JP7798255B2 - Automatic hair transplantation device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic hair transplantation device.

Automatic hair implantation devices that tie hair material to a hair implantation net and implant the hair are known. Such an automatic hair implantation device is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1.

The automatic hair implantation device in Patent Document 1 comprises a stocker that stores multiple hair materials, an eccentric on which a hair implant net is deployed, a first hook, and a second hook. The second hook pulls the hair material out from the stocker's outlet. The first hook then captures the pulled hair material and ties it to the hair implant net deployed on the eccentric for implantation.

Patent No. 6533350

However, in the automatic hair implantation device of Patent Document 1, multiple hair materials rub against each other, causing static electricity to build up. This can cause the hair materials to move unintentionally, resulting in poor implantation. Furthermore, if static electricity causes discharge, it can have a negative effect on the electronic devices inside the automatic hair implantation device.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an automatic hair implantation device that can eliminate static electricity that accumulates on hair materials.

To achieve the above objective, the automatic hair implantation device disclosed below comprises a hair implantation mechanism unit that implants hair materials into an object to be implanted, and a static elimination unit that removes static electricity from the hair materials.

With the above configuration, even if the hair material becomes statically charged, the static eliminator can eliminate the static electricity that has accumulated on the hair material.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the automatic hair implantation device 120 as viewed from the depth direction. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the automatic hair implantation device 120 as seen from the rear. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the first to fourth operations of the automatic hair implantation device 120, and is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the automatic hair implantation device 120 as viewed from the depth direction. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the first to fourth operations of the automatic hair implantation device 120, and is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the automatic hair implantation device 120 as seen from the rear. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a fifth operation of the automatic hair implantation device 120. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the sixth and seventh operations of the automatic hair implantation device 120. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing eighth and ninth operations of the automatic hair implantation device 120. In FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the tenth operation of the automatic hair implantation device 120. FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an eleventh operation of the automatic hair implantation device 120. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the twelfth and thirteenth operations of the automatic hair implantation device 120. FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the fourteenth operation of the automatic hair implantation device 120. FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the fifteenth operation of the automatic hair implantation device 120. FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the 16th to 18th operations of the automatic hair implantation device 120. FIG. 21A is a diagram showing the knot 100c as seen from the pull-out hook 30 side. FIG. 21B is a diagram showing the knot 100c as viewed from the hair implantation hook 20 side. FIG. 22A is a perspective view showing the configuration of a first example of the first embodiment. FIG. 22B is a diagram showing the configuration of the first example of the first embodiment as viewed in the depth direction. FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a first example of the first embodiment. FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a first example of the first embodiment. FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a first example of the first embodiment. FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a second example of the first embodiment. FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a second example of the first embodiment. FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a modified example of the first example of the first embodiment. FIG. 29 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a modified example of the first example of the first embodiment. FIG. 30 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a modified example of the first example of the first embodiment. FIG. 31 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a modified example of the first example of the first embodiment. FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement position of the ionizer 311 of the automatic hair implantation device 300 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 33 is a diagram showing the arrangement position of the ionizer 312 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing the arrangement position of the ionizer 313 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 35 is a diagram showing the arrangement position of the ionizer 314 according to the second embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and appropriate design changes can be made within the scope of the configuration of the present invention. In the following description, the same parts or parts with similar functions will be designated by the same reference numerals in different drawings, and repeated explanations will be omitted. The configurations described in the embodiment and modified examples may be combined or modified as appropriate. To make the description easier to understand, the configurations are shown simplified or schematic, and some components are omitted in the drawings referenced below.

<<Configuration and operation example of automatic hair transplantation device>>
First, the basic configuration and operation of an automatic hair implantation device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, as a prerequisite for explaining the essential parts of the present invention, only one example of the basic configuration and operation of the automatic hair implantation device will be described. Naturally, it is possible to adopt a configuration and operation different from the configuration and operation of the automatic hair implantation device described here, as long as there is no contradiction with the configuration and operation of the essential parts of the present invention.

1 is a side view showing the structure and initial position of the automatic hair implantation device. FIG. 2 is a front view of the automatic hair implantation device in the state shown in FIG. 1, viewed from the rear toward the front. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic hair implantation device 120 includes an eccentric 10, hair implantation hooks 20, pull-out hooks 30, a stocker 40, a thread positioning bar 50, a thread drop bar 60, a thread retraction bar 70, a reversing roller 80, a magnet 90 shown in FIG. 11, a drive mechanism (not shown), and a control device 95. Under the control of the drive mechanism by the control device 95, the eccentric 10, hair implantation hooks 20, pull-out hooks 30, thread drop bar 60, and thread retraction bar 70 each perform operations 1 through 18 shown in FIGS. 2 through 11, capturing hair material 100a one by one from the stocker 40 and tying it to the weft yarn 202 of the hair implantation net 200 for implantation. In the side views and front views shown in Figures 1 to 21, the left-right direction in the figure is the horizontal direction, and the up-down direction is the vertical direction.

Hair material 100a includes artificial hair (fiber, synthetic fiber), human hair (hair taken from humans), animal hair (hair taken from animals other than humans), or a mixture of these, as well as any hair or hair-like material that can be implanted by the automatic hair implantation device 120. The hair implantation net 200 is formed in a mesh shape consisting of multiple warp threads 201 and multiple weft threads 202, and each of the warp threads 201 and weft threads 202 may be a single thread made by twisting together multiple raw threads, or may be a single raw thread.

First, we will explain the configuration of the automatic hair implantation device 120 and the initial position when the automatic hair implantation device 120 operates. As shown in Figure 1, a hair material bundle 100b consisting of multiple pre-cut hair materials 100a is placed in a stocker 40 located above the eccentric 10. A pull-out hook 30 is located below the outlet 42 of the stocker 40, and the eccentric 10 is located between the hair implantation hook 20 and the pull-out hook 30. Hereinafter, the direction in the horizontal plane toward the pull-out hook 30 as viewed from the eccentric 10 will be referred to as the rear, and the opposite direction as the front; these will collectively be referred to as the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction in the horizontal plane will be referred to as the depth direction, and the direction to the left when looking rearward will be referred to as the back side (the back side of the paper in Figure 1), and the direction to the right side will be referred to as the front side (the front side of the paper in Figure 1).

The flocked net 200 is set so that it covers the net hooking portion 11 of the eccentric 10 from above, and its position is also regulated by contact with the reversing roller 80 below the pull-out hook 30. The tip of the flocked hook 20 faces backward and is located at approximately the same height as the rotation axis of the eccentric 10. The tip of the pull-out hook 30 faces upward and is located below the central axis of the eccentric 10. The thread positioning bar 50 is located below and forward of the outlet 42 located in the center of the front-to-rear direction on the bottom 41 of the stocker 40. The thread drop bar 60 and thread pull-in bar 70 are located below the thread positioning bar 50 and above the eccentric 10, and forward of the thread positioning bar 50.

The stocker 40 has a flat bottom 41 that is rectangular in plan view, and a pair of opposing side panels 43 that are provided along each of the two front-to-rear sides of the bottom 41. The bottom 41 and side panels 43 are perpendicular, creating a U-shaped cross section in the front-to-rear direction. The hair material 100a is trimmed to a length, for example, approximately twice the length of the hair of the finished wig, and placed on the bottom 41 of the stocker 40 so that it intersects the depth direction (for example, most of the hair material 100a that make up the hair material bundle 100b is roughly perpendicular to the depth direction). Note that the length of the hair material 100a may be longer than the front-to-rear length of the bottom 41 of the stocker 40, so that a portion of it protrudes outward from the stocker 40. However, if the portion of the hair material 100a protruding from the stocker 40 does not hang down below the bottom 41, this is preferable because it prevents the portion of the hair material 100a protruding from the stocker 40 from rubbing against the front-to-rear edges of the bottom 41 and becoming damaged when the pulling hook 30 captures the hair material 100a from the stocker 40 and pulls it downward, and it also prevents the hair material 100a from becoming entangled in other operating mechanisms.

As shown in Figure 2, there may be only one stocker 40, or multiple stockers. While Figure 2 illustrates an example in which multiple pull-out hooks 30 pull out hair material 100a from one stocker 40, multiple stockers may be configured so that one pull-out hook 30 corresponding to each stocker pulls out hair material 100a. The stocker 40 may be supplied with a mixture of different types of hair material 100a, such as hair materials 100a of different colors, hair materials 100a of the same color but different thicknesses, and hair materials 100a of the same color or thickness but different hardness (elasticity), and the color, thickness, or texture of the hair material 100a in the completed wig may be adjusted in advance. A single type of hair material 100a may also be supplied to the stocker 40.

The eccentric 10 is a component that ensures the implantation area of the flocked net 200, and comprises a cylindrical net hanging portion 11 with a centerline extending in the depth direction, a recess 12 recessed inward from the side surface of the net hanging portion 11 and having an opening that overlaps with the side surface, and shaft portions 13 provided at both ends of the net hanging portion 11 and having a centerline extending in the depth direction. The center line of the shaft portions 13 does not coincide with the center line of the net hanging portion 11, but is offset radially outward from the net hanging portion 11, and is located on the side surface of the net hanging portion 11 in the portion where the recess 12 is provided (and further in the circumferential center of that portion).

The shaft 13 is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) provided on the device body, with its center line serving as the axis of rotation. As the shaft 13 rotates, the net hanging part 11 connected to the shaft 13 revolves around the center line of the shaft 13. In the initial position, the opening of the relief part 12 faces forward as shown in Figure 1. The center line of the shaft 13 may overlap with one weft thread 202-1 located at the circumferential center of the opening of the relief part 12.

The opening width (circumferential length) of the escape portion 12 may be determined based on the spacing between the weft threads 202 that make up the mesh of the flocked net 200, for example, when the flocked net 200 is wrapped around the outer surface of the net hanging portion 11 and one weft thread 202-1 is located at the circumferential center of the opening of the escape portion 12. Of the two weft threads 202-2 and 202-3 circumferentially adjacent to the central weft thread 202-1, one weft thread 202-2 is located near the lower end of the opening of the escape portion 12, and the other weft thread 202-3 is located near the upper end of the opening of the escape portion 12. Note that while Figure 1 illustrates a case where the opening width of the escape portion 12 is narrower than the width of the weft threads 202-2 and 202-3, the opening width of the escape portion 12 may be equal to or greater than the width of the weft threads 202-2 and 202-3.

The hair implant hook 20 is a component for implanting hair material 100a into the hair implant net 200, and includes a hook 21 at its tip and a latch 22 for opening and closing the needle opening of the hook 21. One end of the latch 22 is rotatably connected to the hair implant hook 20 via a shaft (not shown), and by rotating around this shaft, the latch 22 switches between a state in which the other end of the latch 22 is in contact with the hook 21, thereby closing the needle opening, and a state in which the other end of the latch 22 is separated from the hook 21, thereby opening the needle opening. In the initial position, as shown in Figure 1, the hair implant hook 20 is located forward of the eccentric 10 and facing the opening of the relief portion 12, and the latch 22 is in a state in which the needle opening is open.

The hair implantation hooks 20 are driven by a drive mechanism controlled by the control device 95, and connect the hair material 100a to the hair implant net 200 and implant it. Furthermore, multiple hair implantation hooks 20 are aligned in the depth direction so that they correspond one-to-one with the multiple pull-out hooks 30 shown in Figure 2. A group of multiple hair implantation hooks 20 operate together with the drive mechanism controlled by the control device 95 to implant the hair material 100a into the hair implant net 200. Note that there may be only one hair implantation hook 20 and one pull-out hook 30.

The pull-out hook 30 is a component that captures hair material 100a from the stocker 40, and is provided with a hook 31 at its tip that can capture one hair material 100a. In its initial position, as shown in Figure 1, the pull-out hook 30 is located below the eccentric 10 and above the reversing roller 80, with the needle port 32 of the hook 31 facing forward. As shown in Figure 2, multiple pull-out hooks 30 are provided and aligned in the depth direction. A group of multiple pull-out hooks 30 operate together by a drive mechanism controlled by the control device 95 to capture the hair material 100a. The hook 31 may be capable of capturing two, three, or more hair materials 100a, and may be of any size or shape as long as it is capable of capturing the hair material 100a.

The thread positioning bar 50 is a component that guides the hair material 100a pulled out of the stocker 40 by the pulling hook 30 to a predetermined position. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the thread positioning bar 50 is generally cylindrical with a centerline extending in the depth direction, and multiple thread guides 51 are recessed from the outer surface toward the centerline and arranged around the outer surface. Note that the thread positioning bar 50 may be fixed at both ends in the depth direction to the device body, but if it is rotatably supported by the device body, the thread positioning bar 50 will be rotated by the hair material 100a pulled out of the stocker 40 by the pulling hook 30, preventing the hair material 100a from rubbing against the thread guides 51 and being damaged. The number of thread guides 51 is the same as the number of pulling hooks 30.

The thread drop bar 60 is vibrated vertically by a drive mechanism controlled by the control device 95, and removes the hair material 100a pulled in by the thread retraction bar 70. The thread retraction bar 70 is moved back and forth by a drive mechanism controlled by the control device 95, and hooks the hair material 100a implanted in the hair implant net 200 and pulls it forward. The magnet 90 magnetically attracts and opens the closed latch 22 during the process of implanting the hair material 100a into the hair implant net 200 with the hair implant hook 20. Note that the magnet 90 can be either a permanent magnet or an electromagnet. However, if it is an electromagnet, the electromagnet only needs to generate magnetic force when the control device 95 controls the electromagnet to open the closed latch 22, and there is no need to change the relative positions of the hair implant hook 20 and the magnet 90. Therefore, the drive mechanism can be simplified by driving the hair implant hook 20 and the magnet 90 with a common drive mechanism. The reversing roller 80 is rotatably attached to the device body.

Next, the operation of the automatic hair implantation device will be explained using Figures 2 to 21. First, as shown in Figure 2, the thread retraction bar 70 moves rearward and stops at a position beyond the outlet 42 of the stocker 40 and the retraction hook 30 to the right as shown in Figure 3 (first operation).

Next, the pull-out hook 30 rises, and its tip, including the hook 31, enters the stocker 40 through the outlet 42. After being inserted into the hair material bundle 100b, it descends and stops (second operation). At this time, after its tip is inserted into the outlet 42, the pull-out hook 30 moves slightly toward the front (toward the opening of the needle port 32 of the hook 31). This causes the hair material 100a to be hooked onto the hook 31 of the pull-out hook 30, and the hair material 100a is pulled out of the outlet 42 of the stocker 40 in a doubled state. At this time, as shown in Figure 3, both ends of the hair material 100a remain in the stocker 40, and as shown in Figure 5, the multiple hair materials 100a pulled out in a doubled state are accommodated one by one in each of the multiple thread guides 51 of the thread positioning bar 50. This restricts each of the pulled hair materials 100a to a predetermined position, allowing the hair implant hook 20 to properly capture the hair material 100a in subsequent operations.

Next, as shown in Figure 4, the hair implant hook 20 moves backward (third operation). At this time, the hook 21 passes under the weft thread 202-1, and the needle mouth of the hook 21 is housed within the escape section 12, reaching the position shown by the dashed line. Next, the hair implant hook 20 moves back from the position shown by the dashed line to the position shown by the solid line, and the hook 21 hooks the weft thread 202-1 (fourth operation).

Next, as shown in Figure 6, the shaft 13 of the eccentric 10 rotates 90 degrees so that the opening of the relief portion 12 faces upward, and the net hooking portion 11 rotates downward around the center line of the shaft 13 from the position shown by the dashed line to the position shown by the solid line and stops (fifth operation). This causes the eccentric 10 to move below the hair implantation hook 20 and weft 202-1. This movement of the eccentric 10 from the position shown by the dashed line to the position shown by the solid line allows the hair implantation hook 20 to pass above the eccentric 10 and reach the hair material 100a that has been folded in half between the stocker 40 and the pull-out hook 30. Note that the eccentric 10 may not have a shaft 13 and may rotate around the center line of the net hooking portion 11. In this case, if the hair implant hook 20 is configured to move upward and backward in parallel in response to the rotation of the net hooking part 11 while the weft thread 202-1 is still hooked, the hair implant hook 20 will be positioned above the eccentric 10, as described above.

Next, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, as the hair implantation hook 20 moves backward, the hook 21 approaches the hair material 100a that has been folded in half between the stocker 40 and the pull-out hook 30 (sixth operation). At this time, the weft thread 202-1 passes above the open latch 22 and eventually passes through the entire latch 22. Next, the hair implantation hook 20 rotates so that the needle tip of the hook 21 changes from facing upward to facing sideways (toward the back) (seventh operation). As a result, the needle tip of the hook 21 now faces the hair material 100a that has been pulled out by the pull-out hook 30.

Next, as shown in Figure 9, the hair implantation hook 20 continues to move rearward while the needle opening of the hook 21 is facing sideways, and stops when the needle opening of the hook 21 faces the front portion of the folded hair material 100a (hereinafter referred to as the "front portion" of the hair material 100a) pulled out by the pull-out hook 30 (8th action). Next, the pull-out hook 30 moves forward (9th action). As a result, the front portion of the hair material 100a approaches the hair implantation hook 20 and is introduced into the needle opening of the hook 21.

Next, as shown in Figure 10, the hair implantation hook 20 rotates so that the needle mouth of the hook 21 faces upward from a sideways position, and as shown in Figures 11 and 12, it moves forward, causing the latch 22 to come into contact with the weft yarn 202-1 and closing the needle mouth of the hook 21. As the hair implantation hook 20 moves further from the position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the dashed line, the latch 22 is attracted by the magnetic force of the magnet 90, opening the needle mouth of the hair implantation hook 20 (operation 10). At this time, the hair implantation hook 20 moves away from the hair implantation net 200, causing the front portion of the hair material 100a to be pulled out slightly from the stocker 40. Additionally, the hair material 100a passes from the front side of the outlet 42 through the thread positioning bar 50, passes between weft threads 202-1 and 202-2, is folded back by the hook 21, passes from the hook 21 between weft threads 202-1 and 202-2, passes between weft threads 202-1 and 202-3, and is unfolded to reach the pull-out hook 30.

Next, as shown in Figure 13, the hair implant hook 20 moves backward from the position indicated by the dashed line in Figure 11 and then rises, rotating to tie the hair material 100a to the weft thread 202-1 (11th operation). As a result, the two portions of the hair material 100a between the hook 21 and the weft thread 202-1 are twisted together to form a loop portion 45. Note that in this 11th operation, the raising of the hair implant hook can be omitted, but by doing so, the hook 21 will be able to pass through the portion of the hair material 100a between the thread positioning bar 50 and the weft thread 202-1 reliably during the 12th operation described below.

Next, as shown in Figure 14, the hair implantation hook 20 moves toward the front while facing upward, then moves backward, stopping when the needle tip of the hook 21 is aligned in the depth direction with the rear portion of the folded hair material 100a pulled out by the pull-out hook 30 (hereinafter referred to as the "rear portion" of the hair material 100a). The hook 21 then rotates from facing upward to facing sideways (toward the rear) (12th operation). At this time, as shown in Figure 15, the hook 21 of the hair implantation hook 20 passes through the portion of the hair material 100a between the thread positioning bar 50 and the weft thread 202-1, and the loop portion 45 passes above the latch 22 of the hair implantation hook 20. Furthermore, as a result of the rotation of the hair implantation hook 20, the needle tip of the hook 21 is now facing the rear portion of the hair material 100a. The number of rotations of the hair implant hook 20 may be any number of rotations greater than or equal to one, such as one, two, or three or more rotations. The direction of rotation may be clockwise or counterclockwise.

Next, the pull-out hook 30 moves toward the front (operation 13). This brings the rear portion of the hair material 100a closer to the hair implant hook 20 and introduces it into the needle opening of the hook 21. Note that the hair implant hook 20 may move toward the rear, or both the pull-out hook 30 and the hair implant hook 20 may move toward each other.

Next, as shown in Figures 16 and 17, the hair implantation hook 20 rotates so that the needle mouth of the hook 21 faces upward from a sideways position and moves forward, causing the latch 22 to come into contact with the loop portion 45 and close the needle mouth of the hook 21 (14th action). This completes the tying of the hair material 100a to the weft yarn 202-1, i.e., the hair implantation. Note that as the hook 21 of the hair implantation hook 20 retracts and passes through the loop portion 45, the withdrawal hook 30 may move up and down in small movements to release the hair material 100a from the hook 31. This prevents peeling, which is when the hair material 100a becomes frizzy due to friction.

Next, as shown in Figures 18 and 19, the thread retraction bar 70 moves forward, retracting the front portion of the hair material 100a forward and stopping at the initial position (15th operation).

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 20, operations 16 to 18 are performed. First, while the hair implantation hook 20 returns to its initial position and stops, the latch 22 is attracted by the magnetic force of the magnet 90, opening the needle mouth of the hair implantation hook 20 (operation 16). The eccentric 10 rotates around the center line of the shaft 13 from the position shown by the solid line in Figure 6 back to the position shown by the dashed line in Figure 6 (operation 17). This returns the opening of the escape portion 12 to its initial position facing left. The thread drop bar 60 moves downward, then upward, and stops at its initial position (operation 18). This causes the hair material 100a, which has been completely implanted onto the weft thread 202-1, to be styled downward. Note that any of operations 16 to 18 may be performed first, or operations 16 to 18 may be performed simultaneously.

The above operation completes one cycle of the automatic hair implantation device 120 implanting the hair material 100a onto the weft thread 202-1, creating the knot shown in Figure 21. Note that Figure 21 illustrates the state in the 11th operation, in which the hair implantation hook 20 rotates three times and the hair material 100a is twisted three times and tied to the hair implantation net 200.

In the above-mentioned example of operations, the hook 21 of the hair implant hook 20 grabs the front portion of the hair material 100a in the eighth and ninth operations, and grabs the rear portion of the hair material 100a in the twelfth and thirteenth operations. However, regardless of whether the front or rear portion is grabbed in each operation, the hair material 100a can be tied to the weft by rotating the hair implant hook 20 one or more times in the twelfth operation. Also, even if the hair implant hook 20 only rotates half a turn in the twelfth operation, the hair material 100a can be tied to the weft by using the hook 21 of the hair implant hook 20 to grab the lower portion of the hair material 100a that results from this half turn in the twelfth and thirteenth operations.

<<Configuration for removing static electricity charged to hair material>>
The configuration for removing static electricity from the hair material 100a will be described below.

First Embodiment
In the first embodiment, the automatic hair implantation device 120 includes a protrusion 401, a first reciprocating mechanism 401a, and a second reciprocating mechanism 401b, which serve as both a biasing unit and a static eliminator. Figures 22A to 25 are perspective views showing the configuration of a first example of the first embodiment. Figures 22A to 25 show the movement of the protrusion 401, which serves as a biasing unit, in chronological order, with the protrusion 401 moving in the order of Figures 22A, 23, 24, and 25.

The protrusions 401 illustrated in Figure 22A are shaped like the teeth of a comb, with multiple protrusions 401 (three in this example) connected together. The protrusions 401 are inclined so that the farther they are from the bottom 41, the farther they are from the outlet 42. In this example, the protrusions 401 are arranged opposite each other across the outlet 42. At least the portion of the protrusions 401 that comes into contact with the hair material 100a is made of a conductor. For example, the protrusions 401 are made of a metal material. The protrusions 401 are attached to the first reciprocating motion mechanism 401a. The first reciprocating motion mechanism 401a is attached to the second reciprocating motion mechanism 401b. The protrusions 401 are electrically connected to the first reciprocating motion mechanism 401a and the second reciprocating motion mechanism 401b. The second reciprocating motion mechanism 401b is grounded (connected to ground (GND)) via the earth wire 110. The stocker 40 is made of a conductor (e.g., a metal material). The stocker 40 is also grounded via the ground wire 110. As a result, the protrusion 401, the first reciprocating mechanism 401a, the second reciprocating mechanism 401b, and the stocker 40 have a ground potential.

As shown in Figure 22B, at least the surface of each of the eccentric 10, hair implant hook 20, pull-out hook 30, thread positioning bar 50, thread drop bar 60, thread retraction bar 70, and reversing roller 80 is made of a conductor (e.g., a metal material), and the conductor is grounded. As a result, when the hair material 100a is transported by the eccentric 10, hair implant hook 20, pull-out hook 30, thread positioning bar 50, thread drop bar 60, thread retraction bar 70, and reversing roller 80, these components come into contact with the hair material 100a. As a result, static electricity charged to the hair material 100a is discharged via any of the eccentric 10, hair implant hook 20, pull-out hook 30, thread positioning bar 50, thread drop bar 60, thread retraction bar 70, and reversing roller 80.

Next, as shown in Figure 23, the protrusion 401 moves straight along the inclined direction, and its tip is inserted into the hair material bundle. At this time, the protrusion 401 moves straight by being driven by a first reciprocating mechanism 401a, such as an air cylinder. Furthermore, because the protrusion 401 moves straight along the inclined direction, the inclination does not change before and after moving straight. The operation of the first reciprocating mechanism 401a is controlled, for example, by the control device 95 described above. At this time, when the protrusion 401 comes into contact with the hair material 100a, even if the hair material 100a is statically charged, the protrusion 401 will neutralize the static electricity. Furthermore, static electricity on the hair material 100a that comes into contact with the stocker 40 is neutralized by the stocker 40. In this case, the stocker 40 functions as a neutralizing unit.

Next, as shown in Figure 24, the protrusion 401 advances in a direction away from the outlet 42 while maintaining the same inclination as in Figures 22A and 23. As a result, the tip of the protrusion 401 advances along the hair material 100a, and a force (a force that reduces the deflection of the hair material 100a) can be applied to the hair material 100a in a direction away from the outlet 42. At this time, the protrusion 401 advances in a direction away from the outlet 42 by being driven by a second reciprocating motion mechanism 401b, such as a rack and pinion. The second reciprocating motion mechanism 401b drives not only the protrusion 401 but also the first reciprocating motion mechanism 401a. The operation of the second reciprocating motion mechanism 401b is controlled, for example, by the control device 95 described above.

Next, as shown in Figure 25, the protrusion 401, while maintaining the same inclination as in Figures 22A to 24, retreats along the inclination direction and is removed from the hair material bundle 100b. At this time, the protrusion 401 retreats by being driven by the first reciprocating mechanism 401a. As described above, in the first embodiment, static electricity is removed from the hair material 100a, preventing poor implantation and preventing adverse effects on the electronic devices in the automatic hair implantation device 120 caused by static electricity.

A second example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 26 and 27 are perspective views showing the configuration of the second example of the first embodiment. Note that in Figure 26, the direction of rotation of the roller 402, which is the urging unit, is indicated by a dashed line, and in Figure 27, the hair material 100a is also shown in addition to the roller 402.

As shown in Figures 26 and 27, in this example, a roller 402 is provided as the biasing unit. The roller 402 rotates in a direction away from the outlet 42, so that the rotation of the roller 402 applies a force to the hair material 100a in a direction away from the outlet 42 (a force that reduces the deflection of the hair material). The roller 402 is also electrically connected to the stocker 40, which is grounded. This gives the roller 402 a ground potential. This eliminates static electricity from the hair material 100a that comes into contact with the roller 402.

The rollers 402 are driven by, for example, a motor, and the operation of the motor is controlled by the control device 95. In this example, the rollers 402 are arranged opposite each other across the outlet 42, and these rollers 402 rotate simultaneously. Note that while Figures 26 and 27 illustrate an example in which the rollers 402 are arranged on the bottom 41 of the stocker 40, the rollers 402 may also be arranged on the side plate 43, or in a position opposite the bottom 41 (above the hair material 100a).

As described above, by providing a biasing section (projection 401, roller 402) that applies a force to the hair material 100a that includes a component in the direction away from the outlet, the hair material 100a is pulled in the direction away from the outlet. This stretches and relieves the deflection of the hair material 100a near the outlet 42. This allows the extraction hook 30 to stably capture the hair material at the outlet 42, enabling stable hair implantation.

In the above example, the protrusions 401 and rollers 402 are both arranged to face each other across the outlet 42, but they may also be arranged on only one side of the outlet 42. In this case, the entire hair material bundle 100b may move, but it is possible to alleviate the deflection of the hair material 100a. Furthermore, any deflection of the hair material 100a near the outlet 42 is eliminated by moving the entire hair material bundle 100b to a position offset from the outlet 42, which also eliminates the deflection. Even when the protrusions 401 and rollers 402 are arranged to face each other across the outlet 42, driving only one side will achieve the same effect as when they are arranged on only one side. Alternately driving one side and the other will cause the hair material bundle 100b to move back and forth across the outlet 42, thereby preventing the position of the hair material bundle 100b from fluctuating significantly.

On the other hand, as in the above example, if the protrusions 401 and rollers 402 are arranged facing each other across the outlet 42 and are driven simultaneously, the hair material 100a is pulled toward both ends, effectively reducing the deflection of the hair material 100a. Note that the protrusions 401 and rollers 402 do not always need to be driven in sync; this effect can be achieved as long as they are driven simultaneously at the same time.

The mechanisms arranged on opposite sides of the outlet 42 may be different. For example, as shown in Figures 28 to 31, a protrusion 401 may be provided on one side of the outlet 42, and a stopper 403 may be provided on the other side to press the hair material bundle 100b against the bottom 41 and restrict its movement. The stopper 403 presses the hair material bundle 100b against the bottom 41 and restricts its movement when the tip of the protrusion 401 is inserted into the hair material bundle 100b, i.e., when the protrusion 401 is able to apply a force to the hair material bundle 100b that includes a component in the direction away from the outlet 42. The stopper 403 is driven by a reciprocating mechanism 403a, such as an air cylinder, and the operation of the reciprocating mechanism 403a is controlled by, for example, the control device 95 described above. 28 to 31 show an example in which the protrusion 401 and the stopping part 403 are combined, but it is also possible to combine the roller 402 and the stopping part 403. The stopping part 403 and the reciprocating mechanism 403a are also grounded. This eliminates static electricity from the hair material 100a that comes into contact with the stopping part 403.

Also, in the first example, the protrusion 401 may not be inclined, but may be perpendicular to the bottom 41. However, if the protrusion 401 is inclined as described above, the protrusion 401 can apply a force to the hair material 100a that has not only a component in the direction away from the outlet 42 but also a component in the downward direction, thereby effectively reducing upward deflection of the hair material 100a near the outlet 42. Furthermore, if the inclination of the protrusion 401 is not changed, the protrusion 401 can be made to perform the series of operations shown in Figures 22A to 25 with a simple mechanism including only the first reciprocating mechanism 401a and the second reciprocating mechanism 401b.

Furthermore, in the first example, when the tip of the protrusion 401 is inserted into the hair material bundle 100b, then the protrusion 401 moves in a direction away from the outlet 42, and then the tip of the protrusion 401 is removed from the hair material bundle 100b, only a force to relax the deflection can be applied to the hair material 100a without a force to restore the deflection (a force having a component in the direction toward the outlet 42).

Second Embodiment
The configuration of the automatic hair transplantation device 300 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 32 to 34. In the second embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, a static eliminator 310 including ionizers 311, 312, 313, and 314 is provided. Figure 32 is a cross-sectional view showing the position of the ionizer 311 of the automatic hair transplantation device 300 according to the second embodiment. Figure 33 is a diagram showing the position of the ionizer 312. Figure 34 is a diagram showing the position of the ionizer 313. Figure 35 is a diagram showing the position of the ionizer 314. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

As shown in Figure 32, the automatic hair implantation device 300 includes a static elimination unit 310. As shown in Figures 32 to 35, the static elimination unit 310 includes ionizers 311 to 314. Multiple ionizers 311 to 314 are provided. Note that while Figures 33 to 35 illustrate one ionizer each, multiple ionizers 312, 313, and 314 are provided at equal intervals in the depth direction. Ionizers 311 to 314, for example, generate corona discharges internally to generate positive ions and negative ions, and then radiate the positive ions and negative ions toward the hair material 100a. That is, in the second embodiment, ionizers 311 to 314 are AC-type ionizers. When the hair material 100a is negatively charged, positive ions are attracted to and adsorbed onto the hair material 100a, neutralizing (de-ionizing) the static electricity of the hair material 100a. When the hair material 100a is positively charged, negative ions are attracted to and adsorbed onto the hair material 100a, neutralizing (de-ionizing) the static electricity of the hair material 100a.

As shown in Figure 32, multiple ionizers 311 are arranged at equal intervals on the underside of a rod-shaped support member 311a placed above the stocker 40. The ionizers 311 then emit positive and negative ions from above onto the multiple hair materials 100a placed inside the stocker 40. This removes static electricity from the multiple hair materials 100a stored inside the stocker 40.

As shown in Figure 33, the ionizer 312 is positioned at a height between the stocker 40 and the withdrawal hook 30, and behind the withdrawal hook 30. The ionizer 312 emits positive and negative ions from behind the hair material 100a extracted by the extraction hook 30 onto the hair material 100a. This eliminates static electricity that has accumulated on the hair material 100a extracted by the extraction hook 30. The ionizer 312 emits positive and negative ions while the hair material 100a is placed between the stocker 40 and the withdrawal hook 30, and stops emitting positive and negative ions while the hair material 100a is not placed between the stocker 40 and the withdrawal hook 30.

As shown in Figure 34, the ionizer 313 is positioned above the eccentric 10. The ionizer 313 emits positive and negative ions from above onto the hair material 100a being implanted by the hair implantation hook 20. This eliminates static electricity that has accumulated on the hair material 100a being implanted by the hair implantation hook 20.

As shown in Figure 35, the ionizer 314 is positioned below the hair implantation hook 20. The ionizer 314 emits positive and negative ions from the front toward the hair material 100a implanted in the hair implantation net 200. This eliminates static electricity that has accumulated on the hair material 100a implanted in the hair implantation net 200. In the second embodiment, the ionizers 311 to 314 can eliminate static electricity that has accumulated on the hair material 100a without directly contacting the hair material 100a. Other configurations and effects of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[Modification]
The above-described embodiments are merely examples for implementing the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented by appropriately modifying the above-described embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure.

(1) In the above first and second embodiments, the eccentric 10, the hair implantation hook 20, the pull-out hook 30, the stocker 40, the thread positioning bar 50, the thread drop bar 60, the thread retraction bar 70, and the reversing roller 80 are shown as being grounded, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In other words, in the above first embodiment, if the protrusion 401 can sufficiently discharge static electricity from the hair material 100a, at least a portion of the eccentric 10, the hair implantation hook 20, the pull-out hook 30, the stocker 40, the thread positioning bar 50, the thread drop bar 60, the thread retraction bar 70, and the reversing roller 80 do not need to be grounded. Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, if the ionizers 311 to 314 can sufficiently eliminate static electricity from the hair material 100a, at least some of the eccentric 10, hair implantation hook 20, pull-out hook 30, stocker 40, thread positioning bar 50, thread drop bar 60, thread retraction bar 70, and reversing roller 80 do not need to be grounded.

(2) In the second embodiment described above, an example in which ionizers 311 to 314 are provided is shown, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In other words, at least some of the ionizers 311 to 314 may be disposed in the automatic hair implantation device 300.

(3) In the second embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the ionizers 311 to 314 were configured to emit both positive ions and negative ions, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. That is, if the hair material 100a is made of a material that is easily charged positively, the ionizers 311 to 314 may emit only negative ions, and if the hair material 100a is made of a material that is easily charged negatively, the ionizers 311 to 314 may emit only positive ions. That is, the ionizers 311 to 314 may be configured to generate ions using an AC method as shown in the second embodiment, or may be configured to generate ions using a DC method.

(4) In the second embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the ionizers 311 to 314 were configured to generate ions by corona discharge, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, an ionizer that removes static electricity by ionizing the air in a specific area using soft X-ray irradiation may be used, or an ionizer that generates ions using a discharge other than corona discharge (glow discharge, plasma type) may be used.

(5) In the second embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 32, an example was shown in which a bar-type ionizer 311 was used, in which multiple ion generating sources (ionizers 311) were provided on a rod-shaped support member 311a. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the present disclosure can also use any type of ionizer other than a bar-type, such as a fan-type ionizer that uses a fan to spray positive ions and negative ions onto the hair material 100a, or a nozzle-type ionizer that sprays positive ions and negative ions from a nozzle tip onto the hair material 100a.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned automatic hair transplantation device can be explained as follows:

The automatic hair implantation device according to the first configuration comprises a hair implantation mechanism unit that implants hair materials into the hair implantation target object, and a static eliminator unit that eliminates static electricity charged to the hair materials (first configuration).

With the first configuration, even if the hair material becomes statically charged, the static eliminator can eliminate the static electricity that has built up on the hair material. As a result, poor hair implantation can be prevented, and adverse effects on the electronic devices inside the automatic hair implantation device caused by static electricity can be prevented.

The first configuration may further include a storage container for storing hair materials, and the static eliminator may be configured to eliminate static electricity stored in the hair materials stored in the storage container (second configuration).

Here, static electricity is likely to be generated inside the storage compartment due to friction between hair materials and other hair materials. Therefore, the second configuration described above makes it possible to eliminate static electricity from hair materials inside the storage compartment, which are prone to static electricity generation.

In the second configuration, the stocker may be configured to have ground potential (third configuration).

The third configuration described above makes it easy to remove static electricity from hair materials placed in the stocker.

In the second or third configuration, the stocker may have an outlet at the bottom, and the hair material may be placed on the bottom across the outlet, and the static eliminator may include a biasing unit that applies a force to the hair material placed on the bottom of the stocker that includes a component in a direction away from the outlet, and at least the portion of the biasing unit that contacts the hair material may include a conductor having a ground potential (fourth configuration).

With the fourth configuration, the biasing part pulls the hair material in a direction away from the outlet, eliminating any bending of the hair material. Furthermore, because the biasing part that comes into contact with the hair material has a ground potential, the biasing part can neutralize the hair material.

In any one of the first to fourth configurations, the static eliminator may include an ionizer that emits at least one of positive ions and negative ions onto the hair material (fifth configuration).

The fifth configuration described above allows the static elimination unit to eliminate static electricity stored on the hair material without coming into contact with the hair material.

In any one of the first to fifth configurations, the static eliminator may be configured to eliminate static electricity stored in the hair material implanted in the hair implantation target (sixth configuration).

The sixth configuration allows static electricity generated when the hair material is implanted to be removed after implantation.

In any one of the first to sixth configurations, the static eliminator includes a conveying member that moves the hair material to be implanted in the hair implantation target, and the conveying member may be configured to include a conductor having a ground potential (seventh configuration).

The seventh configuration described above allows static electricity charged to the hair material to be removed when the hair material is moved.

10...eccentric, 20...hair implantation hook, 30...pulling hook, 40...stocker, 41...bottom, 42...extraction port, 50...thread positioning bar, 51...thread guide, 60...thread drop bar, 70...thread retraction bar, 80...reversing roller, 100a...hair material, 100b...hair material bundle, 110...earth wire, 120, 300...automatic hair implantation device, 200...hair implantation net, 310...static eliminator, 311-314...ionizer, 401...protrusion, 401a...first reciprocating mechanism, 401b...second reciprocating mechanism, 402...roller, 403...restraint, 403a...reciprocating mechanism

Claims (5)

a hair implantation mechanism for implanting hair material onto an object to be implanted;
a static elimination unit that eliminates static electricity charged on the hair material;
a stocker in which the hair material is stored ,
The stocker has an outlet at the bottom,
The hair material is disposed on the bottom across the outlet,
the static eliminator includes a biasing unit that applies a force including a component in a direction away from the outlet to the hair material placed on the bottom of the stocker,
An automatic hair implantation device , wherein at least a portion of the biasing portion that contacts the hair material includes a conductor having a ground potential . 2. The automatic hair implantation device according to claim 1 , wherein the stocker has a ground potential. The automatic hair implantation device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the static eliminator includes an ionizer that radiates at least one of positive ions and negative ions to the hair material. The automatic hair implantation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the static eliminator eliminates static electricity that has accumulated on the hair material implanted on the hair implantation object. The static eliminator includes a conveying member that moves the hair material to be implanted in the hair implantation object,
The automatic hair implantation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the conveying member includes a conductor having a ground potential.