Hinged Hair Styler Airflow Path for Bent and Straight Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hair care appliances face challenges in maintaining consistent airflow and flexibility of configuration for various styling needs, particularly when transitioning between straight and angled configurations.
Innovation Solution
A hair care appliance with a movable handle and body coupled by a rotational hinge joint, allowing transition between straight and angled configurations, featuring a fluid flow path that maintains airflow consistency and includes internal components like a fan assembly and heater assembly to ensure efficient air distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the body is made movable between straight and bent configurations via a rotational hinge joint, then adaptability and styling versatility are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The body is made movable relative to the handle through a rotational hinge joint, allowing the appliance to transition between straight and bent configurations. This dynamic structure enables adaptability for different styling needs while maintaining a relatively simple mechanical implementation through a single rotational degree of freedom.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the body is bent at an angle relative to the handle, then styling versatility is improved, but airflow consistency deteriorates due to non-linear fluid flow through the joint
Solution Approach 1:
The rotational hinge joint is designed with curved flow paths that guide air smoothly around the joint area. This curvature minimizes turbulence and flow separation when the body is in bent configurations, maintaining more consistent airflow characteristics across different positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint structure acts as an intermediary element between the handle and body, with internal flow channels that mediate the air flow transition. These channels are designed to maintain flow continuity and reduce the impact of the angular change on overall airflow consistency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the fluid flow path is extended through a movable joint, then configuration flexibility is improved, but flow velocity and pressure are reduced due to non-linear flow path
Solution Approach 1:
The flow channels within the rotational hinge joint are designed with smooth curved transitions rather than sharp angles. This reduces flow separation and turbulence losses, maintaining higher flow velocities even when the body is positioned at angles relative to the handle.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint design incorporates variable cross-sectional areas and flow path lengths that adapt to different configurations. By optimizing these geometric parameters, the flow resistance is minimized across both straight and bent positions, reducing the penalty on flow velocity.
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 appliance provides consistent airflow and flexibility in configuration, enabling efficient drying and styling with minimal reduction in flow velocity or pressure, enhancing user experience and styling versatility.
Implementation Method 1
a fluid flow path through the housing between the inlet and the outlet. The body can be movable between a straight configuration in which the body extends along a longitudinal axis of the handle, and a bent configuration in which the body extends along an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the handle.
Implementation Method 2
The hair care appliance can also include a heater positioned between the diverter and the outlet
Data Source
AI summary
A hair care appliance is provided. The hair care appliance includes a handle and a body coupled to the handle via a rotational hinge joint. The body can be movable via the rotational hinge joint between a straight configuration in which the body is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the handle and a bent configuration in which the body extends along an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the handle. A fluid flow path extends between an inlet in the handle and an outlet in the body. The hair care appliance can be operated with minimal loss of fluid flow in either the straight configuration and the bent configuration. The hair care appliance includes a fan assembly in the handle and a heater assembly in the body that are positioned to create a balanced center of mass of the hair care appliance when operated by a user.