HAIRIRON

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a hair iron device. More particularly, the present invention

relates to a hair iron device that uses a field effect transistor (FET) which is an inexpensive power

control element, employs a DC power converted from an AC power supplied from a commercial AC

power source, a vehicle power source or an additional power supply, or a DC power directly supplied,

and controls the amount of the electric power supplied to a load (heater) of various electrical heating

appliances, such as the hair iron device, generating heat necessary for hair-styling according to power

voltage applied.

Background Art

In general, an electrical heating appliance refers to a device that supplies an electric power to

a heating means such as a heater and uses heat obtained from the heater. Examples of the electrical

heating appliance include a hair iron, an electric rice cooker, an electric stove, an electric floor, an

electric iron and so on, and particularly, a hot air heater, a hair drier and the hair iron are representative

examples of the electrical heating appliances.

Dissimilarly to general devices, since the above-mentioned electrical heating appliances,

such as the hot air heater, the hair drier and the hair iron, are devices for generating heat by applying

electric power, a control circuit used in the electrical heating appliance requires the best stability. If

circuits of the electrical heating appliance are not stabilized and erroneously operated or overheated, it

may cause a great-scale fire.

Such an electrical heating appliance has a temperature sensor mounted near the heater

generating heat. The electrical heating appliance turns off a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), which

is a power element, when the temperature sensor senses a temperature of more than a predetermined

value, but turns on the SCR when the temperature sensor senses a temperature of less than the

predetermined value, so that the electrical heating appliance can always keep a temperature of the

predetermined value.

However, such an electrical heating appliance entails shortcomings in that the SCR or a

photo-coupler used as the power element is very expensive and a large amount of electromagnetic

wave noises are generated since and electric power is controlled by directly connecting an AC power

source to the load of the electrical heating appliance. Ia addition, the prior art electrical heating

appliances have a limitation in that they can use only the fixed power source such as 11 OV or 220V.

Among the electrical heating appliances, the hair iron has been studied and developed to

provide not only heat necessary for hair-styling but also wind, humidity, anion, far-infrared rays

necessary for hair or skin control, but has a problem in that its volume and price are raised according to

diversification in lunctions.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hair iron device, which is

simple in structure and reduces manufacturing costs by using a field effect transistor (FET), which is an

inexpensive power control element.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hair iron device, which converts an AC

power supplied from a commercial AC power source, a vehicle power source or a separate power

supply into a DC power for driving the hair iron device to minimize electromagnetic wave noises,

thereby reducing electromagnetic damages to the human body or other products.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a hair iron device, which can use all AC

power sources of 110V and 220V even without using a separate converting device by controlling the

amount of electric power supplied to a load of an electrical heating appliance such as the hair iron

device according to power voltage applied.

Technical Solution

To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a hair iron device including: a

hinge shaft having a spring wound thereon for providing a restoring force to an upper case and a lower

case, the hinge shaft being inserted into coupling holes of support brackets respectively located at rear

end portions of the upper case and the lower case; heater blocks and heater plates respectively mounted

on the front parts of the upper case and the lower case; a printed circuit board (PCB) having an LED for

displaying an operational state of the hair iron device and an operation and power controlling circuit

section for controlling an overall operation of the hair iron device in cooperation with a temperature

sensor mounted on the heater plates and converting an electric power supplied from the outside into an

electric power proper for the heater blocks; an upper cover mounted on the rear part of the upper case

for protecting the printed circuit board (PCB) embedded in the upper case; a side cover mounted on a

side of the upper case and having a power switch for controlling an electric power supplied to the

heater blocks; and a lower cover mounted on the rear part of the lower case.

It is preferable that the lower case has two coupling grooves formed therein and the heater

block mounted inside the lower case has two coupling jaws detachably combined to the coupling

grooves.

In addition, it is preferable that the upper case has a plurality of coupling grooves formed on the

side thereof, and the side cover has a coupling protrusion formed on the inner periphery thereof so as to

be detachably combined to the coupling grooves of the upper case.

Moreover, it is preferable that the spring is a plate spring bent in a predetermined shape.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the operation and power controlling circuit section includes:

an AC/DC converter for converting an AC power into a DC power, a DC/DC converter for converting

the DC power of the AC/DC converter into a DC power of a predetermined level; a voltage-reducing

section for reducing voltage of the DC power of the AC/DC converter into a voltage of 1/N times; a

temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the heater plates; a central processing unit operated

by the DC power of the DC/DC converter, the central processing unit being adapted to sense an

applied power voltage by voltage of the voltage-reducing section, compare the temperature of the

heater plates sensed by the temperature sensor with a programmed temperature value or a temperature

value inputted from the outside, and generate a control signal for turning on/off the DC power supplied

to the heater plates according to the compared result; and a field effect transistor (FET) for turning

on/off the DC power supplied from the AC/DC converter to the heater plates under the control of the

central processing unit.

In addition, it is preferable that the AC power is an AC power of 11 OV or 220V.

Additionally, it is preferable that the heater plate is one of heater plates embedded in hair irons,

hot air heaters and hair driers.

Advantageous Effects

According to the present invention, the inventive hair iron device is simple in structure and

reduces manufacturing costs of various products, such as hair irons or hair driers, by using the field

effect transistor (FET), which is an inexpensive power control element.

In addition, the present invention converts an AC power supplied from a commercial AC

power source, a vehicle power source or a separate power supply into a DC power for operating the

hair iron device to minimize electromagnetic wave noises, thereby reducing electromagnetic damages

to the human body or other products.

Moreover, the present invention can use all AC power sources of 11 OV and 220V even

without using a separate converting device by controlling the amount of electric power supplied to a

load of an electrical heating appliance such as the hair iron device according to power voltage applied.

Description of Drawings FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a hair iron device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the hair iron device according to the present

invention.

FIG.4 is a sectional view showing an assembled structure of the upper case and the lower case

on which heater blocks are respectively mounted.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are sectional view of essential parts of the upper case and the lower case which

are pivotally opened and closed about a hinge shaft.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the inner construction of an operation and power controlling

circuit section mounted on a PCB.

Best Mode

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention,

examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hair iron device according to the present invention includes an

upper case 11 and a lower case 12, which are formed in the shape of a bar and combined with each

other in such a way as to be pivotally opened and closed about a hinge shaft (not shown) at a

predetermined angle. In addition, the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 respectively have heater

plates 13 and 14 disposed on the front parts thereof for generating heat. The upper case 11 includes a

power switch 15 disposed at the rear side thereof for controlling power supplied to the heater plates 13

and 14 and a light transmitting window 16 disposed on the rear top thereof for indicating an operational

state of the hair iron device.

The hair iron device has a power line port 17 formed at the rear end portion of the upper case

11 and the lower case 12 which are combined with each other about the hinge shaft, namely, in the

opposite direction of the heater plates 13 and 14, for introducing a power line to supply power to the

heater plates 13 and 14. Moreover, hinge covers 18 are mounted on both sides of the hinge shaft, on

which the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 are opened and closed, for covering the hinge shaft

exposed to the outside.

The rear parts of the upper case 11 and the lower case 12, which have the power switch 15 and

the light transmitting window 16, are thicker than the front parts, which respectively have the heater

plates 13 and 14. The reason is to allow a user to easily grasp the upper case 11 and the lower case 12

when the user performs hairstyles and to secure a space inside the upper case 11 and the lower case 12

for positioning various components to control and display the operation of the hair iron device therein.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the air iron according to the present invention. The upper case

11 has a heater block 19 mounted on the front part thereof, and the heater block 19 is fixed inside the

upper case 11 by the heater plate 13. Furthermore, the lower case 12 has another heater block 20

mounted on the front part thereof, and the heater block 20 is fixed inside the lower case 12 by the heater

plate 14.

A coupling piece 21 is upwardly formed on the heater plate 13 for combining the heater plate

13 with the heater block 19, and another coupling piece 22 is downwardly formed on the heater plate

14 for combining the heater plate 14 with the heater block 20, whereby the heater plates 13 and 14 are

integrally combined with the heater blocks 19 and 20 and respectively mounted inside the upper case

11 and the lower case 12 when the hair iron device is assembled.

Additionally, the lower case 12 has two coupling grooves 23a and 23b formed therein and the

heater block 20 has two coupling jaws 24a and 24b respectively combined to the coupling grooves 23a

and 23b, whereby the heater block 20 can be mounted inside the lower case 12 without using

additional fastening means such as screws.

Here, in the drawing, the coupling groove 23b of the lower case 12 is opened upwardly. To

fix the coupling jaw 24b on the coupling groove 23b, the coupling jaw 24b of the heater block 20 is

inserted into the coupling groove 23b of the lower case 12 by pressing the heater block 20 after the

coupling jaw 24a of the heater block 20 is fit to the coupling groove 23a of the lower case 12, and then,

a lower cover 26 combined to the lower case 12 fixes the coupling jaw 24b inserted into the coupling

groove 23b.

Not shown in the drawings in detail, but the upper case 11 and the heater block 19 also have

combining means similar to the coupling grooves 23a and 23b of the lower case 12 and the coupling

jaws 24a and 24b of the heater block 20, so that the user can easily assemble and disassemble the upper

case 11 and the heater block 19 with or from each other.

The upper case 11 having the window 16 has a PCB 27 mounted inside the rear part thereof.

The PCB 27 includes an LED 28 for displaying the operational state of the hair iron device and an

operation and power controlling circuit section for controlling an overall operation of the hair iron

device and converting electric power supplied from the outside into electric power suitable for the

heater blocks 19 and 20.

An upper cover 25 is mounted on the base side of the upper case 11 via screws screw-coupled

to two through-holes 29 for protecting the PCB 27 embedded in the upper case 11. Moreover, a side

cover 40 having the power switch 15 for controlling power supplied to the heater blocks 19 and 20 is

mounted on a side 39 of the upper case 11. In this instance, the side cover 40 is mounted on the side

39 of the upper case 11 in such a way that a coupling protrusion 41 of the side cover 40 is forcedly fit to

a coupling groove 42 formed on the side 39.

Particularly, as shown in the drawing, the coupling groove 42 of the side 39 is opened

downwardly. So, to combine the side cover 40 to the upper case 11, after the coupling protrusion 41

of the side cover 40 is fit upwardly to the coupling groove 42 of the side 39, the upper cover 25 is

combined to the base side of the upper case 11, whereby the side cover 40 is combined to the upper

case 11 together with the upper cover 25.

A lower cover 26 is screw-coupled to the upper end of the rear part of the lower case 12 via

screws screw-coupled to a screw hole 30 of the lower case 12 and a through-hole of the lower cover

26. The lower cover 26 has an operation space 34 formed on the upper part thereof for operating a

spring 31, which provides a restoring force to the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 pivotally opened

and closed about the hinge shaft 33 at the predetermined angle.

The upper case 11 and the lower case 12 have a plurality of support brackets 35 and 37 formed

at the rear end portions thereof for supporting the hinge shaft 33. The support brackets 35 and 37

respectively have coupling holes 36 and 38 drilled therein for allowing the support brackets and the

hinge shaft 33/an oilless bearing 32 to be coupled with each other. The hinge shaft 33, the oilless

bearing 32 and the spring 31 are fit into the coupling holes 36 and 38 of the support brackets 35 and 37.

Here, the oilless bearing 32 serves to minimize a load applied to the coupling hole 38 of the

support bracket 37 of the lower case 12 pivotally opened and closed about the hinge shaft 33 at the

predetermined angle, and the plate-type spring 31 bent in a predetermined form provides a restoring

force to the upper case 11 and the lower case 12, which are rotated in close contact with each other by

the user, so as to return the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 to the original positions.

The hinge covers 18 are mounted on the outer peripheries of the support brackets 35 and 37 of

the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 to prevent exposure of the hinge shaft 33 to the outside. For

this, a plurality of hooks 43 formed inside the hinge cover 18 are forcedly fit to a plurality of combining

holes 44 formed on the support brackets 35 and 37, whereby the hinge cover 18 can be combined to

the outer peripheries of the support brackets 35 and 37.

FIG. 4 illustrates an assembled structure of the front parts of the upper case 11 and the lower

case 12 on which the heater blocks 19 and 20 are respectively mounted. In FIG. 4, the hair iron

device can apply heat to the user's hair positioned between the heater plates 13 and 14 since heat

generated from a heater mounted inside the heater plates 13 and 14 is transmitted to the heaterplates 13

and 14.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate essential parts of the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 which are

pivotally opened and closed about the hinge shaft 33. When the user grasps and presses the upper

case 11 and the lower case 12, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 are

pivotally rotated about the hinge shaft 33, and in this instance, the spring 31 wound on the hinge shaft

33 is shrunk by the upper case 11 and the lower case 12.

Qn the other hand, when the user takes off the hand from the upper case 11 and the lower case

12, the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 are returned to the original positions as shown in FIG. 6 by

the restoring force of the spring 31 wound on the hinge shaft 33.

The above operation is repeatedly carried out when the user presses the upper case 11 and the

lower case 12 or removes the pressing power from the upper case 11 and the lower case 12.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram showing the inner construction of an operation and power

controlling circuit section mounted on the PCB 27. The operation and power controlling circuit

section includes the power switch 15, an AC/DC converter 45, a DC/DC converter 46, a central

processing unit 47, a voltage-reducing section 48, a power control element 49, and the load of an

electrical heating appliance such as the hair iron device, namely, the heater plates 13 and 14, having a

temperature sensor 50.

The power switch 15 is a switch to turn on/off AC power source of 110V or 220V supplied to

various electrical heating appliances, such as the hair iron device, a hot air heater and a hair drier,

namely, the AC/DC converter 45. The AC/DC converter 45 converts an AC power of 110V or 220V

supplied to the various electrical heating appliances into a DC power supplied to the heater plates 13

and 14, such as the heater, and the central processing unit 47.

In addition, the DC/DC converter 46 converts a DC power supplied from the AC/DC converter

45 into a DC power of a proper level necessary to the central processing unit 47 or other various control

units. The voltage-reducing section 48 reduces a DC power voltage outputted from the AC/DC

converter 45 into a voltage of 1/N times to judge whether the AC power applied to the electrical

heating appliance such as the hair iron device is 110V or 220V.

Moreover, the temperature sensor 50 is a sensor for sensing the temperature of the heater plates

13 and 14, such as the heater of the electrical heating appliance such as the hair iron device. The

central processing unit 47 is operated by the DC power of the DC/DC converter 46, senses whether

applied power is 110V or 220V based on the voltage of the voltage-reducing section 48, compares the

temperature of the heater plates 13 and 14 sensed by the temperature sensor 50 with a programmed

temperature value or a temperature value set by the user's button manipulation, and generates a control

signal for turning on/off the DC power supplied to the heater plates 13 and 14 according to the

compared result. An FET which is a general-purpose power control element 49 controls power

consumption of the heater plates 13 and 14 by turning on/off the DC power supplied from the AC/DC

converter 45 to the heater plates 13 and 14 under the control of the central processing unit 47.

A process for controlling the power supplied to the load of the electrical heating appliance such

as the hair iron device, the hot air heater or the hair drier, namely, the heater plates 13 and 14, will be

described.

First, when the power switch 15 of the electrical heating appliance such as the hair iron device

is turned on, the AC power is supplied to the AC/DC converter 45 through the power switch 15 and

converted into a DC power, and then, supplied to the DC/DC converter 46, the voltage-reducing

section 48 and the power control element 49.

The DC/DC converter 46 converts a DC power of the AC/DC converter 45 into a DC power

of a level to operate the central processing unit 47 and supplies it to the central processing unit 47.

The voltage-reducing section 48 converts the DC power voltage of the AC/DC converter 45 into a

voltage of 1/N times so as to judge whether the AC power applied through the power switch 15 is

110V or 220V, and supplies it to the central processing unit 47.

Furthermore, since the temperature value sensed by the temperature sensor 50 mounted near

the heater plates 13 and 14, such as the heater, is supplied to the central processing unit 47, the central

processing unit 47 can continuously monitor the temperature value of heat generated from the heater

plates 13 and 14 of the electrical heating appliance, such as the hair iron device.

The central processing unit 47 receiving output from the voltage-reducing section 48 and the

temperature sensor 50 judges whether the AC power source applied by a voltage value of the voltage-

reducing section 48 is HOV or 220V, and then judges whether to increase, keep or decrease the

amount of power of the heater plates 13 and 14 after comparing the present temperature value obtained

by the temperature sensor 50 with the programmed temperature value or the temperature value set by

the external input such as the button. Additionally, the central processing unit 47 outputs the power

applied and a control signal in correspondence with the temperature value of the heater plates 13 and 14

to the power control element 49.

Then, the power control element 49, namely, the FET, controls the power of the heater plates

13 and 14 while turning on/off the DC power outputted from the AC/DC converter 45 under the

control of the central processing unit 47.

Therefore, the electrical heating appliance such as the hair iron device, the hot air heater or the

hair drier can keep the programmed temperature value or the temperature value set by the external

input through the power control of the power control element 49.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, the hair iron device according to the present invention is simple in

structure and can reduce manufacturing costs of various products, such as hair iron devices or hair

driers, by using the FET (Field Effect Transistor), which is an inexpensive power control element.

In addition, the present invention convert an AC power supplied from a commercial AC power

source, a vehicle power source or a separate power supply into a DC power for driving the hair iron

device to minimize electromagnetic wave noises, thereby reducing electromagnetic damages to the

human body or other products.

Moreover, the present invention can use all AC power sources of HOV and 220V even

without using a separate converting device by controlling the amount of electric power supplied to a

load of an electrical heating appliance such as the hair iron device according to power voltage applied.