mounting assembly

Abstract

According to an aspect, there is provided a mounting assembly (20) for a hair cutting appliance (10). The mounting assembly comprises: a head (22) comprising a main body (24) extending along an elongation axis (50) and a drive bridge (26) configured to be coupled to a cutting unit and to reciprocally move relative to the main body along the elongation axis; a base (30) connected to the head with a first pivoting mechanism (32); a drive unit (34) comprising a drive shaft (36) comprising an eccentric pin (42) cooperating with the drive bridge to transmit the reciprocating movement to the drive bridge and a socket (38) configured to cooperate with a motor (14); wherein the first pivoting mechanism comprises: a base bearing surface (44) on the base; a counterpart (40) coupled to the head, the counterpart comprising a counterpart bearing surface (46), wherein the base bearing surface and the counterpart bearing surface are configured to cooperate to permit a relative rotational sliding movement of the base and the head only around a fixed rotation axis (60) perpendicular to the elongation axis.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0002] Hair cutting appliances generally comprise a cutting unit and it is advantageous to enable the cutting unit to pivot with respect to a handle so as to be able to follow the contours of the skin surface of a user, thereby creating optimal contact between the skin of the user and the cutting unit for optimal cutting performance. SUMMARY

[0003] According to a first specific aspect, there is provided a mounting assembly for a hair cutting appliance, the mounting assembly comprising:

[0004] a head comprising a body extending along an elongation axis and a drive bridge, the head being configured to receive a cutting unit, wherein the drive bridge is configured to be coupled to the cutting unit and to reciprocally move along the elongation axis with respect to the body;

[0005] a base connected to the head with a first pivoting mechanism;

[0006] a drive unit comprising a drive shaft comprising an eccentric pin cooperating with the drive bridge to transmit the reciprocating movement to the drive bridge and a socket configured to cooperate with a motor;

[0007] wherein the first pivoting mechanism comprises:

[0008] a base support surface on the base,

[0009] a counterpart coupled to the head, the counterpart comprising a counterpart support surface,

[0010] wherein the base support surface and the counterpart support surface are configured to cooperate to permit a relative rotational sliding movement of the base and the head only around a fixed rotation axis perpendicular to the elongation axis.

[0011] One of the base support surface or the counterpart support surface comprises an inner surface of a groove having a curvature around the fixed rotation axis. The other of the base support surface or the counterpart support surface comprises an outer surface of a pin configured to be received within the groove.

[0012] The fixed rotation axis is intended to mean a stable rotation axis and does not move with respect to the head or the base. The distance between the fixed rotation axis and the point of contact of the cutting unit with the skin is at most 20 mm. The elongation axis and the fixed rotation axis can not intersect. The maximum distance between the drive bridge or the socket and the fixed rotation axis can be 5 mm.

[0013] It can be that the base support surface has a curvature of a first radius about the fixed axis of rotation. It can be that the counterpart support surface has a curvature of a second radius about the fixed axis of rotation. It can be that the first radius is the same as the second radius, such that the counterpart support surface is configured to be in contact with and cooperate with the base support surface to permit relative rotational sliding movement between the base and the counterpart about the axis of rotation.

[0014] It can be that the base support surface or the counterpart support surface comprises a recessed section to reduce the contact surface area between the base and the counterpart. On either side of the recessed section, there can be at least two contact points between the counterpart support surface and the base support surface.

[0015] It can be that there are two separate slots and two corresponding pins, the pins being configured to be received in the respective slots.

[0016] It can be that the counterpart comprises a base, the base being part of a second pivoting mechanism for pivoting the head relative to the base about a second axis of rotation parallel to the elongate axis.

[0017] It can be that the base is a first lever of a four-bar linkage, the body comprises a second lever of the four-bar linkage, and the base and the body are coupled together by a third lever and a fourth lever of the four-bar linkage.

[0018] It can be that the fixed axis of rotation is located between the drive bridge and the socket.

[0019] According to a second aspect, there is provided a hair cutting appliance comprising: a mounting assembly according to the first aspect; a motor configured to be coupled to the drive unit; and a handle configured to be attached to the mounting assembly.

[0020] These and other aspects will become apparent from and will be elucidated with respect to the embodiments (one or more) described hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] Exemplary embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0022] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a front view of a hair cutting appliance; and

[0023] Figures 2 to 4 schematically illustrates a front view of a first example mounting assembly, a second example mounting assembly, and a third example mounting assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Figure 1A hair cutting appliance 10 is shown that includes a handle 12 for a user to hold the hair cutting appliance 10, and a mounting assembly 20 attached to the handle 12. A motor 14 is disposed within the handle 12, and a drive shaft 16 extending from the motor 14 is coupled to the mounting assembly 20.

[0025] Figure 2 A first example mounting assembly 20a for attachment to a handle 12 of a hair cutting appliance 10 is shown.

[0026] The mounting assembly 20a includes a head 22 that includes a body 24 extending along an elongate axis 50 and a drive bridge 26. 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 elongate axis 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 also reciprocates relative to the body 24 to enable it to cut hair.

[0027] The first example mounting assembly 20a includes a drive unit 34 having a drive shaft 36 and a socket 38 fixed together. The socket 38 is configured to cooperate with the motor 14 via the shaft 16 to impart rotational motion to the socket 38 and the drive shaft 36. The drive shaft 36 includes an eccentric pin 42 that is received in a channel of the drive bridge 26 to cooperate with the drive bridge 26 to impart reciprocating motion to the drive bridge 26 by rotation of the drive shaft 36. The drive unit 34 is thus configured to convert rotational motion of the motor to reciprocating motion of the drive bridge 26. The socket 38 is configured to receive the shaft 16 at various different angles and to cooperate with the shaft 16 such that the socket 38 can be pivotably moved relative to the motor 14 without adversely affecting the ability of the drive unit 34 to convert rotational motion of the motor 14 to reciprocating motion of the drive bridge 26.

[0028] The first example mounting assembly 20a includes a base 30 connected to the head 22 with a first pivot mechanism 32. The base 30 is configured to be coupled to the handle 12.

[0029] In this example, the first pivot mechanism 32 includes the base 30 and a counterpiece 40 movably coupled to the head 22. The first pivot mechanism 32 is configured to permit relative movement between the head 22 and the base 30 only about a fixed axis of rotation 60 that is perpendicular to the elongate axis 50.

[0030] The first pivot mechanism 32 includes a base support surface 44 on the base 30 and a counterpiece support surface 46 on the counterpiece 40. The base support surface 44 and the counterpiece support surface 46 cooperate to permit relative rotational sliding movement of the base 30 and the counterpiece 40 coupled to the head 22 only about the fixed axis of rotation 60 (as shown by the arrow 62 in FIG. 2) and not about the elongate axis 50 (as shown by the arrow 64 in FIG. 2). Figure 2The fixed rotation axis 60 is substantially perpendicular to the elongate axis 50. In this example, the fixed rotation axis 60 is located between the drive bridge 26 and the socket 38, such that when the head 22 is rotated relative to the base 30 about the fixed rotation axis 60, the connection between the motor 14 and the socket 38 (in this case the shaft 16) does not inadvertently detach from the socket 38. In this example, the fixed rotation axis 60 is at the receiving face of the socket 38. In other examples, the fixed rotation axis can be within 5mm of the receiving face of the socket 38. The closer the fixed rotation axis is to the socket 38, the less likely the socket 38 is to detach from the shaft of the motor 14 during pivoting of the counterpart 40 from the base 30.

[0031] In this example, the base support surface 44 is a concave surface having a first radius of curvature about the fixed rotation axis 60, and the counterpart support surface 46 is a convex surface having a second radius of curvature about the fixed rotation axis 60. In this example, the first and second radii are the same, such that the convex surface of the counterpart support surface 46 corresponds to the concave surface of the base support surface 44, and the base support surface 44 is in sliding contact with the counterpart support surface 46, such that these surfaces permit relative rotational movement between the base 30 and the counterpart 40 about the fixed rotation axis 60 only.

[0032] In this example, the counterpart support surface 46 includes a recessed section 62 to reduce the contact surface area between the base 30 and the counterpart 40, thereby reducing the complexity of the parts, and reducing the need for high precision machining to bring the surfaces into coincidence. In this example, the recessed section 62 of the counterpart support surface 46 is positioned such that the counterpart support surface 46 still includes two surfaces on opposite sides of the recessed section 62, such that on either side of the recessed section 62, there are two points or lines of contact between the counterpart support surface 46 and the base support surface 44. It will be appreciated that there can be more than one recessed section, and there can be more than two points of contact.

[0033] In some examples, the recessed section can be in the base support surface or in both surfaces. In examples where both surfaces include a recessed section, the length of one of the side faces must be twice the bearing displacement, otherwise the counterpart and base will detach (e.g. in Figure 3 In other examples, the support surfaces can be continuous, such that there is no recessed section.

[0034] In this example, the counterpart 40 is movably coupled to the head 22 by a second pivot mechanism 80 configured to permit relative rotational movement between the head 22 and the base 30 about a second rotational axis 70 parallel to the elongate axis 50. In this example, the counterpart 40 comprises a chassis which is part of the second pivot mechanism 80. In this example, the chassis is a first lever of a four-bar linkage, the body 24 comprises a second lever of the four-bar linkage, and the chassis and the body 24 are coupled together by third and fourth levers of the four-bar linkage. In this example, the second rotational axis 70 is thus a virtual axis which moves depending on the relative positions of the four-bar linkage.

[0035] In other examples, the chassis of the head and the base can be coupled by a simple pivot which allows pivoting movement about the second rotational axis 70, where the second rotational axis is fixed.

[0036] In other embodiments, the counterpart can be fixedly coupled to the head such that it is integral with the head and such that the head cannot move relative to the base about a second rotational axis parallel to the elongate axis. In other embodiments, although the head cannot move relative to the base about the second fixed axis, the base can move relative to the handle about an axis parallel to the elongate axis, such that the head can still move relative to the handle about two perpendicular axes.

[0037] Figure 3A second example mounting assembly 20b is shown. The second example mounting assembly 20b is similar to the first example mounting assembly 20a, but differs in having a different first pivot mechanism 132 that also 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 includes a base 30 and a counterpart 40, with a base support surface 144 and a counterpart support surface 146, but differs in that the counterpart support surface 146 is disposed on opposite sides of a slot 136 in the counterpart 40, and the base support surface 144 includes two protrusions on the base 30 (which can be thought of as the base support surface 144 having recessed sections and the counterpart support surface 146 having recessed sections). It also differs in additionally having a pin 134 that is part of the base 30 that is received within the slot 136. In other examples, the pin can be part of the counterpart, and the slot can be part of the base. In this example, the pin 134 is only loosely received in the slot 136 in this example to avoid overly constraining the system. In other words, the slot 136 is wider than the pin 134 so that the pin 134 does not have to be in contact with the inner surface of the slot 136 unless the counterpart 40 and the base 30 are pushed toward each other or pulled away from each other, in which case the pin 134 abuts the inner surface of the slot 136 to prevent the base 30 from separating from the counterpart 40. The pin 134 and the slot 136 can also be used to define end points of rotation to prevent excessive rotation of the counterpart 40 relative to the base 30. The pin can have a circular cross-section, or a curved cross-section that corresponds to the curvature of the slot. In other examples, the counterpart support surface can include the inner surface of the slot, and the base support surface can include the outer surface of the pin.

[0038] Figure 4 A third example mounting assembly 20c is shown that is similar to the second example mounting assembly 20b, but differs in including different base support surfaces 244 and counterpart support surfaces 246 that are inverted so that the base 30 and the counterpart 40 are configured to rotate about a different fixed axis of rotation 160, which in this example is at the center of the drive bridge 26. In this example, the base support surfaces 244 include the inner surfaces of two slots, and the counterpart support surfaces 246 include the outer surfaces of two corresponding pins that are configured to be received in each slot, respectively. In other examples, the counterpart support surfaces can include the inner surfaces of two slots, and the base support surfaces can include the outer surfaces of two pins. In yet other examples, there can be only a single slot and pin, or more than two slots and corresponding pins. In essence, Figure 4 Embodiments of the present application provide Figure 2 and Figure 3Embodiments of the application combine where the pin and slot act as both a bearing surface and a constraint to prevent the pair 40 and the base 30 from separating. In this example, the fixed rotation axis 160 can be within 5mm of the drive bridge 26.

[0039] As described herein, a fixed rotation axis is intended to mean a rotation axis that is stable and does not move relative to the head 22 or the base 30. In this example, the distance between the fixed rotation axis 60, 160 and the point of contact of the cutting unit with the skin (e.g. the top surface of the head 22 furthest from the base 30) can be at most 20mm. In some examples, the second rotation axis 70 and the elongation axis 50 can not intersect the fixed rotation axis 60, 160. In other words, the fixed rotation axis 60, 160 can not be in line with the portion of the head 22 configured to receive the cutting unit.

[0040] Variations to the disclosed embodiments can become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying claims, and it is intended that the scope of the application disclosed by this patent include such variations. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite articles "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can fulfil the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. A computer program can be stored / distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state storage medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but can also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A mounting assembly for a hair cutting tool, the mounting assembly comprising: A head, comprising a body and a drive axle, the body extending along an elongation axis, the head configured to receive a cutting unit, wherein the drive axle is configured to be coupled to the cutting unit and reciprocate relative to the body along the elongation axis; A base, which is connected to the head by a first pivoting mechanism; A drive unit includes a drive shaft and a socket, the drive shaft including an eccentric pin that cooperates with the drive axle to transmit reciprocating motion to the drive axle, and the socket being configured to cooperate with a motor. The first pivoting mechanism includes: The base support surface on the base. A mating member, which is coupled to the head, includes a mating member support surface. The base support surface and the mating member support surface are configured to cooperate to allow the base and the head to slide relative to each other only about a fixed axis of rotation perpendicular to the elongation axis. The base support surface or the mating support surface includes an inner surface of a groove having curvature about the fixed axis of rotation, and the other of the base support surface or the mating support surface includes an outer surface of a pin configured to be received within the groove.

2. The mounting component according to claim 1, wherein: The base support surface has a curvature around a first radius of the fixed axis of rotation; and The supporting surface of the mating member has a curvature about a second radius around the fixed axis of rotation. The first radius is the same as the second radius, such that the mating member support surface is configured to contact and cooperate with the base support surface to allow relative rotational sliding movement between the base and the mating member about the axis of rotation.

3. The mounting assembly of claim 2, wherein the base support surface or the mating member support surface includes a recessed section to reduce the contact surface area between the base and the mating member.

4. The mounting assembly of claim 3, wherein on either side of the recessed section, there are at least two contact points between the mating member support surface and the base support surface.

5. The mounting assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein there are two separate slots and two corresponding pins, the pins being configured to be received in the respective slots.

6. The mounting assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the mating member includes a base that is part of a second pivoting mechanism for pivoting the head relative to the base about a second rotation axis parallel to the elongation axis.

7. The mounting assembly of claim 6, wherein the base is the first link of a four-bar linkage, the body includes the second link of a four-bar linkage, and the base and the body are connected together by the third and fourth links of the four-bar linkage.

8. The mounting assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fixed rotation axis is positioned between the drive axle and the socket.

9. A hair cutting tool, comprising: The mounting component according to any one of claims 1 to 8; A motor, which is configured to be connected to the drive unit; as well as A handle, which is configured to be attached to the mounting assembly.

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