Personal hygiene device having treatment-force-measurement unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016331120-A1
Application number	US-201615153708-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 12, 2016
Priority date	May 12, 2015
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A personal hygiene device has a handle, a treatment head mounted for relative movement of at least a portion thereof with respect to the handle against a restoring force when a treatment force is applied in at least one direction onto the treatment head, a treatment-force-measurement unit for determining the applied treatment force comprising a light-emitting element, a light-sensitive element, and a light-changing element arranged at least partly in the light path between the light-emitting element and the light-sensitive element, wherein the light-changing element and at least one of the light-emitting element and light-sensitive element are arranged to be moved relatively to each other when at least the portion of the treatment head is moved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A personal hygiene device, comprising:
a handle; a treatment head mounted for relative movement of at least a portion of the treatment head with respect to the handle against a restoring force when a treatment force is applied in at least one direction onto the treatment head; a treatment-force-measurement unit for determining the applied treatment force comprising a light-emitting element, a light-sensitive element, and a light-changing element arranged at least partly in the light path between the light-emitting element and the light-sensitive element; wherein the light-changing element and at least one of the light-emitting element and light-sensitive element is arranged to be moved relatively to each other when at least the portion of the treatment head is moved.

2 . The personal hygiene device of claim 1 , wherein the light-changing element is a light-absorbing element.

3 . The personal hygiene device of claim 2 , wherein the light-absorbing element is realized as a translucent gray wedge, wherein the gray wedge is arranged to fully cover the light-sensitive element with respect to the light emitted by the light-emitting element.

4 . The personal hygiene device of claim 2 , wherein the light-absorbing element is only partly covering the light-sensitive element with respect to the light emitted by the light-emitting element.

5 . The personal hygiene device of claim 1 , wherein the light-changing element is a light-reflecting element.

6 . The personal hygiene device of claim 1 , wherein the treatment-force-measurement unit further comprises a control circuit for determining a parameter indicative of a light intensity measured by the light-sensitive element.

7 . The personal hygiene device of claim 1 , wherein at least one light-absorbing surface is arranged in proximity of the light path.

8 . The personal hygiene device of claim 1 , wherein a first stopper is fixedly provided with respect to the handle so that the treatment head abuts against the first stopper when no treatment force is applied at the treatment head.

9 . The personal hygiene device of claim 8 , wherein the treatment head is spring-biased and is arranged to move away from the first stopper when a treatment force above a first treatment-force threshold value is applied at the treatment head.

10 . The personal hygiene device of claim 1 , wherein a second stopper is fixedly provided with respect to the handle against so that the treatment head abuts the second stopper when a treatment force having a second treatment-force threshold value is applied at the treatment head.

11 . The personal hygiene device of claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting element emits light at a wavelength or in a wavelength range essentially not visible to the human eye.

12 . The personal hygiene device of claim 1 , wherein the treatment head and the handle are secured to each other or are integral with each other, and only a portion of the treatment head elastically deforms when the treatment force is applied at the treatment head.

13 . The personal hygiene device of claim 1 , further comprising a drift-compensation circuit for determining a reference output signal of the light-sensitive element representing zero applied treatment force, wherein the drift-compensation circuit is arranged to apply a median value determination based on output signals from the light-sensitive element prior to an instant when the personal hygiene device is switched on.

14 . The personal hygiene device of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor and a temperature-compensation circuit.

15 . The personal hygiene device of claim 2 , wherein the light-absorbing element has a wedge-like shape and has a length extension along a direction into which the light-absorbing element is moved under application of a treatment force, which length extension is longer than a maximum movement length.

16 . The personal hygiene device of claim 11 , wherein the light emitted is in the infrared or ultraviolet wavelength ranges.

Assignees

• Braun Gmbh

Inventors

• Scheele Jannik
• Haas Martin
• Schaefer Norbert
• Schäfer Robert
• Franke Sven Alexander
• Schober Uwe
• Vetter Ingo
• Ziegler Frank

Classifications

• A46B15/0014

  with a controlling temperature device · CPC title

• A46B15/0044

  with light signalling means (A46B15/0034, A46B15/0036 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61C17/221

  Control arrangements therefor · CPC title

• A46B15/0046

  with vibrating signalling means · CPC title

• A46B5/0025

  Brushes with elastically deformable heads that change shape during use · CPC title