Personal care appliance with self-adaptive amplitude regulation via actuator non-linearity and active driving adjustment and method thereof
US11096476B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 6, 2016 |
| Grant date | Aug 24, 2021 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 29, 2037 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K17/94
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A personal care appliance 10 comprises an actuator 14, a current sensor 28 for monitoring a driving current, and a controller 24. The actuator 14, operable according to a non-linear response characteristic 58 of amplitude versus frequency, includes a movable shaft 18 configured for resonant movement 38 in response to a drive signal 25, further for being coupled with a workpiece 20. The controller 24 (i) detects at least one of a plurality of different characteristic load states (100,102,104,106,108,110) in response to a perturbation in the monitored driving current 29 and (ii) actively delivers the drive signal 25 to the actuator 14 selected from at least two different drive signals (66,70) as a function of a detected characteristic load state. In this manner, the controller 24 implements self-adaptive amplitude regulation of the movable shaft's resonant movement 38 among the plurality of difference characteristic load states that include additional loads of force, spring, mass, and/or damping to a given load state of a resonant spring mass system of actuator 14 coupled with workpiece 20.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.