Patent Application
20130111777
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hair dryer, and more particularly, to a hair dryer which generates an air current using a coanda effect.
2. Description of the Related Art
General hair dryers are devices in which an air current generated by a fan driven by a motor is discharged to the outside to dry or adjust user's hair. Air discharged from a hair dryer may be changed in temperature as occasion demands. Thus, to discharge air having a relatively high temperature, a heater may be provided within the hair dryer.
However, in the hair dryer according to the related art, an amount of air discharged through a discharge hole is decided according to capacity of the motor and fan. Thus, to obtain a desired amount of air, each of the motor and fan should have capacity over a predetermined level. As a result, the hair dryer may be relatively increased in size.
Also, when the motor is driven to rotate the fan, air suctioned from the outside by the rotation of the fan passes through the heater and then is discharged to the outside of the hair dryer. Thus, the heater is disposed at a position adjacent to a portion through which the air is discharged.
Thus, electromagnetic waves generated by the heater may be directly transferred into the user's hair. Therefore, the electromagnetic waves may do harm to user's health.
In addition, since the heater is disposed adjacent to a discharge hole, water may be easily introduced through the discharge hole from the outside. As a result, the water may contact the heater to electrocute the user.
An object of the present invention is to provide a hair dryer in which an amount of air current generated by a fan rotated by an operation of a motor is increased by a coanda effect to transfer a relatively large amount of air current into user's hair.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hair dryer in which electrical components are disposed within the hair dryer away from a discharge hole corresponding to an upstream portion of an air flow to prevent moisture from being directly transferred into the electrical components.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hair dryer including: a housing defining an inner space therein, the housing having an inflow slot, through which external air is introduced into the inner space, in an outer surface of a side thereof; an air current generation part disposed within the inner space of the housing to allow the external air introduced through the inflow slot from the outside of the housing to pass through the housing; a heater disposed within the inner space to selectively supply heat into the air passing through the housing; and a discharge nozzle coupled to one end of the housing, the discharge nozzle having a coanda surface on which the air passing through the inside of the housing passes to suction the external air by the air passing on the coanda surface, thereby discharging the mixed air together.
A power source part supplying a power for operating the heater and the air current generation part are disposed on the other end of the housing.
The air current generation part may include a motor and a fan rotated by the motor to generate an air current.
The motor may be assembled with a motor housing fixed to the inner space of the housing.
The discharge nozzle may have a cylindrical shape of which at least one portion has a circular shape and may include a central passage part respectively having a secondary inflow hole passing through a central portion thereof in front and rear directions to introduce the external air and a discharge hole, in which the air passing through the housing and the external air are mixed with each other and are discharged therethrough, on both ends thereof.
A ring-shaped inner passage in which the air passing through the housing flows may be defined in the discharge nozzle, and a ring-shaped discharge slit for discharging air onto the coanda surface may be defined in a downstream portion of the inner passage.
An inner wall may define an inner surface of the discharge nozzle, and the coanda surface for guiding the air discharged through the discharge slit and a diffusion surface for gradually increasing a flow sectional area of the central passage part toward the discharge hole may be continuously defined on the inner wall.
A coupling ring part having a screw part on an inner surface thereof may be disposed on an outer surface of the discharge nozzle, and a screw part corresponding to the screw part of the coupling ring part may be disposed on an outer surface of the one end of the housing so that the discharge nozzle is coupled to the one end of the housing.
The air current generation part may be disposed at an upstream portion of the air current flowing into the housing, and the heater may be disposed at a downstream of the air current under the air current generation part.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hair dryer including: a housing defining an inner space therein, the housing having an inflow slot, through which external air is introduced into the inner space, in an outer surface of a side thereof; a motor disposed within the inner space of the housing, the motor rotating a fan for generating an air current so that air is introduced from the outside of the housing through the inflow slot to pass through the housing; a heater disposed within the inner space to selectively supply heat into the air passing through the housing; and a discharge nozzle coupled to one end of the housing, the discharge nozzle having an inner passage through which the passing through the inside of the housing passes and a coanda surface for guiding the air discharged from the inner passage to suction the external air by the air passing on the coanda surface, thereby discharging the mixed air together.
The discharge nozzle has a cylindrical shape of which at least one portion may have a circular shape, an outer surface of the discharge nozzle may be defined as an outer wall, and an inner surface of the discharge nozzle may be defined as an inner wall, an inner passage may be defined between the outer wall and the inner wall to allow the air passing through the housing to flow, a discharge slit through which the air passing through the inner passage is discharged may be disposed around the inside of a rear end of the discharge nozzle to guide the air onto the coanda surface defined on the inner wall, and a central passage part respectively having a secondary inflow hole passing through a central portion of the discharge nozzle in front and rear directions to introduce the external air and a discharge hole, in which the air passing through the housing and the external air are mixed with each other and are discharged the discharge nozzle, on both ends of the discharge nozzle may be provided in the discharge nozzle.
The coanda surface for guiding the air discharged through the discharge slit and a diffusion surface for gradually increasing a flow sectional area of the central passage part toward the discharge hole may be continuously defined on the inner wall of the discharge nozzle.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the drawings, a housing 10 defines a portion of an outer appearance of a hair dryer. In the current embodiment, the housing 10 has a cylindrical shape. Also, the housing 10 provides an inner space 11 in which parts to be described below are installed. The housing 10 may have a polygonal shape such as a square shape or an oval shape in cross-section.
A manipulation button 12 is disposed on a side of an outer surface of the housing 10. The manipulation button 12 manipulates an operation of the hair dryer. A plurality of inflow slots 14 is defined in a lower portion of the housing 10. The plurality of inflow slots 14 may be disposed side by side around a lower outer circumference of the housing 10. The inflow slots 14 may serve as passage through which air is introduced inward from the outside of the housing 10.
A power source part 16 is disposed on a lower end of the housing 10. The power source part 16 supplies a power for operating the hair dryer. The power source part 16 may be a portion in which a chargeable battery or dry cell is inserted, or a power line and plug connected to a power source are disposed.
A motor housing 18 is disposed within the housing 10. An outer surface of the motor housing 18 may be closely attached to an inner surface of the housing 10. In the motor housing 18, inner inflow slots 18′ are defined in positions corresponding to those of the inflow slots 14 to introduce external air into the motor housing 18.
A motor 20 is disposed within the motor housing 18. The motor 20 receives a power from the power source part 16 and then is driven to provide a rotation force. A fan 22 is disposed on a rotation shaft (not shown) of the motor 20. The fan 22 is rotated inside the motor housing 18 to introduce air from the outside of the housing 10 into the motor housing 18 through the inflow slots 14 and the inner inflow slots 18′ and then blow into a discharge nozzle 30 that will be described below.
The fan 22 is rotated inside the motor housing 18 so that the air flows. Also, the fan 22 is designed so that the fan 22 does not interfere with parts disposed on the inner surface of the motor housing 18 to guide the air flow. The motor housing 18, the motor 20, and the fan 22 may be provided as one assembly. The assembly may be inserted into and assembled with the housing 10.
A cap 24 is disposed on an inner surface of an upper end of the housing 10. The cap 24 includes a cap body 25 having a ring shape and a connection bar 25′ crossing the cap body 25 in a diameter direction. The cap 24 may be press-fitted into or screw-coupled to the inner surface of the housing 10 to fix parts disposed within the housing 10.
A plurality of fixing bars 26 are disposed between the cap 24 and the motor 20 to fix the motor 20 to the inside of the housing 10. In the current embodiment, four fixing bars 26 may be provided. Here, if the motor housing 18 is firmly fixed to the inside of the housing 10, it may be unnecessary to provide the cap 24 and the fixing bars 26.
A heater 28 is disposed on an inner upper end of the housing 10, i.e., a position corresponding to an upper side of the motor 20. The heater 28 includes a plurality of heating plates arranged side by side in a length direction of the housing 10. Air may be heat-exchanged with the heating plates while passing between the heating plates. The air passing through the heater receives heat and thus is increased in temperature. The heater 28 receives a power from the power source part 16 to generate heat.
A discharge nozzle 30 is disposed on an upper end of the housing 10. The discharge nozzle 30 is configured to mix the air passing through the housing 10 with the external air, thereby discharging the mixed air. At least one portion of the discharge nozzle 30 in cross-section has a circular shape. In the current embodiment, the discharge nozzle 30 has an oval cylindrical shape in which the discharge nozzle 30 has an oval shape in cross-section. However, the discharge nozzle 30 may have a circular shape in cross-section.
A coupling ring part 32 is disposed on a side of an outer surface of the discharge nozzle 30. The coupling ring part 32 is coupled to the upper end of the housing 10. A screw part is disposed on an inner surface of the coupling ring part 32. That is, a screw part corresponding to an upper outer surface of the housing 10 may be disposed on an inner surface of the coupling ring part 32 to couple the discharge nozzle 30 to the housing 10.
An inner passage 33 is defined within the discharge nozzle 30. The inner passage 33 has a ring shape around the inside of the discharge nozzle 30. The whole shape of the inner passage 33 may be is relevant to that of the discharge nozzle 30. The inner passage 33 is a portion into which the air discharged from the housing 10 flows. Here, the coupling ring part 32 may serve as an inlet of the inner passage 33.
An outer wall 34 and an inner wall 35 may be associated with each other to define the inner passage 33. The outer wall 34 defines an outer surface of the discharge nozzle 30, and the inner wall 35 defines an inner surface of the discharge nozzle 30.
A predetermined section may be defined as a coanda surface 35′ at an upstream portion of air current discharged from the inner passage 33 in the surface of the inner wall 35, i.e., a position getting out of a discharge slit 36 that will be described below. When a fluid flows, the fluid may flow along a surface of the coanda surface 35′. Thus, the coanda surface 35′ may generate a coanda effect. Since the coanda effect is a previously known fact, its description will be omitted. A diffusion surface 35″ connected to the coanda surface 35′ and disposed along the inner wall 35 is provided. The diffusion surface 35″ may be configured so that the inner wall 35 is gradually increased in flow sectional area.
The discharge slit 36 is defined in a downstream portion of the inner passage 33. The discharge slit 36 is defined around an inner surface of a rear end of the discharge nozzle 30. That is, ends of the inner wall 35 and the outer wall 34 are disposed adjacent to each other to define a predetermined gap therebetween, thereby defining the discharge slit 36. Thus, the discharge slit 36 may have a shape corresponding to that of a cross-section of the discharge nozzle 30. Air flowing along the inner passage 33 is discharged through the discharge slit 36 to flow onto the coanda surface 35′. The outer wall 34 defining the discharge slit 36 has a semicircular shape in longitudinal section to provide a predetermined gap between the outer wall 34 and a rear end of the inner wall 35. The gap may serve as the discharge slit 36. Also, an amount of air discharged through the discharge slit 36 may be decided according to a width of the discharge and an angle of the coanda surface 35′. The outer wall 34 and the inner wall 36 may be designed in shape so that a flow sectional area from the inner passage 33 toward the discharge slit 36 is gradually decreased.
A central passage part 37 is disposed to pass through the inside of the discharge nozzle 30 in front and rear directions. The coanda surface 35′ and the diffusion surface 35″ which are portions of the surface of the inner wall 35 are defined on an inner surface of the central passage part 37. Thus, the central passage part 37 may have a flow sectional area gradually increasing from a rear end of the discharge nozzle 30 toward a front end.
The front end of the central passage part 37, i.e., a portion through which air is finally discharged from the discharge nozzle 30 may be referred to as a discharge hole 38, and the rear end of the central passage part 37, i.e., a portion through which air is introduced into the central passage part 37 may be referred to as a secondary inflow hole 38′. Air may be introduced from the outside of the discharge nozzle 30 through the secondary inflow hole 38′ by a low pressure region which is generated while the air discharged through the discharge slit 36 flows along the coanda surface 35′. The air introduced through the secondary inflow hole 38′ is mixed with the air discharged through the discharge slit 36 while passing through a region corresponding to the diffusion surface 35″, and then the mixed air is discharged through the discharge hole 38.
Hereinafter, the assembly and use of the hair dryer including the above-described components will be described in detail.
In the hair dryer according to the current embodiment, the power source part 16 is mounted on the lower end of the housing 10. Thus, the lower end of the housing 10 may be closed by the power source part 16 or a separate structure. The motor housing 18 is inserted through the upper end of the housing 10. Here, the motor 20 and the fan 22 are previously assembled with the motor housing 18. That is, the motor housing 18, the motor 20, and the fan 22 are provided as one assembly. Due to the above-described structure, external air may be suctioned into the housing 10 to generate an air current passing through the inside of the housing 10. Thus, the assembly may be called an air current generation part.
After the motor 20 is inserted, the heater 28 is inserted into and fixed to the inner space 11 of the housing 10. The fixing bar 26 is inserted into the inside of the upper end of the housing 10 in which the heater 28 is inserted. Then, an end of the fixing bar 26 is seated on one surface of the motor 20. Next, the cap 24 is press-fitted into and fixed to an inlet of the upper end of the housing 10 to prevent the parts within the housing 10 from being randomly moved or separated from the housing 10.
Next, the screw part disposed on the inner surface of the coupling ring part 32 of the discharge nozzle 30 is coupled to a screw part disposed on the outer surface of the upper end of the housing 10. As a result, the discharge nozzle 30 is coupled to the housing 10, and also, the inside of the housing 10 communicates with the inner passage 33 of the discharge nozzle 30.
To operate the hair dryer assembled as described above according to the current embodiment, the manipulation button 12 should be manipulated by the user. For example, the manipulation button 12 may be manipulated to select one of a hot wind mode and a room-temperature wind mode. In case of the hot wind mode, the heater 28 generates heat to heat the air discharged from the discharge hole 38 at a predetermined temperature. In case of the room-temperature wind mode, the heater 28 does not generate heat. Thus, the air suctioned into the housing 10 just passes through the heater 28 without being heat-exchanged with the heater 28. Thus, air having room temperature is discharged through the discharge hole 38.
The motor 20 may be driven to rotate the fan 22, thereby suctioning air into the housing 10. An air current may be generated in a direction of the heater 28 within the housing 10 by the rotation of the fan 22. The inner space 11 corresponding to the inside of the inflow slot 14 of the housing 10 may have a relatively low pressure by the air current. Thus, air may be introduced as shown by an arrow i of
The air introduced into the housing 10 passes through the outside of the fan 22 and the motor 20 to pass between the heating plates of the heater 28. In case of the hot wind mode, the air is heat-exchanged with the heating plates to increase a temperature of the air.
The air passing through the heater 28 passes through the coupling ring part 32 to flow into the inner passage 33 as shown by an arrow e of
The air discharged through the discharge slit 36 flows along the coanda surface 35′ as shown by an arrow A of
The external air introduced into the central passage part 32 through the secondary inflow hole 38 and the air discharged through the discharge slit 36 are mixed with each other while passing through the section of the central passage part 32 corresponding to the diffusion surface 35″. Then, the air is discharged through the discharge hole 39 and is transferred into the user's hair.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
For example, the motor 20 and the fan 22 for suctioning air into the housing 10 may be varied in configuration. That is, the fan 22 may be disposed under the motor 20. Also, the fan 22 may be variously changed in shape.
Also, it is not necessary to insert the motor into the housing 10 in the state where the motor 20 is assembled with the motor housing 18. For example, the motor 20 may be directly mounted in the inner space 11 of the housing 10. In this case, a structure for fixing the motor 20 may be provided on an inner surface of the inner space 11 of the housing 10.
Also, unlike the above-described embodiment, in the air current generation part including the heater 28 and the motor 20, the heater 28 may be disposed adjacent to the inflow slot 14. Also, the air current generation part including the motor 20 may be disposed adjacent to the discharge nozzle 30.
The hair dryer according to the present invention may obtain effects as follows.
According to the present invention, the air supplied from the outside of he discharge nozzle by the coanda effect may be mixed with the air suctioned into the hair dryer by the operation of the fan to increase the total amount of air, thereby discharging the air to the outside of the hair dryer. Thus, when compared to the hair dryer according to the related art, the hair dryer according to the present invention may use the motor and fan having relatively low capacities under the same flow rate. Thus, the hair dryer may be miniaturized on the whole to reduce the manufacturing costs.
Also, since the passage in which the air discharged from the inside of the housing passes through the discharge nozzle is relatively long, and also the discharge slit is vary narrow, waterproof performance of the housing may be improved to prevent moisture from being introduced into the housing and from being transferred into the electrical component within the housing.
In addition, since the heater is disposed at the relatively upstream portion of the air current in the discharge hole of the discharge nozzle to sufficiently cover the electromagnetic waves generated in the heater, the direct transmission of the electromagnetic waves into the user may be minimized.
Also, since the parts such as the heater is disposed relatively away from the discharge hole and structurally shielded from the outside to improve the waterproof performance of the housing, noise shielding performance in addition to the waterproof performance may be improved. Furthermore, since the motor and fan are relatively miniaturized, the noise may be reduced on the whole.
Also, the motor is relatively decreased in capacity, power consumption may be reduced. Thus, if a battery is used as a power source, a use time of the hair dryer may be maintained above a predetermined time. Therefore, a portable hair dryer may be manufactured.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2011-0006380 | Jan 2011 | KR | national |
