WO2003089200A1 - Hair-removal device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a hair-removal device, such as for example an electric razor, clippers or a depilation device, comprising a housing (1) and a fluid dispensing device (4) with at least one open-pore application element (22) for bringing into contact and wetting the skin and/or hair to be treated with the fluid and a fluid transport system that is connected to the fluid dispensing device and consists of a fluid container (5), a pump device (10) that can be driven and has a pump inlet (11) and a pump outlet (12). The fluid dispensing device (4) is connected to the pump inlet (11) via a first fluid line (14) and is connected to the fluid container (5) via at least one second fluid line (21). To achieve an optimum regulation of the fluid quantity, at least one secondary air canal (24, 24a), which is connected to the atmosphere, is located along the application element (22) in the vicinity of the flow path between the first and the second fluid line.

Description

Hair removal device

The invention relates to a hair removal device, e.g. Dry shaving apparatus, hair clipper, epilator, with a housing and a liquid delivery device with at least one open-pore application element for contacting and wetting the skin and / or hair to be processed with liquid, with a liquid transport system connected to the liquid delivery device, consisting of a liquid container, a drivable pump device with a Pump inlet and a pump outlet, wherein the liquid dispensing device is connected to the pump inlet via a first liquid line and to the liquid container via at least a second liquid line.

Such a hair removal device is known from DE 199 07 025 A1. The application element of the known device is arranged in a housing that partially surrounds it, to which two liquid lines are connected, which close to one another in the area of a so-called rinsing chamber open into this housing. Via this rinsing chamber, the liquid transport system provides the application element with the liquid, which is distributed in the application unit by the capillary effect of the open-pore applicator material and is made available for application to skin and / or hair. With the known hair removal device, it is therefore possible to apply an appropriate shaving and / or lubricating liquid during shaving, regardless of the position, which increases the comfort of shaving. In particular, the application of such a liquid counteracts the so-called stick-slip effect, which can occur when shaving damp skin. Care and / or fragrances can also be applied during shaving using the liquid.

Despite all the positive properties of the above-mentioned hair removal device, it has been shown in the practical application test that the known device still has room for improvement in terms of the continuity of the application amount during use and in terms of the speed of the provision of liquid in the starting phase.

In the device according to DE 199 07 025 A1, air is first conveyed into the liquid container during the starting phase until, caused by an overpressure in the liquid container, the liquid is conveyed into the said rinsing chamber via a riser pipe and is made available to the application element. During the start phase, this air can flow both through the pores of the application element which are liquid-free at this point in time and also are sucked in through the circumferential gap between the container housing and the application element. Since the porosity of the application element produced by a sintering process can be adjusted in a reproducible manner, whereby its effect on the pressure build-up in the liquid system can be taken into account, the influence of the additional amount of air caused by the lateral play between the application element and its container, which is spaced from the Flushing chamber exists and is not constant, hardly or only very difficult to take into account, as a result of which a very wide range of hydraulic behavior can occur. These influencing parameters, which cannot be precisely controlled, have an influence not only on the reproducibility and series distribution when the system is started up, but also in the usage behavior after prolonged use of the system. The use also deposits skin and skin fat particles in the pores of the application system, which can result in a change in the behavior of the application system. Thus, the stored porosity is reduced and the suction of air through the application element is hindered and slowed down at the beginning of the conveyance of liquid.

It is therefore the object of the invention to improve the uniformity and controllability of the application amount of the liquid both during operation and during the starting phase and in particular to ensure optimally reproducible application behavior. The fastest possible complete wetting of the application element should be achieved during the start phase.

This is solved in a generic hair removal device in that at least one secondary air duct connected to the atmosphere is provided along the application element in the area between the first and the second liquid line. A particularly uniform wetting of the application element can be ensured by one or more precisely defined secondary air channels, which are arranged in the immediate vicinity of the application element along the flow path of the liquid between the two liquid lines. As a result, the application element is wetted very quickly and the amount dispensed is kept very constant during operation. It is particularly important that the application element is pressed absolutely tight into its housing except for the secondary air duct, so that no additional secondary air can be sucked in uncontrollably.

The uniformity of the wetting of the application element can be favored in that a large number of secondary air ducts is provided. The secondary air ducts can be arranged equidistantly or at different distances. The wetting behavior of the application element can be controlled in the desired manner by a suitable choice of its distance and the individual cross section.

The sizing of the secondary air ducts depends on the system pressure of the liquid circuit. This must not exceed a predetermined maximum pressure, which is why a pressure relief valve is arranged in the air-filled part of the liquid container in the previously known device, which opens into the atmosphere. However, this arrangement harbors the risk that liquid can leak out of the liquid container, at least when the hair removal device is lying for a long time or standing upside down. A preferred embodiment of the invention therefore provides that the pump outlet is designed as a throttle point to limit the system pressure in the liquid circuit. In this way, no additional connection of the liquid container to the atmosphere is required.

Since the application element can wear itself out during use or because a clogging of its pores due to contamination can lead to a weakening application effect, it is advantageous if the application element is provided as an exchangeable replacement element. Because the throttle point is also exposed to contamination, it is advantageous if it is provided within an exchangeable cartridge and is also replaced when the liquid container is changed.

In order to bind the liquid within a certain area of the liquid container, it is advantageous if a storage material for the liquid is provided in the liquid container. This storage material can be formed, for example, by a sintered material.

Another embodiment of the invention provides that the second liquid line is designed as a riser. The inlet of this riser pipe is preferably formed within this storage material, so that only liquid and no air can be supplied to the liquid dispensing device. The pump device can be provided within the liquid container, so that in the case of exchangeable liquid containers, the pump only has to be designed with regard to its fatigue strength in such a way as is necessary to convey the volume present in a liquid container. After sales this volume, both the liquid container and the pumping device are replaced by a corresponding new part.

If the pumping device is driven by a drive element of the hair removal device, no additional drives are necessary in the hair removal device itself, which simplifies the entire structure of the hair removal device.

One or more liquid dispensing devices can be arranged on the hair removal device; these can be attached to the housing or to a part of the hair removal device connected to the housing. An arrangement of the liquid dispensing device on the shaving head frame of a shaving apparatus or on the epilation head of an epilation device is particularly advantageous, since this is in the immediate vicinity of the working surface of the hair removal device and in this way always ensures a suitable position of the application element even with flexible or swiveling work surfaces.

In particular, if the application elements themselves are designed as exchange elements, it is advantageous if the at least one secondary air duct is molded onto the application element itself. For simple and secure attachment of the application element during replacement, it is of great advantage if the application element is arranged in a mounting frame, as a result of which damage to the wick or sinter-like material of the application element can be prevented with great certainty. Damage to the application element can, as already stated above, quickly lead to irregularities in the amount of application, since this damage could result in uncontrolled intake of secondary air.

Further objectives, features, advantages and possible uses of the present invention result from the following description of the exemplary embodiments. All of the features described or depicted, individually or in any combination, form the subject matter of the present invention, regardless of their summary in the claims or their relationship.

This shows:

1 shows an embodiment of the invention as a dry shaver, Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of the liquid circuit for the liquid dispensing device and

3 shows a liquid dispensing device according to the invention arranged on the removable frame of a dry shaver.

1 shows a perspective view of a dry shaving apparatus with a view of the rear of the housing 1 and of one of the two narrow sides 2 of the housing 1 and of the shaving head 3, on which a liquid dispensing device 4 is provided. A liquid container 5 is arranged on the narrow side 2 of the housing. This liquid container can be fixed or detachably connected to the housing 1, according to the invention it is also possible to arrange the liquid container 5 within the housing in a fixed or exchangeable manner.

The shaving head 3 consists, in a manner known per se, of a central center cutter 6 for shaving longer hair, which is arranged between two curved shaving foils 7 which work together with lower knives (not shown in the drawing) for shaving out short hair. The shaving foils 7 and the center cutter 6 are fastened in an interchangeable frame 8.

The liquid delivery device 4 is attached to this change frame, so that it is ensured that the application of the liquid always takes place in the immediate vicinity of the shaving surface.

In addition to the liquid container 5, the housing 1 also accommodates an electric motor which serves both the oscillating drive of the shaving head and the drive of a pump 10, this drive being able to take place directly or indirectly. This pump 10 is part of a liquid circuit, which is shown in more detail in FIG. 2.

The pump 10 is used to circulate in the liquid transport system and to supply liquid from the liquid container 5 to the liquid dispensing device 4. The pump 10 has an inlet 11 and an outlet 12, the outlet being provided with a throttle 13. This throttle 13 limits the operating pressure in the liquid system. The inlet 11 is connected via a first liquid line 14 to the application pocket 15, which is designed as an elongated recess in the applicator housing 16. The connection of the first Liquid conduction to the applicator pocket 15 takes place in the end section on the left in the drawing.

The pump 10 and the throttle 13 are advantageously arranged within the liquid container, which is designed as a replacement cartridge, which is exchanged for a new one after the liquid has been used up.

Depending on the consumption of liquid that has already taken place, the liquid container 5 is filled to a certain level 17 with liquid 18, wherein the area below the maximum level can be filled with a storage material for better binding of the liquid. Open-pore sintered material is particularly suitable as storage material. A riser pipe 20, which is part of the second liquid line 21 that leads to the application pocket 15, opens out just above the bottom 19 of the liquid container 5. The connection of the second liquid line to the application pocket takes place in the end section on the right in the drawing.

Pressed in firmly, the application element 22 is arranged in the applicator pocket 15 in such a way that it projects above the applicator housing 16 with its upper region, on which the dispensing surface 23 is arranged. This press fit between the application element 22 and the applicator housing 16 is only interrupted by a secondary air duct 24 (or, as will be explained in more detail in FIG. 3, a plurality of secondary air ducts) with a precisely defined interference cross section.

The application element can be made from a wick-like material or from a sintered material made of metal or plastic. Due to its open porosity, it has capillary action when wetted with liquid.

The flow cross section of the at least one secondary air duct is matched to the throttle 13.

When the hair removal device is switched on, both the lower cutters of the shaving head and the pump 10 are driven. The pump 10 then sucks air from the applicator pocket 15 via the first liquid line 14, which air can initially flow in, ie as long as the application element 22 is dry, both through its open pores and via the secondary air duct 24. This air is conveyed via the throttle point 13 into the liquid container 5, the pressure increase thereby caused promotes liquid via the Riser pipe 20 or the second liquid line 21 into the applicator pocket 15. After the liquid has reached the applicator pocket 15, a liquid flow occurs in the lower region of this pocket, that is, between the mouths of the first and second liquid lines. Due to its capillary action, the application element 22 conveys the incoming liquid to its application surface 23. The portion of the liquid that cannot be taken up by the application element 22 is sucked off by the pump 10 via the first liquid line 14 and conveyed back into the liquid container 5. As long as the application element 12 is still dry and its pores are open, a very large amount of air is sucked in by the pump 10, which results in a very rapid increase in pressure in the liquid container 5. This in turn leads to a very rapid transport of liquid into the applicator pocket 15.

As the volume of liquid delivered to the application element 22 increases, its pores gradually fill, and the secondary air duct 24 is also closed by liquid. At this moment an operating state occurs in which no additional air can be sucked into the system. The applicator pockets 15 can therefore not overflow, but only the liquid is kept in circulation. Only when a certain amount of liquid has been dispensed via the dispensing surface 23 of the application element 22 can air be sucked in again through appropriately emptied pores or through a correspondingly released secondary air channel, which replaces the volume of the dispensed liquid. If the secondary air duct is arranged away from the second liquid line, which supplies liquid to the application element, air is fed into the system through the secondary air duct 24 before the pores of the application element 22 are emptied and the application element is thus dry. It is thus ensured that the application element 22 is always sufficiently wetted and supplied with liquid during operation.

It is thus realized by the invention a self-regulating liquid delivery, which ensures that even if no liquid is removed through the skin at the application site, overflow is prevented and at the same time a very rapid wetting of the application element 22 with liquid directly after the device is switched on reached.

3 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of the liquid dispensing device 4, which is arranged on an interchangeable frame 8 of a dry shaving apparatus. Due to wear and soiling, the life of the applica- onselementes 22 significantly lower than that of the associated hair removal device or its cutting parts. For this reason, it makes sense to design the application element as an exchange part. 3, for this purpose the application element 22 is press-fitted in a mounting frame 30 which can be releasably connected to the interchangeable frame 8 by means of a clip-in or snap-in connection. After the service life of the application element 22 has been reached, the mounting frame including the application element is then removed and replaced with a new module of this type.

The arrangement of the application element 22 in the mounting frame 30 ensures that the press fit in the applicator pocket 15 is not impaired during the fastening process of the new application element. The user attacks this assembly on the mounting frame 30 and attaches it to the removable frame 8. While plugging in, the corresponding hydraulic connections between the interchangeable and mounting frame are connected to each other in a sealing manner.

The application element 22 according to FIG. 3 differs from that from FIG. 2 in that not only a relatively large secondary air channel 24 but also a plurality of fine secondary air channels 24a are arranged along the side surface 31 of the application element. Of course, these secondary air channels 24a could also be arranged as fine grooves in the corresponding side of the applicator pocket 15. This application element 22 is also clamped in the applicator pocket 15 by means of a tight interference fit. This press fit is only interrupted by the fine secondary air channels 24a with a defined, small cross section that is matched to the throttle 13. Their function corresponds to that of the secondary air duct 24 from FIG. 2.

By dividing the secondary air duct into a large number of small cross-sections, the air flow sucked into the system is not shut off suddenly, but continuously.

Parallel to the essentially vertical extension of the application element 22 and the mounting frame 30 is a spacer 32 which is designed in the form of a slide which is adjustable in the direction of the skin to be shaved. The height adjustment of the spacer 32 is carried out by means of a slide switch 33 which can be displaced transversely by means of a ramp-shaped backdrop, which is not shown in the drawing.

Claims

claims: 1. Hair removal device, such as Dry shaving apparatus, hair clipper, epilator, with a housing (1) and a liquid delivery device (4) with at least one open-pored application element (22) for contacting and wetting the skin and / or hair to be processed with liquid, with a liquid transport system connected to the liquid delivery device comprising a liquid container (5), a drivable pump device (10) with a pump inlet (11) and a pump outlet (12), the liquid dispensing device (4) via a first liquid line (14) to the pump inlet (11) and at least one second liquid line (21) is connected to the liquid container (5), characterized in that at least one secondary air duct (24, 24a) connected to the atmosphere is provided along the application element (22) in the region of the flow path between the first and second liquid lines. 2. Hair removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of secondary air channels (24a) is provided. 3. Hair removal device according to claim 2, characterized in that the secondary air channels (24a) are equidistant. 4. Hair removal device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the secondary air channels (24a) run parallel to each other. 5. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pump outlet (12) is designed as a throttle point (13). 6. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the application element is provided as an exchangeable exchange element. 7. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a storage material for the liquid is provided in the liquid container (5). 8. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second liquid line (21) is designed as a riser pipe (20). 9. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pumping device (10) is arranged in the liquid container (5). 10. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pumping device (10) can be driven by a drive element of the hair removal device. 11. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one liquid dispensing device (4) is provided on the housing (1). 12. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the liquid dispensing device (4) is provided on a long hair cutting system. 13. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the liquid dispensing device (4) is formed on a shaving head frame (8). 14. Hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the liquid container (5) is interchangeably arranged in or on the hair removal device. 15. Application element for a hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by at least one secondary air duct (24, 24a) molded onto the application element (22). 16. Application element for a hair removal device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the application element (22) is arranged in a mounting frame (30).