Hair Dryer Diffuser with Internal Grille for Airflow Velocity Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hair dryer diffusers do not effectively reduce the peak velocity of airflow and ensure even distribution of air, leading to inefficiencies in hair drying and potential noise issues.
Innovation Solution
A diffuser design featuring an internal grille with frustoconical apertures between the air inlet and external grille, along with a baffle and annular air channel, to reduce airflow velocity and enhance evenness, and a grille with regions of air outlets and regions without, to further distribute air evenly and reduce noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a conventional diffuser with a single grille is used, then the structure is simple, but the peak velocity of airflow is not effectively reduced and distribution is uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The diffuser is divided into multiple functional components: an external grille with air outlets, an internal grille with apertures, and a baffle with air channels. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific function in the airflow reduction process, effectively lowering peak velocity while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The internal grille acts as an intermediary element between the air inlet and the external grille. It receives high-velocity airflow from the hair dryer and redistributes it through its apertures, mediating the transition from high-speed concentrated flow to lower-speed distributed flow before air exits through the external grille
2Quantity of substance
If a conventional diffuser is used, then the structure is simple, but the evenness of air distribution is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The diffuser structure is segmented into multiple air outlets in the external grille and corresponding apertures in the internal grille, arranged to distribute airflow evenly across multiple paths. This segmentation transforms concentrated airflow into distributed airflow, improving evenness while the modular segmented structure remains manufacturable
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the diffuser are designed with different properties: the internal grille has uniformly distributed apertures for even distribution, while the external grille has strategically positioned air outlets. The baffle includes air channels that guide airflow to specific regions, creating local quality variations that optimize overall distribution evenness
3Productivity
If high velocity airflow is emitted directly, then the drying efficiency is high, but noise increases and water can enter heating elements
Solution Approach 1:
The internal grille serves as a mediator that reduces airflow velocity through its aperture array, transforming high-velocity direct flow into lower-velocity distributed flow. This velocity reduction decreases noise generation while the baffle structure with air channels prevents water from reaching the heating elements, maintaining drying efficiency through optimized airflow paths
Solution Approach 2:
The diffuser converts the potentially harmful high-velocity direct airflow into a beneficial distributed low-velocity flow pattern. The noise that would be generated by high-speed air is converted into a gentler, quieter airflow that still effectively dries hair. Similarly, the structure converts potential water intrusion into a protected design where water is diverted away from heating elements
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The diffuser achieves a more even and reduced airflow velocity, improving hair drying efficiency and reducing noise, while preventing water from entering the hair dryer's heating elements.
Implementation Method 1
The apertures preferably taper inwardly from a first, inlet surface, which faces the air inlet(s), towards a second, outlet surface which faces the external grille. In other words, the apertures are preferably frustoconical in shape
Implementation Method 2
The internal grille and the external grille preferably have different shapes. The external grille is preferably concave in shape, whereas the internal grille is preferably substantially planar. The apertures in the internal grille preferably have substantially the same size and shape.
Implementation Method 3
The baffle has an air inlet end, an air outlet end which is larger than the air inlet end, and a tapering wall which extends between the air inlet end and the air outlet end. The wall of the baffle defines a diffusing air chamber within which the velocity of the airflow decreases as the cross-section of the air chamber increases.
Data Source
AI summary
A diffuser includes an air inlet for receiving an airflow from a hair dryer, a grille having a plurality of air outlets for emitting at least part of the airflow from the diffuser, a baffle having an outwardly tapering wall which defines a diffusing air chamber through which the airflow passes between the air inlet and the air outlets, and an external wall which surrounds the wall of the baffle to define a second air chamber therebetween. The second air chamber has a plurality of ports in fluid communication with the ambient atmosphere.