IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,721,414
Granted Patent B2
US 12,721,414 · App. 18/259,745 · Granted Sep 1, 2026

Hair care device, and hair care system

Inventors: Aya Ishihara (Osaka, JP); Miei Kinoshita (Shiga, JP); Hiroyuki Inoue (Shiga, JP); Yuki Chikazawa (Nara, JP)
Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
A45D20/12A45D44/005A45D2044/007
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,721,414
App. No.
18/259,745
Granted
Sep 1, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Controller of a hair dryer as a hair care device includes hair characteristic recognition unit, table generation unit, and application amount calculation unit. Hair characteristic recognition unit classifies a user's hair characteristics based on a hair measurement value or a hair image. Table generation unit sets a component amount of a component generated by component generation unit for each hair characteristic. Application amount calculation unit adjusts the component amount for each user based on the hair characteristics of whole hair classified by hair characteristic recognition unit and the component amount set by table generation unit. Alternatively, application amount calculation unit calculates a component application amount given by component generation unit or a heat application amount given by heat application unit for each part based on the hair characteristics for each part of the hair classified by hair characteristic recognition unit and the component amount set by table generation unit.

Claims (64)

1 . A hair care device comprising:

a heat application unit that applies heat to hair of a user;

a component generation unit that generates a component acting on the hair;

a measurement unit that measures or photographs the hair; and

a controller that controls operations of the heat application unit and the component generation unit based on a hair measurement value or a hair image obtained from the measurement unit,

wherein

the controller includes

a hair characteristic recognition unit that classifies hair characteristics of the user based on the hair measurement value or the hair image;

a table generation unit that sets a component amount of the component generated by the component generation unit for each of the hair characteristics classified by the hair characteristic recognition unit; and

an application amount calculation unit that adjusts the component amount for each user based on the hair characteristics of whole hair classified by the hair characteristic recognition unit and the component amount set by the table generation unit, or calculates a component application amount given by the component generation unit or a heat application amount given by the heat application unit for each part based on the hair characteristics for each part of the hair classified by the hair characteristic recognition unit and the component amount set by the table generation unit.

2 . The hair care device according to claim 1 , wherein the hair characteristics are at least one of a hairstyle of the user, a length of the hair, a volume of the hair, and hair quality related to a thickness or gloss of the hair.

3 . The hair care device according to claim 1 , comprising a display that displays at least a divided image divided into at least two in a front-back direction, a left-right direction, or an up-down direction of the hair,

wherein the controller changes the component amount to an amount desired by the user based on a divided portion selected by the user in the divided image on the display.

4 . The hair care device according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller includes a wetting calculation unit that calculates wetting information on wetting of the hair based on the hair measurement value or the hair image, and

in a case where the wetting calculation unit determines that the user has not washed hair or the hair is not wet, the controller causes the hair characteristic recognition unit to execute a classification of the hair characteristics, while in a case where the wetting calculation unit determines that the hair is wet, the controller causes the table generation unit to set the component amount based on the hair characteristics classified by the hair characteristic recognition unit up to a previous time.

5 . The hair care device according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller includes a drying estimation calculation unit that estimates a degree of dryness of the hair based on the hair measurement value or the hair image, and

the application amount calculation unit further adjusts the component amount based on the degree of dryness estimated by the drying estimation calculation unit.

6 . The hair care device according to claim 5 , wherein

the measurement unit includes a wetting detection sensor having at least an absorption wavelength of water as the hair measurement value,

the wetting calculation unit calculates absorbance from the hair measurement value detected by the wetting detection sensor, and

the drying estimation calculation unit estimates the degree of dryness based on a change in the absorbance calculated by the wetting calculation unit.

7 . The hair care device according to claim 6 , wherein

the measurement unit includes an illumination unit that emits light having at least the absorption wavelength of water,

the wetting detection sensor is a photodiode, and

the drying estimation calculation unit estimates the degree of dryness by equalizing a degree of reflection of the light from the illumination unit in accordance with a bent shape of a head of the user.

8 . The hair care device according to claim 5 , wherein

in a case where the drying estimation calculation unit determines that the degree of dryness is at an atmosphere level,

the controller performs at least one of operations of causing the heat application unit not to apply heat, causing the component generation unit to stop applying the component, and causing the component generation unit not to count application time even when the component generation unit applies the component.

9 . The hair care device according to claim 5 , wherein

in a case where the drying estimation calculation unit determines that the degree of dryness is at a skin level of the user,

the controller performs at least one of operations of causing the heat application unit not to apply heat, and causing the component generation unit to apply the component effective for the skin of the user.

10 . The hair care device according to claim 5 , wherein

the measurement unit includes a photographing unit that uses a two-dimensional image as the hair image, and

the drying estimation calculation unit estimates the degree of dryness for each drying time by machine learning based on teacher data of the two-dimensional image photographed by the photographing unit for each drying time.

11 . The hair care device according to claim 10 , wherein the drying estimation calculation unit estimates the degree of dryness for each part of the hair.

12 . The hair care device according to claim 1 , comprising a transmitting and receiving unit that perform transmission and reception with a terminal communication unit provided in a portable terminal device as an external communication device,

wherein

when at least a divided image divided into at least two in a front-back direction, a left-right direction, or an up-down direction of the hair is displayed on a terminal display unit provided in the portable terminal device,

the transmitting and receiving unit receives, from the terminal communication unit, information on a divided portion selected by the user in the divided image on the terminal display unit, and

the controller changes the component amount to an amount desired by the user based on the information on the divided portion received by the transmitting and receiving unit from the terminal communication unit.

13 . A hair care system comprising:

the hair care device according to claim 1 ; and

a portable terminal device,

wherein

the hair care device includes a transmitting and receiving unit, and

the portable terminal device includes a terminal communication unit that performs transmission and reception with the transmitting and receiving unit.

14 . A hair care device comprising:

a hairstyle discrimination unit that discriminates a hairstyle of a user;

a hairstyle recognition unit that classifies the hairstyle of the user from hairstyle discrimination data discriminated by the hairstyle discrimination unit;

an agent component amount determination unit that determines a component amount of an agent acting on hair of the user according to a length of the hair, a volume of the hair, or a degree of curly of the hair for each of the hairstyle recognized by the hairstyle recognition unit; and

an agent spraying unit that sprays the agent to the hair of the user with the component amount of the agent determined by the agent component amount determination unit.

15 . The hair care device according to claim 14 , wherein the hairstyle discrimination unit includes an imaging unit that photographs the hairstyle of the user.

16 . The hair care device according to claim 14 , wherein the hairstyle discrimination unit includes a living body sensing function unit that senses living body information.

17 . The hair care device according to claim 14 , wherein the agent spraying unit includes a heat application unit that adjusts a shape of the hair.

18 . The hair care device according to claim 14 , wherein the agent spraying unit has a brush-like portion that adjusts a shape of the hair.

19 . The hair care device according to claim 14 , wherein the hairstyle discrimination unit includes a hairstyle state display unit that displays a state of the hair.

20 . The hair care device according to claim 19 , wherein the hairstyle state display unit includes a hair state division display unit capable of dividing and displaying a state of the hair.

21 . The hair care device according to claim 20 , wherein the agent component amount determination unit includes an agent component amount changing unit that changes the component amount of the agent to a desired amount for each divided display on the hair state division display unit.

22 . The hair care device according to claim 16 , wherein the living body sensing function unit of the hairstyle discrimination unit includes a hair wetting state detection unit that detects a wetting state of the hair of the user.

23 . The hair care device according to claim 22 , wherein the hair wetting state detection unit estimates a degree of dryness by machine learning.

24 . The hair care device according to claim 22 , wherein the agent component amount determination unit determines the component amount of the agent acting on the hair according to the wetting state of the hair of the user detected by the hair wetting state detection unit.

25 . The hair care device according to claim 22 , wherein the hairstyle discrimination unit includes a hair measurement timing determination unit that determines a measurement timing of the hair according to the wetting state of the hair of the user detected by the hair wetting state detection unit.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 6, 2023
From: ISHIHARA, AYA; KINOSHITA, MIEI; INOUE, HIROYUKI; CHIKAZAWA, YUKI
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 065787/0029 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-017484 · Feb 5, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240398087A1 · Dec 5, 2024
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