Mounting Assembly

Abstract

According to one aspect, there is provided a mounting assembly 20 for a hair-cutting tool 10 comprising: a head 22 including a body 24 extending along an elongate axis 50 and a drive bridge 26, the head configured to receive a cutting unit, the drive bridge coupled to the cutting unit and configured for reciprocating movement relative to the body along the elongate axis; a base 30 connected to the head by a first pivot mechanism 32; and a drive unit 34 including a drive shaft 36 and a socket 38, the drive shaft including an eccentric pin 42 cooperating with the drive bridge to impart reciprocating movement to the drive bridge, the socket being configured to cooperate with a motor 14, the first pivot mechanism including a base support surface 44 on the base and a counterpart 40 coupled to the head, the counterpart including a counterpart bearing surface 46, the base bearing surface and the counterpart bearing surface configured to cooperate to enable relative rotational sliding movement of the base and head only about a fixed rotation axis 60 perpendicular to the elongate axis.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a mounting assembly for a hair cutting appliance and a hair cutting appliance.

Background Art

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a mounting assembly for a hair cutting appliance and a hair cutting appliance.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] A hair cutting appliance typically has a cutting unit and it is beneficial to make the cutting unit rotatable with respect to the handle in order to be able to follow the contour of the user's skin surface, to create an optimal contact between the user's skin and the cutting unit, and to achieve the best cutting performance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] According to a first specific aspect, a mounting assembly for a hair cutting appliance is provided, which is a head including a body and a drive bridge extending along an elongated axis, the head being configured to receive a cutting unit, the drive bridge being coupled to the cutting unit and configured to reciprocate with respect to the body along the elongated axis, a base connected to the head by a first rotation mechanism, a drive unit including a drive shaft and a socket, the drive shaft including an eccentric pin that cooperates with the drive bridge to impart reciprocating motion to the drive bridge, the socket being configured to cooperate with a motor, where the first rotation mechanism includes a base bearing surface on the base, a counterpart coupled to the head, the counterpart including a counterpart bearing surface, The base bearing surface and the counterpart bearing surface are configured to cooperate to enable relative rotational sliding motion of the base and head only around a fixed rotation axis perpendicular to the elongated shaft.

[0005] One of the base bearing surface or the counterpart bearing surface has an inner surface of a slot that has curvature around a fixed rotating shaft. The other of the base bearing surface or the counterpart bearing surface has an outer surface of a pin configured to be received within the slot.

[0006] A fixed rotation axis is intended to mean a stable rotation axis that does not move relative to the head or base. The distance between the fixed rotation axis and the contact point between the cutting unit and the skin can be a maximum of 20 mm. The elongated axis and the fixed rotation axis do not intersect. The maximum distance between either the drive bridge or socket and the fixed rotation axis can be 5 mm.

[0007] The base bearing surface may have a curvature of a first radius around the fixed axis of rotation. The counterpart bearing surface may have a curvature of a second radius around the fixed axis of rotation. The first radius may be the same as the second radius. As a result, the counterpart bearing surface contacts and cooperates with the base bearing surface to enable relative rotational sliding motion between the base and the counterpart around the axis of rotation.

[0008] The base bearing surface or the counterpart bearing surface may have a recess to reduce the contact area between the base and the counterpart. There may be at least two contact points between the counterpart bearing surface and the base bearing surface on either side of the recess.

[0009] In some cases, there may be two separate slots and two corresponding pins configured to accept each slot.

[0010] The counterpart may have a base which is part of a second pivot mechanism for pivoting the head relative to the base around a second axis of rotation parallel to the elongated axis.

[0011] The base is the first bar of the 4-bar linkage, the main body has the second bar of the 4-bar linkage, and the base and the main body are joined together by the third and fourth bars of the 4-bar linkage.

[0012] A fixed rotating shaft can be positioned between the drive bridge and the socket.

[0013] According to a second embodiment, a hair cutting device is provided, which comprises a mounting assembly according to the first embodiment, a motor configured to be coupled to a drive unit, and a handle configured to be attached to the mounting assembly.

[0014] These and other aspects will become apparent from the embodiments described below and will be explained with reference to those embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the front view of a hair cutting instrument. [Figure 2] This figure schematically shows the front view of the first exemplary mounting assembly. [Figure 3] This figure schematically shows a front view of a second exemplary mounting assembly. [Figure 4] This figure schematically shows a front view of a third exemplary mounting assembly. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] The following exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the following drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only.

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a hair cutting appliance 10 having a handle 12 for a user to hold the hair cutting appliance 10 and an attachment assembly 20 attached to the handle 12. A motor 14 is disposed within the handle 12, and a transmission shaft 16 extending from the motor 14 is coupled to the attachment assembly 20.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows a first exemplary attachment assembly 20a for attaching to the handle 12 of the hair cutting appliance 10.

[0019] The attachment assembly 20a has a head 22 including a body 24 and a drive bridge 26 extending along an elongated shaft 50. The head 22 is configured to receive a cutting unit such as a blade. The drive bridge 26 is configured to reciprocate relative to the body 24 along the elongated shaft 50. The drive bridge 26 is also coupled to the cutting unit, such that when the drive bridge reciprocates relative to the body 24, the cutting unit is also reciprocated relative to the body 24, enabling the cutting unit to cut hair.

[0020] The first exemplary attachment assembly 20a has a drive unit 34 with a drive shaft 36 and a socket 38 fixed thereto. The socket 38 is configured to cooperate with the motor 14 via the shaft 16 and impart a rotational movement to the socket 38 and the drive shaft 36. The drive shaft 36 has an eccentric pin 42 received in a channel of the drive bridge 26 to cooperate with the drive bridge 26 and impart a reciprocating movement to the drive bridge 26 by rotation of the drive shaft 36. Accordingly, the drive unit 34 is configured to transmit the rotational movement of the motor to the reciprocating movement of the drive bridge 26. The socket 38 is configured to receive the shaft 16 at various different angles and cooperate with it, such that the socket 38 can be pivotally moved relative to the motor 14 without adversely affecting the ability of the drive unit 34 to transmit the rotational movement of the motor 14 to the reciprocating movement of the drive bridge 26.

[0021] The first exemplary mounting assembly 20a has a base 30 connected to the head 22 by a first rotation mechanism 32. The base 30 is configured to couple to the handle 12.

[0022] In this example, the first rotation mechanism 32 has a base 30 and a counterpart 40 movably coupled to the head 22. The first rotation mechanism 32 is configured to enable relative movement between the head 22 and the base 30 only around a fixed rotation axis 60 perpendicular to the elongated shaft 50.

[0023] The first rotation mechanism 32 has a base bearing surface 44 on the base 30 and a counterpart bearing surface 46 on the counterpart 40. The base bearing surface 44 and the counterpart bearing surface 46 cooperate to enable relative rotational sliding movement between the base 30 and the counterpart 40 coupled to the head 22 only around the fixed rotation axis 60 (shown as entering the page of FIG. 2). The fixed rotation axis 60 is substantially perpendicular to the elongated shaft 50. In this example, the fixed rotation axis 60 is disposed between the drive bridge 26 and the socket 38 such that when the head 22 is rotated around the fixed rotation axis 60 relative to the base 30, the connection between the motor 14 and the socket 38 (in this case the shaft 16) does not inadvertently disengage from the socket 38. In this example, the fixed rotation axis 60 is on the receiving surface of the socket 38. In other examples, the fixed rotation axis is within 5 mm from the receiving surface of the socket 38. The closer the fixed rotation axis is to the socket 38, the lower the likelihood that the socket 38 will disengage from the shaft of the motor 14 when pivoting the counterpart 40 from the base 30.

[0024] In this example, the base bearing surface 44 is a concave surface with a first radius of curvature around the fixed rotation axis 60, and the counterpart bearing surface 46 is a convex surface with a second radius of curvature around the fixed rotation axis 60. In this example, the first and second radii are the same, and as a result, the convex surface of the counterpart bearing surface 46 corresponds to the concave surface of the base bearing surface 44, and the base bearing surface 44 is in sliding contact with the counterpart bearing surface 46, and as a result, this surface allows relative rotational motion only around the fixed rotation axis 60 between the base 30 and the counterpart 40.

[0025] In this example, the counterpart bearing surface 46 has a recess 62 to reduce the contact area between the base 30 and the counterpart bearing surface 40, thereby reducing the complexity of the part and decreasing the need for high-precision machining to match the surfaces. In this example, the counterpart bearing surface 46 still has two surfaces on opposite sides of the recess 62, and as a result, the recess 62 of the counterpart bearing surface 46 is positioned such that there are two contact points or contact lines between the counterpart bearing surface 46 and the base bearing surface 44 on either side of the recess 62. It should be understood that there may be one or more recesses and two or more contact points.

[0026] In some examples, the recess may be on the base bearing surface or both surfaces. In examples where both surfaces have recesses, the length of one surface must be twice the displacement of the bearing, otherwise the counterpart and base will separate (see, for example, Figure 3). In other examples, the bearing surfaces may be continuous without recesses.

[0027] In this example, the counterpart 40 is movably coupled to the head 22 by a second pivot mechanism 80, which is configured to allow relative rotational motion between the head 22 and the base 30 around a second pivot axis 70 parallel to the elongated shaft 50. In this example, the counterpart 40 has a base which is part of the second pivot mechanism 80. In this example, the base is the first bar of a four-bar linkage, the body 24 has the second bar of a four-bar linkage, and the base and body 24 are coupled by the third and fourth bars of the four-bar linkage. Thus, in this example, the second pivot axis 70 is a virtual axis which moves based on the relative positions of the four-bar linkage.

[0028] In other examples, the base and the head base may be joined by a simple pivot that allows rotational motion around a second axis of rotation 70, in which case the second axis of rotation is fixed.

[0029] In other examples, the counterpart is fixedly coupled to the head so as to be integrated with the head, and as a result the head is not movable relative to the base around a second axis of rotation parallel to the elongated axis. In other examples the head may not be movable relative to the base around a second fixed axis, but the base can be made movable relative to the handle around an axis parallel to the elongated axis, and as a result the head is still movable relative to the handle around two perpendicular axes.

[0030] Figure 3 shows a second exemplary mounting assembly 20b. The second exemplary mounting assembly 20b is similar to the first exemplary mounting assembly 20a, but differs in that it has a different first pivot mechanism 132 that further connects the head 22 and the base 30. In this example, the first pivot mechanism 132 is similar to the first pivot mechanism 32 in that it has a base 30 and a counterpart 40 having a base bearing surface 144 and a counterpart bearing surface 146, but differs in that the counterpart bearing surface 146 is located on the opposite side of the slot 136 of the counterpart 40, and the base bearing surface 144 has two projections on the base 30 (which can be considered to be both the base bearing surface 144 with a recess and the counterpart bearing surface 146 with a recess). It also differs in that it has a pin 134 which is part of the base 30 that is received in the slot 136. In other examples, the pin is part of the counterpart and the slot is part of the base. In this example, pin 134 is only loosely received in slot 136 so as not to over-restrict the system. In other words, slot 136 is made wider than pin 134, and as a result, pin 134 does not necessarily contact the inner surface of slot 136 unless the counterpart 40 and base 30 are pushed toward or separated from each other. In this case, pin 134 acts toward the inner surface of slot 136, preventing base 30 from disengaging from counterpart 40. Pin 134 and slot 136 can also be used to define the endpoint of rotation to prevent over-rotation of counterpart 40 relative to base 30. The pin can have a circular cross-section or a curved cross-section corresponding to the curvature of the slot. In other examples, the counterpart bearing surface may be the inner surface of the slot and the base bearing surface may be the outer surface of the pin.

[0031] Figure 4 shows a third exemplary mounting assembly 20c, which is similar to the second exemplary mounting assembly 20b, but differs in that the base 30 and counterpart 40 have different base bearing surfaces 244 and counterpart bearing surfaces 246, which are inverted in this example so that they are configured to rotate around different fixed pivot axes 160 located at the center of the drive bridge 26. In this example, the base bearing surface 244 has two slotted inner surfaces, and the counterpart bearing surface 246 has two corresponding pin outer surfaces, which are configured to receive into each slot. In other examples, the counterpart bearing surface has two slotted inner surfaces, and the base bearing surface has two pin outer surfaces. In yet another example, there may be only a single slot and pin, or there may be two or more slots and corresponding pins. In short, the embodiment in Figure 4 is a combination of the embodiments in Figures 2 and 3, where the pins and slots serve both as bearing surfaces and as restraints to prevent separation of the counterpart 40 and base 30. In this example, the fixed pivot axis 160 is within 5 mm of the drive bridge 26.

[0032] In this book, a fixed rotation axis is intended to mean a rotation axis that is stable and does not move relative to the head 22 or base 30. In this example, the distance between the fixed rotation axes 60, 160 and the point of contact between the cutting unit and the skin (e.g., the upper surface of the head 22 furthest from the base 30) may be at most about 20 mm. In some examples, the second rotation axis 70 and the elongated axis 50 may not intersect with the fixed rotation axes 60, 160. In other words, the fixed rotation axes 60, 160 may not coincide with a portion of the head 22 configured to receive the cutting unit.

[0033] Modifications to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art practicing the principles and techniques described herein, based on a review of the figures, disclosures, and appended claims. In the claims, the word “has” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude plurality. One processor or other unit can perform the functions of multiple items described in the claims. The mere fact that certain means are described in different dependent claims does not imply that combinations of these means cannot be used advantageously. Computer programs can be stored or distributed in suitable media such as optical storage media or solid-state media supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but they can also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless communication systems. Any reference numerals in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Mounting assembly for hair cutting device, A head comprising a body and a drive bridge extending along an elongated axis, wherein the drive bridge is coupled to a cutting unit and causes the cutting unit to reciprocate relative to the body along the elongated axis, A counterpart coupled to the head, the counterpart includes a counterpart bearing surface, A base including a base bearing surface that cooperates with the aforementioned counterpart bearing surface, A drive unit comprising a drive shaft and a socket, wherein the drive shaft includes an eccentric pin that cooperates with the drive bridge to impart reciprocating motion to the drive bridge, and the socket cooperates with a motor, the drive unit having The base bearing surface and the counterpart bearing surface cooperate to enable relative rotational sliding motion of the base and the head only around a fixed rotation axis perpendicular to the elongated shaft. A mounting assembly in which either the base bearing surface or the counterpart bearing surface includes the inner surface of a slot having curvature around the fixed rotating shaft, and the other of the base bearing surface or the counterpart bearing surface includes the outer surface of a pin that is received in the slot.

2. The base bearing surface has a curvature of a first radius around the fixed rotating shaft, The aforementioned counterpart bearing surface has a curvature of a second radius around the fixed rotating shaft. The mounting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first radius is the same as the second radius, and the counterpart bearing surface contacts and cooperates with the base bearing surface to enable relative rotational sliding motion between the base and the counterpart around the fixed rotation axis.

3. The mounting assembly according to claim 2, wherein the base bearing surface or the counterpart bearing surface has a recess for reducing the contact area between the base and the counterpart.

4. The mounting assembly according to claim 3, wherein on either side of the recess, there are at least two contact points between the counterpart bearing surface and the base bearing surface.

5. The mounting assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising two separate slots and two corresponding pins that are received in the separate slots.

6. The mounting assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the counterpart has a base for pivoting the head relative to the base about a second axis of rotation parallel to the elongated axis.

7. The mounting assembly according to claim 6, wherein the base is a first bar of a four-bar linkage, the body has a second bar of a four-bar linkage, and the base and the body are joined by a third bar and a fourth bar of a four-bar linkage.

8. The mounting assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fixed rotating shaft is located between the drive bridge and the socket.

9. A hair cutting instrument, A mounting assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A motor coupled to the drive unit, A hair cutting device having a handle attached to the aforementioned mounting assembly.

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