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 to a hair-cutting appliance. [Background technology]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a mounting assembly for a hair-cutting appliance and to a hair-cutting appliance. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Hair cutting tools typically have a cutting unit, and it is beneficial for the cutting unit to be rotatable relative to the handle, to enable it to follow the contours of the user's skin surface, creating optimal contact between the user's skin and the cutting unit and achieving the best cutting performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] According to a first particular aspect, there is provided a mounting assembly for a hair-cutting appliance, comprising: a head including a body extending along an elongate axis and a drive bridge, the head configured to receive a cutting unit, the drive bridge coupled to the cutting unit and configured for reciprocal movement relative to the body along the elongate 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 cooperating with the drive bridge to impart reciprocating motion to the drive bridge, the socket configured to cooperate with a motor; The first rotation mechanism 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 permit relative rotational sliding movement of the base and head only about a fixed axis of rotation perpendicular to the elongated axis.

[0005] One of the base bearing surface or the counterpart bearing surface has an inner surface of a slot that has a curvature about a fixed axis of rotation, and the other of the base bearing surface or the counterpart bearing surface has an outer surface of a pin configured to be received in the slot.

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

[0007] The base bearing surface may have a first radius of curvature about the fixed axis of rotation. The counterpart bearing surface may have a second radius of curvature about 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 movement between the base and counterpart about 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, and 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] There may be two separate slots and two corresponding pins configured to be received in the respective slots.

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

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

[0012] A fixed rotation axis may be disposed between the drive bridge and the socket.

[0013] According to a second aspect, there is provided a hair-cutting apparatus comprising a mounting assembly according to the first aspect, 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 be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic front view of a hair cutting tool; FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a front view of a first exemplary mounting assembly. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a front view of a second exemplary mounting assembly. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a front view of a third exemplary mounting assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Exemplary embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0017] 1 shows a hair-cutting tool 10 having a handle 12 for holding the hair-cutting tool 10 by a user, and a mounting 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 mounting assembly 20.

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

[0019] The mounting assembly 20a has a head 22 including a body 24 extending along an elongated 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 elongated 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 is also reciprocated relative to the body 24, enabling the cutting unit to cut hair.

[0020] The first exemplary mounting assembly 20a includes a drive unit 34 having a drive shaft 36 and a socket 38 secured thereto. 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 has an eccentric pin 42 received in a channel in the drive bridge 26 to cooperate with the drive bridge 26 and to impart reciprocating motion to the drive bridge 26 upon rotation of the drive shaft 36. Thus, the drive unit 34 is configured to transfer rotational motion of the motor to reciprocating motion of the drive bridge 26. The socket 38 is configured to receive and cooperate with the shaft 16 at a variety of different angles, such that the socket 38 can be pivotally moved relative to the motor 14 without adversely affecting the drive unit 34's ability to transfer rotational motion of the motor 14 to reciprocating motion of the drive bridge 26.

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

[0022] In this example, the first pivot mechanism 32 includes a base 30 and a counterpart 40 that is movably coupled to the head 22. The first pivot mechanism 32 is configured to allow relative movement between the head 22 and the base 30 only about a fixed pivot axis 60 that is perpendicular to the elongated axis 50.

[0023] The first pivot mechanism 32 includes 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 allow relative rotational sliding movement of the base 30 and the counterpart 40, which are coupled to the head 22, only about a fixed axis of rotation 60 (shown entering the page in FIG. 2 ). The fixed axis of rotation 60 is substantially perpendicular to the elongated axis 50. In this example, the fixed axis of rotation 60 is disposed between the drive bridge 26 and the socket 38, such that when the head 22 is rotated about the fixed axis of rotation 60 relative to the base 30, the connection between the motor 14 and the socket 38 (in this case, the shaft 16) is not inadvertently disconnected from the socket 38. In this example, the fixed axis of rotation 60 is located on the receiving surface of the socket 38. In other examples, the fixed axis of rotation is located within 5 mm of the receiving surface of the socket 38. The closer the fixed axis of rotation is to the socket 38 , the less likely the socket 38 will come off 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 concave with a first radius of curvature about the fixed axis of rotation 60, and the counterpart bearing surface 46 is convex with a second radius of curvature about the fixed axis of rotation 60. In this example, the first and second radii are the same, such that 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, such that this surface allows relative rotational movement between the base 30 and the counterpart 40 only about the fixed axis of rotation 60.

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

[0026] In some instances, the recesses can be in the base bearing surface or in both surfaces. In instances where both surfaces have recesses, the length of one surface must be twice the displacement of the bearing, or the counterpart and base will separate (e.g., Figure 3). In other instances, the bearing surfaces may be continuous, with no recesses.

[0027] In this example, counterpart 40 is movably coupled to head 22 with second pivot mechanism 80, which is configured to allow relative pivotal movement between head 22 and base 30 about second pivot axis 70 parallel to elongate axis 50. In this example, counterpart 40 has a base that is part of second pivot mechanism 80. In this example, the base is a first bar of a four-bar linkage, body 24 comprises a second bar of the four-bar linkage, and base and body 24 are connected by the third and fourth bars of the four-bar linkage. Thus, in this example, second rotation axis 70 is a virtual axis that moves based on the relative position of the four-bar linkage.

[0028] Alternatively, the base of the foundation and head may be connected by a simple pivot that allows rotational movement about the 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 that it is unitary with the head, such that the head is not movable relative to the base about a second axis of rotation parallel to the elongated axis. In other examples, the head may not be movable relative to the base about a second fixed axis, but the base can be movable relative to the handle about an axis parallel to the elongated axis, such that the head is still movable relative to the handle about two perpendicular axes.

[0030] FIG. 3 illustrates a second exemplary mounting assembly 20b. The second exemplary mounting assembly 20b is similar to the first exemplary mounting assembly 20a, except that it includes 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 includes 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 opposite sides of the slot 136 in the counterpart 40, and the base bearing surface 144 includes two protrusions on the base 30 (which can be considered both the base bearing surface 144 with a recess and the counterpart bearing surface 146 with a recess). It also differs in that it includes a pin 134 that is part of the base 30 and 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, the pin 134 is only loosely received in the slot 136 so as not to overly constrain the system. In other words, the slot 136 is made wider than the pin 134, so that the pin 134 does not necessarily contact the inner surface of the slot 136 unless the counterpart 40 and the base 30 are pushed toward or pulled away from each other. In this case, the pin 134 acts against the inner surface of the slot 136, preventing the base 30 from separating from the counterpart 40. The pin 134 and the slot 136 can also be used to define a rotation endpoint to prevent over-rotation of the counterpart 40 relative to the base 30. The pin can have a circular cross-section or a curved cross-section corresponding to the curvature of the slot. In another example, the counterpart bearing surface can comprise the inner surface of the slot, and the base bearing surface can comprise the outer surface of the pin.

[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates a third exemplary mounting assembly 20c, which is similar to the second exemplary mounting assembly 20b, except that the base 30 and counterpart 40 have different base and counterpart bearing surfaces 244 and 246, which are inverted to rotate around a different fixed axis of rotation 160, which in this example is centered at the drive bridge 26. In this example, the base bearing surface 244 has inner surfaces of two slots, and the counterpart bearing surface 246 has outer surfaces of two corresponding pins, each configured to be received in a respective slot. In other examples, the counterpart bearing surface has inner surfaces of two slots, and the base bearing surface has outer surfaces of two pins. In still other examples, there may be only a single slot and pin, or there may be more than one slot and corresponding pin. In essence, the embodiment of FIG. 4 combines the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3, with the pins and slots acting as both bearing surfaces and restraints to prevent separation of the counterpart 40 and base 30. In this example, the fixed axis of rotation 160 is within 5 mm of the drive bridge 26.

[0032] As used herein, a fixed axis of rotation is intended to mean an axis of rotation that is stable and does not move relative to the head 22 or the base 30. In this example, the distance between the fixed axis of rotation 60, 160 and the point of contact of the cutting unit with the skin (e.g., the top surface of the head 22 farthest from the base 30) may be no more than about 20 mm. In some examples, the second axis of rotation 70 and the elongated axis 50 may not intersect with the fixed axis of rotation 60, 160. In other words, the fixed axis of rotation 60, 160 may not coincide with a portion of the head 22 that is configured to receive the cutting unit.

[0033] Variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art practicing the principles and techniques described herein, from a study of the figures, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprise" 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 the functions of several items recited in a claim. The mere fact that certain means are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these means cannot be used to advantage. A computer program can be stored or distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state 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 communication systems. Any reference signs in the claims should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. 1. A mounting assembly for a hair-cutting appliance, comprising: a head including a body extending along an elongated axis and a drive bridge, the head receiving a cutting unit, the drive bridge coupled to the cutting unit and adapted for reciprocal movement relative to the body along the elongated axis; a base connected to the head by a first pivot mechanism; a drive unit including a drive shaft and a socket, the drive shaft including an eccentric pin cooperating with the drive bridge to impart reciprocating motion to the drive bridge, the socket cooperating with a motor; The first rotation mechanism 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 cooperate to permit relative rotational sliding movement of the base and the head only about a fixed axis of rotation perpendicular to the elongated axis; a mounting assembly in which one of the base bearing surface or the counterpart bearing surface includes an inner surface of a slot having a curvature about the fixed axis of rotation, and the other of the base bearing surface or the counterpart bearing surface includes an outer surface of a pin received in the slot.

2. the base bearing surface has a first radius of curvature about the fixed axis of rotation; the counterpart bearing surface has a second radius of curvature about the fixed axis of rotation; 2. The mounting assembly of 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 movement between the base and the counterpart about the axis of rotation.

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

5. 5. A mounting assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein there are two separate slots and two corresponding pins received in the respective slots.

6. 6. A mounting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the counterpart has a base that is part of a second pivot mechanism for pivoting the head relative to the base about a second axis of rotation that is parallel to the elongated axis.

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

8. 8. A mounting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fixed axis of rotation is located between the drive bridge and the socket.

9. A hair cutting tool comprising: A mounting assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8; a motor coupled to the drive unit; a handle attached to the mounting assembly.

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