Pivoting Arrangement Resting Position Accuracy
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pivoting arrangements in shaving and grooming devices often experience a permanent offset in equilibrium due to slight differences in spring constants, leading to a failure to resume the middle position, resulting in a slightly angled resting position instead of the intended middle position.
Innovation Solution
A pivoting arrangement with a spring loading mechanism that has a limited active range, utilizing abutments to restrict the interaction points of deformable springs, ensuring the resting position is defined and less variable, and reducing total force and friction, allowing the pivoting member to return to its desired position without dependence on spring constants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If two spring members are used in a conventional middle position pivoting arrangement, then the pivoting member can be returned to its resting position, but the resting position becomes permanently offset due to slight differences in spring constants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic element (the second spring member) from the system. By using only one spring member instead of two, the source of imbalance (differences in spring constants) is completely removed, ensuring the pivoting member reliably returns to its true middle resting position without being affected by manufacturing variations in multiple springs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of spring configuration from two springs to one spring. This parameter change fundamentally alters the system behavior by eliminating the possibility of unequal spring constants causing offset, thereby improving resting position accuracy without depending on manufacturing precision of multiple identical components
2Force
If the spring loading arrangement continuously interacts with the pivoting member, then the pivoting member is constantly biased, but friction increases and predictability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the spring interaction conditional rather than continuous. The spring only engages when the pivoting member needs to be returned to its resting position, and disengages when the member is already at or near the resting position. This dynamic on-demand interaction reduces continuous friction while maintaining necessary biasing force
Solution Approach 2:
The spring loading arrangement operates periodically rather than continuously - activating only during the return stroke when needed to provide restoring force, and remaining inactive during forward motion and at the resting position. This periodic action reduces overall friction and improves system predictability
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
The solution ensures a more precise and predictable resting position with reduced variation and friction, allowing the pivoting member to return to its defined position effectively, even with slight angular movements or wear, improving the contour following function of devices like shaving devices.
Implementation Method 1
a spring loading arrangement comprising at least one deformable spring element, and arranged to interact with the pivoting member in a first point of action to exert a force acting to move the pivoting member in a first pivoting direction
Data Source
AI summary
A pivoting arrangement for a shaving device, comprising a pivoting member (10), adapted to support a shaving head, a cradle (11), pivotally supporting the pivoting member, and a spring loading arrangement (13) arranged to bias the pivoting member in a resting position. The spring loading arrangement has a limited active range, so that, when the pivoting member is brought out of the resting position in a first pivoting direction, the spring loading arrangement is prevented from interacting with the pivoting member in a first point of action (14a), and when the pivoting member is brought out of the resting position in a second pivoting direction, the spring loading arrangement is prevented from interacting with the pivoting member in a second point of action (14b). As a result, the resting position will not be dependent on e.g. the spring constants of different springs in the spring loading arrangement. The resting position will thus be more exactly defined, and exhibit less variation than conventional solutions. Also, the total force acting on the pivoting member will be reduced, thus causing less friction, also serving to improve the predictability of the arrangement.