U.S. patent application number 15/951786 was filed with the patent office on 2019-05-16 for battery operated hair dryer.
This patent application is currently assigned to Follicle, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Follicle, LLC. Invention is credited to David Kirkland, James Meredith, Eric Nelson, Christopher Rebholz, Erik Stafl.
Application Number | 20190142132 15/951786 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 66217656 |
Filed Date | 2019-05-16 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190142132 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nelson; Eric ; et
al. |
May 16, 2019 |
BATTERY OPERATED HAIR DRYER
Abstract
A battery operated hair dryer includes a battery management and
control module to control how to efficiently dry a user's hair
while maintaining the health and charge of the battery.
Inventors: |
Nelson; Eric; (Whitefish
Bay, WI) ; Rebholz; Christopher; (Delafield, WI)
; Stafl; Erik; (San Francisco, CA) ; Meredith;
James; (San Francisco, CA) ; Kirkland; David;
(San Francisco, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Follicle, LLC |
New Berlin |
WI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Follicle, LLC
New Berlin
WI
|
Family ID: |
66217656 |
Appl. No.: |
15/951786 |
Filed: |
April 12, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62584528 |
Nov 10, 2017 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
34/96 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01M 10/482 20130101;
H02J 7/0025 20200101; H01M 2/1022 20130101; H01M 10/48 20130101;
H01M 10/052 20130101; H02J 7/0016 20130101; H01M 2010/4271
20130101; H01M 10/425 20130101; H01M 10/486 20130101; H01M 10/0525
20130101; A45D 20/12 20130101; H01M 2220/30 20130101; A45D 2020/128
20130101; H01M 2/0202 20130101; F24H 3/0423 20130101; H02J 7/0014
20130101; H02J 7/0091 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A45D 20/12 20060101
A45D020/12; H01M 10/0525 20060101 H01M010/0525; H01M 10/48 20060101
H01M010/48; F24H 3/04 20060101 F24H003/04; H01M 2/02 20060101
H01M002/02 |
Claims
1. A hair dryer comprising: a housing; a rechargeable battery pack
including at least one lithium-ion battery cell, the rechargeable
battery pack disposed within the housing; each battery cell having
a discharge path; each battery cell having a beginning of life
recoverable charge capacity and an in-use recoverable charge
capacity, each battery cell further having a state of charge, the
state of charge measured as a percentage of recoverable charge
capacity; each battery cell further having a state of health, the
state of health determined by comparing the in-use recoverable
charge capacity to the beginning of life recoverable charge
capacity; a plurality of temperature sensors that sense temperature
for each battery cell; a plurality of voltage sensors that measure
voltage for each battery cell; the battery pack electrically
connected to a battery management and control module; at least one
switch to control operation of the hair dryer; a heating assembly
disposed within the housing, the heating assembly including a fan
attached to a motor, and at least one heating element, wherein the
motor turns the fan, which draws ambient air into an inlet and
expels air through an outlet; the heating element positioned such
that air passing through the heating assembly may be heated to a
temperature greater than the ambient air temperature; the battery
management and control module electrically connected to the at
least one fan and the at least one heating element, wherein the
battery management and control module adjusts an electrical current
delivered from the battery pack to the fan and heating element to
optimize the drying performance of the hair dryer and the
performance of the battery pack; the battery management and control
module including at least one microprocessor and at least one
storage device; and the battery management and control module
capable of measuring the temperature and the voltage of each
battery cell to determine the state of charge and the health of
each battery cell, and balancing the charge among the plurality of
battery cells by controlling the discharge path across any of the
battery cells to bleed off extra charge.
2. The hair dryer of claim 1, wherein the battery pack includes a
plurality of battery cells.
3. (canceled)
4. The hair dryer of claim 1, wherein the heating element is a
resistive heating coil.
5. The hair dryer of claim 1, wherein the motor is a brushless
three-phase electric motor.
6. The hair dryer of claim 1, wherein the heating assembly further
includes a plurality of stator vanes positioned near the fan that
straighten airflow through the heating assembly.
7. The hair dryer of claim 1, wherein the battery management and
control module is housed on a printed circuit board that is located
within this housing such that it separates the heating assembly
from the battery pack.
8. (canceled)
9. The hair dryer of claim 1, further including a battery indicator
that displays a state of charge of the battery pack.
10. The hair dryer of claim 1, further including a light ring
located near the outlet, wherein the light ring comprises at least
one LED.
11. (canceled)
12. The hair dryer of claim 1, wherein the battery management and
control module adjusts fan speed and the amount of current supplied
to the heating element based on the temperature of the battery
cells.
13. The hair dryer of claim 11, wherein the battery management and
control module balances the charge of the battery cells based on
the temperature of the battery cells.
14. (canceled)
15. (canceled)
16. The hair dryer of claim 1, wherein each battery cell includes
two terminals.
17. The hair dryer of claim 16, wherein each terminal is
electrically connected to a terminal consolidation board.
18. The hair dryer of claim 17, wherein the each terminal extends
through a corresponding slot on a terminal consolidation board.
19. The hair dryer of claim 18, wherein the terminal consolidation
board is electrically connected to the battery management and
control module.
20-27. (canceled)
28. A hair dryer comprising: a housing, the housing including an
air inlet and an air outlet; a rechargeable battery pack including
at least one lithium-ion battery cell, the rechargeable battery
pack disposed within the housing; each battery cell having a
discharge path; each battery cell having a beginning of life
recoverable charge capacity and an in-use recoverable charge
capacity, each battery cell further having a state of charge, the
state of charge measured as a percentage of recoverable charge
capacity; each battery cell further having a state of health, the
state of health determined by comparing the in-use recoverable
charge capacity to the beginning of life recoverable charge
capacity; each battery cell including two terminals, each of the
terminals electrically connected to a terminal consolidation board;
a plurality of temperature sensors that sense a temperature in each
battery cell; a plurality of voltage sensors that measure voltage
in each battery cell; a battery management and control module
having at least one microprocessor and at least one storage device,
the battery management and control module electrically connected to
the battery pack; the battery management and control module capable
of balancing the charge among the plurality of battery cells by
controlling the discharge path across any of the battery cells to
bleed off extra charge based on information received from the
temperature sensors and the voltage sensors; at least one switch to
control operation of the hair dryer; a heating assembly disposed
within the housing, the heating assembly including a fan attached
to a motor, and at least one heating element, wherein the motor
turns the fan, which draws ambient air into the air inlet and
expels air through the air outlet; the battery management and
control module positioned in the housing such that it separates the
heating element from the battery pack; the heating element
positioned such that air passing through the heating assembly may
be heated to a temperature greater than the ambient air
temperature; the battery management and control module electrically
connected to the at least one fan and the at least one heating
element; a battery indicator that displays the state of charge of
the battery pack; a light ring located near the air outlet, the
light ring comprising at least one LED; at least one drying profile
stored in the storage device; and the battery management and
control module capable of adjusting the electrical current
delivered from the battery pack to the fan and delivered to the
heating element according to the drying profile to adjust the
amount and temperature of heated air expelled from the hair dryer
during a drying cycle.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is based on and claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 62/584,528 filed on Nov. 10,
2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for
all purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
electric handheld hair dryers, and specifically to a battery
operated handheld hair dryer.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In general, hair dryers, also called "blow dryers" are well
known. Typical handheld hair dryers blow ambient air or heated air
over damp hair to accelerate the evaporation of water particles,
thereby drying the hair more quickly than it would dry on its own.
Typical hair dryers are powered by electricity from the power grid,
that is, they are almost always plugged into a wall socket to get
power. Typical hair dryers include two key components: a fan and a
heating element downstream from the fan that selectively heats air
as it is blown past by the fan. The first handheld, household hair
dryers were introduced in the first half of the 20.sup.th century,
and have only changed slightly in almost 100 years.
[0004] Hair dryer performance can be measured a number of different
ways, but the most common measurements include air flow rate,
velocity of the air as it leaves the hair dryer, and how much the
air temperature increases relative to the ambient air
temperature.
[0005] Existing hair dryers include a fan and at least one electric
heating coil. The electric heating coils generate heat through the
process of resistive heating. Electric current passing through the
heating element is resisted by a coil of wire that results in the
generation of heat. Resistance heating elements are typically made
of wire or ribbon that may be straight, coiled, or formed into any
other suitable shape. Resistive heating elements demand large
amounts of electric current to generate heat sufficient to dry
hair. As a result, hair dryers that use resistive heating elements
have historically not been well suited to be powered by
batteries.
[0006] Typical hair dryers also include switches that allow a user
to control basic functions of the hair dryer. For example, typical
hair dryers may include "hi" "low" and "off" settings for heat, and
a "hi" and "low" setting for the fan. The aforementioned basic
settings are adequate for hair dryers that draw electricity from
the power grid, and until now there has been little motivation to
better optimize performance of the hair dryer from the perspective
of maintaining battery charge.
[0007] Until now, batteries capable of generating sufficient power
(voltage.times.current) for a sufficient period of time to enable
reliable hair drying performance have been prohibitively heavy,
large, and expensive. Meanwhile, existing hair dryers, although
lightweight, suffer from being tethered to a power outlet.
Furthermore, a user drying their hair must move the hair dryer
continuously around their head, and the power cord is often a
nuisance.
[0008] As such, there is a need for a battery operated hair dryer
that includes a battery management system to allow the hair dryer
to efficiently dry hair while maintaining a maximum battery charge
in a lightweight, inexpensive package.
SUMMARY
[0009] The present invention relates to a battery operated hair
dryer. The hair dryer has a housing which contains all of the
components of the hair dryer. A battery pack including at least one
battery cell is included in the housing and is electrically
connected to a battery management and control module. The hair
dryer also includes at least one switch to control the operation of
the hair dryer. A heating assembly is disposed within the housing
and includes a fan attached to an electric motor. The heating
assembly also includes at least one heating element. The motor is
driven by electrical current from the battery pack and turns the
fan, which draws ambient air into an inlet and expels air through
an outlet. The heating element is positioned such that air passing
through the heating assembly may be heated to a temperature greater
than the ambient air temperature. The battery management and
control module is electrically connected to the heating assembly
and adjusts the amount of current delivered from the battery pack
to the fan and the heating element so that the drying performance
of the hair dryer is optimized, while maintaining the charge and
health of the battery pack.
[0010] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one
or more aspects of this invention can meet certain objectives,
while one or more other aspects can lead to certain other
objectives. Other objects, features, benefits and advantages of the
present invention will be apparent in this summary and descriptions
of the disclosed embodiment, and will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art. Such objects, features, benefits and advantages
will be apparent from the above as taken in conjunction with the
accompanying figures and all reasonable inferences to be drawn
therefrom.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a battery
operated hair dryer in accordance with the invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is side view of the battery operated hair dryer of
FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the battery
operated hair dryer of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a front view of the battery operated hair dryer of
FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a section view of the battery operated hair dryer
of FIG. 1 taken generally along the line 5-5 in FIG. 4;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a detail view taken generally along the line 6-6
in FIG. 5 showing a light ring and outlet grille;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a heating
assembly in accordance with the invention;
[0018] FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the heating assembly
of FIG. 6;
[0019] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the heating
assembly of FIG. 6;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the heating assembly of
FIG. 6 with a duct removed so the heating coil is visible;
[0021] FIG. 11 is another perspective view of the heating assembly
of FIG. 6 with the duct removed so the heating coil is visible;
[0022] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a battery
pack in accordance with the invention;
[0023] FIG. 13 is another perspective view of the battery pack of
FIG. 11;
[0024] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of one embodiment of battery
cells, a battery management module, and a switch module in
accordance with the invention;
[0025] FIG. 15 is a front view of one embodiment of a battery
operated hair dryer in accordance with the invention;
[0026] FIG. 16 is a side section view of the battery operated hair
dryer of FIG. 15, taken generally along the line 16-16 in FIG.
15;
[0027] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a heating
module for the battery operated hair dryer of FIG. 14; and
[0028] FIG. 18 is another perspective view of the heating module of
FIG. 15.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] Referring now to the drawing figures, the invention provides
a battery operated hair dryer 10. Hair dryer 10 includes a main
housing 20 that encloses all of the components of the hair dryer.
FIGS. 1-2 show hair dryer 10 resting in an optional storage cradle
12, that provides support to the hair dryer when it is not in use,
allowing the hair dryer to occupy a minimal amount of counter
space. In some embodiments, storage cradle 12 may also provide
power to hair dryer 10 when the hair dryer is stored in the storage
cradle.
[0030] Hair dryer 10 includes three subsystems enclosed in main
housing 20 that enable the hair dryer to function: (1) a battery
pack 16, (2) a battery management and control module 40, and (3) a
heating assembly 50. As shown in the exploded view of FIG. 3, main
housing 20 defines an enclosure that encloses all of the components
of the hair dryer 10. In general, battery pack 16 is located in a
bottom section 32 of main housing 20. In the embodiment shown, part
of battery pack 16 is also located in a middle section 42, which
also includes control switches 44 and a battery indicator 38.
Heating assembly 50 is located in a top section 52 of main housing
20. Heating assembly 50 includes at least one heating element 54,
at least one fan 56, and other components that will be described in
detail below. In the embodiment shown, battery management and
control module 40 is disposed substantially between top section 52
and middle section 42. In the embodiment shown, battery management
and control module 40 comprises a printed circuit board that
creates a physical barrier between the top section 52 and the
middle section 42. Although battery management and control module
40 creates a barrier between top section 52 and middle section 42
in the present embodiment, other means of separating the top
section and the middle section may alternatively be used without
departing from the invention. In some embodiments, it may also be
desirable to direct air through middle section 42 and bottom
section 32 to improve battery performance or for any other
purpose.
[0031] Continuing with FIG. 3, main housing 20 includes a base 22,
an outlet 25 (see FIG. 1), an outlet cover 24, a light ring 26, an
outlet grille 28, a retention ring 30, and a back cover 33. An
optional grip 34 is also shown that may be overmolded onto back
cover 33 or otherwise attached to the back cover. In the embodiment
shown, grip 34 is made of silicone, but any suitable material may
be used without departing from the invention. Grip 34 provides a
non-slippery surface that helps a user securely hold onto hair
dryer 10, particularly with wet hands. Also attached to back cover
33 is a flexible switch cover 36. In the embodiment shown, switch
cover 36 is made of a unitary piece of flexible material.
Alternative embodiments may include different switch covers or
switch configurations without departing from the invention. In the
embodiment shown, a battery indicator 38 is located below flexible
switch cover 36 (see FIG. 14). Of course, the battery indicator 38
may be located at any other suitable location without departing
from the invention. Battery indicator 38 displays the level of
charge of the battery pack 16. Battery indicator 38 may display
charge in any suitable way without departing from the invention.
For example, in some embodiments, battery indicator 38 may change
color depending on whether the battery is being charged or if the
battery charge is low. In other embodiments, battery indicator 38
may be comprised of multiple LED's that selectively illuminate
depending on the level of charge.
[0032] Turning now to FIGS. 4-5, the packaging of the internal
components of battery operated hair dryer 10 are shown. As shown,
heating assembly 50 is included inside top section 52. Control
switches 44 and part of battery pack 16 are included in middle
section 42. Battery management and control module 40 is included
between top section 52 and middle section 42. Finally, part of the
battery pack 16 is also included in bottom section 32.
[0033] FIG. 6 is a detail section view showing the positioning of
light ring 26 in relation to outlet 25 and retention ring 30. In
the embodiment shown, retention ring 30 is snap fit onto outlet 25,
but any suitable means of attachment may be used without departing
from the invention. Light ring 26 includes a plurality of light
emitting diodes (LEDs) 25 distributed around the ring. Light ring
26 may selectively illuminate while the battery operated hair dryer
is in operation or at any other desired time. In some embodiments,
the LEDs 25 may be able to produce a variety of desired colors and
may also be able to selectively flash or otherwise illuminate in
any desired configuration. In a preferred embodiment, light ring 26
may illuminate red when hair dryer 10 is in operation and is
heating air.
[0034] Turning now to FIGS. 7-11, one embodiment of a heating
assembly 50 is shown. Heating assembly 50 includes a heating
element 54, a fan 56, fan housing 58, duct 60, duct support guides
62, intake 64, and a motor 66. Heating assembly 50 is disposed
within top section 52 of main housing 20. In the embodiment shown,
heating element 54 is a resistive heating coil, but any suitable
heating element may be used without departing from the invention.
Motor 66 is a brushless three-phase motor, which is a very energy
efficient motor, has decreased vibration compared to other motors,
and the speed of the motor can be precisely modulated between
0-100% to optimize performance and energy consumption as
needed.
[0035] When air is moved through fan 56, the fan induces swirl
(also called vortices) in the air flow. The swirl does not improve
the performance of fan 56, but it consumes energy. It is desirable,
then, to de-swirl the air after it passes through fan 56 because
doing so improves the efficiency of the fan. To de-swirl the flow,
a plurality of stator vanes 57 are included in fan housing 58 and
duct 60. Stator vanes 57 direct air coming off of fan 56 and
directs it toward heating element 54. In addition to stator vanes
57, duct 60 also includes duct support guides 62, which further
prevent air from swirling through duct 60. In some embodiments it
may be desirable to only have stator vanes 57 without duct support
guides 62 or vice versa. Furthermore, alternative embodiments may
do away with both the stator vanes 57 and the duct support guides
62 without departing from the invention.
[0036] In the embodiment shown, battery management and control
module 40 is positioned between battery pack 16 and heating
assembly 50. Battery management and control module 40 includes at
least one microprocessor 46 and a storage device 48. Battery
management and control module 40 includes a battery management
system 68 (BMS) that balances the voltage between the battery cells
18 and controls the charging and discharging of battery pack 16. In
addition, BMS 68 continuously measures the voltage of each battery
cell 18. To achieve the desired balancing, BMS 68 monitors the
temperature of each battery cell 18 via a plurality of temperature
sensors 70 that are placed strategically throughout battery pack
16. The BMS 68 takes the temperature information provided by
temperature sensors 70 and, combined with the voltage measurements
from each cell, determines the condition of battery pack 16 in
terms of both state of charge and state of health. State of charge
is measured as a percentage, zero to 100%, whereas state of health
measures the amount of recoverable capacity battery pack 16 has in
comparison to its beginning of life condition. It is well known in
the art that the ability of a battery to maintain a charge degrades
over time. BMS 68 analyzes state of charge and state of health
information before deciding how much safe, allowable current can be
discharged or charged at any given time to ensure that battery pack
16 stays within its degradation limits and/or expected use
life.
[0037] If the voltage varies between battery cells 18, BMS performs
a balancing function by controlling the discharge path across any
given battery cell to bleed off extra charge. By continually
performing the aforementioned balancing function, BMS 68 ensures
that the battery cells 18 remain balanced throughout the life of
battery pack 16.
[0038] In addition to balancing battery cells 18 as described
above, BMS 68 also controls the charging and discharging of battery
pack 16 so that it is done in a controlled and safe manner.
Charging and discharging battery pack 16 and similar batteries
presents numerous safety concerns. For example, uncontrolled
charging of battery pack 16 may result in an over-voltage condition
in one or more battery cells 18 that could result in over-heating
or fire, in extreme cases. On the opposite end of the spectrum,
uncontrolled discharge of battery pack 16 is also problematic.
Uncontrolled discharge of battery pack 16 may result in an
under-voltage condition that, on its own, is not dangerous.
However, if a user were then to attempt to charge an under-voltage
battery cell 18, it could result in premature battery pack 18
degradation, over-heating, or fire. To prevent such unsafe
conditions, BMS 68 continuously monitors the voltage in battery
cells 18 and includes voltage cut-offs for both over and under
voltage conditions in battery cells 18 and battery pack 16.
[0039] In some embodiments of hair dryer 10, BMS 68 "knows" how
much energy is present in battery pack 16 and can adjust and modify
the heating and blowing profile of the hair dryer to ensure that
the hair dryer performs optimally given the amount of charge
present in the battery pack. Of course, BMS 68 may adjust the
performance of hair dryer 10 in any other desired manner without
departing from the invention.
[0040] FIGS. 12 and 13 show battery pack 16 in greater detail. In
the embodiment shown, battery pack 16 is a rechargeable lithium-ion
battery comprising eight (8) individual battery cells 18. Battery
pack 16 is electrically connected to battery management and control
module 40, which controls how electricity is drawn from battery
pack 16 as well as how the battery pack is charged. Of course,
alternative embodiments of battery pack 16 may include more or less
battery cells 18 in any suitable configuration, and may also use
any suitable battery type without departing from the invention.
[0041] Each battery cell 18 includes two terminals 19, which extend
from one end of each battery cell. In the embodiment shown, the
terminals 19 extend through terminal slots 72 in a terminal
consolidation board 74. In the embodiment shown, terminal
consolidation board 74 is a printed circuit board, but any suitable
substrate may be used without departing from the invention.
Terminals 19 are in electrical contact with terminal slots 72,
which allow for the movement of terminals 19 due to any expansion
or contraction of battery cells 18. Terminal consolidation board 74
electrically combines battery cells 18 into battery pack 16, which
minimizes the necessary connections between battery pack 16 and BMS
68. In the embodiment shown, battery pack 16 includes two terminal
consolidation boards 74, 75, which are electrically connected to
each other. In the embodiment shown, battery pack 16 is
electrically connected to BMS 68. Finally, battery pack 16 further
includes a charging port 76, into which a user may insert a
charging cable 78 to charge the battery pack as needed. Charging
port 76 may be any suitable port including, but not limited to a
USB port.
[0042] In an alternative embodiment, battery pack 16 may be capable
of wireless, or inductive charging, negating the need for charging
port 76. In yet another alternative embodiment, battery operated
hair dryer may include at least one solar cell, which would use
solar energy to charge battery pack 16. Solar charging would be
particularly advantageous if hair dryer 10 were to be used where
there is no access to a charging source, such as a campsite. In
such an alternative embodiment, it may also be possible to use
battery pack 16 to provide power for other devices, such as a
user's cell phone, in a manner similar to other supplementary
battery packs that are well known in the art.
[0043] In addition to balancing the charge of battery cells 18,
battery management and control module 40 may also optimize
performance of battery operated hair dryer 10 in a wide variety of
ways. Battery management and control module 40 has the capability
to control fan speed and heating output in any desirable way. Most
importantly, battery management and control module 40 optimizes the
performance of hair dryer 10 so that the user will be satisfied
with the hair drying performance. In one desired drying profile,
the application of heat is highest at the beginning of the drying
cycle because the hair is typically wettest at that point. As the
drying cycle continues, the heat output may reduce without
degrading performance because the hair will not be as wet and
because decreasing the temperature will avoid damaging the hair.
Additional drying profiles may be stored on storage device 48. Such
additional drying profiles may be pre-loaded onto storage device
48, may be "learned" by battery management and control module 40 by
analyzing how a user uses hair dryer 10, may be programmed by a
user, or may be created by any other desired means without
departing from the invention.
[0044] Battery management and control module 40 is a necessary
component to enable the use of batteries to power a hair dryer. As
a result, the presence of an intelligent control module opens the
possibilities to what can be done with a hair dryer. In some
embodiments of battery operated hair dryer 10, for example,
temperature sensors 80 (See FIGS. 3 and 5) may be included near
intake 64 and near outlet 25. Temperature sensors 80 would measure
ambient temperature in the room and be able to compare that data to
the temperature of the air exiting hair dryer 10. Depending on the
difference in air temperature at intake 64 and outlet 25, battery
management and control module 40 can optimize the amount of current
that passes through heating element 54, or can adjust the speed of
fan 56 as desired.
[0045] Battery operated hair dryer 10 may include additional
environmental sensors including, but not limited to, humidity
sensors, an infrared thermometer to measure hair or skin
temperature, or any other desired sensor. Furthermore, additional
components may be included in hair dryer 10 and connected to
battery management and control module 40. For example, a camera
could be included near the outlet 25, which would allow battery
management and control module 40 to analyze and learn the user's
hair type, length, etc. and automatically adjust the fan speed or
heat output to most efficiently dry the user's hair. Hair dryer 10
may also include at least one Bluetooth radio 82, wi-fi antenna 84,
or other means to connect the hair dryer to the internet or to an
internet connected device such as a smartphone or tablet computer.
Once hair dryer 10 is connected to the internet or to a smartphone,
tablet computer, or other device, the battery management and
control module 40 could control the hair dryer based on any number
of external factors. Taken to the extreme, hair dryer 10 could
optimize performance, based on time of day, location, local weather
etc. Furthermore, if the user has a connected device in their home
such as a thermostat, hair dryer 10 could obtain temperature and/or
humidity data from the thermostat to determine the optimal fan
speed and temperature to dry the user's hair.
[0046] In some embodiments of battery operated hair dryer 10, a
microphone and speaker may be included in housing 20. The
microphone and speaker may be used for any purpose including, but
not limited to producing sound to actively cancel noise produced by
hair dryer 10. To cancel noise produced by hair dryer 10, the
microphone picks up noise produced by the hair dryer. Next, battery
management and control module 40 creates a noise-cancelling wave
that is 180.degree. out of phase with the noise produced by the
hair dryer. The noise-cancelling wave effectively cancels out the
noise of hair dryer 10, greatly improving the user experience. In
addition to using the speaker to produce the noise-cancelling wave,
the speaker may also be used to play music or make any other
desired sound.
[0047] Turning now to FIGS. 15-18, an alternative embodiment of a
battery operated hair dryer 200 in accordance with the invention is
shown. Battery operated hair dryer 200 is similar in many ways to
the previously described embodiment, except battery operated hair
dryer 200 includes a heating assembly 210 that heats the air using
at least one peltier device 212 rather than a resistive heater.
Peltier devices, also known as thermoelectric generators, are well
known in the art. Peltier devices comprise an array of alternating
n- and p-type semiconductors. The array of elements is soldered
between two ceramic plates, electrically in series and thermally in
parallel. When a current passes through one or more pairs of
elements from n- to p-type, there is a decrease in temperature at
the junction (the "cold side"), resulting in absorption of heat
from the environment. That heat is carries along the elements by
electron transport and are released on the opposite ("hot") side as
the electrons move from a high to low energy state. Typical single
stage peltier devices are capable of producing temperature
differences between the hot and cold side of around 70 degrees
Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit).
[0048] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15-18, peltier devices 212
each have a hot side 214 and a cold side 216. A plurality of heat
sinks 218 are thermally connected to the peltier devices 212.
Upstream from heating assembly 210 is a motor 220 attached to a fan
221 that blows air over and through the heating assembly.
Immediately downstream from heating assembly 210, an exit duct 222
funnels heated air that has passed through heating assembly 210
toward and out outlet grille 28. Air that passes around heating
assembly 210 is cooled as it passes through heat sinks 218. The
cool air cannot exit hair dryer 200 through outlet grille 28
because it is blocked by exit duct 222. Rather, the cooled air is
directed elsewhere, and may be directed toward battery pack 16 to
aid in cooling the battery pack. Of course, alternative
configurations of peltier devices and heat sinks may be used
without departing from the invention.
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