Personal care appliance

Abstract

The subject matter of the present disclosure relates to a personal care appliance. The personal care appliance includes: a handle; a functional device at the head of the handle; a drive axle for driving the functional device, the drive axle comprising a slot; the motor is positioned in the handle; and a joystick coupled between the motor and the drive axle for reciprocally driving the drive axle to move back and forth, the joystick including a cylinder at a tip inserted into a groove of the drive axle, where the cylinder is tilted with respect to the drive axle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The presently disclosed subject matter relates to a personal care appliance having a drive bridge driven by a motor. Background Art

[0002] A personal care appliance such as a razor comprises a functional device (e.g., a trimmer), a drive bridge connected to the trimmer, a motor, and a connecting rod extending between the motor and the drive bridge. The selection of the connecting rod depends on the position of the motor relative to the drive bridge. An eccentric device can be used for a motor close to the drive bridge. The eccentric device can be adapted in a groove of the drive bridge, which forms a relative drive surface for the eccentric device to push against. However, if the motor is moved further away from the drive bridge, the eccentric device will not be suitable due to the load applied to the eccentric device.

[0003] Therefore, a joystick can be used as a connecting rod. However, a drive bridge design for use with a motor eccentric may not be suitable for a joystick. This is mainly because the drive surface used with an eccentric is usually small, for example the drive bridge may be relatively thin. In this way, friction is reduced. However, when a thin drive bridge is used with a joystick, it may be difficult to align the joystick with the slot of the drive bridge due to the stacking tolerance along the length of the personal care appliance.

[0004] The presently disclosed subject matter aims to improve upon the prior art. Utility Model Content

[0005] According to the first aspect of the utility model, a personal care appliance is provided, comprising: a handle; a functional device located at the head of the handle; a drive bridge for driving the functional device, the drive bridge comprising a slot; a motor located in the handle; and a joystick, the joystick being connected between the motor and the drive bridge and being used to reciprocately drive the drive bridge back and forth, the joystick comprising a cylinder at the tip, the cylinder being inserted into the slot of the drive bridge, the slot being arranged between opposite drive surfaces, wherein the cylinder is inclined relative to the drive bridge, wherein the ratio D / H between the diameter D of the cylinder and the height H of the corresponding drive surface is greater than 1.

[0006] The cylinder being tilted relative to the drive axle means that a drive axle designed to engage with a motor eccentric can be used with a lever so that the motor can be moved away from the drive axle.

[0007] In one embodiment, the inclination angle of the cylinder relative to the drive axle is between 10 degrees and 30 degrees.

[0008] In one embodiment, the angle of inclination is about 20 degrees.

[0009] In one embodiment, the ratio D / H is about 2.2.

[0010] In one embodiment, the length of the cylinder is between about 4 mm and 8 mm.

[0011] In one embodiment, the length of the cylinder is controlled according to the following formula: L = e / tan(α) + L_start, where L is the length of the cylinder measured in mm, e is the error range between the highest position and the lowest position of the cylinder in the groove measured in mm, α is the inclination angle of the cylinder relative to the groove, and L_start is the starting value of the length of the cylinder in mm assuming that e is zero.

[0012] In one embodiment, the error e is about 1 mm.

[0013] In one embodiment, the cylinder axis is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the joystick.

[0014] In one embodiment, the joystick includes a motor end opposite the tip, the motor end having a slot, wherein the motor includes an eccentric drive mechanism extending in the direction of an axis, wherein the handle extends along the axis, wherein the eccentric drive mechanism is accommodated in the slot of the motor end of the joystick.

[0015] In one embodiment, the eccentric drive mechanism includes a generally spherical tip that is received in a slot at the motor end of the joystick. In this way, the tip of the eccentric drive mechanism will be less likely to get stuck in the slot.

[0016] In one embodiment, the motor end of the joystick comprises a guide for guiding the eccentric drive mechanism therein during assembly. In this way, assembly is easier and faster.

[0017] In one embodiment, the guide at the motor end of the joystick includes opposing ramps.

[0018] In one embodiment, the drive axle includes a guide for guiding the tip of the joystick to the slot of the drive axle during assembly. In this way, assembly is faster and easier.

[0019] In one embodiment, the guide of the transaxle includes opposing inclined surfaces.

[0020] In one embodiment, the joystick extends in a direction substantially parallel to an axis along which the handle extends, and optionally wherein the motor is located at a distal end of the handle relative to the head.

[0021] In one embodiment, the personal care appliance is a shaver and the functional device comprises a trimmer.

[0022] According to one example, a personal care appliance is provided, comprising: a handle; a functional device located at the head of the handle; a drive bridge for driving the functional device, the drive bridge comprising a slot; a motor located in the handle; and a joystick, the joystick being connected between the motor and the drive bridge and being used to reciprocately drive the drive bridge back and forth, the joystick comprising a cylinder at the tip, the cylinder being inserted into the slot of the drive bridge, wherein the cylinder is inclined relative to the drive bridge.

[0023] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention may be best understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a head portion of a personal care appliance including a drive bridge and a motor eccentric positioned within a slot thereof;

[0026] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 A partial perspective view of a head portion of a personal care appliance;

[0027] Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a head portion of a personal care appliance including a drive bridge and an operating lever positioned within a slot thereof;

[0028] Figure 4 Shows Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the head portion of

[0029] Figure 5 A perspective view of a head portion of a personal care appliance according to one or more embodiments is shown, including a drive bridge and a lever having a cylinder at the tip thereof that is located within a slot in the drive bridge;

[0030] Figure 6 Shows Figure 5 a cross-sectional view of the head portion of ; and

[0031] Figure 7 Shows Figure 6 An enlarged portion of a cross-sectional view of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Although example embodiments have been described with reference to the components, modules, and units discussed herein, these functional elements may be combined into fewer elements or separated into additional elements. Various combinations of optional features have been described herein, and it will be appreciated that the described features may be combined in any suitable combination. In particular, the features of any example embodiment may be appropriately combined with the features of any other embodiment, unless such combinations are mutually exclusive. Throughout this specification, the terms "comprise" or "comprising" refer to including specified components, but do not exclude the presence of other components.

[0033] A personal care appliance may be, for example, a handheld device used for personal care or repair. Personal care appliances include cleaning appliances, skin treatment appliances, hair removal appliances, massage devices, etc. Typically, a personal care appliance performs a treatment or operation on a human or animal body.

[0034] Hair trimming appliances and hair repairing appliances are well known in the art and may include, for example, shavers, razors, trimmers, epilators, hair styling appliances and combinations thereof. Typically, a hair repairing appliance comprises an electric motor arranged to drive a trimming unit (or trimmer), such as a blade set, to perform a hair trimming and / or repairing operation. More generally, a hair trimming appliance may also be referred to as a repairing appliance.

[0035] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a personal care appliance in the form of a hair trimming appliance or a razor is provided. The personal care appliance comprises a guard 102, a functional device (in this case a trimmer) 104, a drive bridge 106 and a connecting rod 108. The trimmer 104 and the guard 102 both have a plurality of teeth. The trimmer 104 cooperates with the guard 102 by moving back and forth in a reciprocating manner, thereby trimming the hair between each tooth. The trimmer 104 is connected to the drive bridge 106. The drive bridge comprises a slot 110. The slot is oriented perpendicular to the moving direction of the drive bridge 106.

[0036] Figure 1 and Figure 2 The connecting rod 108 in FIG. 1 is an eccentric drive mechanism because the motor (not shown) is located proximal to the drive bridge 106. The eccentric drive mechanism includes an elongated rod that extends parallel to the rotation axis of the motor. However, the elongated rod is not colinear with the rotation axis of the motor, but is offset from the rotation axis of the motor. In this way, the elongated rod provides an eccentric drive mechanism.

[0037] A slot 110 is provided between opposing drive surfaces. During operation, the eccentric drive mechanism pushes against the drive surface to move the drive bridge 106 in a reciprocating manner during motor rotation. To reduce friction between the eccentric drive mechanism and the drive surface, the drive surface can be relatively thin. In this way, the contact surface of the drive surface with the motor eccentric is reduced. The drive bridge includes opposing ramps 112 to help guide the eccentric drive mechanism into the drive bridge 106 during assembly.

[0038] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , provides a personal care appliance, wherein Figure 1 and Figure 2 Compared with the personal care appliance of the present invention, the motor is further away from the drive bridge. In other words, the motor is located on the far side of the drive bridge. In order to accommodate the motor located on the far side, the connecting rod is a joystick. The joystick includes a tip 114, a hub 116 and a motor end. The tip includes a generally spherical ball to reduce friction with the drive surface. The hub 116 includes a hole for mounting to a shaft (not shown) anchored on the handle of the personal care appliance. The center of the hub provides the rotation axis of the joystick.

[0039] The motor end 118 includes a fork 120 that provides a slot 121 for receiving a motor eccentric 122 therein.

[0040] It should be appreciated that stack-up tolerances along the personal care appliance can cause alignment issues between the tip 114 and the slot 110 .

[0041] This question is answered through Figures 5 to 7 A personal care appliance in the form of a shaver is provided. Figures 5 to 7 Not described, but related to Figures 1 to 4 Common features of the described personal care appliances may be considered to be referenced by the same reference numerals increased by 100.

[0042] refer to Figures 5 to 7 The personal care appliance includes a handle (not shown), a functional device 203 located at the head of the handle, a drive bridge 206 for driving the functional device, a motor (not shown) located in the handle, and a joystick 208 located between the motor and the drive bridge 206 for reciprocatingly driving the drive bridge to move back and forth. The motor is located at the distal end of the handle relative to the head.

[0043] In this case, since the personal care appliance is a shaver, the functional device includes a trimmer 204. The functional device also includes a trimmer 204. Figures 1 to 4 A protective member 202 in a personal care appliance.

[0044] As described above, the drive bridge 206 includes a slot 210. The slot 210 is formed between two opposing surfaces of the drive bridge, which may be referred to as drive surfaces. The drive surface has a height H. The drive bridge includes a guide 230 for guiding the tip 214 of the joystick 208 into the slot 210 during assembly. The guide 230 includes opposing inclined surfaces.

[0045] The extending direction of the joystick 208 is substantially the same as the direction of the rotation axis of the motor, and the rotation axis of the motor is substantially the same as the axis along which the handle extends.

[0046] The joystick 208 includes a cylinder 232 at the tip 214. The cylinder 232 has a diameter D. The cylinder 232 is inserted into the slot 210 of the drive bridge 206. The drive bridge 206 is inclined relative to the cylinder. In other words, the cylinder 232 is inclined about or relative to the slot 210. In other words, the extension direction of the slot is inclined relative to the central axis of the cylinder. In this way, it is easier to align the cylinder 232 with the drive surface of the drive bridge 206 compared to a configuration in which the slot 210 can extend in a direction parallel to the central axis of the cylinder 232 or in a straight line with the central axis of the cylinder 232. The central axis of the cylinder 232 can be parallel to the rotation axis of the joystick. In addition, the diameter D of the cylinder 232 is greater than the height H of the drive surface. Therefore, the value of the ratio between the diameter D of the cylinder 232 and the height H of the drive surface is greater than 1. For example, the ratio D / H can be in the range of 1.2 to 5. The ratio D / H may be, for example, 1.2, 1.26, 1.5, 2, 2.2, 2.5, 3, 3.4, 4, 4.5, 5, etc. An optimal D / H ratio value to control manufacturing tolerances may be about 2.2. Figure 7 The ratio D / H is shown to be about 2.2. By making the ratio D / H greater than 1, the drive bridge 206 for driving the functional device can still be suitable, or in other words, still compatible with an eccentric drive mechanism including an elongated rod with a diameter of D. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that the tilting drive bridge 206 for driving the functional device can be compatible with a personal care appliance incorporating an eccentric drive mechanism or a joystick 208, as described in the context of the present invention.

[0047] In some embodiments, the cylinder is tilted at an angle of between 10 and 30 degrees relative to the drive axle. The tilt angle may be about 20 degrees. With this in mind, the length of the cylinder may be between 4 mm and 8 mm. The length of the cylinder may be controlled using the following formula (1).

[0048]

[0049] In formula (1), L is the length of the cylinder in mm, e is the error between the highest and lowest positions of the cylinder in the slot measured in mm, α is the inclination angle of the cylinder relative to the slot, and L_start is the starting value of the length of the cylinder in mm assuming e is zero. The error e can be about 1 mm.

[0050] The joystick 208 may include a motor end opposite the tip 214. The motor end may include a slot 234. The motor may include an eccentric drive mechanism 236 extending in the direction of an axis along which the handle extends. The eccentric drive mechanism 236 may be received in the slot 234 of the motor end of the joystick 208.

[0051] The eccentric drive mechanism 236 may include a generally spherical tip 240 that is received in the slot 234 of the motor end of the joystick 208. The motor end of the joystick includes a guide 238 for guiding the eccentric drive mechanism therein during assembly. The guide 238 of the motor end of the joystick includes opposing ramps.

[0052] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the above description, these illustrations and descriptions should be considered illustrative or exemplary rather than restrictive; the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

[0053] In the process of practicing the claimed utility model, other variations of the disclosed embodiments will be understandable and achievable to those skilled in the art by studying the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill multiple functions described in the claims. The 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. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting their scope.

Claims

1. A personal care appliance, characterized in that: include: handle; A functional device (203) located at the head of the handle; A drive bridge (206) for driving the functional device, the drive bridge comprising a slot (210); a motor located within the handle; as well as A joystick (208) connected between the motor and the drive bridge (206) for reciprocatingly driving the drive bridge (206) to move back and forth, wherein the joystick (208) includes a cylinder (232) at the distal end, wherein the cylinder (232) is inserted into a slot (210) of the drive bridge (206), wherein the slot (210) of the drive bridge is disposed between opposite drive surfaces; wherein the cylinder (232) is inclined relative to the drive bridge (206), Wherein, a ratio D / H between a diameter D of the cylinder and a height H of the corresponding driving surface is greater than 1.

2. The personal care appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that The inclination angle of the cylinder (232) relative to the drive bridge (206) is between 10 degrees and 30 degrees.

3. The personal care appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that The inclination angle is 20 degrees.

4. The personal care appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The ratio D / H is 2.

2.

5. The personal care appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The length of the cylinder (232) is between 4 mm and 8 mm.

6. The personal care appliance according to claim 5, characterized in that The length of the cylinder (232) is controlled according to the following formula: L=e / tan(α)+L_start, Wherein, L is the length of the cylinder (232) measured in mm, e is the error range between the highest position and the lowest position of the cylinder in the slot (210) of the drive bridge measured in mm, α is the inclination angle of the cylinder (232) relative to the drive bridge (206), and L_start is the starting value of the length of the cylinder (232) in mm assuming that e is zero.

7. The personal care appliance according to claim 6, characterized in that The error e is 1 mm.

8. The personal care appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The axis of the cylinder (232) is parallel to the rotation axis of the joystick (208).

9. The personal care appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The joystick (208) includes a motor end opposite to the tip (214), the motor end having a slot (234), wherein the motor includes an eccentric drive mechanism (236), the eccentric drive mechanism (236) extends in the direction of an axis, and the handle extends along the axis, wherein the eccentric drive mechanism (236) is accommodated in the slot (234) of the motor end of the joystick (208).

10. The personal care appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that The eccentric drive mechanism (236) includes a generally spherical tip (240) received in a slot (234) at the motor end of the joystick (208).

11. The personal care appliance according to claim 10, characterized in that The motor end of the joystick (208) includes a guide (238) for guiding the eccentric drive mechanism (236) therein during assembly.

12. The personal care appliance according to claim 11, characterized in that The guide (238) at the motor end of the joystick (208) includes opposing ramps.

13. The personal care appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The drive bridge (206) includes a guide (230) for guiding the tip (214) of the joystick (208) into the slot (210) of the drive bridge (206) during assembly.

14. The personal care appliance according to claim 13, characterized in that The guide (230) of the drive axle (206) includes opposing inclined surfaces.

15. The personal care appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The extending direction of the joystick (208) is parallel to the extending axis of the handle.

16. The personal care appliance according to claim 15, characterized in that The motor is located at a distal end of the handle relative to the head.

17. The personal care appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The personal care appliance is a shaver, and the functional device (203) comprises a trimmer.

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