Hair planting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023301384-A1
Application number	US-202318123572-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 20, 2023
Priority date	Mar 22, 2022
Publication date	Sep 28, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A hair planting apparatus includes a mounting portion for mounting a base material, and including a work opening for planting, a hair planting unit for binding hair for planting to the material in the work opening, a transport mechanism for positioning the hair planting unit relative to each mesh hole of the material mounted on the mounting portion, an imaging unit for capturing images of a plurality of mesh holes of the material mounted on the mounting portion, a tilt detection unit for obtaining, from the image captured by the imaging unit, an alignment direction of the mesh holes of the material, and a correction mechanism for correcting the orientation of the material on the mounting portion according to a tilt angle of the alignment direction of the mesh holes of the material with respect to a predetermined direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A hair planting apparatus comprising:
a mounting portion for mounting a base material where planting is performed, and including a work opening for planting; a hair planting unit for binding hair for planting to the base material in the work opening of the mounting portion; a transport mechanism for positioning the hair planting unit relative to each mesh hole of the base material mounted on the mounting portion; an imaging unit for capturing images of a plurality of mesh holes of the base material mounted on the mounting portion; a correction mechanism for changing an orientation of the base material on the mounting portion with respect to the imaging unit; a tilt detection unit for obtaining, from the image captured by the imaging unit, an alignment direction of the plurality of mesh holes of the base material; and a correction control unit for correcting, by the correction mechanism, the orientation of the base material on the mounting portion according to a tilt angle of the alignment direction of the plurality of mesh holes of the base material with respect to a predetermined direction.

2 . The hair planting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction mechanism rotates the base material to correct the orientation thereof relative to the mounting portion.

3 . The hair planting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction mechanism rotates the mounting portion together with the base material to correct the orientation of the base material.

4 . The hair planting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the imaging unit captures an image of the base material from below through the work opening of the mounting portion,
the hair planting unit includes a capture mechanism for pulling the hair for planting into the mesh holes of the base material from below through the work opening of the mounting portion, and the apparatus further comprising: a position switch mechanism for switching positions of the imaging unit and the capture mechanism so as to face the work opening from below.

5 . The hair planting apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the capture mechanism includes a hook needle that is inserted from below through the mesh hole in the base material, and the position switch mechanism performs the position switch such that the hook needle and an optical axis of the imaging unit are switched on the same axis.

6 . The hair planting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a feed device for feeding the base material mounted on the mounting portion according to a predetermined unit of sections for performing hair planting operation; and a feed control unit for controlling the feed device such that, with respect to the plurality of sections expanded in a row direction and a column direction, the hair planting operation proceeds one by one in the section in the row direction or the column direction, wherein the base material is attached with a boundary line indicating the entire target range of hair planting, and the feed control unit determines a direction of proceeding of the next section to be fed by the feed device in accordance with extension conditions of the boundary line imaged within a section range corresponding to the section within an imaging range of the imaging unit, so as to perform hair planting in all the sections positioned in the target range of hair planting.

7 . The hair planting apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the feed control unit causes the base material to be moved to the next section in a certain column direction by the feed device, and
determines whether to move along a current column or move to a next column in accordance with the extension conditions of the boundary line within the section range imaged by the imaging unit.

8 . The hair planting apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the feed control unit finishes hair planting in accordance with the extension conditions of the boundary line within the section range imaged within the imaging range of the imaging unit.

Assignees

• Juki Kk
• Artnature Inc

Inventors

• Iimura Honoka
• Obama Jiro
• Sasaki Masaki
• Kamada shogo
• Kurita Naoki

Classifications

• A41G3/0075 Primary

  Processes or apparatus for making wigs · CPC title

• G06T7/70

  Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) · CPC title

• H04N23/695

  Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects · CPC title

• G06T7/0004

  Industrial image inspection · CPC title

• G05B19/404

  characterised by control arrangements for compensation, e.g. for backlash, overshoot, tool offset, tool wear, temperature, machine construction errors, load, inertia (G05B19/19, G05B19/41 take precedence) · CPC title