Automatic head care system and automatic head care method

Abstract

A person's head is safely and reliably arranged in a proper position inside a bowl of an automatic head care system. In the case where a person's head is supported by a head support and accommodated inside a bowl and then where a pair of arms swing in a forward and rearward direction of the head and rotate in a direction of approaching to or separating away from the head to care the head with a plurality of contacts provided at the arms, an angular position of the swinging of at least one of the arms is controlled so that the arms are arranged in a substantially horizontal direction and then, when a pushing force of the contacts detected by a pressure sensor in the arms arranged in the substantially horizontal direction has reached a first pressure, it is confirmed that the head has been inserted into the bowl.

1 . An automatic head care system comprising:
 a bowl in which a head support is provided and which accommodates a person's head supported by the head support;   a pair of support shafts arranged on right and left sides of the head support;   a pair of arm rotation shafts being rotatable about the respective support shafts;   a pair of arms being capable of swinging about the respective support shafts in a forward and rearward direction of the head supported by the head support, and being capable of rotating about the respective arm rotation shafts in a direction of approaching to or separating away from the head;   a plurality of contacts provided at each of the pair of arms;   a pressure sensor designed to detect a pushing force of the contacts; and   a control section designed to control driving of the pair of arms to care the head supported by the head support,   wherein the control section includes:   a head insertion preparing unit designed to control at least one of the arms so that an angular position of the swinging about the support shaft is a horizontal position at which the arm is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction, as a preparing operation for insertion of the head into the bowl; and   a head insertion confirming unit designed to confirm that the head has been inserted into the bowl when the pushing force detected by the pressure sensor in the arm subjected to the preparing operation has reached a first pressure.   
     
     
         2 . The automatic head care system according to  claim 1 , wherein the control section further includes
 a pseudo elasticity forming unit designed to control the rotating of the arm subjected to the preparing operation so that when the pushing force detected by the pressure sensor for the arm has reached the first pressure, the pushing force is kept at the first pressure, as an elasticity forming operation of imparting pseudo elasticity to the arm.   
     
     
         3 . The automatic head care system according to  claim 1 , wherein the control section includes:
 a simple scanning unit designed to detect angular positions of the swinging at times when the pushing force detected by the pressure sensor is a second pressure, as a simple scanning operation, after the head insertion confirming unit has confirmed insertion of the head; and   a head height adjustment control unit designed to adjust a height of the head or promote a height adjustment of the head so as to reduce fluctuation in angular positions of the rotating at times when the angular positions of the swinging have been detected in the simple scanning operation.   
     
     
         4 . The automatic head care system according to  claim 3 , wherein the control section includes
 a head supporting control unit designed to control the angular position of the swinging of at least one of the arms so that the arm can support the head from below during the height adjustment of the head, as a head supporting operation of supporting the head.   
     
     
         5 . The automatic head care system according to  claim 4 , wherein the control section further includes
 a vertical movement following control unit designed to control the rotating of the arm subjected to the head supporting operation so that the plurality of contacts vertically move along with a vertical movement of the head during the height adjustment of the head.   
     
     
         6 . The automatic head care system according to  claim 1 , wherein the control section includes
 a horizontal movement following control unit designed to control the swinging of the arm subjected to the head supporting operation so that the plurality of contacts of the arm horizontally moves when the head moves substantially horizontally toward the bowl with the preparing operation completed.   
     
     
         7 . The automatic head care system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a water supplying unit supplying water or hot water to the head;   a washing liquid supplying unit supplying washing liquid to the head; and   a conditioner supplying unit supplying conditioner to the head, wherein   the control section supplies water, hot water, washing liquid, or conditioner to the head, and controls driving of the pair of arms to wash the head supported by the head support.   
     
     
         8 . An automatic head care method comprising:
 accommodating a person's head inside a bowl with the head supported by a head support; and then   swinging a pair of arms in a forward and rearward direction of the head about a pair of respective support shafts arranged on left and right sides of the head support, and rotating the pair of arms in a direction of approaching to or separating away from the head, about respective arm rotation shafts which extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the support shafts, to care the head with a plurality of contacts provided at each of the pair of arms,   wherein the method further comprises:   controlling an angular position of the swinging of at least one of the arms about the support shaft so that the arm is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction, and then   confirming that the head has been inserted into the bowl when a pushing force of the contacts detected by a pressure sensor in the arm arranged in the substantially horizontal direction has reached a first pressure.   
     
     
         9 . The automatic head care method according to  claim 8 , comprising:
 controlling the rotating of the arm arranged in the substantially horizontal direction so that when the pushing force detected by the pressure sensor has reached the first pressure, the pushing force is kept at the first pressure, as an elasticity forming operation of imparting pseudo elasticity to the arms.   
     
     
         10 . The automatic head care method according to  claim 8 , comprising:
 detecting angular positions of the swinging at times in which the pushing force detected by the pressure sensor is a second pressure, as a simple scanning operation, after confirming insertion of the head into the bowl; and   adjusting a height of the head or promoting a height adjustment of the head so as to reduce fluctuation in angular positions of the rotating at times when the angular positions of the swinging have been detected in the simple scanning operation.   
     
     
         11 . The automatic head care method according to  claim 10 , comprising:
 controlling the angular position of the swinging of at least one of the arms so that the arm can support the head from below during the height adjustment of the head, as a head supporting operation of supporting the head.   
     
     
         12 . The automatic head care method according to  claim 11 , comprising:
 controlling the rotating of the arm subjected to the head supporting operation so that the plurality of contacts vertically moves along with a vertical movement of the head during the height adjustment of the head.   
     
     
         13 . The automatic head care method according to  claim 8 , comprising:
 controlling the swinging of the arm arranged in the substantially horizontal direction so that the plurality of contacts of the arm horizontally moves along with a horizontal movement of the head when the head moves substantially horizontally in a direction of being inserted into or ejected from the bowl.   
     
     
         14 . The automatic head care method according to any  claim 8 , comprising:
 supplying water, hot water, washing liquid, or conditioner to the head, and washing the head with the plurality of contacts provided each of the pair of arms.