Electric shaver

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an electric shaver that detects a root and a tip of a body hair and notifies the user of the same. An electric shaver (100) based on the present disclosure is provided with a grip portion, a head portion having a shaving portion, a first camera (131) that captures an image of a vicinity of a skin that the shaving portion abuts against, an image processing device (150) that processes the image captured by the first camera (131), and a notification device (140) that notifies the user of a processing result of the image processing device. The image processing device (150) is provided with a characteristic information generation portion (151) that generates direction information indicating a direction from one of a root and a tip of a body hair to the other based on a difference in a characteristic between the tip and the root of the body hair, a shaving information generation portion (152) that generates shaving information indicating a direction in which the shaving portion is to act based on the direction information, and a result notification portion (153) that controls the notification device (140) to notify the user of the shaving information.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric shaver that performs epilation of body hair such as beard. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the past, a shaving guidance system has been proposed that includes an imaging device that records an image of a body part of a user, calculates a local hair growth direction based on the captured image, and indicates to the user a direction and a part on the body where the shaving device should be moved in accordance with the calculated hair growth direction (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT LITERATURE

[0005] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-534806 SUMMARY

[0006] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0007] However, the conventional technology detects the direction of body hair using the actual image of the body hair and the shadow that appears on the skin, but in a case where the shadow does not appear on the skin due to insufficient light amount of the irradiation light, the density of the body hair, or the like, the direction of the body hair cannot be detected.

[0008] The present disclosure was achieved in view of the above-described problems, and aims to provide an electric shaver that can appropriately detect the direction of body hair growing from the skin and notify the user of the shaving guidance (i.e., the appropriate shaving direction).

[0009] SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

[0010] To achieve the above-described object, an electric shaver of one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a grip portion to be held by a user and a head portion having a shaving portion that cuts body hair, the head portion being connected to one end of the grip portion, the electric shaver including a first imaging device that captures an image of a vicinity of skin abutted by the shaving portion, an image processing device that processes the image captured by the first imaging device, and a notification device that notifies a result of processing by the image processing device to the user, wherein the image processing device includes a property information generation portion that generates direction information indicating a direction from one of a root and a tip of a body hair to the other based on a difference in feature between the root and the tip of the body hair in the acquired image, a shaving information generation portion that generates shaving information indicating a direction in which the shaving portion is to act based on the direction information, and a result notification portion that controls the notification device to notify the shaving information to the user.

[0011] Effects of the Invention

[0012] The electric shaver of the present disclosure can inform a user of an appropriate shaving direction and can exhibit the performance of the electric shaver. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an electric shaver according to Embodiment 1.

[0014] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a head of the electric shaver according to Embodiment 1.

[0015] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an image processing device according to Embodiment 1.

[0016] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing a pre-processing operation of a trait information generation section according to Embodiment 1.

[0017] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of image processing in each step in Figure 4

[0018] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an operation in which the trait information generation section generates direction information according to Embodiment 1.

[0019] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of image processing in each step in Figure 6

[0020] Figure 8 is a perspective view showing an electric shaver according to Embodiment 2.

[0021] Figure 9 is a perspective view showing a head of the electric shaver according to Embodiment 2.

[0022] Figure 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the notification device projects shaving information to the skin according to Embodiment 2.

[0023] Figure 11 is a block diagram showing an example of an image processing device according to Embodiment 2.

[0024] Figure 12 is a block diagram showing another example of an image processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] ​​Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electric shaver according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Further, the following embodiment is cited for the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. For example, the shape, configuration, material, constituent element, relative positional relationship, connection state, numerical value, numerical expression, content of each stage in the method, order of each stage, and the like shown in the following embodiment are one example and sometimes include contents not described below. In addition, geometric expressions such as parallel, orthogonal, and the like are used, but these expressions do not indicate mathematical rigor and include substantially allowable errors, deviations, and the like. In addition, expressions such as simultaneously, the same, and the like also include a substantially allowable range.

[0026] In addition, the drawings are schematic views in which appropriate emphasis, omission, or scaling is made for the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, and the actual shape, positional relationship, and scale are different.

[0027] In addition, hereinafter, a plurality of technical ideas are sometimes collectively described as one embodiment. In addition, a part of the contents described below is described as an arbitrary constituent element related to the present disclosure.

[0028] (Embodiment 1)

[0029] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an electric shaver 100 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a head 120 of the electric shaver 100 according to Embodiment 1. Further, in the electric shaver 100, an edge is subjected to a round surface treatment, and there are portions provided with concave-convex portions for preventing slipping and the like, but the illustration thereof is omitted.

[0030] The electric shaver 100 is a device that cuts and removes body hair such as beard using an electric blade and has a grip portion 110, a head 120, a first camera 131, a notification device 140, and an image processing device 150 (not illustrated in FIG. 1). Figure 1

[0031] The grip portion 110 is a portion to be held by a user when the user uses the electric shaver 100. In the case of the present Embodiment 1, the grip portion 110 functions as a housing that accommodates the image processing device 150, a battery, and a control device for controlling driving of a blade for shaving and the like. A power switch 111 and the like for turning the power on / off are provided on the outer surface of the grip portion 110.

[0032] ​The head 120 is a member having a shaving section 121 provided with a blade for cutting off body hair, and is connected to one end of the grip section 110. In the present embodiment, the head 120 is connected to the grip section 110 in a manner that enables relative movement with respect to the grip section 110. The direction of movement of the head 120 is not particularly limited, but the head 120 can oscillate in a circumferential direction around each of the front-rear direction (X-axis direction in the drawing), the width direction Y (Y-axis direction in the drawing), and the up-down direction (Z-axis direction in the drawing) as the center.

[0033] The shaving section 121 has a plurality of (four in the case of the present embodiment 1) first outer blades 122 in the form of a semicircular cylinder extending in the width direction and having a grid-shaped through-hole in the front-rear direction, and has a second outer blade 123 having a slit-shaped through-hole arranged between the first outer blades 122. The first outer blades 122 and the second outer blade 123 are mounted to a head frame 124, and the shaving section 121 can be attached to and detached from the head base 125.

[0034] A first inner blade (not shown) corresponding to the first outer blades 122, and a second inner blade (not shown) corresponding to the second outer blade 123 are arranged inside the head 120, and an inner blade drive device for reciprocating each of the first inner blade and the second inner blade in the width direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing) is provided. The first inner blade and the second inner blade are vibrated by the inner blade drive device, whereby body hair inserted into the through-holes of the first outer blades 122 and the second outer blade 123 is cut off between the vibrating first inner blade and the second inner blade.

[0035] The first imaging device 131 is a device that images the vicinity of the skin abutting against the shaving section 121. In the case of the present embodiment 1, the first imaging device 131 has an angle of view that can image the skin corresponding to the entire length of the first outer blade 122 and the second outer blade 123 as outer blades in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction in the drawing) and the length of the skin corresponding to the entire width of the first outer blade 122 in the width direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing) at once in a state in which the shaving section 121 abuts against the skin. Thus, the state of the body hair immediately before shaving, the skin immediately after shaving, and the like can be accurately imaged.

[0036] The type of the first imaging device 131 is not particularly limited, and for example, a so-called digital camera having an optical system including a lens or the like and an imaging element that converts an image formed by the optical system into an electric signal can be exemplified.

[0037] In this embodiment 1, the first camera device 131 is fixed to the head base 125 of the head 120. The first camera device 131 operates simultaneously with the movement of the head 120 relative to the holding part 110. Therefore, during shaving by the electric razor 100, the distance between the skin and the first camera device 131 can be stabilized, enabling the capture of clearer images. Specifically, as... Figure 2 As shown, the first camera device 131 is mounted on a substrate 133 that protrudes forward from the front side (X-side in the figure) of the head base 125. Therefore, the first camera device 131 will not obstruct the installation or removal of the head frame 124, which is preferable. Additionally, an illumination device 135, such as a light-emitting diode (generally referred to as "LED"), is mounted on the substrate 133 to illuminate the skin within the field of view of the first camera device 131. The substrate 133, the first camera device 131, and the illumination device 135 are covered by a cover 134 (see reference 134). Figure 1 )cover.

[0038] The notification device 140 is a device that notifies the user of the processing results of the image processing device 150. The notification method of the notification device 140 is not particularly limited, and examples include methods using sound (including speech), light, vibration, electrical stimulation, and combinations thereof. In the case of this embodiment 1, the notification device 140 is a device that notifies information using light, and multiple light-emitting elements such as LEDs are arranged around the periphery of the end portion of the handle 110 on the head 120 side. The notification device 140 can change at least one of the brightness, color, and light emission pattern of the light. Furthermore, a specific method for notifying the user of shaving information will be described later.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the functional units of the image processing apparatus 150. The image processing apparatus 150 is an apparatus for processing images obtained from the first imaging device 131. The image processing apparatus 150 includes a feature information generation unit 151, a hair removal information generation unit 152, and a result notification unit 153, which are implemented by causing a processor to execute a program. In this embodiment 1, the image processing apparatus 150 further includes an information acquisition unit 154.

[0040] The feature information generation unit 151 generates direction information indicating the direction from one of the hair's root and tip to the other based on the difference in features between the tip and root of the hair in the image acquired from the first imaging device 131 via the information acquisition unit 154. An example of how the feature information generation unit 151 generates direction information will be described below. Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the preprocessing operations of the trait information generation unit 151. Figure 5 It is shown Figure 4 The diagram shows examples of image processing steps in the process. Additionally, in...Figure 5 In the image, a beard is shown as an example of body hair. More specifically... Figure 5 The image examples (a) to (c) are respectively obtained through... Figure 4 An example image is obtained by contrast enhancement (step S100), contour extraction (step S101), and calculation of the circumscribed rectangle (step S102).

[0041] First of all, Figure 4 In step S100, the feature information generation unit 151 performs contrast enhancement processing on the image of body hair acquired by the information acquisition unit 154 from the first imaging device 131. For example, the feature information generation unit 151 improves brightness contrast by performing a grayscale transformation on the brightness of each pixel of the image, such as making the output grayscale change large relative to the input grayscale. As a result, as shown in the image... Figure 5 The image in example (a) is a high-contrast image. Furthermore, fine noise such as skin texture and bumps can be removed by applying a low-pass filter to the image before or after this contrast enhancement.

[0042] Next, in Figure 4 In step S101, the feature information generation unit 151 performs contour extraction on the image obtained in step S100. More specifically, the feature information generation unit 151 performs binarization (i.e., white / blackening) on ​​the image obtained in step S100, outputting white pixels if the brightness difference with surrounding pixels is above a threshold and black pixels if the brightness difference with surrounding pixels is below a threshold. Then, it performs dilation and contraction processing to remove minor noise. Furthermore, dilation and contraction processing refers to dilation processing that replaces a pixel of interest with a white pixel even if a white pixel exists around it, and contraction processing that replaces a pixel of interest with a black pixel even if a black pixel exists around it. Through this contour extraction, a feature information is obtained... Figure 5 Image (b) is an example of an image showing the outlines of the various areas of the beard.

[0043] Next, in Figure 4In step S102, the shape information generation unit 151 calculates the bounding rectangle for each region obtained by contour extraction in the image obtained in step S101. Specifically, the shape information generation unit 151 calculates the bounding rectangle for each region obtained by contour extraction in such a way that each of its four sides is connected to the contour of the extracted body hair. However, the method for calculating the bounding rectangle is not limited to this method; any other method can be used as long as it is possible to calculate a rectangle covering the contour of the body hair to estimate the length of the body hair. In addition, the rectangle includes not only rectangles but also squares. Furthermore, in this step S102, when calculating at least one of the selections from the group consisting of length determination and brightness variation, a rectangle with right angles at each vertex is more convenient, so a rectangle is calculated. However, as long as the selection of at least one of the selections from length determination and orientation determination does not become too distant, a shape different from a rectangle can also be calculated. Through this process, a shape such as Figure 5 The image in (c) is an example of an image showing a rectangle circumscribed around each of the beard areas.

[0044] Next, in Figure 4 In step S103, the shape information generation unit 151 determines the length of each body hair by calculating the length of the long side of each circumscribed rectangle calculated in step S102. For determining the length of the long side, the lengths of the two orthogonal sides in a right triangle with the long side as the hypotenuse and including two sides along the orthogonal direction of pixel arrangement are calculated (here, the length of one side is given by the number of pixels × pixel interval), and the Pythagorean theorem is used to calculate the length of the long side as the hypotenuse.

[0045] In this way, the length of body hair is determined based on the captured image as information for generating orientation information. For example, the shape information generation unit 151 can also generate orientation information by statistically processing the orientations of multiple body hairs with lengths exceeding a length threshold that appear in the image. Alternatively, the shape information generation unit 151 can also generate orientation information by weighting the orientations of multiple body hairs based on the lengths of each individual body hair and performing statistical processing.

[0046] Next, the method for generating the recorded direction information. Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the action of the property information generation unit 151 in generating direction information. Figure 7 It is shown Figure 6 The diagram illustrates examples of image processing steps in the process. More specifically, Figure 7 (a) through (d) show the image of the object being processed (“input image”), the brightness signal of the input image (on line AB), and the image of the object being processed, respectively. Figure 6The results of high-pass filtering (i.e., step S200) and negative clipping (i.e., step S201) are shown.

[0047] The morphology information generation unit 151 determines the orientation of body hair and generates orientation information as morphology information for each image in an image enclosed by a pre-processed circumscribed rectangle (that is, the image of the region enclosed by the circumscribed rectangle in the original image). This is achieved through the following process. In the image enclosed by the circumscribed rectangle, for example... Figure 7 As shown in (a) and (b), at the root of the body hair (root) (refer to) Figure 7 The attached diagram (labeled "A") shows a gradient that gradually darkens towards the tip, at the tip of the hair (see reference). Figure 7 The entire outline (marked by reference numeral "B") exhibits a large brightness difference. That is, the root differs from the tip; because the root extends beneath the skin, the contrast between the hair and the skin decreases. The feature information generation unit 151 utilizes the characteristics of the images at the root and tip of such hair to generate directional information. Furthermore, in... Figure 7 (b) shows the brightness signal (on line AB) along the long side of the body hair.

[0048] In addition, the root of the body hair includes at least a portion of the body hair covered by the skin and a portion of the body hair exposed from the skin.

[0049] Furthermore, the shape information generation unit 151 can also generate direction information by extending the calculated circumscribed rectangle along its long side. Even when one side of the circumscribed rectangle calculated by the shape information generation unit 151 is located at the boundary between the tip or root of the hair and the skin, by extending a specific area along the long side of the circumscribed rectangle, it is possible to include not only the tip or root of the hair but also a portion of the skin. Therefore, orientation can be easily determined by the gradual change in brightness that occurs when the hair at the root penetrates beneath the skin.

[0050] exist Figure 6 In step S200, the trait information generation unit 151 performs the following steps: Figure 7 The original image, enclosed by the circumscribed rectangle as shown in (a) and (b), undergoes high-pass filtering. Specifically, the feature information generation unit 151 performs high-pass filtering on the feature information generated. Figure 7 The luminance signal along line AB, as shown in (b), is subjected to high-pass filtering using a transfer function expressed as (1-2z^(-1)+z^(-2)) / 4. Furthermore, "^" denotes exponentiation. The result is... Figure 7 The output signal is shown in (c).

[0051] Next, in Figure 6In step S201, the trait information generation unit 151... Figure 7 The output signal shown in (c) undergoes negative clipping processing. Specifically, the property information generation unit 151 performs... Figure 7 The negative values ​​in the output signal shown in (c) are replaced with zero. As a result, the following is obtained: Figure 7 The output signal is shown in (d).

[0052] Next, in Figure 6 In step S202, the trait information generation unit 151 generates the trait information by... Figure 7 The peak value in the output signal shown in (d) (here, refer to reference numeral "B") is identified as the tip of a hair, and the low peak value in the output signal (here, refer to reference numeral "A") is identified as the root of a hair, thus determining the orientation of a hair (here, a beard). Then, the characteristic information generation unit 151... Figure 7 In the image shown in (a), the ends identified as roots are assigned information indicating they are roots, and the ends identified as tips are assigned information indicating they are tips. Then, for a single hair, the shape information generation unit 151 uses the slope of the long side of the circumscribed rectangle to generate a vector from the root to the tip, or a vector from the tip to the root. If the features at both ends of the hair in the image indicate a tip, the shape information generation unit 151 generates direction information excluding that hair.

[0053] exist Figure 6 In step S203, the shape information generation unit 151 performs the above processing on multiple body hairs within an image, calculating multiple vectors and performing statistical processing on these multiple vectors to generate orientation information. The method of statistical processing is not particularly limited, but for example, calculating an average value may also be used. Alternatively, the shape information generation unit 151 may perform the above processing only on multiple body hairs with a length exceeding a length threshold. Furthermore, statistical processing may be performed using the length of each body hair as a weight.

[0054] The shaving information generation unit 152 generates shaving information indicating the direction in which the shaving unit 121 operates, based on the direction information generated by the shape information generation unit 151. For example, the shaving information generation unit 152 generates shaving information that classifies the direction information generated by the shape information generation unit 151 into multiple directions (e.g., 8 directions).

[0055] In addition, the shaving information generation unit 152 can also calculate the motion vector of the texture of body hair and skin based on the images captured at a predetermined interval, and generate shaving information corresponding to the degree of matching between the motion vector and the direction information.

[0056] The result notification section 153 controls the notification device 140 to notify the user of the shaving information generated by the shaving information generation section 152. For example, the result notification section 153 notifies the user of the shaving information by controlling at least one of the brightness, color, and light emission pattern of the light emitted by the plurality of (8 in the case of Embodiment 1) light emission devices included in the notification device 140 to change the position of the light emission device corresponding to the shaving information in which the direction information is classified into 8 directions.

[0057] In addition, the result notification section 153 can also notify the shaving information by changing at least one of the brightness, color, and light emission pattern of the light emission device according to the shaving information corresponding to the degree of matching between the motion vector and the direction information.

[0058] According to the electric shaver 100 according to Embodiment 1 described above, the shaving information indicating the shaving direction can be accurately notified to the user based on the direction (or the direction opposite thereto) from the root toward the tip of the hair detected from the image obtained by the first imaging device 131. Thus, the user can perform the shaving process while recognizing the optimal direction in which the electric shaver 100 is moved with respect to the skin, can exert the performance of the electric shaver 100, can suppress damage to the skin, and can efficiently perform the shaving work.

[0059] In addition, even in the case where the debris of the hair occurring at the time of shaving adheres to the skin, since the direction information is generated excluding the hair for which the data of the root does not exist, accurate direction information can be notified while suppressing false detection.

[0060] In addition, by generating the direction information based on the hair of a certain length or more in the image, the direction information can be generated for the shaving direction having a high priority, and the effective shaving direction can be notified to the user.

[0061] In addition, in the statistical processing at the time of generating the direction information, the direction information is generated based on the weighting of the length of each hair, and thus the direction information can be generated for the shaving direction having a high priority, and the effective shaving direction can be notified to the user.

[0062] In addition, the notification device 140 includes a light emission element, and thus the shaving information can be easily notified to the user by changing at least one of the brightness, color, and light emission pattern of the light.

[0063] (Embodiment 2)

[0064] The other embodiments of the electric shaver 100 are described. Furthermore, for elements having the same action and function as those of Embodiment 1 described above, and the same shape, mechanism, and configuration, the same reference numerals are sometimes attached and the description is omitted. In addition, hereinafter, the description is made focusing on the points different from Embodiment 1, and the description for the same content is sometimes omitted.

[0065] Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the electric shaver 100 according to Embodiment 2. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the head 120 of the electric shaver 100 according to Embodiment 2. The electric shaver 100 according to Embodiment 2 has the grip 110, the head 120, the first camera 131, the notification device 140, and the image processing device 150 like the electric shaver 100 according to Embodiment 1. The electric shaver 100 according to Embodiment 2 further has the second camera 132.

[0066] As shown in Figure 10 , the notification device 140 is a device that projects the shaving information 210 to the skin by light to notify the user 200 of the shaving information 210. The notification device 140 according to Embodiment 2 is a so-called projector installed on the substrate 133 on which the first camera 131 is installed. As a specific example of the notification device 140, a device having a plurality of LED light sources arranged in a matrix shape, and an optical system that causes the shaving information such as an arrow drawn based on the plurality of LED light sources to be imaged on the skin surface can be exemplified. In addition, as the notification device 140, a device that projects the shaving information on the skin surface by a plurality of laser light sources arranged in a matrix shape can be exemplified. Furthermore, the notification device 140 can combine the notification by sound (including voice), vibration, and electric stimulation, or can superimpose the color, intensity, flickering pattern, and the like of light to perform the notification.

[0067] The second camera 132 is a device that photographs a wider area than the photographing range of the first camera 131 in a state where the shaving section 121 abuts against the skin. The second camera 132 according to the present embodiment is fixed to the end portion of the grip 110 on the side opposite to the head 120, and has a viewing angle that can photograph, for example, the entire cheek on one side in a state where the shaving section 121 abuts against the skin.

[0068] Figure 11is a block diagram showing an example of the image processing apparatus 150 according to Embodiment 2. The image processing apparatus 150 is an apparatus that processes images obtained from the first and second imaging devices 131 and 132, and like Embodiment 1, the image processing apparatus 150 is provided with the character information generation section 151, the shaving information generation section 152, the result notification section 153, and the information acquisition section 154 as processing sections realized by causing a processor to execute a program. In the case of Embodiment 2, the image processing apparatus 150 is further provided with the skin surface shape estimation section 155 and the correction section 156.

[0069] The skin surface shape estimation section 155 generates, for example, skin surface shape information indicating the concave-convex shape of the skin surface of one cheek based on an image obtained from the second imaging device 132 via the information acquisition section 154, which has a wider angle of view. The method of estimating the skin surface shape of the skin surface shape estimation section 155 is not particularly limited, but for example, a method can be exemplified in which a grid-like pattern, a dot-like pattern arranged in a vertical and horizontal arrangement, or the like is projected onto the skin surface using the notification apparatus 140 or another projection apparatus, and the concave-convex shape of the skin surface is estimated based on the distortion of the pattern captured by the second imaging device 132 and skin surface shape information is generated.

[0070] The correction section 156 generates a correction value used when the result notification section 153 controls the notification apparatus 140 to project the shaving information onto the skin surface based on the skin surface shape information generated by the skin surface shape estimation section 155. The result notification section 153 controls the notification apparatus based on the correction value from the correction section 156 to notify the user of the shaving information such as the direction information. Thereby, for example, the shaving information such as an arrow is projected in a shape in which the distortion is suppressed regardless of the concave-convex shape of the face, and thus the user of the electric shaver 100 can easily understand the information such as the shaving direction.

[0071] According to the electric shaver 100 according to Embodiments 1 and 2, the direction of the body hair can be detected based on the image, and the direction in which the shaving portion 121 is moved to efficiently perform the shaving can be notified as the shaving information according to the growth direction of the body hair with respect to the electric shaver 100. The user who grasps the notified shaving information can move the shaving portion 121 in the direction from the tip of the body hair to the root of the body hair to strongly press the shaving portion 121 against the skin and move the shaving portion 121 in the opposite direction to weakly press the shaving portion 121 against the skin, and move the shaving portion 121 in this manner to reciprocate. Thus, the body hair can be efficiently introduced into the through-hole provided in the outer blade (i.e., the first outer blade 122 and the second outer blade 123), and the shaving operation can be efficiently performed. In addition, the shaving operation can be ended without always strongly pressing the shaving portion 121 to reciprocate, and thus, the damage to the skin can be suppressed, and the body hair can be efficiently treated.

[0072] In addition, the direction of the body hair can be detected excluding the cut ends of the body hair attached to the skin, and thus, the shaving information can be more accurately notified to the user.

[0073] In addition, the direction of each body hair can be detected based on the body hair of a certain length or more in the image, and the length of the body hair can be statistically detected by weighting based on the length of each body hair, and thus, the shaving information can be more accurately detected and notified to the user.

[0074] In addition, according to the electric shaver 100 according to Embodiment 2, the shaving information indicating the direction in which the shaving portion 121 is moved is projected onto the skin to notify the shaving information to the user, and thus, the direction of the shaving treatment can be more accurately assisted. Furthermore, the direction in which the shaving portion 121 is moved can be projected onto the skin according to the uneven shape of the skin, and thus, the shaving direction can be assisted without misleading the user.

[0075] Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, other embodiments in which the constituent elements described in the present specification are arbitrarily combined or in which several of the constituent elements are excluded can be provided as embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, modifications obtained by applying various modifications that can be thought of by those skilled in the art to the above-described embodiments within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure, i.e., the meaning indicated by the language recited in the claims, are also included in the present disclosure.

[0076] The feature information generation unit 151 may also generate feature information including at least one of length information indicating the length of body hair and density information indicating the density of body hair. Alternatively, the shaving information generation unit 152 may generate unfinished areas where the shaving process has not yet ended based on feature information including at least one of length information and density information, and the result notification unit 153 may control the notification device 140 to notify the user of the unfinished areas.

[0077] For example, the shape information generation unit 151 calculates the area of ​​each region obtained by contour extraction as described in the contour extraction step (S101) of Embodiment 1, and calculates the total area of ​​each region in the image. Furthermore, the shape information generation unit 151 generates shape information by quantifying the ratio of the total area of ​​the rectangular regions to the area of ​​the image as a representation of the density of body hair.

[0078] like Figure 12 As shown, the image processing apparatus 150 may also include a determination unit 157. The determination unit 157 may generate an unfinished region where the shaving process has not yet ended, based on at least one of a determination criterion that the length information obtained from the shape information generation unit 151 is above a predetermined length threshold and a determination criterion that the density information is above a predetermined density threshold.

[0079] The notification unit 153 can also notify the user of the unfinished area by controlling the notification device 140 to illuminate the unfinished area in red.

[0080] Additionally, the notification device 140 can also apply electrical stimulation to the user by energizing the handle, thereby applying a load in the shaving direction consistent with the directional information. This allows the user to perceive that body hair is being shaving vigorously in a specific direction, enabling the user to identify the direction in which the shaving unit 121 operates.

[0081] Additionally, a notification device 140 with a light-emitting element is illustrated, but the notification device 140 may also include a sound-emitting device such as a speaker, a vibration device that causes the grip 110 to vibrate, or a low-speed stimulation application device that applies electrical stimulation to the user holding the grip 110 to make them virtually feel weight, thereby prompting the head 120 to move. Such a notification device 140 can change the intensity and generation mode of sound (including speech), vibration, stimulation, etc., to notify users of shaving information.

[0082] In addition, in the above embodiment, a shaving section 121 with a total of 5 outer blades, including 4 first outer blades 122 and 1 second outer blade 123, is shown. However, the number of outer blades is not particularly limited, and the shaving section 121 may have 4 or fewer or 6 or more outer blades.

[0083] In addition, the shaving section 121 can shave by rotating the inner blade with respect to the outer blade.

[0084] In addition, the mounting position of the first imaging device 131 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be, for example, the rear side (X+ side in the drawing), the side (Y- side and Y+ side in the drawing), or the like. In addition, the first imaging device 131 can be mounted to the grip section 110. The number of the first imaging device 131 is not limited to one, and the first imaging device 131 can be mounted to a plurality of positions.

[0085] Industrial Applicability

[0086] The present disclosure can be applied to a so-called electric shaver that shaves beard, a so-called hair clipper that shaves hair, or the like, which is an electric shaver that shaves body hair of an animal including a human.

[0087] Hereinafter, a technical idea derived from the present disclosure will be described.

[0088] The electric shaver derived from the present disclosure includes a grip section for a user to grip, a head section having a shaving section that cuts body hair, the head section being connected to one end of the grip section, a first imaging device that captures an image of a vicinity of skin that the shaving section abuts against, an image processing device that processes an image obtained from the first imaging device, and a notification device that notifies a result of processing by the image processing device to the user, wherein the image processing device includes a character information generation section that generates direction information indicating a direction from one of a root and a tip of a body hair to the other based on a difference in a feature between the root and the tip of the body hair in the image captured by the first imaging device, a shaving information generation section that generates shaving information indicating a direction in which the shaving section is to act based on the direction information, and a result notification section that controls the notification device to notify the shaving information to the user.

[0089] In other words, the electric shaver derived from the present disclosure includes a grip section for a user to grip, a head section having a shaving section that cuts body hair, the head section being connected to one end of the grip section, a first imaging device that captures an image of a vicinity of skin that the shaving section abuts against, a notification device, and an electric and electronic circuit, wherein the electric and electronic circuit performs, during an operation, a process of generating direction information indicating a direction from one of a root and a tip of a body hair to the other based on a difference in a feature between the root and the tip of the body hair in the image captured by the first imaging device, and a process of generating shaving information indicating a direction in which the shaving section is to act based on the direction information, and controls the notification device to notify the shaving information to the user.

[0090] Examples of electric / electronic circuits are semiconductor elements such as integrated circuits (generally referred to as "ICs") or large-scale integrated circuits (generally referred to as "LSIs").

[0091] Explanation of Reference Signs

[0092] 100: electric shaver; 110: grip portion; 111: power switch; 120: head portion; 121: shaving portion; 122: first outer blade; 123: second outer blade; 124: head frame; 125: head base; 131: first imaging device; 132: second imaging device; 133: substrate; 134: cover; 135: illumination device; 140: notification device; 150: image processing device; 151: trait information generation portion; 152: shaving information generation portion; 153: result notification portion; 154: information acquisition portion; 155: skin surface shape estimation portion; 156: correction portion; 157: determination portion; 200: user; 210: shaving information.

Claims

1. An electric razor comprising a handle and a head, the handle being for a user to hold, the head having a shaving portion for cutting body hair, the head being connected to one end of the handle, the electric razor comprising: A first camera device captures images of the area near the skin where the shaved section contacts; An image processing apparatus that processes an image acquired from the first imaging device; and The notification device notifies the user of the processing results from the image processing device. in, The image processing device includes: The feature information generation unit generates direction information representing the direction of a hair from one root and one tip to the other, based on the difference between the features of the image at the tip of the hair and the features of the image at the root of the hair in the image captured by the first camera device. The shaving information generation unit generates shaving information based on the direction information, which indicates the direction in which the shaving unit performs the action. as well as The result notification unit controls the notification device to notify the user of the shaving information.

2. The electric shaver according to claim 1, wherein, When the features at both ends of a body hair in an image represent the tip of the hair, the shape information generation unit excludes that body hair when generating the direction information.

3. The electric shaver according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The morphology information generation unit generates the direction information by statistically processing the directions of multiple body hairs with lengths above a certain threshold.

4. The electric shaver according to claim 1, wherein, The morphology information generation unit generates the direction information by weighting and statistically processing the directions of the multiple body hairs based on the length of each individual body hair.

5. The electric shaver according to claim 1, wherein, The notification device is a device that uses multiple lights to notify information.

6. The electric shaver according to claim 1, wherein, The notification device is a device that projects information onto the skin using light to send notifications.

7. The electric shaver according to claim 1, wherein, The notification device is a device that projects information onto the skin using light to send notifications. The trait information generation unit generates trait information including at least one selected from a group consisting of length information and density information, wherein the length information represents the length of each of the plurality of body hairs, and the density information represents the density of the plurality of body hairs. The shaving information generation unit generates unfinished areas where the shaving process has not yet ended based on the shape information. The result notification unit controls the notification device to notify the user of the unfinished area.

8. The electric shaver according to claim 6 or 7, wherein, It also includes a second camera device, which can capture images of an area with a wider field of view than the first camera device. The image processing device further includes a skin surface shape estimation unit, which generates skin surface shape information representing the unevenness of the skin surface based on the image captured by the second camera device. The result notification unit, based on the skin surface shape information, projects the information to be projected onto the skin in a shape that suppresses distortion, regardless of the unevenness of the skin surface, using light to send a notification.

Images