Hair dryer

Abstract

Provided is a hair dryer with which intuitive understanding of the mode of airflow being blown from an air tunnel section is possible.　A hair dryer (1) comprises: an air tunnel section (10); and a display unit (100) including a plurality of LED groups (L1-L5) arranged in the air tunnel section (10) and a mode display region (111) indicating the direction of the airflow.

Description

Hair dryer

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

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-122262 discloses a conventional hair dryer. This hair dryer has an air duct and a display unit attached to the air duct. The display unit displays the set temperature, set air volume, and usable time in different locations.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-35086

[0004] The user of the hair dryer of Patent Document 1 cannot intuitively grasp the state of the air blown from the air duct, and there is room for improvement.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hair dryer that allows a user to intuitively grasp the state of the air being blown out from the air duct.

[0006] The hair dryer of the present invention includes an air tunnel and an indicator having a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in line with the air tunnel, and indicating the direction of air blown from the air tunnel.

[0007] This hair dryer can indicate the direction of the air blown from the air channel by illuminating the plurality of light emitting elements in a certain way.

[0008] Therefore, a user of the hair dryer of the present invention can intuitively grasp the state of the air blown from the air duct.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a right side view showing the hair dryer of Example 1 with the handle extended. FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the hair dryer of Example 1 with the handle folded. FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which all displays on the display unit of Example 1 are lit. FIG. 4 is a view showing display changes when the display unit of Example 1 indicates the wind direction. FIG. 5 is a view showing display changes when the display unit of Example 1 indicates the wind direction. FIG. 6 is a view showing display changes when the display unit of Example 1 indicates the wind direction. FIG. 7 is a right side view showing a state in which the outer cover of the display unit of Example 1 is removed. FIG. 8 is a right side view showing a state in which the light diffusion member of the display unit of Example 1 is removed. FIG. 9 is a view showing an LED board of the display unit of Example 1. FIG. 10 is a right side view showing a hair dryer of Example 2.

[0010] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0011] The display unit of the hair dryer of the present invention can indicate the strength of the air blown from the air tunnel unit. In this case, the display unit can indicate the strength of the air blown from the air tunnel unit by illuminating the plurality of light-emitting elements in a certain way.

[0012] The display unit of the hair dryer of the present invention may indicate a change in temperature of the air blown from the air tunnel. In this case, the display unit may indicate a change in temperature of the air blown from the air tunnel by illuminating the plurality of light-emitting elements in a certain way.

[0013] Example 1 Next, Example 1 embodying the hair dryer of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For ease of explanation, the air outlet 11 side of the air duct 10 is referred to as the front, the air inlet 13 side as the rear, the side from which the grip part 30 extends from the air duct 10 as the bottom, and the opposite side as the top, and the left and right sides in a front view from the front are referred to as the left and right. In the three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system shown in each figure, the positive direction of the X axis is the "front direction," the negative direction of the X axis is the "rear direction," the positive direction of the Y axis is the "upward direction," the negative direction of the Y axis is the "downward direction," the positive direction of the Z axis is the "leftward direction," and the negative direction of the Z axis is the "rightward direction."

[0014] <Structure of Hair Dryer> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the hair dryer 1 of Example 1 comprises an air channel 10, a handle 30, first to third operating units 51 to 53, a power cord 70, and a display unit 100. The air channel 10 is cylindrical and extends in the front-to-rear direction. The air channel 10 has an air outlet 11 at its tip. The air outlet 11 is coated with ceramic that emits far-infrared rays. Various nozzles, such as a setting nozzle (not shown), can be detachably attached to the air outlet 11 of the air channel 10. The air channel 10 has an air inlet 13 at its rear end. The air inlet 13 is formed by a cover member with multiple slits extending horizontally. The air inlet 13 extends from the rear end surface of the air channel 10, wrapping around to the left and right sides of the air channel 10. The intake port 13 has a vertical width that is approximately 4 / 5 of the rear end edge of the air channel portion 10, and the vertical width decreases toward the front when viewed from the right side. The intake port 13 is curved so as to bulge outward.

[0015] The air tunnel 10 incorporates a blower, heater, ion generator, temperature detector, and controller (not shown). The blower is located at the rear end of the air tunnel 10. The blower includes a motor and a fan. The motor is a small, lightweight brushless DC motor. The motor operates at a high rotation speed of 100,000 rpm or more. This allows the hair dryer 1 to blow strong air with high speed and pressure from the blower. The motor is driven and controlled by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control.

[0016] The heating unit is located at the front end of the air channel 10. The heating unit heats the air sent from the air blower. The heating unit has an electric heating wire such as a nichrome wire. The ion generating unit ionizes molecules in the air. In this hair dryer 1, ions generated by the ion generating unit are combined with far infrared rays emitted from the ceramic coating on the air outlet 11 to reach the user's hair, suppressing static electricity in the hair and leaving the hair moisturized.

[0017] The temperature detection unit includes a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor. Each temperature sensor is configured with an NTC thermistor. The first temperature sensor is located inside the air tunnel 10, between the blower and the heater. The first temperature sensor measures the temperature of the air drawn in through the air inlet 13 (outside air temperature). The second temperature sensor is located at the front end of the air tunnel 10. The second temperature sensor measures the internal temperature at the front end of the air tunnel 10.

[0018] The control unit is disposed within the air tunnel 10 between the blower unit and the heater unit. The control unit includes a control board (not shown) and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the control board. The control unit controls the motor of the blower unit, the heating wire of the heater unit, the ion generator, and the LED elements of the display unit 100 (described later) in response to operation signals received from the first to third operation units 51 to 53 (described later) and temperature signals received from the temperature detected by the temperature detector.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the grip portion 30 has an upper grip portion 30A and a lower grip portion 30B, with a sliding surface 31 as the boundary. The upper grip portion 30A is continuous with the lower surface of the air duct 10 on the side of the inlet port 13. The lower grip portion 30B is connected to the lower side of the upper grip portion 30A. The sliding surface 31 slopes downward from the front end to the rear end. The lower grip portion 30B rotates clockwise and counterclockwise relative to the upper grip portion 30A around a rotation axis perpendicular to the sliding surface 31. The grip portion 30 transforms into an extended state and a folded state depending on the rotation of the lower grip portion 30B. The extended state of the grip portion 30 is a state in which the upper grip portion 30A and the lower grip portion 30B extend in a straight line, as shown in FIG. 1 . When the grip portion 30 is extended, the outer peripheral surface of the upper grip portion 30A and the outer peripheral surface of the lower grip portion 30B are flush. When the grip portion 30 is extended, it is inclined forward from the upper end to the lower end. When extended, the grip portion 30 is approximately cylindrical. When extended, the middle portion of the grip portion 30 is slightly thicker than the upper and lower ends. When the grip portion 30 is extended, the grip portion 30 is folded by rotating the lower grip portion 30B counterclockwise relative to the upper grip portion 30A. The folded state of the grip portion 30 is a state in which, as shown in FIG. 2 , the lower grip portion 30B extends approximately parallel to the extension direction of the air channel portion 10, forming a space between the air channel portion 10 and the lower grip portion 30B into which the user's fingers can be inserted. When the gripping portion 30 is in the folded state, the gripping portion 30 is extended by rotating the lower gripping portion 30B clockwise relative to the upper gripping portion 30A. When changing the gripping portion 30 between the extended state and the folded state, the direction in which the lower gripping portion 30B is rotated relative to the upper gripping portion 30A is not limited to the rotation direction described above, and for example, the gripping portion 30 may be rotated in the opposite direction to the rotation direction described above.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the gripping portion 30 is equipped with a cord bushing 33 that extends downward and is continuous with the lower end of the lower gripping portion 30B. The cord bushing 33 has a hook portion 35 at the upper front surface. The power cord 70 passes through the cord bushing 33 and continues to the lower end of the lower gripping portion 30B. The power cord 70 has a power plug (not shown) at its tip.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1 , the first operating unit 51 is located at the upper front surface of the lower gripping unit 30B, in the center of the left and right directions, when the gripping unit 30 is extended. The first operating unit 51 is a switch that slides up and down along the front surface of the lower gripping unit 30B. The first operating unit 51 is positioned at one of a lower end position, a middle position, and an upper end position. The lower end position of the first operating unit 51 is the "OFF" position, the middle position is the "COOL" position, and the upper end position is the "HOT" position. When the first operating unit 51 is positioned at "OFF," the hair dryer 1 is powered off and is in a stopped state. When the first operating unit 51 is positioned at "COOL," the hair dryer 1 blows cool air at room temperature (hereinafter referred to as "cool air") from the air outlet 11 without supplying power to the heating unit. When the first operating unit 51 is positioned at "HOT," the hair dryer 1 supplies power to the heating unit and blows hot air from the outlet 11. In other words, the first operating unit 51 can start and stop the hair dryer 1 and switch between hot and cold air.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 , the second operating unit 52 and the third operating unit 53 are arranged side by side in the front-to-rear direction on the right side of the air channel 10, above the portion where the upper grip portion 30A is continuous. The second operating unit 52 and the third operating unit 53 are push buttons in the shape of a long, narrow rectangle that is long in the front-to-rear direction. The second operating unit 52 is a mode button that alternates between "HIGH mode" and "LOW mode" each time it is pressed. The "HIGH mode" is an air blowing mode in which, of the two wind strengths, the wind with the higher wind volume and wind speed is blown from the air outlet 11. The "LOW mode" is an air blowing mode in which, of the two wind strengths, the wind with the lower wind volume and wind speed is blown from the air outlet 11. In other words, the second operating unit 52 can switch the wind strength.

[0023] This hair dryer 1 blows air in "HIGH mode" when the first operating unit 51 is moved from the "OFF" position to the "COOL" position to start the hair dryer 1, or when the first operating unit 51 is moved from the "OFF" position past the "COOL" position to the "HOT" position to start the hair dryer 1. When the first operating unit 51 is moved between the "COOL" position and the "HOT" position, this hair dryer 1 continues to blow air in the previous air mode.

[0024] The third operation unit 53 is a sensing button that functions when the first operation unit 51 is positioned at "HOT." The third operation unit 53 does not function when the first operation unit 51 is positioned at "COOL." There are two sensing programs: "SCALP" and "MOIST." Each time the third operation unit 53 is pressed, the sensing program switches between OFF, "SCALP," and "MOIST." When the "SCALP" sensing program is selected and executed, the hair dryer 1 controls the output of the heating unit by determining the outside air temperature in either the "HIGH mode" or "LOW mode" air blowing mode, and blows hot air and cool air alternately from the air outlet 11 so that the target temperature is within 50°C ± 5°C. When the "MOIST" sensing program is selected and executed, the hair dryer 1 controls the output of the heating unit by determining the outside air temperature in either the "HIGH mode" or the "LOW mode," and blows hot air and cold air alternately from the outlet 11 so that the object temperature is within 60°C ± 5°C. When the sensing program is off, the hair dryer 1 blows hot air at 80°C to 90°C from the outlet 11 in either the "HIGH mode" or the "LOW mode." In other words, the third operation unit 53 can turn the sensing program of the hair dryer 1 on and off, and switch between them.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3 , the display unit 100 is provided on the right side surface of the air tunnel 10. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 , the display unit 100 has an outer casing member 110, a light diffusion member 130, and an LED board 150. The display unit 100 has the outer casing member 110, the light diffusion member 130, and the LED board 150 arranged in this order from the outside on the right side surface of the air tunnel 10. The outer casing member 110 forms most of the outer shape of the right side surface of the air tunnel 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the outer casing member 110 has a mirror surface when viewed from the outside in a state where the power plug is not inserted into an outlet and in a state where the power plug is inserted into an outlet and the first operating unit 51 is in the "OFF" position, thereby turning the power off.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3 , the outer casing member 110 has a status display area 111 that allows intuitive understanding of the status of the air blown from the air tunnel 10. The status display area 111 is configured by arranging multiple rows of translucent horizontally elongated ovals of different sizes. The status display area 111 extends forward from above the second operating unit 52 and the third operating unit 53, and its vertical width increases midway. The outer casing member 110 has translucent letters "MODE" above the second operating unit 52 and translucent letters "SENSE" above the third operating unit 53. The outer casing member 110 has translucent letters "HIGH," "LOW," "MOIST," and "SCALP" arranged in order from top to bottom at the rear end of the central vertical portion. Each horizontally elongated oval in the status display area 111 and the characters "MODE," "SENSE," "HIGH," "LOW," "MOIST," and "SCALP" cannot be seen from the outside unless the corresponding LED elements D1 to D6 are lit.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the light diffusion member 130 is disposed between the LED board 150 and the outer casing 110 so as to cover the LED board 150 from the outside. The light diffusion member 130 diffuses light emitted from each LED element mounted on the LED board 150 toward the outer casing 110. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the LED board 150 has five LED groups (first LED group L1 to fifth LED group L5) and six LED elements (first LED element D1 to sixth LED element D6) mounted on its mounting surface facing outward. Each of the LED groups L1 to L5 is disposed inside the status display area 111 of the outer casing 110. Each of the LED groups L1 to L5 is arranged, from top to bottom, with an LED element R emitting red light, an LED element W emitting white light, and an LED element B emitting blue light. The LED groups L1 to L5 are arranged at approximately equal intervals from the front end of the LED board 150 toward the rear in the order of first LED group L1, second LED group L2, third LED group L3, fourth LED group L4, and fifth LED group L5. In other words, the LED groups L1 to L5 are aligned in the axial direction of the air channel 10. Each of the LED groups L1 to L5 corresponds to a light-emitting unit. The six LED elements D1 to D6 are LED elements that emit white light. These LED elements D1 to D6 are arranged inside the letters "SENSE," "MODE," "HIGH," "LOW," "MOIST," and "SCALP." The light emission of the LED elements R, W, and B of each of the LED groups L1 to L5 and the six LED elements D1 to D6 is controlled by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control.

[0028] <Display of each character> As shown in Table 1, in each airflow state, the hair dryer 1 lights up or blinks the LED elements D1 to D6 arranged inside the characters "HIGH", "LOW", "MOIST", "SCALP", "SENSE", and "MODE", and displays the corresponding characters on the right side of the air tunnel 10. That is, when the first operation unit 51 is positioned at "HOT" and the airflow mode is "HIGH mode", the hair dryer 1 displays the characters "HIGH", "SENSE", and "MODE" by lighting them up in white. When the first operation unit 51 is positioned at "HOT" and the airflow mode is "LOW mode", the hair dryer 1 displays the characters "LOW", "SENSE", and "MODE" by lighting them up in white.

[0029] When the word "SENSE" is displayed in white, the hair dryer 1 switches the sensing program between OFF, "SCALP," and "MOIST" each time the third operation unit 53 is pressed. When the "SCALP" sensing program is selected, the hair dryer 1 displays the word "SCALP" in a flashing white light. When the "MOIST" sensing program is selected, the hair dryer 1 displays the word "MOIST" in a flashing white light.

[0030] When the first operating unit 51 is positioned at "COOL" and the airflow mode is "HIGH mode", the letters "HIGH" and "MODE" light up in white. When the first operating unit 51 is positioned at "COOL" and the airflow mode is "LOW mode", the letters "LOW" and "MODE" light up in white.

[0031] When the word "MODE" is displayed in white, the hair dryer 1 alternates between "HIGH mode" and "LOW mode" each time the second operating unit 52 is pressed. In this case, the hair dryer 1 displays either "HIGH" or "MODE" in white, depending on the selected air flow mode.

[0032]

[0033] <Display in the status display area> As shown in Tables 2 to 5, this hair dryer 1 lights up the LED elements R, W, and B of predetermined colors in each of the LED groups L1 to L5 in a predetermined lighting pattern according to the airflow status, thereby displaying the status of the air being blown from the air tunnel 10. That is, as shown in Table 2, when the first operating unit 51 is positioned at "HOT," the airflow mode is "HIGH mode" or "LOW mode," and the sensing program is off, this hair dryer 1 lights up the LED element W that emits white light and the LED element R that emits red light in each of the LED groups L1 to L5 in a lighting pattern shown in Table 3. When the first operating unit 51 is positioned at "COOL" and the airflow mode is "HIGH mode" or "LOW mode," this hair dryer 1 lights up the LED element W that emits white light and the LED element B that emits blue light in each of the LED groups L1 to L5 in a lighting pattern shown in Table 4. In this hair dryer 1, when the first operating unit 51 is positioned at "HOT", the airflow mode is "HIGH mode" or "LOW mode", and the sensing program is "SCALP" or "MOIST", the white-emitting LED element W, the red-emitting LED element R, and the blue-emitting LED element B of each LED group L1 to L5 are lit according to the lighting patterns shown in Table 5.

[0034]

[0035] When the first operating unit 51 is set to "HOT," the airflow mode is set to "HIGH mode" or "LOW mode," and the sensing program is off, this hair dryer 1 first executes steps 1 to 18 of the lighting pattern shown in Table 3, and then repeats steps 5 to 18 as long as this airflow state continues. The transition speed between steps is 80 msec when the airflow mode is set to "HIGH mode," and 125 msec when it is set to "LOW mode."

[0036] In Table 3, "L1R" indicates the LED element R of the first LED group L1 that emits red light, and "L1W" indicates the LED element W of the first LED group L1 that emits white light. Thus, "L1" to "L5" in "L1R" to "L5R" and "L1W" to "L5W" indicate the first LED group L1 to the fifth LED group L5, "R" indicates the LED element R that emits red light, and "W" indicates the LED element W that emits white light. The numerical values ​​indicating the ratios in Table 3 indicate the duty ratios of the PWM control for each of the LED elements R and W of each of the LED groups L1 to L5.

[0037]

[0038] When the red-emitting LED elements R and white-emitting LED elements W of the first to fifth LED groups L1 to L5 of this hair dryer 1 are turned on in the lighting pattern shown in Table 3, a group of horizontally elongated ovals shown in a warm color close to red is displayed moving from rear to front in the status display area 111 of the outer casing 110, as shown in Figures 4 to 6. At this time, when the air speed mode of this hair dryer 1 is "HIGH mode," the speed at which the group of horizontally elongated ovals shown in a warm color close to red moves from rear to front is faster than when the air speed mode is "LOW mode."

[0039] In this way, when the first operating unit 51 is set to "HOT," the airflow mode is set to "HIGH mode" or "LOW mode," and the sensing program is off, the status display area 111 of the outer casing 110 displays a group of horizontally elongated ovals in a warm color close to red moving from rear to front. Furthermore, the speed at which the group of horizontally elongated ovals in a warm color close to red moves in the status display area 111 varies depending on the airflow speed mode. Therefore, the user can intuitively understand from the display in the status display area 111 that hot air is being blown forward from the air outlet 11 and the strength of the airflow.

[0040] When the first operating unit 51 is set to "COOL" and the fan mode is set to "HIGH mode" or "LOW mode," this hair dryer 1 first executes steps 1 to 18 of the lighting pattern shown in Table 4, and then repeats steps 5 to 18 as long as this fan mode continues. The transition speed between steps is 80 msec when the fan speed mode is set to "HIGH mode," and 125 msec when it is set to "LOW mode." When the first operating unit 51 is set to "COOL," as described above, the third operating unit 53 does not function and the sensing program is off.

[0041] In Table 4, "L1W" indicates the LED element W of the first LED group L1 that emits white light, and "L1B" indicates the LED element B of the first LED group L1 that emits blue light. Thus, "L1" to "L5" in "L1W" to "L5W" and "L1B" to "L5B" indicate the first LED group L1 to the fifth LED group L5, "W" indicates the LED element W that emits white light, and "B" indicates the LED element B that emits blue light. The numerical values ​​indicating the ratios in Table 4 indicate the duty ratios of PWM control for each of the LED elements W and B of each of the LED groups L1 to L5.

[0042]

[0043] When the white-emitting LED elements W and blue-emitting LED elements B of the first to fifth LED groups L1 to L5 of this hair dryer 1 are turned on in the lighting pattern shown in Table 4, a group of horizontally elongated ovals shown in a cool blue color moving from rear to front is displayed in the status display area 111 of the outer casing 110, as shown in Figures 4 to 6. At this time, when the air speed mode of this hair dryer 1 is "HIGH mode," the speed at which the group of horizontally elongated ovals shown in a cool blue color moving from rear to front is faster than when the air speed mode is "LOW mode."

[0044] In this way, when the first operating unit 51 is positioned at "COOL" and the airflow mode is "HIGH mode" or "LOW mode," the status display area 111 of the outer casing 110 displays a group of horizontally elongated ovals in a cool color close to blue moving from rear to front. Furthermore, the speed at which the group of horizontally elongated ovals in a cool color close to blue move in the status display area 111 varies depending on the airflow speed mode. Therefore, the display in the status display area 111 allows the user to intuitively understand that cool air is being blown forward from the air outlet 11 and the strength of the airflow.

[0045] When the first operating unit 51 is set to "HOT," the airflow mode is set to "HIGH mode" or "LOW mode," and the sensing program is set to "SCALP" or "MOIST," this hair dryer 1 repeats steps 1 to 38 of the lighting pattern shown in Table 5 as long as this airflow state continues. The transition speed between steps is 80 msec when the airflow mode is set to "HIGH mode," and 125 msec when the airflow mode is set to "LOW mode."

[0046] In Table 5, "L1R" indicates the LED element R of the first LED group L1 that emits red light, "L1W" indicates the LED element W of the first LED group L1 that emits white light, and "L1B" indicates the LED element B of the first LED group L1 that emits blue light. Thus, "L1" to "L5" in "L1R" to "L5R," "L1W" to "L5W," and "L1B" to "L5B" indicate the first LED group L1 to the fifth LED group L5, "R" indicates the LED element R that emits red light, "W" indicates the LED element W that emits white light, and "B" indicates the LED element B that emits blue light. The numerical values ​​indicating percentages in Table 5 indicate the duty ratios of PWM control for the LED elements R, W, and B of each of the LED groups L1 to L5.

[0047]

[0048] When the red LED elements R, white LED elements W, and blue LED elements B of the first to fifth LED groups L1 to L5 are turned on in the lighting pattern shown in Table 5, a group of horizontally elongated ovals shown in a warm color close to red and a group of horizontally elongated ovals shown in a cool color close to blue are displayed in the status display area 111 of the outer casing 110, moving alternately from rear to front, as shown in Figures 4 to 6. At this time, when the air speed mode of the hair dryer 1 is in the "HIGH mode," the speed at which the group of horizontally elongated ovals shown in a warm color close to red and the group of horizontally elongated ovals shown in a cool color close to blue move from rear to front is faster than when the air speed mode is in the "LOW mode."

[0049] In this way, when the first operating unit 51 is set to "HOT," the airflow mode is set to "HIGH mode" or "LOW mode," and the sensing program is set to "SCALP" or "MOIST," the status display area 111 of the outer casing 110 displays a group of horizontally elongated ovals displayed in a warm color close to red and a group of horizontally elongated ovals displayed in a cool color close to blue, which alternately move from rear to front. Furthermore, the speed of movement of the group of horizontally elongated ovals displayed in a warm color close to red and the group of horizontally elongated ovals displayed in a cool color close to blue in the status display area 111 differs depending on the airflow speed mode. Therefore, the user can intuitively understand from the display in the status display area 111 that hot air and cold air are being blown alternately forward from the air outlet 11 and the strength of the airflow.

[0050] When this hair dryer 1 detects an abnormality, it blinks predetermined LED elements R, W, and B of predetermined LED groups L1 to L5 as shown in Table 6. Specifically, when it detects an abnormality in the motor current, it blinks the red-emitting LED element R of the fourth LED group L4 and the red-emitting LED element R of the fifth LED group L5 as shown in No. 1 of Table 6. When it detects an open phase of the motor, it blinks the red-emitting LED element R of the first LED group L1 and the red-emitting LED element R of the second LED group L2 as shown in No. 2 of Table 6. When at least one of the first temperature sensor or the second temperature sensor detects an abnormal temperature, it blinks the blue-emitting LED element B of the fourth LED group L4 and the blue-emitting LED element B of the fifth LED group L5 as shown in No. 3 of Table 6. When it detects an input overvoltage, it blinks the blue-emitting LED element B of the fourth LED group L4 and the blue-emitting LED element B of the fifth LED group L5 as shown in No. 3 of Table 6. As shown in No. 4, the white-emitting LED element W of the first LED group L1 and the white-emitting LED element W of the second LED group L2 are blinked. If a failure in the initial operation of the motor is detected, as shown in No. 5 of Table 6, the blue-emitting LED element B of the first LED group L1 and the blue-emitting LED element B of the second LED group L2 are blinked. This hair dryer 1 has an auto-off function to protect against continuous use after 30 minutes of continuous use. If this auto-off function stops the motor or heater, all of the white-emitting LED elements W of the first LED group L1 to the fifth LED group L5 are blinked as shown in No. 6 of Table 6.

[0051]

[0052] In this way, when the hair dryer 1 detects an abnormality, different parts of the status display area 111 of the outer casing 110 will flash in different colors depending on the nature of the abnormality, allowing the user to recognize the abnormality of the hair dryer 1 and understand the nature of the abnormality.

[0053] <Basic Usage of the Hair Dryer> The basic usage of this hair dryer 1 will be explained. First, the user checks that the first operating unit 51 is in the "OFF" position and inserts the power plug into an outlet. In this state, the outer casing 110, which constitutes most of the outer shape of the right side of the air tunnel 10, is a mirrored surface, and the horizontally elongated ovals and letters such as "MODE" in the status display area 111 cannot be seen.

[0054] Next, the user moves the first operating unit 51 to the "HOT" position. This causes the hair dryer 1 to blow strong air at 80°C to 90°C forward from the air outlet 11. In this state, the hair dryer 1 displays the words "HIGH," "SENSE," and "MODE" in white, and in the status display area 111, a group of multiple horizontally elongated ovals, colored a warm color close to red, moves from the rear to the front at high speed. This allows the user to intuitively understand that strong warm air is being blown forward from the air outlet 11.

[0055] In this air-blowing state, the user can press the second operating unit 52 to change the air-blowing mode to "LOW mode," or press it again to return the air-blowing mode to "HIGH mode." The hair dryer 1 blows warm air from the air outlet 11 according to the selected air-blowing mode, and displays "LOW" or "HIGH" in white, depending on the selected air-blowing mode. Furthermore, in the status display area 111, a group of multiple horizontally elongated ovals, indicated in a warm color close to red, moves from rear to front at a speed according to the selected air-blowing mode. This allows the user to intuitively grasp the strength of the warm air being blown forward from the air outlet 11.

[0056] Next, the user presses the third operating unit 53 to set the sensing program to "SCALP" and dries the scalp and roots of the hair. In this state, the hair dryer 1 alternately blows hot and cold air from the air outlet 11 to keep the target temperature within 50°C ± 5°C. The air blowing mode that was selected when the sensing program was set to "SCALP" continues. The hair dryer 1 displays either "HIGH" or "LOW" in white, depending on the air blowing mode. The hair dryer 1 also displays the word "SCALP" in a flashing white light, and in the status display area 111, a group of multiple horizontally elongated ovals displayed in a warm color close to red and a group of multiple horizontally elongated ovals displayed in a cool color close to blue alternately move from rear to front. This allows the user to intuitively understand that the sensing program is "SCALP" and that hot and cold air is alternately blown forward from the air outlet 11.

[0057] Next, the user presses the third operating unit 53 to switch the sensing program to "MOIST" and dries the hair from the middle to the ends. In this state, the hair dryer 1 alternately blows hot and cold air from the air outlet 11 so that the target temperature is within 60°C ± 5°C. The air blowing mode when the sensing program was switched to "MOIST" remains. The hair dryer 1 displays either "HIGH" or "LOW" in white, depending on the air blowing mode. Furthermore, the "SCALP" word disappears, and the "MOIST" word flashes in white. In the status display area 111, a group of horizontally elongated ovals displayed in a warm color close to red and a group of horizontally elongated ovals displayed in a cool color close to blue alternately move from rear to front. Therefore, the user can intuitively understand that the sensing program is "MOIST" and that hot air and cool air are being blown alternately forward from the air outlet 11.

[0058] Finally, the user moves the first operating unit 51 to the "COOL" position and, while combing their hair with their hands, blows cool air onto the entire hair to style it. In this state, the hair dryer 1 blows cool air forward from the air outlet 11. The air blowing mode that was in effect when the first operating unit 51 was moved to the "COOL" position continues. The hair dryer 1 displays either "HIGH" or "LOW" in white, depending on the air blowing mode. Furthermore, the "SENSE" and "MOIST" characters disappear, and a group of multiple horizontally elongated ovals, displayed in a cool color close to blue, moves from rear to front in the status display area 111. This allows the user to intuitively recognize that cool air is being blown forward from the air outlet. After styling the entire hair, the user moves the first operating unit 51 to the "OFF" position to turn off the power to the hair dryer 1, and then unplugs the power plug from the outlet to finish using the hair dryer 1.

[0059] As described above, the hair dryer 1 of Example 1 includes an air tunnel 10 and a display 100 having a plurality of LED groups L1 to L5 arranged in the axial direction of the air tunnel 10 and a status display area 111 that indicates the direction of the air blown from the air tunnel 10.

[0060] This hair dryer 1 can indicate the direction of the air being blown forward from the air outlet 11 of the air channel section 10 by moving a group of multiple horizontally elongated oval shapes from rear to front in the status display area 111 according to the lighting patterns of the LED elements R, W, and B of the multiple LED groups L1 to L5.

[0061] Therefore, a user of the hair dryer 1 of the first embodiment can intuitively grasp the state of the air blown from the air duct 10.

[0062] The display unit 100 of the hair dryer 1 of Example 1 can indicate the strength of the air blown from the air tunnel 10 by changing the speed at which a group of multiple horizontally elongated oval shapes moves in the status display area 111.

[0063] The display unit 100 of the hair dryer 1 of Example 1 can indicate the temperature of the air blown from the air tunnel 10 by changing the color of the collection of multiple horizontally elongated ovals shown in the status display area 111 between warm and cool colors.

[0064] 10, the hair dryer 2 of Example 2 is different from the hair dryer 1 of Example 1 in the shape of the rear end of the air channel 20. The other configurations are the same as those of Example 1, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described in detail.

[0065] The rear end of the air tunnel 20 of this hair dryer 2 has a rear edge that slopes forward from the bottom to the top when viewed from the right side. The air inlet 23 is provided at the rear end of the air tunnel. The air inlet 23 is formed by a cover member with multiple horizontally extending slits. The air inlet 23 extends from the rear end surface of the air tunnel 20, wrapping around the left and right sides of the air tunnel 20. The air inlet 23 has a width approximately four-fifths of the rear edge of the air tunnel 20. The air inlet 23 is curved so that the central portions at the top and bottom are concave inward. Thus, the upper and lower ends of the rear end of the air tunnel 20 protrude outward beyond the air inlet 23. Therefore, when the rear end of the air tunnel 20 comes into contact with another object, the air inlet 23 is less likely to come into contact with the object and is less likely to be damaged.

[0066] The present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also within the technical scope of the present invention. (1) The display unit may be provided on the left side or top surface of the wind tunnel. (2) The display unit may be provided in multiple locations on the wind tunnel. (3) The display unit may only display the direction of the wind blown out of the wind tunnel. (4) The display unit may only display the direction and strength of the wind blown out of the wind tunnel. (5) The display unit may only display the direction of the wind blown out of the wind tunnel and whether the wind is hot or cold. (6) Although the display unit 100 of the first and second embodiments displays a group of multiple horizontally elongated ovals that move from rear to front in the status display area, other display forms are also possible. (7) In the display unit 100 of Examples 1 and 2, the LED groups L1 to L5, which are light-emitting elements, are aligned in the axial direction of the air tunnel 10. However, if the axial direction of the air tunnel differs from the direction of the air blown out from the air outlet, the light-emitting elements may be aligned along the direction of the air blown out from the air outlet. (8) In the hair dryers 1 and 2 of Examples 1 and 2, the temperature of the air blown out from the air tunnel 10 and 20 changes in two stages, hot and cold, but the temperature may change in three or more stages. In this case, the display unit may display the temperature in a manner that allows it to be distinguished by different colors, letters, figures, etc.

[0067] 1, 2... Hair dryer 10, 20... Air tunnel section L1, L2, L3, L4, L5... Light emitting section (L1... First LED group, L2... Second LED group, L3... Third LED group, L4... Fourth LED group, L5... Fifth LED group) 100... Display section

Claims

1. A hair dryer comprising: an air tunnel; and a display unit having a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in line with the air tunnel, which indicates the direction of air blown from the air tunnel.

2. The hair dryer according to claim 1, wherein the display unit indicates the strength of the air blown from the air tunnel unit.

3. A hair dryer according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the display unit indicates a change in the temperature of the air blown from the air channel unit.

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