JP3813979B2 - Electric razor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a reciprocating electric shaver provided with a vibrator that converts a rotational motion of a motor into a reciprocating motion.

  An electric shaver in which this kind of head part is unitized is known from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 8-182872. There, the outer blade holder, inner blade, motor and drive mechanism are unitized, and this drive unit is supported by the main body case so as to be able to move up and down and tilt in the left-right direction. Specifically, the previous drive unit is supported on the main body case through three support legs made of independent parts so as to be movable up and down, and the drive unit is pushed up and biased by a spring disposed between the support legs. The support leg and the motor case are connected via a spherical seat, and a clearance allowing tilting is provided between the drive unit and the main body case, so that each of the three support legs resists a spring. Can slide and slide independently. That is, the drive unit can absorb tilting in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, or the diagonal direction.

In the electric shaver according to the embodiment of the present invention, the two inner blades are driven to reciprocate in opposite directions. An electric shaver that employs this type of drive is known from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-174789. In this case, main parts such as a battery, a motor, and a vibrator are assembled to a mounting base to form a unit, and this unit body is accommodated in a main body case.
JP-A-8-182872 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-174789

  In the former electric shaver, the drive unit is supported by three sets of support legs and springs, so that the drive unit can be supported in a floating state in a stable state, but the floating support structure including the drive unit becomes complicated, and a lot of assembly is required. It is inevitable that it takes time and effort. In this respect, as can be seen in the latter type of electric shaver, assembly can be performed simply by assembling main parts such as a motor and a vibrator into a mounting base. However, as long as many parts are assembled to the mounting base, it is unavoidable that the razor head is difficult to float and support. For example, it is effective to keep the razor head in close contact with the skin. It is not possible to perform beard cutting.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a reciprocating electric shaver capable of cutting a whisker effectively while making main parts into a unit so that the main case can be easily assembled. The object of the present invention is to reciprocate the razor head so that the razor head can follow the surface change of the skin easily by floating support in a rather unstable state, and the unit body including the razor head can be easily assembled. Is to provide an electric razor.

  The electric razor of the present invention is composed of a main body case 1 and a razor head 2B provided on the upper portion of the main body case 1. The razor head 2B includes a drive base 21 that houses a vibrator 24, and a drive base 21. It includes a base cover 22 that covers the upper surface opening, and a motor 15 that is mounted on the lower surface of the drive base 21 and drives the vibrator 24. The drive base 21, the vibrator 24, the base cover 22, and the motor 15 serve as the drive unit 16. Unitized. A razor head 2B is pushed up and biased by an elastic body with respect to the main body case 1, and is supported in a floating manner so as to be movable up and down.

In the present invention, the main body case 1 and a razor head 2B provided on the upper portion of the main body case 1 are configured. The razor head 2B includes the inner blade 18, the outer blade 25, and the inner blade 18 as the outer blade 25. The inner blade spring 47 that presses and urges, the drive base 21 that accommodates the vibrator 24, the lid 22 that covers the upper surface opening of the drive base 21, and the motor holder 23 that protrudes below the drive base 21 are fixed. Since the drive base 21, the vibrator 24, the base lid 22 , the motor holder 23, and the motor 15 are unitized as the drive unit 16, the drive unit 16 and the razor head are included. 2B can be easily assembled in a state separated from the main body case 1. That is, since the vibrator 24 can be fastened with the screw 33 between the box-shaped drive base 21 and the box-shaped base lid 22, the mounting base as shown in the conventional example (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-174789) Compared with the assembly method in which the vibrator is temporarily assembled and then the mounting base is slid into the main body case and screwed, there is less risk that the vibrator will come off midway, and the drive unit 16 can be easily assembled. it can. The razor head 2B is pushed up and biased by an elastic body with respect to the main body case 1 and is supported so as to be movable up and down, so that the razor head 2B can sink and move relative to the main body case 1 and can easily adhere to the skin. Become. The pressing force of the razor head 2B is set to be larger than the spring force of the inner blade spring 47 that presses and urges the inner blade 18 toward the outer blade 25, thereby changing the skin surface and the inclination of the beard cutting surface. The whisker cutting can be effectively performed by following the outer cutter 25 and the inner cutter 18 in response to the above.

(Example)
The drawings show an embodiment of a water-washable reciprocating electric shaver according to the present invention. 2 to 4, the electric shaver includes a cylindrical main body case 1 whose upper and lower surfaces are open, an operation unit 2 that is inserted and loaded into the main body case 1, and a bottom lid 3 that closes the case opening on the lower surface side. The switch knob 4 for starting the motor mounted on the outer front surface of the main body case 1, the sliding blade unit 5 and the switching knob 6 disposed above and below the rear surface of the case are provided. Reference numeral 7 is a display for charging display, and 8 is a switching tool for switching the contact state of the razor head 2B to the skin.

  The operation unit 2 is roughly classified into a lower half electrical component unit 2A enclosed in the main body case 1 and a razor head 2B provided on the upper part. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the electrical component unit 2A is configured by assembling a circuit board 12, a secondary battery 13, and the like to an inner frame 11 made of a plastic molded product. On the circuit board 12, a switch 14 that is switched by the previous switch knob 4, LEDs, electronic components, and the like are mounted. The operation unit 2 is loaded in the main body case 1, the electrical component unit 2 </ b> A and the bottom lid 3 fitted in the main body case 1 are fastened with screws, and the joint portion and fastening portion on the bottom lid 3 side are fastened with an O-ring or packing. Sealing and sealing the upper opening surface side of the main body case 1 with a waterproof seal 10 prevents water from entering the electrical component unit 2A side, and allows the razor head 2B to be washed with water. As will be described later, the waterproof seal 10 also serves as a rubber elastic material that pushes up and biases the razor head 2B. In addition, the main body opening of the display body 7 for charging display is sealed by ultrasonic welding of the display body 7, and the main body opening for the switch knob 4 for driving the switch 14 is not shown. It is sealed with.

  In FIG. 8, the razor head 2B includes a drive unit 16 including a motor 15, an outer blade holder 17 that is detachably attached to the drive unit 16, a pair of front and rear inner blades 18, a center blade 19, and the like. To do. As shown in FIG. 9, the drive unit 16 includes a box-shaped drive base 21 whose upper and lower surfaces are open and a box-shaped base lid 22 whose upper and lower surfaces are open to cover the upper surface opening. The motor 15 is fixed by the base 21 and the motor holder 23 fixed to the lower surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 11, a pair of front and rear vibrators 24, 24 are arranged inside the drive base 21, and the upper and lower cam pieces fixed to the output shaft 26 of the motor 15 cause the vibrators 24 to be opposite to each other. To reciprocate. As shown in FIG. 4, the vibrator 24 positioned on the rear side of the case is provided with a drive arm 27 for driving the center blade 19 and a drive claw 28 for driving the wrinkle blade. The outer blade 25 and the center blade 19 are assembled to the outer blade holder 17 respectively.

  Under normal conditions of use, the drive noise is prevented from leaking from the drive chamber R defined by the drive base 21 and the lid 22, and further, the hair and water during cleaning are prevented from entering the drive chamber R. For this purpose, the upper and lower sides of the drive chamber R are sealed with two types of seals. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the gap between the output shaft 26 of the motor 15 and the drive base 21 is sealed with a first seal 30, and the gap between the connecting portion 24 a of the vibrator 24 and the base lid 22 is sealed with a second seal 31. Seal with. Both the first and second seals 30 and 31 are made of rubber-made packing. The motor holder 23 is disposed on the lower surface of the drive base 21 and is integrated with the drive base 21 with screws 32 (see FIG. 10) screwed from the lower surface side. At that time, as shown in FIG. The peripheral wall is clamped and fixed between the end wall of the motor 15 and the lower surface of the drive base 21. Similarly, the upper peripheral edge of the waterproof seal 10 is sandwiched and fixed between the seal wall 23 a of the motor holder 23 and the lower surface of the drive base 21. The lid 22 is fastened to the drive base 21 with screws 33 screwed from the upper surface side, and the periphery of the second seal 31 is fixed by sandwiching the metal plate cover 34 and the lid 32 covering the upper surface of the lid 22. To do. The cover 34 and each vibrator 24 are fastened together using screws 33. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 35 denotes an O-ring for the screw 33. As described above, according to the present structure in which the vibrator 24 is fastened between the drive base 21 and the base lid 22, the vibrator is temporarily mounted on the mounting base as seen in the conventional example (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-174789). Compared to the assembly method in which the mounting base is slid onto the main body case and screwed after assembly, there is less risk that the vibrator will come off midway, and the drive unit 16 can be assembled easily.

  A floating support structure is provided between the previous drive unit 16 and the inner frame 11 so that the razor head 2B can be tilted up and down, left and right, front and rear, or obliquely. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, a circular seal frame 37 and a pair of left and right receiving seats 38 are provided on the upper portion of the inner frame 11, and the motor is driven by a pair of compression coil springs 39 placed on the left and right receiving seats 38. The holder 23 is supported, and the lower peripheral edge of the waterproof seal 10 is fitted in the seal groove 40 of the seal frame 37. In order to assemble the motor holder 23 so as not to be separated from the inner frame 11 against the urging force of the spring 39 while maintaining the tiltable state in this way, a pair of front and rear is provided below the seal wall 23a of the motor holder 23. A movable engagement piece 42 is provided to prevent the removal of the movable engagement piece 42. Furthermore, fixed engagement pieces 43 that allow the receiving engagement of the movable engagement piece 37 are provided in front of and behind the seat 38 of the inner frame 11.

  As described above, by assembling the razor head 2B from above the seal frame 37 into the upper loading portion of the inner frame 11, the operation unit 2 in which the electrical component unit 2A and the razor head 2B are integrated is obtained. By assembling the operation unit 2 to the main body case 1, most of the assembly of the electric razor is completed. Therefore, it is possible to save labor required for assembly as a whole. In addition, since the operation of the drive unit 16 and the operation unit 2 can be confirmed before being incorporated into the main body case 1, it is possible to detect assembly errors or malfunctions at an early stage and improve the reliability of the assembly work. It is also advantageous in that the finished product inspection after assembly can be simplified. In a state in which the operation unit 2 is incorporated in the main body case 1, the outer surface of the lower peripheral edge of the waterproof seal 10 fitted in the seal frame 37 is an inner seal wall provided on the inner surface of the opening of the main body case 1 as shown in FIG. 44, and the gap between the razor head 2B and the main body case 1 is sealed. In this sealed state, the inside of the main body case 1 is hermetically sealed, so that the entry and exit of air is restricted. In order to release the hydrogen gas generated when the secondary battery is charged, a gas discharge port 45 is opened at the lower part of the front surface of the main body case 1 as shown in FIG. The passage is blocked by a film body 46 that can prevent passage. When the razor head 2B moves up and down against the spring 39, air enters and exits through the film body 46. However, since the passing amount is small, the pressing reaction force of the razor head 2B is large.

  In the state of use, first, the inner blade 18 and the outer blade 25 sink, and the razor head 2B sinks only when the sinking reaction force exceeds a certain value. Thus, when the outer blade 25 and the inner blade 18 that are in direct contact with the skin are first submerged, the outer blade 25 and the inner blade 18 follow immediately in response to changes in the skin surface and the inclination of the beard cutting surface. Thus, the beard cutting can be performed effectively.

  Specifically, compared to the spring force of the inner blade spring 47 (see FIG. 8) that presses and urges the inner blade 18 against the outer blade 25, the pressing reaction force of the razor head 2B (spring force by the spring 39 and the waterproof seal 10). ) Is set large. Note that due to the air damper effect of the film body 46 described above, the pressing reaction force of the razor head 2B is further increased. The relationship is that when the inner blade spring 47 contracts, the spring force of the inner blade spring 47 rises, but when the spring force of the inner blade spring 47 exceeds the pressing reaction force of the head 2B at a certain point in the middle of the increase. Is set to come. Therefore, when a pressing force is applied to the outer blade 25 during shaving, the inner blade 18 and the outer blade 25 first sink, and the razor head 2B sinks at a certain point. Thereafter, this operation is repeated. That is, when a pressing force is applied to the outer blade 25 during shaving, the inner blade 18 and the outer blade 25 operate so that the amount of sinking is greater than the amount of sinking of the razor head 2B. Therefore, the beard cutting can be effectively performed by following the outer blade 25 and the inner blade 18 in response to the skin surface change and the inclination of the beard cutting surface. When the skin surface comes into contact with the upper edge of the center blade 19 or the outer blade holder 17 where the inner blade 18 and the outer blade 25 sink down to the lower limit point or are fixed with slight up and down play, the pressing force applied to the outer blade 25 is The spring 2 and the waterproof seal 10 are directly applied, and the head 2B is pushed down to the sinking limit point by the force. The above describes the relationship between the front inner blade spring 47 and the spring 39 / waterproof seal 10, but the relationship between the rear inner blade spring 47 and the spring 39 / waterproof seal 10 is the same. The same relationship is obtained when the front and rear inner cutters 18 and 25 are simultaneously brought into contact with the skin surface.

  A lock mechanism that can prevent the razor head 2B from moving downward is provided between the razor head 2B and the main body case 1 in order to switch the contact state of the razor head to the skin in accordance with the state and preference of the user's beard. It is provided. In FIG. 12, the lock mechanism includes a switching tool 8 provided on the upper front surface of the main body case 1 so as to be slidable left and right, a cutout portion 51 formed on the front surface of the skirt portion 50 projecting in a circular manner at the lower portion of the drive base 21, The contact portion 52 is adjacent to the portion 51.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the switching tool 8 includes an oval knob 53, four leg pieces 54 projecting from the inner surface thereof, and an engagement pin 55. By engaging with the upper and lower edges of the slide groove 56 provided in the main body case 1, it can slide left and right along the slide groove 56. In the inside of the slide groove 56, a joint arm 57 that comes into contact with the upper and lower peripheral surfaces of the engagement pin 55 is integrally provided. As shown in FIG. 12A, in a state where the switching tool 8 is slid to the unlock position, the engagement pin 55 is located immediately below the notch 51, so that the razor head 2B can move downward. When the switching tool 8 is slid to the lock position from this state as shown in FIG. 12B, the engaging pin 55 moves directly below the contact portion 52 and receives the lower surface of the skirt portion 50. Therefore, the razor head 2B cannot move downward.

  The skirt portion 50 also serves to improve the appearance of the electric razor by blocking the visibility of the waterproof seal 10 through the upper opening of the main body case 1. Further, when the razor head 2B sinks, the peripheral wall of the waterproof seal 10 tends to expand outwardly, but the seal peripheral wall facing the notch 51 can be elastically deformed so as to enter the notch space. The razor head 2B can sink and move smoothly. As described above, the waterproof seal 10 also serves to push up and bias the razor head 2B in cooperation with the spring 39 for floating support. Incidentally, although the tension characteristic of the spring 39 changes linearly, in the case of the waterproof seal 10, the deformation stress increases rapidly as the amount of bending increases, and the deformation stress changes into a quadratic curve. Accordingly, when the razor head 2B is pushed up and biased by the pair of left and right springs 39 and the waterproof seal 10, the push-down reaction force can be increased as the sinking stroke of the razor head 2B increases, and the spring 39 is prevented from being excessively deformed. And maintain the spring characteristics in an appropriate state for a long time. Further, as the sinking stroke of the razor head 2B increases, the pressing reaction force increases, so that the degree of adhesion of the razor head 2B to the skin increases. The waterproof seal 10 is configured to enclose and seal the entire circumference of the motor holder 23, and also has a function of returning to the original central position when the razor head 2B is tilted back and forth and left and right.

  When the razor head 2B is tilted, the skirt portion 50 and the motor holder 23 which are formed to protrude around the drive base 21 as shown in FIG. In order to allow this tilting, as shown in FIG. 3, a clearance E1 is provided between the motor holder 23 and the inner frame 11, and an opening peripheral wall surrounding the skirt portion 50 and the opening outer surface of the inner seal wall 44 of the main body case 1 is provided. 59 is provided with a gap E2.

  When the electric razor is used, the switching tool 8 is switched between the locked position and the unlocked position according to the state of the skin and the beard, and the pressing reaction force of the razor head 2B is set to either hard or soft. For example, when shaving normally, the knob 53 is positioned at the unlock position. At this time, since the engaging pin 55 is located immediately below the notch 51, the razor head 2B can sink and move with a small force, and can easily adhere to the skin. Further, when shaving bristles or performing deep shave, the knob 53 is slid to the locked position, the contact portion 52 is received by the engagement pin 55, and the sinking of the razor head 2B is restricted. So that you can shave deeply.

  Incidentally, when the razor head 2B is pushed down against the urging force of the spring 39, the movable engagement piece 42 and the fixed engagement piece 43 are separated from each other, so that the razor head 2B is waterproofed with the two springs 39. It is supported in a state supported only by the seal 10, that is, in an extremely unstable state. Therefore, the razor head 2B can only be tilted up and down, front and rear, left and right, or diagonally according to the external force, and as a result, the whisker cut surface can smoothly follow the skin. In other words, the razor head 2B is supported so as to be able to swing in the entire circumferential direction in a state where the engaging pieces 42 and 43 are separated.

  The razor head 2B is pushed up and biased by a pair of left and right springs 39 to support floating, and the razor head 2B is fixed by a movable engagement piece 42 and a fixed engagement piece 43 provided between the razor head 2B and the body case 1. Can be retained against the urging force of the spring 39, the floating support structure can be simplified and the assembly work can be saved compared to the conventional type in which the razor unit is supported floating by three support legs and springs. The manufacturing cost of the electric shaver can be reduced accordingly. The razor head 2B is pushed up and biased by a pair of left and right springs 39, and the razor head 2B is floated and supported in a rather unstable state. Therefore, the razor head 2B can be tilted smoothly following changes in the skin surface and can be ignored. The frictional resistance can be reduced to the extent. Therefore, the beard cutting surface can be effectively cut by always following the beard cutting surface of the razor head 2B in close contact with the skin.

  In the above embodiment, the motor 15 is sandwiched and fixed between the drive base 21 and the motor holder 23. However, for example, the motor 15 may be directly fastened and fixed to the drive base 21 with screws. The switching tool 8 need not be in the form of sliding switching left and right or up and down, and can be configured to swing and switch, to switch by pressing, or in the form of a rotary dial. The engagement pin 55 may be provided on the skirt portion 50 side, and the notch portion 51 and the contact portion 52 may be provided on the knob 53 side. The center blade 19 can be omitted, and at least one inner blade 18 is sufficient. Further, as in the embodiment, the structure is not limited to the configuration in which the razor head 2B is float-supported with respect to the main body case 1, but may be a structure in which the razor head 2B is fixed to the main body case 1.

Longitudinal front view with the razor head around disassembled Overall front view Overall longitudinal front view Overall profile side view Side view showing main body case and operating unit Front view with all components separated Side view with razor head disassembled Disassembled perspective view around the drive unit A perspective view with the drive base and the base lid disassembled Exploded perspective view showing relationship between motor holder and inner case Longitudinal front view of essential parts around the drive unit Rear view of the switching tool viewed from the inside of the case Partial cutaway front view showing tilted state of razor head

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body case 2 Actuation unit 2A Electrical component unit 2B Razor unit 3 Bottom cover 8 Switching tool 10 Waterproof seal 11 Inner frame 15 Motor 16 Drive unit 18 Inner blade 21 Drive base 22 Base cover 23 Motor holder 24 Vibrator 24a Connection of vibrator Part 25 Outer blade 26 Output shaft 30 First seal 31 Second seal 39 Spring 42 Movable engagement piece 43 Fixed engagement piece 47 Inner blade spring 50 Skirt part 51 Notch part 52 Contact part 59 Opening peripheral wall of main body case R Drive chamber E1 gap

Claims (1)

It is composed of a main body case 1 and a razor head 2B provided on the upper portion of the main body case 1,
The razor head 2 </ b> B includes an inner blade 18, an outer blade 25, an inner blade spring 47 that presses and urges the inner blade 18 against the outer blade 25, a drive base 21 that houses the vibrator 24, and an upper surface opening of the drive base 21. And a motor 15 that is fixed to a motor holder 23 that protrudes below the drive base 21 and drives the vibrator 24.
The drive base 21, the vibrator 24, the base lid 22 , the motor holder 23 and the motor 15 are unitized as the drive unit 16.
The razor head 2B is pushed up and biased by an elastic body with respect to the main body case 1, and is supported floating so as to be movable up and down.
An electric razor in which the reaction force for pressing down the razor head 2B is set larger than the spring force of the inner blade spring 47 that presses and urges the inner blade 18 toward the outer blade 25 .

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