Hair sculptor

A hair length mapping or cutting device uses multiple comb elements to capture bunches of hair as it is traversed across a scalp. The comb elements are traversed away from the scalp to individually measure or cut each bunch of hair to length. Hair may be cut to conform to a hair style mapped, for instance, from an earlier measurement of a hair style.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention generally relates to a hair length mapping device for a person which is alternatively adapted to cut a persons hair to a desired hair style.

Preferably the invention includes a comb device which is capable of mapping the length of or cutting to a designated length small bunches of hair at multiple locations on the head of a person.

BACKGROUND ART

Devices for cutting hair to a length desired for a particular style are known and generally provide some method of detecting the position of a cutting device and some method of adjusting the length of hair being cut by the cutting device. The critical elements of the design relate to the ability to detect where the cutter is in relation to the persons head and what the length of hair is to be at that position on the persons head, given that in some hair styles a difference of millimetres in position may relate to a difference of centimetres in hair length.

For instance patent specification WO2013163999A1 relates to creating an electromagnetic field around a persons head, detecting the position of calibration points on the head and then varying the position of comb and/or cutter on a cutting device to vary the distance of the cutter from the head. Similarly WO2015067634A1 relates to an electromagnetic, optical, inertial or other positioning system detecting the position of head contours and the position of a cutting element which is adjusted for distance and angle from the head.

Patent specification DE19910837 describes a hair cutter which measures hair length by counting the number of turns of a roller contacting the hair.

Patent specification WO2015068068 describes a hair cutting device in which a motorized cutter is positioned a required distance from a portion of a scalp as it is moved around a head, however no method of entraining hair in the cutter is described.

Such hair cutting systems fail to solve all the known problems of how to cope with a grading in the length of hair required by a hair style, which may change length abruptly, how to detect the length of graded hair in a hair style and apply such a grading in a position delimited in millimetres.

Therefore a need exists for a solution to the problem of accurately positioning a cutting or hair length detector and accurately applying the grading of hair length required for a hair style.

The present invention provides a solution to this and other problems which offers advantages over the prior art or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other features of as well as advantages which characterise the present invention will be apparent upon reading of the following detailed description and review of the associated drawings.

The invention relates to a hair length mapping device mapping the length of hair on a substrate and providing:multiple hair retaining comb devices, each comb device shaped to slideably entrain one or more hairs adjacent the substrateeach comb device being retractable from the substrate a measureable distance while retaining slideably entrained haireach comb device detecting when the measureable distance exceeds the length of the captured hairthe position each comb device of the hair length mapping device being mappable in relation to a current position to the substrate.

Preferably the substrate is a persons scalp.

Preferably the location of the hair length mapping device in relation to the substrate is determined by detecting the location of hair length mapping device relative to a beacon system and detecting the location of the substrate in relation to the same beacon system.

Preferably each comb device includes at least one comb element having a flexible conductive hair engaging filament, normally in contact with a conductive element of a comb tooth and capable of being urged away from the comb tooth by engagement of hair with the flexible conductive hair engaging filament.

In an alternative embodiment the invention relates to a hair length cutting device cutting to a predetermined length the hair on a substrate and providing:at least one hair retaining comb device, each hair retaining comb device having one or more comb elements each shaped to slideably entrain one or more hairs adjacent the substrateeach comb device being retractable from the substrate a measureable distance while slideably retaining entrained hair,the position of each comb device of the hair length cutting device being mappable in relation to the substrate,cutting the hair at the each comb device when the measureable distance exceeds a specified length for a comb device at the mappable position of the comb device on the substrate.

Preferably the cutting device is moved in steps over the substrate and the combs of each comb device are advanced before each step and retracted after the step.

Preferably the comb device separates the hair into bunches, the bunches are positioned in the path of hair retaining devices associated with the comb and the comb and hair retaining devices are moved to tension the hairs to be cut.

Preferably each comb device has comb teeth with a hair bunch retaining portion and wherein hair transfer teeth are provided moving hair within the comb device into engagement with a hair bunch retaining portion of a comb tooth.

Preferably when the comb device is retracted the entrained hairs are cut to a measured length.

Preferably cut hairs are removed from within the cutter device by a belt covered in filamentary hooked material.

In a further embodiment the invention relates to a method of cutting hair by:providing at least one hair retaining comb device capable of slideably entraining one or more hairs adjacent to a substrate,repeatedly entraining hair within the at least one hair retaining comb device as a number of hair bunches,repeatedly tensioning the entrained hair bunches to a continually adjustable predetermined length,repeatedly cutting the entrained hair bunches to a length less than the predetermined length.

Preferably the hair retaining comb device includes comb teeth each configured to retain a hair bunch in a hair retaining portion.

Preferably the hair retaining comb device includes hair transfer teeth each configured to repeatedly move hair into a comb tooth hair retaining portion.

These and other features of as well as advantages which characterise the present invention will be apparent upon reading of the following detailed description and review of the associated drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now toFIGS. 1 and 2a hair styling system is shown. The system includes a user102whose hair style is either being cut or measured, a control box101which contains equipment for calculating the shape of the head of102using control module105and optionally one or more cameras103and one or more position establishing modules104. A device106may optionally measure the shape of the users head, mapping the length of the users hair at many positions on the users head (the hair style currently applied) or may cut the users hair to the length required for the application of a known style to the users head.

Preferably the control box includes camera103whose main purpose is to track the inclination, rotation and distance of a users head102. Preferably it does this by identifying in known manner key points on the users face, such as the eyes, nose, chin and mouth and tracking these to determine changes in orientation of the head102.

A measuring or cutting device106has sensors on it which can react to signals from the position establishing modules104or other such modules elsewhere around the user to issue signals allowing the control module105to determine the location of the device106relative to the users head102.

Typically devices104may be laser beacons of the type issuing an omnidirectional signal before executing a timed vertical or horizontal traverse of the surroundings. Optical sensors on device106may detect the omnidirectional signal and then the instant in the time traverse which is intercepted by a particular sensor on the device106. Correlating the detection of the omnidirectional signal with the time of the detected traverse indication provides the bearing of the device106from the laser beacon. The detection of sufficient traverses on a device106allows the derivation of the location of the device106sensors (with increasing accuracy if two laser beacons are present). This location may be combined with accelerometer information from the device106to provide interpolation of the device position and prediction of the expected position.

Taking data from multiple separated sensors on device106allows calculation of the attitude of the device106, and if the device is pressed against a persons head and the length of the device is known the location of a point on the persons head can be calculated in relation to the orientation data from the camera103.

Other systems of locating the position of the device106in relation to a persons head, such as electromagnetic, sonic or optical may be used and preferably the accuracy of the location will be in the order of 1 mm.

FIG. 3shows a side view of the structure of one construction of a hair measuring and cutting device106. The device includes a body301having attached at the end to contact a persons head a hair guide302and having located within body301a hair measurement and cutting subassembly including a cutting unit303and a comb unit304. The subassembly of units303and304may be moved longitudinally of the body301on rails305under the control of at least one motor306. In operation the measurement and cutting subassembly303,304is progressed towards hair guide302and then withdrawn having slideably engaged with hair within the hair guide302. The body301may have a hair clearance belt307for clearing hair from the measurement and cutting subassembly303,304to allow more hair to be processed. The hair measuring and cutting device106may also include hair removal rollers308to remove cut hair from inside body301. Also provided as part of the comb unit304may be a comb tooth set309arranged below the comb unit and having teeth which may move to engage the hair with the comb unit304.

FIG. 4shows a perspective view of the comb unit subassembly304which includes extensions supporting a pivot axle for multiple comb elements401, which in the embodiment shown are mounted in pairs on comb supports402. Each comb support402may be independently pivoted by one of multiple motors404having a rotatable gear405meshing with teeth406on the comb support402. The comb elements401are preferably filaments of resilient conductive material and are biased into engagement with comb teeth406which may also be conductive. Engagement of comb elements401with a hair or hairs preferably biases a comb element401away from a comb tooth406until the comb moves beyond the end of the hair.

With the device in contact with the subjects head, scalp or some other hairy substrate the comb tooth set309is shown moved away from engagement with comb teeth401and consists of a tooth block407and embedded teeth408. Transverse movement of the comb tooth set309moves hair into engagement with comb elements401. Other constructions of the comb tooth set309may be used to assist in moving hair into engagement with the cutters.

FIG. 5shows how the comb elements401have loops502with a loop entrance defining extension501such that when the comb is moved across the scalp504of a person the comb loop502traps a bundle of hair503. Comb elements are preferably about 1.6 mm apart but other distances are suitable. Preferably the loop entrance of a comb tooth401is normal to the persons scalp.

Engagement of the hair with the comb loops502may be assisted by comb tooth set where tooth block407with attached transfer teeth408is repeatedly moved transversely by substantially the distance between comb loops401. This action sweeps the hair bunch against the shaft of a tooth401allowing extension loops502to capture and retain the bunch of hair when the comb moves. The teeth of the comb tooth set309are preferably angled at the tips at 45 degrees laterally to the shaft408and at rest the angled tip of a comb tooth408is preferably in line with the loop502of the comb. The angled tips of comb teeth408provide a sweeping action beneath hook extensions501when moving sideways to assist the transfer action.

FIG. 6more clearly shows the comb support402with two comb elements401and a pivot bearing601allowing movement of the comb support402perpendicular to a persons scalp. Teeth406engage with a motor gear on motor404through a range of pivotal movement. Other methods of moving the comb elements401perpendicular to a persons scalp may be used, for instance piezoelectric elements.

FIG. 7shows a side view of the measuring and cutting subassembly303,304where the cutting unit303is repeatedly traversed angularly away from and towards comb elements401. This is preferably done by allowing the forward motion of the comb unit304to mechanically raise cutting unit304as it approaches a forward limit position. As the comb unit reaches the forward limit position comb elements401are adjacent the scalp. As the comb unit304retreats the hooks of comb elements engage with bunches of hairs503. This allows the combs to entrain bunches of hair as the measuring and cutting device106is traversed over the persons head and to allow the hair to slide back through the hooks of the comb elements as the comb unit304retreats from the forward position. As each bunch is entrained by moving the comb unit back the cutting subassembly303moves down over the comb elements401. Once there the cutting subassembly may either detect the presence of hair in the cutting subassembly by optically or physically detecting the hair within and comb elements401may be pivoted upwards to engage a bunch of hair with the cutter of the cutting subassembly303. The whole of the measuring and cutting subassembly may be traversed back by motor306(FIG. 3) in order to either measure the length of hair while it is slideably entrained in the comb elements401or to set a cutting distance so that hair still entrained in comb elements401can, by pivoting a comb support, raise the hair bunch in to a cutter of the measuring and cutting subassembly303Where space does not allow the placing of individual motors for each comb support402a second series of differently proportioned comb supports702may be provided with motors701.

FIG. 8andFIG. 9show in more detail the side profile of the measuring and cutting head303having a toothed array of comb delimiting blocks801and a transversely reciprocable cutting blade802. The comb blocks801may be of a material with a high coefficient of friction relative to hair in order to lightly grip the hair. Cutting blade802is normally above hair entrained in comb elements401and will only cut hair entrained in comb elements401when comb support402is pivoted to raise the comb elements401. Because the comb supports402,702are individually pivotable the time at which a comb support is pivoted allows control of the time at which entrained hair is cut (if at all).

FIG. 10shows hair503entrained in a comb element401and contacting one of teeth801of the toothed array. Comb support block is in the lowered position and the cutter blade802is above hair bunch503.

FIG. 11shows the same captured hair with the comb support in the pivoted position in which the hair now contacts blade802and is being cut. The cutting and measuring subassembly and the comb subassembly may have been translated further from the persons head than the position shown inFIG. 10to set the length of hair to be cut off.

FIG. 12shows a variation of the cutter head802in which edentate portions1201positioned at each hair bunch503have a hair guard1202. Each comb element will have engaged hair on the scalp and the comb element will have been pulled a distance from the scalp corresponding to the length the hair bunch is to be cut to, in the process forming a loop through the comb. The hair guard1202functions by engaging the hair attached to the scalp, which will be taut, and lifting this hair into engagement with the cutting blade802as the comb support402rises. The cut hair ends remain trapped in the comb and protected by the guards1202for later removal. In this way each hair will not be cut twice as it loops past the cutter blade.

Because the comb supports are independently pivotable they may be rotated upwards individually as the cutting and measurement subassemblies are moved away from the scalp thus allowing different lengths for any of the captured hair bunches.

FIG. 13shows one method of detecting the length of hair on the scalp of a person where the teeth801of the toothed array are of insulating rubber and each tooth801of the toothed array has a conductive contact strip1301on a lateral surface of the tooth801. Metallic comb elements401are biased to contact the tooth lateral surface, either by bias in the comb element or by an offsetting from the vertical of the lateral surface of the tooth, and will normally contact the surface of strip1301when no hair is present. If a hair bunch is located between the comb and the surface1301there will not be conductive contact until the cutting subassembly303and the comb support subassembly403have been moved away from the scalp sufficiently that the hair falls from the comb and no longer prevents the comb element401from contacting contact strip1301. In this way the length of the hair at any position on the scalp of a person may be measured. Other methods of conductively or optically determining when a hair leaves the comb elements401may be used.

FIG. 14Ashows the hair guide302which separates the hair with a comb structure having vanes1401into bunches to be presented to comb elements401. Between each pair of vanes1401of the comb structure is a hole1402through which comb elements401can project.FIG. 14Badditionally shows a pin matrix1403consisting of an array of elongate pins of limited flexibility positioned between vanes1401. Preferably the pins are of cross section between 0.1 mm wide and 1 mm wide and between 0.2 mm and 2 mm high. The pins1403act to prevent entanglement of entrained hair and assist in providing a consistent cut length. Preferably the pins are at substantially 60 degrees from normal to the scalp or substrate but other angles provide a hair separation effect.

FIG. 15shows a sectioned view of a hair guide302being pushed to the left through hair503on the scalp102of a user. As hair enters the vicinity of a comb element401it is entrained in the comb element as the body304of the comb support is traversed to the right. When the hair exits all of the comb elements of the cutting and measuring assembly304it slackens and is engaged by an anti-clockwise rotating belt1502located on an elongate body1501.FIG. 16shows the belt1502and supporting body1501in more detail. Preferably belt1502is of a retentive nature, as for instance a silicone rubber or a compactly hooked version of a hook and loop fabric, while body1501has a low coefficient of friction, as for instance a PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) coating. As better seen inFIGS. 17A, B and C the slackened hair is entrained by belt1502and progressively moved below it to lie on the scalp again.

FIG. 18shows a shield1801for belt1502with extended guide teeth1802and distancing fins1803intended to maintain the belt above the hair on the persons scalp.

FIGS. 19A, B and C show the action of hair removal rollers generally designated308inFIG. 3. The rollers are intended to remove cut hair from within the body of cutting and measuring device301. When measuring and cutting subassemblies303,304traverse to the right they may drag cut hair with them, and other cut hair ends may gather within the body of device301. When fully traversed a lever1904may be lowered to engage the surface of smooth counter-rotating rollers1901,1902. This action feeds hairs and hair ends into the pinch point between the rollers and downwards between them. Any hair adhering to the rollers is stripped by hair guards1903which contact each roller. Alternatively hair may be removed by a vacuum unit attached to the device301or by a belt of filamentary hooked material as used in hook and loop fasteners and moving between a pair of driven rollers. Once the removal is complete lever1904is raised and the measuring and cutting subassemblies traversed to the left.

FIG. 20shows a variation of the combs and cutters ofFIG. 7in which the movement of the cutter head303is substantially in the plane of the longitudinal rails305rather than being inclined to it as inFIG. 7. This reduces the complexity of the cutting head drive.

FIG. 21shows a variation of the combs401with comb delimiting tooth blocks801and a transverse reciprocable cutting blade802. The teeth801are rigid but covered in a conductive coating1301. Conductive comb elements401are biased against the conductive coating1301in normal operating but when hair503is entrained or retained in the comb it is pulled away from the conductive coating. This allows detection of the presence of hair in the combs as they are withdrawn from the scalp and allows cutting the hair at the required distance. The bent tip2101of the combs may be substantially in the plane of the side of blocks801and may be biased against them by torsion in the comb elements.

The device106communicates with control module105, typically via Bluetooth or some other short range radio communication. Using the positioning information received from the spaced optical sensors on the device body the control module can calculate the current position of the sensors in relation to the position establishing modules104. From this the orientation of the device can be calculated, and using the known dimensions of the device it is possible to calculate where the tip of hair guide302is located.

Camera103allows the current location and orientation of a head102to be calculated, so it is possible to calculate where the tip of the hair guide302is in relation to head102.

Moving device106over a persons scalp allows the shape of a persons head to be recorded, and operating the comb unit304with no cutting action while this is done allows the hair length to be measured and mapped to the head shape.

Alternatively, once the head shape is recorded, a hair style may be chosen to be applied and the device106moved over the head with both the comb unit304and cutting unit303operating to apply the style to a persons head.

Other variations of the invention are possible, for instance the pin matrix ofFIG. 14Bmay be replaced by vacuum suction to disentangle hairs, or by a loose array of bristles.

It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the various embodiments of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and functioning of various embodiments of the invention, this disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail so long as the functioning of the invention is not adversely affected. For example the particular elements of the hair cutting and measuring device may vary dependent on the particular application for which it is used without variation in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In addition, although the preferred embodiments described herein are directed to cutters for use in a hair grooming system, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The hair cutting and measuring device of the invention is used in the measurement and creation of a hair style and is used in the hair dressing industry. The present invention is therefore industrially applicable.