ROTARY BLOWER BRUSH WITH IMPROVED ERGONOMICS

Abstract

A hairstyling device of the rotary blower brush type may include a handle having two zones of different diameters D1 and D2. The first diameter is greater than the second (i.e., D1>D2), such that the greater diameter can accommodate a compressor. The compressor facilitates a substantially constant air flow. The smaller diameter zone corresponds to a gripping zone that facilitates more ergonomic handling compared to known devices.

Claims

1. A rotary blower brush of length L comprising: a handle, a heater, a first motor for driving a compressor, and a second motor for driving a cylindrical brush in rotation, the first motor, the heater, and the compressor being positioned in the handle, and the second motor for driving the cylindrical brush being located outside the handle in a support rod; wherein the handle comprises two separate zones of different diameters D1 and D2, the first diameter D1 being greater than the second diameter D2, the zone of diameter D1 accommodating the compressor and the zone of diameter D2 corresponding to a gripping zone of the rotary blower brush.

2. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein the diameter D2 is 10% smaller than the diameter D1.

3. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein the diameter D2 of the gripping zone represents less than 15% of the total of length L.

4. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein the compressor maintains a substantially constant flow rate between 300 and 1000 l/min.

5. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein a ratio between a power of the heater in watts and an air flow rate of the compressor in l/min is between 1 and 2.5.

6. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein a transition zone between the diameter D1 and the diameter D2 on the handle comprises straightening fins for an air flow coming from the compressor.

7. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein the two motors are brushless motors.

8. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein D1 is between 45 and 60 mm.

9. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein the diameter D2 is between 35 and 45 mm.

10. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein L is between 300 and 400 mm.

11. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein the handle comprises a temperature sensor disposed at an outlet of the handle and controlled by a heating power of the heater, allowing the rotary blower brush to avoid overheating.

12. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical brush comprises air outlet openings arranged at least partially in concentric rings, a diameter of the rings decreasing progressively as one moves away from the handle.

13. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein the handle comprises an ion generator located in the extension of the motor of the compressor.

14. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein the support rod of the motor comprises a polygonal coupling element cooperating with the cylindrical brush of the rotary blower brush.

15. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical brush of the rotary blower brush comprises a metal covered with a ceramic layer.

16. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein a temperature sensor is disposed on the support rod so as to allow an air flow of the compressor and a heating power of the rotary blower brush to be adjusted based on a sensed temperature.

17. The rotary blower brush according to claim 1, wherein the rotary blower brush comprises a system for detecting a type of the cylindrical brush, allowing an air flow of the compressor, a heating power of the rotary blower brush, and a rotation speed of the motor to be adjusted based on the type.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1 shows the stream of the air flow around a typical rotary brush of the state of the art. The outgoing air flow is poorly distributed around the brush and chooses the exit path of least resistance.

[0028] FIG. 2 shows the stream of the air flow around a rotary brush according to the invention having openings arranged in concentric rings, the diameter of which decreases when one moves away from the handle. The air flow is thus uniformly distributed around the brush.

[0029] FIG. 3 shows a 3D figure of the rotary blower brush according to the invention with its two different handle diameters.

[0030] FIG. 4 shows the arrangement of the compressor in the widest part of the handle having a diameter D1 and the air flow straightening fins in the transition zone between diameters D1 and D2 of the handle.

[0031] FIG. 5 shows the skeleton of the device according to the invention with the inner elements but without the cylindrical brush. This illustration makes it possible to show the support rod which comes out of the handle while supporting the second motor and which makes it possible, via a polygonal coupling element, to drive the cylindrical brush in rotation.

[0032] FIG. 6 is another illustration of the device according to the invention seen from the outside.

[0033] FIG. 7 shows a detailed view of the arrangement of the compressor in the wide part D1 of the handle.

[0034] FIG. 8 shows a front view of the device according to the invention.

[0035] FIG. 9 shows a rear view of the device according to the invention

[0036] FIG. 10 shows a detailed view of a cylindrical brush having bristle tufts, that may be attached on the device according to the invention. The air outlet openings are arranged at least partially in concentric rings, the diameter of which decreases as one moves away from the handle.

[0037] FIG. 11 shows a detailed view of another cylindrical brush having bristle tufts, that may be attached on the device according to the invention.

[0038] FIG. 12 shows an exploded view of the device according to the invention.

[0039] FIG. 13 shows the opening mechanism for cleaning the suction grids and the filter.

[0040] FIG. 14 shows the assembly mechanism of the upper half-shell allowing the switch to be balanced, giving the rotation direction of the accessory.

[0041] FIG. 15 shows a first winding variant of the wire for the heating resistance.

[0042] FIG. 16 shows a second winding variant of the wire for the heating resistance.

[0043] FIG. 17 shows a 3D view of the support rod of the second motor.

[0044] FIG. 18 shows an exploded view of the support rod of the second motor.

NUMERICAL REFERENCES OF THE FIGURES

[0045] 1: Rotary blower brush [0046] 2: Handle having two different diameters [0047] 3: Heater [0048] 4: First motor located in the handle [0049] 5: Compressor allowing a substantially constant air flow [0050] 6: Second motor located outside the handle in the recess of the support rod [0051] 7: Ergonomic gripping zone of the handle [0052] 8: Fixed (non-removable) support rod of the motor [0053] 9: Air discharge openings arranged in concentric rings [0054] 10: Male polygonal coupling cooperating with a female element on the cylindrical brush [0055] 11: Slightly protruding mechanism for locking the cylindrical brush [0056] 12: Heating element [0057] 13: Switch allowing rotation in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions [0058] 14: Ionizer [0059] 15: Outer protective grid [0060] 16: Straightening fins [0061] 17: Cylindrical brush with bristle tufts and openings positioned in rings [0062] 18: Support for foam filter [0063] 19: Hinge allowing the protective grid to be opened and maintained [0064] 20: Off-centered power supply [0065] 21: Notch on the protective grid for the passage of the power supply [0066] 22: Fins for attaching the motor support rod to the handle [0067] 23: Aerodynamic tip associated with the attaching fins [0068] 24: Inner protective grid [0069] 25: Lever system for the clockwise and counterclockwise rotation switch [0070] 26: Rotary electrical contact [0071] 27: Axis of the second motor [0072] 28: Outer assembly ring of the two shells [0073] 29: Half-shells of the handle [0074] 30: Filter [0075] 31: Gearbox [0076] 32: Closing cover of the support rod

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0077] The present invention discloses an electric rotary blower brush comprising an elongated handle that is particularly ergonomic and in which are arranged a heater and a compressor driven by a first motor allowing the air to be suctioned at one end of the device and to blow it through heating elements, toward a rotary accessory. The rotary accessory is preferably a removable cylindrical brush with bristle tufts which is arranged on a support rod at the opposite end of the handle and driven by a second motor arranged outside the handle on a support rod located in the longitudinal axis of the handle. This configuration allows faster and more homogeneous styling of the hair than other known devices (FIG. 3).

[0078] The location where the air passes between the handle and the support rod of the second motor was the object of an in-depth aerodynamic analysis. Relative to the configurations of the state of the art, the pointed aerodynamic shape associated with fins of the rocket tail type allows an optimized air flow through the device. It also simplifies the construction of the device with regard to the molded plastic parts and allows the support rod to be solidly and more easily attached to the handle. The handle is formed of two half-shells that are assembled and tightened around the fins for attaching the support rod of the second motor by an assembly ring. This construction makes it possible to simplify the construction of the device while ensuring that the support rod of the second motor is rigidly attached (FIG. 12).

[0079] To improve the ergonomics of the rotary blower brush according to the present invention, this brush comprises a handle having two substantially different diameters D1 and D2. Such a blower brush, provided with a cylindrical brush having bristle tufts, and air outlets, which are not uniformly disposed on the cylindrical brush, but carefully arranged, allows the hair to be styled by winding an entire or partial lock around the brush. The removable cylindrical brush comprises bristle tufts and air outlet openings distributed by section or by decreasing number toward the end of the device over its cylindrical surface (see FIGS. 8, 10 and 11). This sectional arrangement and/or in decreasing number of air openings toward the end of the accessory, associated with an ergonomic handle comprising a compressor able to maintain a substantially constant air flow, even when the air outlet openings on the brush are partially obstructed, allows the air flow to be more homogeneously distributed around the brush (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0080] To optimize the air flow, the suction of air, through the outer protective grid, must be centered on the longitudinal axis of the device, and the power supply is thus off-centered. The off-centered positioning of the power supply implies that a rotary electrical contact is needed at the connection point with the cable to improve the ergonomics of the device during different handling occasions by the user (see FIGS. 9 and 13).

[0081] By selecting a high-performing compressor that makes it possible to maintain a substantially constant air flow, by positioning it in a part of the handle having an enlarged diameter D1, by guiding this air flow straightened by fins, to avoid turbulence, through a thinner handle having a diameter D1 and thanks to a vetted configuration of the heating resistances (see FIGS. 15 and 16), it is possible to improve the ergonomics of the gripping zone while generating an air flow that is completely uniform through openings on the cylindrical brush by decreasing the number and/or the section of the openings when one moves away from the handle. This can be done in different ways, either by making increasingly small openings along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical brush, or by decreasing the number thereof.

[0082] The device according to the present invention also comprises a mechanism that recognizes the accessory used, for example cylindrical brushes having different diameters. This recognition mechanism allows the air flow, the heating power and the rotation speed of the rotary brush to be controlled.

[0083] According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the air outlet openings on the cylindrical brush are arranged at least partially in concentric rings, the diameter of which becomes increasingly small when one moves away from the handle (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

[0084] The motor support rod coming out of the handle, including, in its hollow part, the motor driving the brush and a gearbox, comprises a male polygonal coupling element at the end that cooperates with a corresponding female recess on the brush, allowing quick assembly and disassembly of the accessory. The support rod, once assembled, is closed by a cover that closes the assembly (see FIG. 18).

[0085] In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the coupling element is square and is attached directly on the axis of the gearbox of the second motor without any intermediate part. The motors used are preferably brushless motors, but it is also possible to consider using an ordinary motor. In both cases, a torque limiter or a mechanical release may be considered if a given force couple is exceeded, so as not to force the motor during inappropriate use.

[0086] The suction of air that passes through an outer grid, a filter and an inner grid takes place at one of the ends of the handle, on the compressor side. The filter, generally made from plastic foam, is maintained by a support, here in the form of a lattice pattern (see FIG. 13). To allow the cleaning of these elements, the outer suction grid is mounted on a hinge.

[0087] The cylindrical brush with its air outlet openings is generally made from metal, preferably aluminum, and preferably comprises a ceramic layer for a more uniform distribution of heat. The cylindrical brush also comprises a locking mechanism protruding slightly relative to the surface containing the cylinder (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

[0088] The device also comprises an ionizer located in the handle, in the extension of the first motor, so as not to affect the flow of air. It is also provided with a double protective grid at the air intake.

[0089] Like all rotary blower brushes, it also comprises a main switch adjusting the flow and the temperature of the air leaving the handle and a secondary switch making it possible to choose the clockwise or counterclockwise direction of rotation of the cylindrical brush. The switch is mounted on a spring lever system allowing it to automatically return to its equilibrium position after being actuated (see FIG. 14).

[0090] The winding of the wires of the heating resistance may have a star coil configuration (see FIGS. 15 and 16).

[0091] It has been noted that the temperature adjustment was facilitated by positioning a temperature probe at the end of the support rod rather than in the handle due to the proximity of the heating elements giving off heat. To respect the regulations relative to electrical safety, the cylindrical brush may be fixedly (not removably) mounted or its removal may be connected to a mechanism cutting off the electrical contact upon removal of the cylindrical brush.