VIBRATION-CANCELING SECONDARY RESONATOR FOR USE IN A PERSONAL CARE APPLICANCE

• US 20100154151A1
• Filed: 11/02/2007
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Miller, Kevin, Grez, Joseph W., Kloster, Tyler, Benning, Wolter, Headstrom, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 9,301,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/22.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/32 reciprocating or oscillating
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3481 Vibrating brush body, e.g. by using eccentric weights
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 7/104 the inertia member being resiliently mounted F16F7/1022 takes precedence

Abstract

The personal care appliance (10) comprises a handle/housing (20), a workpiece assembly (12), a motor assembly (18) which is mounted to the handle for driving the workpiece assembly and a secondary resonator (30) connected to the motor assembly or the handle, the secondary resonator comprising a spring mass assembly characterized in that at resonant operation thereof, vibrations produced by action of the motor assembly which would otherwise be transmitted to the handle, are significantly reduced/cancelled.

Claims

1. A personal care appliance, comprising:

a handle portion (20);

a workpiece assembly (12);

a motor assembly (18), mounted to the handle, for driving the workpiece assembly, producing in operation vibration otherwise transmitted to the handle; and

a secondary resonator (30) connected to the motor assembly or to the handle portion, the secondary resonator comprising a spring mass assembly characterized by a resonant frequency and operation which results in reduction of vibrations from the motor assembly to the handle portion when the appliance is operating.

2. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the motion of the secondary resonator is approximately 180°

out of phase with the motion of the motor assembly.

3. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the resonant frequency of the secondary resonator is within 10 Hz of the drive frequency of the appliance.

4. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the motion of the workpiece assembly is rotational.

5. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the motion of the workpiece assembly is transverse.

6. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the secondary resonator includes a vibration damping structure.

7. The personal care appliance of claim 6, wherein the vibration damping structure (146) is a part of the mass portion of the spring mass assembly comprising the secondary resonator.

8. The personal care appliance of claim 6, wherein the vibration damping member comprises a mounting member (168) which is secured to the mass portion, to which said mounting member the one end of the spring member is connected.

9. The personal care appliance of claim 6, wherein the vibration damping member comprises a low efficiency spring member (154) portion of the spring mass assembly comprising the secondary resonator.

10. The personal care appliance of claim 6, wherein the vibration damping member comprises at least one fan blade element (170) which is attached to the mass portion of the spring mass assembly comprising the secondary resonator.

11. The personal care appliance of claim 10, comprising at least two opposing fan blade elements (170, 171).

12. The personal care appliance of claim 10, wherein the mass portion and the fan blades are mounted within a container which includes a viscous material, thereby increasing the damping action produced by the fan blades.

13. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the motor assembly for driving the workpiece is non-nodally mounted.

14. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the spring portion of the spring mass assembly comprises a leaf spring (48).

15. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the spring portion of the spring mass assembly comprises a torsion bar (66).

16. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the spring portion of the spring mass assembly comprises a wire spring (72).

17. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the spring portion of the spring mass assembly comprises a coiled watch spring (132).

18. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the spring portion of the spring mass assembly comprises a cut spring (79).

19. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the spring portion of the spring mass assembly comprises a V spring member (96).

20. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the spring mass assembly of the secondary resonator includes a mass member, a first spring (120) extending between the motor assembly and the mass member, and a second spring (122) between the mass member and the handle.

21. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the vibrations to the handle produced by the motor assembly are substantially cancelled.

22. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the secondary resonator is a magnet assembly which includes a fixed magnet arrangement (137, 173A, 139) and a magnet (136, 138) connected to the motor and which produces a centering effect on the motor connected magnet, resulting in a counter oscillation and reduction in vibration.

23. The personal care appliance of claim 22, wherein the magnet assembly is arranged in one manner to operate in repulsion between the motor connected magnet and the fixed magnet arrangement or in another manner to operate in attraction between the motor connected magnet and the fixed magnet arrangement.

24. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the secondary resonator includes a secondary stator member through which a current is directed to provide a magnetic field and further includes a magnet arrangement mounted to the housing, wherein the magnetic interaction between the fixed magnet and the magnetic field produces a centering effect on movement of the secondary stator member, resulting in a counter oscillation relative to the motor action, reducing vibration.

25. In a personal care appliance which comprises a handle portion;

a workpiece assembly;

a motor assembly defining a primary resonator for driving the workpiece, the improvement comprising;

a secondary resonator (30) connected to the motor assembly (18) or the handle (20), the secondary resonator comprising a spring mass assembly characterized in that at resonance thereof, vibrations transmitted to the handle are reduced.

26. The personal care appliance of claim 25, wherein the vibrations of the secondary resonator are approximately 180°

out of phase with the vibrations of the primary resonator.

27. The personal care appliance of claim 25, wherein the mass assembly has a resonant frequency which is within 10 Hz of the drive frequency for the appliance.

28. The personal care appliance of claim 25, wherein the motion of the workpiece is rotational.

29. The personal care appliance of claim 25, wherein the motion of the workpiece assembly is transverse.

30. The personal care appliance of claim 25, wherein the secondary resonator includes a vibration damping structure.

31. The personal care appliance of claim 25, wherein the vibrations produced by the primary resonator are substantially cancelled.

32. A personal care appliance, comprising:

a handle portion (20);

a workpiece assembly (12);

a motor assembly (18), mounted to the handle, for driving the workpiece assembly, producing in operation vibration otherwise transmitted to the handle; and

a resonator connected to the motor assembly or to the handle portion, the resonator comprising a spring mass assembly characterized by a resonant frequency and operation which results in reduction of vibrations from the motor assembly to the handle portion when the appliance is operating.

33. The personal care appliance of claim 32, wherein the motion of the resonator is approximately 180°

out of phase with the motion of the motor assembly.

34. The personal care appliance of claim 32, wherein the motion of the workpiece assembly is rotational.

35. The personal care appliance of claim 32, wherein the motion of the workpiece assembly is transverse.

36. The personal care appliance of claim 32, wherein the resonator includes a vibration damping structure.