Dry Shaver Skin Cooling Element Delayed Switch-Off Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrically driven shavers with skin cooling elements often fail to provide sufficient cooling during intermittent or interrupted usage, leading to skin irritations due to warming of the shaved skin.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a microcontroller that delays the switch-off of the skin cooling element relative to the hair cutting motor, allowing for an after-cooling phase, and optionally reducing the cooling effect or using a predetermined time interval to maintain the skin cooling element in a cool state after shaver operation, thereby ensuring continuous skin cooling and reducing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the skin cooling element is completely switched off when the shaver is turned off, then energy consumption is reduced, but the skin cooling element warms up and cannot provide sufficient cooling during intermittent usage
Solution Approach 1:
The microcontroller is programmed to keep the skin cooling element operating for a predetermined time interval after the shaver is switched off. This preliminary action ensures that the cooling element remains cool and ready for immediate use during intermittent shaving, preventing skin irritations while managing energy consumption through controlled extended operation.
2Reliability
If the skin cooling element operates continuously during and after shaver usage, then skin cooling effectiveness is maintained, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous operation throughout the entire off period, the skin cooling element operates for a predetermined time interval after shaver shutdown. This partial action provides sufficient cooling effectiveness for typical intermittent usage patterns while avoiding excessive energy consumption during extended idle periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The skin cooling element operates in periodic cycles: during active shaving and for a predetermined time after shutdown. This periodic operation pattern ensures cooling availability when needed while reducing energy consumption during complete idle periods, balancing reliability and energy efficiency.
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 solution ensures the skin cooling element remains effective and cool even after the shaver is turned off, preventing skin irritations and minimizing energy usage, regardless of usage patterns, by maintaining a stable cooling effect during the after-cooling phase.
Implementation Method 1
a thermoelectric skin cooling element... If the skin cooling element comprises a peltier element the usually cold side thereof gets warm after same is completely switched off
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
An electrically driven shaver comprises a housing, at least one hair cutting element that is driven by an electromotor, a thermoelectric skin cooling element and the electromotor are electrically operable by a microcontroller and an on/off switch which is electrically connected with the microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller is adapted to activate and deactivate operation of both the electromotor and the skin cooling element, wherein the skin cooling element is located adjacent to the hair cutting element and wherein the microcontroller is adapted to immediately deactivate operation of the electromotor and relative to that to deactivate operation of the skin cooling element at later point of time both in response to the "off' actuation of the same on/off switch.