EP2061354A1

EP2061354A1 - Method for the cosmetic removal of body hair as well as a device for removing body hair

Info

Publication number: EP2061354A1
Application number: EP07801902A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Frieder Grieshaber
Original assignee: Braun GmbH
Current assignee: Braun GmbH
Priority date: 2006-09-14
Filing date: 2007-08-25
Publication date: 2009-05-27
Anticipated expiration: 2027-08-25
Also published as: RU2009113810A; EP2061354B1; DE102006043307A1; CN101516230B; CN101516230A; JP2010503435A; JP5329413B2; WO2008031495A1; ES2396253T3; RU2422068C2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hair removal device, particularly an epilator device, as well as a method for the cosmetic removal of body hair, wherein the hairs to be removed are grasped by cyclically driven, tweezer-like grip elements and are at least partially pulled out of the skin by a lifting motion of the grip elements. The grip elements cyclically move apart, move toward the skin, are driven together, and move away from the skin. In contrast to the approach followed until now, wherein hairs are grasped once by an epilator roller and continually pulled out with one pulling action, the invention proposes that rather than pull the hairs out with one motion, instead first loosen the anchoring of the hair root with multiple repeated micro-pulling movements, and then remove each hair bit by bit. According to the invention, the hairs grasped by the grip elements are pulled out from the skin by multiple lifting motions, and between said motions the grip elements move apart and, to repeat the grasping motion, move back closer to the skin and are then driven together again. In an advantageous manner, the repeated grasping motion happens so quickly that the small section of hair already pulled out can retract only an insignificant distance owing to the viscoelastic anchoring of the hair root and, in each case, said hair has not yet reached the normal resting position.

Description

Cosmetic hair removal method and hair removal device

The present invention relates to a method for cosmetic body hair removal and a hair removal device.

For hair removal have already been proposed various equipment. In addition to classic shaving, in which body hairs are cut off or shaved as directly as possible on the surface of the skin, epilators are used for permanent hair removal, which try to tear out the hair with the root for the longest possible reduction of the body hair density. The proportion of root removed during epilation depends strongly on the plucking speed and in particular on the plucking direction. Conventionally, epilators have rotary epilating rollers on the circumference of which tweezer-like clamping elements are initially opened to capture the body hair and then brought into their clamping position so that the hairs clamped by the clamping elements are plucked out by the rotational movement of the depilation roller. Such an epilator shows, for example, DE 10 2004 047 875 A1, which proposes a three-dimensional rib-shaped clamping structure for the tweezer-type clamping tools in order to clamp the hair to be sponged firmer, nevertheless nonetheless gently. By clamping the hair to be spiked and the rotational movement of the epilating roller, the Auszupfrichtung is not perpendicular, but inclined at an acute angle to the skin surface. In this case, instead of the desired tearing with a high proportion of roots, the hair may simply be torn off. In addition, the cyclic divergence and collapse of the tweezer-like clamping tools is mechanically complicated to realize, since in addition to the rotational movement of the epilating also the adjusting movement of the clamping elements is to be generated.

In order to achieve a permanent hair removal as painless as possible, the use of ultrasound has already been proposed. Thus, the documents US 4,646,756, US 4,556,070, US 6,200,326, WO 02/09813 and WO 00/21612 propose an ultrasonic treatment of the body hair, which is to destroy their hair roots. The coupling of ultrasound should lead to a temperature increase in the root area, which causes the desired Haarwurzelzerstörung. Furthermore, the publications JP 8154728, JP 2001029126 and JP 2279107 propose the use of ultrasound for pain relief during epilation. In this case, the hair to be removed and / or a respective plucking tool is subjected to ultrasound, while plucking the respective hair with the plucking tool becomes. The Ultraschallbeaufschlagung should make the plucking of the hair less painful, but requires a corresponding ultrasound generator on Epiliergerät.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for cosmetic hair removal and an improved hair removal device of the type mentioned, which avoid the disadvantages of the prior art and further develop the latter in an advantageous manner. In particular, a simply constructed device is to be created, which allows effective vertical hair removal with the lowest possible sensation of pain by acting as perpendicular to the skin surface train on the hair to be removed.

This object is achieved by a method according to claim 1 and a hair removal device according to claim 6. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

As a departure from the hitherto pursued approach of continuously extracting the hair once captured on an epilating roller in one go, it is proposed not to pull out the hair all at once, but first to loosen the anchoring of the hair root through several successive micro-picking movements and then piece by piece to pull out the respective hair. According to the invention, the hairs grasped by the gripping elements are pulled out of the skin in a plurality of strokes, between which the gripping elements are moved apart and moved closer to the skin for follow-up and are brought together again. Advantageously, the follow-up takes place so fast that the already a little bit pulled hair can move back only slightly due to its viscoelastic anchoring of the hair root and in any case has not reached its initial position yet. The follow-up is repeated so quickly that the hair can not move back into its starting position fast enough, but is pulled out successively. By such a pulling out of the hair in several micro strokes, the sensation of pain can be significantly reduced, also can be increased when removing the extracted root component. Furthermore, even very short hair can be better grasped, since the gripping elements are repeatedly guided to the skin. In order to achieve the extraction of the hair in several strokes, according to the invention is proposed in device-technical sense that the drive of the gripping elements is designed such that within a cycle of movement, the lifting height of the closed gripping elements is smaller than the necessary movement to complete plucking a hair movement. The lifting height of the drive is thus limited that the gripping elements are opened again before a hair detected by it is completely plucked out.

The hair removal process according to the invention is also intended to cover the process of hair removal. During hair removal, the hair is pulled out of the skin in at least two consecutive micro-strokes without picking the hair and then the hair is separated, in particular by cutting off or cutting off, so that a Haarwurzelanteil is not torn, but the hair after the Let go through the gripping elements back into the hair channel, advantageously such that the remaining hair residue no longer protrudes beyond the skin surface.

The gripping of the gripping elements by moving apart, moving the gripping elements back against the plucking direction and again bringing the gripping elements together takes place in particular such that the same gripping elements grasp a plucked out hair several times without intervening other gripping elements coming into engagement with the hair to be plucked. Unlike a rotating epilating roll, various gripping elements do not continuously stroke one after the other over the hair to be processed. Skin section, but the same gripping elements are oscillated back and forth.

Advantageously, while the gripping elements are extended and retracted substantially perpendicular to a frontal working surface of the device with which the device can be guided on or over the skin surface. As a result, an extremely small plucking angle can be achieved with respect to the longitudinal direction of the hair root, as a result of which a higher root share than in the case of conventional depilation systems with an epilating roller can be removed. The lifting movement of the gripping elements need not necessarily take place in a translatory oscillatory movement along an axis perpendicular to the aforementioned fictitious working surface. In a further development of the invention, the lifting movement of the gripping elements takes place at an angle between 30 ° and 150 °, in particular between 60 ° and 120 °, preferably 75 ° to 105 °, to the skin surface or the frontal working surface of the device with which the device which is feasible or over the skin surface. By training according to this angular range is preferably plucked in hair growth direction. In this case, the entire stroke movement does not have to take place in this angular range, in particular when the lifting movement does not take place purely translationally along an oscillation axis. But preferably, the essential part of the lifting movement, in particular at least ² I _{3 of} the lifting height, in the aforementioned angular range. Alternatively, the Plucking unit be integrated in a roller, wherein the plucking unit tugs vertically, but the roller is rotatably mounted, so that in a hair growing direction deviating from the vertical to the skin surface in hair growth direction - plucked by the superimposed movement of roller and plucking unit.

In order not to give the time to follow the gripping elements of the viscoelastic anchoring of the hair root to pull the hair back to its original position, the gripping elements are driven in a further development of the invention with a stroke frequency of more than 500 Hz. Further preferred is a drive frequency of the gripping elements of more than 1 kHz. As a result, the return movement of the gripping elements when Nachfassen done so fast that the hair can move back only slightly during this period in which they are not used by the gripping elements.

In order to facilitate such a high-frequency adjusting movement of the gripping elements, it is provided in a further development of the invention that the opening and closing movement of the gripping elements takes place in the plane of the lifting movement of the gripping elements. This makes it sufficient to support the gripping elements biaxially movable and / or form the drive biaxial. A spatial movement or a third axis of motion is not required, even if this would be possible in principle.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the lifting movement of the gripping elements can take place substantially in the form of a flattened ellipse whose longitudinal axis is advantageously at least twice as long as the transverse axis of the elliptical trajectory. It is understood that in this case not exactly an elliptical trajectory in the mathematical sense must be described, but also oval or similarly flattened trajectories can be provided, which may also have a small spatial component, i. perpendicular to the plane of the ellipse.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the drive is designed such that the two gripping elements of each cooperating pair of gripping elements are driven on opposite, in the aforementioned sense substantially elliptical trajectories. The movement component parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elliptical trajectories causes the lifting movement, while the movement component causes the gripping movement of the gripping elements toward one another parallel to the transverse axes of the ellipse. It is understood that in this case the resulting trajectory of each gripping element is not really elliptical, at least in the sections where the two Gripping elements are pressed on each other. As an alternative to such an opposite movement of the two gripping elements of a pair of gripping elements associated in principle, a co-movement path for these two gripping elements can be provided in principle, in which case advantageously the movement centers of the two trajectories are sufficiently far apart, so that the gripping elements a gripping movement towards each other and run away from each other.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the drive for the gripping elements may be piezoelectric. In particular, piezoelectric actuators can be provided by which the gripping elements can be driven in accordance with high frequency. Instead of piezo actuators, linear motors or other high-frequency positioning systems are also suitable as actuators. Alternatively, two actuators per "ellipse" can be used.

In a further development of the invention, the gripping elements can be fastened to preferably plate-shaped carriers, which are mutually independently movable at least biaxially. In this case, several gripping elements of different pairs of gripping elements can be attached to each carrier. For example, the respective left gripping elements can be fastened to the one carrier, while the respectively right gripper elements of a gripping element pair are fastened to the respectively second carrier.

The preferably plate-shaped carrier for the gripping elements can itself be mounted biaxially movable. Alternatively or in addition to this, the carriers can also be elastically flexible such that the gripping and lifting movements of the gripping elements are produced by elastic deformation of the carrier. In particular, the elastic supports can be deformed in undulating form by piezoelectric actuators, as a result of which the gripping elements fastened thereto are moved toward one another or away from one another and on the other hand in the direction of lifting movement.

These and other features, advantages and applications of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to drawings, all described and / or illustrated features alone or in any meaningful combination and sub-combination, the subject of the present invention also independent from their summary in the claims and their relations. In the drawings show:

1 shows a schematic basic representation of the drive cycle of the gripping elements of an epilator according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein the different sections of a movement cycle are shown in a total of six representations,

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the storage and the drive of the gripping elements of Fig. 1 according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, and

3 shows a schematic overall view of an epilating device according to an embodiment of the invention for clarifying the directions of movement of the gripping elements.

The epilating device 1 shown schematically in FIG. 3 comprises a cubic hand part 2, in which a control, an electricity supply part, for example in the form of a battery and a drive can be accommodated, and a working head 3 in the form of an attachment part which can be connected to the hand part 2 4, on which a plurality of gripping elements 5 to be described in more detail are provided. As FIG. 3 clarifies, the working head 3 defines with its end face 6 a fictitious working plane or surface 7, with which the epilating device 1 and its gripping elements 5 are guided onto or over the skin surface 8 of the body member 9 to be processed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a multiplicity of gripping elements 5 are fastened to two plate-shaped carriers 10 and 11, in each case pairwise associated with each other, so that the one gripping element of a gripping element pair on the carrier 10 and the other gripping element of this gripping element pair is attached to the other carrier 11.

The gripping elements 5 are each about tweezer-like, advantageously because of the inertia and for a high integration density as thin as possible, for example in the form of roughly speaking plate-shaped metal bodies. As Figure 2 shows, the facing clamping surfaces 12 of the gripping elements 5 are advantageously formed sharp or possibly even rough designed to exercise a sufficiently high plucking force on the hair can. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the clamping surfaces 12 can have protruding, preferably sharp clamping edges 13. point. As a result, when a certain contact pressure between the gripping elements is exceeded, a hair can also be cut off by cutting off.

The projecting ends of said gripping elements 5 are facing the aforementioned frontal working surface 7 (Figure 3).

The drive 14 for moving the gripping elements 5 comprises in the illustrated embodiment piezoactuators 15, which operate in two dimensions and are coupled to the plate-shaped carriers 10 and 11. The carriers 10 and 11 are mounted two-dimensionally movable, in the direction of the drawn in Figure 2 x-axis and z-axis, ie perpendicular to the aforementioned fictitious working surface 7 of the epilator 1 and perpendicular to the clamping plane defined by two mutually pressed gripping elements 5 16, which is defined by the drawn in Figure 2 z and y axes. As an alternative to an actually biaxially moveable mounting of the plate-shaped carriers 10 and 11, these can also be designed to be elastically deformable, for example formed by sufficiently thin metal plates, so that the carriers 10 and 11 can be deformed wave-shaped by the piezoactuators 15 in order to be described in greater detail To generate drive movements of the gripping elements 5.

In particular, by the piezoactuators 15, the two carriers 10 and 11 and thus the attached gripping elements 5 are driven in opposite directions along substantially elliptical or oval trajectories 17 whose longitudinal axis 18 substantially perpendicular to the aforementioned working surface 7 of the epilator and the transverse axis of the 19th is substantially parallel to the said work surface 7 and perpendicular to the clamping plane 16 of the gripping elements 5 extends.

Thus, the gripping elements 5 successively pass through the stations of a cycle of movement shown in FIG. 1. First, the gripper elements 5 are moved apart, as shown in FIG. 1. Then, a lowering movement to the skin surface 8, the gripping elements 5 are thus extended substantially substantially perpendicular to the aforementioned working surface 7 of the epilator 1, at the end of this lowering movement, the gripping elements 5 are moved together, thereby seizing a plucked hair 20 and between to pinch, cf. FIG. 1. Thereafter, a lifting movement takes place in the opposite direction to the abovementioned lowering movement, advantageously substantially perpendicular to the skin surface 8 and the imaginary working surface 7 of the depilation apparatus 1, ie the gripping elements 5 are returned to the interior of the depilation apparatus 1. pulled. The lifting movement is limited so that the gripped hair 20 is not completely pulled out, but only a micro drawing takes place. At the end of the lifting movement, the gripping elements 5 are moved apart again, as shown by the representation d) in Figure 1, whereby a cycle of movement of the gripping elements 5 would be completed. However, the operating frequency of the drive 14 is so high that the renewed lowering and closing, which illustrates the representation e) in Figure 1, so quickly done that the hair 20 can not move back fast enough to its original position. The viscoelastic anchoring of the hair root would in fact cause such a return movement, since with the first stroke the hair was not completely plucked out of the anchorage. However, this return movement is subject to a specific time function, to which the Nachfass- or return movement of the gripping elements 5 is adjusted. Specifically, the follow-up takes place so fast that no or only a slight return movement of the hair can take place. As shown in FIG. 1 f), after the closing, a renewed micro-stroke is performed by the gripping elements 5, as a result of which the gripped hair 20 is pulled further out. These micro-strokes are repeated until the hair is completely pulled out. The hair 20 to be removed is therefore pulled out successively in several strokes, the gripping elements 5 being opened between the strokes, driven back onto the skin and closed again in order to follow the hair further down.

Depending on the desired application, the hair 20 does not have to be completely plucked out. It is also possible, after a certain picking distance, i. after a certain number of micro strokes, turn off the lowering of the gripping elements 5 in order to clip off the hair 20 by the high-frequency opening and closing movement of the gripping elements 5 or by an intensified movement of the gripping elements 5. As a result, the hair is not grasped again, but pulled back by relaxing the hair root tissue. With a sufficiently large plucking path the hair end disappears under the skin surface.

In an alternative embodiment, the hair removal device is a combination of epilator and razor. Here, the slightly pulled out hair (as described above) is then snapped off or cut off / cut off by a separate cutting element or a blade or a long-hair trimmer. This then moves the remaining hair residue with the hair root back into the skin and is ideally neither visible nor noticeable.

Claims

claims

1. A method for cosmetic body hair removal, in which hair to be removed (20) of cyclically driven, tweezer-like gripping elements (5) and grabbed by a lifting movement of the gripping elements (5) are at least partially pulled out of the skin, wherein the gripping elements (5) cyclically apart moved, moved towards the skin, moved together and moved away from the skin, characterized in that the hairs (20) grasped by the gripping elements (5) are pulled out of the skin in several strokes, between which the gripping elements (5) move apart and move closer to the skin for follow-up and be brought back together.

2. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein the lifting height of individual strokes of the gripping elements (5) is smaller than the movement distance necessary for complete picking of a hair.

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a period of time lying between two strokes to follow the gripping elements (5) is smaller than a period of time within which a partially withdrawn hair (20) moves back to its starting position.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gripping elements (5) with a stroke frequency of more than 0.5 kHz, preferably more than 1 kHz, are driven.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gripping elements (5) on a biaxial movement path (17), preferably a substantially elliptical trajectory, are moved relative to the skin.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the opening and closing movement of the gripping elements (5) in the plane of the lifting movement of the gripping elements (5).

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lifting movement of the gripping elements (5) at an angle between 30 ° and 150 ° to the skin surface (8), in particular particular between 60 ° and 120 °, preferably 75 ° to 105 ° to the skin surface (8) takes place.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hair is separated at the second or a later stroke of a residual hair remaining in the skin, in particular by Abknipsen or cutting off.

9. hair removal device, in particular epilator, with at least one pair of tweezer-like movable gripping elements (5) and a drive (14) for generating a cyclic gripping movement of the gripping elements (5) towards and away from each other and a cyclic lifting movement of the gripping elements (5) for at least partially Pulling out a gripped hair (20), characterized in that the drive (14) is designed such that within a movement cycle of the gripping elements (5), the lifting height of the closed gripping elements (5) is smaller than a movement distance necessary for complete picking a hair.

A hair removal device as claimed in the preceding claim, wherein the drive (14) is such that a cycle portion between two successive strokes of the gripping elements (5) is shorter than a time required for returning to its initial position by a partially plucked hair becomes.

11. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the gripping elements (5) of the drive (14) oscillating back and forth driven are such that the same pair of gripping elements (5) without interposition of other gripping elements (5) the hair to be pulled out (20) several times grasp.

12. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive of the gripping elements (5) has a stroke frequency of more than 0.5 kHz, preferably more than 1 kHz.

13. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the lifting height of the closed gripping elements (5) is less than 5 mm, preferably less than 3 mm.

14. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the

G ripe movement u ng the gripping elements (5) in a plane parallel to a plane in which the lifting movement of the gripping elements (5) takes place, is provided.

15. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an approximately elliptical path of movement for the lifting movement of the gripping elements (5) is provided, wherein preferably a longitudinal axis of the elliptical trajectory is more than twice as long as a transverse axis of the elliptical trajectory.

16. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the two gripping elements (5) of each cooperating pair of gripping elements (5) on opposite, substantially elliptical trajectories (17) are drivable.

17. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the lifting movement of the gripping elements (5) is aligned substantially perpendicular to a working surface (7) of the hair removal device with which the hair removal device to the and / or over the skin surface to be machined (8) can be guided ,

18. A depilatory device according to the preceding claim, wherein the lifting movement of the gripping elements (5) over at least _{^2/3 of} the stroke has a stroke direction extending in an angle range between 30 ° and 150 °, in particular between 60 ° and 120 °, preferably 75 ° and 105 °, to the working surface (7) of the hair removal device.

19. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive (14) has a two-dimensionally operating actuator (15).

Hair removal device according to the preceding claim, wherein the actuator (15) is a piezoactuator.

21. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the gripping elements (5) on preferably plate-shaped carriers (10, 11) are fixed, which are biaxially movable.

22. Hair removal device according to the preceding claim, wherein the two carriers (10, 11) are mounted independently movable.

23. Hair removal device according to one of the two preceding claims, wherein the two carriers (10, 11) are elastically flexible such that the gripping and lifting movements of the gripping elements (5) by elastic deformation of the carrier (10, 11) can be generated.

24. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein on each carrier (10, 11) a plurality of gripping elements (5) each of different pairs of gripping elements (5) are attached.

Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the supports (10, 11) are arranged substantially parallel to the working surface (7) of the hair removal device.

26. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the gripping elements (5) in the closed, mutually driven state define a clamping line and / or a clamping plane (16), which corresponds to a movement plane defined by the gripping movement and the lifting movement of the gripping elements (5). x, z) of the gripping elements (5) is vertical.

27. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein it is provided that the gripping elements (5) are fed to each other during the second or a later lifting movement for separating the hair with an increased pressure.

28. Hair removal device according to one of claims 9 to 26, which has at least one cutting blade, which can be controlled in the operation of the device such that it separates the hair at the second or a later stroke by cutting off a remaining hair residue in the skin.