Hair drier

Abstract

To provide a hair iron capable of suppressing a damage of hair.SOLUTION: In a hair iron 30 provided with a heat generator 38 for heating a human body, a casing 40 is provided on the heat generator 38, and an upper surface of the casing 40 is covered with a cover sheet 41 having a small friction coefficient.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hair iron that heats parts of the body, such as the hair and scalp, for beauty purposes. [Background technology]

[0002] Hair dryers are commonly used to dry hair and scalp, straightening irons are commonly used to straighten hair, and curling irons are commonly used to curl hair. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Registered Utility Model No. 3011964 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-15539 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a hair iron that can suppress damage to hair. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a hair iron equipped with a heat source for warming the human body is provided with a casing on the heat source, and the upper surface of the casing is covered with a cover sheet having a small coefficient of friction.

[0006] The cover sheet was made of polytetrafluoroethylene. A far-infrared ray generating body is attached to the heat source, and the far-infrared ray generating body is housed in the casing, and the casing is provided with a passage for far-infrared rays. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] As described above, the present invention has the effect of suppressing damage to hair. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Side view of a hair dryer. [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view of the blower tube portion. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a far-infrared generating unit. [Figure 9] Cross-sectional view of a portion of an iron piece. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] Cross-sectional view of the heating section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention, in which the present invention is embodied in a hair dryer (hereinafter referred to as a dryer) 10, will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0010] As shown in Fig. 1, a motor chamber 13 containing a motor (not shown) and a sirocco fan (not shown) rotated by the motor is disposed at the base end of a housing 12 having a handle 11 of a dryer 10. The handle 11 is provided with an adjustment switch 15 for starting and stopping the motor and a heating element 18 (described below) and for adjusting the temperature of the heating element 18. A changeover switch 14 is provided near the adjustment switch 15 for switching the dryer 10 between a hot air supply state and a cold air supply state.

[0011] The housing 12 is formed with a blower tube 16 extending forward from the motor chamber 13. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a support member 17 having a cross-shaped cross section and made of non-flammable, heat-resistant, and electrically insulating material such as mica is fixedly disposed inside the blower tube 16. A heating element 18 made of nichrome wire is wound spirally around the outer periphery of the support member 17 so as to enclose the support member 17. When the motor is driven, external air is drawn into the motor chamber 13 through an air intake 19 on the side of the motor chamber 13 and sent into the blower tube 16. This air is heated by the heating element 18 inside the blower tube 16 and sent out from the front-end opening of the blower tube 16.

[0012] A stay 21 is attached to the center of the front end of the support member 17, at the axial center of the region around the heating element 18, and a temperature sensor 22, which is a human presence sensor, is supported on the front end of this stay 21. This temperature sensor 22 faces forward and detects the temperature of the user's scalp or hair located in front of the temperature sensor 22 when the dryer 10 is in use. The temperature of the heating element 18 is then automatically adjusted based on the detection results. Therefore, even if hot air is continuously supplied to one location, such as the scalp or hair, overheating of that location can be prevented, and by supplying high and low temperatures alternately in accordance with temperature detection, the cuticles can be tightened, ensuring a glossy cuticle effect and promoting appropriate blood circulation in the scalp.

[0013] A far-infrared ray generating unit 23 is installed behind the temperature sensor 22. As shown in Figs. 2 to 5, the far-infrared ray generating unit 23 includes a rectangular cylindrical casing 26 that is open at both the front and rear ends, and a molded body unit 24 housed in the casing 26. Note that Fig. 2 shows a cross section of the far-infrared ray generating unit 23, without showing the temperature sensor 22. The casing 26 is made of a phenolic resin containing a carbon component, and has a rectangular cylindrical shape that is open at both the front and rear ends. The front opening of the casing 26 forms a passage for far-infrared rays.

[0014] The molded body unit 24 is composed of a rectangular parallelepiped carbon molded body (hereinafter simply referred to as the molded body) 25 and a cover sheet 27 that covers the periphery of the molded body 25. The molded body 25 is made of high-purity graphite. The cover sheet 27 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (hereinafter referred to as Teflon, a trademark), which is a compound of fluorine and carbon, and is wound around the outer periphery of the molded body 25 so as to cover both the top and bottom surfaces and the front and rear surfaces of the molded body 25. Therefore, the side surfaces of the molded body 25 at the front and rear openings of the casing 26 are covered by the cover sheet 27, and the cover sheet 27 is interposed between the outer periphery of the molded body 25 and the inner periphery of the casing 26.

[0015] The dryer 10 of this embodiment operates as follows. When the dryer 10 is in use, the heating element 18 generates heat, and warm air heated by the heating element 18 is emitted forward from the tip opening of the air blower 16. This warm air can be used to dry or style hair. At this time, the molded body 25 is surrounded on all four sides by the heating element 18 and heated by the heating element 18, causing far infrared rays to be generated from the molded body 25. These far infrared rays then pass through the cover sheet 27 and are supplied to the outside from the front opening of the casing 26. Furthermore, since the cover sheet 27 contains a carbon component, it is heated by the heat of the heating element 18 and the far infrared rays from the molded body 25, generating far infrared rays.

[0016] In this way, far infrared rays are supplied to the user from the opening of the casing 26. Furthermore, because the casing 26 is made of a phenolic resin containing a carbon component, the casing 26 also generates far infrared rays due to the heat from the heating element 18. Therefore, these far infrared rays can be used together with the heat of the warm air to dry and style hair.

[0017] Therefore, the dryer 10 of this embodiment has the following effects. (1) In the dryer 10 of this embodiment, when heating is performed by the heating element 18, far infrared rays generated from the molded body 25 can support hair drying and styling. Therefore, the amount of heat generated by the heating element 18 can be reduced, saving power consumption and reducing damage to the scalp and hair. That is, when far infrared rays, a type of electromagnetic wave, are supplied to the hair and scalp, moisture within the hair and scalp is heated by micro-vibration resonance, so drying and promoting blood circulation can be effectively achieved without the heating element 18 being driven to a high temperature. In this way, excessive heating of the hair and scalp by the heating element 18 during hair drying and styling is prevented, enabling low-temperature drying and styling. This avoids damage to the hair and scalp due to heat and promotes skin and hair care. Furthermore, because far infrared rays support the temperature of the hot air, drying and styling can be performed efficiently in a short time, even when the hot air is low. Furthermore, far infrared rays easily reach the scalp even from a distance, moderately warming the scalp and useful for promoting blood circulation.

[0018] (2) Even if the molded body 25 is made of graphite, a brittle material, the molded body 25 is housed in a hard casing 26 made of phenolic resin. This prevents the application of physical external forces to the molded body 25, protecting the molded body 25 and preventing brittle fracture of the molded body 25. Therefore, the far-infrared radiation generation function is not impaired, and skin staining caused by broken graphite powder or particles is prevented. Furthermore, the front surface of the molded body 25, i.e., the portion located in the front opening of the casing 26, is covered with the cover sheet 27. This prevents some of the carbon particles that make up the molded body 25 from turning into soot and scattering, thereby preventing skin staining as described above.

[0019] (3) Because the cover sheet 27, which is more flexible than the casing 26, is interposed between the molded body 25 and the casing 26, the cover sheet 27 buffers physical external forces on the molded body 25. This further enhances the protective function for the molded body 25. Moreover, because the cover sheet 27 covers the molded body 25 at the opening of the casing 26, the molded body 25 can be more reliably protected. Therefore, even if the dryer 10 is dropped on a hard floor, the molded body 25 will not crack and can be effectively protected.

[0020] (4) Because the cover sheet 27 is made of Teflon containing a carbon component, it not only transmits far-infrared rays, but also generates far-infrared rays from the cover sheet 27 due to the heat from the heating element 18, as described above. In addition, the cover sheet 27 is heated by the far-infrared rays from the molded body 25, and generates further far-infrared rays. Moreover, because the casing 26 is made of a phenolic resin containing a carbon component, far-infrared rays are also generated from the casing 26 due to the heat from the heating element 18. Therefore, far-infrared rays can be used to appropriately support drying and styling of hair.

[0021] (5) The cover sheet 27 is made of heat-resistant Teflon, and is therefore highly durable. (6) The molded body unit 24 having the molded body 25 is located at the center of the winding area of ​​the heating element 18, so that the molded body unit 24 does not obstruct the air flow passing over the heating element 18, and a smooth flow of hot air can be obtained. Moreover, the molded body unit 24 can obtain effective radiant heat almost uniformly from all around in a 360-degree range, so that a sufficient amount of far infrared rays can be generated.

[0022] (7) The molded body 25 is lighter than ceramic having the same volume and having the ability to generate far-infrared rays, and therefore can contribute to reducing the weight of the dryer 10. (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the present invention is embodied in a straightening iron 30 that is a hair iron, will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0023] 6 and 7, in the straightening iron 30, a pair of ironing pieces 31 are connected at their base ends so as to be able to open and close. One of the ironing pieces 31 is provided with a start switch 32 and an adjustment switch 33 for adjusting the heating temperature of a heating element 38 (described later).

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , recesses 34 are formed on the opposing tip surfaces of both iron pieces 31, and a far-infrared ray generating unit 35 is housed and fixed in each recess 34. The far-infrared ray generating unit 35 includes a bottom member 36 located on the inner bottom side of the recess 34, a leaf spring 37 located inside the bottom member 36, a heating element 38 made of a ceramic heater located on the leaf spring 37, and a molded body unit 24 located on the heating element 38. The molded body unit 24 constitutes a part of the far-infrared ray generating unit 35. The molded body unit 24 includes a plate-shaped molded body 39 and a casing 40 that covers the molded body 39 and functions as a heat sink. A cover sheet 41 made of Teflon is attached to the upper surface of the casing 40. An elastic mass 46 made of silicone rubber is interposed between the inner bottom surface of the recess 34 and the far-infrared ray generating unit 35.

[0025] The molded body 39 is made of high-purity graphite, as in the previous embodiment, and the casing 40 is made of a metal with good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Fixed stoppers 42 are formed on both sides of the bottom member 36, and movable stoppers 43 are formed on both sides of the casing 40, facing the inner surfaces of the fixed stoppers 42. The plate springs 37 press the heating element 38 tightly against the molded body 39, and the molded body 39 is pressed tightly against the seating surface 45 on the inner surface of the casing 40, and the casing 40 is further urged in the protruding direction until its position is restricted by the fixed stoppers 42. The casing 40 is formed with a plurality of through holes 44 facing the heating element 38. These through holes 44 form passages for far-infrared rays.

[0026] When the straightening iron 30 is in use, the casing 40 is heated by the heat of the heating element 38, and the cover sheet 41 is also heated. At this time, far infrared rays are generated from the molded body 39, and the far infrared rays pass through the through holes 44 of the casing 40, penetrate the cover sheet 41, and are emitted to the outside. The cover sheet 41 is heated by the far infrared rays and the heating element 38, and generates far infrared rays.

[0027] Therefore, by closing the iron pieces 31 and sliding the straightening iron 30 along the length of the hair while clamping the hair, the hair can be straightened. In this case, the far-infrared generating unit 35 is raised and lowered like a suspension, utilizing the elastic deformation and repulsive force of the leaf spring 37 and the elastic mass 46, so as not to apply excessive force to the hair.

[0028] In addition to the heating temperature from the heating element 38, a large amount of far infrared rays is supplied to the hair, so even if the heating temperature is not too high, that is, even if the heating temperature is low, the far infrared rays, which are electromagnetic waves, can effectively heat the hair from the inside and set it straight. This prevents carbonization of the hair and minimizes damage to the hair.

[0029] Therefore, in this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Because far-infrared rays from the molded body 39 and the cover sheet 41 can be used to style the hair, the hair can be properly styled without using high heating temperatures, as described above. This allows the styling to be completed in a short time, reduces evaporation of moisture from the hair, maintains an appropriate amount of moisture, and significantly reduces damage to the hair. This allows the hair to retain its luster and minimizes split ends and discoloration.

[0030] (2) The surface of the casing 40 is covered with a Teflon cover sheet 41, which has a low coefficient of friction, allowing hair to be smoothly straightened with little resistance. As a result, as mentioned above, damage to the hair is suppressed, hair shine is maintained, and split ends and discoloration are minimized. In addition, resistance to the iron action is reduced, allowing for smooth and easy styling.

[0031] (3) Because the casing 40 has through-holes 44, the far-infrared rays generated from the molded body 39 can easily pass through the through-holes 44 and reach the cover sheet 41. Therefore, not only are the far-infrared rays emitted through the cover sheet 41, but the far-infrared rays also promote the heat generation of the cover sheet 41, resulting in the generation of a large amount of far-infrared rays, which are used for ironing.

[0032] (4) Since the through-holes 44 of the casing 40 are blocked by the cover sheet 41, even when ironing wet hair, water droplets and moisture are prevented from entering the straightening iron 30 through the through-holes 44, thereby protecting the electrical components inside the straightening iron 30.

[0033] (5) The molded body 39 is housed in the casing 40 via the leaf spring 37, and the casing 40 is covered with a flexible cover sheet 41. Furthermore, the far-infrared generating unit 35 having the molded body 39 is supported by the ironing pieces 31 through the elastic mass 46 made of silicone rubber. Therefore, even if the ironing pieces 31 are roughly handled, for example, if the ironing pieces 31 are closed forcefully and collide with each other, the impact is absorbed at multiple points by the cover sheet 41, the leaf spring 37, and the elastic mass 46, so that cracking of the molded body 39 can be appropriately prevented.

[0034] (Third embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the present invention is embodied in a curling iron 50 as a hair iron, will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0035] 10 and 11, the curling iron 50 includes a rod-shaped iron body 51 with a cylindrical circumferential surface, and a presser lever 53 connected to the iron body 51 at its base end by a shaft 52 so as to be able to open and close. The iron body 51 includes a handle 54 and a heating part 55 constituting a far-infrared radiation generating unit, and the handle 54 is provided with a start switch 56 and an adjustment switch 57 for adjusting the temperature of a heating element 67 (described below). The presser lever 53 includes an operating part 58 and a presser part 59 having an arc-shaped cross section that fits along the outer circumferential surface of the heating part 55 of the iron body 51.

[0036] 11 and 12, the heating unit 55 is made of a metal with good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and includes a pair of semi-cylindrical casings 61 that form a heat sink, and the entire outer periphery of the casings 61 is covered with a cylindrical cover sheet 60 made of Teflon. The space between both side edges of the casings 61 is sealed with a bar-shaped sealing material 62. A plurality of through-holes 63 that form a passage for far-infrared rays are arranged in a row in the center of the width of the casings 61. A seating surface 64 is formed inside the area where the through-holes 63 are arranged.

[0037] A pair of receiving portions 65 are formed inside both casings 61, and a receiving plate 66 is supported between both receiving portions 65 via a leaf spring 69. A plate-shaped heating element 67 made of a ceramic heater is supported on this receiving plate 66, and a plate-shaped molded body 68 made of graphite is supported on the heating element 67. The spring force of the leaf spring 69 presses the heating element 67 against the molded body 68 without any gaps, and the molded body 68 is pressed against the seating surface 64 without any gaps, so that the molded body 68 is seated on the seating surface 64. The casing 61 forms a housing for the molded body 68.

[0038] When curling hair using the curling iron 50 of this embodiment, two heating elements 67, located 180 degrees apart, generate heat, heating the entire heating unit 55, including the molded body 68, casing 61, and cover sheet 60. This heats the entire heating unit 55. Then, the hair is wrapped around the heating unit 55 of the iron body 51, and the presser lever 53 clamps the hair between the heating unit 55 and the molded body 68. In this manner, the hair is heated and set into a curl. At this time, far-infrared rays are generated from the molded body 68, reach the cover sheet 60 through the through-holes 63, pass through the cover sheet 60, and are released to the outside. The far-infrared rays also heat the cover sheet 60, which is heated by the heat of the heating elements 67 and releases far-infrared rays. Therefore, when setting hair into curls, in addition to direct heating by the heating elements 67, support heating by far-infrared rays can be performed.

[0039] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same functions and effects as in the second embodiment. (Example of change) The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and can also be embodied in the following aspects.

[0040] In the first embodiment, the casing 26 may be made of a material other than phenolic resin, such as Teflon, PPS (polyphenylene sulfide resin), or carbon reinforced resin, which generates far infrared rays.

[0041] In the first embodiment, the stay 21 and the temperature sensor 22 at the front end opening of the blower duct 16 are omitted, and a far-infrared generating unit 23 having a molded body 25 is provided in that location. In the first embodiment, the molded body 25 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but the shape of the molded body 25 may be changed to a cube, sphere, cylinder, prism, or polyhedron other than a hexahedron. In this case, it is preferable to change the shape of the casing 26 in accordance with the shape of the molded body 25.

[0042] In the first embodiment, the casing 26 is a rectangular tube that is open at the front and rear. However, the casing 26 may be open at the front and closed at the rear. In the third embodiment, the molded body 68 faces only the casing 61 on the lever side.

[0043] In the third embodiment, the molded body 68 has an arc-shaped cross section that conforms to the inner circumferential surface of the casing 61 . In each of the first to third embodiments, the cover sheets 27, 41, 60 made of Teflon may be replaced with a material that easily transmits far infrared rays, such as high-density polyethylene.

[0044] The present invention may be embodied in a heating beauty tool other than the hair dryer 10, the straightening iron 30, and the curling iron 50 of the above-described embodiments, such as a hair dryer that has a comb and emits air from the base of the comb teeth.

[0045] The moldings 25, 39, and 68 may be made of materials other than graphite, such as ceramics such as alumina resin or diatomaceous earth. The technical concept is described below.

[0046] This technical concept relates to a heating beauty appliance such as a hair dryer or hair iron that heats parts of the body such as hair or scalp for beauty purposes. Hair dryers are commonly used to dry hair and the scalp, straightening irons to straighten hair, and curling irons to curl hair. However, for example, as we age, the scalp loses secretions and moisture. Therefore, applying high-temperature hot air from a hair dryer to the scalp can dry it out too much, causing itching and other problems. Furthermore, as we age, hair becomes less moist and thinner, resulting in discoloration and split ends due to heating at high temperatures. To prevent this, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a hair dryer equipped with a carbon molded body that generates far-infrared rays, which supports the heating effect even at low heating temperatures.

[0047] However, carbon molded bodies are fragile and vulnerable to impacts and abrasions. Therefore, carbon molded bodies may be subject to brittle fracture due to external force, resulting in cracking, or parts of the carbon may break into powder or granules and separate. In such cases, there is a risk of blackening the user's skin. To address this issue, Patent Document 1 covers the carbon molded body with a coating agent, but the coating agent is not strong enough to eliminate the aforementioned concerns. Furthermore, depending on the material of the coating agent, it may block far infrared rays, significantly reducing the warming support effect of far infrared rays.

[0048] The objective of this technical concept is to provide a warming beauty device that can prevent destruction of a far-infrared ray generating body such as a carbon molded body, and can appropriately obtain the heating support effect of far-infrared rays.

[0049] In order to achieve the above object, the present technical concept provides a warming beauty device that includes a heat source for warming the human body and a far-infrared ray generator attached to the heat source, and the far-infrared ray generator is housed in a casing, and the casing is provided with a passage for far-infrared rays.

[0050] In the above configuration, when the heat source generates heat, the human body is heated by that heat, and the temperature is used for beauty treatment. At this time, far-infrared rays are generated from the far-infrared ray generator by the heat of the heat source. The far-infrared rays then reach the human body through the far-infrared ray passage. Therefore, the far-infrared rays support the heating. Moreover, since the far-infrared rays are radiated directly to the human body without using air as a medium, heating can be performed without causing losses due to heating the medium air or heat diffusion through the medium air, thereby improving heating efficiency. Furthermore, since the far-infrared ray generator is housed in a casing, damage is avoided.

[0051] As described above, according to this technical concept, it is possible to prevent damage to the far-infrared ray generator and to obtain the heating effect of the far-infrared rays appropriately. The first technical idea is a warming beauty device that has a heat source for warming the human body and a far-infrared ray generator attached to the heat source, and the far-infrared ray generator is housed in a casing that has a passage for far-infrared rays.

[0052] Technical concept 2 is a warming beauty device according to technical concept 1, in which the far-infrared ray generating body is made of a carbon molding, and the carbon molding is covered with a cover sheet that transmits far-infrared rays. Technical concept 3 is a warming beauty device according to technical concept 1, in which a through hole is formed in the casing and the outer surface of the casing is covered with a cover sheet that transmits far infrared rays so as to cover the through hole. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10...hair dryer, 18...heat source, 23...heating element, 25...carbon molding, 26...casing, 27...cover sheet, 30...straightening iron, 38...heating element, 39...molding, 40...casing, 41...cover sheet, 44...through hole, 50...curling iron, 60...cover sheet, 61...casing, 63...through hole, 67...heating element, 68...molding.

Claims

1. In a hair iron equipped with a heat source for warming the human body, a casing is provided on the heat source, and the entire upper surface of the casing is covered with a cover sheet having a low coefficient of friction; The hair iron has a far-infrared ray generator disposed adjacent to the heat source, the far-infrared ray generator housed inside the casing, and a far-infrared ray passage portion provided in the casing.

2. 2. The hair iron according to claim 1, wherein the cover sheet is made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

3. The hair iron according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the passage portion is a through hole.

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