplies wind supplied from the handle casing to the head casing toward an inner casing inlet at a rear end of the inner casing.

[0008] The air guide may include a first air guide that protrudes from an outer surface of the inner casing and blocks wind supplied from the handle casing from being supplied to the air discharge port, and the first air guide may form a curved surface inclined rearwards and upwards from a front end of the handle connector of the head casing.

[0009] The air guide may include a second air guide that protrudes from the outer surface of the inner casing and divides wind supplied from the handle casing and supplies wind to the rear end of the inner casing.

[0010] A space between the head casing and the inner casing may include a first flow channel positioned on one side of the second air guide and between the first air guide and the second air guide, and a second flow channel located on the other side of the second air guide, and the first flow channel may be located upward of the second flow channel.

[0011] The hair styler may further include a wind speed resistance grill located in the first flow channel.

[0012] The air guide may include a third air guide extending from a rear end of the second air guide and partitioning the inner casing inlet.

[0013] The third air guide may be located between the heat absorber and the heat dissipator of the thermoelectric module.

[0014] The second portion of the inner casing may include a heat dissipation flow channel that is located at a front end of the thermoelectric module and discharges air that has passed through the heat dissipator.

[0015] A rear end of the head casing may include a heat dissipator discharge port connected to the heat dissipation flow channel.

[0016] The hair styler may further include a cylindrical hair roll including one open end, a sensor module that detects that the one end of the hair roll is coupled to the air discharge port, and a controller that operates at least one of the fan motor, the heater, and the thermoelectric module when the sensor module detects the hair roll.

[0017] The controller may alternately operate the heater module and the thermoelectric module, and an operation duration of the heater module may be smaller than an operation duration of the thermoelectric module.

[0018] The controller may start operating the thermoelectric module before the operation of the heater module is ended.

[0019] The sensor module may include at least one of an illuminance sensor, a six-axis sensor, and a hall sensor.

[0020] The one end of the hair roll may include a magnet, and the air discharge port may include a metal ring coupled to the magnet.

[0021] A remaining end of the hair roll may include a flexible air cap.

[0022] The hair styler may further include a cable connected to the handle casing, and a station connected with an end of the cable and mounting the controller therein.[Advantageous Effects]

[0023] The hair styler according to the present disclosure may supply cold air at a temperature lower than that of room-temperature wind using the thermoelectric module, thereby improving the styling effect.

[0024] In addition, the flow channel of wind supplied for the heat dissipation of the thermoelectric module and the flow channel of wind supplied for the heat absorption may be distinguished from each other to increase the efficiency of the thermoelectric module and effectively provide cold air, thereby improving the styling effect.

[0025] In addition, the hair styler according to the present disclosure may easily attach / detach the hair roll thereto / therefrom, and simply attaching the hair roll may enable the provision of cold / hot air, thereby facilitating the hair styling.

[0026] Effects obtainable in the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the following description.[Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0027] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hair styler according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a type of a hair styler. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a hair styler according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 4 to 6 are cross-sectional views illustrating various embodiments of a hair styler according to the present disclosure based on an arrangement of a heater module, a thermoelectric module, and a fan motor. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a hair styler according to an embodiment in FIG. 6. FIGS. 8 to 11 are cross-sectional views illustrating various embodiments of a hair styler according to the present disclosure based on a shape of an inner casing. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of a hair styler according to the present disclosure including various sensors for recognizing coupling of a hair roll. [Best Mode]

[0028] Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail so as to be easily practiced by a person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs.

[0029] However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms and may not be limited to the embodiment described herein. In addition, to clearly illustrate the present disclosure in the drawings, parts that are not related to the description are omitted, and similar parts are given similar reference numerals throughout the present document.

[0030] In the present document, redundant descriptions of the same components are omitted..

[0031] Further, in the present document, it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected with" another element, the element may be directly connected with the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, in the present document, it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "directly connected with" another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0032] Further, terms used herein are only used to describe a specific embodiment, and are not used as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0033] Further, in the present document, a singular representation may include a plural representation unless it represents a definitely different meaning from the context.

[0034] Further, the terms such as "include" or "have" used herein are intended to indicate that features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof used in the following description exist and it should be thus understood that the possibility of existence or addition of one or more different features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof is not excluded.

[0035] Further, in the present document, the term 'and / or' includes a combination of a plurality of listed items or any of the plurality of listed items. Herein, 'A or B' may include 'A', 'B', or 'both A and B'.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hair styler 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure is an apparatus capable of supplying hot air and cold air to a hair roll 200 used to put curls in hair. For hair styling, a fixing force may be excellent and damage to the hair may be minimized when supplying hot air and cold air alternately rather than supplying only hot air. Therefore, the hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure is capable of supplying both hot air and cold air.

[0037] The hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure may include a main body 100 capable of supplying hot air and cold air, and the hair roll 200 capable of winding the hair on an outer surface thereof. The hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure may be mainly used for short hair, and in the state in which the hair roll 200 winds the hair therearound, an air discharge port 115 of the main body 100 may be sequentially coupled to the hair roll 200 and provide hot air and cold air to the hair wound around the hair roll 200.

[0038] The main body 100 may include a head 110 positioned at an upper portion thereof and a handle 120 positioned beneath the head. The head 110 may include the air discharge port 115 through which wind is discharged at a front end thereof, and the handle 120 may be fastened to a handle connector under the head 110 and may be gripped by a user's hand.

[0039] The head 110 may have a cylindrical shape extending in a horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 1, but the present disclosure may not be necessarily limited thereto, and a shape of a polygonal column extending in the horizontal direction may also be included in the present disclosure.

[0040] A fan motor 160 for supplying wind, a heater 170 that increases a temperature of wind supplied from the fan motor 160, and a thermoelectric module 180 that decreases the temperature of wind supplied from the fan motor 160 may be accommodated in the main body 100.

[0041] The air discharge port 115 positioned at the front end of the head 110 may have a shape in which an end thereof protrudes sharply so as to be inserted into the hair roll 200.

[0042] The hair roll 200, as a cylindrical member, may have the outer surface thereof including a plurality of holes through which wind may pass, and may have a spiral groove defined therein such that wind discharged from the air discharge port 115 of the main body 100 naturally flows.

[0043] One end 210 of the hair roll 200 may be opened to allow the air discharge port 115 to be inserted thereinto, but the other end thereof may include a flexible air cap 220 that shields wind discharged from the air discharge port 115 to stay inside the hair roll 200. The flexible air cap 220 may not be completely closed, and may include a flexible hole that is selectively opened to discharge air when an air pressure is great inside the hair roll 200.

[0044] The hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure may include a station 300 capable of accommodating the main body 100 therein. Because the hair styler 10 requires the main body 100 and a plurality of hair rolls 200, accommodation portions 310 and 320 for accommodating the hair rolls 200 and the styler main body 100 in the station 300 may be included. In addition, a cable for connecting the main body 100 with the station 300 to supply power may be included to the hair styler 10.

[0045] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a type of the hair styler 10. The hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure requires the fan motor 160, the heater 170, and the thermoelectric module 180. In (a) in FIG. 2, all of the above-described components may be disposed in the station 300, and the main body 100 may simply serve as an air gun through which hot air and cold air supplied from the station 300 are discharged.

[0046] The heater 170, the thermoelectric module 180, and the fan motor 160 mounted in the station 300 have fewer size constraints, so that a wind amount may be increased using the fan motor 160 (or an air compressor) having a great output, and the temperature of cold air may be greatly lowered using a cooling compressor as the thermoelectric module 180.

[0047] In the embodiment of (a) in FIG. 2, a weight of the main body 100 may be reduced, but in addition to the cable, a flow channel tube connecting the main body 100 with the station 300 should be disposed. Because of the flow channel tube, a load felt by the user during actual use is not greatly reduced, and a size of the station 300 is excessively increased when the air compressor or the cooling compressor is mounted.

[0048] Referring to (b) in FIG. 2, the fan motor 160 and the heater 170 may be mounted in the main body 100, and the thermoelectric module 180 for supplying cold air may be coupled to the air discharge port 115 using a separate accessory.

[0049] However, the present embodiment has a problem of supplying power to the accessory of the thermoelectric module 180. In addition, because the thermoelectric module 180 is disposed adjacent to the air discharge port 115, hot air discharged from a heat dissipator 182 of the thermoelectric module 180 may be discharged by being mixed with cold air discharged from a heat absorber 181 of the thermoelectric module 180, and a weight of a front portion of the head 110 may increase because of the accessory.

[0050] As in an embodiment in (c) in FIG. 2, the fan motor 160, the heater 170, and the thermoelectric module may all be mounted inside the main body 100. In this case, the fan motor 160 may be disposed in the handle 120 to distribute the weight concentrated on the head 110.

[0051] When the fan motor 160, the heater 170, and the thermoelectric module 180 are disposed inside the main body 100 as shown in (c) in FIG. 2, a controller 350 may be disposed in the station 300 to reduce the weight of the main body 100. The cable may not only supply power to the main body 100, but also serve as a signal line that transmits a signal between the station 300 and the main body 100.

[0052] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the hair styler 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The controller 350 may be located in the station 300 and may include an adapter 352 that converts supplied 220V AC power so as to be used by the fan motor 160, the heater 170, and the thermoelectric module 180. A driving IC 353, an Arduino 354, a relay 355, and the like for driving the thermoelectric module 180 may be disposed, and the controller 351 may transmit driving signals of the heater 170 and the fan motor 160 to the main body 100 via the relay 355.

[0053] The fan motor 160, the heater 170, the thermoelectric module 180, and a sensor 140 located in the main body 100 may be included, and a mode switching button 151 for the user to perform manual control, a step button 152 for control in a manual mode, and the like may be included. The fan motor 160, the heater 170, and the thermoelectric module 180 disposed in the main body 100 may be driven via the controller 351 of the station 300.

[0054] FIGS. 4 to 6 are cross-sectional views illustrating various embodiments of the hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure based on an arrangement of the heater 170 module, the thermoelectric module 180, and the fan motor 160. The main body 100 may be composed of the head 110 and the handle 120, and the head 110 may include a head casing 111 disposed in the horizontal direction and having the air discharge port 115 located at a front portion thereof.

[0055] The handle 120 may include a handle casing 121 coupled to the handle connector at a lower portion of the head casing 111, and may have a cylindrical shape for a feeling of grip by hand.

[0056] According to an embodiment in FIG. 4, the thermoelectric module 180, the heater 170 module, and the fan motor 160 may be sequentially arranged in a rearward direction in the head casing 111. The fan motor 160 may suck air from a rear end 113 of the head casing 111 and supply the air to the air discharge port 115 at a front end, and wind sucked into the head casing 111 from the fan motor 160 may pass through the heater 170 and be transmitted to the thermoelectric module 180.

[0057] The heater 170 may have a hot wire wound in a circular shape, so that when wind passes through the hot wire, a temperature of the wind may be increased and the wind may be converted into hot air. The heater 170 may generally have a cylindrical shape, but the preset disclosure may not be limited thereto, and the heater 170 may have a polygonal shape.

[0058] The thermoelectric module 180 is also referred to as a Peltier element, and is based on a phenomenon in which, when a potential difference occurs at both ends of an object, heat flows together with current, resulting in a temperature difference at both ends. That is, when the current flows, the temperature difference occurs, and one side is cooled and the other side is heated. The thermoelectric module 180 is a device using a Peltier effect or a thermoelectric effect in which heat and electricity are converted, and a portion thereof that is cooled is referred to as the heat absorber 181 and a portion thereof that is heated is referred to as the heat dissipator 182.

[0059] In the typical hair styler 10, even when cold air is supplied, it is merely room-temperature air, and thus the so-called "cold air" usually has a temperature equal to or higher than 30°C, offering little temperature difference from hot air. When the thermoelectric module 180 is disposed, the temperature of cold air may be lower than the room temperature, thereby maximizing an effect of the conversion between cold air and hot air.

[0060] In the present disclosure, the thermoelectric module 180 may be formed in a shape in which both the heat absorber 181 and the heat dissipator 182 include fins to increase contact with air. In the drawing, an upper portion may be the heat absorber 181 and a lower portion may be the heat dissipator 182, and air cooled by the heat absorber 181 may be discharged to the air discharge port 115 and heat from the heat dissipator 182 may be discharged to the outside of the main body 100.

[0061] To sufficiently cool air in the heat absorber 181, the heat dissipator 182 should also sufficiently discharge heat. When an amount of wind supplied to the heat absorber 181 is greater than that of the heat dissipator 182, a heat absorption effect may be reduced and thus air may not be sufficiently cooled. On the other hand, when the amount of wind supplied to the heat absorber 181 is smaller than that of the heat dissipator 182, an appropriate amount of wind discharged from the air discharge port 115 may not be obtained. Because efficiency may be reduced when wind supplied to the heat absorber 181 and the heat dissipator 182 is biased to one side, it is necessary to appropriately distribute the amounts of wind supplied to the heat absorber 181 and the heat dissipator 182.

[0062] Air supplied to the thermoelectric module 180 should be discharged separately based on the areas 181 and 182 through which the air passes. As illustrated in FIG. 4, air that has passed through the heat dissipator 182 of the thermoelectric module 180 may be discharged via a flow channel separated from the air discharge port 115 while the temperature thereof rises, but because the thermoelectric module 180 is located adjacent to the air discharge port 115, a heat dissipator discharge port 114 may also be disposed at a position close to the air discharge port 115.

[0063] When the air discharge port 115 and the heat dissipator discharge port 114 are disposed adjacent to each other as such, cold air that has passed through the heat absorber 181 of the thermoelectric module 180 and warm air that has passed through the heat dissipator 182 may be mixed with each other and provided. In addition, when the thermoelectric module 180 is located in front of the heater 170 and the heater 170 is operated, the thermoelectric module 180 may be damaged when high-temperature hot air is directly supplied to the thermoelectric element.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 5, the positions of the thermoelectric module 180 and the heater 170 may be switched. Wind supplied from the fan motor 160 may pass through the thermoelectric module 180 and then pass through the heater 170. Even when the heater 170 is operated, it does not affect the thermoelectric module 180.

[0065] In addition, because the thermoelectric module 180 may be disposed near the handle 120, when a heat dissipation flow channel 139 is implemented via the handle, the problem in which cold air and warm air are mixed together may be solved. However, also in the present embodiment, all the components are mounted in the head 110, so that a length of the head 110 may be increased and a burden may be applied to a wrist of the user.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 6, the fan motor 160 may be moved into the handle casing 121 of the handle 120, and only the thermoelectric module 180 and the heater 170 may be disposed in the head casing 111 of the head 110.

[0067] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment in FIG. 6. The thermoelectric module 180 and the heater 170 may be accommodated in an inner casing 130 inserted into the head casing 111. The inner casing 130 may include a first portion 131 in which the thermoelectric module 180 is accommodated and a second portion 132 in which the heater 170 is accommodated, and the second portion 132 may be located in front of the first portion 131.

[0068] In the inner casing 130, because air is introduced into a rear portion and air is discharged from a front portion, the open rear portion is an inner casing inlet 137 and the open front portion is the inner casing outlet 138.

[0069] The first portion 131 may have a quadrangular box shape corresponding to a shape of the thermoelectric module 180, and the second portion 132 may have a cylindrical shape corresponding to a shape of the heater 170. The thermoelectric module 180 may be inserted into the first portion 131 from the rear of the inner casing 130, and the heater 170 may be inserted into the second portion 132 from the front of the inner casing 130.

[0070] After the thermoelectric module 180 and the heater 170 are accommodated in the inner casing 130, the inner casing 130 may be coupled to the inside of the head casing 111 from the rear of the head casing 111, and a rear surface of the head casing 111 may be closed with a rear casing 112. A rear cover may be coupled to a rear surface of the rear casing 112, and the rear cover 118 may cover a warm air discharge port 114, which will be described later, so as not to be exposed externally.

[0071] The fan motor 160 positioned in the handle casing 121 may suck air via an air inlet 123 positioned at a lower portion thereof and supply the air into the head casing 111 via the handle connector. An air guide 133 may be included to direct a flow of air from the handle connector toward a rear end of the thermoelectric module 180, that is, the inlet 137 at the rear portion of the inner casing 130 such that air sequentially passes through the thermoelectric module 180 and the heater 170.

[0072] The air guide 133 may include an air guide 133 formed on an outer surface of the inner casing 130. The air guide 133 may protrude from the outer surface of the inner casing 130, and an end thereof may be in contact with an inner surface of the head casing 111, so that partitioned flow channels may be defined with the inner casing 130, the head casing 111, and the air guide 133.

[0073] FIGS. 8 to 11 are cross-sectional views illustrating various embodiments of the hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure based on a shape of the air guide 133. An embodiment in FIG. 8 is an embodiment including one air guide 133, and includes a first air guide 1331 that blocks wind supplied from the handle casing 121 from being supplied to the air discharge port 115.

[0074] That is, the first air guide 1331 may have a shape of being inclined rearwards from a front end of the handle connector and extending upwards. The first air guide 1331 serves to guide wind rearwards in a space between the head casing 111 and the inner casing 130.

[0075] Because an intensity of wind supplied via the fan motor 160 is great, wind guided rearwards along the first air guide 1331 of wind may flow into a lower portion of the inner casing inlet 137 while drawing a curve having a great diameter.

[0076] In the thermoelectric module 180 mounted in the first portion 131, the heat dissipator 182 is located at the lower portion and the heat absorber 181 is located at the upper portion, so that a problem in which too much wind is supplied to the heat dissipator 182 occurs. Because wind supplied to the heat dissipator 182 is lost to the heat dissipation flow channel 139, an amount of wind discharged to the air discharge port 115 is small, so that a desired hair styling effect may not be obtained.

[0077] In the present embodiment, the amount of wind discharged to the air discharge port 115 is 12.3%, and an amount of wind discharged to the heat dissipation flow channel 139 is 87.7%, which is a great difference.

[0078] The hair styler 10 according to an embodiment in FIG. 9 may further include a second air guide 1332 positioned at the rear of the first air guide 1331, separately from the first air guide 1331. As shown in FIG. 9, the second air guide 1332 may have one end located at the inner casing inlet 137 and may extend rearwards while drawing a curve extending upwards and rearwards.

[0079] The second air guide 1332 partitions a flow channel extending from the handle connector to the inner casing inlet 137 into two sections. A first flow channel 1351 is positioned on one side (a left side in the drawing) of the second air guide 1332, and the second flow channel 1352 is positioned on the other side of the second air guide 1332.

[0080] The first flow channel 1351 may be positioned between the first air guide 1331 and the second air guide 1332 and may be positioned upward of the second flow channel 1352. However, wind supplied via the first flow channel 1351 is supplied to an inlet lower portion 1372 of the inner casing 130, that is, the heat dissipator 182 while also being curved with a great radius as in the above-described embodiment along the inner surface of the head casing 111.

[0081] The amount of wind discharged to the air discharge port 115 is 12.4% and the amount of wind discharged to the heat dissipation flow channel 139 is 87.6%, which are not significantly different from those in the above-described embodiment, and the problem in that the amount of wind supplied to the heat dissipator 182 is great is still present.

[0082] An embodiment in FIG. 10 may include a wind speed resistance grill 136 that reduces a speed of wind supplied from the fan motor 160 such that wind in the first flow channel 1351 is supplied to an inlet upper portion 1371 of the inner casing 130.

[0083] The wind speed resistance grill 136 may be located in an upper portion of the first portion 131 of the inner casing 130 and may include a curve corresponding to a shape of the head casing 111. The wind speed resistance grill 136 may include openings defined between a plurality of grills as shown in FIG. 10, or may use a porous member such as a mesh.

[0084] The wind speed resistance grill 136 may reduce the speed of wind in the first flow channel 1351, so that a rotation radius of wind may become smaller in a path bent to the inlet 137 of the inner casing 130. Therefore, an amount of wind supplied to the heat absorber 181 in wind supplied along the first flow channel 1351 may be increased.

[0085] In one example, the air guide 133 of an embodiment in FIG. 11 further includes a third air guide 1333 partitioning the inlet 137 of the inner casing 130 at a rear end of the second air guide 1332. The second air guide 1332 allows wind introduced via the first flow channel 1351 to be supplied to the inlet upper portion 1371 of the inner casing 130 and allows wind introduced via the second flow channel 1352 to be supplied to the inlet lower portion 1372 of the inner casing 130 in a separated manner.

[0086] The embodiment in FIG. 11 is the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the third air guide 1333 may be positioned between the heat dissipator 182 and the heat absorber 181. Because the third air guide 1333 has a shape crossing the inlet 137 of the inner casing 130, after the thermoelectric module 180 is inserted into the first portion 131, the third air guide 1333 may be fastened to the rear end of the second air guide 1332.

[0087] In the present embodiment, the amount of wind discharged to the air discharge port 115 is 42.6% and the amount of wind discharged to the heat dissipation flow channel 139 is 57.4%, so that the amount of wind supplied to the heat absorber 181 may be increased compared to that in the above-described embodiment. Because the first flow channel 1351 and the second flow channel 1352 are separated from each other by the third air guide 1333, amounts of wind supplied to the first flow channel 1351 and the second flow channel 1352 may be adjusted by adjusting a position of the second air guide 1332.

[0088] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure including various sensors 140 for recognizing coupling of the hair roll 200. The hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure may include the manual mode in which the user controls driving of the hair styler using the button 151 and an automatic mode in which, when the hair roll 200 is inserted into the air discharge port 115, the hair roll 200 is recognized and the hair styler 10 is driven. Because hot air and cold air should be supplied to the plurality of hair rolls 200 where hair is wound, the automatic mode is more convenient to use than the manual mode.

[0089] The open end at one side of the hair roll 200 may include a magnet such that the hair roll 200 may be easily detached from the air discharge port 115 of the hair styler 10. The magnet of the hair roll 200 may be attached to the head 110 via a metal ring 116 made of SUS on the outer surface of the head casing 111 at a position in contact with the magnet of the hair roll 200.

[0090] The sensor 140 for detecting that the hair roll 200 is coupled to the head casing 111 may be included. When the magnet of the hair roll 200 is attached to the metal ring 116, the coupling of the hair roll 200 may be detected via a Hall sensor 143 that detects a change in a magnetic field or an optical sensor 141a and 141b such as an illuminance sensor or a proximity sensor located in a portion covered when the hair roll 200 is attached.

[0091] The optical sensor 141a and 141b may be disposed on the outer surface of the head casing 111 (141a) or may be disposed on the inner surface thereof (141b).

[0092] Because the optical sensor 141a and 141b responds even when detecting an object other than the hair roll 200, it may be additionally determined via a six-axis sensor 142 that the hair roll 200 is coupled when a posture of the hair styler 10 is inclined for hair styling.

[0093] When detecting that the hair roll 200 is coupled, the controller may operate the fan motor 160 to operate the heater 170 first and activate a hot air mode, and then operate the thermoelectric module 180 to be switched to a cold air mode. When the hot air mode and the cold air mode are individually activated, only the heater 170 may be operated in the hot air mode, and in the cold air mode, the heater 170 may be turned off and only the thermoelectric module 180 may be operated. However, in this case, because the effect of cold air is small because of residual heat of the heater 170, a transition mode for operating the thermoelectric module 180 at an end of the heater 170 mode may be included.

[0094] In the transition mode, both the heater 170 and the thermoelectric module 180 are operated, so that a temperature of cold air may be sufficiently lowered when switching from hot air to cold air.

[0095] The hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure may supply cold air having a temperature lower than that of room-temperature wind using the thermoelectric module 180, thereby improving the styling effect.

[0096] In addition, the flow channel of wind supplied for heat dissipation of the thermoelectric module 180 and the flow channel of wind supplied for heat absorption may be distinguished from each other to increase efficiency of the thermoelectric module 180 and effectively provide cold air, thereby improving the styling effect.

[0097] In addition, the hair styler 10 according to the present disclosure may easily attach / detach the hair roll 200 thereto / therefrom, and simply attaching the hair roll 200 may enable provision of cold / hot air, thereby facilitating the hair styling.

[0098] Although the present disclosure has been illustrated and described with respect to the specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be variously improved and modified without departing from the technical spirit of the present disclosure provided by the following claims.

Claims

1. A hair styler comprising: a head casing extending in a horizontal direction and including an air discharge port at a front end thereof; a handle casing coupled to a handle connector formed at a lower portion of the head casing; a fan motor mounted in the handle casing; an inner casing positioned inside the head casing and including a first portion positioned at a rear portion thereof and a first portion positioned at a front portion thereof; a thermoelectric module positioned in the first portion of the inner casing and including a heat absorber and a heat dissipator; a heater module positioned in the second portion of the inner casing; and an air guide configured to supply wind supplied from the handle casing to the head casing toward an inner casing inlet at a rear end of the inner casing.

2. The hair styler of claim 1, wherein the air guide includes a first air guide protruding from an outer surface of the inner casing and configured to block wind supplied from the handle casing from being supplied to the air discharge port, wherein the first air guide forms a curved surface inclined rearwards and upwards from a front end of the handle connector of the head casing.

3. The hair styler of claim 2, wherein the air guide includes a second air guide protruding from the outer surface of the inner casing and configured to divide wind supplied from the handle casing and supply wind to the rear end of the inner casing.

4. The hair styler of claim 3, wherein a space between the head casing and the inner casing includes: a first flow channel positioned on one side of the second air guide and between the first air guide and the second air guide; and a second flow channel located on the other side of the second air guide, wherein the first flow channel is located upward of the second flow channel.

5. The hair styler of claim 4, further comprising a wind speed resistance grill located in the first flow channel.

6. The hair styler of claim 3, wherein the air guide includes a third air guide extending from a rear end of the second air guide and partitioning the inner casing inlet.

7. The hair styler of claim 6, wherein the third air guide is located between the heat absorber and the heat dissipator of the thermoelectric module.

8. The hair styler of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the inner casing includes a heat dissipation flow channel located at a front end of the thermoelectric module and configured to discharge air that has passed through the heat dissipator.

9. The hair styler of claim 8, wherein a rear end of the head casing includes a heat dissipator discharge port connected to the heat dissipation flow channel.

10. The hair styler of claim 1, further comprising: a cylindrical hair roll including one open end; a sensor module configured to detect that the one end of the hair roll is coupled to the air discharge port; and a controller configured to operate at least one of the fan motor, the heater, and the thermoelectric module when the sensor module detects the hair roll.

11. The hair styler of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to alternately operate the heater module and the thermoelectric module, wherein an operation duration of the heater module is smaller than an operation duration of the thermoelectric module.

12. The hair styler of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to start operating the thermoelectric module before the operation of the heater module is ended.

13. The hair styler of claim 10, wherein the sensor module includes at least one of an illuminance sensor, a six-axis sensor, and a hall sensor.

14. The hair styler of claim 10, wherein the one end of the hair roll includes a magnet, wherein the air discharge port includes a metal ring coupled to the magnet.

15. The hair styler of claim 10, wherein a remaining end of the hair roll includes a flexible air cap.

16. The hair styler of claim 10, further comprising: a cable connected to the handle casing; and a station connected with an end of the cable and mounting the controller therein.