Oscillating Rotary Shaver Head Assembly

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional rotary shavers require multiple passes and struggle with cutting long facial hair effectively, limiting their performance in trimming or cutting hair.

Innovation Solution

An oscillating rotary shaver head assembly with a housing, inner cutting blade, and an outer cutting disc that oscillates through predetermined angular sectors, combined with a cam mechanism and comb guides to enhance cutting efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a conventional rotary shaver uses a stationary foil with an internal rotating cutting blade, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it requires multiple passes to adequately trim or cut facial hair and performs poorly on longer hair lengths

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecutting efficiencyVSAvoidshaver head structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming the stationary foil into an oscillating outer cutting disc that moves back and forth through predetermined angular sectors. This dynamic movement allows the outer cutting disc to actively engage with and cut longer hair strands that would otherwise be difficult to reach with a stationary foil, thereby improving cutting efficiency without requiring multiple passes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements periodic action through the oscillating movement of the outer cutting disc, which rotates through positive and negative angular sectors in a periodic manner. This oscillating motion creates repeated cutting actions on the same hair strands, enabling effective trimming in a single pass and significantly improving productivity compared to conventional rotary shavers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

2Productivity

If the outer cutting disc oscillates through positive and negative angular sectors, then cutting efficiency is improved and single-pass trimming is achieved, but the mechanism complexity increases with cam members, sliders, and oscillator rings

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesingle-pass cutting capabilityVSAvoidoscillation mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the nested doll principle by integrating multiple functional components within a compact shaver head assembly. The cam member, slider, oscillator ring, and outer cutting disc are nested together in a space-efficient arrangement where the cam member rotates within the oscillator ring, which in turn connects to the outer cutting disc. This nesting allows the complex oscillation mechanism to be contained within the existing shaver head footprint.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses intermediary components to transmit and transform motion efficiently. The cam member acts as an intermediary that converts rotational motion into oscillating motion, which is then transmitted through the slider and oscillator ring to the outer cutting disc. These intermediary elements enable the complex oscillation function to be achieved through a series of simple, well-understood mechanical transformations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Manufacturing precision

If comb guides are added to impart a combing effect on hair, then hair alignment and cutting precision are improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehair alignment and cutting precisionVSAvoidshaver head assembly
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating comb guides that pre-align and organize hair strands before they reach the cutting blades. The comb guides perform the preparatory function of separating, straightening, and positioning hair in the optimal configuration for cutting, ensuring that each hair strand is properly aligned with the cutting path before the actual cutting action occurs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements local quality by adding comb guides only in specific regions where hair alignment is most needed, rather than uniformly across the entire shaver head. The comb guides are strategically positioned to address local hair management requirements, improving cutting precision in critical areas while minimizing the overall complexity and manufacturing difficulty of the assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS10668634B2Oscillating rotary shaver
Publication Date: 2020.06.02 CONAIR CORP
  • US10668634B2 patent drawing
  • US10668634B2 patent drawing
  • US10668634B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A shaver head assembly includes at least one cutting head component having a housing, an inner cutting blade mounted to the housing and configured and adapted to rotate about an axis and an outer cutting disc coaxially mounted about the axis. The outer cutting disc is configured to oscillate about the axis through positive and negative predetermined angular sectors of rotation, and is configured to cooperate with the inner cutting blade to cut hair.