Patent ID: 12220034

DESCRIPTION OF MAIN REFERENCE NUMERALS OF DRAWINGS

100: High-efficiency cordless hair dryer110: Main body housing110S: Internal space of main body housing111: Heating element113: Air inlet port115: Discharge port120: Power supply module121: Battery mounting body122: Battery123: Battery mounting member124: Thermally conductive thin film125: Module plate126: Switch member127: Remaining power level display member128: Charging terminal130: Handle part131: Operation adjustment unit132: On/off switch133: Hot air adjustment member134: Cool air button140: Suction fan150: Filter220: Power supply module221: Battery mounting body222: Battery223: Battery mounting member224: Conductive thin film

BEST MODE

Advantages and/or features of the present invention and methods of achieving the advantages and features will be clear with reference to exemplary embodiments described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein but will be implemented in various forms. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided so that the present invention is completely disclosed, and a person with ordinary skill in the art can fully understand the scope of the present invention. The present invention will be defined only by the scope of the appended claims. Like reference numerals indicate like constituent elements throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG.1is a view illustrating a schematic configuration of a high-efficiency cordless hair dryer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,FIG.2is a view illustrating a power supply module detachably coupled to a main body housing illustrated inFIG.1,FIG.3is a modified example ofFIG.2, andFIG.4is a view illustrating a cross section taken along line A-A inFIG.2.

Referring toFIGS.1and2, a high-efficiency cordless hair dryer100according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a main body housing110, a power supply module120detachably coupled to the main body housing110, a suction fan140configured to suck outside air into the main body housing110, and a handle part130mounted on the main body housing110and configured to serve as a handle.

With this configuration, it is possible to efficiently remove moisture from a user's hair, for example, while preventing heat generation caused by use of a battery, thereby improving safety of use.

Each configuration will be described. First, the main body housing110according to the present exemplary embodiment defines a basic external appearance and has an internal space110S. An air inlet port113may be formed at a rear side of the main body housing110, and a discharge port115through which cool air or hot air is discharged may be formed at a front side of the main body housing110. Although not illustrated, a cover (not illustrated) may be coupled to the discharge port115of the main body housing110, and an expanded flow of air may be provided through the cover.

Referring toFIG.1, a heating element111may be disposed in the internal space110S of the main body housing110so as to be adjacent to the discharge port115. The heating element111may be operated by power provided from the power supply module120to be described below and may heat air passing through the heating element111, such that a flow of air having an adjusted temperature may be provided through the discharge port115.

For example, the heating element111may be configured in the form of a spiral coil having a tube shape, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other types of heating elements111may be used.

Meanwhile, as described above, in the case of a cordless hair dryer in the related art, a module for supplying power is provided in a handle, which causes a problem in that a user is injured due to heat generated when the battery operates.

Therefore, in the present exemplary embodiment, the power supply module120is detachably coupled to the main body housing110, such that a structure for mounting and separating the power supply module120is simplified. Further, the amount of heat, which may be generated from the power supply module120, may be minimized, and the generated heat may be used, such that the high-efficiency cordless hair dryer according to the present invention is more efficient and stable than that in the related art.

As illustrated inFIGS.1,2, and4, the power supply module120according to the present exemplary embodiment may include: a battery mounting body121having a plurality of battery mounting members123disposed in a circumferential direction and configured such that batteries122are detachably coupled to the plurality of battery mounting members123, respectively; and a module plate125coupled to a rear side of the battery mounting body121. In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the batteries122are disposed in the circumferential direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the batteries122may be disposed in a movement passage for air.

First, as illustrated inFIG.1, the battery mounting body121has a hollow cylindrical shape corresponding to the shape of the internal space110S of the main body housing110, and the plurality of battery mounting members123is provided on an inner surface of the battery mounting body121.

Referring toFIGS.1and2, a total of six battery mounting members123may be provided on the battery mounting body121, and the batteries122may be mounted on the battery mounting members123, respectively. As illustrated inFIG.4, the battery mounting member123may have a schematically “” shape closed (outward) at a lower side thereof, and the battery122may be mounted in a groove formed in the battery mounting member123. In this case, the battery122may be fixed to the battery mounting member123by means of silicone.

However, the number of batteries122and the number of battery mounting members123may be selectively determined in accordance with performance to be implemented by the hair dryer100.FIGS.1and2illustrate a total of six battery mounting members123and the batteries122coupled to the battery mounting members123, respectively. However, there may of course be provided more than six batteries122and more than six battery mounting members123in order to prepare for a case in which a larger amount of power is required. Likewise, a battery with a larger capacity may also be used as the battery122, as necessary.

Referring toFIG.4, the power supply module120according to the present exemplary embodiment may have a thermally conductive thin film124made of aluminum having high thermal conductivity, for example, disposed along the inner surface of the battery mounting body121, and configured to dissipate heat generated from the batteries122.

In particular, as described above, the battery mounting member123has a “” shape. The conductive thin film124is also formed along inner surfaces of the battery mounting members123, such that the heat generated from the batteries122may be appropriately dissipated from a center of the battery mounting body121along the thermally conductive thin film124.

As can be seen fromFIG.4, the conductive thin film124mounted on the battery mounting members123has a separation space to some extent from the batteries122, such that outside air may be appropriately transmitted to the batteries122, the heat generated from the batteries122may be appropriately dissipated through the conductive thin film124, and thus the batteries122may be more quickly cooled.

With the arrangement structure and the configuration of the power supply module120, it is possible to prevent the batteries122from being overheated and to efficiently used the heat generated from the batteries122.

In addition, when the high-efficiency cordless hair dryer100according to the present exemplary embodiment operates as described above, the outside air may be introduced, by the suction fan140, into the internal space110S of the main body housing110via the power supply module120, heated by the heating element111, and then provided to the user's hair and the like.

In this case, the batteries122may be heated due to the use of the batteries122or an influence of the heating element111, but the amount of heat generated from the batteries122may be minimized by the outside air because the outside air is introduced into the power supply module120, as described above. In addition, the heat generated from the batteries122is dissipated through the thermally conductive thin film124, and the dissipated heat is provided to the air directed toward the main body housing110, such that the air may be heated.

Meanwhile, as illustrated inFIGS.1and2, the module plate125according to the present exemplary embodiment is coupled to the rear side of the battery mounting body121and may include a switch member126for turning on/off the batteries122, a remaining power level display member127for indicating a remaining power level of the batteries122, and a charging terminal128for charging the batteries122.

The switch member126may be provided in various forms, but because the high-efficiency cordless hair dryer100is often carried by the user, the switch member126may be configured to turn on/off the batteries while sliding. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the switch member126may of course be configured as a touch type, a button type, or the like.

Since the remaining power level display member127indicates the remaining power level of the batteries122, the user may check the remaining power level of the batteries122and charge the batteries122by using the charging terminal128. The charging terminal128may be provided in accordance with several standards, and thus the hair dryer100according to the present exemplary embodiment may be charged by a portable auxiliary battery.

Meanwhile, the handle part130according to the present exemplary embodiment is mounted at a lower end of the main body housing110and may include an operation adjustment unit131including an on/off switch132for operating the hair dryer100, an adjustment member133for adjusting intensity of hot air, and a cool air button134for generating cool air.

Because the operation adjustment unit131of the handle part130may be unintentionally pushed when the user carries the hair dryer100in a bag or the like as described above, the operation adjustment unit131according to the present exemplary embodiment may operate in conjunction with the switch member126provided on the module plate125. In other words, an instruction for operating the operation adjustment unit131may be executed only after the batteries122are turned on by the switch member126.

Meanwhile, as illustrated inFIG.2, the power supply module120according to the present exemplary embodiment may include filters150disposed in front of and behind the battery mounting body121. The filters150may filter the air to be introduced into the hair dryer100according to the present exemplary embodiment, thereby providing clean air to the user's hair or the like.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the filters are provided in front of and behind the battery mounting body121, one by one, respectively, such that the operation of filtering the air may be repeatedly performed, thereby providing clean air to the user.

In addition, referring toFIG.2, in the present exemplary embodiment, the suction fan140may be provided in the internal space110S of the main body housing110, particularly, between the heating element111and the filter. The suction fan140may also be operated by power provided from the power supply module120, and the outside air may be introduced into the main body housing110via the power supply module120when the suction fan140operates.

In this case, as described above, the introduced air may cool the heated batteries122to some extent, and the heat generated from the batteries122may heat the air. Therefore, because the battery122is not mounted in the handle part130unlike the related art, it is possible to completely prevent the handle part130from being heated, and the outside air may prevent the battery122from being heated despite the structure in which the handle part130is coupled to the main body housing110, thereby preventing the entire hair dryer100from being heated.

Meanwhile, as illustrated inFIG.2, the suction fan140may be mounted in the main body housing110, but as illustrated inFIG.3, the suction fan140may be mounted in the power supply module120. In other words, the suction fan140amay be disposed between the battery mounting body121and the filter150at the rear side. In this case, the suction fan140amay be closer to the outside, thereby more strongly sucking the outside air.

Meanwhile, the following table shows temperatures of a surface of the battery122with respect to velocities of air introduced into the hair dryer100according to the present exemplary embodiment.

TABLE 1Air Velocity (m/s)01218Discharge Current (20 A)90° C.50° C.45° C.Discharge Current (15 A)48° C.36° C.32° C.

It can be seen from the table that the temperature of the surface of the battery decreases when the velocity of air is high, and it can be ascertained that the temperature of the surface of the battery less increases when a discharge current is low. According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, the power supply module120is mounted at the rear side of the main body housing110, and the battery122is disposed in the direction of a flow of air, such that the battery122may be prevented from being heated, safety of use may thus be improved, and air used to cool the battery122may be heated, thereby improving efficiency of the drying process.

Meanwhile, a configuration of a hair dryer according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described, and a description of parts substantially identical to the parts of the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment will be omitted.

FIG.5is a view illustrating a configuration of a power supply module of a high-efficiency cordless hair dryer according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated, a power supply module220according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a battery mounting body221, and a groove of each of a plurality of battery mounting members223provided on the battery mounting body221may have a semicircular shape corresponding to a shape of a battery222. In this case, since the shape of the groove of the battery mounting member223corresponds to the shape of the battery222, the battery222may be more stably mounted.

In addition, a conductive thin film224is mounted along inner surfaces of the battery mounting members223, such that the heat generated from the batteries222may be dissipated to the outside through the conductive thin film224, thereby improving efficiency in cooling the batteries222.

FIG.6is a top plan view illustrating a configuration of a power supply module of a high-efficiency cordless hair dryer according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, andFIG.7is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the power supply module of the high-efficiency cordless hair dryer according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated inFIGS.6and7, a power supply module320according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a battery mounting body321. A plurality of battery mounting members323provided on the battery mounting body321may have one or more holders323-1configured to surround a battery pack including a plurality of batteries322, and a support323-2configured to fix the body to the battery mounting body321.

As illustrated inFIG.7, the support323-2may fix the plurality of batteries322so that the plurality of batteries322is disposed at a center of the battery mounting body321.

In addition, a conductive thin film324is mounted along inner surfaces of the holders323-1of the battery mounting members323, such that the heat generated from the batteries322may be dissipated to the outside through the conductive thin film324, thereby improving efficiency in cooling the batteries322.

In the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments and the drawings, the case in which the plurality of batteries is disposed in the direction corresponding to the direction of the flow of air has been described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the batteries may of course be disposed in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the flow of air or disposed to be inclined.

Meanwhile, in the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments, the power supply module has been described as having the structure attachable to and detachable from the main body housing, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the power supply module may be configured as a pouch type and detachably coupled to the rear side of the main body housing.

While the specific exemplary embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described exemplary embodiments and should be defined by not only the claims to be described below, but also those equivalent to the claims.

While the present invention has been described above with reference to the limited exemplary embodiments and the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and may be variously modified and altered from the disclosure by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should be defined only by the appended claims, and all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention.