Hair removal apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11910901-B2
Application number	US-202016926815-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2020
Priority date	Dec 18, 2014
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

A hair-removal apparatus is provided that comprises a hair-removal device with a movable hair-removal component, which comprises at least a first hair-contacting member and a second hair-contacting member, which are movable relative to each other and which are configured and arranged to mutually co-operate for removing hairs by mutually exerting a contact force, a pressing component configured and arranged to generate said contact force by exerting a pressing force on the movable hair-removal component during operation, a skin proximity sensing component, and a force adjusting component. The skin proximity sensing component is configured and arranged to detect a relative distance between the movable hair-removal component and a portion of the skin with hairs to be removed. The force adjusting component is configured and arranged to adjust, during operation, the pressing force exerted by the pressing component in dependence on the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hair-removal apparatus, comprising:
a hair-removal device comprising a movable hair-removal component, the moveable hair-removal component comprising at least a first hair-contacting member and a second hair-contacting member, wherein the first hair-contacting member and the second hair-contacting member are movable relative to each other, and configured and arranged to mutually co-operate for removing hairs by mutually exerting a contact force;
a pressing component adapted to generate the contact force by exerting a pressing force on the movable hair-removal component during operation,
a skin proximity sensing component adapted to detect, during operation, a relative distance between the movable hair-removal component and a portion of skin with hairs to be removed; and
a force adjusting component configured to interact mechanically with the skin proximity sensing component to adjust, during operation, the pressing force exerted by the pressing component in dependence on the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component,
wherein the movable hair-removal component has a functional mode during which the contact force has a first value enabling the removing of the hairs and a non-functional mode during which the contact force has a second value disabling the removing of the hairs that is smaller than the first value, and
wherein the force adjusting component is configured to adjust the pressing force exerted by the pressing component in dependence on the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component such that, when the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component is a first relative distance, the movable hair-removal component operates in the non-functional mode and, when the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component is a second relative distance smaller than the first relative distance, the movable hair-removal component operates in the functional mode.

2. The hair-removal apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second value of the contact force is zero.

3. The hair-removal apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the force adjusting component is configured to adjust the pressing force exerted by the pressing component such that, when the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component is above a predetermined threshold value, the movable hair-removal component operates in the non-functional mode and, when the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component is below the predetermined threshold value, the movable hair-removal component operates in the functional mode.

4. The hair-removal apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pressing force exerted by the pressing component has a predefined maximum value;
wherein the force adjusting component is configured and arranged to reduce the pressing force exerted by the pressing component in the non-functional mode of the movable hair-removal component to a reduced value smaller than the predefined maximum value; and
wherein the force adjusting component is configured and arranged to release the pressing component in the functional mode of the movable hair-removal component such that the pressing force exerted by the pressing component has the predefined maximum value.

5. The hair-removal apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in the non-functional mode, the force adjusting component interacts with the pressing component to hold or block the pressing component, thereby preventing the pressing component from exerting the pressing force on the movable hair-removal component.

6. An epilator, comprising:
a hair-removal device comprising a movable epilating cylinder adapted to rotate around a longitudinal rotational axis, the movable epilating cylinder comprising at least a first hair-clamping member and a second hair-clamping member adjacent the first hair-clamping member, wherein the first hair-clamping member and the second hair-clamping member are movable relative to each other, and configured and arranged to mutually co-operate for removing hairs by mutually exerting a contact force, wherein the first hair-clamping member and the second hair-clamping member are each one of a plurality of hair-clamping members of the movable epilating cylinder adapted to clamp hairs and pull the hairs out of skin;
a pressing component adapted to generate the contact force by exerting a pressing force on a movable hair-removal component during operation, wherein, during operation, the pressing component exerts the pressing force on the first and second hair-clamping members in a radially offset position with respect to the longitudinal rotational axis such that first and second hair-clamping members are disposed against each other at least in a radially offset area for providing the contact force between the first and second hair-clamping members;
a skin proximity sensing component adapted to detect, during operation, a relative distance between the movable hair-removal component and a portion of skin with hairs to be removed; and
a force adjusting component configured to interact mechanically with the skin proximity sensing component to adjust, during operation, the pressing force exerted by the pressing component in dependence on the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component, the movable epilating cylinder having a functional mode during which the contact force has a first value enabling the clamping of the hairs and a non-functional mode during which the contact force has a second value that is smaller than the first value disabling the clamping of the hairs,
wherein the force adjusting component is configured to adjust the pressing force exerted by the pressing component in dependence on the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component such that, when the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component is a first relative distance, the movable hair-removal component operates in the non-functional mode and, when the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component is a second relative distance smaller than the first relative distance, the movable hair-removal component operates in the functional mode.

7. The epilator according to claim 6 , wherein the second value of the contact force is zero.

8. The epilator according to claim 6 , wherein the pressing force exerted by the pressing component has a predefined maximum value;
wherein the force adjusting component is configured and arranged to reduce the pressing force exerted by the pressing component in the non-functional mode of the movable hair-removal component to a reduced value smaller than the predefined maximum value; and
wherein the force adjusting component is configured and arranged to release the pressing component in the functional mode of the movable hair-removal component such that the pressing force exerted by the pressing component has the predefined maximum value.

9. The epilator according to claim 6 , wherein the force adjusting component configured to adjust the pressing force exerted by the pressing component such that, when the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component is above a predetermined threshold value, the movable hair-removal component operates in the non-functional mode and, when the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component is below the predetermined threshold value, the movable hair-removal component operates in the functional mode.

10. The epilator according to claim 6 , wherein the skin proximity sensing component comprises a mechanical contact sensor adapted to detect the relative distance by mechanical contac

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Kindermann Sebastian Alexander

Classifications

• A45D26/0028 Primary

  with rotating discs or blades · CPC title

• A45D26/00 Primary

  Hair-singeing apparatus; Apparatus for removing superfluous hair, e.g. tweezers (removing hair using electrosurgical instruments A61B18/04, A61B18/18) · CPC title

• B26B19/141

  Details of inner cutters having their axes of rotation perpendicular to the cutting surface · CPC title

• B26B19/388 Primary

  Sensors; Control · CPC title

• A45D2026/0085

  with means for reducing noise · CPC title