Hair drier

Abstract

To provide a hair drier capable of improving finish of hair after being dried.SOLUTION: A hair drier 1 includes a housing 10 and a nozzle 20 connected to the housing 10. The nozzle 20 includes a discharge port 24 and a plurality of spiral blades 22. The plurality of spiral blades 22 are arranged inside the nozzle 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hair dryer. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a hair dryer in which a number of flow-straightening blades with a flow-straightening effect are formed inside the nozzle. The action of the number of flow-straightening blades increases the force of the airflow discharged from the nozzle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-75194 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the field of hair dryers, for example, there is a demand for improving frizz and dryness of hair.

[0005] Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a hair dryer that can improve the finish of hair after drying. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A hair dryer according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a housing and a nozzle connected to the housing, the nozzle comprising an outlet and a plurality of spiral blades, the plurality of spiral blades being arranged inside the nozzle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a hair dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a front view showing a schematic structure of a hair dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a side view schematically showing the structure of a hair dryer 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a nozzle 20 is removed from a housing 10 of a hair dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view schematically illustrating the structure of a nozzle 20 according to a specific example. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the nozzle 20 in the cross section of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle 20 taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 5. [Figure 9] 1 is a perspective view showing a usage state of a hair dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a hair dryer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a front view schematically showing the structure of the hair dryer 1. Fig. 3 is a side view schematically showing the structure of the hair dryer 1. The hair dryer 1 is a dryer intended to be used on hair. The hair dryer 1 comprises a housing 10 and a nozzle 20 connected to the housing 10. For convenience of explanation, the hair dryer 1 will be described using directions such as up-down and front-back, but these directions do not necessarily have to coincide with the direction in which gravity acts.

[0009] The housing 10 comprises a main body 11, a portion to be held (hereinafter referred to as the "handle portion") 12, and a portion for attaching the nozzle 20 (hereinafter referred to as the "attachment portion") 13. In this example, the main body 11, the handle portion 12, and the attachment portion 13 are integrally molded from, for example, a resin material. The main body 11 as a whole is formed in a cylindrical shape with a first axis x1 extending in the vertical direction as its central axis. An air intake 14 is formed on the upper surface of the main body 11. The air intake 14 is an opening for introducing air into the housing 10 along the first axis x1. The handle portion 12 extends downward from the lower surface of the main body 11 roughly along the first axis x1. The handle portion 12 is a portion that is gripped to hold the hair dryer 1.

[0010] The mounting portion 13 extends forward from the side surface of the main body 11 along a second axis x2 extending in the front-to-rear direction (hereinafter referred to as the "axial direction"). The second axis x2 intersects with the first axis x1. In this example, the second axis x2 is perpendicular to the first axis x1. The mounting portion 13 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape extending from the rear end connected to the main body 11 to the front end. The central axis of this cylinder may coincide with the second axis x2, for example. The front end of the mounting portion 13 is open. Thus, an air passage 15 is formed within the housing 10, extending from the air intake 14 to the front end of the mounting portion 13. Note that the shapes of the main body 11, the handle portion 12, and the mounting portion 13 shown in the figures are merely examples, and the shape of the housing 10 is not limited to this example.

[0011] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the state in which the nozzle 20 has been removed from the housing 10 of the hair dryer 1. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 together, the nozzle 20 is connected to the front end of the attachment part 13. In this example, the nozzle 20 is fixed to the front end of the attachment part 13 using, for example, an adhesive. However, as an alternative example, the nozzle 20 may be configured to be detachable from the front end (one end) of the attachment part 13. The opening 13a at the front end of the attachment part 13 is covered with, for example, a filter 16 that prevents the passage of foreign matter such as dust. The filter 16 is formed, for example, in a honeycomb shape. The air intake 14 of the main body 11 may also be covered with a similar filter.

[0012] A fan and a heater (neither shown) are disposed in the air passage 15 within the main body 11. Specifically, a motor (not shown) capable of rotating a fan, for example, about a first axis x1 is housed within the main body 11. The fan is, for example, a sirocco fan. As the fan rotates about the first axis x1, air is introduced through the air intake 14, and the air then passes through the air passage 15 and is discharged from the nozzle 20. In this way, an airflow is generated along the air passage 15. The heater is disposed in a position capable of transferring heat to the airflow. The heater may include, for example, one or more electric heating wires. The electric heating wire is, for example, a conductor such as a nichrome wire, and extends, for example, in a spiral shape. The main body 11 may further house an electronic component (not shown) for adjusting the temperature of the heater.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a front view schematically illustrating the structure of a nozzle 20 according to one specific example. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the nozzle 20 in the cross section of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle 20 taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 5. Referring to FIGS. 5 to 8 together, the nozzle 20 has a main body 21, a plurality of spiral blades 22, and a shaft 23. The main body 21 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape centered on the second axis x2. The plurality of spiral blades 22 and the shaft 23 are disposed within the main body 21. In this example, three spiral blades 22 are disposed within the main body 21. Here, the term "spiral" is a concept that includes a portion of a spiral; for example, a portion of a spiral that has rotated 0.1 revolutions is also included in the concept of spiral.

[0014] The front and rear ends of the main body 21 are open. An opening at the front end of the main body 21 defines a discharge port 24. In this example, the inner circumferential surface 21a of the main body 21 is formed as a cylindrical surface centered on the second axis x2. A portion 25 that receives the front end of the mounting portion 13 (hereinafter referred to as the "receiving portion") is formed at the rear end of the main body 21. The inner circumferential surface 25a of the receiving portion 25 is formed as a cylindrical surface having a diameter larger than the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 21a of the main body 21. For example, the nozzle 20 may be configured to be detachable from the housing 10 by forming female and male thread grooves (not shown) on the inner circumferential surface 25a of the receiving portion 25 and the outer circumferential surface of the front end of the mounting portion 13, or by forming a snap (engaging portion) and a fit (engaged portion) that engages with the snap.

[0015] The shaft portion 23 extends, for example, along the second axis x2 from the front end of the main body 21 to the front end of the receiving portion (fitting portion) 25. The shaft portion 23 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape centered on the second axis x2. In this example, three spiral blades 22 are arranged between the inner circumferential surface 21a of the main body 21 and the outer circumferential surface 23a of the shaft portion 23. The outer circumferential surface 23a of the shaft portion 23 is formed, for example, by a cylindrical surface centered on the second axis x. As shown in FIG. 5, the three spiral blades 22 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the second axis x2. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, each blade 22 extends axially from the front end of the main body 21 to the front end of the receiving portion 25.

[0016] Each spiral blade 22 extends spirally in the axial direction along the second axis x2. An outer peripheral end (hereinafter referred to as the "outer peripheral end") 22a of each blade 22, which is defined in a radial direction perpendicular to the second axis x2, extends spirally along the inner peripheral surface 21a of the main body 21 (see FIG. 6). Similarly, an inner peripheral end (hereinafter referred to as the "inner peripheral end") 22b of each blade 22, which is defined in a radial direction, extends spirally along the inner peripheral surface 21a of the main body 21 (see FIG. 8). Meanwhile, a front end (hereinafter referred to as the "front end"; corresponding to one end) 22c and a rear end (hereinafter referred to as the "rear end"; corresponding to the other end) 22d of each blade 22 extend linearly in a radial direction perpendicular to the second axis x2.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 5 , in a front view of the nozzle 20, the front end 22c and the rear end 22d of the blade 22 extend from the inner circumferential end 22a to the outer circumferential end 22b while tilting radially. That is, an imaginary plane including the front ends 22c and 22d in the axial direction is tilted relative to an imaginary plane including the second axis x2. The position of the outer circumferential end 22b at the front end 22c is offset in the circumferential direction around the second axis x2 from the position of the outer circumferential end 22b at the rear end 22d. The amount of this offset is determined by an angle α, which is defined in the axial direction by an imaginary plane including the front end 22c and an imaginary plane including the rear end 22d. In this example, the angle α is set to approximately 72 degrees. Thus, each blade 22 defines a pair of curved surfaces 22e, 22f that face back to back and extend helically around the second axis x2 from the rear end 22d to the front end 22c.

[0018] As is clear from Fig. 5, in a front view of each blade 22, a predetermined gap S is formed between the front end 22c of one blade 22 and the rear end 22d of the other blade 22 adjacent to that blade 22 in the circumferential direction, in a front view of the nozzle 20. In a front view, the angle at which the front end 22c and the rear end 22d intersect, forming the gap S, is 48 degrees in this case. According to the inventor's investigation, the angle α at which the front end 22c and the rear end 22d intersect is preferably set in the range of 7 degrees to 72 degrees, for example. In other words, if 360 degrees is defined as one rotation, the blade 22 preferably describes a spiral within the space within the nozzle 20 over a range of 0.06 to 0.2 rotations.

[0019] Furthermore, according to the inventor's investigation, as shown in FIG. 6, the ratio L1 / D of the length L1 of the nozzle 20 in the axial direction along the second axis x2 to the diameter D of the nozzle 20 is preferably set to, for example, 0.4≦L1 / D≦1.0. The diameter D is the outer diameter of the nozzle 20 measured at a position passing through the second axis x2, and the length L1 is the axial length of the nozzle 20 from the rear end to the front end. Furthermore, according to the inventor's investigation, as shown in FIG. 3, the ratio L2 / L1 of the length L2 of the attachment portion 13 in the axial direction to the axial length L1 of the nozzle 20 is preferably set to, for example, 1.8≦L2 / L1≦4.3. The length L2 of the attachment portion 13 is the axial length from the rear end of the attachment portion 13 connected to the main body 11 to the rear end of the nozzle 20.

[0020] In the hair dryer 1 described above, the airflow, which flows from the air intake 14 through the air passage 15 and is discharged from the air outlet 24 by the rotation of the motor, is heated to a desired temperature by a heater disposed within the air passage 15. At this time, the multiple spiral blades 22 of the nozzle 20 act to cause the airflow to flow as a spiral swirling flow SF from the discharge port 24, as shown in FIG. 9 . This swirling flow SF is generated by a turbulent flow with greater intensity than the airflow discharged from the opening at the front end of the attachment portion 13 without the nozzle 20. As a result, the heat transfer efficiency of the swirling flow SF can be increased. Using this hair dryer 1 can significantly reduce frizz and dryness in hair, resulting in an improved finish after drying.

[0021] The present inventors have verified the advantages of the nozzle 20. For the verification, the inventors used the hair dryer 1 described above as an example of the present invention. On the other hand, a hair dryer without the nozzle 20 was used as a comparative example. The hair dryer 1 according to the example was used to dry the left half of the head, and the hair dryer according to the comparative example was used to dry the right half of the head. The drying time was set to be the same for both the example and the comparative example. As a result, it was confirmed that hair dried with the hair dryer 1 according to the example resulted in a finish that was closer to straighter than hair dried with the hair dryer according to the comparative example. In other words, it was confirmed that the hair dryer 1 according to the example of the present invention reduces hair frizz and dryness.

[0022] In the above test, it was confirmed that the temperature of the airflow measured 10 cm forward from the outlet 24 of the specific example was approximately 20°C lower than the temperature of the airflow measured 10 cm forward from the front end of the attachment part 13 of the comparative example (specific example: 45.5°C, comparative example: 63.5°C). The reason for the improved hair finish is thought to be that, in addition to the benefits of strong turbulence, the increased distance from the heater located inside the housing 10 to the hair allows the temperature of the air hitting the hair to be relatively lower. Therefore, the hair dryer 1 according to the present invention can dry hair with a lower temperature airflow than before, thereby significantly improving the finish of dried hair.

[0023] In the hair dryer 1 described above, the main body 21 of the nozzle 20 is formed cylindrically along the second axis x2. However, the nozzle 20 does not necessarily have to be formed cylindrically. For example, the main body 21 of the nozzle 20 may be formed in a truncated cone shape tapering toward the front or rear end. Furthermore, in the hair dryer 1 described above, a gap S is formed between adjacent blades 22, 22 in the circumferential direction when viewed from the front of the nozzle 20. However, this gap S does not have to be formed. It is considered that air passes through this gap S linearly along the second axis x2 and also passes through in a spiral along the curved surfaces 22e, 22f of the blades 22. In this way, the air discharged from the outlet 24 is considered to generate a swirling flow SF.

[0024] The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention, and the present invention may include any and all applications. The components of the above-described embodiments, as well as their arrangement, materials, conditions, shape, size, etc., are not limited to those illustrated and may be modified as appropriate. For example, the present invention includes differences that arise during implementation due to manufacturing tolerances, etc. Furthermore, components illustrated in different embodiments may be partially substituted or combined within the scope of technical inconsistency. Furthermore, the various configurations may be selectively combined as appropriate to achieve at least some of the above-described problems and effects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1 hair dryer, 10 housing, 11 main body, 12 handle portion (handle portion), 13 attachment portion (attachment portion), 13a opening, 14 air intake port, 15 air passage, 16 filter, 21 main body, 21a inner peripheral surface, 22 spiral blade, 22a outer peripheral end (outer peripheral end), 22b inner peripheral end (inner peripheral end), 22c front end (front end), 22d rear end (rear end), 22e curved surface, 22f curved surface, 23 shaft portion, 23a outer peripheral surface, 24 outlet, 25 receiving portion (receiving portion, fitting portion), 25a inner peripheral surface, D diameter, L1 length, L2 length, S gap, SF swirl flow, x1 first axis, x2 second axis, α angle

Claims

1. A housing and a nozzle connected to the housing, the nozzle includes a discharge port and a plurality of spiral blades; The plurality of spiral vanes are disposed inside the nozzle.

2. 2. The hair dryer of claim 1, wherein said plurality of spiral vanes extend axially.

3. 3. The hair dryer according to claim 1, wherein the air discharged from said outlet flows in a spiral pattern.

4. 4. The hair dryer according to claim 1, wherein L is the length of the nozzle in the axial direction and D is the diameter of the nozzle in the radial direction, and the relationship D / L is satisfied.

5. 5. The hair dryer according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of spiral blades forms a spiral of 0.06 or more turns.

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