JP7733145B2 - hair iron - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hair iron that heats parts of the body, such as the hair and scalp, for beauty purposes.

Hair dryers are commonly used to dry hair and scalp, straightening irons are commonly used to straighten hair, and curling irons are commonly used to curl hair.

Registered Utility Model No. 3011964 JP 2018-15539 A

The object of the present invention is to provide a hair iron that can reduce damage to hair.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a hair iron equipped with a heat source for warming the human body, in which a casing is provided over the heat source, and the top surface of the casing is covered with a cover sheet with a low coefficient of friction.

The cover sheet was made of polytetrafluoroethylene.
A far-infrared ray generating body is attached to the heat source, and the far-infrared ray generating body is housed in the casing, and the casing is provided with a passage for far-infrared rays.

As described above, the present invention has the effect of reducing hair damage.

Side view of a hair dryer. Cross-sectional view of the blower tube portion. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a far-infrared generating unit. Cross-sectional view of a portion of an iron piece. FIG. FIG. Cross-sectional view of the heating section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention, which is embodied in a hair dryer (hereinafter referred to as a "dryer") 10, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the dryer 10 has a housing 12 with a handle 11, and a motor chamber 13 housing a motor (not shown) and a sirocco fan (not shown) rotated by the motor, located at the base end of the housing 12. The handle 11 is provided with an adjustment switch 15 for starting and stopping the motor and the heating element 18 (described below), as well as for adjusting the temperature of the heating element 18. A changeover switch 14 is provided near the adjustment switch 15 for switching the dryer 10 between a hot air supply state and a cold air supply state.

The housing 12 is formed with a blower tube 16 that extends forward from the motor chamber 13. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a support member 17, which has a cross-shaped cross section and is made of non-flammable, heat-resistant, and electrically insulating material such as mica, is fixedly disposed inside the blower tube 16. A heating element 18 made of nichrome wire is wound spirally around the outer periphery of the support member 17, enveloping the support member 17. When the motor is driven, external air is drawn into the motor chamber 13 through an air intake 19 on the side of the motor chamber 13 and sent into the blower tube 16. This air is heated by the heating element 18 inside the blower tube 16 and sent out from the front-end opening of the blower tube 16.

A stay 21 is attached to the center of the front end of the support member 17, at the axial center of the region around the heating element 18, and a temperature sensor 22, which functions as a human presence sensor, is supported at the front end of this stay 21. This temperature sensor 22 faces forward and detects the temperature of the user's scalp or hair located in front of the temperature sensor 22 when the dryer 10 is in use. The heating temperature of the heating element 18 is then automatically adjusted based on the detection results. As a result, even if hot air is continuously supplied to a single location, such as the scalp or hair, overheating of that location can be prevented. Furthermore, by supplying high and low temperatures alternately in response to temperature detection, the cuticles can be tightened, ensuring a glossy cuticle effect and promoting proper blood circulation in the scalp.

A far-infrared radiation generating unit 23 is installed behind the temperature sensor 22. As shown in Figures 2 to 5, this far-infrared radiation generating unit 23 comprises a rectangular cylindrical casing 26 that is open at both the front and rear ends, and a molded body unit 24 housed within the casing 26. Note that Figure 2 shows a cross section of the far-infrared radiation generating unit 23, without showing the temperature sensor 22. The casing 26 is made of a phenolic resin containing a carbon component, and is rectangular cylindrical and open at both the front and rear. The front opening of the casing 26 forms the passage for far-infrared radiation.

The molded body unit 24 is composed of a rectangular parallelepiped carbon molded body (hereinafter simply referred to as the molded body) 25 and a cover sheet 27 that covers the periphery of the molded body 25. The molded body 25 is made of high-purity graphite. The cover sheet 27 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (hereinafter referred to as Teflon, a trademark), a compound of fluorine and carbon, and is wrapped around the outer periphery of the molded body 25 so as to cover both the top and bottom surfaces and the front and rear surfaces of the molded body 25. Therefore, the sides of the molded body 25 at the front and rear openings of the casing 26 are covered by the cover sheet 27, and the cover sheet 27 is interposed between the outer surface of the molded body 25 and the inner surface of the casing 26.

The dryer 10 of this embodiment operates as follows.
When the dryer 10 is in use, the heating element 18 generates heat, and warm air heated by the heating element 18 is emitted forward from the tip opening of the air blower 16. This warm air can be used to dry or style hair. At this time, the molded body 25 is surrounded on all four sides by the heating element 18 and heated by the heating element 18, causing far infrared rays to be generated from the molded body 25. These far infrared rays then pass through the cover sheet 27 and are supplied to the outside from the front opening of the casing 26. Furthermore, since the cover sheet 27 contains a carbon component, it is heated by the heat of the heating element 18 and the far infrared rays from the molded body 25, generating far infrared rays.

In this way, far infrared rays are supplied to the user from the opening in the casing 26. Furthermore, because the casing 26 is made of phenolic resin containing carbon components, the casing 26 also generates far infrared rays due to the heat from the heating element 18. Therefore, these far infrared rays can be used, along with the heat of the warm air, to dry and style hair.

Therefore, the dryer 10 of this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) In the dryer 10 of this embodiment, when heating is performed by the heating element 18, far infrared rays generated from the molded body 25 can support hair drying and styling. Therefore, the amount of heat generated by the heating element 18 can be reduced, saving power consumption and reducing damage to the scalp and hair. That is, when far infrared rays, a type of electromagnetic wave, are supplied to the hair and scalp, moisture within the hair and scalp is heated by micro-vibration resonance, so drying and promoting blood circulation can be effectively achieved without the heating element 18 being driven to a high temperature. In this way, excessive heating of the hair and scalp by the heating element 18 during hair drying and styling is prevented, enabling low-temperature drying and styling. This avoids heat damage to the hair and scalp and promotes skin and hair care. Furthermore, because far infrared rays support the temperature of the hot air, drying and styling can be performed efficiently in a short time, even when the hot air is low. Furthermore, far infrared rays easily reach the scalp even from a distance, moderately warming the scalp and useful for promoting blood circulation.

(2) Even though the molded body 25 is made of graphite, a brittle material, because the molded body 25 is housed within a hard casing 26 made of phenolic resin, the application of physical external forces to the molded body 25 can be suppressed, protecting the molded body 25 and preventing brittle fracture of the molded body 25. This prevents the far-infrared radiation generation function from being impaired and prevents skin staining caused by broken graphite powder or particles. Furthermore, because the front of the molded body 25, i.e., the portion located at the front opening of the casing 26, is covered with the cover sheet 27, it is possible to prevent some of the carbon particles that make up the molded body 25 from turning into soot and scattering, thereby preventing skin staining as described above.

(3) Because a cover sheet 27, which is more flexible than the casing 26, is interposed between the molded body 25 and the casing 26, this cover sheet 27 buffers physical external forces on the molded body 25. This further enhances the protective function of the molded body 25. Moreover, because the cover sheet 27 covers the molded body 25 at the opening of the casing 26, it can more reliably protect the molded body 25. Therefore, even if the dryer 10 is dropped on a hard floor, the molded body 25 will not crack and can be effectively protected.

(4) Because the cover sheet 27 is made of Teflon containing carbon components, it not only transmits far-infrared rays, but also generates far-infrared rays from the cover sheet 27 due to the heat from the heating element 18, as described above. In addition, the cover sheet 27 is heated by the far-infrared rays from the molded body 25, generating additional far-infrared rays. Furthermore, because the casing 26 is made of phenolic resin containing carbon components, far-infrared rays are also generated from the casing 26 due to the heat from the heating element 18. Therefore, far-infrared rays can be used to appropriately support hair drying and styling.

(5) The cover sheet 27 is made of heat-resistant Teflon, and is therefore highly durable.
(6) The formed body unit 24 having the formed body 25 is located at the center of the winding area of the heating element 18, so that the formed body unit 24 does not obstruct the air flow passing over the heating element 18, and a smooth flow of warm air can be obtained. Moreover, the formed body unit 24 can obtain effective radiant heat almost uniformly from all around in a 360-degree range, so that a sufficient amount of far infrared rays can be generated.

(7) The molded body 25 is lighter than ceramic having the same volume and having the ability to generate far-infrared rays, and therefore can contribute to reducing the weight of the dryer 10.
Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the present invention is embodied in a hair straightener 30, will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the straightening iron 30 has a pair of ironing pieces 31 connected at the base end so that they can be opened and closed. One of the ironing pieces 31 is provided with a start switch 32 and an adjustment switch 33 for adjusting the heating temperature of the heating element 38 (described below).

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, recesses 34 are formed on the opposing tip surfaces of both ironing pieces 31, and far-infrared ray generating units 35 are housed and fixed within these recesses 34. The far-infrared ray generating unit 35 includes a bottom member 36 located on the inner bottom side of the recess 34, a leaf spring 37 located inside the bottom member 36, a heating element 38 consisting of a ceramic heater located on the leaf spring 37, and a molded body unit 24 located on the heating element 38. The molded body unit 24 forms part of the far-infrared ray generating unit 35. The molded body unit 24 includes a plate-shaped molded body 39 and a casing 40 that covers the molded body 39 and functions as a heat sink. A Teflon cover sheet 41 is attached to the top surface of the casing 40. An elastic mass 46 made of silicone rubber is interposed between the inner bottom surface of the recess 34 and the far-infrared ray generating unit 35.

The molded body 39 is made of high-purity graphite, as in the previous embodiment, and the casing 40 is made of a metal with good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Fixed stoppers 42 are formed on both sides of the bottom member 36, and movable stoppers 43 are formed on both sides of the casing 40, facing the inner surfaces of the fixed stoppers 42. The leaf springs 37 press the heating element 38 tightly against the molded body 39, and the molded body 39 is pressed tightly against the seating surface 45 on the inner surface of the casing 40, and the casing 40 is further urged in the protruding direction until its position is restricted by the fixed stoppers 42. The casing 40 has multiple through-holes 44 formed opposite the heating element 38. These through-holes 44 form passages for far-infrared rays.

When the straightening iron 30 is in use, the heat from the heating element 38 heats the casing 40, which in turn heats the cover sheet 41. At this time, far infrared rays are generated from the molded body 39, which pass through the holes 44 in the casing 40, penetrate the cover sheet 41, and are released to the outside. The cover sheet 41 is heated by these far infrared rays and the heating element 38, and generates far infrared rays as well.

Therefore, by closing the iron pieces 31 and gripping the hair, the straightening iron 30 can be slid along the length of the hair in a combing motion to straighten the hair. In this case, the far-infrared generating unit 35 is raised and lowered like a suspension, utilizing the elastic deformation and repulsive force of the leaf spring 37 and elastic mass 46 to prevent excessive force from being applied to the hair.

In addition to the heating temperature from the heating element 38, a large amount of far-infrared rays is supplied to the hair, so even if the heating temperature is not very high, that is, even if the heating temperature is low, the far-infrared rays, which are electromagnetic waves, can effectively heat the hair from the inside and set it straight. This prevents the hair from carbonizing, minimizing damage to the hair.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Because far infrared rays from the molded body 39 and the cover sheet 41 can be used to style the hair, the hair can be properly styled without increasing the heating temperature, as described above. This allows the styling to be completed in a short time, reduces evaporation of moisture from the hair, maintains an appropriate amount of moisture, and significantly reduces damage to the hair. This allows the hair to maintain its luster and minimizes split ends and discoloration.

(2) The surface of the casing 40 is covered with a Teflon cover sheet 41, which has a low coefficient of friction, allowing hair to be smoothly straightened with little resistance. Therefore, as mentioned above, hair damage is minimized, hair shine is maintained, and split ends and discoloration are minimized. Furthermore, resistance to the iron action is reduced, allowing for smooth and easy styling.

(3) Because the casing 40 has holes 44, the far infrared rays generated from the molded body 39 can easily pass through the holes 44 and reach the cover sheet 41. As a result, not only are the far infrared rays emitted through the cover sheet 41, but the far infrared rays also promote heat generation in the cover sheet 41, generating even more far infrared rays that are used for ironing.

(4) Because the through-holes 44 of the casing 40 are covered by the cover sheet 41, water droplets and moisture are prevented from entering the straightening iron 30 through the through-holes 44, even when ironing wet hair, thereby protecting the electrical components inside the straightening iron 30.

(5) The molded body 39 is housed within the casing 40 via the leaf spring 37, and the casing 40 is covered with a flexible cover sheet 41. Furthermore, the far-infrared generating unit 35 having the molded body 39 is supported by the ironing pieces 31 via an elastic mass 46 made of silicone rubber. Therefore, even if the ironing pieces 31 are handled roughly, for example, if the ironing pieces 31 are closed forcefully and collide with each other, the impact is absorbed at multiple points by the cover sheet 41, leaf spring 37, and elastic mass 46, thereby preventing the molded body 39 from cracking.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the present invention is embodied in a curling iron 50 as a hair iron, will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the curling iron 50 comprises a rod-shaped iron body 51 with a cylindrical periphery, and a presser lever 53 connected to the iron body 51 at its base end by a shaft 52 so that it can be opened and closed. The iron body 51 comprises a handle 54 and a heating part 55 that constitutes a far-infrared radiation generating unit. The handle 54 is provided with a start switch 56 and an adjustment switch 57 for adjusting the temperature of the heating element 67 (described below). The presser lever 53 comprises an operating part 58 and a presser part 59 with an arc-shaped cross section that fits along the outer periphery of the heating part 55 of the iron body 51.

As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the heating unit 55 is made of a metal with good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and includes a pair of semi-cylindrical casings 61 that form a heat sink. The entire outer periphery of the casings 61 is covered with a cylindrical cover sheet 60 made of Teflon. The space between both side edges of the casings 61 is sealed with a bar-shaped sealant 62. A row of multiple through-holes 63 that form a passage for far-infrared rays is formed in the center of the width of each casing 61. A seating surface 64 is formed inside the area where the through-holes 63 are arranged.

A pair of receiving portions 65 are formed inside each casing 61, and a receiving plate 66 is supported between the receiving portions 65 via a leaf spring 69. A plate-shaped heating element 67 made of a ceramic heater is supported on the receiving plate 66, and a plate-shaped molded body 68 made of graphite is supported on the heating element 67. The spring force of the leaf spring 69 presses the heating element 67 tightly against the molded body 68, and the molded body 68 is pressed tightly against the seating surface 64, so that the molded body 68 is seated on the seating surface 64. The casing 61 forms a housing for the molded body 68.

When using the curling iron 50 of this embodiment to set hair curls, the two heating elements 67, located 180 degrees apart, generate heat, heating the entire heating unit 55, including the molded body 68, casing 61, and cover sheet 60. This heats the entire heating unit 55. Then, the hair is wrapped around the heating unit 55 of the iron body 51 and clamped between the heating unit 55 and the curled body 51 using the presser lever 53. This heats the hair and sets it into a curl. At this time, far-infrared rays are generated from the molded body 68, which reach the cover sheet 60 through the holes 63, pass through the cover sheet 60, and are released to the outside. The far-infrared rays also heat the cover sheet 60, which is then heated by the heat of the heating elements 67 and releases far-infrared rays. Therefore, when setting hair curls, in addition to direct heating by the heating elements 67, support heating by far-infrared rays is also possible.

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same functions and effects as in the second embodiment.
(Example of change)
The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and can also be embodied in the following aspects.

- In the first embodiment, the casing 26 is made of a material that generates far infrared rays, such as Teflon, PPS (polyphenylene sulfide resin), or carbon-reinforced resin, other than phenolic resin.

In the first embodiment, the stay 21 and the temperature sensor 22 at the front end opening of the blower duct 16 may be omitted, and the far-infrared generating unit 23 having the molded body 25 may be provided in that location.
In the first embodiment, the molded body 25 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but the shape of the molded body 25 may be changed to a cube, a sphere, a cylinder, a prism, a polyhedron other than a hexahedron, etc. In this case, it is preferable to change the shape of the casing 26 in accordance with the shape of the molded body 25.

In the first embodiment, the casing 26 is a rectangular tube that is open at the front and rear. However, the casing 26 may be open at the front and closed at the rear.
In the third embodiment, the molded body 68 faces only the casing 61 on the lever side.

In the third embodiment, the molded body 68 has an arc-shaped cross section that conforms to the inner circumferential surface of the casing 61 .
In each of the first to third embodiments, the cover sheets 27, 41, 60 made of Teflon may be replaced with a material that easily transmits far infrared rays, such as high-density polyethylene.

- The present invention can be embodied in a heating beauty appliance other than the hair dryer 10, straightening iron 30, and curling iron 50 of the above-described embodiments, such as a hair dryer that has a comb and emits air from the base of the comb teeth.

The molded bodies 25, 39, 68 may be made of a material other than graphite, such as a ceramic material such as alumina resin, or diatomaceous earth.
The following are paragraphs 0001, 0002, 0004-0008 of the specification as originally filed (paragraph 0047 in the specification immediately prior to the division), and the claims as originally filed.

This technical concept relates to a heating beauty appliance such as a hair dryer or hair iron that heats parts of the body such as hair or scalp for beauty purposes.
Hair dryers are commonly used to dry hair and the scalp, straightening irons to straighten hair, and curling irons to curl hair. However, for example, as we age, the scalp loses secretions and moisture. Therefore, applying high-temperature hot air from a hair dryer to the scalp can dry it out too much, causing itching and other problems. Furthermore, as we age, hair becomes less moist and thinner, resulting in discoloration and split ends due to heating at high temperatures. To prevent this, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a carbon molded body that generates far-infrared rays in a hair dryer, thereby supporting the heating effect with far-infrared rays even at low heating temperatures.

However, carbon molded bodies are brittle and vulnerable to impacts and abrasions. Therefore, when subjected to external force, the carbon molded body may be subject to brittle fracture, cracking, or the carbon may break into powder or granules and separate. In such cases, there is a risk of the user's skin becoming black and stained. To address this issue, Patent Document 1 covers the carbon molded body with a coating agent, but the coating agent is not strong enough, making it impossible to eliminate the aforementioned concerns. Furthermore, depending on the material of the coating agent, it may block far infrared rays, significantly reducing the warming support effect of far infrared rays.

The purpose of this technical concept is to provide a warming beauty device that can prevent damage to far-infrared ray generators such as carbon molded bodies, while also providing the appropriate warming support effect of far-infrared rays.

To achieve the above objective, this technical concept provides a warming beauty device that includes a heat source for warming the human body and a far-infrared ray generator attached to the heat source, and is characterized in that the far-infrared ray generator is housed in a casing that has a passage for far-infrared rays.

In the above configuration, when the heat source generates heat, the human body is heated by that heat, and the temperature is used for beauty treatment. At this time, far-infrared rays are generated from the far-infrared ray generator by the heat of the heat source. These far-infrared rays then reach the human body through the far-infrared ray passage. Therefore, the far-infrared rays support the heating. Moreover, because the far-infrared rays are radiated directly to the human body without using air as a medium, heating can be carried out without incurring losses due to heating the medium air or heat diffusion through the medium air, improving heating efficiency. Furthermore, because the far-infrared ray generator is housed within a casing, damage is avoided.

As described above, according to this technical concept, it is possible to prevent damage to the far-infrared ray generator and to obtain the heating effect of the far-infrared rays appropriately.
Claim 1 of the original application describes a warming beauty device that includes a heat source for warming the human body and a far-infrared ray generator attached to the heat source, the far-infrared ray generator being housed in a casing that has a passage for far-infrared rays.

Claim 2 of the original application relates to the warming beauty device described in claim 1, in which the far-infrared ray generator is made of a carbon molded body, and the carbon molded body is covered with a cover sheet that transmits far-infrared rays.

Claim 3 of the original application relates to the warming beauty device described in claim 1, in which a through hole is formed in the casing and the outer surface of the casing is covered with a cover sheet that transmits far infrared rays so as to cover the through hole.

10...Hair dryer, 18...Heat source, 23...Heater, 25...Carbon molded body, 26...Casing, 27...Cover sheet, 30...Straightening iron, 38...Heater, 39...Molded body, 40...Casing, 41...Cover sheet, 44...Through hole, 50...Curling iron, 60...Cover sheet, 61...Casing, 63...Through hole, 67...Heater, 68...Molded body.

Claims (3)

In a hair iron equipped with a heat source for warming the human body,
a casing is provided on the heat source, and the entire upper surface of the casing is covered with a cover sheet having a low coefficient of friction ;
The hair iron has a far-infrared ray generator disposed adjacent to the heat source, the far-infrared ray generator housed inside the casing, and a far-infrared ray passage section provided in the casing . The hair iron according to claim 1, wherein the cover sheet is made of polytetrafluoroethylene. The hair iron according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the passage portion is a through hole .