US 12,427,682 B2
Hair detection in a hair-cutting system
Collin Matthew Tittle, Eindhoven (NL)
Assigned to KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Appl. No. 18/282,819
Filed by KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
PCT Filed Feb. 25, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/054813
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 19, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/199982, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 29, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 21165334 (EP), filed on Mar. 26, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0173880 A1, May 30, 2024
Int. Cl. B26B 19/38 (2006.01); B26B 19/06 (2006.01)
CPC B26B 19/388 (2013.01) [B26B 19/3846 (2013.01); B26B 19/06 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Hair-cutting system comprising:
a cutter arrangement configured to be moved over skin and comprising at least one functional cutter unit configured to perform a cutting action on hairs protruding from the skin; and
a hair detector configured and arranged to detect the presence of a hair in a detection area near or in the at least one functional cutter unit, wherein the hair detector:
is arranged to come into mechanical contact with a hair when the cutter arrangement is moved over the skin;
comprises at least one hair-contacting portion made from a mechanically deformable material;
comprises a measuring system configured to measure a degree of mechanical deformation of the hair-contacting portion; and
comprises a detector output unit configured to determine the presence of a hair in contact with the hair-contacting portion based on the measured degree of the mechanical deformation of the hair-contacting portion, and to generate a detector output representative of whether or not a hair is detected in the detection area;
wherein the hair-cutting system further comprises:
a processor configured to receive the detector output from the detector output unit and to determine at least one operation parameter of the hair-cutting system in dependence on the detector output.