Patent Application
20200146418
The present invention relates to a heatable barrel for a hair styling appliance such as, but not limited to, a curling tong, curling wand, or hot iron brush; and to associated components and manufacturing methods.
Certain hair styling appliances, such as curling tongs, curling wands, and hot iron brushes, include an elongated barrel component and an electrical heater element operable to heat the barrel.
In existing hair styling appliances of this kind, the barrel typically consists of a simple cylindrical metal tube. In manufacturing the appliance, a heater element is mounted within the barrel by means of a separate heater carrier. In more detail, the heater element is mounted on or in the heater carrier, and then the heater carrier is fitted inside the barrel, adjacent to the inner surface of the barrel. Consequently, in use, thermal transfer of heat from the heater element to the barrel is across at least two boundaries—firstly, from the heater element to the heater carrier, and secondly, from the heater carrier to the barrel.
With such hair styling appliances there is a desire to increase the speed and efficiency of thermal transfer from a surface of an internal heater element to an external surface of the appliance, in order to transfer heat more quickly and efficiently to the hair being styled.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a barrel for a hair styling appliance, the barrel comprising: an external surface; and a heater-mounting surface inside the barrel; wherein the heater-mounting surface is integrally formed with the external surface.
By virtue of the heater-mounting surface being integrally formed with the external surface, this creates an uninterrupted path for the transfer of heat from a heater element (when mounted on the heater-mounting surface) to the external surface. In turn, this gives rise to an increase in the speed and efficiency of thermal transfer from the heater element to the external surface of the appliance, and thence to the hair being styled.
A further advantage conferred by the heater-mounting surface being integrally formed with the external surface is that the manufacturing process is simplified, as a separate heater carrier component is not required.
The heater-mounting surface may extend across the inside of the barrel, from one side to the other. For example, the heater-mounting surface may be located substantially across a diameter of the barrel. Alternatively the heater-mounting surface may be located away from a diameter of the barrel (e.g. to provide more space to accommodate a larger heater element).
Advantageously the thickness of the heater-mounting surface may be approximately twice the thickness of the external surface, as this has been found to improve the effectiveness of the heat transfer from the heater element to the external surface.
The heater-mounting surface may be substantially flat. Alternatively it may incorporate a longitudinal recess for receiving one or more heater elements, thereby facilitating the accurate positioning and retention of the heater element(s) on the heater-mounting surface.
The external surface may have a circular cross-section, or an elliptical cross-section, or, if so desired, some other shape.
Advantageously, the barrel (with the integral heater-mounting surface) may be formed as a single extruded component, for example from metal. This greatly facilitates manufacture of the barrel, giving rise to lower production costs. Furthermore, this enables the barrel to be any desired length, or for a range of barrel lengths to be readily produced.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a barrel assembly for a hair styling appliance, the barrel assembly comprising a barrel in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, and one or more heater elements mounted on the heater-mounting surface.
If the heater-mounting surface incorporates a longitudinal recess then the or each heater element may be mounted within said longitudinal recess.
The barrel assembly may further comprise means for securing the or each heater element against the heater-mounting surface. In one example said means for securing comprises a spring clip. However, alternative securing means may be used instead.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a hair styling appliance comprising a barrel assembly in accordance with the second aspect of the invention. The hair styling appliance may be any type that uses one or more heated barrel components. For example, the hair styling appliance may be selected from a group comprising: a curling tong, a curling wand, and a hot iron brush.
For use in a barrel assembly as described above, or in other pieces of hair styling equipment not employing such a barrel assembly, a fourth aspect of the present invention provides a heater element comprising a substrate (e.g. made of ceramic) having a conductive track for generating heat upon application of an electrical current thereto (i.e. by Joule heating), and an integral temperature sensor.
For example, the conductive track and the temperature sensor may be formed as parallel layers embedded within the substrate. The temperature sensor may comprise a resistive track, the resistance of which changes with temperature. Consequently, the temperature can be sensed over an area, not just a point, and the track can advantageously be molecularly bonded to the heater, thus removing any need for thermal paste (which is difficult in manufacture and thermally resistive, such that it would reduce performance).
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a barrel for a hair styling appliance, the method comprising extruding the barrel such that it comprises an external surface and an integrally-formed heater-mounting surface inside the barrel.
Optional features of the manufacturing method are as described above in relation to the first aspect of the invention.
The method may subsequently comprise mounting one or more heater elements on the heater-mounting surface.
The method may further comprise securing the or each heater element against the heater-mounting surface.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of forming a heater element for a hair styling appliance, the method comprising forming, on or in a substrate, a conductive track for generating heat upon application of an electrical current thereto, and an integral temperature sensor.
The conductive track and the temperature sensor may be formed as parallel layers embedded within the substrate.
The temperature sensor may comprise a resistive track, the resistance of which changes with temperature.
The temperature sensor may be molecularly bonded to the substrate.
The substrate may comprise a ceramic material.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the drawings in which:
In the figures, like elements are indicated by like reference numerals throughout.
The present embodiments represent the best ways known to the Applicant of putting the invention into practice. However, they are not the only ways in which this can be achieved.
In the illustrated embodiment a spring clip 18 is inserted within the barrel 12 to hold the heater element(s) 20 in place against the heater-mounting surface 16. However, in alternative embodiments other means for securing the heater element(s) 20 in place may be used instead.
Barrel with Integral Heater-Mounting Surface
The barrel 12, with external surface 14 and integral heater-mounting surface 16, is preferably formed as a single extruded metal component. The external surface 14 may, in cross-section, be any desired shape. In our presently-preferred embodiments the external surface 14 has a circular or elliptical cross-sectional shape, although other cross-sectional shapes are also possible.
When viewed in cross section, the integral heater-mounting surface 16 extends as a chord across the inside of the barrel 12, from one side to the other. Thus, the heater-mounting surface 16 is integrally attached to the external surface 14 in two opposing places. In our presently-preferred embodiments the integral heater-mounting surface 16 is situated along (or close to) a diameter of the barrel 12—i.e. passing through or near to the centre of the barrel 12 when viewed in cross-section. However, in alternative embodiments the integral heater-mounting surface 16 may be positioned further away from the diameter of the barrel 12 (for example if the or each heater element 20 is relatively bulky such that more than half the internal cross-sectional area of the barrel 12 is required to accommodate it).
Whilst, in the illustrated embodiment, the integral heater-mounting surface 16 is a flat surface on which the or each heater element 20 is mounted, in alternative embodiments the heater-mounting surface 16 may incorporate a longitudinal recess in which the heater element(s) 20 can be located. Such a longitudinal recess may be readily incorporated in the cross-sectional shape of the extruded metal.
In manufacture, the barrel 12 may be cut from a long or continuous length of extruded metal having a cross-sectional profile that includes the external surface 14 and the integral heater-mounting surface 16. As a consequence of being formed as a single extruded metal component, manufacture of the barrel 12 is facilitated, giving rise to lower production costs. Furthermore, by using an extruded component, this enables the barrel 12 to be any desired length, or for a range of barrel lengths to be readily produced.
Any suitable metal may be extruded to form the barrel 12. For example, the metal may be aluminium, which is relatively inexpensive, has a relatively low density (enabling the resulting product to be relatively light weight), and is easy to extrude.
The integral heater-mounting surface 16 also serves as an internal feature for the conduction and/or radiation of heat from the heater element(s) 20 to the external surface 14 of the barrel 12.
As shown in
With the presently-preferred embodiments, improved efficiency can be achieved by the heater-mounting surface 16 having a thickness (e.g. at point A) that is twice the thickness of the outer external surface 14 (e.g. at point C).
With such a geometry, improved thermal performance has been achieved, as the design and thickness of the integral internal conducting/radiating features (i.e. the heater-mounting surface 16) relative to the thickness of the external surface 14 provides effective heat transfer with minimal temperature difference from the heater element 20 to the external “working” surface 14.
An example of such a geometry is given in
It will of course be appreciated that other geometries are possible in which the thickness of the heater-mounting surface 16 is twice the thickness of the external surface 14. For example, the thickness of the heater-mounting surface 16 may be 3 mm and the thickness of the external surface 14 may be 1.5 mm, or alternatively, the thickness of the heater-mounting surface 16 may be 1.5 mm and the thickness of the external surface 14 may be 0.75 mm.
In the illustrated embodiment the spring clip 18 positions the heater element(s) 20 adjacent to the heater-mounting surface 16 and provides sufficient force to hold the heater element(s) 20 in close contact with the heater-mounting surface 16, thereby enabling effective thermal transfer to take place through the heater-mounting surface 16 and thence to the external surface 14 of the barrel 12.
However, as mentioned above, in alternative embodiments other means for securing the heater element(s) 20 in place against the heater-mounting surface 16 may be used instead.
A clamp member 34, having a curved profile to complement the external surface 14 of the barrel 12, is pivotally mounted adjacent to the barrel 12 by means of a pivot mechanism 35 and a user-pressable lever 36. As will be familiar to those skilled in the art, the clamp member 34 is spring-biased into a closed position in which the clamp member 34 presses against the barrel 12. With the clamp member 34 in the closed position and the barrel 12 heated, the curling tong 30 can be used to style hair that has been introduced between the clamp member 34 and the barrel 12. However, upon the user pressing on the lever 36, the clamp member 34 pivots about the pivot mechanism 35 and thereby opens, for example to allow hair to be introduced between the barrel 12 and the clamp member 34 for styling, or to release hair once the desired styling operation has been completed.
To improve the thermal response of a hair styling appliance (e.g. curling tong) such as those described above, we have found that it is advantageous not to use a temperature sensor that is separate from the heater element. Rather, as shown in
The resistive track forming the temperature sensor may have either a positive or a negative temperature coefficient, such that as the temperature is changed the resistance of the track changes, which can then be detected by a control circuit, and hence the temperature can be calculated (once the change in track resistance has been calibrated against temperature). In turn, depending on the calculated temperature, the electrical power supplied to the heater track can be controlled, thereby regulating the temperature of the heater element 20. The benefits of using an embedded temperature sensor track are twofold: the temperature can be sensed over an area, not just a point, and the track can advantageously be molecularly bonded to the heater, thus removing any need for thermal paste (which is difficult in manufacture and thermally resistive, such that it would reduce performance).
The use of such an integrated heater and sensor construction is by no means limited to a hair styling appliance as described above (i.e. one having a barrel 12 formed as a single extruded metal component, with an external surface 14 and an integral heater-mounting surface 16). Indeed, such an integrated heater and sensor construction is more broadly applicable, and can for example be used in other pieces of hair styling equipment, such as hair straighteners, as well as on tri-zone heaters.
In use, the control unit 46 causes the current drive unit 42 to supply electrical current to the heater track layer 26, thus causing the heater element 20 to heat up. In parallel with the operation of the current drive unit 42, the resistance sensing unit 44 generates a signal representative of (or dependent on) the resistance of the resistive track of the temperature sensor layer 24, and supplies this signal to the control unit 46 (i.e. in a feedback manner). The signal generated by the resistance sensing unit 44 may be processed by the control unit 46 to determine the temperature of the heater element 20 (e.g. by employing a calibration relationship), and in turn the control unit 46 is configured to adjust the electrical current supplied to the heater track layer 26, to thereby regulate the temperature of the heater element 20—specifically, such that the heater element 20 reaches and maintains a desired temperature.
A user-adjustable control knob or other user interface (e.g. electronic buttons) may be provided, coupled to the control unit 46, to enable the user to specify the temperature to be attained by the heater element 20. In a first variant the control knob or user interface may enable the user to specify the actual temperature required (e.g. in ° C.). In a second variant the control knob or user interface may enable the user to select whether the temperature is to be “high”, “medium” or “low”, for example, such settings corresponding to respective predetermined temperatures. In a third variant the control knob or user interface may enable the user to specify the type of hair and/or styling operation to be carried out, upon which the control unit 46 determines (from effectively an internal look-up table) an appropriate temperature to which the heater element 20 is to be heated.
With reference to the exemplary dimensions given in
Further, the resistive track of the temperature sensor (of layer 24) and the resistive heater track (of layer 26) may both be at least 0.6 mm inward of the outer edges of the heater element 20, to prevent undesirable external effects such as short-circuiting or arcing with the heater-mounting surface, or flashover. To explain this in more detail, it will be appreciated that the heater element 20 may operate at a high voltage (e.g. ˜240V AC), and the heater-mounting surface may be a metal plate. Hence, there needs to be sufficient insulation between the heater track and the heater-mounting surface to stop electricity jumping between the two, as this could otherwise cause electrocution of the user. Although air is an insulator, it is not a particularly good or reliable one, due to variation in water content (which is especially the case in the context of hair styling). Accordingly, in order to comply with the relevant safety provisions, at least a 0.6 mm gap is provided between the live track (of layer 26) and the heater-mounting surface (e.g. metal plate), to ensure there can be no conduction of electricity between the two.
The overall substrate 22 of the heater element 20 may be formed from three ceramic layers that are fired together (or otherwise joined together). The overall substrate 22 may for example be formed of aluminium oxide, by virtue of the constituent layers also being formed of aluminium oxide.
When taken separately, the heater track layer 26 (lowermost in the cross-sectional view of
Similarly, when taken separately, the temperature sensor layer 24 has its own ceramic substrate 22b (e.g. aluminium oxide) on which the resistive track 25 of the temperature sensor is deposited. As mentioned above, the resistive track 25 of the temperature sensor may have either a positive or a negative temperature coefficient, to allow the temperature of the heater to be measured. As illustrated, the pattern of the resistive track 25 of the temperature sensor may correspond with, and be in alignment with, the pattern of the resistive heater track 27, although variants are possible in which this need not be the case.
Similarly, when taken separately, the top layer 23 comprises a ceramic substrate 22a (e.g. aluminium oxide).
At one end, the top layer 23 further comprises a series of four through-thickness solder pads 21 for electrical connection to associated circuitry—e.g. to a current drive unit 42 and a resistance sensing unit 44 as illustrated in
As illustrated, the temperature sensor layer 24 also has a corresponding series of through-thickness solder pads 21, two of which are connected to the resistive track 25 of the temperature sensor.
The heater track layer 26 also has a corresponding series of solder pads 21 (not through-thickness, so as to avoid making electrical contact with the underlying heater-mounting surface 16 in use), two of which are connected to the resistive heater track 27.
The positions of the solder pads 21 on the three layers 23, 24, 26 are in mutual alignment. When the three layers 23, 24, 26 are joined together (e.g. by being fired together), on top of one another, the solder pads 21 on each of the layers 23, 24, 26 come into contact with one another. Moreover, the individual ceramic substrates 22a, 22b, 22c join to form one overall substrate 22.
Subsequently, the solder pads 21 on the top layer 23 are connected to the associated circuitry (e.g. units 42 and 44 as mentioned above). More particularly, the current drive unit 42 is connected to the specific solder pads on the top layer 23 whose positions correspond to the specific solder pads of the heater track layer 26 to which the resistive heater track 27 is connected (i.e. the middle two solder pads as illustrated). Likewise, the resistance sensing unit 44 is connected to the specific solder pads on the top layer 23 whose positions correspond to the specific solder pads of the temperature sensor layer 24 to which the resistive sensor track 25 is connected (i.e. the outermost two solder pads as illustrated).
In an alternative embodiment, the solder pads are not through thickness, but rather the specific solder pads of each layer 24, 26 that are directly connected to a respective track 25, 27 are exposed on the respective layer, to allow electrical connections to be made directly to the respective solder pads. This may be achieved by shaping the ceramic layers such that the solder pads of an underlying ceramic layer's track are not covered by an overlying ceramic layer.
Detailed embodiments and some possible alternatives have been described above. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, a number of modifications and further alternatives can be made to the above embodiments whilst still benefiting from the inventions embodied therein. It will therefore be understood that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments and encompasses modifications apparent to those skilled in the art lying within the scope of the claims appended hereto.
For example, in the above embodiments the heater-mounting surface 16 extends across the inside of the barrel, from one side to the other. However, in alternative embodiments the heater-mounting surface may be formed as a more enclosed channel in which the heater element(s) may be inserted. For example, the heater-mounting surface may have a “U”-shaped cross-section, integrally formed with the external surface by extrusion, and the heater element(s) may be slotted into the inside of the “U”.
In the above embodiments a single heater-mounting surface 16 extends across the inside of the barrel. However, in alternative embodiments more than one heater-mounting surface may be provided across the inside of the barrel, from one side to the other. For example, two (or more) separate heater-mounting surfaces may be provided as two (or more) parallel chords extending across the inside of the barrel, integrally formed with the external surface by extrusion. A separate heater element may then be mounted on each of the heater-mounting surfaces, e.g. using respective spring clips or alternative securing means.
In the above embodiments a single heater element 20 is mounted on a single heater-mounting surface 16. However, in alternative embodiments one heater element 20 may be mounted on one side of a heater-mounting surface and another heater element may be mounted on the opposite side of the same heater-mounting surface, e.g. using a respective spring clip on each side, or alternative securing means. In such a manner the heat provided to a given heater-mounting surface may be increased (potentially doubled).
Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words “comprise” and “contain” and variations of the words, for example “comprising” and “containing”, means “including but not limited to”, and is not intended to (and does not) exclude other components, integers or steps.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1707061.6 | May 2017 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB2018/051197 | 5/3/2018 | WO | 00 |
