WO2014053767A1 - Isostatic epilator comprising tweezers moving in translation - Google Patents

Description

 ISOSTATIC EPILATOR WITH CLAMPS IN TRANSLATION

[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 US 2005/0101971 in which the pulling pliers are formed by several rows of blades movable in translation bearing against fixed blades vis-à-vis, all the moving blades of a row being carried by a peripheral shuttle of a rotating roller. Each shuttle comprises cams which, when driving the shuttle about a central axis, cooperate with cam paths formed by the two groove edges formed on the periphery of a central shaft rotatably connected to case of the device. The shuttles are arranged around the central shaft, being movable axially along this shaft, while being radially blocked by intermediate connecting elements constituting a tubular cage movable in rotation around the central shaft. The central shaft is more mobile in axial translation being subjected to the action of axial springs which induce the clamping force of all the clamps.

 [04] Such an apparatus can actually pull body hair.

 However, the fact that several movable blades are rigidly connected to each other induces an unequal distribution of the force of the springs so that not all the clamps have the same efficiency.

[05] It therefore appeared the need for a device whose clamps have substantially the same efficiency. [06] Another object of the invention is to provide a tweezer having a better speed of closing the clamps.

[07] Another object of the invention is to provide a more robust epilator.

[08] Yet another object of the invention is to provide a more compact epilator.

 [09] In order to achieve these objects the invention relates to a hair removal epilator head roller with a motor comprising:

 a fixed central shaft intended to be rotatably connected to a housing of the hair removal apparatus,

- a tubular cage:

 - Which is rotatable about the central shaft and intended to be rotated by a motor of the apparatus

 - Which carries tearing tongs each formed of a fixed blade rigidly connected to the tubular cage and a movable blade 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.

 [10] According to the invention, the roller is characterized in that the operating means comprise:

 - return springs intended to bring the movable blades in the closed position,

 for each movable blade, an individual cam which is linked in translation to said blade and which, for the opening of the movable blade, moves against a cam path arranged at the periphery of the central shaft.

[1 1] The implementation of an individual cam for each movable blade, which is also not rigidly connected to any other movable cam, provides independent movements of each movable blade so that the effort of clamping applied by a movable blade does not depend or is disturbed by the clamping force applied by another blade. [12] According to a feature of the invention, each return spring acts on at most two movable blades. Thus, the clamping force is perfectly controlled.

 [13] In the same sense and according to a feature of the invention, each return spring is in direct contact with each movable blade that recalls in the closed position.

[14] In the same sense, according to another characteristic of the invention, each return spring is interposed between two movable blades.

[15] According to another embodiment of the invention, each return spring is interposed between a movable blade and the tubular cage, the roller comprising at least as many return springs as movable blades.

The fact that each spring acts on a single blade ensures that the entire clamping force induced by the spring is transmitted to said blade.

[16] According to yet another feature of the invention, each individual cam is in contact with the corresponding cam path only for a phase of movement of the corresponding clamp. Thus, the cam is not in contact with the cam path during a large part of the rotation of the tubular cage and in particular when the corresponding movable blade is in the position of displacement, closure or opening respectively, in the pulling phase of the cam. a hair respectively phase of release of the hair. In this respect, in a preferred embodiment, the phase of displacement of the clamp on the cam path corresponds only to an opening phase of the corresponding clamp. Thus the cam path is made so as to interrupt as quickly as possible its contact with the cam to allow the passage of the movable blade in the closed position without interfering with the force applied by the spring or springs associated with said movable blade .

[17] According to a feature of the invention, the tubular cage comprises means for guiding the mobile blades in translation.

[18] According to another characteristic of the invention, each movable blade comprises at least one guide shoe in translation. [19] According to one embodiment of the invention, each movable blade comprises a working head intended to cooperate with the fixed blade and opposite the head, a maneuvering foot forming or carrying the individual cam.

[20] According to a variant of this embodiment, the movable blade is at least partly formed by a metal blank.

[21] According to another variant of this feature, each movable blade comprises, between its working head and its operating foot, a body carrying at least one guide pad.

[22] According to a feature of the invention, each movable blade is rigidly connected to a translation guide carriage which cooperates with at least one guide rod carried by the tubular cage.

[23] According to a variant of this feature, the carriage comprises at least one bore for passage of a guide rod carried by the tubular cage.

[24] According to another variant of this characteristic each return spring surrounds a guide rod.

[25] According to a feature of the invention, the roller comprises at least one row of clamps aligned in an axial direction perpendicular to a median plane normal to the axis of rotation of the tubular cage, the movable blades located in the same first side of the median plane moving from their closed position to their open position in the same direction while the movable blades on the other side of the median plane move from their closed position to their open position in opposite to that of the movable blades located on the first side of the median plane. Such an embodiment makes it possible to balance the forces applied on the tubular cage.

[26] According to a variant of this feature, the central shaft comprises at least as many cam paths as each row comprises aligned clamps.

[27] According to the invention, it is also possible to envisage a depilatory apparatus comprising a housing adapted to be held in the hand and enclosing an electric drive motor and which comprises an epilation head roller according to one of the preceding claims. [28] In addition, according to one embodiment of the depilatory device (A), the hair removal head roller is removable and interchangeable with another body care accessory. Here means body care accessory any means of treating a human body part such as a massage accessory, an exfoliation accessory or a shaving head / mower, etc..

 [29] Of course, the various features, variations and embodiments of the invention may be associated with each other in various combinations to the extent that they are not incompatible or exclusive of each other.

 [30] Furthermore, various other features of the invention appear from the attached description made with reference to the drawings which illustrate non-limiting embodiments of a roller of an epilator according to the invention.

 - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective of an electric depilation apparatus comprising a hair removal head roller according to the invention.

 FIG. 2 is a side elevation partially broken away from the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1.

 - Figure 3 is a schematic perspective of a hair removal head roller according to the invention.

 FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the hair removal head roller illustrated in FIG.

 FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the epilation head roll illustrated in FIG. 3.

 FIG. 6 is a partial axial section of the hair removal head roller shown in FIG. 3.

 FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a movable blade of the hair removal head roller of FIGS. 3 to 6.

 FIG. 8 is an elevation in side view of the movable blade represented in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic perspective partially cut away from the hair removal head roller illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the central shaft of the hair removal head roller illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6.

 - Figure 1 1 is an elevation in side view of the central shaft shown in Figure 10.

 - Figure 12 is a partial axial section similar to Figure 6 of another embodiment of a hair removal head roller according to the invention.

 Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing two movable blades of the depilating head roll of Fig. 12.

 - Figure 14 illustrates another embodiment of a movable blade for hair removal head roller according to the invention.

[31] It should be noted that in these figures the structural and / or functional elements common to the different variants may have the same references.

[32] An electric and mechanical depilatory device according to the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises a hollow housing, generally designated 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 confinement and maintenance of various functional elements constituting the epilator. Thus, the housing 1 encloses an electric motor 4 associated with means 5 for transmitting the rotational movement of the output gear 6 of the motor 4. According to the illustrated example, the transmission means 5 comprise a gear train of axes. parallel to the axis of rotation of the motor.

[33] The housing 1 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. [34] The invention relates more particularly to the design of the hair removal roller 13 also referred to as hair removal head roll.

 [35] The roller 13 comprises, as shown more particularly in FIG. 3, a stationary central shaft 20 intended to be rotatably connected to the housing 1 either directly or via a moving part allowing adjustment of the angular position of the central shaft 20 relative to the housing 1.

 [36] 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 FIG. 4, each of which carries a row of five tear-off pliers 15 aligned in a direction D substantially parallel to the axis Δ.

[37] Each tear-off 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 insofar as according to the illustrated example the blades 25 of the same row form an integral part of the corresponding bar 23. Each movable blade 26 is capable of moving between a closed position F visible in FIG. 5 and an open position O visible in FIGS. 5 and 6. In order to ensure the movements of the movable blades 26, the roller 13 comprises maneuvering means 27 of which the embodiment will appear later.

[38] Each movable blade 26 comprises a working head 30 which is intended to cooperate with the corresponding fixed blade 25 and which is formed by a metal blank. Each movable blade 26 also comprises, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a guide carriage 31 which, according to the illustrated example, is overmoulded on the constituent metal blank of the working head 30. The guide carriage 31 forms thus the body of the movable blade 26 and is rigidly connected to the working head. The guide carriage 31 cooperates with at least one and, according to the illustrated example, two translational guide rods 32 which are more clearly visible in FIG. 9. In the present case, the guide rods 32 are each formed by a guide rod. cylindrical of revolution extending parallel to the axis Δ. The guide carriage 31 then comprises, at a body of the movable blade 26, two bores 33 which are delimited by two sleeves extending on either side of the working head 30 and which are traversed by the guide rods 32 so that the movable blades 26 can move in translation along the latter.

 [39] For this purpose, the operating means 27 comprise, for each movable blade 26, at least one and according to the example shown two springs 34 for returning the corresponding movable blade in the closed position F. in this case each spring 34 is interposed between the movable blade 26 and the tubular cage 21. Indeed, each spring 34 is supported on the corresponding bar to push the movable blade 26 so that the working head 30 bears against the fixed blade 25 which is an integral part of the same bar. Thus in the closed position, all the forces exerted by each spring 34 is completely absorbed by the corresponding bar 23 so that this isostatic mounting prevents the forces exerted by the spring or springs of a clamp 15 in the closed position do not disturb the operation of the other clamps 15. According to the arrangement adopted here, the springs 34 are helical springs which each surround a guide rod 32, which facilitates the mounting of the roller 13 according to the invention.

[40] The maneuvering means 27 also comprise, for each movable blade 26, an individual cam 35 which is translationally connected to the corresponding movable blade 26 and which in this case is formed by a maneuvering foot extending to the Opposite the head 30 relative to the bores 33. The individual cam 35 here has a substantially cylindrical shape of revolution.

[41] The maneuvering means 27 further comprise at the outer surface of the central shaft 20 several cam tracks 37, visible in Figures 10 and 1 1 in particular, which are each intended to cooperate with an individual cam 35. Thus, the central shaft 20 comprises at least as many cam tracks 37 as each row comprises clamps 15. According to the illustrated example, the central shaft comprises more cam tracks 37 than each row comprises grippers 15 so that to hold account of the axial shift of the clamps from one row to another as shown in Figure 5 in particular.

[42] The cam tracks 37 are configured to allow to control an opening and allow a closure of each clamp 15 during the rotation of the tubular cage 21. Thus, each time an individual cam 35 enters the corresponding cam path 37 it bears against an edge thereof and the movable blade 26 is progressively moved to the open position in which it is located when the clamp 15 arrives at the beginning of the window 14 taking into account the direction of rotation of the tubular cage 21. The movable blade 26 is held in this open position on a portion of the window 14, for example to the middle, to allow grasping of bristles. Then, each cam path 37 is designed to allow a movable blade return 26 in the closed position to pinch the bristles under the effect of the springs 34.

[43] Insofar as the clamping force is not applied by the cam tracks 37, the latter are, according to the illustrated example, designed to be in contact with the corresponding individual cam 35, only during the opening and holding open phase of the clamp. Thus, the cam paths 37 occupy only part of the circumference of the central shaft 20 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. In addition, the cam paths 37 are interrupted abruptly so that the clamps 15 close very quickly under the effect of the return springs 34 which also allow to obtain a rather large clamping power.

[44] Moreover, in order to ensure, as far as possible, compensation or balancing of the forces induced by the individual cams 35 on the central shaft 20, the movable blades 26 on the same side of a plane median M normal to the axis of rotation Δ open in the same direction while the movable blades 26 located on the other side of the median plane M open in the opposite direction. Thus, in FIG. 5, the movable blades 26 situated to the left of the median plane M move to the left as they move from their closed position F to their open position O, whereas the movable blades 26 to the right of the median plane M move to the left when they move from their closed position F to their open position O. Of course, another direction of opening could have been chosen.

[45] According to the previous example described in connection with Figures 1 to 1 1, the springs each act on a single movable blade 26. However, according to the invention each spring 34 can act directly on two movable blades 26 as is the case in the other embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13.

 [46] According to this other embodiment, each return spring is interposed between two movable blades 26 whose opening movements are in opposite directions.

 [47] Furthermore, according to this embodiment the movable blades 26 are each formed by folding a metal blank which forms the working head 30 and the body 40 of the corresponding movable blade 26. The body 40 carries, according to this example, two guide pads 41 which are formed by folding of the metal blank and which are intended to cooperate with guide grooves 42 of the tubular cage 21. According to this embodiment, each individual cam 35 is formed by a rivet which is rigidly connected to the body 40 and whose foot is intended to cooperate with a cam path 37 of the central shaft 20.

[48] Figure 14 illustrates another embodiment of a movable blade 26 which is formed by a flat metal blank which has a generally T-shaped and whose body 40 comprises two lateral guide fingers 43 and Opposite the working head 30 the individual cam 35. Of course, each movable blade could have a different shape.

[49] Furthermore, according to the examples described above, the movable blades 26 move in translation. However, they could move between their open position and closure in a rotational movement or oscillation about an axis in a plane normal to the axis Δ.

[50] Of course, various other modifications may be made to the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

B1241 CLAIMS 1. Epilator head roller for motor depilatory apparatus, comprising: - a central shaft (20) fixed to be rotatably connected to a housing of the hair removal apparatus,  a tubular cage (21):  - Which is rotatable about the central shaft (20) and intended to be rotated by a motor of the apparatus  - which carries tear-off pliers (15) each formed 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 moved away from the fixed blade (25) and a closed position (F) in which the movable blade is in contact with the fixed blade (25),  - means for operating 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 maneuvering means comprise:  - return springs (34) for moving the blades (26) in the closed position,  - For each movable blade (26), an individual cam (35) which is translationally connected to said blade and which, for the opening of the movable blade (26), moves against a cam path (37) arranged at the periphery of the central shaft (20). 2. hair removal head roller according to claim 1, characterized in that each return spring (34) acts on at most two movable blades (26). 3. Hair removal head roller according to claim 1, characterized in that each return spring (34) is interposed between two movable blades (26). 4. epilating head roller according to claim 1, characterized in that each return spring (34) is interposed between a movable blade (26) and the tubular cage (21), the roller comprising at least as many springs of recall (34) only movable blades (26). Epilator head roller according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each individual cam (35) is in contact with the corresponding cam path (37) only for a phase of movement of the gripper (15). corresponding. 6. Hair removal head roller according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the phase of movement of the clamp on the cam path (37) corresponds only to an opening phase of the clamp (15) corresponding. 7. epilating head roller according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tubular cage (21) comprises means for translational guidance of the movable blades (26). 8. hair removal head roller according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each movable blade (26) comprises a working head (30) intended to cooperate with the fixed blade (25) and the opposite of the head, a maneuvering foot forming or carrying the individual cam (35). 9. hair removal head roller according to claim 8, characterized in that the movable blade (26) is partly formed at least by a metal blank. Epilator head roller according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that each movable blade (26) comprises between its working head (30) and its operating foot a body carrying at least one guide shoe (41). ). 1 1. Hair removal head roller according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that each movable blade (26) is rigidly connected to a carriage (31) translation guide which cooperates with at least one guide rod (32) carried by the tubular cage (21). 12. Depilatory head roller according to claim 1 1, characterized in that the carriage comprises at least one bore (33) for passage of a guide rod (32) carried by the tubular cage (21). The hair removal head roller according to claim 12, characterized in that each return spring (34) surrounds a guide rod (32). 14. hair removal head roller according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one row of clamps (15) aligned in an axial direction perpendicular to a central plane (M) normal to the axis of rotation of the tubular cage (21), the movable blades (26) situated on the same first side of the median plane (M) moving from their closed position (F) to their open position (O) in a same direction while the movable blades on the other side of the median plane (M) move from their closed position (F) to their open position (O) in a direction opposite to that of the movable blades (26) located on the first side of the median plane (M). The epilation head roll according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the central shaft (20) comprises at least as many cam tracks (37) as each row comprises aligned clips. 16. A depilatory device (A) comprising a housing adapted to be held in the hand and enclosing an electric drive motor, characterized in that it comprises a hair removal head roller according to one of the preceding claims. The depilatory device (A) according to claim 16, characterized in that the epilation head roller is removable and interchangeable with another body care accessory.