Small appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11990263-B2
Application number	US-201816617829-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2018
Priority date	May 29, 2017
Publication date	May 21, 2024
Grant date	May 21, 2024

Abstract

A small appliance device, in particular a body-care appliance device, in particular a shaving apparatus device, beard-trimming device, hair-trimming device, epilating appliance device, tattooing appliance device, toothbrush device or the like, has a drive unit which comprises at least one drive element, wherein the drive element comprises at least one magnetically shape-shiftable material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A small appliance device, having a drive unit which comprises at least one drive element, wherein the drive element comprises at least one magnetically shape-shiftable material and having a second drive unit, which is arranged antagonistically with respect to the drive unit.

2. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the magnetically shape-shiftable material is a magnetic shape-memory material.

3. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the magnetically shape-shiftable material is monocrystalline.

4. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the magnetically shape-shiftable material contains nickel, manganese and gallium.

5. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drive element is implemented as a solid body.

6. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drive unit comprises at least one magnet unit, which is configured to generate at least one time-variable shape-shiftable magnetic field for the drive element.

7. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the magnet unit comprises at least one coil element, which at least partially encompasses the drive element.

8. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the magnet unit is configured to initiate a contraction of the drive element parallel to an actuation direction.

9. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a reset unit, which is configured to apply a reset force onto the drive element.

10. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the reset unit is configured to counteract a contraction of the drive element parallel to an actuation direction.

11. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the reset unit comprises at least one reset element having a degressive spring characteristic curve.

12. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the reset unit comprises at least one magnet element.

13. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising at least one holding unit, which is configured to stabilize the first stable expansion state and the second stable expansion state, and which comprises at least one holding magnet element.

14. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the holding magnet element comprises at least one magnetically reversible permanent magnet.

15. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second drive unit comprises at least one second drive element, which comprises at least one magnetically shape-shiftable material.

16. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising at least one reluctance unit, which is configured to generate an assisting drive force and/or an assisting drive movement.

17. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the drive unit comprises at least one support element for the drive element, which is at least partially embodied integrally with the reluctance unit.

18. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drive unit comprises at least one further drive element, which is connected in series with the drive element in respect of a drive effect, and the longitudinal axis of which is different to a longitudinal axis of the drive element.

19. The small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising at least one energy supply unit, which comprises at least one energy store, having at least one capacitor and/or at least one battery.

20. A small appliance having at least one small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 .

21. A use of a small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 for body care and/or for body treatment.

22. A method with at least one small appliance device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one body-care activity and/or at least one body treatment is carried out.

23. The small appliance as claimed in claim 20 , implemented as a body-care appliance.

24. The small appliance as claimed in claim 23 , implemented as a shaver, a beard-trimmer, a hair-trimmer, an epilating appliance, a tattooing appliance or a toothbrush.

Assignees

• Eto Magnetic Gmbh

Inventors

• Laufenberg Markus
• Schiepp Thomas
• Schnetzler René
• Eckhardt Harald
• Blank Anton

Classifications

• H10N35/85

  Magnetostrictive active materials · CPC title

• H02N2/02

  producing linear motion, e.g. actuators; Linear positioners {; Linear motors} · CPC title

• H01F10/14 Primary

  containing iron or nickel ({H01F10/126} , H01F10/13, H01F10/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61C17/16 Primary

  Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices · CPC title

• A61M37/0076

  Tattooing apparatus (apparatus for marking animals A01K11/00; vaccine applicators having needles or other puncturing means A61B17/205) · CPC title