HAIRCARE APPLIANCE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to haircare appliances. In particular, the present disclosure relates to wireless transmission of information and/or energy between the main body of a haircare appliance and an accessory. Further in particular, the present disclosure relates to a bidirectional feedback loop scheme for a haircare appliance, where a removable accessory may control and may be controlled and/or power or be powered by the main body of the haircare appliance.

BACKGROUND

The drying of hair has always been a significant part of one's daily or weekly routine. Historically, a haircare appliance was an integrated device providing a defined set of functions to a user. The offered functionality was often such that functions were built into hardware into the haircare appliance at the time of purchase, so that after a purchase, the functionality could not be changed or expanded. Likewise, historically, haircare appliances were unable to adapt to different application scenarios in a flexible and open manner. For example, in case of the integration of active elements, e.g., sensors or actuators in a part of the haircare appliance, such active elements are regularly connected in a wired manner to provide a robust and sufficient connectivity with regard to communication and energy provision. Such a wired connection however was regularly a permanent connection, so that was often impossible to adapt the haircare appliance to varying application scenarios, e.g., by exchanging parts of the haircare appliance that would be beneficially adapted to a particular styling application.

Thus, there may be a need to provide a haircare appliance that allows the flexible adaptation to a particular desired application scenario in a quick and convenient manner.

Further, there may be a need to provide a haircare appliance that integrates active elements in interchangeable accessories to provide an exceptional styling experience to a user, while maintaining the ability to easily adapt the functionality of the haircare appliance to conform with a current styling requirement.

SUMMARY

At least one such need may be met by the subject-matter of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are provided in the dependent claims and are explained in detail in the following description.

The present invention relates to haircare appliances providing added flexibility to a user while maintaining an enhanced feature set for an exceptional styling experience.

According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a haircare appliance comprising a main body comprising, a processing element, a communication element, and a blower for generating an airflow, wherein the main body comprises an attachment region adapted for connecting an accessory, the haircare appliance comprising further an accessory, comprising a sensor element adapted to determine at least one sensor reading, a processing element, and a communication element wherein the accessory is attachable to and/or detachable from the main body at the attachment region, wherein the accessory, when attached to the main body, is adapted to receive the airflow from the blower, and wherein the accessory is adapted to discharge the received airflow towards the hair of a user, wherein the main body and the accessory comprise a communication connection adapted for bidirectional communication between the main body and the accessory, in particular between the main body communication element and the accessory communication element, wherein the bidirectional communication between the main body and the accessory is a wireless communication connection, and wherein the energy for operating the sensor element is provided via the wireless communication connection and/or via a separate wireless energy transfer connection.

The present disclosure relates to haircare appliances with exchangeable accessories. For example, the haircare appliance may comprise a main body that houses such elements as a blower, a heater, control and communication functionality with the accessory as well as user controls. By using interchangeable accessories, the haircare appliance may be adapted to a plurality of application scenarios. For example, one accessory may be a nozzle element for drying hair while a further accessory may be for curling hair. It is, in particular, beneficial to integrate as many specific elements required for a particular application scenario into the accessory, so that the functionality of the main body may remain rather generic. For example, an actuator for turning for accessory in the case of a hair curler may be beneficially provided within the accessory. Here, the actuator is only powered when the specific styling scenario requires it. Contrary hereto, an actuator that is provided in the main body may potentially be activated or at least powered continuously when the main body is powered despite the fact that the actuator is not used in a specific styling scenario.

To allow simple and convenient exchange of accessories, which is regularly performed by the user of the haircare appliance when adapting the haircare appliance to a specific styling scenario, it is beneficial to provide electrical connections between the main body and the accessory in a wireless manner. This avoids the connecting and disconnecting of wires or the otherwise error-prone provision of wired connection, e.g., sliding or spring-loaded contacts, which automatically connect when a certain appliance is attached to the main body. Such electrical connections may comprise communication connection and connections for wirelessly providing energy. By using such wireless electrical connections, the connections between the accessory and the main body may be established simply by appropriately attaching the accessory to the main body.

By sharing the functionality between the accessory and the main body of the haircare appliance, a closed operational loop may be established. For example, a sensor element in the accessory may determine a parameter that influences the operation of the haircare appliance which operation in turn is reflected by appropriately controlling an element in the main body, e.g., like the blower or the heater, or in the accessory, e.g., like an actuator.

In other words, such a closed loop may provide that the main body may take decisions from the data received from the accessory, e.g., humidity, temperature or tension and decide based on that information to perform a certain mode of operation, e.g., turn on vibration, dispensing mist or serum. At a basic level of tension vs flow, for example, the quality of hairstyle may be affected negatively by the airflow or temperature maintained constant at all times. When left at full flow, for example, the jet of air may disturb hair sections already styled. Potentially, there is power wastage in case the haircare appliance is left running, in particular at full power, in between curls or hair brushing. For example, the haircare appliance may temporarily switch to a lower blower mode or switch off the heater between curls or hair brushing.

A feedback system may turn the manual operation into a seamless fully automatic styling experience, avoiding repetitive gestures, or forcing a user to press a button while in an awkward hand or neck position. Further, improved power efficiency, as power is reduced while in idle mode or between curls or hair brushing maybe provided.

In other words, it is proposed that an attachment controls the main body with a feedback loop capable to adapt depending on the attachment itself, the flow and or temperature, for example. At the same time the main body may turn on actuators in the attachment using a combination of information coming from the accessory and the main body itself, e.g., from determined hair humidity and inertial measurement unit readings to determine motion and/or orientation of the haircare appliance, relative to earth or the user. Thus, there is a benefit for the user in terms of style and control from the bidirectional control between main body and removable accessory according to the present disclosure. The bidirectional communication and control may allow for a seamless function activation, thus making the styling more natural to the user.

The attachment may comprise electronics, which may vary based on the attachment's functionality. For example, based on the attachment, the specific action of function may be different, for example turning on/off the haircare appliance, changing device settings, e.g., temperature or blower power, turning on elements or actuators in the attachment itself, e.g., motor, mist dispenser or haptic feedback element. The trigger factors may be a force detection, torsion detection, hair detection, humidity detection, moisture detection, light detection or detection of user movement from an inertial measurement unit.

The communication between the accessory and the main body may be provided in any numbers of ways, e.g., a wireless connection like RFID power harvesting and communication, and two-way wireless communication. Preferably, the main body may comprise an antenna element, like an RFID antenna that is capable to wirelessly power on and communicate with a processing unit in the attachment. The energy transmitted from the main body may be considered sufficient to power more than just a passive RFID chip in the accessory. The excess energy may, for example, be used to power further processing circuitry, like a sensor element or a processing element, which may perform additional tasks like humidity sensing, moisture sensing, hair detection, switch pressing detection, or to control functionality in the accessory, and to change the RFID code transmitted back to the main body, to which a processing element or control module in main body may react to, in particular changing a mode of operation in response to the dynamic code sent from the accessory to the main body. Such an automatic feedback may thus assist a user to obtain a desired target style while eliminating uncertainty arising from operating the haircare appliance. The present disclosure thus provides to deliver an auto-style experience, in particular with consistent quality.

The processing element/control module and the communication element may be separate elements or an integrated element. Further, a power supply element, in particular for wireless power transmission may be provided. It is conceivable that the communication element and the power supply element are separate elements or an integrated element. Still further, the processing element/control module, the communication element and the power supply element may be one integral element. Likewise, in the accessory, the sensor element, the processing element, the communication element, and a power supply element in particular for wireless power transmission, i.e., power reception, may be separate elements or integrated elements comparable to the elements in the main body. Wireless communication may in particular be non-conductive, near field, RFID or optical communication, e.g., infrared communication. Other wireless communication standards are conceivable like Bluetooth Low Energy, WIFI, RFM6X, LoRaWan or ZigBee. Also a change of or a modulated magnetic field may be used for wireless communication. Hair may also be understood as a fur of an animal.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accessory may further comprise an actuator element, wherein the actuator element is powered from the main body.

Providing an actuator element in the accessory allows to provide enhanced functionality. E.g., in case of a hair curler, it is conceivable that the actuator is a motor arranged for rotation of the accessory, in one or two directions, in particular in a direction set by a user. Accordingly, the styling experience is increased since the user need not perform a curling or rotating motion themselves. Likewise, powering and controlling the actuator in a wireless manner allows the accessory to be easily exchangeable since no wired connection needs to be disconnected and reconnected when changing the accessory. Consequently, the provision of a possible error-prone connector for providing energy and/or control functionality to the accessory may be avoided. For example, a haircare appliance may comprise an accessory with and a further accessory without an actuator. Dependent on a current styling requirement, the accessory may thus easily be exchanged so to best adapt to the styling requirement.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the energy for operating the actuator element may be provided via at least one of an electrical connection, the wireless communication connection, the separate wireless energy transfer connection and a separate second wireless energy transfer connection.

The communication connection and the wireless energy transfer connection may be integrated as a single communication and energy feed transfer connection or may be embodied as separate physical or logical connections. For example, in a case where an accessory has both an actuator and an active sensor element, one or two communication connections may connect to the actuator, the active sensor element or both while one or two energy transfer connections may provide energy for the operation of the actuator and the active operation of the active sensor element. Preferably, only a single communication and energy transfer connection is present between the main body and the accessory of the haircare appliance and adequate control functionality is integrated into the communication connection to control operation of the actuator and the active sensor element.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the actuator element may be an element out of the group consisting of motion actuator, vibration actuator, moisture dispensing actuator, fluid dispensing actuator, irradiation element and emitter element.

A motion actuator, for example a motor, may provide a rotating motion, e.g., rotating the accessory in the case of a hair curler or a further motion beneficial to the styling experience. A vibration actuator in turn may provide a comparably minuscule motion, e.g., for massage applications of the scalp. The actuator may be a dispensing actuator, e.g., for dispensing moisture or fluid, e.g., like a pump or a piezoelectric mist generator. In the case of a dispensing actuator, it may be conceivable that the accessory comprises a reservoir for receiving the substance to be dispensed. It is thus conceivable that fluid or moisture is provided to the hair or scalp during the styling procedure to provide a beneficial effect. An irradiation element or emitter element may provide a particular radiation like light, UV or IR light to the hair or scalp, in particular in a treatment region or an application region. By providing such irradiation, e.g., the production of hair may be stimulated, or an area of the hair may be sterilised.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the wireless communication connection and/or the separate wireless energy transfer connections may be operating in the near field, in particular according to the RFID standard.

Due to the direct connection of the accessory and the main body of the haircare appliance, a sender and receiver for transmitting wireless communication signals and/or energy, e.g., two antennas, may be arranged in close proximity to one another so that only a relatively small distance between the two antennas needs to be covered by the wireless transmission. In such an application scenario, a near field communication connection, in particular having a comparably low transmission energy, may be sufficient for transmitting information and energy. An active implementation of the otherwise passive RFID standard may be conceivable in that a processing element is integrated into the accessory, which in turn is powered by the wireless connection. Thus, the wireless connection and in particular the near field communication may provide a communication connection between the main body and the processing element while at the same time providing the energy wirelessly to the processing element for operating the same.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation of the haircare appliance may be adaptable dependent on the sensor reading acquired by the sensor element.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation of the accessory and/or the actuator element may be adaptable dependent on the sensor reading acquired by the sensor element.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the sensor element may be adapted to acquire a sensor reading out of the group consisting of hair presence, hair moisture, hair colour, hair melanin content, hair distance, airflow, airflow temperature, sound pressure level, human perceived loudness of haircare appliance, perceived loudness of actuator element, torsion, force, light, tension, actuator element dependent sensor reading, magnetic field, infrared light and inertial measurement sensor information.

By acquiring an according sensor reading, it may be conceivable to adapt the operation of the haircare appliance and in particular the operation of the accessory dependent on the sensor reading. For example, in the case of a hair moisture determination, it is conceivable to reduce the temperature and/or the blower operation for a drying procedure when it is determined that the current moisture content of hair in a treatment region is below a specified moisture content. Reducing a heater operation and/or a blower operation may result in a superior styling experience since already styled hair may be negatively affected and, in particular, may avoid damage to the hair to be styled by avoiding over drying of the hair. In other words, the blower and heater may be activated or deactivated dependent on the sensor signal.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the powering of the blower, the powering of a heater associated with the blower and/or the powering of the accessory may be dependent on a hair presence detection.

In other words, in a case where it is detected that hair is removed from a treatment region, the haircare appliance may control elements appropriately. For example, in a case where no hair is in the vicinity and thus able to be styled by the haircare appliance, a powering of the blower, a powering of the heater, or of an accessory may result in a waste of energy. Further, it may enhance the styling experience of a user in case the haircare appliance reacts to the presence or absence of the hair by automatically activating or deactivating the certain functionality. For example, in a case where the haircare appliance is removed from the hair, so that the hair is not in a suitable distance any more to be affected by the styling procedure, the haircare appliance may in turn switch off the blower, switch off the heater and/or switch off an actuator in the accessory, e.g., switch off a rotating motion of the accessory. At the same time, once the haircare appliance detects the presence of hair, the functionality may be reactivated. The operation of the haircare appliance may thus be controlled simply by moving the haircare appliance towards and/or away from the hair to be styled without the need for the user to activate or deactivate certain functions, e.g., by pressing or depressing buttons or toggling switches.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication connection between the main body and the accessory may comprise at least one of an encrypted communication connection and an authenticated communication connection.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation of the haircare appliance, the operation of the accessory and/or the operation of the actuator element may be dependent on an encrypted and/or authenticated communication connection between the main body and the accessory.

By providing an encrypted and or an authenticated communication connection, it may be assured that only genuine accessories may be used with a main body of a certain haircare appliance. Thus, it may be avoided that third parties provide accessories mechanically compatible with a main body of a haircare appliance but not authorised by the OEM. Using unauthorised accessories could result in injury of a user, e.g., damage to the hair during the styling experience and thus may pose liability issues. Providing the encrypted and/or authenticated communication connection may prohibit a user from using third-party accessories, as without appropriate knowledge on the encryption and authentication, and accessory would not be operable. Likewise, it is conceivable that in case a non-encrypted or non-authenticated communication between a haircare appliance and an accessory is detected, the control elements arranged in the main body of the haircare appliance may be permanently or temporarily be deactivated so to prohibit the use of the haircare appliance with an otherwise unauthorised accessory.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the accessory may be interchangeable, and the operation of the haircare appliance, the operation of the accessory and/or the operation of the actuator element may be dependent on a dedicated accessory.

For example, in a case where the accessory is a hair curler, it is conceivable that a maximum power of the blower and/or the heater may be limited to accommodate the recommended styling procedure. In a case where the accessory is a general nozzle for a blowing operation, it is conceivable that the maximum power of the blower and/or the heater may not be limited. Likewise, the sensor element may influence the mode of operation of the haircare appliance in general. For example, in a case where the sensor element is a sensor element for moisture detection, the haircare appliance may be switched off or may be put in a reduced mode of operation when a defined moisture content is achieved, or in other words, when the hair has been dried to a desired dryness. In case the sensor element is a distance sensor element, the presence or absence of hair may influence the activation or deactivation of the haircare appliance.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the accessory may comprise a plurality of sensor elements, in particular at least two or three sensor elements of different type.

A particular beneficial styling experience may be provided in a case where the haircare appliance, and in particular the accessory comprises a plurality of different sensor elements. For example, by combining a sensor element for moisture detection, a sensor element for hair presence detection and/or a sensor element for determining hair temperature, the operation of the haircare appliance may be automated. In other words, the haircare appliance may be activated once a hair to be treated is detected in the vicinity of the haircare appliance that has a moisture content over a defined threshold. The haircare appliance may then operate at a defined blowing rate with a defined temperature until the temperature sensor determines that the local temperature of the hair to be treated exceeds a certain temperature threshold. In reaction, the heater may be deactivated, or the heating reduced and/or the operation of the blower may be increased, e.g., to spread the heat more evenly. The operation may ultimately terminate when it is detected that the moisture content of the hair is approaching a defined moisture threshold.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the haircare appliance may be a hand-held haircare appliance, in particular a self-contained haircare appliance, further in particular to be operated by the user holding the haircare appliance.

By providing a hand-held haircare appliance, the user is provided with a device for easily and conveniently styling one's hair.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A to 1C show exemplary embodiments of a haircare appliance according to the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show schematic diagrams of haircare appliances according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a sensor element according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A to 4C show schematic diagrams of a haircare appliance according to the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show cross-sectional views of exemplary embodiments of haircare appliances according to the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6A to 6M show cross-sectional views of exemplary embodiments of haircare appliances according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows cross-sectional views of an exemplary embodiment of a haircare appliance according to the present disclosure.

FIGS. 8A to 8D show views of exemplary embodiments of haircare appliances according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Now referring to FIG. 1A to 1C, which show exemplary embodiments of a haircare appliance according to the present disclosure.

Haircare appliance 100 in FIG. 1A to 1C is exemplarily a hair curler, comprising a main body 102 and an accessory 104. Haircare appliance 100 is a cord powered appliance with power cord 108 connecting to a wall outlet. The haircare appliance 100 comprises a user interface 106 or knobs/switches for controlling the operation of the haircare appliance 100. For example, a switch may generally activate or deactivate operation of the haircare appliance 100, while further knobs may set a turning direction and/or selectively activate/deactivate a motor, a blower and/or heater.

In FIG. 1A, the main body 102 and the accessory 104 are depicted in a non-attached manner. In other words, the accessory 104 is not yet physically connected to the main body 102. Such a physical connection however may be required for operation of the haircare appliance 100 with the specific accessory 104. The accessory 104 comprises a sensor element 202, that is arranged centrally at the outer circumferential surface of accessory 104. The sensor element 202 may be any type of sensor element described herein, e.g., may be a sensor element for determining a hair moisture content, a hair colour, a temperature of the hair and/or may generally detect presence or absence of hair. Sensor element 202, or the accessory 104 in general, is wirelessly connected to the main body 102 by a wireless connection 116. The wireless connection 116 may in particular be a near field connection, as the distance between the main body 102 and the sensor element 202 and accessory 104 may in particular be comparably small, so that a near field communication technology, e.g., RFID technology, may suffice.

The wireless connection 116 may be a communication connection, a wireless energy provision connection or both. For example, wireless connection 116 may establish a communicative link between sensor element 202 and a processing element or control module in the main body 102. In other words, measurement data from sensor element 202 may be transmitted to a control module arranged within main body 102 using wireless connection 116. The control module in turn may communicate with sensor element 202 by sending instructions for acquiring sensor data, e.g., sending instructions when to acquire a sensor reading, via wireless connection 116 as well.

In addition to the wireless communication via wireless connection 116, energy may likewise be provided from the main body 102 to the accessory 104 by wireless connection 116. For example, in a case where sensor element 202 is an active sensor element requiring energy to provide its sensing functionality, the required energy may be transmitted through wireless connection 116 from the main body 102 to accessory 104. In this scenario, a single wireless connection 116 is sufficient for providing both a communication connection between the main body 102 and the accessory 104, in particular the sensor element 202, and for providing energy to sensor element 202.

The embodiment of FIG. 1B largely corresponds to the embodiment of FIG. 1A, however instead of having a sensor element 202, the accessory 104 comprises an actuator 118. In FIG. 1B, the actuator is exemplarily a motor element arranged for providing a rotation functionality of the accessory 104. In other words, actuator 118 may be powered so that the accessory is rotating about the longitudinal axis, as indicated by the plurality of circular arrows around tip 602.

Wireless connection 116 may primarily provide energy from the main body 102 to the accessory 104 and in particular to the actuator 118, for powering the actuator so that it is able to perform the rotating motion. The wireless connection 116 may also comprise control signals for actuator 118, to control the operation of actuator 118. A simple control of operation may be the switching on and off of the energy provided via wireless connection 116, whereas a more sophisticated control of the actuator and may comprise the setting of a defined mode of operation, e.g., setting a defined rotational speed. The actuator 118 in turn may act as a sensor element and may convey information from the accessory 104 back to the main body 102. For example, in a case where the actuator performs a rotational motion, the actuator 118 may detect an increase in power consumption, which may be due to an increase in necessary torque to provide a rotation with a defined rotation frequency, and may communicate said increase to the main body 102. A control module in the main body may subsequently increase the energy provided via wireless connection 116 to accommodate the increase in power consumption or alternatively may stop the energy provision, as such an increase in power consumption may be indicative of a blockage of the accessory, e.g., by entangled hair around the accessory.

Other types of actuators are conceivable. For example, an actuator may be provided, which selectively opens and closes openings or vents on the surface of the accessory, thereby dynamically directing the airflow to select parts of the hair to be treated.

In FIG. 1C, the accessory 104 and the main body 102 are now shown in a mechanically connected state. The haircare appliance 100 of FIG. 1C comprises a sensor element in its interior, in particular in the main body 102, which is however not depicted in FIG. 1C. In order to obtain a measurement from hair arranged adjacent to the accessory 104 when using the haircare appliance 100, the accessory 104 has an opening 112 so that a measurement signal may be propagated to the sensor element by using the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110, exemplarily a light in FIG. 1C. This in other words, when hair is arranged around the circumference of the accessory 104, a sensor reading may be taken through a window 112. In order to obtain a sensor reading, the sensor element itself may emit at least one signal, e.g., radiation having a specific wavelength. Said signal or signals may then be propagated through the element for obtaining the sensor reading 110 to the hair, in particular be emitted onto the hair through opening 112. The signal or signals may then interact with the hair and in turn provide reactive signals, which are then propagated back through the element for obtaining the sensor reading 110.

The sensor element itself may be a passive sensor element, merely receiving an externally generated sensor signal, or may be an active sensor element, itself emitting a sensor signal which in turn is reflected by the hair arranged at the accessory 104. Depending on the measurements, and operation of the haircare appliance 100 may be automatically set, irrespective of a user input via the user interface 106.

It is of course conceivable that the embodiments of FIGS. 1A to 1C may be combined in a single haircare appliance, in particular resulting in a combination of the embodiment of FIG. 1B with one of the embodiments of FIGS. 1A and 1C.

Now referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, which show schematic diagrams of haircare appliances according to the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A, B schematically show how the sensor element 202 is operating internally of the haircare appliance 100. Sensor element 202 is exemplarily arranged in the main body 102 of the haircare appliance 100, and itself comprises an emitter 204 and a receiver 206. The emitter 204 may e.g., be a light emitting diode, emitting electromagnetic radiation having a visible, an infrared or ultraviolet wavelength. Arranged adjacent to the emitter 204 and the receiver 206 is optical element 114, e.g., a lens for focusing the emitted sensor signal and introducing the sensor signal into the element for obtaining a sensor reading/light pipe 110. The emitted signal is thus propagated through light pipe 110 and is emitted through opening 112 possibly also comprising an optical element 114, e.g., a lens, onto an object 208 or hair.

The emitted signal in turn is reflected back from the hair 208 and is propagated back through light pipe 110 towards the receiver 206. Receiver 206 receives the reflected signal and in turn is adapted to analyse the signal in order to generate a measurement signal, which e.g., may be used to determine the moisture content of the object 208 in the vicinity of opening 112. Light pipe 110 consists of three parts, wherein a first part is arranged in the main body 102, while a second part is arranged in attachment 104. Optionally, the haircare appliance 100 may comprise a further intermediate accessory or attachment element 104a, situated between the main body 102 and the accessory 104. In the embodiment of FIG. 2A, the signal emitted from emitter 204 thus shares the same light pipe 110 with the reflected signal propagating towards the receiver 206.

An alternative solution is shown in FIG. 2B, where the main difference is that the emitter 204 and the receiver 206 each have a dedicated, separate light pipe 110, one light pipe 110 for propagating the signal towards the hair 208, while a different light pipe 110 is propagating the signal reflected from the hair 208 back to the receiver 206. In this scenario, it may be conceivable to omit the optical element 114 in the main body 102, and directly couple the emitted signal into or out of the light pipe to and from the respective emitter 204 and receiver 206 elements.

Now referring to FIG. 3, which shows an exemplary embodiment of a sensor element according to the present disclosure.

In FIG. 3, the sensor element 202 comprises an emitter 204 emitting a sensor signal 302 towards object 208. The emitting and receiving of sensor signals in FIG. 3 are only depicted schematically, in particular depicted without any element for obtaining a sensor reading 110/light pipe. The receiver 206 may comprise two separate sensor sections, so as to obtain two separate received sensor signals 304. The received sensor signals 304 may e.g., be electromagnetic radiation having a different spectral composition or may be signals with different wavelengths. For example, the emitter 204 is capable of emitting signals having a defined wavelength, or a filter may be employed, not depicted in FIG. 3, in order to generate emitted signals having different spectral compositions or wavelengths. A boundary is arranged between the emitter 204 and the receiver 206 to avoid the direct travel of sensor signals from the emitted 204 to the receiver 206, thereby avoiding a possible negative impact on the measurement quality.

Now referring to FIGS. 4A to 4C, which show schematic diagrams of a haircare appliance according to the present disclosure.

The schematic diagrams of FIGS. 4A to 4C essentially correspond to the embodiments described with regard to FIGS. 1A to 1C.

In FIG. 4A, haircare appliance 100 comprises a main body 102 attached to an accessory 104. The haircare appliance comprises a control module 402 for controlling the operation of the haircare appliance by e.g., activating and deactivating the heater 404, blower 406 and signalling to a user by indicator 408. User controls or user interface 106 is in communicative connection with control module 402, so that a user may set a desired mode of operation.

Connected to the control module 402 is a communication element/power supply element 410. The communication element/power supply element 410 may comprise either a communication capability or a power provision capability or both. The communication capability may in particular be a bidirectional communication capability so that the control module 402 in main body 102 may send information, data and/or commands to accessory 104 and in turn may receive information, data and/or commands from accessory 104. An antenna 110a is connected to the communication element/power supply element 410 for emitting and receiving electromagnetic radiation, in order to establish a wireless connection 116 with accessory 104. Antenna 110a may also be adapted for transmission of wireless energy from the main body 102 to the accessory 104.

In accessory 104, a further antenna 110b is provided for receiving information, data, commands and/or wireless energy. Antenna 110b is associated with a sensor element 202, so that control module 402 is able to communicate with sensor element 202, and sensor element 202 in turn may communicate, e.g., transmit measurement data, to control module 402 and thus to the main body 102. Accessory 104 may itself comprise a communication element/power supply element, which is not separately depicted, or alternatively, the sensor element comprises comparable functionality to directly access and operate antenna 110b.

Control module 402 may thus provide instructions and energy to sensor element 202 via wireless connection 116 to enable the sensor element 202 to perform acquisition of measurements and forwarding the same to the control module 402, again via wireless connection 116.

The embodiment of FIG. 4B largely corresponds to the embodiment of FIG. 4A, however instead of having a sensor element 202, the accessory 104 comprises an actuator 118. The general mode of operation however remains comparable to FIG. 4A.

Control module 402 provides a communication connection as well as energy required for the operation of actuator 118 via wireless connection 116. Actuator 118 may receive the energy transmitted through wireless connection 116 in order to provide its actuating function to accessory 104. Control module 402 may further provide operating instructions to the actuator 118 through wireless connection 116. Actuator 118 in turn may provide status information and/or information about a normal or abnormal operating behaviour to control module 402. The accessory again may itself comprise a communication element/power supply element connected to antenna 110b, not depicted in FIG. 4B, to establish communication with the control module 402 through wireless connection 116.

Haircare appliance 100 in FIG. 4C comprises again a main body 102 attached to an accessory 104. The haircare appliance comprises a control module 402 for controlling the operation of the haircare appliance by e.g., activating and deactivating the heater 404, blower 406 and signalling to a user by indicator 408. User controls or user interface 106 is in communicative connection with control module 402, so that a user may set a desired mode of operation. Attached to the control module 402 is sensor element 202, which in turn is connected to a light pipe 110a. A sensor signal emitted from sensor element 202 propagates through light pipe 110a and into an adjacent light pipe 110b arranged in the accessory 104. The signal is emitted through opening 112 onto an object 208, not depicted in FIG. 4C. A sensor reading, e.g., a reflected signal, reflected off object 208 is entering through opening 112 and again propagating through light pipe 110b and 110a towards sensor element 202, which receives the sensor signal by receiver 206, not specifically depicted in FIG. 4C and communicates the sensor reading to the control module 402. Control module 402 may analyse the sensor readings and may adapt the mode of operation of the haircare appliance in reaction to the received sensor signal.

Now referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, which show cross-sectional views of exemplary embodiments of haircare appliances according to the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show similar haircare appliances 100 as was depicted with regards to FIG. 1. Both haircare appliances 100 comprise a main body 102 and an accessory 104. A sensor element 202 is arranged in the interior of the main body 102. In FIG. 5A, the sensor element 202 is arranged close to the boundary of the main body 102 and the accessory 104, whereas in FIG. 5B, the sensor element 202 is arranged at a distance from the boundary of the main body 102 and the accessory 104, positioned further distal from the boundary. An element for obtaining a sensor reading 110, e.g., a light pipe or light propagating element is provided for connecting the sensor element 202 with the opening 112 in order to obtain a sensor reading from an acquisition region. The acquisition region essentially corresponds with the area or region in close proximity to the opening 112, where a sensor signal originating from the sensor element 202, propagated through the element for obtaining a sensor reading a 110 is exiting from opening 112 onto an object 208. The measurement signal is again acquired through the opening 112 for being propagated back to the sensor element 202 to obtain the sensor reading.

The element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 is embodied differently in the embodiment of FIGS. 5A and 5B. In FIG. 5A, the sensor element 202 is arranged close to the boundary or intersection of the main body 102 and the accessory 104. Here, by attaching the accessory 104, the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 is brought in close proximity to the sensor element 202, so that signals originating from and measurement signals returning to sensor element 202 are introduced into the element for obtaining a sensor reading simply by placing the sensor element 202 close to the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110. The element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 is substantially completely arranged in accessory 104 in the embodiment of FIG. 5A, with no separate parts being arranged in the main body 102. The element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 is embodied as a light pipe that has at its ends in the area of the opening 112 an integrated 45° cut for redirecting propagated light in a 90° angle to the outside of accessory 104. The element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 in FIG. 5A is thus substantially a one-piece element.

The element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 in FIG. 5B comprises two sections, one section that is arranged between the sensor element 202 and the boundary of main body and accessory in the interior of the main body 102. A further element for obtaining a sensor reading 110, a second part of the light pipe, is arranged in the interior of the accessory between the boundary of main body and accessory and continues to the opening 112. The first part of the light pipe and the second part of the light pipe align so to be in optical communication when the accessory is attached to the main body. In the embodiment of FIG. 5B, the object for obtaining a sensor reading 110 essentially terminates in the interior of the accessory 104 in close proximity to the opening 112, however without being redirected as in the embodiment of FIG. 5A. Rather, a separate optical element 114, e.g., a mirror, is arranged in the vicinity of the end portion of the object for obtaining a sensor reading 110 terminating in the interior of the accessory 104 for redirecting the light propagating through the object for obtaining a sensor reading 110 towards and through the opening 112 into the acquisition region at the exterior of the accessory 104.

The embodiments of FIGS. 5A and 5B obviously can be selectively combined, e.g., it is conceivable to have an integrated 45° cut in the object for obtaining a sensor reading 110 while at the same time the sensor element 202 is spaced distal from the boundary of the main body at the accessory. Preferably, generally speaking, the main body 102 and the accessory 104 may comprise a connection mechanism so that the main body and the accessory can be connected in a reliable and repeatable manner while at the same time assuring proper alignment of elements arranged in the interior of the main body with elements arranged in the accessory. In other words, the connection mechanism may assure that a sensor element 202 in the main body 102 is arranged relative to an element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 in the accessory 104 in a reliable and repeatable manner away connecting an accessory to the main body.

Now referring to FIGS. 6A to 6M, which show cross-sectional views of exemplary embodiments of haircare appliances according to the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6A to 6G show exemplary embodiments where the sensor element is not arranged within the accessory, whereas FIGS. 6H to 6M show embodiments where the sensor element itself is arranged within or in the general region of the accessory.

The embodiment of FIG. 6A is comparable to the embodiments of FIG. 5A, 5B in that an element for obtaining a sensor reading 110, e.g., a light pipe is arranged in the interior of the accessory.

The embodiments of FIGS. 6B and 6C also comprise an element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 in the interior of the accessory, however the sensor element 202 is not arranged within the main body of the haircare appliance but in a tip 602 of the accessory. The tip 602 may be part of the accessory as depicted in FIG. 6B or may itself be removable, i.e., detachable, as is the case in the embodiment of FIG. 6C. The element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 itself may be flexible so that the tip 602 of the accessory can be detached from the accessory and exchanged with a different type of sensor element. In the case of FIG. 6C, a connection mechanism may be provided for connecting the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 and the sensor element 202, e.g., for removably connecting the sensor element 202 in the tip 602, when connecting a specific tip to the accessory. In other words, by changing the tip 602 and thus the sensor element 202 contained in the tip 602, different types of measurement may be performed. The replacing of the sensor element 202 with tip 602 also allows the exchange of the sensor element in case of a defect without the need to replace the complete accessory. Still further, this allows the exchange of accessories while keeping the sensor element 202 in tip 602, thereby reducing the cost by providing a shared tip 602, as long as tip 602 is attachable to a plurality of different accessories.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6D, the accessory comprises an outer accessory part 604, consisting exemplarily of an inner and an outer shell. Openings 112 to allow the propagation of the sensor signal are provided in the outer accessory part so to allow extending the acquisition region to the outside of the opening 112 on the outer accessory part 604.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6E, the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 is a glass fibre, thereby reducing the space required in the interior of the accessory.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6F, the sensor element 202 is still arranged at the main body 102, however situated on the exterior of the main body 102 in an elevated manner, thereby overlooking the acquisition region. The sensor element 202 may thus obtain a sensor reading from the acquisition region without the requirement for a specific internal element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 or light pipe.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6G, the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 is not a dedicated one-piece element but rather consists of a transmission path comprising a plurality of optical elements. Exemplarily, the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 comprises four lenses 114a for focusing light along the intended travel path between the sensor element 202 and the acquisition region. The sensor signal thus propagates essentially in free air in the interior of the accessory. A further optical element embodied as a mirror element 114b and having a 45° alignment relative to the path of travel of the sensor signal is used to redirect the sensor signal and the measurement signal between the interior of the accessory and the acquisition region.

In the following embodiments 6H to 6M, the connection between the sensor element 102 and the control module 402, for providing energy and communication capability, is generally depicted as a wireless connection 116 which may be a wireless connection for communication and/or energy provision.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6H, the sensor element 202 is integrated into the accessory essentially in the acquisition region. Thereby, it is conceivable that a separate element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 may be simplified, i.e., significantly reduced in size, or may be omitted altogether. In a case where the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 is simplified, it is conceivable that the element essentially corresponds to a protective cover of the sensor element 202. In other words, it is conceivable that the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 and the sensor element 202 form an integral, one-piece part.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6I, the sensor element 202 is arranged in the interior of the accessory adjacent to the opening 112, however situated on a holder 606, e.g., an arm extending from the main body 102 into the interior of the accessory 104. In this embodiment, the change of accessories is still easily possible since the sensor element 202 is not attached to the accessory.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6J, the sensor element 202 is integrated into the exterior wall of the accessory but is removable from the accessory. In other words, the sensor element 202 and the accessory are independent from one another so that the sensor element 202 may be removed from the accessory, the accessory may be exchanged with a different type of accessory and the sensor element 202 may be reattached to the newly attached accessory for continued use.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6K, which corresponds in outer structure to the embodiment of FIG. 6D, the sensor element 202 again is integrated into the accessory as depicted in the embodiment of FIG. 6H.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6L, the sensor element 202 again is attached to the outside of the main body, again using a holder 606. The holder 606 is attached to the outside of the main body so that it can be rotated around an axis or rotation point at the exterior of the main body. Here, the sensor element may be rotated away (to the left in FIG. 6L) from the acquisition region in order to exchange the accessory or to place hair to be dried appropriately around the exterior of the accessory and subsequently rotate the sensor element 202 by using the holder 606 into place (to the right in FIG. 6L) for taking measurements.

The embodiment of FIG. 6M substantially corresponds to the embodiment of FIG. 6I in that the sensor element 202 is attached to the main body by using a holder 606. In the embodiment of FIG. 6M however, the holder is arranged at the exterior of the accessory. Like in the embodiment of FIG. 6I, the accessory in embodiment of FIG. 6M may be changed while maintaining the sensor element 202 attached to the holder 606.

Now referring to FIG. 7, which shows cross-sectional views of an exemplary embodiment of a haircare appliance according to the present disclosure.

The haircare appliance 100 in FIG. 7 is a hair blower, comprising of a main body 102 containing a blower, a heater, and control electronics like a control module. Three different accessories 104a-c are depicted, which can alternatively be attached to the main body 102. The main body 102 comprises a sensor element 202, which is arranged closer to an opening or window 702 at the boundary between the main body and the accessory. The opening or window 702 may be open, may have a transparent cover or may itself be embodied as an element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 or light pipe. Each of the attachments 104a-c comprises an integrated element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 or light pipe, which is aligned with the sensor element 202 when the respective attachment is attached to the main body 102. That way, a sensor signal originating from the sensor element 202 can be transported through the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 to the acquisition region and a measurement signal in turn can be transported back through the element 110 to the sensor 202.

The specific embodiment of the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 is dependent on the shape and application of the accessory. For example, the left accessory 104a comprises a light pipe 110 that comprises two right angles so that the acquisition region is arranged centrally with regard to the accessory 104a while the sensor element 202 itself is arranged off centre, e.g., at the outer circumference of the main body. One 90° bend is embodied by using an optical element 114b or mirror, while the other 90° bend is embodied as a 45° cut in the material of the light pipe 110. In other words, the redirecting of the sensor signals corresponds to the two embodiments described with regards to FIGS. 5A and 5B in the area of the opening adjacent to the acquisition region. A further optical element 114a or lens is provided with the accessory 104a, e.g., for focusing the sensor signal onto the acquisition region.

The middle accessory 104b essentially comprises an element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 embodied as a straight element without any bends, connecting the sensor element 202 with an opening 112 in the accessory 104b, to connect the sensor element with the acquisition region. The acquisition region may be a spread-out region, exemplified by the light triangle, so that a dedicated optical element like a lens may not be required with the accessory 104b.

The right accessory 104c only comprises a single optical element 114 a, a lens, arranged adjacent to the sensor element 202 when accessory 104c is attached to the main body. Due to the close proximity of the sensor element 202 and the optical element 114a, no dedicated element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 may be necessary. Alternatively, or additionally, the window 702 may itself be embodied as an element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 or light pipe, thereby bridging a gap between sensor element 202 and lens 114a.

Now referring to FIGS. 8A to 8D, which show views of exemplary embodiments of haircare appliances according to the present disclosure.

The haircare appliance 100 of FIGS. 8A to 8D is essentially comparable to the haircare appliance as depicted with regard to FIG. 7, while the accessory depicted in FIGS. 8A to 8D is essentially comparable to the accessory 104a of FIG. 7.

In FIG. 8A, the haircare appliance 100 of FIG. 7 is depicted with accessory 104a. Sensor element 202 is arranged at the outer peripheral edge of the main body 102, continuing with an element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 along the outer edge of accessory 104, until arriving at the opening 112 adjacent to the acquisition region. The sensor element 202 may thus provide a sensor signal that is propagated through the light pipe 110 onto the acquisition region where a measurement signal is taken and propagated back through the light pipe 110 to the sensor element 202.

In FIG. 8B, the main body 102 comprises a sensor element 202 arranged centrally at the top side of the haircare appliance 100. A first element for obtaining a sensor reading or light pipe 110 is provided at the main body 102, running from the sensor element 202 to accessory 104, where it continues with a further element for obtaining a sensor reading 110/light pipe running along the outer surface of the accessory 104. A first opening 112 of the element for obtaining a sensor reading 110 is depicted at the top side of the accessory 104 to release the sensor signal onto the acquisition region and for obtaining the measurement signal and propagating back to the sensor 202. A second opening 112 is depicted at the bottom side of the accessory connected to a second element for obtaining a sensor reading/light pipe 110 that this running along the bottom side of the accessory. It is conceivable that the bottom light pipe is connected to a separate sensor element not depicted in FIG. 8B or may connect to the same sensor element 202 shown, by an appropriate element for obtaining a sensor reading or light pipe 110 arranged in the interior of the haircare appliance 100. In case of a separate sensor element, it is conceivable that a different measurement value is taken by the bottom light pipe compared to the top light pipe, or in other words that the second sensor element is measuring a different property than the sensor element 202 shown in FIG. 8B. In case both openings are attached to the same sensor element 202 or to two similar sensor elements 202, the acquisition region may be increased.

In FIG. 8C, a single sensor element 202 is connected to exemplary three elements for obtaining a sensor reading 110, which run along the top side of the accessory and angled relative to one another, thereby potentially increasing the total acquisition region. It is conceivable that the sensor element acquires measurement information from the respective individual acquisition regions substantially concurrently or in a defined consecutive succession, i.e., one after the other.

Contrary hereto, in FIG. 8D, a plurality of three sensor elements 202 are connected to a single acquisition region by individual light pipes 110. It is thus conceivable that the individual sensor elements 202 are arranged to measure a different physical property of the same acquisition region. For example, each of the three sensor elements 202 may detect light in a defined wavelength separate to the respective other sensor elements so that substantially simultaneously three different measurement signals can be acquired, each relating to their respective wavelength or frequency band. Alternatively, some or all of the sensor elements 202 may be identical sensor elements and the sensing quality may be increased by using a plurality of identical sensor elements in parallel.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and improvements may be made without deviating from the concepts described here. Any of the features described above and below may be used separately or in combination with any other features described herein, provided they are not mutually exclusive, and the disclosure extends to and includes all combinations and sub-combinations of one or more features described herein.

Finally, it should be noted that the term “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and that “a” or “one” does not exclude the plural. Elements that are described in relation to different types of embodiments can be combined. Reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of a claim.

HAIRCARE APPLIANCE

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