CN-122029019-A - Determining when an operating head needs to be replaced

CN122029019ACN 122029019 ACN122029019 ACN 122029019ACN-122029019-A

Abstract

The presently disclosed subject matter relates to a computer-implemented method of determining when an operating head (106) of a personal care appliance (100) needs to be replaced. The computer-implemented method includes monitoring (700) an operating parameter sensed by a sensor (114) of the personal care appliance, the operating parameter being associated with operating the operating head, determining (702) a value based on the operating parameter over time, determining (704) energy used to operate the operating head over time based on the value, determining (706) that the operating head needs to be replaced based on a change in energy over time, and in response to determining that the operating head needs to be replaced, transmitting (708) a signal indicating that the operating head needs to be replaced.

Inventors

R.F.J. Van der Hill
J. W.F. South Gilman
A. Korozen

Assignees

皇家飞利浦有限公司

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20241015
Priority Date: 20231020

Claims (12)

1. A computer-implemented method for determining when a motor-driven hair cutter (106) of a hair cutting apparatus (100) needs to be replaced, the computer-implemented method comprising: Monitoring (700) an operating parameter sensed by a sensor (114) of the hair cutting apparatus, the operating parameter being associated with operating the hair cutter; Determining (702) a value based on the operating parameter over time; determining (704) the energy used to operate the hair cutter over time based on the value; determining (706) that the hair cutter needs to be replaced based on the change in energy over time by: Calculating accumulated energy over time using the determined energy; Comparing the accumulated energy to an energy threshold, and Determining that the hair cutter needs to be replaced based on the comparison, and In response to determining that the hair cutter needs to be replaced, a signal is sent (708) indicating that the hair cutter needs to be replaced.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the value (406) based on the operating parameter over time comprises: measuring a real-time value of the operating parameter using the sensor (404); identifying a free running value of the operating parameter associated with the free running motor, and A difference between the free running value (402) of the operating parameter and the real-time value of the operating parameter is obtained.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein obtaining the difference comprises: monitoring the real-time free running value of the operating parameter, and A difference between the real-time free-running value of the operating parameter and the real-time value of the operating parameter is obtained.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein monitoring the real-time free-running value of the operating parameter comprises determining the real-time free-running value of the operating parameter by: using a low pass filter on the real-time value of the operating parameter to discard values above a threshold; Calculating a movement minimum from said real-time value of said operating parameter, or An nth percentile value of movement is calculated from the real-time value of the operating parameter.
5. The computer-implemented method of any of the preceding claims, wherein determining that the hair cutter needs to be replaced based on the comparison comprises determining that the hair cutter needs to be replaced when the accumulated energy is greater than or equal to the energy threshold.
6. The computer-implemented method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the operating parameter is power of the motor-driven hair cutter.
7. The computer-implemented method of any of the preceding claims, wherein determining the energy used to operate the hair cutter over time based on the value in accordance with an operating parameter comprises integrating the determined value over time.
8. The computer-implemented method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the hair cutting device is a shaver and the hair cutter is a trimmer.
9. The computer-implemented method of any of the preceding claims, wherein sending a signal indicating that the hair cutter is to be replaced in response to determining that the hair cutter needs to be replaced comprises sending a signal to a display device (116) to display a notification to a user for replacement of the hair cutter.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the display device is a remote device or a display device mounted to the hair cutting device.
11. A hair cutting apparatus (100), comprising: A handle (102); a sensor (114) coupled to the handle; An attachment (104) for attaching a hair cutter to the handle; A motor (112) for driving the hair cutter, and A controller (110) having a processor and a memory, wherein the memory has instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the computer-implemented method of any of claims 1 to 10.
12. A transitory or non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the controller of the hair cutting apparatus of claim 11, cause the one or more processors to perform the computer-implemented method of any of claims 1 to 10.

Description

Determining when an operating head needs to be replaced Technical Field The disclosed subject matter relates to personal care appliances and methods of determining when an operating head of a personal care appliance needs to be replaced, as well as transitory or non-transitory computer readable media. Background Personal care appliances, such as hair cutting devices, typically include a cutter. When the cutter is first mounted to a personal care appliance, it is sharp and cuts or shaves hair well. However, over time, the cutters or shaving devices become duller and need to be replaced. Generating a replacement signal for a user may be difficult because different users have different hair types. For example, a user may have a beard that is dense and thick and hard. Another use may have a beard that is sparse and thin and soft. The former will blunt the cutter faster than the latter. It is an object of the presently disclosed subject matter to improve upon the prior art. US 2018/0236774 discloses an electric shaver in which friction between cutting members of a cutting head is monitored and processed to determine wear conditions. It is based on the design of the cutting members such that the friction between them is related in a predetermined manner to their wear conditions. For example, the contact area may change at different amounts of wear, or different materials may contact at different amounts of wear. The friction force may be determined from the power level of the motor. Disclosure of Invention The invention is defined by the claims. According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer implemented method of determining when an operating head of a personal care appliance needs to be replaced, the computer implemented method comprising monitoring an operating parameter sensed by a sensor of the personal care appliance, the operating parameter being associated with operating the operating head, determining a value based on the operating parameter over time, determining energy used to operate the operating head over time based on the value, determining that the operating head needs to be replaced based on a change in energy over time, and in response to determining that the operating head needs to be replaced, transmitting a signal indicating that the operating head needs to be replaced. By determining that the operating head needs to be replaced based on the change in energy over time, the determination is based on how the personal care appliance operates on a particular user. In this way, the determination is tailored to the particular user. In one embodiment, determining the value based on the operating parameter over time includes measuring a real-time value of the operating parameter using the sensor and subtracting the free-running value of the operating parameter from the real-time value of the operating parameter. In one embodiment, subtracting the real-time value based on the operating parameter from the free-running value of the operating parameter includes monitoring the real-time free-running value of the operating parameter and subtracting the real-time free-running value of the operating parameter from the real-time value of the operating parameter. In one embodiment, monitoring the real-time free-running value of the operating parameter includes determining the real-time free-running value of the operating parameter by using a low pass filter on the real-time value of the operating parameter to discard values above a threshold, calculating a movement minimum from the real-time value of the operating parameter, or calculating a1 st percentile value of movement from the real-time value of the operating parameter. In one embodiment, determining that the operating head needs to be replaced based on the change in energy over time includes calculating an accumulated energy over time using the determined energy, comparing the accumulated energy to an energy threshold, and determining that the operating head needs to be replaced based on the comparison. In one embodiment, determining that the operator head needs to be replaced based on the comparison includes determining that the operator head needs to be replaced when the accumulated energy is greater than or equal to an energy threshold. In one embodiment, the personal care appliance comprises a motor for operating the operating head in use, and wherein the operating parameter is the power or current of the motor. In one embodiment, determining the energy used to operate the operating head over time based on the value of the operating parameter includes integrating the determined value over time. In one embodiment, the personal care appliance is a trimmer or shaver and the operating head is a trimmer. In one embodiment, transmitting a signal indicating that the operating head is to be replaced in response to determining that the operating head needs to be replaced includes transmitting a signal to a display device to