Handheld Appliance Attachment with Tangential Airflow Slots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hot styling brushes face challenges in effectively directing airflow to attract and hold hair, leading to inefficient styling and potential noise issues due to high fluid velocity.
Innovation Solution
A cylindrical attachment with tangentially directed fluid outlets, often featuring multiple slots around its surface, and a flow directing element like a perforated layer, which reduces fluid velocity and improves airflow normality to the surface, enhancing hair attraction and reducing noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If air is blown out normal to the surface of the attachment, then the styling function is provided, but the hair attraction and wrapping efficiency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional airflow direction from normal (perpendicular) to the surface to tangential (parallel) to the surface. This inversion causes the air jet to adhere to the curved surface via the Coanda effect, automatically attracting and wrapping hair around the attachment, thereby simultaneously achieving styling function and improved hair wrapping efficiency
2Power
If high velocity fluid flow is used for styling, then the styling power is improved, but noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the curved cylindrical surface of the attachment to guide the tangential airflow. The curvature of the surface causes the high velocity jet to follow the contour and expand gradually, converting some of the directed kinetic energy into radial expansion. This reduces the concentrated high-velocity impact while maintaining the overall styling power, and simultaneously lowers noise by preventing turbulent discharge
3Ease of operation
If tangential airflow is implemented, then hair attraction is improved, but the fluid flow direction control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs the Coanda effect, a self-contained fluid dynamic phenomenon where a jet automatically adheres to and follows a curved surface. The system requires no additional active control mechanisms - the tangential outlets positioned on the curved surface automatically generate the adhering jet that wraps around the attachment itself, achieving hair attraction through the physics of the flow rather than complex mechanical or electronic control
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 solution allows for improved hair wrapping and styling efficiency by directing airflow tangentially around the attachment, reducing noise and enhancing the hold of hair, while also minimizing the risk of blockages and maintaining even fluid flow.
Implementation Method 1
a fan unit for drawing fluid into the fluid inlet and an attachment for attaching to the handle
Implementation Method 2
the outlet is at least partially defined by an external surface of the attachment and is configured to direct fluid emitted from the outlet tangentially around the external surface of the attachment
Implementation Method 3
By having the fluid exiting the fluid outlet travelling around the outer surface of the head hair is attracted to the surface
Implementation Method 4
the flow directing element reduces the velocity of the fluid within the attachment which in turn reduces the noise produced by the attachment
Implementation Method 5
The flow directing element also changes the direction that fluid flows out from the fluid outlet tending to give a flow that is more normal to the surface of the attachment
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
Disclosed is an attachment for a hand held appliance comprising an inlet; an outlet; and a fluid flow path between the inlet and the outlet, wherein the outlet comprises at least one slot extending from near an inlet end of the attachment towards a distal end of the attachment and wherein the outlet is at least partially defined by an external surface of the attachment wherein fluid emitted from the outlet is blown along the external surface. The slot may extend substantially along the length of the attachment and fluid emitted from the outlet is attracted to the surface of the attachment. The outlet may comprise a plurality of slots radially spaced around the attachment. Fluid emitted from the outlet flows around the external surface of the attachment and is tangential to the external surface of the attachment. The attachment has a longitudinal axis extending from the first end to the distal end and the at least one slot may be parallel to the longitudinal axis, alternatively the at least one slot is non-parallel to the longitudinal axis. The attachment may further comprise a flow directing element between the inlet and the outlet. Also disclosed is an appliance including such as attachment.