Sensor-Based Shaving System Personalized Pressure Threshold

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing shaving razors lack feedback and guidance to help users achieve a close shave without skin irritation, as users often apply excessive strokes or pressure in an attempt to improve closeness, leading to increased risk of irritation.

Innovation Solution

A sensor-based shaving system that includes a grooming device with a handle, a hair cutting implement, and a shave event sensor to measure user behavior, providing personalized feedback through indicators like LED lights to deter excessive pressure and encourage behavior that reduces skin irritation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If users apply increased pressure, more strokes, or strokes against hair growth direction to achieve closer shave, then closeness of shave is improved, but skin irritation risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecloseness of shaveVSAvoidskin irritation

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs sensors to detect user shaving behavior (pressure, stroke count, direction) and provides real-time feedback through indicators like LED lights to guide users toward optimal shaving techniques that achieve closeness without excessive irritation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system determines a unique threshold value for each user based on their baseline behavior data, and dynamically adjusts feedback based on deviations from this personalized threshold, adapting to individual shaving patterns and skin sensitivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If existing shaving razors provide no feedback or guidance to users, then device complexity is reduced, but users cannot achieve optimal balance between closeness and irritation prevention

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to achieve close shave without irritationVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically collects shave event data, analyzes baseline behavior patterns, determines unique threshold values, and provides guidance without requiring manual user input or configuration, making the complex analysis transparent to the user

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces sensors and feedback indicators as intermediaries between the user and the shaving process, translating complex behavioral analysis into simple visual guidance that users can easily understand and act upon

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3932632B1Sensor-based shaving systems and methods of analyzing a user's shave event for determining a unique threshold value of the user

Publication Date: 2023.12.13 THE GILLETTE CO

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AI summary

Sensor-based shaving systems and methods of analyzing a user's shave event are described for determining a unique threshold value of the user. A grooming device comprises a handle having a connecting structure connected to a hair cutting implement. A shave event sensor associated with the grooming device measures a user behavior, which includes collecting a first dataset comprising shave data defining a shave event. The first dataset is transmitted via a communication device and is analyzed to determine baseline behavior data of the user, and a unique threshold value of the user is determined from the baseline behavior data. One or more subsequent datasets, each comprising shave data of one or more corresponding shave events, is compared to the unique threshold value to determine comparison data. An indication is provided, based on the comparison data, to indicate a deviation from the threshold value and to influence the user behavior.