Shaver Blade With Concave Clearance For Parallel Hair Cutting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slit cutters in electric shavers face challenges in cutting hairs oriented parallel to the skin, as the outer blade's thickness needs to be reduced to allow hair entry, but this can lead to skin irritations and reduced sturdiness.
Innovation Solution
The outer blade features concave clearances between side and lower surfaces, forming a sharp edge that guides hairs into slits without blocking them, reducing the risk of skin irritation and enhancing hair clamping, while maintaining structural integrity through an H-shaped or meander configuration and etching-based manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the thickness of the outer blade is reduced to allow more hairs to enter the slits, then the number of hairs that can be cut increases, but the sturdiness of the blade structure deteriorates and skin irritation risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade thickness is varied locally: the central web maintains sufficient thickness for structural strength, while the lateral webs are thinner to allow hair entry. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by having different regions serve different functions - structural support versus hair access.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of uniformly reducing blade thickness in one dimension, the invention uses a multi-dimensional web structure with central and lateral webs at different positions. This dimensional arrangement allows the blade to maintain overall strength while creating localized thin regions for hair entry.
2Productivity
If the thickness of the outer blade is reduced to allow more hairs to enter the slits, then the number of hairs that can be cut increases, but the risk of skin irritation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade design applies local quality by making only the lateral webs thin for hair entry, while the central web remains thick to prevent skin contact and irritation. This localized thinning allows productivity improvement without increasing skin irritation risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The central web acts as an intermediary protective element between the thin lateral webs and the skin. It mediates between the need for thin edges (to cut hairs) and the need to protect skin from irritation by providing a thick protective barrier.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional blade designs are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but hairs with orientation parallel to the skin cannot effectively enter the slits for cutting
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is segmented into multiple webs (central and lateral) with different functions. The lateral webs are specifically designed to be thin to facilitate hair entry for parallel-oriented hairs, while maintaining overall manufacturability through a systematic web structure.
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 improves shaving results by effectively cutting hairs parallel to the skin without causing skin irritations, ensuring the blade's sharpness and structural stability, and allows for mass production with precise edge formation.
Implementation Method 1
exposing the at least one side of the webs to an etching agent thereby forming a concave clearance
Data Source
AI summary
An elongated outer blade for a slit cutter is disclosed. The outer blade extends along a first axis and comprises a number of slits and webs disposed between the slits. The webs have an upper surface, a lower surface and side surfaces extending between the upper and lower surfaces. At least some of the webs are provided with a concave clearance formed between a side surface and the lower surface forming an edge with the side surface. Further, a shaver having such an outer blade and a method for producing an outer blade using etching are disclosed.