Razor Cartridge With Stepped Front Supporters to Reduce Skin Irritation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing razor cartridges with linear motion blades cause significant skin irritation during shaving due to the forward and backward movements.
Innovation Solution
The razor cartridge design includes a guard frame with a movable blade housing and front and rear supporters, where the topmost portion of the first front supporter is higher than the second front supporter, reducing skin contact irritation during forward movement, and adjusting the shaving plane to minimize blade protrusion and angle changes during both forward and backward movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the blade moves in linear motion during shaving, then shaving efficiency is improved, but skin irritation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The front supporter is divided into two distinct parts: a first front supporter attached to the guard frame and a second front supporter attached to the blade housing. This segmentation allows each part to serve different functions - the first provides a stable reference plane while the second adjusts with blade motion, thereby maintaining shaving efficiency while reducing skin irritation from excessive blade protrusion
Solution Approach 2:
The second front supporter acts as an intermediary element between the blade and the first front supporter. It mediates the interaction by providing a dynamic reference plane that adjusts with blade housing position, controlling blade protrusion relative to the skin and reducing direct harmful contact while preserving cutting effectiveness
2Device complexity
If the blade housing is fixed relative to the guard frame, then structural simplicity is maintained, but shaving efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade housing is designed to move linearly relative to the guard frame during shaving operation. This dynamic configuration allows the blade to maintain optimal contact with the skin across different strokes, improving shaving efficiency. The front supporters are designed to accommodate this motion while maintaining their functional relationship
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the system have different degrees of freedom: the blade housing moves linearly within the guard frame, while the front supporters maintain fixed relative positions. This local differentiation of motion characteristics allows the system to achieve both structural simplicity and improved shaving efficiency through controlled local movement
3Ease of manufacture
If the topmost portions of both front supporters are at the same height, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but skin contact optimization is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The first and second front supporters are designed with asymmetric heights - the second front supporter has its topmost portion lower than that of the first front supporter. This asymmetric configuration optimizes skin contact by creating a stepped reference plane that better conforms to skin topology, reducing irritation while maintaining manufacturability through simple geometric differentiation
Data Source
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AI summary
A razor cartridge according to an embodiment of the disclosure includes: at least one blade having a cutting edge; a blade housing accommodating the at least one blade in a longitudinal direction; and a guard frame accommodating the blade housing to be movable forwards and backwards, the guard frame comprising a first front supporter that is provided in front of the blade housing and comes into contact with skin during a shaving process, the blade housing comprising a second front supporter that is provided between the blade and the first front supporter and comes into contact with skin during the shaving process, and, a topmost portion of the first front supporter is higher than a topmost portion of the second front supporter so that the first front supporter can come into contact with skin in a state that the blade housing is at a foremost position relative to the guard frame, and the second front supporter can come into contact with skin in a state that the blade housing is at a rearmost position relative to the guard frame, during shaving the shaving process.