A connector for a haircare appliance

Abstract

A connector for a main body of a haircare appliance is described. The connector is arranged to connect the main body with a power cable, wherein the main body is configured to be held by a user during use of the haircare appliance and the power cable is for supplying power to the main body. The connector comprises a capacitor for reducing an amount of electrical noise generated in the main body passing to the power cable. A main body comprising the connector, and a haircare appliance comprising such a main body are also described.

Description

[0001] A CONNECTOR FOR A HAIRCARE APPLIANCE

[0002] BACKGROUND

[0003] Haircare appliances are known which use a flow of air to style hair. Such haircare appliances may be connected to a power supply, such as a mains supply, via a power cable.

[0004] SUMMARY

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a connector for a main body of a haircare appliance, the connector being arranged to connect the main body with a power cable, wherein the main body is configured to beheld by a user during use of the haircare appliance and the power cable is for supplying power to the main body (for example, for supplying power from a mains power supply or the like), and wherein the connector comprises a capacitor for reducing an amount of electrical noise generated in the main body passing to the power cable. By incorporating a capacitor into the connector, electrical noise generated e.g., by the motor, heater, circuit boards or other electrical components in the main body can be shielded from passing into the power cable. This may be particularly important if the power cable is for supplying power from the mains supply to the main body, in order to meet regulatory EMC requirements, e.g., as required by IEC CISPR14-1. The connector may be configured to directly connect the main body with the power cable. Furthermore, by incorporating a capacitor directly into the connector the filtering effect provided by the capacitor is improved, as the capacitor is situated close to the source of noise (which may be components within the main body, for example).

[0006] Optionally, the connector may comprise a slip ring, and the capacitor may be positioned on or in the slip ring. In certain embodiments, the slip ring may be configured to allow the power cable to rotate relative to the main body when the power cable is connected to the main body via the slip ring. This may make the haircare appliance more ergonomic, as it may be easier for a user to handle the device (e.g., by helping to avoid tangling of the power cable).

[0007] Optionally, the slip ring may comprise a spindle and an outer housing, wherein the spindle is configured to rotate within, and relative to the outer housing. In certain embodiments, the capacitor may be positioned on or in the outer housing. In other embodiments, the capacitor may be positioned on or in the spindle. Positioning the capacitor in this way may improve the filtering effect.

[0008] Optionally, the spindle may comprise a plurality of protruding rings, and the outer housing may comprise a plurality of contact brushes configured to electrically connect with the protruding rings of the spindle. In particular, each contact brush of the plurality of contact brushes may be configured to electrically connect with a protruding ring of the plurality of protruding rings.

[0009] Optionally, the capacitor may be connected directly to an AC line in the connector, the AC line being configured for connection to an AC wire in the power cable. For example, the AC line may be one of a plurality of AC lines in the connector. The AC line(s) may be for supply power to a heater assembly within the main body, for example.

[0010] Optionally, the capacitor may be connected directly to a neutral line in the connector, the neutral line being configured for connection to a neutral wire in the power cable.

[0011] Optionally, the capacitor may be connected directly to a DC line in the connector, the DC line being configured for connection to a DC wire in the power cable. For example, the DC line may be one of a plurality of DC lines in the connector. The DC line(s) may be for supply power to a motor within the main body. A motor may be for generating a fluid flow, for example.

[0012] Optionally, the capacitor may be directly connected between a DC line in the connector and a neutral line in the connector, wherein the DC line may be configured for connection to a DC wire in the power cable, and the neutral line may be configured for connection to a neutral wire in the power cable. For example, the DC line may be a 400V DC line. Operating at

[0013] Optionally, the capacitor may be directly connected between a neutral line and ground, wherein the neutral line may be configured for connection to a neutral wire in the power cable.

[0014] Optionally, the capacitor may be a class-Y capacitor. A short-circuit failure could result in permanent damage to the haircare appliance, and so a class-Y capacitor may be chosen such that in event of failure the capacitor will fail open-circuit.

[0015] Optionally, the connector may comprise a plurality of capacitors for reducing an amount of electrical noise generated in the main body passing to the power cable. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a main body of a haircare appliance, the main body comprising a connector according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0016] Optionally, the main body may comprise a motor driven by a voltage of at least 360V. For example, the motor may be driven by a voltage of 400V (e.g., by two 400V DC lines). For example, the motor may be a three-phase motor. The motor may have a frequency of more than 50MHz, such as approximately 100MHz.

[0017] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a haircare appliance comprise a main body according to the second aspect of the present invention, and a power cable for supplying power to the main body, wherein the power cable is connected to the main body by the connector.

[0018] The invention includes the combination of the aspects and optional features described except where such a combination is clearly impermissible or expressly avoided.

[0019] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figures 1(a) and 1(b) show perspective views of a main body of a haircare appliance in which embodiments of the present invention may be used;

[0021] Figure 2 shows a top view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the connector of Fig. 2;

[0023] Figure 4 shows an exploded view of the connector of Fig. 2; and

[0024] Figure 5 shows a wiring diagram for the connector of Fig 2.

[0025] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Figs. 1(a) and 1(b) show perspective views of a main body 1000 of a haircare appliance which may be used in embodiments of the present invention. The main body 1000 comprises an outer wall 1005 which functions as a handle for the haircare appliance, and which has a fluid inlet 1015 at a first end 1010 and a fluid outlet 1025 at a second end 1020, with a fluid flow path through the main body 1000 from the fluid inlet 1015 to the fluid outlet 1025. The outer wall 1005 defines an elongate tubular structure for the main body 1000, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the main body 1005 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the main body is elliptical or oval such that the main body 1000 is ergonomically designed to be comfortable for a user to hold, and the main body 1000 thereby provides a handle for the haircare appliance.

[0027] The main body 1005 houses a motor which is configured to generate a flow of fluid (in particular, air) along the fluid flow path. The fluid is optionally heated by a heater (not shown) before exiting the main body 1000 at the fluid outlet 1025. The main body 1000 is connectable to a power supply via a power cable 1030 which is connected at the first end 1010 of the main body 1000. In an embodiment of the present invention, the power cable 1030 may be connected to the main body 1000 by a connector as described below with reference to Figs. 2-4, for example. The connector may not be removable or replaceable by a user.

[0028] The main body comprises a user interface which may include control settings for the haircare appliance. In this embodiment, the user interface is split, with a first portion of the user interface 1040a being positioned towards a first end 1010 of the main body 1000, and a second portion of the user interface 1040b being positioned towards a second end 1020 of the main body 1000. However, it will be understood that, in other embodiments, the user interface may be generally positioned at a single location on the main body 1000.

[0029] The main body 1000 is configured to allow an attachment to be removably connected thereto, by comprising at least a portion of an attachment mechanism at or about the second end 1020 of the main body 1000. The attachment mechanism may enable a user to create different hair styles and gives the haircare appliance additional functionality, by allowing the attachment to be removed and replaced with an alternative attachment.

[0030] A connector 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figs. 2-4. Fig. 2 shows a top view of the connector 300, Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the connector 300 along the line A-A shown in Fig.2, and Fig. 4 shows an exploded view of the connector 300. The connector 300 may be used in a main body of a haircare appliance, for example a main body 1000 as described above with reference to Figs. 1(a) and 1(b), to connect the main body with a power cable. Specifically, in this embodiment, the connector 300 comprises a slip ring which is configured to allow a power cable to rotate relative to a main body. As described herein, the connector 300 is configured to reduce an amount of electrical noise generated in a main body (e.g., the main body 1000) passing to a power cable (e.g., the power cable 1030).

[0031] The connector 300 comprises a spindle 302 and an outer housing 304 which encloses the spindle 302, wherein the spindle 302 is configured to rotate within, and relative to, the outer hosing 304. In particular, within the outer housing 304, the connector 300 comprises a first bearing 306 and a second bearing 308. The spindle 302 is positioned through each bearing 306, 308 to allow rotation of the spindle 302 relative to the outer housing 304 along its longitudinal axis. When used in a haircare appliance, the spindle 302 may be connected to a power cable, and rotation of the spindle 302 relative to the outer housing 304 allows rotation of a power cable relative to a main body, which may make the appliance easier to use by reducing tangling of the power cable as the appliance is moved to style hair.

[0032] Along a portion of the spindle 302 which is positioned within the outer housing 304, the spindle comprises a plurality of protruding rings 310. These are arranged to electrically connect with a corresponding plurality of contact brushes 312, wherein each of the plurality of contact brushes is in contact with a respective ring of the plurality of protruding rings 310. Each of the protruding rings 310 and respective contact brushes 312 may correspond to a particular line which is carried by a power cable connecting to a main body. For example, there may be a total of six lines which convey power for components of the main body, such as a motor (e.g., for generating a flow of fluid through the main body) and / or a heater (e.g., for heating fluid passing through the main body). Such components may generate electrical noise, which the connector 300 is configured to filter such that it does not pass to the power cable. For example, a three-phase motor may generate noise as a result of chopping a DC signal for driving the motor.

[0033] In order to reduce or filter electrical noise which is generated by the main body, to reduce an amount of electrical noise passing to a power cable, the connector 300 comprises a capacitor 314. The capacitor 314 is positioned in the outer housing 304, and is connected directly between two lines in the connector 300, specifically by being connected between two of the plurality of contact brushes 312. For example, the capacitor 314 may be connected between two of the lines by connecting to two of the plurality of contact brushes 312 in the manner of a class- Y capacitor. The capacitor 314 acts as a low-pass filter which reduces noise passing to the spindle 302 and to a power cable. In particular, by being positioned in the connector 300, and specifically within the outer housing 304 and directly connecting to two of the contact brushes 312, the filtering effect provided by the capacitor 314 is improved compared with known arrangements.

[0034] The connector 300 further comprises an inner housing 316, which is split into an upper part 316a and a lower part 316b, wherein the spindle 302 is fitted within the inner housing 316. The contact brushes 312 protrude through openings in the upper part 316a in order to contact respective protruding rings 310. Positioning the spindle 302 within an inner housing 316 in this way may help to avoid foreign material affecting the electrical connections, and help prevent shorting between adjacent contact brushes 312.

[0035] In order to ensure integrity of the connector 300 and so ensure that a main body of a haircare appliance does not pass noise into a power cable, the connector 300 is not intended to be removable or replaceable by a user.

[0036] Fig. 5 shows a wiring diagram for the connector 300, which shows that the capacitor 314 is connected between wires 3 and 4. Specifically, these wires may be a 400 V DC line and a 0 V AC line, such that the capacitor 314 is positioned to suppress electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise on the supply line. The rotor side shown in Fig. 5 shows the wires leading to the spindle 302, and the static side shown in Fig. 5 shows the wires leading to the contact brushes 312.

[0037] The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or in the following claims, or in the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for obtaining the disclosed results, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

[0038] While the invention has been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments described above, many equivalent modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art when given this disclosure. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention set forth above are considered to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0039] For the avoidance of any doubt, any theoretical explanations provided herein are provided for the purposes of improving the understanding of a reader. The inventors do not wish to be bound by any of these theoretical explanations. Any section headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter described.

[0040] Throughout this specification, including the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise” and “include”, and variations such as “comprises”, “comprising”, and “including” will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

[0041] It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and / or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and / or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by the use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. The term “about” in relation to a numerical value is optional and means, for example, + / - 10%.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A connector for a main body of a haircare appliance, the connector being arranged to connect the main body with a power cable, wherein the main body is configured to be held by a user during use of the haircare appliance and the power cable is for supplying power to the main body, and wherein the connector comprises a capacitor for reducing an amount of electrical noise generated in the main body passing to the power cable.

2. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a slip ring and the capacitor is positioned on or in the slip ring.

3. A connector according to claim 2, wherein the slip ring is configured to allow the power cable to rotate relative to the main body when the power cable is connected to the main body via the slip ring.

4. A connector according to claim 3, wherein the slip ring comprises a spindle and an outer housing, wherein the spindle is configured to rotate within, and relative to, the outer housing.

5. A connector according to claim 4, wherein the capacitor is positioned on or in the outer housing.

6. A connector according to claim 4, wherein the capacitor is positioned on or in the spindle.

7. A connector according to any of claims 4-6, wherein the spindle comprises a plurality of protruding rings, and the outer housing comprises a plurality of contact brushes configured to electrically connect with the protruding rings of the spindle.

8. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the capacitor is connected directly to an AC line in the connector, the AC line being configured for connection to an AC wire in the power cable.

9. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the capacitor is connected directly to a neutral line in the connector, the neutral line being configured for connection to a neutral wire in the power cable.

10. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the capacitor is connected directly to a DC line in the connector, the DC line being configured for connection to a DC wire in the power cable.

11. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the capacitor is directly connected between a DC line in the connector and a neutral line in the connector, wherein the DC line is configured for connection to a DC wire in the power cable, and the neutral line is configured for connection to a neutral wire in the power cable.

12. A connector according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the DC line is a 400V DC line.

13. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the capacitor is directly connected between a neutral line and ground, wherein the neutral line is configured for connection to a neutral wire in the power cable.

14. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the capacitor is a Class-Y capacitor.

15. A connector according to any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of capacitors for reducing an amount of electrical noise generated in the main body passing to the power cable.

16. A main body of a haircare appliance, the main body comprising the connector of any preceding claim.

17. A main body according to claim 16, further comprising a motor driven by a voltage of at least 360V.

18. A haircare appliance comprising the main body of claim 16 or claim 17, and a power cable for supplying power to the main body, wherein the power cable is connected to the main body by the connector.

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