Patent Application
20130081278
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to hair removers and, more particularly, to a hair remover which cuts body hair by means of driving a blade.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been a hair remover comprising a comb-shaped fixed blade and a comb-shaped movable blade. This kind of hair remover mainly comprises a head unit having the fixed blade and the movable blade, and a main unit provided in one end of its gripper with an extension portion. The head unit is located in the tip of the extension portion. Then, the head unit in the hair remover contacts with a biological surface on which body hair is sprouted, and the body hair is introduced between the fixed and movable blades. Then, the introduced body hair is sheared (cut off) with the fixed and movable blades, and thereby the body hair on the biological surface is removed. As such a hair remover, for instance, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-369979 discloses that comb-shaped fixed and movable blades are arranged in parallel with an extension direction of the extension portion, and then Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-229263 discloses that comb-shaped fixed and movable blades are arranged in a direction perpendicular to an extension direction of the extension portion.
Incidentally, in this kind of hair remover, when cutting off body hair, the head unit (the fixed and movable blades) contacts with the biological surface in a direction perpendicular to a sprouting direction of the body hair, and then is moved along the sprouting direction, and thereby the body hair is introduced between these blades more easily.
However, the conventional hair removers described in the above documents and the like can remove body hair only in one or the other of a position where a direction of the head unit is in parallel with the extension direction and a position where the direction of the head unit is perpendicular to the extension direction. That is, when body hair is removed by the conventional hair removers, a hair removing direction in which the head unit is moved with respect to the biological surface is always unchanged with respect to the main unit. For this reason, when removing hair growing on an area having irregularities around, such as a biological surface of a base of arm or leg, the main unit or hand grasping the main unit interferes in the irregularities, and thereby the body hair is not easily introduced between the fixed and movable blades, and there is a possibility that hair growing on such an area is insufficiently shaved.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a hair remover, which can reduce the possibility that body hair is insufficiently shaved due to the interference in a body associated with a position limitation of a head unit, and can improve the shaving performance.
A hair remover of the present invention comprises a main unit having a gripper, a head unit having a blade for removing hair, and a drive unit for driving said blade. The hair remover further comprises a rotating mechanical section and a swinging mechanical section. Then, said rotating mechanical section has a turn plate which is configured to rotate with respect to said main unit, and said main unit supports rotatably said head unit through said turn plate. Then, said swinging mechanical section is configured to swing said head unit with respect to said turn plate.
In such a configuration, the hair remover can remove body hair, in a position where it is not easy to interfere in a body, by means of changing a direction of said head unit (a cutting width) with respect to said main unit. Therefore, the hair remover can reduce the possibility that body hair is insufficiently shaved, and can improve the convenience. Furthermore, the swing of said head unit makes it easier for said blade to come close to a biological surface, and thereby the hair remover can improve the shaving performance.
In the hair remover, preferably, said swinging mechanical section is configured to swing around not a shaft center really existing as a member but an imaginary shaft center.
In the hair remover, preferably, the shaft center of the swing of said swinging mechanical section is located on a tip of said blade.
In the hair remover, preferably, said swinging mechanical section comprises an elastic body. Then, said elastic body provides elastic force to the swing, when said head unit is swinging, and then said elastic body holds said head unit in a predetermined position, when said head unit is not swinging.
In the hair remover, preferably, when a direction in said head unit along a hair removing direction of said blade is defined as a first direction of said head unit and a direction in said head unit perpendicular to the first direction is defined as a second direction of said head unit, said swinging mechanical section is configured to swing said head unit in a direction, being perpendicular to the second direction and intersecting with a straight line that passes through the rotation center of said turn plate. Then, said head unit is provided in its casing with a skin contact surface for contacting with a biological surface. The skin contact surface in said casing is located behind the shaft center of the swing of said head unit with respect to the first direction.
Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described in further details. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings where:
Each embodiment of the present invention will be explained below referring to Figures.
As shown in
As shown in
Furthermore, as shown in
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As shown in
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As shown in
Then, shaft member 32 is inserted to a center of the circle in face gear 31 so that axes thereof almost correspond with each other, and thereby face gear 31 can rotate around the axis of shaft member 32. Therefore, face gear 31 has a rotation center that is almost perpendicular to transmission shaft 26 and rotation shaft 22 of motor 21.
Then, as shown in
As described above, drive unit 20 converts the rotation driving force of motor 21 into a force of a perpendicular direction, through output member 30 of drive transmission unit 23, and decenters to output the force into head unit 47. Then, because drive unit 20 comprises gear block 25, the driving force from motor 21 is transferred to head unit 47 at some distance (see an imaginary straight line L2 in the figure) from an imaginary straight line L1 that passes through rotation shaft 22 along the extension direction Ax, toward the outside along a radial direction of rotation shaft 22, as shown in
For this reason, in the extension direction Ax, extension portion 15 of the hair remover is located at some distance from imaginary straight line L1 that passes through rotation shaft 22, toward the outside along said radial direction. Here, as shown in
Then, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Then, as shown in
Then, each supporting platform 41 mainly comprises: a base portion 42 that projects from the second plate face and is formed into a rectangular shape when viewed from the plate face direction Z; and an inclined plate 43 that is integrally provided in a tip of base portion 42 and is formed into a rectangular shape when viewed from the plate face direction Z. In the longitudinal direction X, inclined plate 43 has a longer size than base portion 42. The side surfaces of inclined plate 43 and base portion 42, facing the width direction Y and located near output hole 40, are flush with each other in the plate face direction Z. Meanwhile, in the opposite side surfaces, inclined plate 43 projects in the width direction Y more than base portion 42.
Then, inclined plate 43 is formed into an arc shape so as to sag in the side of the second plate face when viewed from the longitudinal direction X. As shown in
In this way, a projecting tip of each supporting platform 41 has an inclined surface that is inclined so that the side of the first long side 38a is distant from the second plate face of turn plate 38. Then, two supporting platforms 41, 41 swingably support head unit 47 along the inclined surfaces (the arc) of inclined plates 43, 43. Head unit 47 has a shaft center S2 of the swing that corresponds with the center S1 of the arc in inclined plate 43 and extends along the longitudinal direction X. However, the shaft center S2 is not a shaft center really existing as a member but an imaginary shaft center, and a shaft member for the shaft center S2 is not located. Then, the shaft center S2 of the swing passes through the rotation center of face gear 31 (the center of output hole 40) when viewed from the plate face direction Z.
Then, as shown in
Here, in the following explanation, a direction in head unit 47 along a hair removing direction of blade 56, in which blade 56 removes hair, is defined as a first direction (that is, a width direction of head unit 47 in the present embodiment) of head unit 47, and a direction in head unit 47 perpendicular to the first direction is defined as a second direction (that is, a longitudinal direction of head unit 47 in the present embodiment) of head unit 47.
As shown in
Driving guides 49, 49 limit the driving direction so that driving piece 50 reciprocates in a straight line along the longitudinal direction X that passes through the rotation center of face gear 31. Therefore, when receiving the driving force (eccentric rotation) of drive unit 20 from eccentric section 31b, driving piece 50 reciprocates along the longitudinal direction X.
As shown in
As shown in
In the longitudinal direction X, holder member 52 has a longer size than turn plate 38, and holder cover 48 is attached to holder member 52. Holder member 52 is placed on inclined plates 43, 43 so that its one plate face contacts with inclined plates 43, 43, and is configured to swing along the inclined surfaces of inclined plates 43, 43. In addition, as shown in
Then, as shown in
That is, as shown in
In addition, as shown in
For this reason, as shown in
As shown in
Fixed blade 57 is fixed to holder member 52. Then, the shaft center S2 of the swing of head unit 47 is positioned on a straight line (a straight line along the tip of the blade) in which a plurality of sinking combs 57a in fixed blade 57 are arranged. For this reason, in regard to a tip of fixed blade 57, the amount projecting from turn plate 38 in the plate face direction Z and the position in the width direction Y are not almost changed, when head unit 47 swings.
Movable blade 58 is located along fixed blade 57 so as to override fixed blade 57, and is elastically biased to the side of fixed blade 57 through force spring 59. Then, movable blade 58 receives the driving force from driving piece 50, and reciprocates with respect to fixed blade 57 along the longitudinal direction X in association with the reciprocating of driving piece 50.
In this way, blade 56 is configured to shear body hair while inserting the hair between sinking combs 57a in fixed blade 57 and sinking combs 58a in movable blade 58 reciprocating, and is so-called a trimmer blade. Then, because sinking comb 56a (57a, 58a) is arranged in the longitudinal direction X, the hair remover has a cutting width along the longitudinal direction X (the second direction of head unit 47), in a region for shearing the hair.
Furthermore, head unit 47 is configured to introduce hair into blade 56 and to shear the hair, by means of moving in a direction from second long side 38b to first long side 38a along the width direction Y in a state where a tip of its blade contacts with a biological surface. Hereinafter, the direction from second long side 38b to first long side 38a along the width direction Y will be described as a hair removing direction RE (corresponding with the first direction of head unit 47), and the side of the first long side 38a will be described as a front, and the side of the second long side 38b will be described as a rearward. That is, for instance, in the hair removing direction RE, blade 56 is provided in its front with the tip of the blade, and then elastic body 55 (urging spring 55a) is biased rearward.
As shown in
Blade cover section 62 is formed in the side of first long side 38a with a recess sagging in the width direction Y (that is, sagging rearward in the hair removing direction RE). The recess is formed so as to have a larger size than the cutting width in the longitudinal direction. Then, opening 63 through which the tip of blade 56 is exposed is located between this recess and holder member 52 in the width direction Y, and introduces body hair into sinking comb 56a of blade 56. Then, because sinking comb 56a of blade 56 (the tip) is exposed through opening 63, the shaft center S2 is located within opening 63 when viewed from the plate face direction Z.
Then, blade cover section 62 is provided with a flat outer surface 62a along the longitudinal direction X. This outer surface 62a functions as a skin contact surface for contacting with a biological surface when body hair is removed. Then, the skin contact surface is located in the side of second long side 38b with respect to opening 63 (that is, is located rearward in the hair removing direction RE), and then is located behind the shaft center S2 of the swing and the center of output hole 40 (the rotation center of face gear 31), with respect to the hair removing direction RE (the first direction of head unit 47).
Incidentally, in regard to the casing of head unit 47, half of its total length in the longitudinal direction X (a length of head unit 47 in the second direction) is shorter than a distance from the rotation center of face gear 31 to one end of small diameter section 11. Therefore, head unit 47 does not interfere with small diameter section 11 when rotating. Then, as shown in
Then, as shown in
Hereinafter, a state where the second direction of head unit 47 is almost parallel to the extension direction Ax, that is, a position where the hair remover has an I-shaped appearance when viewed from the plate face direction Z, will be described as a first position. Then, a state where the second direction of head unit 47 is almost perpendicular to the extension direction Ax of main unit 1, that is, a position where the hair remover has a T-shaped appearance when viewed from the plate face direction Z, will be described as a second position. These first and second positions are defined as one standard of a position of the hair remover.
Then, as shown in
For this reason, as shown in
Then, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
A projecting tip of stop piece 69a is formed into a rectangular shape so as to fit in recess 67. A rotating operation of rotating part 36 is controlled through fitting in recess 67, and thereby the stopping position of head unit 47 (the direction of head unit 47) is controlled. Then, when handle member 69 is slid to the side of small diameter section 11 through operating of the operation piece 69b and the tip of stop piece 69a is separated from the recess 67, the rotating operation is released from the control.
In addition, when stop piece 69a fits in one of first recesses 67a, 67a, head unit 47 is held in the first position where cap 6 can be attached. Also, when stop piece 69a fits in the other of first recesses 67a. 67a, head unit 47 is held in the first position. However, at this time, front and back of the hair removing direction RE (a direction of the tip of the blade) switch positions with each other. Then, when stop piece 69a fits in second recess 67b, head unit 47 is held in the second position, and gripper 10 is located in the front side of the hair removing direction RE.
As described above, in the hair remover of the present embodiment, when head unit 47 is rotated in a circumferential direction of rotating part 36 through rotating mechanical section 35, the second direction of head unit 47 can be changed with respect to the extension direction Ax, as shown in
For this reason, the hair removing direction RE (a direction of the tip of the blade) can be changed with respect to main unit 1, and the hair remover can transfer the driving force of drive unit 20 to head unit 47 and can perform the removing motion, regardless of the stopping position of head unit 47. Therefore, when removing body hair growing on an area having irregularities around, such as a biological surface of a base of arm or leg, the hair remover can switch (change) to a position where main unit 1 (gripper 10) or hand grasping main unit 1 hardly interferes in the irregularities, and can performs the removing motion. Then, because the hair remover performs the removing motion in the position where main unit 1 or the like hardly interferes in the irregularities, the hair remover can reduce the possibility that body hair is insufficiently shaved due to the interference, and can improve the convenience.
Then, the rotation center of rotating mechanical section 35 and the rotation center of output member 30 are configured to almost correspond with each other, and thereby the hair remover is configured so that a relative position of turn plate 38 (the rotation center of rotating mechanical section 35) and output member 30 (the rotation center of face gear 31) do not change upon rotation of head unit 47. Therefore, even if head unit 47 is stopping in any position, basic characteristic of the driving force transferred to head unit 47, such as an amplitude of driving piece 50, a rotating speed of eccentric section 31b or the like, do not change, and then, movable blade 58 can be driven stably in the same condition.
Then, rotating mechanical section 35 has turn plate 38 that supports head unit 47, and thereby the swinging mechanical section configured to swing head unit 47 with respect to turn plate 38 can be provided between head unit 47 and turn plate 38, and furthermore can be located so as to hardly interfere in rotating mechanical section 35. Therefore, the swing of head unit 47 makes it easier for blade 56 to come close to a biological surface, and head unit 47 contacts with the biological surface more smoothly, and then hair can be introduced into blade 56 more easily.
Then, because the swinging mechanical section is configured to swing around an imaginary shaft center S2, there is no need to have a shaft center really existing as a member. Therefore, the hair remover can avoid, more easily, the possibility that a size of head unit 47 becomes larger so that such a member does not interfere in the other configuration members in head unit 47. Furthermore, the hair remover can easily have a larger swingable radius, compared with a hair remover having such a member.
In addition, shaft center S2 is located along the tip of fixed blade 57. Therefore, when the head unit 47 is swinging, the tip does not move. Then, a distance (a length of an introduced hair) from the biological surface to the tip of the blade hardly changes. For this reason, the shaving performance, such as a cutting height influenced by a distance to the tip of the blade, hardly changes through the swing, and thus the hair remover having the stable shaving performance can be provided easily.
Furthermore, the skin contact surface is provided behind the tip of blade 56 with respect to the hair removing direction RE (the first direction of head unit 47). As a result, when the skin contact surface is pressed against the biological surface upon removing hair, head unit 47 swings and easily follows the skin. This makes it easier for blade 56 to come close to the skin, and then hair can be cut in a location near the biological surface, and thus the hair remover improving the shaving performance can be provided easily.
Then, because gear block 25 transferring the driving force from rotation shaft 22 to output member 30 is located at some distance from rotation shaft 22, toward the outside along a radial direction, output member 30 can be located on an extended line of rotation shaft 22, and then the hair remover can reduce the amount projecting to the outside along a radial direction of output member 30.
For this reason, the hair remover can easily reduce the amounts of head unit 47 and drive transmission unit 23 projecting to the outside along a radial direction with respect to main unit 1, and, in the first position, can be easily configured so that head unit 47 and drive transmission unit 23 hardly project beyond small diameter section 11 to the outside along the radial direction. Then, this configuration causes the hair remover to have a compact configuration (that is, to be downsized). As a result, the hair remover can easily improve the convenience upon removing hair, and can easily prevent from increasing in the size of cap 6. Furthermore, the prevention of cap 6 causes the hair remover to have a compact configuration, in a state where cap 6 has attached (that is, in a non-use state, such as a time when the hair remover is carried). Therefore, the hair remover can easily improve the convenience in the time when the hair remover is carried.
Then, extension portion 15 is placed at some distance from rotation shaft 22, toward the outside along the radial direction, and recess 17 is provided in the rotation position of head unit 47. Therefore, in the hair remover, a dead space hardly generates and the amount of head unit 47 projecting can be easily reduced, compared with a hair remover that has extension portion 15 provided on an extended line of rotation shaft 22. For this reason, the hair remover can be easily configured so that, in the first position, head unit 47 and extension portion 15 hardly project beyond small diameter section 11 to the outside along a radial direction, and then can easily have a compact configuration.
In addition, when viewed from the extension direction Ax, head unit 47, extension portion 15 and drive transmission unit 23 do not project beyond small diameter section 11 to the outside along a radial direction in the first position. Therefore, an inner diameter of cap 6 can be set so as to be almost equal to an outer diameter of small diameter section 11. For this reason, the diameter of cap 6 is hardly influenced by the amount of head unit 47 projecting from extension portion 15 and the amount of extension portion 15 projecting, and then the hair remover can easily prevent from increasing in the size of cap 6 and can easily have a compact configuration.
Then, because the rotating mechanical section 35 also functions as the variability mechanical section, the total length of the hair remover in the extension direction Ax can be changed through switching from the first position to the second position or the like in accordance with an area or its shape of a biological surface in which the hair removing is desired. Therefore, when removing hair, the hair remover or hand grasping it hardly interferes in the irregularities, through switching (changing) the total length. Then, the hair remover can reduce the possibility that body hair is insufficiently shaved due to the interference.
A hair remover of the present embodiment also comprises a rotating mechanical section 35 and a swinging mechanical section. However, the hair remover of the present embodiment is different from that of Embodiment 1 in the configuration of drive unit 20.
More specifically, as shown in
As described above, in the hair remover of the present embodiment, transmission of the driving force through engagement of gear members is performed only in one location within drive unit 20. Therefore, drive unit 20 can have a simple configuration, and such a configuration can reduce loss of the driving force caused by engagement of gears or the like within drive transmission unit 23.
In addition, although the present invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, numerous modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of this invention, namely claims. For instance, base portion 42 may be formed so as to have the same width as inclined plate 43, and a second groove portion may be provided between those in the plate face direction Z, and holder piece 53 may be inserted into the second groove portion, and thereby holder 51 may be retained in turn plate 38. Further, for instance, the hair remover may comprise a cord or the like for connecting to a commercial power source, instead of having an electric source built in. Then, in the configuration of Embodiment 1, gear block 25 may comprise a plurality of spur gears. Then, the swinging mechanical section may be configured so as to swing head unit 47 in a direction, being perpendicular to the hair removing direction RE (the first direction of head unit 47) and intersecting with a straight line that passes through the rotation center of the rotating mechanical section 35. In this case, for instance, inclined plate 43 is configured so as to project along the hair removing direction RE with respect to base portion 42 and so as to incline in a direction, being perpendicular to the hair removing direction RE and intersecting with a straight line that passes through the rotation center.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-217344 | Sep 2011 | JP | national |
