Abstract: A drying system for a hair removing device is safe and convenient for drying and sterilizing a cutter head with a sufficient amount of heat. The drying system includes a casing having a dry chamber with a top opening for detachably receiving a cutter head of the hair removing device, and a heater for heating the cutter head, a blower for generating a forced air flow and drying the cutter head. A lid is provided to close the top opening of the dry chamber such that the drying chamber is kept free from the entry of the environmental dust, which enables to heat the cutter head at an elevated temperature for effective sterilization.

Abstract: A dryer for hair shaving devices includes a casing having a drying space for removably receiving a blade portion of a hair shaving device, and a heater and a fan for drying the blade portion received in the drying space. Also, a control unit is provided for controlling output power of the heater and the fan to perform operation modes, the operation modes include a drying operation mode in which the heater and the fan are driven simultaneously and a sterilizing operation mode in which the heater alone is driven with the fan kept stopped.

Abstract: A cleaning device for an electrical hair removing apparatus is capable of being stored in a compact profile. The apparatus has an operator head at its top, and is formed on its bottom with an electric terminal for receiving an external signal that controls the apparatus. The cleaning device includes a basin for receiving the operator head of the apparatus and also includes a control circuit providing the external signal. The device has a tank storing a volume of a cleaning liquid, and a circulator configured to supply the cleaning liquid into the basin from the tank for cleaning the operator head. A stand is provided on the device to hold the apparatus upside down with the operator head disposed within the basin. The stand is formed at its top end with a header carrying contacts which are connected to the terminal on the bottom of the apparatus. The stand is composed of a fixed support and a movable arm which extends from the support and is formed at its top with the header.

Abstract: A driving unit of the present invention comprises a moving element, an elastic body configured to support the moving element, a permanent magnet fixed on said moving element, an electromagnet disposed to be opposed to said permanent magnet, and a controller. The moving element and the elastic body constitute a resonance system. The electromagnet includes a magnetic material and a coil wounded around the magnetic material. The controller magnetizes the magnetic material by feeding a current through the coil and gives a vibration force to the moving element by magnetic force acting between the magnetic material and the permanent magnet. The feature of the present invention resides in that the controller determines a current waveform necessary for an intended motion of the moving element, and applies a voltage to the coil intermittently so that a current in the form of the current waveform flows through said coil.

Abstract: A cleaning device for a hair removing apparatus such as a dry shaver has a basin that receives a shaver head and is supplied with a cleaning liquid for cleaning the head. A single pump is utilized for supplying the liquid from a tank to the basin. The tank is hermetically sealed and is selectively open to the atmosphere by way of an air valve. The valve and the pump are actuated in a controlled manner to selectively give a supply mode for supplying the liquid to the basin from the tank and a recovery mode for recovering the liquid from the basin to the tank.

Abstract: A cleaning device has a basin that receives an operator head of the hair removing apparatus, a tank storing a volume of a cleaning liquid, and a pump supplying the liquid from the tank to the basin for cleaning the operator head. A drip pan is formed separately from the tank and is disposed underneath the basin for collecting the liquid dripping from the basin as well as contaminants dislodged from the operator head. The drip pan is connected to the tank so as to return the liquid from within the drip pan to the tank under the action of the pump. A filter is provided in the drip pan for removing the contaminants from the liquid so that the filter can be cleaned or replaced without involving the tank and the liquid contained therein.

Abstract: A cleaning system for cleaning an operator head of a hair removing apparatus such as a dry shaver. The system includes a cleaning device having a housing configured to hold the shaver upside down to place the operator head in a basin for cleaning the same with a liquid supplied from a tank. The apparatus incorporates an externally controllable electric circuit for driving the operator head in accordance with an external electric signal generated by a controller within the device. The device's housing has a signal transmitting means for transmitting the electric signal, while the apparatus has a signal receiving means which comes into electrical interconnection with the signal transmitting means. The signal receiving means is disposed intermediate the height of the apparatus such that the electrical interconnection can be made within the height of the apparatus, requiring no extra height dimension to the system for the electrical interconnection.

Abstract: A cleaning device for an electrical hair removing apparatus is capable of being stored in a compact profile. The apparatus has an operator head at its top, and is formed on its bottom with an electric terminal for receiving an external signal that controls the apparatus. The cleaning device includes a basin for receiving the operator head of the apparatus and also includes a control circuit providing the external signal. The device has a tank storing a volume of a cleaning liquid, and a circulator configured to supply the cleaning liquid into the basin from the tank for cleaning the operator head. A stand is provided on the device to hold the apparatus upside down with the operator head disposed within the basin. The stand is formed at its top end with a header carrying contacts which are connected to the terminal on the bottom of the apparatus. The stand is composed of a fixed support and a movable arm which extends from the support and is formed at its top with the header.

Abstract: A driving unit of the present invention comprises a moving element, an elastic body configured to support the moving element, a permanent magnet fixed on said moving element, an electromagnet disposed to be opposed to said permanent magnet, and a controller. The moving element and the elastic body constitute a resonance system. The electromagnet includes a magnetic material and a coil wounded around the magnetic material. The controller magnetizes the magnetic material by feeding a current through the coil and gives a vibration force to the moving element by magnetic force acting between the magnetic material and the permanent magnet. The feature of the present invention resides in that the controller determines a current waveform necessary for an intended motion of the moving element, and applies a voltage to the coil intermittently so that a current in the form of the current waveform flows through said coil.

Abstract: A cleaning device utilizes a cleaning liquid composed of a solute dissolved in a solution for cleaning an operator head of a hair removing apparatus. The device includes a housing configured to hold the hair removing apparatus, a basin mounted in the housing for receiving therein the operator head, and a tank storing the solution or the liquid. A circulator is provided to circulate the cleaning liquid between the tank and the basin. The device includes a container which is configured to hold the solute and is formed separately from the tank. The container is disposed in a circulation path between the basin and the tank in order to replenish the solute into the circulating solution or the liquid. Thus, the solute can be constantly supplied to the solution or the cleaning liquid for maintaining the cleaning effect over a prolonged period of use and for easy replenishment of the solute, eliminating the necessity of replacing the whole cleaning liquid.

Abstract: An electric razor has a normal drive mode and a cleaning drive mode. The electric razor has a non-latch main switch, a driving unit for driving a blade of the razor, an indicator for notifying a user that the razor is operated in the cleaning drive mode, an indicator for prompting the user to perform cleaning, a timer for measuring a predetermined time, an integration timer for integrating a time during which the razor is operated in the normal drive mode, and a controller for controlling the operation of the driving unit, and for causing the indicators to emit light.

Abstract: A cleaning device for a hair removing apparatus such as a dry shaver has a basin that receives a shaver head and is supplied with a cleaning liquid for cleaning the head. A single pump is utilized for supplying the liquid from a tank to the basin. The tank is hermetically sealed and is selectively open to the atmosphere by way of an air valve. The valve and the pump are actuated in a controlled manner to selectively give a supply mode for supplying the liquid to the basin from the tank and a recovery mode for recovering the liquid from the basin to the tank.

Abstract: A controlling apparatus for controlling a linear oscillation motor includes a sensor and a controller. The motor has a movable element and a stator one of which includes an electromagnet with a winding. The sensor is configured to detect movement of the movable element. The controller is configured to intermittently supply electric power to the winding of the electromagnet to move the movable element reciprocally and linearly. The controller is configured to begin each intermittent supply of electric power to the winding at a timing before a dead center of the movable element based on an output of the sensor.

Abstract: A dry shaver is capable of being depressed equally at different positions but with differing contact pressures between outer and inner cutters. The shaver has a housing having a motor and inner and outer cutters at its upper end. The inner cutter is driven by the motor to move in shearing engagement with the outer cutter for shaving hairs. The inner cutter is urged upwardly by a bias spring to develop a contact pressure against the outer cutter. The outer cutter is carried by a cutter holder movably supported to a head frame mounted on top of the housing. The shaver has a height adjust mechanism for adjusting the height of the head frame relative to the housing between a high position and a low position while compressing the spring differently to vary the contact pressure, and for allowing the cutter holder to be depressed relative to the head frame from each of the height and low positions.

Abstract: Vibrating linear actuator and method of operating same. The actuator of the invention includes a stator, a spring vibration system having a moving portion with a magnet and further having a spring configured to support the moving portion. The actuator further includes an electromagnetic coil configured to receive an electrical current, whereupon the coil moves the moving portion against a load supplied by the spring to reciprocally move the moving portion, a frequency detector configured to detect a natural frequency of the spring vibration system, and a frequency controller configured to determine a frequency of an electrical current pulse, the pulse to be received by the coil, in accordance with a detection result of the detector.

Abstract: A controlling apparatus for controlling a linear oscillation motor includes a sensor and a controller. The motor has a movable element and a stator one of which includes an electromagnet with a winding. The sensor is configured to detect movement of the movable element. The controller is configured to intermittently supply electric power to the winding of the electromagnet to move the movable element reciprocally and linearly. The controller is configured to begin each intermittent supply of electric power to the winding at a timing before a dead center of the movable element based on an output of the sensor.

Abstract: A control system for a linear vibration motor capable of eliminating necessity of a separate sensor of detecting the motion of the motor. The linear vibration motor includes a stator provided with a winding, and a vibrator provided with a permanent magnet. The winding is fed with a drive current to generate a magnetic field which interacts with the permanent magnet to cause the vibrator to reciprocate linearly relative to the stator for producing a vibration. The control system includes a controller which detects an ongoing amplitude, i.e., the motion represented by the displacement, speed, or acceleration of the vibrator and provides ON-periods of feeding the driving current to the winding in a varying amount based upon the ongoing amplitude detected in order to keep a vibration amplitude of the vibrator constant.

Abstract: A method for driving a linear oscillating motor and a linear oscillating motor are provided. The motor includes a fixed magnetic member, a movable member having a magnet and being supported to oscillate relative to the fixed magnetic member, a detector that detects displacement of the movable member, and a control that oscillates the movable member by sending drive current to a coil of the fixed magnetic member. The method includes controlling, during a first half-period that occurs within a full amplitude period of the movable member, the drive current based upon the output of the detector. The method also includes controlling, during a second half-period that occurs within a fill amplitude period of the movable member, the drive current based upon a fixed drive current waveform.

Abstract: A linear vibration motor which includes a vibration system, an electromagnetic driver, a detection system, and a control system. The vibration system includes a driven member or reciprocator which is mounted to a magnetic member for reciprocating movement. The amplitude of the reciprocating movement varies as an inverse function of load on the motor. The electromagnetic driver includes a coil and drives the vibration system by applying an electromagnetic force to the magnetic member, the electromagnetic force being produced by a driving current flowing through the coil. The detection system detects at least one characteristic of the vibration system that is related to a characteristic frequency of the vibration system, and produces a feedback signal indicative of a value of the at least one characteristic.

Abstract: A linear oscillating motor capable of assuring a consistent and effective feedback control of keeping a constant oscillation amplitude with varying load conditions. The linear oscillating motor comprises an oscillator carrying a permanent magnet, and a stator with an electromagnet. The electromagnet is supplied with an electric power to develop an electromagnetic drive force of moving the oscillator in a linear direction relative to the stator. A spring is provided to apply a restoring force to the oscillator for providing a linear oscillating motion to the oscillator. A photo-sensor monitors the linear motion of the oscillator and outputs a signal to a reverse-point detector which determines right and left reverse points of the oscillator. A controller applies the electric power to the electromagnet at the drive points respectively defined subsequent in time to the reverse points and in a varying amount for keeping a constant oscillation amplitude of the oscillator.