Molded Shaver Seal Frame for Fluid Ingress Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dry shavers face issues with loose retention of drive fingers leading to vibration and noise, cumbersome assembly, damage to perforated foils during disassembly, and the need for complex seals and fasteners to prevent fluid ingress.
Innovation Solution
The shaver features a molded seal frame with radial and axial compression, secure drive finger retention using spring elements, and a motor cover without threaded fasteners, along with spring clips for easy foil cartridge removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional seals with plates and threaded fasteners are used to prevent fluid ingress, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the seal element with the housing structure itself, eliminating separate plates and fasteners. The seal is integrated directly into the housing interior, creating a unified structure that maintains fluid sealing while reducing component count and assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the unnecessary plates and threaded fasteners from the seal construction, retaining only the essential seal element. This extraction of redundant components simplifies the overall structure while preserving the core sealing function.
2Ease of manufacture
If drive fingers are loosely retained in the housing, then assembly simplicity is improved, but operational stability deteriorates due to vibration and noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs resilient fingers made of flexible material that can deform during assembly to accommodate the drive fingers, then maintain continuous contact pressure to securely retain them. This flexibility allows for simple assembly while ensuring stable operational retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient fingers automatically adjust and maintain optimal retention pressure on the drive fingers through their elastic properties, eliminating the need for external adjustment mechanisms or complex retention structures.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional foil cartridges are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but ease of operation deteriorates during disassembly and reassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates resilient fingers that can dynamically deform during the insertion and removal of foil cartridges. These fingers flex to accommodate the cartridge during assembly, then maintain secure retention during operation, and allow easy release during disassembly, improving user operation while maintaining simple construction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances assembly simplicity, reduces noise and vibration, prevents fluid ingress, and simplifies maintenance by eliminating the need for specialized brackets and fasteners.
Implementation Method 1
The seal and the housing halves are configured for placing the seal in at least one of radial and axial compression upon assembly of the housing halves together
Implementation Method 2
A resilient motor cover is constructed and arranged for holding the motor in a fixed position in the shaver housing interior. Included on the cover are formations that engage at least one of the housing halves and transmit a compressive force on the motor
Data Source
AI summary
A shaver includes a housing including first and second housing halves defining an interior chamber, the housing having an operational end and an opposite, bottom end, the interior chamber containing a motor acting through a transmission and configured for reciprocally driving a pair of laterally reciprocating drive fingers. Each drive finger includes an elongate finger drive element extending from the operational end. A resilient seal having slits accommodating the finger drive elements is captured in corresponding seal cavities in each of the housing halves. The seal and the housing halves are configured for placing the seal in at least one of radial and axial compression upon assembly of the housing halves together.