Personal Care Device with Dynamic Stiffness Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hair removal devices, such as electric shavers, often fail to self-adjust effectively to different user preferences and skin contours, leading to suboptimal performance and potential skin irritation due to inadequate adjustment of working head stiffness and contact pressure.
Innovation Solution
The device incorporates an adjustment actuator controlled by an electronic control unit, which adjusts the pivoting and floating stiffness of the working head in response to real-time skin pressure and other treatment parameters detected by sensors, allowing for automatic variation of torque and force to enhance user control and comfort during hair removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the working head is made pivotable to compensate for angular displacement, then the shaver can maintain full contact with skin contour, but the device becomes more complex and harder to control
Solution Approach 1:
The working head is made dynamically pivotable relative to the handle through a support structure with pivot axes, allowing automatic adaptation to skin contours during operation. This dynamic adjustment mechanism enables the shaver to maintain optimal contact angle without requiring complex manual control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotable working head design allows the device to self-adjust its orientation automatically during use, compensating for angular displacement and maintaining full skin contact without requiring active user intervention or complex control systems.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the cutter elements are allowed to float or dive into the shaver head structure, then they can compensate for excessive forces, but the control precision over the working head position is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
A biasing device is pre-configured to apply a predetermined biasing force to the working head, cushioning against excessive user pressure before it can cause skin irritation. This pre-loaded mechanical spring system provides automatic force limitation without requiring active sensing or control.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing force parameter is adjusted based on detected skin contact pressure, allowing the system to dynamically modify the working head's resistance to movement. This parameter adjustment enables the device to maintain optimal contact force while preventing excessive pressure that would cause skin irritation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If fuzzy logic control is used to automatically adjust multiple parameters, then shaving performance and skin irritation are balanced, but the adjustment precision is insufficient for different user preferences
Solution Approach 1:
A sensor system provides real-time feedback on skin contact pressure and device orientation, which is processed by a control unit to automatically adjust working parameters. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables precise adaptation to different skin types and user preferences, going beyond fixed fuzzy logic rules.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a personal care device, in particular skin treatment device such as electric shaver, comprising an a working head attached to a handle for moving the working head along a skin surface, said working head including at least one working tool defining a skin contact contour of the working head, wherein said at least one working tool is moveable relative to said handle under a skin contact pressure by means of a support structure to allow for pivoting of the working head's skin contact contour relative to the handle, wherein a biasing device is provided for biasing said working tool. According to an aspect, an adjustment device including an adjustment actuator is controlled by an electronic control unit to adjust pivoting and/or floating stiffness of the working head in response to at least skin contact pressure of the working head detected by at least one detector during handling the personal care device when effecting the personal care treatment.