Hair-removing device with a controllable laser source

• US 7,108,690 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2000
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Cense, Abraham J., Lefki, Karim M. T., Veldhuis, Gerrit J., Van Amstel, Willem D., Cheng, Xiang S.
• Primary Examiner(s): FARAH, AHMED M
• Application Number:
  US09/548,730
• Time in Patent Office: 2,350 Days
• Field of Search: 606 7- 13, 606/127, 606/131, 128/898, 607 88- 91, 345/614, 345/619, 345/581, 345/618
• US Class Current: 606/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00476 Hair follicles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00904 Automatic detection of target tissue

Abstract

A hair-removing device (1) includes a laser source (3), an adjustable laser beam manipulator (5) for positioning a laser beam (7) of the laser source (3) in a target position (9) on a skin (11) to be treated, and an image sensor (47) for detecting an image (49) of the skin. The hair-removing device further comprises a control unit (17) which determines a position and orientation on the skin of a hair (13) to be removed, and which determines the target position of the laser beam as a function of said position and orientation of the hair. The control unit brings the laser beam manipulator in a state corresponding to the target position of the laser beam, and activates the laser source when the laser beam manipulator has reached said state. Thus, the hair-removing device is suitable for use by inexperienced users, and is particularly suitable for the consumer market. In a particular embodiment, the control unit determines the target position of the laser beam in a position (71) on the skin under which a root (15) of the hair is present, so that the root of the hair is destroyed and the hair-removing device (1) is an epilating device by means of which the hair is removed for a relatively long time or even permanently. In another embodiment, the control unit determines the target position of the laser beam in a position (65) on the hair where the hair comes out of the skin, so that the hair is burnt through near the skin surface and the hair-removing device (1″) is a shaving device by means of which a high skin smoothness is obtained.

Claims

1. A hair-removing device comprising a laser source, an adjustable laser beam manipulator for positioning a laser beam supplied by the laser source during operation in a target position on a skin to be treated, and an image sensor for detecting an image of at least a portion of the skin, wherein the laser source is controllable by an electrical control unit;

which control unit during operation determines the target position of the laser beam as a function of a position and/or orientation on the skin of a hair to be removed as determined from the image by the control unit, and which control unit activates the laser source the moment the laser beam manipulator is in a position which corresponds to the target position of the laser beam wherein the control unit determines from the position and orientation on the skin of the hair to be removed, as determined from the image, a region on the skin below which a root of the hair will be present with a predetermined degree of probability, the control unit determining at least one target position on the skin in said region.

2. A hair-removing device comprising a laser source, an adjustable laser beam manipulator for positioning a laser beam supplied by the laser source during operation in a target position on a skin to be treated, and an image sensor for detecting an image of at least a portion of the skin, wherein the laser source is controllable by an electrical control unit;

which control unit during operation determines the target position of the laser beam as a function of a position and/or orientation on the skin of a hair to be removed as determined from the image by the control unit, and which control unit activates the laser source the moment the laser beam manipulator is in a position which corresponds to the target position of the laser beam wherein the control unit determines an exit position on the hair, where the hair issues from the skin, from the position and orientation on the skin of the hair to be removed as determined from the image, the control unit equalizing the target position of the laser beam with position on the hair adjacent said exit position.