Hair iron

Abstract

To provide a hair iron that can ensure a sufficient amount of ions are released to the hair. [Solution] The hair iron 1 has an iron portion 3 that protrudes forward from the tip of the grip portion 2, and comprises a cylindrical barrel member 9 made of a conductive material and a heater 10 built into the barrel member 9. A slit 9a extending along the longitudinal direction is formed on the circumferential surface of the barrel member 9, and the iron comprises an inner insulating member 15 disposed inside the slit 9a, an outer insulating member 17 disposed at the open end of the slit 9a, a discharge electrode plate (ion generator) 16 housed between the inner insulating member 15 and the outer insulating member 17, and an insulating sheet 18 covering the outer circumferential surface of the barrel member 9. The iron is configured such that ions emitted from the electrode protrusions 16a of the discharge electrode plate 16 are released to the outside through through holes 17a provided in the outer insulating member 17.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a hair iron for styling hair.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a hair iron in which a cylindrical iron part is provided at the tip of a grip part, and hair can be curled by winding the hair around the heated iron part.

[0003] As an example of this type of hair iron, a barrel lever is disposed along the longitudinal direction of a metal barrel member constituting the iron part, and a plurality of fins extending to the outer periphery of the barrel member are formed on the barrel lever. At the same time, needle-like protrusions of an ion discharge plate embedded in the barrel lever are arranged at the inner bottom of the space between the plurality of fins, and negative ions discharged from the needle-like protrusions are discharged to the outside of the iron part through the space between the plurality of fins. A hair iron has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] According to the hair iron described in Patent Document 1, negative ions are discharged along the elongated space existing between the fins of the barrel lever attached to the barrel member. Therefore, even when the hair is wound around the barrel member, it is said that negative ions can always be discharged over a wide range.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in the hair iron described in Patent Document 1, the tip of the needle-shaped projection is positioned at the bottom of the groove-shaped space formed between the fins. Therefore, if the groove depth of the space is not sufficiently ensured, some of the ion electrons emitted from the needle-shaped projection will flow into the outer surface of the metal barrel member, reducing the amount of ions emitted to the outside of the iron.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a hair iron that can ensure a sufficient amount of ions are released to the hair. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, one aspect of the present invention provides a hair iron in which an iron section with a heater built into the tip of the grip section is provided, and the iron section comprises a cylindrical barrel member made of a conductive material, a heater built into the barrel member, and an ion generator for generating ions, wherein a slit extending along the longitudinal direction is formed on the circumferential surface of the barrel member, and the iron comprises an inner insulating member disposed inside the slit, an outer insulating member disposed at the opening end of the slit, and an insulating sheet covering the outer circumferential surface of the barrel member, the ion generator being housed between the inner insulating member and the outer insulating member, and the ions generated by the ion generator being released to the outside through perforations provided in the outer insulating member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a sufficient amount of ions can be released to the hair. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a side view of a hair iron according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the hair iron. [Figure 3]This is a cross-sectional view of the hair iron. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the ironing part. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view along the VV line in Figure 1. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing a disassembled portion of the ironing mechanism. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view of the inner insulating member, the discharge electrode plate, and the outer insulating member. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 is a side view of a hair iron according to an embodiment, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the hair iron, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the hair iron, Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the iron part, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view along the VV line in Figure 1, Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a part of the iron part disassembled, and Figure 7 is a perspective view of the inner insulating member, discharge electrode plate and outer insulating member.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 to 7, the hair iron 1 according to this embodiment mainly comprises a grip portion 2, an iron portion 3 that protrudes forward from the tip of the grip portion 2, and a clip lever 4 that is pivotably supported on the tip side of the grip portion 2.

[0014] The grip section 2 is the part of the hair iron 1 that the user holds in their hand, and is formed in a cylindrical shape. On the outer surface of the grip section 2, an operation knob 5 for setting the temperature of the iron section 3 and an operation button 6 for turning the power of the hair iron 1 on / off are located in close proximity. Inside the grip section 2 is a circuit board 7 for the control circuit, and this circuit board 7 has multiple electronic components mounted on it, including multiple switch elements operated by the operation knob 5 and the operation button 6, as well as transformers, capacitors, and other circuit components of the ion generator described later. A connecting cable 8 is also connected to the circuit board 7, and this connecting cable 8 is led out to the outside from the rear end of the grip section 2.

[0015] The ironing part 3 includes a cylindrical barrel member 9 and a heater 10 built into the barrel member 9. The barrel member 9 is formed of a conductive material with high thermal conductivity. In this embodiment, the barrel member 9 is formed using an aluminum alloy.

[0016] A synthetic resin cap 11 is fixed to the tip of the barrel member 9. The rear end of the barrel member 9 is fixed to the tip of the grip part 2 via a synthetic resin relay ring 12. Two circumferential surface portions facing each other across the central axis of the barrel member 9 are formed with slits 9a extending along the longitudinal direction, and the barrel member 9 is partitioned into two parts by these slits 9a. The slits 9a are formed over the entire length of the barrel member 9, and a through hole 9b is formed at the center of the inner bottom surface of the slit 9a.

[0017] For the sake of convenience, if the left half of the barrel member 9 shown in FIG. 1 is called the upper barrel half body and the right half of the barrel member 9 is called the lower barrel half body, heaters 10 are built into each of these upper barrel half bodies 9 and lower barrel half bodies 9. The heater 10 is an elongated plate-like member that generates heat when energized and is mounted on a flexible substrate 13. This flexible substrate 13 is connected to a circuit board 7 housed in the grip part 2. The heat generated by the heater 10 can be quickly transmitted to the inner surfaces of the upper barrel half body 9 and the lower barrel half body 9, and the temperature of the entire barrel member 9 can be uniformly increased.

[0018] The clip lever 4 is provided on the upper barrel half body side of the barrel member 9 and has a semi-cylindrical curled plate 4a, an operation lever 4b that protrudes obliquely upward from the rear end portion of the curled plate 4a, and a drive portion 4c that protrudes rearward from the back surface of the operation lever 4b. The drive portion 4c is inserted into the relay ring 12 and is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable, and receives the elastic force from a spring 14 incorporated in the relay ring 12. Thereby, the clip lever 4 is biased in a direction in which the curled plate 4a contacts the outer peripheral surface of the barrel member (upper barrel half body) 9.

[0019] Inside the slit 9a of the barrel member 9, a long inner insulating member 15 is disposed. This inner insulating member 15 is a molded product having a U-shaped cross section made of an insulating synthetic resin material, and a plurality of protrusions 15a are formed on the inner surface thereof (see FIG. 7). Most of the inner insulating member 15 is inserted into a through hole 9b formed in the inner bottom portion of the slit 9a, whereby the inner insulating member 15 is positioned at a predetermined position of the barrel member 9.

[0020] On the inner surface of the inner insulating member 15, a long discharge electrode plate 16, which is a component of the ion generator, is held. This discharge electrode plate 16 is connected to an ion generation circuit housed in the grip portion 2. On the discharge electrode plate 16, a plurality of electrode protrusions 16a for generating ion electrons are formed at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. Further, a plurality of positioning holes 16b are formed in the discharge electrode plate 16, and by fitting these positioning holes 16b into the corresponding protrusions 15a of the inner insulating member 15, the discharge electrode plate 16 is fixed to the inner surface of the inner insulating member 15.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the discharge electrode plates 16 are respectively disposed in two slits 9a formed at opposing positions of the barrel member 9, and a negative high voltage is applied to one of these two discharge electrode plates 16, and a positive high voltage is applied to the other discharge electrode plate 16. Thereby, negative ions are emitted from one discharge electrode plate 16, and positive ions are emitted from the other discharge electrode plate 16.

[0022] An elongated outer insulating member 17 is positioned at the opening end of the slit 9a. This outer insulating member 17 is a molded product made of insulating synthetic resin material and is set to the same length as the barrel member 9 so as to cover the entire opening of the slit 9a. The outer insulating member 17 is fitted into the inner insulating member 15 to integrate them, and the discharge electrode plate 16 is housed between the outer insulating member 17 and the inner insulating member 15. Multiple through holes 17a are formed in the outer insulating member 17 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction, and these through holes 17a and the electrode protrusions 16a of the discharge electrode plate 16 are set to face each other. As a result, ions generated at the electrode protrusions 16a of the discharge electrode plate 16 are released to the outside through the corresponding through holes 17a of the outer insulating member 17.

[0023] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, an insulating sheet 18 is attached to the outer surface of the barrel member 9 (not shown in Figures 1-3 and 6). This insulating sheet 18 is made of a highly heat-resistant polyimide film or fluororesin film, and all outer surfaces of the barrel member 9 except for the slit 9a are covered by the insulating sheet 18. Therefore, the ion electrons generated at the electrode protrusions 16a of the discharge electrode plate 16 do not flow into the outer surface of the barrel member 9 covered with the insulating sheet 18, but pass through the through-holes 17a of the outer insulating member 17 and are then released entirely to the outside of the barrel member 9.

[0024] Next, we will explain an example of how to use hair iron 1, which is configured as described above.

[0025] First, the power is turned on by operating the control button 6. This initiates the execution of various operations by the control circuit, and both the heater 10 and the ion generation circuit become operational. Next, the heating temperature is selected from several levels by operating the control knob 5, and the surface temperature of the barrel member 9 is set to the desired heating temperature by the heating operation of the heater 10.

[0026] Then, with the barrel member 9 maintained at the selected heating temperature, the operating lever 4b of the clip lever 4 is pushed against the elastic force of the spring 14 to release the curling plate 4a. After that, the hair is sandwiched between the curling plate 4a and the barrel member (upper barrel half) 9, and then the clip lever 4 is closed. In this way, the hair is elastically clipped between the barrel member 9 and the curling plate 4a, so when the hair iron 1 is moved toward the ends of the hair, the hair is curled by the heat of the barrel member 9.

[0027] Simultaneously, a negative high voltage is applied to one discharge electrode plate 16 from the ion generation circuit, and a positive high voltage is applied to the other discharge electrode plate 16. As a result, negative ions and positive ions are released from the two locations where the slits 9a are formed in the barrel member 9, and these negative and positive ions are applied to the hair. At this time, the ions released from the discharge electrode plates 16 through the through-holes 17a of the outer insulating member 17 do not flow into the outer surface of the barrel member 9 covered with the insulating sheet 18, but are released entirely to the outside of the barrel member 9. As a result, if the curling hair is dry, the negative ions applied to the hair can make it smooth and free from static electricity. Also, if the curling hair is wet, the positive ions applied to the cuticles that have opened with moisture can tighten the cuticles and prevent the hair from becoming damp.

[0028] The hair iron 1 configured in this way according to this embodiment can provide the following effects.

[0029] In a hair iron 1 having a cylindrical barrel member 9 made of a conductive material, the iron part 3 protruding forward from the tip of the grip part 2, a slit 9a extending along the longitudinal direction is formed on the circumferential surface of the barrel member 9, and an inner insulating member 15 disposed inside the slit 9a, an outer insulating member 17 disposed at the open end of the slit 9a, a discharge electrode plate (ion generator) 16 housed between the inner insulating member 15 and the outer insulating member 17, and an insulating sheet 18 covering the outer circumferential surface of the barrel member 9, the hair iron 1 is configured such that ions emitted from the electrode protrusions 16a of the discharge electrode plate 16 are emitted to the outside through holes 17a provided in the outer insulating member 17, thereby preventing ion electrons from flowing into the outer circumferential surface of the barrel member 9 and ensuring a sufficient amount of ion emission for curling hair.

[0030] Furthermore, since the slits 9a are formed on opposite sides of the barrel member 9, positive ions are emitted from the discharge electrode plate 16 located in one slit 9a, and negative ions are emitted from the discharge electrode plate 16 located in the other slit 9a, thus enabling the device to exhibit an appropriate ion effect according to the condition of the hair.

[0031] Furthermore, since the outer surface of the barrel member 9 is covered with an insulating sheet 18, friction with the hair can be reduced, and the heat from the metal barrel member 9 is mitigated, thereby reducing heat transfer to the hair.

[0032] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. All technical matters included in the technical concept described in the claims are subject to the present invention. The embodiments described above are preferred examples, but those skilled in the art can realize various alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements from the contents disclosed herein, and these are included in the technical scope described in the appended claims.

[0033] For example, in the above embodiment, the inner insulating member 15 of the resin molded product is placed inside the slit 9a, but it is also possible to integrate the inner insulating member placed inside the slit 9a and the insulating sheet covering the outer surface of the barrel member 9 into a single product. In this case, the discharge electrode plate 16 may be held by the sheet-like inner insulating member, but it is preferable to hold it by the outer insulating member 17 of the resin molded product.

[0034] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, positive ions are emitted from one of the two discharge electrode plates 16 and negative ions are emitted from the other. However, it is also possible to have both discharge electrode plates 16 emit positive ions, or both discharge electrode plates 16 emit negative ions. Alternatively, the ion generation circuit may be controlled so that negative ions and positive ions are alternately emitted from one discharge electrode plate 16.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, slits 9a are formed at two locations on the circumferential surface opposite each other, straddling the central axis of the barrel member 9. However, the number and position of the slits 9a are not limited to this. For example, two slits 9a can be formed close to both sides of the clip lever 4, three slits 9a can be formed at three locations spaced approximately 120 degrees apart in the circumferential direction, or four slits 9a can be formed at four locations spaced at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. By forming three or more slits 9a in this way and placing the discharge electrode plate 16 in each slit 9a, the amount of ions emitted from each discharge electrode plate 16 increases, thereby further improving the ionic effect on the hair. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1. Hair iron 2. Grip section 3. Ironing section 4 Clip levers 4a Curl plate 4b Operating lever 4c Operating lever 5. Operation knob 6 Operation buttons 7 Circuit board 8 connection cables 9. Barrel member 9a Slit 9b Through hole 10 Heaters 11 caps 12 relay ring 13 Flexible circuit board 14 Springs 15. Inner insulating material 15a protrusion 16. Discharge electrode plate (ion generator) 16a Electrode protrusion 16b Positioning hole 17. Outer insulating material 17a Through hole 18 Insulating Sheet

Claims

1. A hair iron is provided with an iron section at the tip of the grip section that has a heater built into it, and the iron section has a cylindrical barrel member made of a conductive material, a heater built into the barrel member, and an ion generator that generates ions, A slit extending along the longitudinal direction is formed on the circumferential surface of the barrel member. The barrel member comprises an inner insulating member disposed inside the slit, an outer insulating member disposed at the opening end of the slit, and an insulating sheet covering the outer circumferential surface of the barrel member. The ion generator is housed between the inner insulating member and the outer insulating member. The ions generated by the ion generator are released to the outside through the through-holes provided in the outer insulating member. A hair iron characterized by the following features.

2. In the hair iron according to claim 1, The ion generator has a long discharge electrode plate and electrode protrusions formed on the discharge electrode plate, The electrode projection is positioned opposite the through-hole of the outer insulating member. A hair iron characterized by the following features.

3. In the hair iron according to claim 2, The discharge electrode plate is held by either the inner insulating member or the outer insulating member. A hair iron characterized by the following features.

4. In the hair iron according to claim 1, The slits are formed on opposing sides of the barrel member, Positive ions are emitted from the ion generator located in one of the slits, and negative ions are emitted from the ion generator located in the other slit. A hair iron characterized by the following features.

5. In the hair iron according to claim 1, The inner insulating member and the insulating sheet are an integrated product. A hair iron characterized by the following features.

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