• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    The invention relates to an oscillating apparatus, such as a tattooing apparatus applying an electric motor such as a linear motor. The tattooing apparatus comprises a housing (8), a handle (4) a power supply (3) and - a needle (2) having at least one needle tip (5), said needle (2) is configured to move relative to a stationary part of a linear electric motor (1), the needle (2) is configured to move reciprocating along a line between a retracted position and a forward position; - a linear electric motor (1) having a variable and controllable motor controlling stroke length, position and velocity of the needle (2). The apparatus further comprises a first sensor (6) and a controller (7), where the first sensor (6) is configured to read the linear position of the needle (2), and transmit the reading as an input to the controller (7), and the controller (7) is provided with a profile for the linear position of the needle (2) and is configured to receive the input from the first sensor (6) and compare the input from the first sensor (6) with the profile for the linear position of the needle (2) and sending an output to the linear electric motor correcting the stroke length and velocity of the needle to adapt to the profile for the linear position of the needle.
    公开号:DK201770863A1
    申请号:DKP201770863
    申请日:2017-11-15
    公开日:2019-06-11
    发明作者:Marteinsson Ásmundur；Kristoffer Wittendorff Klaus
    申请人:Wit Innovation Aps；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    Tattooing apparatus
    The invention relates to an oscillating apparatus, such as a tattooing apparatus applying an electric motor such as a linear motor.
    Prior art
    Handpoking is a very old method of applying a tattoo. The artist uses a needle attached to a pen sized stick. The needle is dipped in ink and then pressed under the skin, leaving behind a dot of ink deposited under the skin. This is essentially the whole function of a tattooing apparatus.
    Today, different motors are traditionally used for driving the needle in a tattooing apparatus:
    - an electromagnetic coil machine includes electromagnetic coils providing the oscillation or reciprocation of the needle. Electromagnetic coils are mounted to a frame which includes a spring-loaded armature biased away from the electromagnetic coils and the frame further includes a contact screw and an electrical contact. In operation, when the screw contacts the electrical contact, then the electromagnetic coils receive power and create a magnetic field which attracts the armature towards the electromagnetic coils. As the armature moves toward the electromagnetic coils, the armature drives the needle into the skin. Further, as the armature moves towards the electromagnetic coils, the screw and electrical contact separate and open the electric circuit powering the electromagnetic coils. Accordingly, the electromagnetic coils turn off, and the armature, which is spring-biased away from electromagnetic coils, moves away from the electromagnetic coils and pulls the needle out of the skin. As the armature moves away, the screw and electrical contact touch, the electric circuit is closed, and the electromagnetic coils are reactivated. This process repeats as long as electricity is supplied to the contacts. Traditionally, the handle of an electromagnetic coil tattoo apparatus is placed on a needle tube in which the needle is placed whereas the motor and the reciprocating mechanism is placed above the handle.
    - a rotary machine includes a motor spinning a cam wheel as an oscillating or reciprocating mechanism. The cam wheel includes an offset shaft that is offset from the rotational axis of motor by a distance. A first end of a needle is attached to the offset shaft, while the main shaft of the needle is received in a needle tube or otherwise fixed in at a lateral position. The second end of the needle oscillates back and forth through the skin surface. The stroke length of a rotary tattoo machine is primarily determined by the distance between the center of the cam wheel and the offset shaft, the stroke length may be reduced if the rotary tattoo apparatus is configured with a give-function such as a flexible part placed between the offset shaft and the needle. Traditionally, the handle of a rotary machine is placed on a needle tube in which the needle is placed whereas the motor and the reciprocating mechanism is placed above the handle.
    US2017/0007814A discloses a tattooing apparatus having an automated control of penetration depths. The tattooing apparatus includes a needle having at least one tip and a needle drive mechanism configured to move the needle between a first position and the second position, in the first position the tip is located above the surface of a skin and in the second position the tip is located at a penetration depth underneath the skin surface. The needle is configured to deposit
    DK 2017 70863 A1 an ink between the skin surface and the penetration depth. The tattooing apparatus includes a sensor (210) located in the outer frame of the tattooing apparatus, which sensor scans the skin at the point where the tip of the needle penetrates the skin and the sensor is configured to provide an output in form of a feedback signal corresponding to a skin thickness characteristic, possibly the sensor utilizes optical coherence tomography (See [0029]) or ultra sound (See [0030]) to detect skin layer depths and thicknesses. The tattooing apparatus also includes a controller configured to receive the feedback signal from the sensor, the controller then determines the optimal penetration depth based on the skin thickness characteristic and then adjust the penetration depth (See [0028]). The needle penetration depth is adjusted during use such that ink is consistently deposited within a particular layer of skin. In a rotary tattoo apparatus, the needle penetration depth is adjusted by moving the motor and cam wheel vertically up and down in small increments relative to the needle tube or alternatively, the distance between the rotational axis and the offset shaft is adjusted or alternatively, the length of the needle tube is varied. In an electromagnetic coil machine, the needle penetration depths may be adjusted by varying the distance between a frame (302) to which the coils are attached and the needle tube (308) (See [0035]). If a linear electric motor is used for the tattooing apparatus, the stroke distance of the needle may be adjusted by controlling the actuation of the motor (See [0037]).
    The tattooing apparatus of US2017/0007814A varies the end position of the stroke length as a function of the skin characteristics. For the rotary machine and the electromagnetic coil machine, the stroke length is kept constant while the distance between needle attachment and the handle of the apparatus is varied. In the figures 2A and 3A of the document, the apparatuses are illustrated in a vertical position, it is not clear how the sensor and the feedback will react if an apparatus is held in an 45°-angle relative to the skin surface.
    Normally, the parameters a tattooist must set when using a traditional tattooing apparatus is the voltage of the motor, determining the frequency of the needle, and the set the stroke length of the needle. Both parameters are normally set at the beginning of a tattoo session and may then be manually changed during a session. However, drastically changing give, or stroke length of the needle often requires replacing a mechanical part of the tattooing apparatus taking both time and effort. Also, mechanical give may be subject to wear and other conditions.
    The Invention
    The invention relates to an oscillation apparatus such as a tattooing apparatus applying an electric motor such as a linear electric motor. In the content of the present application, a linear electric motor is defined as being able to move an element such as a needle back and forth along a straight line in an oscillating way, and the linear electric motor is able to accelerate, decelerate, change direction, start or stop and hold at any position or state of an oscillation.
    Some traditional tattooing apparatus are considered to be driven by a linear electric motor, and some are not. A traditional rotary tattoo apparatus is not driven by a linear electric motor as a spinning cam wheel is not viably able to stop and change direction, this motor must continue a full stroke and the full stroke may only be limited by including give-functionality in the needle.
    DK 2017 70863 A1
    A linear electric motor may consist of a flat magnetic core with transverse slots that are often straight cut with coils laid into the slots, each phase giving an alternating polarity so that the different phases physically overlap.
    A voice coil motor is a linear motor and the term voice coil motor generally refers to a motor mechanism using a solenoid to move an object back-and-forth within a magnetic field. Linear DC Motors, Voice Coil Motors (VCM) or Voice Coil Actuators (VCA) are simple electric motors where the motor comprises two separate parts; a magnetic housing and a coil.
    The purpose of the present invention is to obtain an oscillating apparatus such as a tattooing apparatus having optimized operating conditions, meaning that the user has more and better control over different aspects of the tattooing apparatus, and therefore the outcome of the tattoo itself.
    Until now, such control of the tattooing apparatus parameters has not been possible, and the outcome of the different tattooing techniques had more to do with the skill of the tattoo-artist. Traditionally, a tattooist will have to learn to handle a given tattooing apparatus to obtain a perfect result for a tattoo. When using a tattooing apparatus according to the present invention, a tattooist will be able to control the functions of the tattooing apparatus and therefore it will be possible to adapt the functionality of the tattooing apparatus to the skills and working methods of the tattooist.
    Furthermore, since the tattooing apparatus is controllable and self-regulating, it will produce more consistent results than other tattooing apparatus, meaning, for example, that the tattooist who is less experienced will have to use less time to get to know the tattooing apparatus and will therefore be able to concentrate on his/hers own working techniques or art.
    I.e. the tattooing apparatus supports the creation of perfect artwork by fully controlling the needle, making it possible to deposit an optimal amount of ink at an optimal depth, or to color larger areas of skin at a higher speed while still obtaining a perfect coloring. The perfect results may be achieved regardless of whether it relates to coloring of larger skin surfaces, to line drawing or to shading and they may be obtained for all known needle types.
    The invention allows the user to specify a profile for a given tattoo-process and by specifying a profile, the tattooist may optimize the deposition of ink for this process whether the process is providing sharp lines, shadows or something else.
    A profile may e.g. be specified in respect of movement type, frequency, stroke length, give/force and feedback control from sensor input, such as the accelerometer, etc..
    Movement type is defined as a set of 2-dimensional points (x, y). The points (x, y) represent the relative position of the needle with respect to an internal timebase of the microcontroller (timebase, relative position). For example, the tattooing apparatus can be set to run a set of points that show a sine wave when plotted on a graph. The motor, and therefore the needle, will then attempt to move exactly as defined in the sine graph.
    DK 2017 70863 A1
    Other factors of the profile are for instance frequency, which governs the timebase, that is how often per second the tattooing apparatus cycles (usually one whole set), and stroke length, governing the total length of the travel of the needle.
    Frequency is determined by how often the needle penetrates the skin surface and defines the density of the ink dots i.e. the higher frequency the higher inkdot density.
    The stroke length of the profile defines the planned stroke length i.e. the length the needle tip moves from a retracted position to a forward position, the stroke length may be reduced if the tattooist works with give.
    Give is a special function in a tattooing apparatus, used to set the maximum force to be used when the needle pushes into the skin. Give is a legacy name originating from the use of spring loaded needles. The present invention allows the user to precisely set the give or force of the needle, by adjusting the working parameters of the electric motor. The give can be set as a constant or as a mathematical function of a variable (Algorithm). In effect, the give is a conditional variable that may reduce the total stroke length of the needle, if certain prescribed circumstances arise.
    In general, a user may during a tattoo-session choose to add a give defining a maximum of force applied to push the needle into the skin, possibly while the tattoo apparatus is activated i.e. running, and/or a give may be included within a given profile, and/or a give may be made dependent on measured variables, i.e. the give is applied as a feedback control.
    The amount of deposited ink is greatly influenced by the used needle type, however, choice and use of specific needle types are not within the aspects of the present invention according to which any kind of needles can be used.
    When tattooing, an example of a general problem is howto increase the speed of the work without compromising an optimized deposition of ink. The present invention makes it possible to increase effectiveness, and therefore speed, of the tattooing process as the travel distance of the needle and the velocity at which the needle travels between a first position above a skin surface and a second position at a penetration depth below the skin surface may be optimized at any position of the needle.
    This ability makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of the deposition of ink into the skin, by controlling the movement of the needle. As an example, it may be advantageous to insert the needle fast or slow into the skin, then wait for a few milliseconds, and then retract the needle slow or fast from the surface of the skin. When gaining experience, a tattooist will be able to better understand the mechanics of the tattooing process and will be able to customize the movements of the needle to best fit the work at hand by making his or her own movement types defined by sets of 2-dimensional points (x, y).
    The movement or travel of the needle may also be chosen to gain different effects e.g. relating to work-time and or different tattooing techniques. As an example, the frequency of the needle may be increased if the tattooist suddenly moves the needle faster along the surface of the skin. That
    DK 2017 70863 A1 is, to keep up a similar number of needle-hits per length, the tattooing apparatus may be provided with an accelerometer to sense the movement and adjust the frequency to compensate if needed.
    This ability makes it possible to reduce the time periods where the needle is not engaged in deposition of ink but only travels to re-arrange for a new insertion and corresponding deposition of ink, i.e. the time the tip of the needle spends above the skin surface may therefore be as short as possible.
    When a tattooist moves a tattooing apparatus too quickly across the skin, the needle will cut sideways into the skin instead of delivering a dot of ink. This means that the skin becomes traumatized, the risk of infection increases and the colored skin cures poorly. For optimal color intensity, it is important that the ink is delivered in the right skin layer with a precise dot. If the needle moves too fast along the skin's surface compared to how fast the tattooing apparatus works, one will see redness and increased bleeding. Where the skin has been cut / ripped by the needle, the skin will heal slower and the color will worsen over time.
    Due to other considerations and working routines, tattooists may prefer different velocity patterns for a profile, if e.g. a tattooist wishes to swipe fast over the skin surface, it is desirable that the needle spends as little time as possible below the skin surface and it is then advantageous if the needle is inserted through the skin surface to the full penetration depth at a high velocity and also retracted from the skin surface at a high velocity.
    A feedback control of the needle position will continuously strive to achieve that a desired behavior for the needle is maintained. As the structure and thickness of the skin surface varies, the motor of the apparatus will need to vary the force with which the needle is inserted to overcome this variation and follow the desired profile. A desired profile will act as a feed forward control of the needle position whereas the variation of skin structure and thickness will cause a disturbance which a feedback control may help to overcome.
    A problem often experienced during tattooing is that the skin surface bounces up and down because the skin is both flexible and influenced by the needle moving back and forth at a high speed during tattooing. As a result, the actual insertion depth of the needle not only depends on the pre-setting of the tattooing apparatus, it also depends on the current position of the skin surface. When the skin bounces up and down, ink may be deposited at too high a level i.e. in the epidermis, causing the ink to leave the skin through keratinization resulting in a detrimental effect on the tattoo or ink may be deposited to deep causing lines and edges to be blurred as the color diffuses through the blood carrying layers causing the skin surface to be unevenly colored (Mexican shading), Depositing the ink to deep may also result in increased health risks as this allows ink and microorganisms into the blood carrying layers.
    Beyond providing poor coloring of the skin surface, the bouncing up and down of the skin surface may also cause discomfort to the tattooee as the needle may not be completely retracted from
    DK 2017 70863 A1 the skin surface at the speed used by the tattooist when moving the needle along the skin surface. This will cause more trauma to the skin of the tattooee than necessary.
    The above problems are solved by applying an oscillating apparatus according to claim 1.
    A tattooing apparatus according to the invention comprising a housing, a handle, a power supply and
    - a needle having at least one needle tip, said needle is configured to move relative to a stationary part of a linear electric motor, the needle being configured to move reciprocating along a line between a retracted position and a forward position;
    - a linear electric motor having a variable and controllable motor controlling stroke length, position and velocity of the needle;
    which apparatus further comprises a first sensor and a controller, wherein the first sensor is configured to read the linear position of the needle and transmit the reading as an input to the controller, and the controller is provided with a profile for the linear position of the needle and is configured to receive the input from the first sensor, compare the input from the first sensor with the profile for the linear position of the needle and send an output to the linear electric motor correcting the stroke length and velocity of the needle to adapt to the profile for the linear position of the needle.
    The profile may define a movement type (x, y) of the needle relative to the stationary part of the linear electric motor. The profile may also include information relating to frequency, stroke length and other variable parameters influencing the result of a tattooing operation.
    The movement of the needle is defined relative to the stationary part of a linear electric motor positioned in the housing of the tattooing apparatus, the tattooing apparatus as such, i.e. including the linear electric motor and the needle, may further be moved relative to a skin surface, and relative to the skin surface the tattooing apparatus as such may have a velocity and an acceleration defined by the tattooist.
    According to one or more embodiments of the invention, the apparatus may comprise a second sensor or a second and a third sensor which sensors or sensor may either be configured to measure the current or the change in current in the linear electric motor or configured to measure acceleration of the tattooing apparatus relative to a skin surface in one or more axes.
    According to one or more embodiments of the invention, the linear electric motor may be a voice coil motor or a linear multi-phase motor or the like.
    According to one or more embodiments of the invention, the handle may be positioned in such a way that the handle encircles at least a part of the linear electric motor.
    According to one or more embodiments of the invention, the apparatus may comprise means to vary give while the linear electric motor is activated i.e. running.
    DK 2017 70863 A1
    According to one or more embodiments of the invention, the controller or part of the controller may be placed outside the housing, in its own enclosure, perhaps with the power supply, and connected via a wire or radio waves to the controller.
    The invention also relates to a method for controlling a tattooing apparatus comprising a needle and a linear electric motor having variable motor parameters and a controller controlling position, velocity and acceleration of the needle; the method comprising
    - providing a controller with a feedforward control in form of a function y=f(t) defining the position and the velocity of the needle y relative to a stationary part of the linear electric motor over a period Tn, the period Tn being repeated n times where n is determined by the length of the tattoo session;
    - measuring the position of the needle ym at time t relative to a stationary part of the linear electric motor and providing this position ym as input to the controller, then the controller compares the input value ym to the reference value provided by the function y=f(t) and based on the error calculated from the reference values y=f(t) and the measured value vm, the controller transmits an output to the linear electric motor, thereby correcting position with respect to time. By this function the position of the needle or the movements of the needle or the force to the linear electric motor may be corrected.
    According to one or more embodiments of the invention, the current consumed by the linear electric motor may be measured by a current sensor, and then the value for the consumed current may be provided as an input to the controller and/or the acceleration of the apparatus in one or more axis may be measured by an acceleration sensor and then the value for the acceleration may be provided as a vector quantity for each axis as an input to the controller.
    According to one or more embodiments of the invention, the measurement of the current to the controller may be used to optimize the behavior such as the frequency or the force of the linear electric motor and/or measuring of the apparatus' acceleration may be used to calculate speed and travel of the tattooing apparatus relative to the surroundings.
    According to one or more embodiments of the invention, the needle may be moving forward at one velocity or one velocity movement type and backward at a different velocity or a different velocity movement type, i.e. v»(t) * Vb(t), and normally vt(t) < vb(t), where the forward direction is a direction from a retracted position towards a forward position at which forward position the needle during operation will obtain its penetration depth.
    As a vector representing the velocity always will be pointing in the opposite direction when moving forward compared to when moving backward, the above differences for the velocity also refers to the absolute values of the velocity: |vf(t)| * |vb(t)|, and normally |vf(t)| < |vb(t)|. However, the expression also refers to that the needle may not move along a regular sine curve where the forward and backward movements or graphs are mirrors around a vertical axis, the needle may be moved according to different pattern where the forward and backward movements or graphs are not mirrors around a vertical axis.
    DK 2017 70863 A1
    Definition of words:
    Ink: liquid to be or being deposited in a subject's skin during tattooing providing a permanent coloring of the skin
    Tattooist: a subject performing tattooing i.e. a subject operating the tattooing apparatus
    Tattooee: a subject being tattooed i.e. having ink deposited in a skin surface
    Linear position: is the actual position of the needle defined by a value for a distance e.g. measured from the fully retracted position where the fully retracted position then has the value 0. The value may also be defined as a percentage.
    Profile: A profile defines a set of variables which variables define a tattooing process such as position as a function of time, frequency, travel length/stroke length, give etc.
    In general: These words indicate that the features specified after the words may be applied to all embodiments of the invention although the features are not specified in the general part of the description.
    List of figures
    Figure 1 shows an embodiment of an oscillating apparatus such as a tattooing apparatus according to the invention.
    Figure 2A and 2B shows examples of a profile for the linear position of the needle working as set points for the controller.
    Figure 3 shows a three different duty cycles for a motor controlled by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM).
    Detailed description of the invention
    Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of an apparatus provided with an oscillating or a reciprocating part such as a tattooing apparatus according to the invention. The apparatus comprises a linear electric motor 1 and a needle 2 including a needle tip 5, the linear electric motor 1 is provided with a power supply which may be a battery 3 as shown in figure 1 or a cord connected to a power source. Also, the apparatus comprises a position sensor 6 a controller 7. The apparatus is further provided with a handle or grip 4 where the tattooist holds the apparatus during tattooing and a housing 8 providing an outer shell within which all the functional parts of the apparatus i.e. the linear electric motor 1, part of the needle 2, the position sensor 6 and the controller 7 may be enclosed. The apparatus also comprises activations means which in the embodiment of fig. 1 is provided as an end-positioned on-off button 9. If an apparatus according to the invention has been configured with a cord connected to a power source, activation means may be provided at the distant power source.
    In general, a tattooing apparatus according to the invention may also be provided with a current sensor for regulating current in the coil which may be positioned between the motor and an amplifier driving the motor, however, a current sensor is not shown on the figure. Further, the
    DK 2017 70863 A1 apparatus may comprise an accelerometer. Also, an apparatus may comprise a secondary motor with a secondary position sensor, the purpose of the secondary motor being to regulate unwanted forces being generated by the primary motor.
    The needle 2 may be of any type such as round tattoo needles, flat tattoo needles, magnum tattoo needles such as weaved, stacked, round, curved or bugpins.
    In general, a linear electrical motor comprising a moving member arranged to reciprocate within an opening in, or defined by material of, a stationary member may be used in the construction of the apparatus according to the invention. Such a motor is shown in figure 1. Such motors are known and are considered available shelve products i.e. the motor is not inventive as such.
    The linear electric motor used to construct an apparatus according to the invention is able to position the needle at a preferred position with a given velocity and acceleration. Examples of a motor able to perform this way is a voice coil motor or a multi-phase linear electric motor.
    In the embodiment of figure 1, the needle 2 is placed centrally through the linear electric motor 1, i.e. the needle 2 is connected directly to and moves simultaneously with the reciprocating moving part of the linear electric motor 1. Alternative positions of the needle 2 may be possible; however, the central position provides a good balance for the apparatus during tattooing. Also, according to the embodiment of fig. 1 the handle 4 is surrounding the linear electric motor 1 providing an improved distribution of the weight of the apparatus during tattooing as the significant weight of the motor is positioned close to the needle tip 5.
    First sensor:
    In general, the first sensor 6 is a position sensor configured to measure or read the position of the needle 2 or a part directly connected with the needle 2 making it possible to establish the exact position of the needle 2 and the needle tip 5 at a specific time or at all times. Such sensors are known and are considered available shelve products i.e. the sensor is not inventive as such. Further, the first sensor 6 is configured to transmit obtained data relating to the position of the needle 2 to the controller 7.
    The first sensor 6 is normally placed inside the housing and it may function and may be a magnetic incremental sensor, i.e. it measures changes in the magnetic field of a stripe sitting below the sensor. Alternatively, an optical sensor may be used, such an optical sensor measures light intensity from a light source opposite the sensor. When a geartooth in a motor intercepts the beam, then the sensor measures the dimming in the light and then determine that there was a movement.
    Using more than one position sensor or position sensing elements, angularly offset from each other, it is possible to measure not only speed of movement but also direction. This type of sensor can only be used to determine distance from first position measurement to current position.
    Therefore, the tattooing apparatus will have a Find zero position-function, for when it is turned
    ON from an OFF mode. Or when the controller finds that the true position has been lost perhaps
    DK 2017 70863 A1 due to a knock on the tattooing apparatus or the controller finding end-of-travel points of the motor/needle. This type of sensor only counts number of steps in one direction.
    A sensor may have a third counting phase that can be used to determine if known travel length has been lost. The counting distance for the third phase may be much longer, about one count per 2mm, but can be used to regain the position without using a Find-zero function.
    Another type of sensor that can be used is an absolute position sensor. This type of sensor only looks on a measuring stick and reads its current position. Pricing and performance are factors to be considered when choosing the right sensor for the design.
    The controller:
    In general, the controller 5 may be a microprocessor which is configured with a profile indicating e.g. the desired position of the needle during tattooing. The profile may function as a set point for the controller 5, and the controller 5 is configured to transmit an input to the linear electric motor 1 making the linear electric motor 1 drive the needle 2 according to the profile.
    As the needle 2 only moves along a single axis relative to the housing 8 and relative to the stationary part of the linear electric motor 1, the position y of the needle 2 can be defined as a function of one variable t (time): y = f(t) and may be illustrated in graphs as shown in figs. 2A and 2B.
    Fig. 2A shows an example of a profile according to which the needle moves like a pendulum with a period T and fig. 2A illustrates two consecutive periods Tiand T2. The complete stroke length according to the profile is yi+y2, where y=0 indicates the skin surface if the tattooing apparatus is placed in an angle perpendicular to the skin surface, and the needle tip 5 will normally have a penetration depth of y2. This profile is similar to the needle-movements obtained by traditional tattooing apparatuses such as a rotary tattoo apparatus.
    A give reduces the maximum penetration depth to yg regardless of the desired position and the inputs to the controller, if the give is not added the needle will - regardless of the physical circumstances - attempt to punch through to the profile defined penetration depth and this may traumatize the skin surface. If the give is added the complete stroke length will be reduced to yi+yg during tattooing. If the needle meets no resistance e.g. if the tattooing apparatus is run in free air, the give will not have any effect. In an apparatus according to the invention, the give is set by controlling the current through the linear electric motor and thus the user will be able to set and fine tune the give while the apparatus is running.
    Fig. 2B shows another example of a profile where the needle 2 will cut through the skin surface and move through the skin at the same velocity as the indicated in the profile of fig. 2A, i.e. from y=0 to y=y2 the profile is the same. According to the profile of fig. 2B the retraction velocity of the needle has been increased i.e. the total time of a period T has decreased and the stroke length of the needle has also decreased and is according to the profile of fig. 2B = y3+y2 (< yi+yz).
    DK 2017 70863 A1
    A given profile may be chosen by a user depending on what kind of coloring the user is going to apply e.g. whether it is line-drawing or shading, and what kind of needle type the user is going to use. In fact, the profile is the desired settings of all the variables which the tattooing apparatus controls. When these settings are saved to be recalled back later, it is called a profile. The main purpose of the profile is for the user to recall the setting last used for a specific task or specific needle, skin type, effect, etc.
    An apparatus according to the invention may include a current sensor, used to measure the current in the motorfor several purposes. Firstly, the current may be used to measure how much energy is put through the motor. This will support maintaining good regulation of the moving parts and the forces doing the work. Secondly, the current sensor is relevant for the give function. Since the force of the motor may be controlled by regulating electrical current running through its coils, using a current sensor is a very useful method of determining the amount of force used by the motor to move, or penetrate the skin. If desired, the tattooist may choose to set an upper threshold of the current used to penetrate the skin. Such a force-restraint is normally called give.
    A problem often experienced by tattooists is movement of the skin-surface caused by the reciprocating needle's contact with the skin. As the skin is flexible the reciprocating needle makes the skin bounce up and down and because of this wave behaviour the distance between the needle tip 5 and skin is constantly changing, sometimes the skin is close and sometimes it is farther away. As an effect, the needle's penetrating depth is contantly changing. This has a detrimental effect on the quality of the tattoo.
    Also at a certain frequency this effect becomes a standing wave, this frequency is different from area to area and is higher where the skin is tighter. This is called resonance and results in a longer travel of the skin. One aspect of the present invention is to solve the problem arising when the needle causes resonant waves on the surface of the skin. Resonant bouncing of the skin causes excessive changes in the needle's penetrating depth, which is greatly affected by changes in phase between skin movement and needle movement. This may be solved by activating what is called an anti resonance funtion. Because the resonant frequency is a very narrow band, it is possible to constantly vary the frequency of the needle movement to counter the effect. For example, a tattooist sets the desired frequency to 50Hz, then the tattooist activates the anti-resonance function, which constantly varies the operating frequency around the set frequency, e.g. from 45Hz to 55Hz. This method will not detect a resonant wave but prevents the resonant wave from becoming a problem by never staying at longer periods of time at the resonant frequency should it be a close numerical value to the user selected operating frequency (50Hz in the example above).
    In general, a tattooing apparatus may also comprise a further sensor in form of an accelerometer, which sensor measures acceleration in one or more axes. Conceptually, the sensor functions by measuring a mass suspended in free air with springs, when the frame of the sensor is moved the inertia of the mass causes the springs to stretch. An accelerometer sitting on a table will show a force of 1G acting upwards due to the gravity of the earth. Rotational forces may also be
    DK 2017 70863 A1 measured with an accelerometer. A multi axis accelerometer is often referred to as an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit).
    Normally such sensors are micromachined, and often piezo crystals are used as the sensing element, but other types of sensors may also be used.
    The output from an accelerometer is usually a vector quantity for each axis, that is both the direction and size of the force acting on the sensor itself making it possible to calculate speed and travel as well, by means of mathematical integration.
    It should be understood that by using a multiaxis IMU, it is possible for an apparatus to know where it is within its own or a provided frame of referance.
    There may be several reasons for adding an acceleration sensor to the apparatus:
    1) The tattooing apparatus can interprete the users gestures. This allows the user to communicate with the tattooing apparatus, fx if the user wants to turn on/off a certain function, such as the anti resonance-function, the user might only have to make a waving gesture to accomplish this. This feature results in a reduced risk of contamination as the user does not have to touch anything but the tattooing apparatus. The tattooing apparatus will need less or no buttons/electrical contacts, and as a result there are less possibilities for moisture or chemicals to enter the tattooing apparatus.
    2) The tattooing apparatus can sense its own movements/or lack thereof, meaning that if is is dropped then it can turn itself off before landing on the floor, with the needle retracted and motor in a safe state. Or if it is simply put down to rest, the tattooing apparatus can be set to stop moving/turn off.
    3) The tattooing apparatus can adapt itself to the artist, the movements of the tattooing apparatus can be set to have an effect on one or more variables. As an example, when the „drawing-speed of the tattooists hand changes, then changes may be made to the frequency of the needle, keeping the ratio of needlehits per lenght of line more constant.
    4) Regulation of unwanted movement of the tattooing apparatus due to motor/mass movement.
    Further, the data from an accelerometer can be used to minimize the shaking of the tattooing apparatus experienced during a work session, reducing fatigue of the tattooist.
    The amount of power going into the motor may be controlled by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). According to this method pulses are used to turn the output stage fully ON or fully OFF at a fast rate. The timeperiod of each pulse is allways the same, hence the frequency is kept constant, however, each pulse is divided into two sub-periods, one where the pulse is high and the amplifier transfers voltage to the motor (ON), the other where the puls is low (OFF) and the amplifier does not provide voltage to the motor. This method has been used to dim the light in a livingroom, provided that the switching is done fast enough the human eye will not experience fluctuating of the lightsource.
    The motor will also only register the mean value of power provided by the amplifier.
    DK 2017 70863 A1
    The ratio between the ON and OFF periods is called duty cycle. A 50% duty cycle means that the ON and OFF periods are of the same length. A 10% duty cycle means that the pulse is only ON for 10% of the total period. Or 10% of the total time, meaning that only 10% of available power is supplied to the motor (See figure 3).
    Figure 3 shows a changing square wave representing the PWM pulses being fed from the amplifier to the motor.
    The sinus wave represents the power output from the amplifier or the movements of the motor, back and forth.
    The output of the amplifier may be smoothed out using fx a low pass filter, this is not allways necessary since a motor has both electrical and mechanical inertia that will smooth out the movements of the motor.
    A variant of this invention is a tattooing apparatus that uses a secondary motor, to counteract or neutralize the detrimental effects of the primary motor accelerating back and forth.
    Since the primary motor has a specific mass, and is oscillating back and forth, and every action has an equal and opposite reaction, this will induce a shaking of the tattooing apparatus.
    The same type of motor, or similar, can be made to move the exact opposite way of the primary motor, and again according to Newtons law, this will prevent the user from experiencing the shaking of the tattooing apparatus. That is if the masses and accelerations are equated. Here the accelerometer also comes in handy as it can be used to feedback an error signal to the controller, which in turn adjusts the movement of the secondary motor accordingly. The error signal would then be caused in the first place by mismatch of the forces of the two motors, then to be adjusted as not so.
    权利要求:
    Claims (10)
    [1] Claims:
    1. A tattooing apparatus comprising a housing (8), a handle (4), a power supply (3) and
    - a needle (2) having at least one needle tip (5), said needle (2) being configured to move relative to a stationary part of a linear electric motor (1), and said needle (2) being configured to move reciprocating along a straight line between a retracted position and a forward position;
    - a linear electric motor (1) having a variable and controllable motor controlling stroke length, position and velocity of the needle (2);
    - the apparatus further comprises a first sensor (6) and a controller (7), characterized in that the first sensor (6) is configured to read the linear position of the needle (2), and transmit the reading as an input to the controller (7), and the controller (7) is provided with a profile for the linear position of the needle (2) and is configured to
    - receive the input from the first sensor (6) and
    - compare the input from the first sensor (6) with the profile for the linear position of the needle (2)and
    - sending an output to the linear electric motor correcting the stroke length and velocity of the needle to adapt to the profile for the linear position of the needle.
    [2] 2. A tattooing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a second sensor or a second and a third sensor which sensors or sensor may either be configured to measure the current or the change in current in the linear electronic motor or configured to measure acceleration of the tattooing apparatus relative to a skin surface in one or more axes.
    [3] 3. A tattooing apparatus according to any previous claim, wherein the linear electric motor is a voice coil motor or a linear multi-phase motor.
    [4] 4. A tattooing apparatus according to any previous claim, wherein the handle (4) is positioned in such a way that the handle (4) encircles at least a part of the linear electric motor (1).
    [5] 5. A tattooing apparatus according to any previous claim, wherein the apparatus comprises means to vary give while the linear electric motor (1) is activated i.e. running.
    [6] 6. A tattooing apparatus according to any previous claim, wherein the controller (5) or part of the controller is placed outside the housing (8), in its own enclosure, e.g. with the power supply, and connected via a wire or radio waves to the controller
    [7] 7. A method for controlling a tattooing apparatus comprising a needle and a linear electric motor (1) having variable motor parameters and a controller controlling position, velocity and acceleration of the needle; the method comprising
    - providing a controller with a feedforward control in form of a function y=f(t) defining the position and the velocity of the needle y relative to a stationary part of the linear electric motor
    DK 2017 70863 A1 over a period Tn, the period Tn being repeated n times where n is determined by the length of the tattoo session;
    - measuring the position of the needle ym at time t relative to a stationary part of the linear electric motor and providing this position yra as input to the controller, then the controller compares the input value ym to the reference value provided by the function y=f(t) and based on the error calculated from the reference values y=f(t) and the measured value ym, the controller transmits an output to the linear electric motor defining the variable motor parameters.
    [8] 8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the current consumed by the linear electric motor is measured by a current sensor and then the value for the consumed current is provided as an input to the controller and/or the acceleration in one or more axes is measured by an acceleration sensor providing a vector quantity for each axis as an input to the controller.
    [9] 9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the measurement of the current to the linear electric motor is used to optimize the behavior such as the frequency or the force of the linear electric motor and/or measuring of the acceleration is used to calculate speed and travel of the tattooing apparatus relative to the surroundings.
    [10] 10. A method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the needle (2) is moving forward at one velocity or one velocity movement type and backward at a different velocity or a different velocity movement type, i.e. vf(t) * vb(t), and normally vt(t) < vb(t), where the forward direction is a direction from a retracted position towards a forward position where the needle during operation will obtain its penetration depth.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    DK179787B1|2019-06-12|
    US20200398036A1|2020-12-24|
    EP3710098A1|2020-09-23|
    EP3710098B1|2022-02-23|
    WO2019096936A1|2019-05-23|
    CA3118560A1|2019-05-23|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    DE102008031907A1|2008-07-08|2010-01-14|Anton Blank|Device for repetitive and precise grooving of liquid substances into skin, has calibrator, which is configured to bring piercing unit, piercing unit guiding device and drive unit|
    US9452281B2|2013-04-30|2016-09-27|Elwha Llc|Tattooing systems and methods|
    WO2015156715A1|2014-04-10|2015-10-15|Ink Machines Sweden Ab|Tattoo machine power control device and a method of controlling a tattoo machine|
    WO2016109746A2|2014-12-30|2016-07-07|William Rassman|Automated measurement and control system for tattoo delivery.|
    CN105381535B|2015-11-27|2018-05-29|王龙华|A kind of intelligence line thorn machine|WO2021127720A1|2019-12-23|2021-07-01|Inkjecta Pty Ltd|Hand-held tattoo machine|
    WO2021127721A1|2019-12-23|2021-07-01|Inkjecta Pty Ltd|A tattoo machine power supply|
    US20210393936A1|2020-06-19|2021-12-23|Fk Irons Inc.|Devices and Methods for Controlling Needle Reciprocation|
    USD910846S1|2020-06-22|2021-02-16|Fk Irons Inc.|Tattoo machine|
    FR3113378A1|2020-08-11|2022-02-18|Laurent BOUTIGNY|Device for controlling the power supply of a dermograph by manual pressure|
    法律状态:
    2019-06-11| PAT| Application published|Effective date: 20190516 |
    2019-06-12| PME| Patent granted|Effective date: 20190612 |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    DKPA201770863A|DK179787B1|2017-11-15|2017-11-15|Tattooing apparatus|DKPA201770863A| DK179787B1|2017-11-15|2017-11-15|Tattooing apparatus|
    EP18808248.1A| EP3710098B1|2017-11-15|2018-11-15|Tattooing apparatus|
    US16/763,381| US20200398036A1|2017-11-15|2018-11-15|Tattooing apparatus|
    PCT/EP2018/081443| WO2019096936A1|2017-11-15|2018-11-15|Tattooing apparatus|
    CA3118560A| CA3118560A1|2017-11-15|2018-11-15|Tattooing apparatus|
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