WO2014053766A1

WO2014053766A1 - Isostatic epilator comprising pivoting tweezers

Info

Publication number: WO2014053766A1
Application number: PCT/FR2013/052337
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jérôme Fabron; Franck Mandica; Fabien Normand
Original assignee: Seb S.A.
Priority date: 2012-10-05
Filing date: 2013-10-01
Publication date: 2014-04-10
Also published as: EP2903474A1; FR2996428A1; CN104661561B; CN104661561A; ES2642393T3; EP2903474B1; FR2996428B1

Abstract

The invention relates to an epilation head roller (13) for an epilation device including a housing (1) containing a motor (4), said epilation head roller comprising: a stationary central shaft (20) of axis A, intended to be rotatably connected to the housing; a tubular cage (21) which is intended to be rotated about the central shaft (20) by the motor (4) and which bears tweezers (15), each formed by a stationary blade (25) rigidly connected to the tubular cage (21) and a moving blade (26) that can move between an open position (O) in which the moving blade (26) is at a distance from the stationary blade (25) and a closed position (F) in which the moving blade (26) is in contact with the stationary blade (25); and manoeuvring means (7, 9, 30) for manoeuvring the moving blades (26) between the open (O) and closed (F) positions during the rotation of the tubular cage (21) about the central shaft (20). According to the invention, the manoeuvring means (7, 9, 30) comprise: associated with each moving blade (26), at least one return spring (7) intended to return the moving blade (26) to the closed position (F); and, associated with each moving blade (26), an individual opening means (9) solidly connected to the moving blade (26) in order to rotate same, said opening means (9) being intended to move, under the action of tweezer actuation means (30), in order to open the moving blade (26).

Description

ISOSTATIC EPILATOR WITH PIVOTTING CLAMPS

[01] The present invention relates to the technical field of body care appliances employing a mechanical care head driven by an electric motor and in particular the field of mechanical hair removal apparatus used for the tearing of bristles.

[02] In the above field is known hair removal apparatus comprising a hair removal head equipped with a spinning roller movable in rotation about an axis parallel to the surface of the skin to be depilated. The depilatory roller is then equipped with a series of pliers that open and close as the rotation of the roller.

[03] An apparatus of this type is described in particular in a document FR2686001 in the name of the applicant in which the tear-off pliers are formed by a series of rotating blades bearing against fixed blades vis-à-vis, all moving blades of a row being carried by a peripheral shuttle of a rotating roller. Each shuttle comprises cams which, when driving the shuttle around a central axis, cooperate with cam paths formed by protuberances formed on a side disc at the end of the roller. Such an apparatus can actually pull body hair. However, the fact that several movable blades are rigidly connected to each other by a single shuttle induces unequal distribution of the clamping force and reduced efficiency in case of jamming of bristles in a clamp or deformation of one or several blades. In addition, the poorly controlled effort of pinching the hair can have the effect of breaking the hair instead of tearing it to its root. In this case, the hair will grow back immediately and will be very quickly visible.

[04] Another document JP2001037533 discloses a depilatory device comprising a series of pliers, distributed in several rows around the rotating cylinder, at the rate of two clamps per row, each clamp being composed of a fixed blade and a movable blade. The two adjacent movable blades are simultaneously actuated by an elastic element which pushes the lower ends of the movable blades outwards so that the clamps remain normally open. Actuators push, by sliding on the side cam paths, the lower ends of the movable blades for closing the clamps. Nevertheless, the use of spring here only serves for opening the clamps and not for closing. This document does not propose an epilator with rapid clip closure.

[05] It has therefore appeared the need for an efficient depilatory device whose clamping force on each clamp is homogeneous and balanced.

[06] Another object of the invention is a tweezer having a higher number of peelers,

[07] Another object of the invention is a tweezers having a better closing speed of the clamps.

[08] Another object of the invention is a more robust epilator with less wear.

[09] Yet another object of the invention is a more compact epilator.

[10] In order to achieve these objectives, the invention relates to a depilatory epilator head roller comprising a housing enclosing a motor, comprising: a fixed central shaft of axis Δ intended to be rotatably connected to the housing ; a tubular cage which is intended to be rotated about the central shaft by the motor (4) and which carries tearing tongs each formed of a fixed blade rigidly connected to the tubular cage and a blade movable between an open position in which the movable blade is moved away from the fixed blade and a closed position in which the movable blade is in contact with the fixed blade; means for operating the movable blades between their open and closed position during the rotation of the tubular cage around the central shaft. According to the invention, the maneuvering means comprise:

- Associated with each movable blade, at least one return spring for bringing said movable blade in the closed position;

- Associated with each movable blade, a single opening means integral with said movable blade for driving it in rotation, said opening means being intended to move, for the opening of the movable blade, under the action of means for actuating tongs. [1 1] Efforts are generated independently on each clamp, which ensures a good maintenance of the hair whatever the situation on the other clamps. That is to say, the efforts make it possible to grasp the hair sufficiently without breaking it or letting it slide during the tearing movement. Furthermore, as the spring ensures the contact between the two clamps by actuating the pivot, the contact is always effective regardless of the tolerances on the different parts.

[12] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a single return spring is associated with each movable blade. This makes it easier to manufacture the depilatory roller and to reduce its cost.

[13] According to the invention, each movable blade is rotatable about a pivot axis Δ 'normal to the central shaft and arranged in the tubular cage. This allows a simplified assembly of the clamps since the movable blades can be clipped into the cage at the pivot axis. In addition, this construction allows to put more clips on the hair removal roller which makes the hair removal more effective.

[14] In addition, the opening means forms with the moving blade a non-zero angle α and comprises a bead intended to come into contact with the actuating means to tilt the movable blade to its open position around said pivot axis Δ '. The bead has a rounded protuberance shape that requires a simple design, it is nevertheless quite robust because of the low friction.

[15] In one embodiment of the invention, the angle α is close to 90 ° to minimize the bulk of the hair removal roller and ensure better actuation of the clamps.

[16] According to a variant of this invention, said movable blade has a symmetrical shape with respect to a plane of symmetry comprising said axis Δ and the bead is asymmetrical with respect to said plane of symmetry. This asymmetrical shape of the bead makes it possible to minimize the forces in contact with the opening means and a rapid loss of contact when leaving it.

[17] According to one embodiment of the invention, each return spring is interposed between a movable blade and the tubular cage. The movable blade is subjected to the return action directly, the spring bearing on one side side of the movable blade and a side wall of the tubular cage facing the fixed blade.

[18] According to another embodiment of the invention, each return spring is interposed between an opening means and the tubular cage. In this case, the movable blade is rotated by the opening means which is itself subjected to the return action.

[19] Advantageously, said tongs actuating means are arranged substantially at the outer cylindrical surface of the central shaft. This is to create a region of opening of the clamps around the central shaft with elements raised relative to the central shaft for tilting the movable blade.

[20] Preferably, the gripper actuating means comprise at least one eccentric roller of an axis of symmetry Δ "and said axis of symmetry Δ" is parallel to said axis Δ.

According to a preferred embodiment, the clamp actuation means comprise a number of eccentric rollers of between 2 and 4, preferably 3, which are distributed over an area of the central shaft occupying about one third of the circumference. of the central tree. The number and size of the rolls depends on the overall size of the system, that of the moving blade, the bead, the desired opening size for the clamp, as well as the desired opening and closing speed. The greater the diameter of the roll compared to that of the head, the more the opening and closing of the clamp will be progressive because the bead will go up / down according to the slope induced by this diameter. The clamps must close quickly for good tearing efficiency, so it is desirable to have a steep slope so a smaller roll possible, but which induces reduced forces in contact with the bead on the roll to minimize wear and tear. the noise.

[22] In addition, the eccentric rollers are free to rotate about its axis of symmetry Δ "to introduce a bearing without sliding on the central shaft and limit friction.

[23] Advantageously, it is also possible to envisage a depilatory device comprising a housing designed to be held in the hand and enclosing an engine electric drive and which comprises a hair removal head roller according to the invention.

[24] According to one embodiment of the depilatory device, the hair removal head roller is removable and interchangeable with another body care accessory. Here is meant a body care accessory any means of treating a human body part such as a massage accessory, an exfoliation accessory or a shaving head / trimmer, etc.

[25] The invention will be better understood from the study of the embodiments taken as non-limiting and illustrated in the accompanying figures in which:

Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of the depilatory device according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic view of the drive of the hair removal roller according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the hair removal roller according to one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 4 is a schematic view of a first variant of the arrangement of the springs in the depilatory roller;

Figure 5 is a schematic view of a second variant of the arrangement of the springs in the depilatory roller;

Figure 6 is a schematic view of a third variant of the arrangement of the springs in the depilatory roller;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the drive of the movable blades according to an embodiment according to the invention;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the hair removal roller with a single row of pliers;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the hair removal roller;

Figure 11 is a front view of the embodiment of the hair removal roller illustrated in Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a front view of an alternative of the opening means. [26] An electric and mechanical depilatory device (A) according to the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises a hollow housing, designated as a whole by reference numeral 1, which consists of two half-shells 2 and 3 monoblocks defining together on the one hand, by their outer surfaces, a gripping area of the epilator and, on the other hand, a housing for containing and holding various functional elements constituting the epilator. Thus, the housing 1 encloses an electric motor 4 associated with transmission means 5 of the rotational movement of the output gear 6 of the electric motor 4. According to the illustrated example, the transmission means 5 comprise a gear train of FIG. axes parallel to the axis of rotation of the motor.

[27] The housing is equipped with an epilation head 10 which comprises a hollow body 1 1 delimiting an epilation chamber 12 inside which is disposed an epilation roller 13 which is flush with the level of a window 14 arranged in the hollow body 1 1. The epilation roller 13 is partly rotatable about an axis Δ and is rotated by the transmission means 5 by the electric motor 4. The epilation roller 13 comprises at its periphery a series clamps 15 opening and closing as the rotation of the roll. According to one embodiment of the invention, the hair removal roller 13 comprises reversible attachment means (not shown) to the housing 1 to make the roll removable. This is in the state of the art and within the reach of the skilled person.

[28] The invention relates more particularly to the design of the hair removal roller 13 also referred to as hair removal head roll.

[29] The roller 13 comprises, as shown more particularly in Figure 3, a fixed central shaft 20 to be rotatably connected to the housing is directly or via a movable part for adjusting the angular position of the central shaft 20 relative to the housing. The roller 13 also comprises a tubular cage 21 which carries the clamps 15 and which is rotatable about the central shaft 20 being driven by means of a wheel 22 rotatably connected to the tubular cage 21. according to the illustrated example the tubular cage 21 comprises six bars 23, visible in Figure 3, and which are mounted integral with the tubular cage 21 and which each carry a row of six gripping pliers 15 aligned in a direction substantially parallel to D the axis Δ.

[30] Each pliers 15 is formed of a fixed blade 25 and a movable blade 26. The fixed blades 25 are rigidly connected to the tubular cage 21 to the extent that in the example shown the fixed blades 25 of the same row form an integral part of the corresponding bar 23. Each movable blade 26 comprises, on the one hand, a blade head 261 which is an operative part intended to bear against the fixed blade 25 to form a pinching zone and, on the other hand, a connected blade root 262 rigidly to a cylinder or pivot shaft 8. The latter is free to rotate about a pivot axis Δ 'and is connected in translation with the bar 23 by clipping, the pivot axis Δ' being normal to the axis Δ. Each movable blade 26 is able to move by rotation between an open position O visible in Figure 9 and a closed position F visible in Figure 10.

[31] In order to ensure the movements of the movable blades 26, the roller 13 comprises maneuvering means which integrate several interacting elements. As can be seen in FIG. 7, for each clamp 15, an opening means 9 in the form of a rocker is rotatably connected to the movable blade 26 at an angle a through the pivoting cylinder 8. This angle a can be chosen in a range of [70 °, 1 10 °], a 90 ° angle is better suited to the realization of the apparatus. The movable blade 26, the pivot cylinder 8 and the rocker 9, also referred to as the mean aperture terminology, preferably form a single solid piece.

[32] In operation, as shown in Figure 9, the movable blade 26 being pivoted on the tubular cage 21 rotates about the central shaft 20 on which three eccentric rollers 31 are disposed at a region of opening (ZO) of the clamps 15 corresponding substantially to about one third of the circumference of the central shaft 20. When the clamp 15 passes over these rollers 31, a bead 91 forming part of the rocker 9 comes into contact with the rollers 31 successively which causes the movable blade 26 to rock in a counterclockwise direction as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4 and maintains it in the open position O for a while. Here, the bead 91 is presented in the form of a protuberance rounded with respect to the rocker 9, however, it can also have a different shape as long as it ensures a fluid contact with the rollers 31 and a rotational movement of the moving blade 26.

[33] When the gripper 15 leaves the opening zone ZO and the bead 91 is no longer in contact with any of the rollers 31, the movable blade 26 subjected to the return action with the effort required to pulling the hair goes into closed position F and y is maintained through at least one spring 7 disposed in the roll 13 until the clamp 15 passes again in the opening zone ZO where the spring 7 is compressed a little more, which allows a rapid closure of the clamp 15.

[34] According to a first variant, as can be seen in FIG. 4, the spring 7 is disposed between the rocker 9 and the tubular cage 21. More exactly, one end of the spring 7 is placed on the rocker 9 without the bead side and the other end is connected to the bar 23 which is integral with the tubular cage 21, the spring 7 being in direct opposition with the effort thrust rollers 31.

[35] According to a second variant, as visible in FIG. 5, the spring 7 is disposed between the movable blade 26 and the tubular cage 21. In fact, one end is in direct contact with a lateral surface of the movable blade 26 to push it against the fixed blade 25, and the other end is fixed on a side wall of the bar 23 which is opposite the fixed blade 25.

[36] The compression springs can be replaced by pins or torsion springs placed on the pivots at the axes of rotation of the movable blades 26. It is also possible to use leaf springs placed either in the same place as the coil springs or elsewhere. The compression springs can be replaced by tension springs with reversed operation where when tilting the springs are stretched.

[37] Therefore, one can imagine any other positioning to maintain the clamp closed and come open by a swing that compresses the spring 7. For example a symmetrical shape with the bead on one side and the spring of the other, as shown in Figure 6. The spring 7 is stretched permanently.

[38] The eccentric rollers 31 are preferably free-rolling in the central shaft 20 to allow non-slip rolling contact between the bead 91 and the roller 31 and thus minimize stress and wear.

[39] According to an alternative envisaged, as can be seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, the gripper actuating means comprise a single eccentric roll, or for the same purpose, the central shaft may have an asymmetrical shape. to have the opening area protruding. Therefore, the time during which the movable blade 26 remains open would correspond to the time during which a point of the bead 91 remains in contact with the top of the roller 31 which is relatively short. To have a sufficient duration or opening interval without losing speed in closing, the use of several rollers for actuating the clamps as explained above is preferred. For reference, the motor rotates the cylinder at a speed of about 1500 rpm.

[40] In order to further increase the speed of the closure, it is also possible to envisage another construction of the rocker as illustrated in FIG. 12: generally, each movable blade 26 is a part symmetrical with respect to a plane of symmetry PS as shown in FIG. 7. The movable blade 26 being rotatable with the tubular cage 21 about the axis Δ, the latter coincides with the plane of symmetry PS. In FIG. 12, the bead has an asymmetric shape with respect to the plane PS and a thickness decrease from right to left successively, which makes it possible to minimize the forces at the arrival of the opening zone and a loss of rapid contact at the exit.

[41] In the embodiments shown, the metal movable blades 26 are used in direct contact with the plastic bars 23 as fixed blades 25, with a metal-plastic nip contact. It is also possible to insert metal fixed blades into the bars 23 by overmolding or by clipping or by setting to have a metal-metal contact. It is also possible to use movable blades made entirely of plastic material, or else, on one or the other blade, to use ceramic elements on all or part of the parts. [42] Of course, other modifications may be made to the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. Depilatory epilating head roller (13) comprising a housing (1) enclosing a motor (4), comprising:

- A central shaft (20) fixed axis Δ intended to be rotatably connected to the housing,

- A tubular cage (21):

o which is intended to be rotated around the central shaft (20) by the motor (4),

which carries pliers (15) each consisting of a fixed blade (25) rigidly connected to the tubular cage (21) and a movable blade (26) between an open position (O) in which the movable blade (26) is remote from the fixed blade (25) and a closed position (F) in which the movable blade (26) is in contact with the fixed blade (25),

- Operating means (7, 9, 30) of the movable blades (26) between their open position (O) and closing (F) during the rotation of the tubular cage (21) around the central shaft (20)

Characterized in that the operating means (7, 9, 30) comprises:

- Associated with each movable blade (26), at least one return spring (7) for bringing said movable blade (26) in the closed position (F),

- Associated with each movable blade (26), an opening means (9) individually secured to said movable blade (26) for driving it in rotation, said opening means (9) being intended to move, for opening of the movable blade (26) under the action of the actuating means (30) of clamps.

2. hair removal head roller according to claim 1, characterized in that a single return spring (7) is associated with each movable blade (26).

3. hair removal head roller according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each movable blade is rotatable about a pivot axis (Δ ') normal to the central shaft (20) and arranged in the tubular cage (21)

Depilatory head roller according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the opening means (9) forms with the movable blade (26) a non-zero angle α and comprises a bead (91) intended to enter contact with the actuating means (30) for tilting the movable blade (26) to its open position (O) about said pivot axis (A ').

5. hair removal head roller according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the angle a is close to 90 °. 6. hair removal head roller according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said movable blade (26) has a symmetrical shape with respect to a plane of symmetry (PS) comprising said axis (Δ) and that the bead is asymmetrical with respect to said plane of symmetry (PS).

Depilatory head roller according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each return spring (7) is interposed between a movable blade (26) and the tubular cage (21).

Depilatory head roller according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each return spring (7) is interposed between an opening means (9) and the tubular cage (21).

Depilatory head roller according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said gripper actuating means (30) are arranged substantially at the outer cylindrical surface of the central shaft (20).

10. Hair removal head roller according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the actuating means (30) of the clamps comprise at least one eccentric roller (31) of an axis of symmetry (Δ ").

1 1. Hair removal head roller according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said axis of symmetry (Δ ") is parallel to said axis Δ.

12. epilating head roller according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the gripper actuating means (30) comprise an eccentric roll number (31) of between 2 and 4, preferably 3, which are distributed over a central shaft area (20) occupying about one third of the circumference of the central shaft (20).

13. epilation head roller according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the eccentric roller (s) (31) are free in rotation from its / their axis of symmetry (Δ ").

14. A depilatory device (A) comprising a housing (1) designed to be held in the hand and enclosing an electric drive motor (4), characterized in that it comprises a roller (13) hair removal head according to one of the preceding claims.

15. A depilatory device (A) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the roller (13) depilation head is removable and interchangeable with another body care accessory.