Smart hair straightener

Abstract

There is provided a smart hair straightener including a pair of heating plates, a cylinder, a light sensor, a pressure sensor and a processor. The light sensor is used to detect rotation of the cylinder and to output a light detection signal. The pressure sensor is used to detect a pressure thereto from the cylinder and to output a pressure detection signal. The processor is used to control heating of the pair of heating plates according to the light detection signal and the pressure detection signal to adaptively adjust a temperature of the pair of heating plates corresponding to an amount of hair and a moving speed of hair.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to a hair straightener and, more particularly, to a smart hair straightener that automatically adjusts a temperature of heating plates according to an amount of hair and a moving speed of hair.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The operation of a conventional hair straightener is to warm up heating plates to an operation temperature by a heater. Then, a user controls by him / herself a moving speed of hair passing the heating plates to shape the hair.

[0003] However, when using different brands of products, said different products may require the user to move hair with different moving speeds to straightening hair. It is possible to have poor shaping performance due to moving too fast or to damage the hair due to moving too slow.

[0004] Therefore, a smart hair straightener that can automatically and adaptably adjust a temperature of heating plates thereof according to operation of a user are required.

[0005] The information disclosed in this BACKGROUND is merely intended to increase understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an admission or in any way implied that the relevant information constitutes prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.SUMMARY

[0006] Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a smart hair straightener that can automatically adjust a temperature of heating plates thereof according to an amount of hair and a moving speed of hair.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a smart hair straightener that changes a temperature of heating plates thereof corresponding to a moving speed of hair detected by a light sensor.

[0008] The present disclosure further provides a smart hair straightener that changes a temperature of heating plates thereof corresponding to an amount of hair detected by a pressure sensor.

[0009] The present disclosure further provides a smart hair straightener that adopts multiple groups of heating plates and detection sensors to implement the district heating and to reduce the total power consumption.

[0010] The present disclosure provides a hair straightener including a first pair of heating plates, a heater, a first cylinder, a first pressure sensor and a processor. The first pair of heating plates, configured to grasp hair therebetween. The first cylinder is arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates, and configured to be rotated by outer hair sliding over a first cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the first pair of heating plates. The first pressure sensor is arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect a pressure from the outer hair to the first cylinder and output a first pressure detection signal. The processor is configured to control the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates according to the first pressure detection signal.

[0011] The present disclosure further provides a hair straightener including a first pair of heating plates, a heater, a first cylinder, a first light sensor and a processor. The first pair of heating plates is configured to grasp hair therebetween. The first cylinder is arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates, and configured to be rotated by outer hair sliding over a first cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the first pair of heating plates. The first light sensor is arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect rotation of the first cylinder driven by the outer hair sliding over and output a first light detection signal. The processor is configured to control the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates according to the first light detection signal.

[0012] The present disclosure further provides a hair straightener including a first pair of heating plates, a heater, a first cylinder, a first pressure sensor, a first light sensor and a processor. The first pair of heating plates is configured to grasp hair therebetween. The first cylinder is arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates, and configured to be rotated by outer hair sliding over a first cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the first pair of heating plates. The first pressure sensor is arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect a pressure from the outer hair to the first cylinder and output a first pressure detection signal. The first light sensor is arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect rotation of the first cylinder driven by the outer hair sliding over and output a first light detection signal. The processor is configured to control the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates according to the first pressure detection signal and the first light detection signal.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0013] Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a solid diagram of a smart hair straightener according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener of a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener of a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener of a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a solid diagram of a smart hair straightener according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0019] It should be noted that, wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0020] One objective of the present disclosure is to provide a smart hair straightener that adaptably adjusts a temperature of heating plats of the hair straightener (or called hair curlers) according to the present operation of a user to avoid damaging hair and to improve the shaping performance. In addition, the heating plates of the smart hair straightener of the present disclosure may be divided into different regions to respectively perform heating on the different regions. Because the region without hair passing through is not heated, the total power consumption is reduced compared with the conventional hair straighteners that warm up the whole heating plates together.

[0021] Please refer to FIG. 1, it is a solid diagram of a smart hair straightener (sometimes abbreviated as hair straightener hereinafter) 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 100 includes a first casing 101 and a second casing 102 for being held by a user during operation. It should be mentioned that although the present disclosure is described by a V-type (i.e. one end connected and the other end being able to be opened and closed) of the first casing 101 and the second casing 102, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The hair straightener 100 of the present disclosure may be implemented by other structures, e.g., X-type, without particular limitations. The material of the first casing 101 and the second casing 102 is not particularly limited.

[0022] The heating members (e.g., including the heater and heating plates) and the sensing members (e.g., including the pressure sensor and the light sensor) mentioned hereinafter are arranged in or on the first casing 101 and / or the second casing 102.

[0023] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 together, FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener 200 of a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 200 includes a pair of heating plates (e.g., shown as a first heating plate 11 and a second heating plate 12), a group of heaters (e.g., shown as a first heater 141 and a second heater 142), a cylinder 15, a pressure sensor 26 and a processor 13. The surface of the pair of heating plates is a plane surface or a curved surface without particular limitations.

[0024] The material of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 includes titanium alloy, ceramic, tourmaline, metal and titanium-ceramic, but not limited thereto. The heaters 141 and 142 include a heating body to be heated by current, and the heat energy is transferred to the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 to increase a temperature thereof. The method of heating the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 respectively using the heaters 141 and 142 is known to the art and not a main objective of the present disclosure, and thus details thereof are not described herein. The present disclosure is to control timing of the heaters 141 and 142 to perform heating according to the present operation of a user correspondingly.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the first heating plate 11 is arranged on the first casing 101 (e.g., on a surface thereof facing the second casing 102), and the second heating plate 12 is arranged on the second casing 102 (e.g., on a surface thereof facing the first casing 101). The first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 are used to grasp hair 90 therebetween.

[0026] The cylinder 15 is arranged adjacent to the pair of heating plates, e.g., FIGS. 1 and 2 showing adjacent to the second heating plate 12. When the hair 90 is moving between the pair of heating plates (e.g., FIG. 2 showing the hair 90 moving along a Y-direction), outer hair (i.e. a part of the hair 90 not between the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12) moves across a cylinder surface of the cylinder 15 to drive the cylinder 15 to rotate. The outer hair 901 is in contact with the cylinder surface when sliding over the cylinder surface to rotate the cylinder 15 by friction force.

[0027] The cylinder 15 is made of robber or plastic, but not limited to. In another aspect, the cylinder 15 may also be made of ceramic or metal. Preferably, the cylinder 15 is arranged at a hair-leaving side (e.g., at a right side shown in FIG. 2) of the pair of heating plates because generally the part of hair 90 leaving the pair of heating plates is stretched in operation and thus is good for pressing on the cylinder 15. For example, FIG. 2 shows that the hair 90 presses on the cylinder 15 in a Z-direction. To improve the pressing effect of the hair 90 on the cylinder 15, a surface of the cylinder 15 for contacting the outer hair 901 is preferably higher than a contact face between the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12.

[0028] The pressure sensor 26 is arranged opposite to the cylinder 15 (e.g., right below the cylinder 15 as shown in FIG. 2) to detect a pressure from the outer hair 901 to the cylinder 15 and to output a pressure detection signal Sf. It is seen from FIG. 2 that when the outer hair 901 presses on the cylinder 15, the cylinder 15 presses downward on the pressure sensor 26. In the present disclosure, a type of the pressure sensor 26 is not particular limited as long as it is able to detect the pressure from the cylinder 15 and to output the pressure detection signal Sf.

[0029] The processor 13 is, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that uses software, firmware and / or hardware to perform functions thereof, e.g., including the pressure identification, calculating rotation speed and conducting current to heater as mentioned below.

[0030] The processor 13 is electrically coupled to the pressure sensor 26 and the heaters 141 and 142 to control the heaters 141 and 142 to warm up the pair of heating plates according to the pressure detection signal Sf.

[0031] In one aspect, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 when identifying that the pressure is increased (i.e. more hair) according to the pressure detection signal Sf; and controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively decrease (stop heating) the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 when identifying that the pressure is decreased (i.e. less hair) according to the pressure detection signal Sf. In this way, it is able to adaptively adjust the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 according to an amount of hair between the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12.

[0032] In one aspect, to improve the pressing effect from the outer hair 901 to the cylinder 15, the hair straightener 100 further includes auxiliary grasping members (e.g., including a first auxiliary member 181 on the first casing 101 and a second auxiliary member 182 on the second casing 102 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) to grasp the outer hair 901 leaving the pair of heating plates. In this aspect, the first cylinder 15 and the pressure sensor 26 are arranged between the pair of heating plates and the auxiliary grasping members in a Y-direction to grasp at two sides of the outer hair 901.

[0033] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 3 together, FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener 300 of a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 300 also includes a pair of heating plates (e.g., shown as a first heating plate 11 and a second heating plate 12), a group of heaters (e.g., shown as a first heater 141 and a second heater 142), a cylinder 15, auxiliary grasping members (e.g., shown as a first auxiliary member 181 and a second auxiliary member 182) and a processor 13, which are respectively identical to those in FIG. 2 having identical numerical references and thus details thereof are not repeated herein. The difference between the hair straightener 300 of the second embodiment and the hair straightener 200 of the first embodiment is that the hair straightener 300 does not include the pressure sensor 26 but additionally include a light sensor 37, which may be arranged at different positions as shown in FIG. 3.

[0034] The light sensor 37 is, for example, an optical tracking sensor or an IR proximity sensor, but not limited thereto. The light sensor 37 is any kind of optical sensor that detects the texture and brightness on a cylinder surface of the cylinder 15. The light sensor 15 is arranged opposite to the first cylinder 15 (e.g., on the second auxiliary member 182 and / or between the pair of heating plates and the auxiliary grasping members) to detect rotation of the cylinder 15 driven by the outer hair 901 sliding over and to output a light detection signal So. The arranged location of the light sensor 37 is not particularly limited as long as it is able to capture information of texture or brightness on a cylinder surface of the cylinder 15.

[0035] Similarly, in the second embodiment, the cylinder 15 and the light sensor 37 are arranged at a hair-leaving side (e.g., right side shown in FIG. 3) of the pair of heating plates.

[0036] The processor 13 is used to control the heater 141 and 142 to respectively heat the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 according to the light detection signal So. The processor 13 further identifies a rotation speed of the cylinder 15 (indicating a moving speed of hair 90) according to a texture variation (e.g., by calculating correlation between images) or a brightness variation (e.g., by coding the cylinder surface) of the cylinder surface of the cylinder 15.

[0037] In one aspect, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that a rotation speed of the cylinder 15 is increased according to the light detection signal So; the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively decrease (stop heating) the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the rotation speed is decreased according to the light detection signal So; and the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 not to heat the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the rotation speed is zero. In this way, it is able to adaptively control the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 corresponding to the operation speed of a user. The operation speed mentioned herein is referred to a speed that a user moves the hair straightener with respect to hair 90.

[0038] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 4 together, FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener 400 of a third embodiment of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 400 of the third embodiment is a combination of the hair straightener 200 in the first embodiment and the hair straightener 300 in the second embodiment, and thus includes a pair of heating plates (e.g., shown as a first heating plate 11 and a second heating plate 12), a group of heaters (e.g., shown as a first heater 141 and a second heater 142), a cylinder 15, auxiliary grasping members (e.g., shown as a first auxiliary member 181 and a second auxiliary member 182), a pressure sensor 26, a light sensor 37 and a processor 13, which are respectively described above and thus details thereof are not repeated herein.

[0039] In the third embodiment, by arranging both the pressure sensor 26 and the light sensor 37, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively heat up the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 according to the pressure detection signal Sf and the light detection signal So.

[0040] For example, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that a pressure from the hair 90 to the cylinder 15 is increased according to the pressure detection signal Sf; and the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively decrease (stop heating) the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the pressure from the hair 90 to the cylinder 15 is decreased according to the pressure detection signal Sf.

[0041] For example, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that a rotation speed of the cylinder 15 is increased according to the light detection signal So; the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively decrease (stop heating) the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the rotation speed is decreased according to the light detection signal So; and the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 not to heat up the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the rotation speed is zero.

[0042] Similarly, in the third embodiment, the cylinder 15, the pressure sensor 26 and the light sensor 37 are arranged at a hair-leaving side of the pair of heating plates, e.g., right side as shown in FIG. 4. The cylinder 15 and the pressure sensor 26 are arranged between the pair of heating plates and the auxiliary clamping members in a Y-direction. The light sensor 37 is arranged on the auxiliary grasping members, but not limited thereto. For example as shown in FIG. 5, the light sensor 37 is arranged between the pair of heating plates 11 and 12 as well as the auxiliary clamping members 181 and 182.

[0043] Please refer to FIG. 5, it is a solid diagram of a smart hair straightener (sometimes abbreviated as hair straightener herein) 500 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 500 may be applied to the hair straightener 200 of the first embodiment, the hair straightener 300 of the second embodiment and the hair straightener 400 of the third embodiment.

[0044] The difference between the hair straightener 500 and those in the first to third embodiments is that the heating plates of the hair straightener 500 are divided into multiple regions (e.g., three regions being shown, but not limited to), and the temperatures of the divided three regions are respectively controlled according to the user operation.

[0045] For example, the hair straightener 500 includes a first pair of heating plates 511 and 521, a second pair of heating plates 512 and the one therebelow (not indicated by a numeral reference), and a third pair of heating plates 513 and the one therebelow (not indicated by a numeral reference). The first pair of heating plates, the second pair of heating plates and the third pair of heating plates are adjacent to one another in an X-direction, in contact or not in contact to each other.

[0046] For example, the hair straightener 500 includes a first cylinder 551, a second cylinder 552 and a third cylinder 553 respectively arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates, the second pair of heating plates and the third pair of heating plates in a Y-direction. The first cylinder 551, the second cylinder 552 and the third cylinder 553 are arranged adjacent to one another in an X-direction. Similar to the cylinder 15 mentioned above, when the hair 90 is moving between the first pair of heating plates, the outer hair slides over a first cylinder surface of the first cylinder 551 to drive the first cylinder 551 to rotate; when the hair 90 is moving between the second pair of heating plates, the outer hair slides over a second cylinder surface of the second cylinder 552 to drive the second cylinder 552 to rotate; and when the hair 90 is moving between the third pair of heating plates, the outer hair slides over a third cylinder surface of the third cylinder 553 to drive the third cylinder 552 to rotate. FIG. 5 shows that the hair 90 is between the second pair of heating plates (having a length L2) but not between the first pair of heating plates (having a length L1) or the third pair of heating plates (having a length L3). L1, L2 and L3 are identical to or different from one another.

[0047] For example, the hair straightener 500 includes a first sensor module 561, a second sensor module 562 and a third sensor module 563, respectively including a pressure sensor and a light sensor as mentioned in the above embodiments. The first sensor module 561, the second sensor module 562 and the third sensor module 563 are respectively arranged opposite to the first cylinder 551, the second cylinder 552 and the third cylinder 553, wherein the arrangement of the pressure sensor and the light sensor are similar to FIGS. 2 to 4. In addition, FIG. 5 shows another aspect in which the light sensors 571, 572 and 573 are respectively arranged below the first cylinder 551, the second cylinder 552 and the third cylinder 553 but are not on the auxiliary grasping members. In other words, the pressure sensor and the light sensor (including the processor) of the present disclosure are manufactured as a single chip.

[0048] The first pressure sensor of the first sensor module 561 is used to detect a pressure of outer hair to the first cylinder 551 and to output a first pressure detection signal Sf1; and the first light sensor 571 of the first sensor module 561 is arranged opposite to the first cylinder 551 and used to detect a rotation (e.g., by detecting the texture or brightness variation) of the first cylinder 551 driven by the outer hair sliding over and to output a first light detection signal So1.

[0049] The second pressure sensor of the second sensor module 562 is used to detect a pressure of outer hair to the second cylinder 552 and to output a second pressure detection signal Sf2; and the second light sensor 572 of the second sensor module 562 is arranged opposite to the second cylinder 552 and used to detect a rotation (e.g., by detecting the texture or brightness variation) of the second cylinder 552 driven by the outer hair sliding over and to output a second light detection signal So2.

[0050] The third pressure sensor of the third sensor module 563 is used to detect a pressure of outer hair to the third cylinder 553 and to output a third pressure detection signal Sf3; and the third light sensor 573 of the third sensor module 563 is arranged opposite to the third cylinder 553 and used to detect a rotation (e.g., by detecting the texture or brightness variation) of the third cylinder 553 driven by the outer hair sliding over and to output a third light detection signal So3.

[0051] The processor 53 is electrically coupled to the first sensor module 561, the second sensor module 562, the third sensor module 563 and the heater 53. It should be mentioned that although FIG. 5 shows a single heater 53, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Similar to the above embodiments, each heating plate is arranged with a corresponding heating plate to transfer heat energy thereto.

[0052] In one aspect, the processor 53 controls the heater 54 to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the first cylinder 551 from the hair 90 (specifically the outer hair 901) is higher than a first threshold (predetermined) according to the first pressure detection signal Sf1; the processor 53 controls the heater 54 to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the second cylinder 552 from the hair 90 (specifically the outer hair 901) is higher than a second threshold (predetermined, and identical to or different from the first threshold) according to the second pressure detection signal Sf2; and the processor 53 controls the heater 54 to heat the third pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the third cylinder 553 from the hair 90 (specifically the outer hair 901) is higher than a third threshold (predetermined, and identical to or different from the first and second thresholds) according to the third pressure detection signal Sf3.

[0053] In one aspect, the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc1) the heater 54 not to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the first cylinder 551 from the hair 90 is not higher than the first threshold according to the first pressure detection signal Sf1; the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc2) the heater 54 not to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the second cylinder 552 from the hair 90 is not higher than the second threshold according to the second pressure detection signal Sf2; and the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc3) the heater 54 not to heat the third pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the third cylinder 553 from the hair 90 is not higher than a third threshold according to the third pressure detection signal Sf3.

[0054] In one aspect, the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc1) the heater 54 to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the first cylinder 551 is rotating according to the first light detection signal So1; the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc2) the heater 54 to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the second cylinder 552 is rotating according to the second light detection signal So2; and the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc3) the heater 54 to heat the third pair of heating plates upon identifying that the third cylinder 553 is rotating according to the third light detection signal So3.

[0055] In one aspect, the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc1) the heater 54 not to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the first cylinder 551 is not being rotated according to the first light detection signal So1; the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc2) the heater 54 not to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the second cylinder 552 is not being rotated according to the second light detection signal So2; and the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc3) the heater 54 not to heat the third pair of heating plates upon identifying that the third cylinder 553 is not being rotated according to the third light detection signal So3.

[0056] The heating to the first pair of heating plates, the second pair of heating plates and the third pair of heating plates by the heater 54 are independent from one another, and may be implemented separately.

[0057] It is appreciated that when the hair straighteners 200 to 500 of the present disclosure are connected to a power source, the heater is arranged to warm the pair of heating plates up to a predetermined temperature, and the temperatures of the heating plates are further controlled (after the predetermined temperature reached) according to the methods mentioned in the above embodiments.

[0058] It is appreciated that the hair straighteners 200 to 500 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 are respectively applied to the hair straightener 100 shown in FIG. 1, and different numerical references are used to indicate different embodiments.

[0059] It should be mentioned that the values, such as a number of devices as well as sizes and spatial relationship between elements, mentioned in the present disclosure are only intended to illustrate but not to limit the present disclosure.

[0060] It should be mentioned that although the present disclosure is described in the way that the cylinder and the sensing members (including the pressure sensor and the light sensor) are arranged at an inner side of one of the casing of the hair straightener, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other aspects, the cylinder and the sensing members in the above embodiments are arranged at inner sides of both of the casing, and the processor respectively controls the first heating plate and the second heating plate accordingly.

[0061] In the present disclosure, the hair-leaving side is preferably marked on at least one of the first casing 101 and the second casing 102 to inform the user for operation.

[0062] It should be mentioned that although the hair straightener of the present disclosure is described in the way that pressure sensor is used to detect a pressure of the hair on the cylinder as an example, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other aspects, the pressure sensor is arranged at other locations to detect the amount of hair between heating plates, e.g., arranged between one heating plate and the corresponding casing, or at a connection end and between the first casing 101 and the second casing 102 (e.g., at a region B shown in FIG. 1) for detecting a pressure between the first casing 101 and the second casing 102 pressed by a user, e.g., the pressure being larger when there is less hair therebetween, and the pressure being smaller when there is more hair therebetween.

[0063] In another aspect, the cylinder 15 is arranged as a structure that can move in the Z-direction while being pressed and the light sensor 37 is used to detect a downward movement of the cylinder 15. For example, when the amount of hair is larger, the downward movement of the cylinder 15 is larger; and when the amount of hair is smaller, the downward movement of the cylinder 15 is smaller. In this case, the light sensor 37 is used to detect both the moving speed of the cylinder 15 and the amount of hair between heating plates such that the pressure sensor may be omitted. For example, the light sensor 37 is arranged adjacent to the cylinder 15 in the Y-direction to detect the up and down movement of the cylinder 15, or the light sensor 37 is arranged under the cylinder 15 in the Z-direction to detect a distance to the cylinder 15 (operated similar to a proximity sensor or a time-of-flight sensor).

[0064] As mentioned above, when using the conventional hair straighteners, a user needs to operate based on experience in order to avoid damaging hair such that it is not easy to operate. Furthermore, because the whole heating plates of the conventional hair straighteners are heated at the same time, the power consumption is higher. Accordingly, the present disclosure further provides a smart hair straightener (e.g., FIGS. 1-5) that automatically adjusts a temperature of heating plates. By arranging a pressure sensor to detect an amount of hair and arranging a light sensor to detect a moving speed of hair, a temperature of heating plates is controlled adaptively. Furthermore, by dividing the heating plates into multiple regions to be temperature-controlled separately, the total power consumption is effectively reduced.

[0065] Although the disclosure has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is not used to limit the disclosure. It is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as hereinafter claimed.

Examples

first embodiment

[0023]Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 together, FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener 200 of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 200 includes a pair of heating plates (e.g., shown as a first heating plate 11 and a second heating plate 12), a group of heaters (e.g., shown as a first heater 141 and a second heater 142), a cylinder 15, a pressure sensor 26 and a processor 13. The surface of the pair of heating plates is a plane surface or a curved surface without particular limitations.

[0024]The material of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 includes titanium alloy, ceramic, tourmaline, metal and titanium-ceramic, but not limited thereto. The heaters 141 and 142 include a heating body to be heated by current, and the heat energy is transferred to the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 to increase a temperature thereof. The method of heating the first heating plat...

second embodiment

[0035]Similarly, in the second embodiment, the cylinder 15 and the light sensor 37 are arranged at a hair-leaving side (e.g., right side shown in FIG. 3) of the pair of heating plates.

[0036]The processor 13 is used to control the heater 141 and 142 to respectively heat the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 according to the light detection signal So. The processor 13 further identifies a rotation speed of the cylinder 15 (indicating a moving speed of hair 90) according to a texture variation (e.g., by calculating correlation between images) or a brightness variation (e.g., by coding the cylinder surface) of the cylinder surface of the cylinder 15.

[0037]In one aspect, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that a rotation speed of the cylinder 15 is increased according to the light detection signal So; the processor 13 controls the heate...

third embodiment

[0039]In the third embodiment, by arranging both the pressure sensor 26 and the light sensor 37, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively heat up the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 according to the pressure detection signal Sf and the light detection signal So.

[0040]For example, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that a pressure from the hair 90 to the cylinder 15 is increased according to the pressure detection signal Sf; and the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively decrease (stop heating) the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the pressure from the hair 90 to the cylinder 15 is decreased according to the pressure detection signal Sf.

[0041]For example, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively i...

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to a hair straightener and, more particularly, to a smart hair straightener that automatically adjusts a temperature of heating plates according to an amount of hair and a moving speed of hair.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The operation of a conventional hair straightener is to warm up heating plates to an operation temperature by a heater. Then, a user controls by him / herself a moving speed of hair passing the heating plates to shape the hair.

[0003] However, when using different brands of products, said different products may require the user to move hair with different moving speeds to straightening hair. It is possible to have poor shaping performance due to moving too fast or to damage the hair due to moving too slow.

[0004] Therefore, a smart hair straightener that can automatically and adaptably adjust a temperature of heating plates thereof according to operation of a user are required.

[0005] The information disclosed in this BACKGROUND is merely intended to increase understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an admission or in any way implied that the relevant information constitutes prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.SUMMARY

[0006] Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a smart hair straightener that can automatically adjust a temperature of heating plates thereof according to an amount of hair and a moving speed of hair.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a smart hair straightener that changes a temperature of heating plates thereof corresponding to a moving speed of hair detected by a light sensor.

[0008] The present disclosure further provides a smart hair straightener that changes a temperature of heating plates thereof corresponding to an amount of hair detected by a pressure sensor.

[0009] The present disclosure further provides a smart hair straightener that adopts multiple groups of heating plates and detection sensors to implement the district heating and to reduce the total power consumption.

[0010] The present disclosure provides a hair straightener including a first pair of heating plates, a heater, a first cylinder, a first pressure sensor and a processor. The first pair of heating plates, configured to grasp hair therebetween. The first cylinder is arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates, and configured to be rotated by outer hair sliding over a first cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the first pair of heating plates. The first pressure sensor is arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect a pressure from the outer hair to the first cylinder and output a first pressure detection signal. The processor is configured to control the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates according to the first pressure detection signal.

[0011] The present disclosure further provides a hair straightener including a first pair of heating plates, a heater, a first cylinder, a first light sensor and a processor. The first pair of heating plates is configured to grasp hair therebetween. The first cylinder is arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates, and configured to be rotated by outer hair sliding over a first cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the first pair of heating plates. The first light sensor is arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect rotation of the first cylinder driven by the outer hair sliding over and output a first light detection signal. The processor is configured to control the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates according to the first light detection signal.

[0012] The present disclosure further provides a hair straightener including a first pair of heating plates, a heater, a first cylinder, a first pressure sensor, a first light sensor and a processor. The first pair of heating plates is configured to grasp hair therebetween. The first cylinder is arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates, and configured to be rotated by outer hair sliding over a first cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the first pair of heating plates. The first pressure sensor is arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect a pressure from the outer hair to the first cylinder and output a first pressure detection signal. The first light sensor is arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect rotation of the first cylinder driven by the outer hair sliding over and output a first light detection signal. The processor is configured to control the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates according to the first pressure detection signal and the first light detection signal.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0013] Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a solid diagram of a smart hair straightener according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener of a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener of a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener of a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a solid diagram of a smart hair straightener according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0019] It should be noted that, wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0020] One objective of the present disclosure is to provide a smart hair straightener that adaptably adjusts a temperature of heating plats of the hair straightener (or called hair curlers) according to the present operation of a user to avoid damaging hair and to improve the shaping performance. In addition, the heating plates of the smart hair straightener of the present disclosure may be divided into different regions to respectively perform heating on the different regions. Because the region without hair passing through is not heated, the total power consumption is reduced compared with the conventional hair straighteners that warm up the whole heating plates together.

[0021] Please refer to FIG. 1, it is a solid diagram of a smart hair straightener (sometimes abbreviated as hair straightener hereinafter) 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 100 includes a first casing 101 and a second casing 102 for being held by a user during operation. It should be mentioned that although the present disclosure is described by a V-type (i.e. one end connected and the other end being able to be opened and closed) of the first casing 101 and the second casing 102, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The hair straightener 100 of the present disclosure may be implemented by other structures, e.g., X-type, without particular limitations. The material of the first casing 101 and the second casing 102 is not particularly limited.

[0022] The heating members (e.g., including the heater and heating plates) and the sensing members (e.g., including the pressure sensor and the light sensor) mentioned hereinafter are arranged in or on the first casing 101 and / or the second casing 102.

[0023] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 together, FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener 200 of a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 200 includes a pair of heating plates (e.g., shown as a first heating plate 11 and a second heating plate 12), a group of heaters (e.g., shown as a first heater 141 and a second heater 142), a cylinder 15, a pressure sensor 26 and a processor 13. The surface of the pair of heating plates is a plane surface or a curved surface without particular limitations.

[0024] The material of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 includes titanium alloy, ceramic, tourmaline, metal and titanium-ceramic, but not limited thereto. The heaters 141 and 142 include a heating body to be heated by current, and the heat energy is transferred to the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 to increase a temperature thereof. The method of heating the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 respectively using the heaters 141 and 142 is known to the art and not a main objective of the present disclosure, and thus details thereof are not described herein. The present disclosure is to control timing of the heaters 141 and 142 to perform heating according to the present operation of a user correspondingly.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the first heating plate 11 is arranged on the first casing 101 (e.g., on a surface thereof facing the second casing 102), and the second heating plate 12 is arranged on the second casing 102 (e.g., on a surface thereof facing the first casing 101). The first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 are used to grasp hair 90 therebetween.

[0026] The cylinder 15 is arranged adjacent to the pair of heating plates, e.g., FIGS. 1 and 2 showing adjacent to the second heating plate 12. When the hair 90 is moving between the pair of heating plates (e.g., FIG. 2 showing the hair 90 moving along a Y-direction), outer hair (i.e. a part of the hair 90 not between the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12) moves across a cylinder surface of the cylinder 15 to drive the cylinder 15 to rotate. The outer hair 901 is in contact with the cylinder surface when sliding over the cylinder surface to rotate the cylinder 15 by friction force.

[0027] The cylinder 15 is made of robber or plastic, but not limited to. In another aspect, the cylinder 15 may also be made of ceramic or metal. Preferably, the cylinder 15 is arranged at a hair-leaving side (e.g., at a right side shown in FIG. 2) of the pair of heating plates because generally the part of hair 90 leaving the pair of heating plates is stretched in operation and thus is good for pressing on the cylinder 15. For example, FIG. 2 shows that the hair 90 presses on the cylinder 15 in a Z-direction. To improve the pressing effect of the hair 90 on the cylinder 15, a surface of the cylinder 15 for contacting the outer hair 901 is preferably higher than a contact face between the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12.

[0028] The pressure sensor 26 is arranged opposite to the cylinder 15 (e.g., right below the cylinder 15 as shown in FIG. 2) to detect a pressure from the outer hair 901 to the cylinder 15 and to output a pressure detection signal Sf. It is seen from FIG. 2 that when the outer hair 901 presses on the cylinder 15, the cylinder 15 presses downward on the pressure sensor 26. In the present disclosure, a type of the pressure sensor 26 is not particular limited as long as it is able to detect the pressure from the cylinder 15 and to output the pressure detection signal Sf.

[0029] The processor 13 is, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that uses software, firmware and / or hardware to perform functions thereof, e.g., including the pressure identification, calculating rotation speed and conducting current to heater as mentioned below.

[0030] The processor 13 is electrically coupled to the pressure sensor 26 and the heaters 141 and 142 to control the heaters 141 and 142 to warm up the pair of heating plates according to the pressure detection signal Sf.

[0031] In one aspect, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 when identifying that the pressure is increased (i.e. more hair) according to the pressure detection signal Sf; and controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively decrease (stop heating) the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 when identifying that the pressure is decreased (i.e. less hair) according to the pressure detection signal Sf. In this way, it is able to adaptively adjust the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 according to an amount of hair between the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12.

[0032] In one aspect, to improve the pressing effect from the outer hair 901 to the cylinder 15, the hair straightener 100 further includes auxiliary grasping members (e.g., including a first auxiliary member 181 on the first casing 101 and a second auxiliary member 182 on the second casing 102 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) to grasp the outer hair 901 leaving the pair of heating plates. In this aspect, the first cylinder 15 and the pressure sensor 26 are arranged between the pair of heating plates and the auxiliary grasping members in a Y-direction to grasp at two sides of the outer hair 901.

[0033] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 3 together, FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener 300 of a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 300 also includes a pair of heating plates (e.g., shown as a first heating plate 11 and a second heating plate 12), a group of heaters (e.g., shown as a first heater 141 and a second heater 142), a cylinder 15, auxiliary grasping members (e.g., shown as a first auxiliary member 181 and a second auxiliary member 182) and a processor 13, which are respectively identical to those in FIG. 2 having identical numerical references and thus details thereof are not repeated herein. The difference between the hair straightener 300 of the second embodiment and the hair straightener 200 of the first embodiment is that the hair straightener 300 does not include the pressure sensor 26 but additionally include a light sensor 37, which may be arranged at different positions as shown in FIG. 3.

[0034] The light sensor 37 is, for example, an optical tracking sensor or an IR proximity sensor, but not limited thereto. The light sensor 37 is any kind of optical sensor that detects the texture and brightness on a cylinder surface of the cylinder 15. The light sensor 15 is arranged opposite to the first cylinder 15 (e.g., on the second auxiliary member 182 and / or between the pair of heating plates and the auxiliary grasping members) to detect rotation of the cylinder 15 driven by the outer hair 901 sliding over and to output a light detection signal So. The arranged location of the light sensor 37 is not particularly limited as long as it is able to capture information of texture or brightness on a cylinder surface of the cylinder 15.

[0035] Similarly, in the second embodiment, the cylinder 15 and the light sensor 37 are arranged at a hair-leaving side (e.g., right side shown in FIG. 3) of the pair of heating plates.

[0036] The processor 13 is used to control the heater 141 and 142 to respectively heat the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 according to the light detection signal So. The processor 13 further identifies a rotation speed of the cylinder 15 (indicating a moving speed of hair 90) according to a texture variation (e.g., by calculating correlation between images) or a brightness variation (e.g., by coding the cylinder surface) of the cylinder surface of the cylinder 15.

[0037] In one aspect, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that a rotation speed of the cylinder 15 is increased according to the light detection signal So; the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively decrease (stop heating) the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the rotation speed is decreased according to the light detection signal So; and the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 not to heat the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the rotation speed is zero. In this way, it is able to adaptively control the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 corresponding to the operation speed of a user. The operation speed mentioned herein is referred to a speed that a user moves the hair straightener with respect to hair 90.

[0038] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 4 together, FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener 400 of a third embodiment of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 400 of the third embodiment is a combination of the hair straightener 200 in the first embodiment and the hair straightener 300 in the second embodiment, and thus includes a pair of heating plates (e.g., shown as a first heating plate 11 and a second heating plate 12), a group of heaters (e.g., shown as a first heater 141 and a second heater 142), a cylinder 15, auxiliary grasping members (e.g., shown as a first auxiliary member 181 and a second auxiliary member 182), a pressure sensor 26, a light sensor 37 and a processor 13, which are respectively described above and thus details thereof are not repeated herein.

[0039] In the third embodiment, by arranging both the pressure sensor 26 and the light sensor 37, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively heat up the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 according to the pressure detection signal Sf and the light detection signal So.

[0040] For example, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that a pressure from the hair 90 to the cylinder 15 is increased according to the pressure detection signal Sf; and the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively decrease (stop heating) the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the pressure from the hair 90 to the cylinder 15 is decreased according to the pressure detection signal Sf.

[0041] For example, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that a rotation speed of the cylinder 15 is increased according to the light detection signal So; the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively decrease (stop heating) the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the rotation speed is decreased according to the light detection signal So; and the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 not to heat up the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the rotation speed is zero.

[0042] Similarly, in the third embodiment, the cylinder 15, the pressure sensor 26 and the light sensor 37 are arranged at a hair-leaving side of the pair of heating plates, e.g., right side as shown in FIG. 4. The cylinder 15 and the pressure sensor 26 are arranged between the pair of heating plates and the auxiliary clamping members in a Y-direction. The light sensor 37 is arranged on the auxiliary grasping members, but not limited thereto. For example as shown in FIG. 5, the light sensor 37 is arranged between the pair of heating plates 11 and 12 as well as the auxiliary clamping members 181 and 182.

[0043] Please refer to FIG. 5, it is a solid diagram of a smart hair straightener (sometimes abbreviated as hair straightener herein) 500 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 500 may be applied to the hair straightener 200 of the first embodiment, the hair straightener 300 of the second embodiment and the hair straightener 400 of the third embodiment.

[0044] The difference between the hair straightener 500 and those in the first to third embodiments is that the heating plates of the hair straightener 500 are divided into multiple regions (e.g., three regions being shown, but not limited to), and the temperatures of the divided three regions are respectively controlled according to the user operation.

[0045] For example, the hair straightener 500 includes a first pair of heating plates 511 and 521, a second pair of heating plates 512 and the one therebelow (not indicated by a numeral reference), and a third pair of heating plates 513 and the one therebelow (not indicated by a numeral reference). The first pair of heating plates, the second pair of heating plates and the third pair of heating plates are adjacent to one another in an X-direction, in contact or not in contact to each other.

[0046] For example, the hair straightener 500 includes a first cylinder 551, a second cylinder 552 and a third cylinder 553 respectively arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates, the second pair of heating plates and the third pair of heating plates in a Y-direction. The first cylinder 551, the second cylinder 552 and the third cylinder 553 are arranged adjacent to one another in an X-direction. Similar to the cylinder 15 mentioned above, when the hair 90 is moving between the first pair of heating plates, the outer hair slides over a first cylinder surface of the first cylinder 551 to drive the first cylinder 551 to rotate; when the hair 90 is moving between the second pair of heating plates, the outer hair slides over a second cylinder surface of the second cylinder 552 to drive the second cylinder 552 to rotate; and when the hair 90 is moving between the third pair of heating plates, the outer hair slides over a third cylinder surface of the third cylinder 553 to drive the third cylinder 552 to rotate. FIG. 5 shows that the hair 90 is between the second pair of heating plates (having a length L2) but not between the first pair of heating plates (having a length L1) or the third pair of heating plates (having a length L3). L1, L2 and L3 are identical to or different from one another.

[0047] For example, the hair straightener 500 includes a first sensor module 561, a second sensor module 562 and a third sensor module 563, respectively including a pressure sensor and a light sensor as mentioned in the above embodiments. The first sensor module 561, the second sensor module 562 and the third sensor module 563 are respectively arranged opposite to the first cylinder 551, the second cylinder 552 and the third cylinder 553, wherein the arrangement of the pressure sensor and the light sensor are similar to FIGS. 2 to 4. In addition, FIG. 5 shows another aspect in which the light sensors 571, 572 and 573 are respectively arranged below the first cylinder 551, the second cylinder 552 and the third cylinder 553 but are not on the auxiliary grasping members. In other words, the pressure sensor and the light sensor (including the processor) of the present disclosure are manufactured as a single chip.

[0048] The first pressure sensor of the first sensor module 561 is used to detect a pressure of outer hair to the first cylinder 551 and to output a first pressure detection signal Sf1; and the first light sensor 571 of the first sensor module 561 is arranged opposite to the first cylinder 551 and used to detect a rotation (e.g., by detecting the texture or brightness variation) of the first cylinder 551 driven by the outer hair sliding over and to output a first light detection signal So1.

[0049] The second pressure sensor of the second sensor module 562 is used to detect a pressure of outer hair to the second cylinder 552 and to output a second pressure detection signal Sf2; and the second light sensor 572 of the second sensor module 562 is arranged opposite to the second cylinder 552 and used to detect a rotation (e.g., by detecting the texture or brightness variation) of the second cylinder 552 driven by the outer hair sliding over and to output a second light detection signal So2.

[0050] The third pressure sensor of the third sensor module 563 is used to detect a pressure of outer hair to the third cylinder 553 and to output a third pressure detection signal Sf3; and the third light sensor 573 of the third sensor module 563 is arranged opposite to the third cylinder 553 and used to detect a rotation (e.g., by detecting the texture or brightness variation) of the third cylinder 553 driven by the outer hair sliding over and to output a third light detection signal So3.

[0051] The processor 53 is electrically coupled to the first sensor module 561, the second sensor module 562, the third sensor module 563 and the heater 53. It should be mentioned that although FIG. 5 shows a single heater 53, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Similar to the above embodiments, each heating plate is arranged with a corresponding heating plate to transfer heat energy thereto.

[0052] In one aspect, the processor 53 controls the heater 54 to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the first cylinder 551 from the hair 90 (specifically the outer hair 901) is higher than a first threshold (predetermined) according to the first pressure detection signal Sf1; the processor 53 controls the heater 54 to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the second cylinder 552 from the hair 90 (specifically the outer hair 901) is higher than a second threshold (predetermined, and identical to or different from the first threshold) according to the second pressure detection signal Sf2; and the processor 53 controls the heater 54 to heat the third pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the third cylinder 553 from the hair 90 (specifically the outer hair 901) is higher than a third threshold (predetermined, and identical to or different from the first and second thresholds) according to the third pressure detection signal Sf3.

[0053] In one aspect, the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc1) the heater 54 not to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the first cylinder 551 from the hair 90 is not higher than the first threshold according to the first pressure detection signal Sf1; the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc2) the heater 54 not to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the second cylinder 552 from the hair 90 is not higher than the second threshold according to the second pressure detection signal Sf2; and the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc3) the heater 54 not to heat the third pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the third cylinder 553 from the hair 90 is not higher than a third threshold according to the third pressure detection signal Sf3.

[0054] In one aspect, the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc1) the heater 54 to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the first cylinder 551 is rotating according to the first light detection signal So1; the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc2) the heater 54 to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the second cylinder 552 is rotating according to the second light detection signal So2; and the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc3) the heater 54 to heat the third pair of heating plates upon identifying that the third cylinder 553 is rotating according to the third light detection signal So3.

[0055] In one aspect, the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc1) the heater 54 not to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the first cylinder 551 is not being rotated according to the first light detection signal So1; the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc2) the heater 54 not to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the second cylinder 552 is not being rotated according to the second light detection signal So2; and the processor 53 controls (e.g., via control signal Sc3) the heater 54 not to heat the third pair of heating plates upon identifying that the third cylinder 553 is not being rotated according to the third light detection signal So3.

[0056] The heating to the first pair of heating plates, the second pair of heating plates and the third pair of heating plates by the heater 54 are independent from one another, and may be implemented separately.

[0057] It is appreciated that when the hair straighteners 200 to 500 of the present disclosure are connected to a power source, the heater is arranged to warm the pair of heating plates up to a predetermined temperature, and the temperatures of the heating plates are further controlled (after the predetermined temperature reached) according to the methods mentioned in the above embodiments.

[0058] It is appreciated that the hair straighteners 200 to 500 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 are respectively applied to the hair straightener 100 shown in FIG. 1, and different numerical references are used to indicate different embodiments.

[0059] It should be mentioned that the values, such as a number of devices as well as sizes and spatial relationship between elements, mentioned in the present disclosure are only intended to illustrate but not to limit the present disclosure.

[0060] It should be mentioned that although the present disclosure is described in the way that the cylinder and the sensing members (including the pressure sensor and the light sensor) are arranged at an inner side of one of the casing of the hair straightener, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other aspects, the cylinder and the sensing members in the above embodiments are arranged at inner sides of both of the casing, and the processor respectively controls the first heating plate and the second heating plate accordingly.

[0061] In the present disclosure, the hair-leaving side is preferably marked on at least one of the first casing 101 and the second casing 102 to inform the user for operation.

[0062] It should be mentioned that although the hair straightener of the present disclosure is described in the way that pressure sensor is used to detect a pressure of the hair on the cylinder as an example, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other aspects, the pressure sensor is arranged at other locations to detect the amount of hair between heating plates, e.g., arranged between one heating plate and the corresponding casing, or at a connection end and between the first casing 101 and the second casing 102 (e.g., at a region B shown in FIG. 1) for detecting a pressure between the first casing 101 and the second casing 102 pressed by a user, e.g., the pressure being larger when there is less hair therebetween, and the pressure being smaller when there is more hair therebetween.

[0063] In another aspect, the cylinder 15 is arranged as a structure that can move in the Z-direction while being pressed and the light sensor 37 is used to detect a downward movement of the cylinder 15. For example, when the amount of hair is larger, the downward movement of the cylinder 15 is larger; and when the amount of hair is smaller, the downward movement of the cylinder 15 is smaller. In this case, the light sensor 37 is used to detect both the moving speed of the cylinder 15 and the amount of hair between heating plates such that the pressure sensor may be omitted. For example, the light sensor 37 is arranged adjacent to the cylinder 15 in the Y-direction to detect the up and down movement of the cylinder 15, or the light sensor 37 is arranged under the cylinder 15 in the Z-direction to detect a distance to the cylinder 15 (operated similar to a proximity sensor or a time-of-flight sensor).

[0064] As mentioned above, when using the conventional hair straighteners, a user needs to operate based on experience in order to avoid damaging hair such that it is not easy to operate. Furthermore, because the whole heating plates of the conventional hair straighteners are heated at the same time, the power consumption is higher. Accordingly, the present disclosure further provides a smart hair straightener (e.g., FIGS. 1-5) that automatically adjusts a temperature of heating plates. By arranging a pressure sensor to detect an amount of hair and arranging a light sensor to detect a moving speed of hair, a temperature of heating plates is controlled adaptively. Furthermore, by dividing the heating plates into multiple regions to be temperature-controlled separately, the total power consumption is effectively reduced.

[0065] Although the disclosure has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is not used to limit the disclosure. It is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as hereinafter claimed.

Examples

first embodiment

[0023]Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 together, FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a smart hair straightener along line A-A′ in FIG. 1 as a hair straightener 200 of the present disclosure. The hair straightener 200 includes a pair of heating plates (e.g., shown as a first heating plate 11 and a second heating plate 12), a group of heaters (e.g., shown as a first heater 141 and a second heater 142), a cylinder 15, a pressure sensor 26 and a processor 13. The surface of the pair of heating plates is a plane surface or a curved surface without particular limitations.

[0024]The material of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 includes titanium alloy, ceramic, tourmaline, metal and titanium-ceramic, but not limited thereto. The heaters 141 and 142 include a heating body to be heated by current, and the heat energy is transferred to the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 to increase a temperature thereof. The method of heating the first heating plat...

second embodiment

[0035]Similarly, in the second embodiment, the cylinder 15 and the light sensor 37 are arranged at a hair-leaving side (e.g., right side shown in FIG. 3) of the pair of heating plates.

[0036]The processor 13 is used to control the heater 141 and 142 to respectively heat the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 according to the light detection signal So. The processor 13 further identifies a rotation speed of the cylinder 15 (indicating a moving speed of hair 90) according to a texture variation (e.g., by calculating correlation between images) or a brightness variation (e.g., by coding the cylinder surface) of the cylinder surface of the cylinder 15.

[0037]In one aspect, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that a rotation speed of the cylinder 15 is increased according to the light detection signal So; the processor 13 controls the heate...

third embodiment

[0039]In the third embodiment, by arranging both the pressure sensor 26 and the light sensor 37, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively heat up the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 according to the pressure detection signal Sf and the light detection signal So.

[0040]For example, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively increase a temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that a pressure from the hair 90 to the cylinder 15 is increased according to the pressure detection signal Sf; and the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively decrease (stop heating) the temperature of the first heating plate 11 and the second heating plate 12 upon identifying that the pressure from the hair 90 to the cylinder 15 is decreased according to the pressure detection signal Sf.

[0041]For example, the processor 13 controls the heaters 141 and 142 to respectively i...

Claims

1. A hair straightener, comprising:a first pair of heating plates, configured to grasp hair therebetween;a heater;a first cylinder, arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates, and configured to be rotated by outer hair sliding over a first cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the first pair of heating plates;a first pressure sensor, arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect a pressure from the outer hair to the first cylinder and output a first pressure detection signal; anda processor, configured to control the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates according to the first pressure detection signal.

2. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first cylinder and the first pressure sensor are arranged at a hair-leaving side of the first pair of heating plates.

3. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured tocontrol the heater to increase a temperature of the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure is increased according to the first pressure detection signal, andcontrol the heater to decrease the temperature of the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure is decreased according to the first pressure detection signal.

4. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:a second pair of heating plates, arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates;a second cylinder, arranged adjacent to the second pair of heating plates and adjacent to the first cylinder, and configured to be rotated by the outer hair sliding over a second cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the second pair of heating plates; anda second pressure sensor, arranged opposite the second cylinder, and configured to detect a pressure from the outer hair to the second cylinder and output a second pressure detection signal,wherein the processor is further configured tocontrol the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the first cylinder is higher than a first threshold according to the first pressure detection signal, andcontrol the heater to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the second cylinder is higher than a second threshold according to the second pressure detection signal.

5. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured tocontrol the heater not to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the first cylinder is not higher than the first threshold according to the first pressure detection signal, andcontrol the heater not to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the second cylinder is not higher than the second threshold according to the second pressure detection signal.

6. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:auxiliary grasping members, configured to grasp the outer hair leaving the first pair of heating plates,wherein the first cylinder and the first pressure sensor are arranged between the first pair of heating plates and the auxiliary grasping members.

7. A hair straightener, comprising:a first pair of heating plates, configured to grasp hair therebetween;a heater;a first cylinder, arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates, and configured to be rotated by outer hair sliding over a first cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the first pair of heating plates;a first light sensor, arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect rotation of the first cylinder driven by the outer hair sliding over and output a first light detection signal; anda processor, configured to control the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates according to the first light detection signal.

8. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first cylinder and the first light sensor are arranged at a hair-leaving side of the first pair of heating plates.

9. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processor is configured tocontrol the heater to increase a temperature of the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that a rotation speed of the first cylinder is increased according to the first light detection signal,control the heater to decrease the temperature of the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the rotation speed is decreased according to the first light detection signal, andcontrol the heater not to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the rotation speed is zero.

10. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to identify the rotation speed according to a texture variation or a brightness variation of the first cylinder surface.

11. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:a second pair of heating plates, arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates;a second cylinder, arranged adjacent to the second pair of heating plates and adjacent to the first cylinder, and configured to be rotated by the outer hair sliding over a second cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the second pair of heating plates; anda second light sensor, arranged opposite to the second cylinder, and configured to detect rotation of the second cylinder driven by the outer hair sliding over and output a second light detection signal,wherein the processor is further configured tocontrol the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the first cylinder is rotating according to the first light detection signal, andcontrol the heater to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the second cylinder is rotating according to the second light detection signal.

12. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured tocontrol the heater not to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the first cylinder is not being rotated according to the first light detection signal, andcontrol the heater not to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the second cylinder is not being rotated according to the second light detection signal.

13. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:auxiliary grasping members, configured to grasp the outer hair leaving the first pair of heating plates,wherein the first cylinder is arranged between the first pair of heating plates and the auxiliary grasping members, andthe first light sensor is arranged on the auxiliary grasping members, or arranged between the first pair of heating plates and the auxiliary grasping members.

14. A hair straightener, comprising:a first pair of heating plates, configured to grasp hair therebetween;a heater;a first cylinder, arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates, and configured to be rotated by outer hair sliding over a first cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the first pair of heating plates;a first pressure sensor, arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect a pressure from the outer hair to the first cylinder and output a first pressure detection signal;a first light sensor, arranged opposite to the first cylinder, and configured to detect rotation of the first cylinder driven by the outer hair sliding over and output a first light detection signal; anda processor, configured to control the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates according to the first pressure detection signal and the first light detection signal.

15. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first cylinder, the first pressure sensor and the first light sensor are arranged at a hair-leaving side of the first pair of heating plates.

16. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processor is configured tocontrol the heater to increase a temperature of the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure is increased according to the first pressure detection signal, andcontrol the heater to decrease the temperature of the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure is decreased according to the first pressure detection signal.

17. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processor is configured tocontrol the heater to increase a temperature of the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that a rotation speed of the first cylinder is increased according to the first light detection signal,control the heater to decrease the temperature of the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the rotation speed is decreased according to the first light detection signal, andcontrol the heater not to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the rotation speed is zero.

18. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:a second pair of heating plates, arranged adjacent to the first pair of heating plates;a second cylinder, arranged adjacent to the second pair of heating plates and adjacent to the first cylinder, and configured to be rotated by the outer hair sliding over a second cylinder surface thereof upon the hair moving between the second pair of heating plates;a second pressure sensor, arranged opposite the second cylinder, and configured to detect a pressure from the outer hair to the second cylinder and output a second pressure detection signal; anda second light sensor, arranged opposite to the second cylinder, and configured to detect rotation of the second cylinder driven by the outer hair sliding over and output a second light detection signal.

19. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured tocontrol the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the first cylinder is higher than a first threshold according to the first pressure detection signal,control the heater to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the pressure to the second cylinder is higher than a second threshold according to the second pressure detection signal,control the heater to heat the first pair of heating plates upon identifying that the first cylinder is rotating according to the first light detection signal, andcontrol the heater to heat the second pair of heating plates upon identifying that the second cylinder is rotating according to the second light detection signal.

20. The hair straightener as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:auxiliary grasping members, configured to grasp the outer hair leaving the first pair of heating plates,wherein the first cylinder and the first pressure sensor are arranged between the first pair of heating plates and the auxiliary grasping members, andthe first light sensor is arranged on the auxiliary grasping members.

Images