EP3632257A1

EP3632257A1 - Battery-operated hair dryer

Info

Publication number: EP3632257A1
Application number: EP18198507.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mark Johannes Lelieveld
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 2018-10-03
Filing date: 2018-10-03
Publication date: 2020-04-08
Also published as: EP3632258A1

Abstract

A battery-operated hair dryer comprises a battery (B), and a fan (F) that is powered by the battery (B), and that has air vanes (V) that serve to cool the battery (B) that is mounted adjacent to the fan (F). Preferably, the battery (B) is shaped around a motor mount (MM) of a motor (M) of the fan (F).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a battery-operated hair dryer. In this disclosure, the notion hair dryer is not limited to devices that just dry hair, like a blow dryer. A hair dryer can also be used to style hair, and may take the form of a brush or curler blowing warm air, and may alternatively be called an air styler.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

US 2018/0233788 discloses a battery-powered blow dryer configured to simultaneously cool the batteries and improve hair dryer performance. All batteries have a level of internal electrical resistance/impedance, which generates heat during both charging and discharging. Thus, using batteries to power a heating element and fan also generates heat within the batteries, battery packs, or internal circuitry as they discharge. This heat can shorten the life of the batteries, and may affect the discharge rate or run time of the batteries. Thus, a battery-operated blow dryer is disclosed that is capable of cooling to batteries and related circuitry to increase their performance, avoid overheating and safety issues, and/or extend the life of the batteries. The handle may include a handle air flow channel in communication with a case air flow channel, so that air flowing through the handle exits into the case air flow channel. The batteries may be positioned within the channel with gaps being formed between the handle and batteries that allow air flow around the batteries. To cool the batteries, the handle may include one or more intake vents that allows in air to flow up the channel in the handle over the batteries and gaps between the individual cells. The fan draws air that flows around the battery cells, then continues through the case and is blown over the heating element. While the air flow is cooling the batteries, the air flow is also being warmed, and the battery-warmed air flows to the heating element and is not wasted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, inter alia, an object of the invention to provide an improved hair dryer. The invention is defined by the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.
One aspect of the invention provides a battery-operated hair dryer comprising a battery, and a fan that is powered by the battery, and that has air vanes that serve to cool the battery that is mounted adjacent to the fan. Preferably, the battery is shaped around a motor mount of a motor of the fan.
Embodiments are based on the following considerations. In hair dryers, weight and weight distribution are very important. Embodiments of the invention use the static airflow-shaping vanes at the outlet side of the hair dryer fan inside the hair dryer, as a heat sink for the batteries of a hair dryer. This results in minimizing components (as a single component will act both as a static airflow-shaping vane and as heat sink), and putting the battery close to the fan also results in a good weight distribution (as the fan is nicely in the middle of the hair dryer). Moreover, the static airflow-shaping vanes at the outlet of the fan are also handling all air from the fan, so that cooling efficiency will be optimal. Using the vanes as battery cooling bodies, and thus mounting the battery close to the fan, results in that the weight distribution is optimal, and in that there is less need for cooling channels to cool the batteries, which cooling channels may cause noise.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a battery-operated hair dryer according to the invention; and
Fig. 2 shows a cross-section through line A-A in Fig. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Figs. 1 and 2 schematically illustrate a battery-operated hair dryer having a dryer housing DH. A main air flow AF1 flows rather straightforward from an air inlet grill AIG to an air outlet grill AOG. The air flow is caused by a fan F propelled by a motor M that is fitted in a motor mount MM. To be able to dry and/or style hair, air from the fan F is heated by a heater H. The heater H and the motor M are powered by a battery B around the fan F, motor M and motor mount MM. As shown in Fig. 2, as a result of the battery B being mounted around the motor mount MM, and thus in close contact with the fan vanes V, the fan vanes V act as cooling ribs to cool the battery B by means of the main air flow AF1.
As the speed of the main air flow AF1 is relatively high when the air is passing the relatively narrow openings in the motor mount MM, the possibilities for the battery B to be cooled at that point is optimal.
In the embodiment shown, the battery B has more volume at the bottom of the dryer housing DH than at the top of the dryer housing DH. If so, there may be an additional need for cooling the battery B at the bottom. To that end, it is possible to have a secondary air flow AF2 from the air inlet grill AIG to the air outlet grill AOG along the bottom of the dryer housing DH.
It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. There is no need for the dryer housing DH to have a rectangular cross-section; it may e.g. be round. The heater H may be in series with the motor M or parallel to the motor M. The battery B may be shaped in such a way, that its weight distribution is optimal for a hand-held hair dryer. The asymmetrical shape of the battery B shown in Fig. 2 is less favorable in the shown orientation of the dryer housing DH, but if the dryer housing DH is rotated in such a way that its left lower corner becomes the bottom (i.e. the handle of the hair dryer would be mounted to what is shown to be the left lower corner of the dryer housing DH), such a battery shape may be very favorable to get a good weigh distribution. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements. In the device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. Measures recited in mutually different dependent claims may advantageously be used in combination.

Claims

A battery-operated hair dryer comprising:
a battery (B); and

a fan (F) that is powered by the battery (B), and that has air vanes (V) that serve to cool the battery (B) that is mounted adjacent to the fan (F).
A battery-operated hair dryer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery (B) is shaped around a motor mount (MM) of a motor (M) of the fan (F).