JP3569523B1 - electric toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electric toothbrush capable of reducing time and labor required for brushing a tooth and reducing unremaining brushing.
A dentition cover (11) is housed in a mouth and can surround at least one of an upper dentition and a lower dentition along the dentition. The brush 12 is provided inside the dentition cover 11 so as to contact the front and back sides of the dentition when the dentition is surrounded by the dentition cover 11. The cover case 13 can be accommodated in the mouth and surrounds the side of the tooth row cover 11. The grip 14 is provided integrally with the cover case 13. The driving unit 15 is provided inside the grip unit 14 and electrically drives the tooth row cover 11 to brush the teeth.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric toothbrush.

  When brushing teeth with a conventional electric toothbrush, it is common to drive the brush at the tip electrically, move the brush along the dentition, and brush the teeth in order. By the way, when brushing teeth of a sick person or an infant who needs care with a conventional electric toothbrush, the movement of the brush is hindered by the buccal mucosa, making it difficult to brush. In order to solve the problem, a brush protector is provided to make it easier to brush teeth (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-189444 A

  However, since the electric toothbrush described in Patent Literature 1 brushes teeth one by one in order, it takes time and effort, and there is a problem that unpolished portions are easily generated. In addition, many sick people and infants who need nursing care have difficulty keeping their mouth open during brushing, so they tend to close their mouths, making it difficult to brush their teeth, and easily leaving unpolished teeth.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric toothbrush that can reduce the time and labor required for brushing the teeth and reduce the remaining unbrushed teeth.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electric toothbrush according to the present invention includes a tooth row cover that can be housed in a mouth and surround at least one of an upper tooth row and a lower tooth row along a tooth row; A brush provided inside the dentition cover so as to come into contact with the front side and the back side of the dentition when the cover surrounds the dentition, and a drive unit for electrically brushing and driving the dentition cover with respect to the dentition. And characterized in that:

  When brushing teeth with the electric toothbrush according to the present invention, first, the dentition cover is housed in the mouth, and the dentition cover surrounds at least one of the upper dentition and the lower dentition along the dentition. At this time, the brush contacts the front side and the back side of the tooth row. If the drive unit drives the dentition cover to electrically brush the dentition, the brush can simultaneously brush the front and back sides of the dentition. In this way, the entire dentition can be brushed at once, so that the time and labor required for brushing the tooth can be reduced, and the remaining unbrushed brush can be reduced. In particular, when brushing the teeth of a sick person or infant who needs nursing care, the teeth can be easily brushed in a short time, so that the pain of keeping the mouth open when brushing the teeth can be reduced.

  In the present invention, the brush is preferably provided so as to contact not only the front side and the back side of the tooth row but also the entire crown. If the dentition cover is configured to surround only one of the upper dentition and the lower dentition along the dentition, the dentition cover may be used exclusively for the upper dentition or the lower dentition, or may be used for both. You may. The driving unit may be driven by any electric supply system such as a battery or charging. Further, the driving unit may perform any kind of tooth brushing driving such as reciprocating motion, vibration or rotational motion in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction.

  The electric toothbrush according to the present invention has a cover case, the cover case can be housed in a mouth and surrounds a side portion of the dentition cover, the dentition cover is formed of an endless belt, and the driving unit is A plurality of rollers and a rotation drive unit, wherein each roller is rotatably provided on the cover case so as to cover the tooth row cover and move the tooth row cover along the tooth row; The part is provided on the cover case so that the roller can be rotated electrically.

  In the configuration having the cover case as described above, when brushing the teeth, the cover case is first housed in the mouth, and at least one of the upper dentition and the lower dentition is surrounded by the dentition cover along the dentition. Since the cover case surrounds the side of the dentition cover, it is possible to prevent the dentition cover from damaging the buccal mucosa when brushing the teeth. The brush contacts the front and back of the dentition. If the roller is electrically rotated by the rotation drive unit and the dentition cover is moved along the dentition, the front and back sides of the dentition can be simultaneously brushed with a brush. In addition, it is preferable that the rotation drive unit of the drive unit rotates the rollers alternately and shortly in the forward and reverse directions, thereby causing the tooth row cover to reciprocate shortly. This allows the brush to enter the gap between the teeth and reduce unpolished residue.

  The electric toothbrush according to the present invention may have a liquid agent supply unit for supplying a liquid agent to the inside of the dentition cover, and a liquid suction unit for sucking liquid from the inside of the dentition cover. Good. As the liquid agent, for example, a liquid toothpaste, a chemical solution containing a fluorine compound or a bactericide, or the like can be used. The liquid is saliva, liquid preparation, or the like. In the configuration including the liquid agent supply unit and the liquid suction unit, when brushing the teeth, after the dentition cover is accommodated in the mouth, the liquid agent supply unit supplies the liquid agent to the inside of the dentition cover to brush the teeth. Thereby, the trouble of searching for or attaching the liquid agent can be saved. When a chemical solution containing a fluorine compound is used as a solution, the fluorine compound can act efficiently, and it can be expected to be effective in strengthening teeth and preventing tooth decay. When a medicinal solution containing a bactericide is used as a liquid agent, the bactericide can act efficiently, and an effect can be expected for improvement of periodontal disease. During brushing, the liquid is sucked from the inside of the dentition cover by the liquid suction unit. This can prevent liquids such as saliva and liquids from overflowing from the mouth. In particular, when brushing the teeth of a sick person or infant requiring care, accidental ingestion of liquid can be prevented.

  Also, in the electric toothbrush according to the present invention, the tooth row cover includes an upper tooth cover and a lower tooth cover, the upper tooth cover surrounds the upper tooth row along the tooth row, and the lower tooth cover is lower. The dentition may be surrounded along the dentition, and the driving unit may have a configuration in which the upper tooth cover and the lower tooth cover are electrically brushed and driven. Thus, in the configuration in which the tooth row cover includes the upper tooth cover and the lower tooth cover, the upper tooth row and the lower tooth row can be simultaneously brushed. Therefore, the time and labor required for brushing the teeth can be further reduced as compared with the case where the upper dentition and the lower dentition are separately brushed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric toothbrush that can reduce the time and labor required for brushing the teeth and reduce the remaining unbrushed teeth.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 4 show an electric toothbrush according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the electric toothbrush 10 includes a tooth row cover 11, a brush 12, a cover case 13, a grip portion 14, and a drive portion 15.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tooth row cover 11 is formed in a tooth row shape with a curved front outer shape, and can be stored in the mouth. The dentition cover 11 has a front wall 16, a back wall 17, an end wall 18, and a cover 19, and is configured to be able to surround an upper dentition or a lower dentition along the dentition 1. . The dentition cover 11 has an opening 11 a for accommodating the dentition 1. The front wall 16 is provided along the front side of the tooth row 1 and facing the front side of the tooth row 1. The back wall 17 is provided along the back side of the tooth row 1 so as to face the back side of the tooth row 1. The end wall 18 is provided along the innermost molar 1a so as to connect the ends of the front wall 16 and the rear wall 17 behind the molar 1a. As shown in FIG. 2A, the front wall 16 and the rear wall 17 have higher end portions. The cover portion 19 is provided on the end side facing the occlusal surface of the molar 1a so as to close the gap between the raised front wall 16 and rear wall 17 and the end wall 18. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2C, the tooth row cover 11 does not have the covering portion 19 in the middle portion, and when the tooth row cover 11 is put on the tooth row 1, the front teeth of the tooth row 1 have the front end of the front wall. 16 and the rear wall 17.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 (b) and 2 (c), the brush 12 is provided on the inside of the front wall 16, the back wall 17, the end wall 18 and the covering portion 19 so as to be substantially perpendicular to the respective inner surfaces. It is provided with flocking. The brush 12 is provided such that, when the dentition 1 is surrounded by the dentition cover 11, the distal end thereof comes into contact with the front and back sides of the dentition 1, the side surface of the innermost molar 1 a, and the occlusal surface of the molar 1 a. I have.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cover case 13 is large enough to be accommodated in the mouth, and the side of the opening 11 a of the tooth row cover 11 is open. The cover case 13 surrounds the tooth row cover 11 and covers the outside of the front wall 16, the back wall 17, the end wall 18, and the cover 19. The cover case 13 is provided at a predetermined distance from the tooth row cover 11 so that the tooth row cover 11 can reciprocate in the front-rear direction. The cover case 13 has a smooth shape with a rounded surface so as not to damage the mucous membrane in the mouth when stored in the mouth.

  The grip 14 is provided integrally with the cover case 13. The grip portion 14 is provided at the center of the cover case 13 so as to protrude forward from the mouth when the dentition 1 is surrounded by the dentition cover 11.

  The drive unit 15 is provided inside the grip unit 14 and has a power source 20 composed of a dry battery or a rechargeable battery and a reciprocating drive unit 21. A switch (not shown) is connected to the power supply 20. The reciprocating drive unit 21 is fixed to the grip unit 14 and is driven to rotate by the power supply 20. The two transmission gears 23 that transmit the rotation of the motor 22 mesh with each other. A ring gear 24 meshing with the gear 23 to change the rotation surface, a link 25 having one end connected to the ring gear 24, and a piston 26 connected to the other end of the link 25 and capable of reciprocating by the rotation of the ring gear 24. Have. The tip of the piston 26 is connected to the front wall 16 of the dentition cover 11. Thus, the drive unit 15 is configured to reciprocate the tooth row cover 11 in the front-rear direction with respect to the tooth row 1 and electrically drive the tooth brushing.

Next, the operation will be described.
When brushing teeth with the electric toothbrush 10, first, as shown in FIG. 3, the cover case 13 is housed in the mouth, and the dentition cover 11 surrounds the upper dentition or the lower dentition along the dentition 1. The front case of the upper dentition and the lower dentition are lightly engaged with each other to hold the cover case 13 in the mouth. Since the cover case 13 surrounds the side of the dentition cover 11, it is possible to prevent the dentition cover 11 from damaging the buccal mucosa when brushing the teeth. As shown in FIGS. 2 (b), 2 (c) and 3, the brush 12 comes into contact with the front side and the back side of the dentition 1, the side surface of the innermost molar 1a, and the occlusal surface of the molar 1a. The switch is turned on, and the drive unit 15 is driven to reciprocate the dentition cover 11 in the front-rear direction with respect to the dentition 1. By this brushing drive, the brush 12 can simultaneously brush the front and back sides of the dentition 1, the side surfaces of the molar teeth 1a, and the occlusal surface of the molar teeth 1a.

  In this manner, the electric toothbrush 10 can brush the entire dentition 1 at a time, so that the time and labor required for brushing the tooth can be reduced, and the unpolished tooth can be reduced. In particular, when brushing the teeth of a sick or infant who needs nursing care, the teeth can be easily brushed in a short time, so that the pain of having the teeth open with the mouth open can be reduced.

  The electric toothbrush 10 may be configured such that the drive unit 15 rotates the dentition cover 11 alternately forward and backward along the dentition 1. When the tooth row cover 11 rotates in this way, since the tooth row 1 is not in an accurate arc shape, a brush pressure is generated at a contact portion between the brush 12 and the teeth, and the teeth can be brushed effectively.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the electric toothbrush 10 includes a liquid agent supply unit 27 for supplying a liquid agent to the inside of the dentition cover 11 and a liquid suction unit 28 for sucking a liquid from the inside of the dentition cover 11. , May have. The liquid material supply unit 27 includes a manual pump 29 provided at an end of the grip 14 and containing the liquid material, and a supply pipe 30 for supplying the liquid material from the manual pump 29 to the inside of the dentition cover 11. ing. The manual pump 29 has a liquid supply port. The liquid suction part 28 has a pipe shape and communicates with the inside of the tooth row cover 11 at a position near the center of the front wall 16. The liquid suction unit 28 has a suction port 31 protruding from the cover case 13 near the grip unit 14 for connecting a suction device.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, when brushing the teeth, after the dentition cover 11 is accommodated in the mouth, the liquid agent supply unit 27 supplies a liquid agent inside the dentition cover 11 to brush the teeth. Thereby, the trouble of searching for or attaching the liquid agent can be saved. When a chemical solution containing a fluorine compound is used as a solution, the fluorine compound can act efficiently, and it can be expected to be effective in strengthening teeth and preventing tooth decay. When a medicinal solution containing a bactericide is used as a liquid agent, the bactericide can act efficiently, and an effect can be expected for improvement of periodontal disease. During brushing, the liquid is sucked from the inside of the dentition cover 11 by the liquid suction unit 28. This can prevent the liquid from overflowing from the mouth. In particular, when brushing the teeth of a sick person or infant requiring care, accidental ingestion of liquid can be prevented.

FIG. 5 shows an electric toothbrush according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 5, the electric toothbrush 50 has a dentition cover 51, a brush 52, a cover case 53, a grip portion 54, and a driving portion 55.

  The dentition cover 51 is formed of an endless belt, is formed in a dentition shape with a curved front outer shape, and can be accommodated in the mouth. The dentition cover 51 is configured to surround the upper dentition or the lower dentition along the dentition. The dentition cover 51 has an opening 51a for accommodating the dentition. The dentition cover 51 is provided facing the dentition along the front side, the back side, and the side surface of the innermost molars of the dentition. The dentition cover 51 is provided with cuts 51b to 51f along the longitudinal direction of the belt at the corners at both ends near the front side of the dentition and near the innermost molar when facing the dentition. have.

  The brush 52 is provided on the inner side of the dentition cover 51 so that the brush is implanted substantially perpendicularly to the inner surface of the dentition cover 51. The brush 52 is provided so that when the dentition is surrounded by the dentition cover 51, the front end, the back side, and the side surface of the innermost molar are contacted at the tip.

  The cover case 53 has a size that can be accommodated in the mouth, and the side of the opening 51 a of the tooth row cover 51 is open. The cover case 53 covers the outside of the dentition cover 51 so as to surround the side of the dentition cover 51. The cover case 53 has a smooth rounded surface so as not to damage the mucous membrane in the mouth when the cover case 53 is stored in the mouth.

  The grip 54 is provided integrally with the cover case 53. The grip portion 54 is provided at the center of the cover case 53 so as to protrude forward from the mouth when the dentition is surrounded by the dentition cover 51.

  The drive unit 55 is provided inside the grip unit 54, and includes a power supply 56 composed of a dry battery or a rechargeable battery, a plurality of rollers 57a to 57r, and a rotation drive unit 58. A switch (not shown) is connected to the power supply 56. Each of the rollers 57 a to 57 r is provided according to the shape of the tooth row cover 51. Each of the rollers 57a to 57r is hung on the dentition cover 51, and is rotatably provided with a central axis supported by a cover case 53 so as to move the dentition cover 51 along the dentition. The dentition cover 51 is divided into two inside and outside by cuts 51b to 51f. Rollers 57a and 57b, rollers 57c and 57d, and rollers 57e and 57f are provided between the cuts 51b. Rollers 57g and 57h forming a pair are provided between the cuts 51c. Rollers 57i and 57j forming a pair are provided between the cuts 57d. Rollers 57o and 57p forming a pair are provided between the cuts 57e. Rollers 57q and 57r forming a pair are provided between the cuts 57f. Further, rollers 57k, 57l, 57m, and 57n are provided at positions on the back side opposite to the cuts 51b on the front side of the tooth row cover 51. The rollers 57a and 57b, rollers 57c and 57d, rollers 57e and 57f, rollers 57g and 57h, rollers 57i and 57j, rollers 57o and 57p, and rollers 57q and 57r, which form a pair, respectively, are tooth rows. The tooth row cover 51 is movable in contact with the inside or outside of the cover 51.

  The rotation drive unit 58 includes a coil 59 fixed to the grip unit 54 and connected to the power supply 56, a pair of annular permanent magnets 60 installed at both ends of the coil 59 such that the same poles face each other, a coil 59, An iron core 61 is provided at the center of the permanent magnet 60 so as to be movable back and forth along its central axis, and is magnetized by a current flowing through the coil 59, a latch 62 having one end connected to the iron core 61, and a grip 54. It has a pinion 63 supported by a shaft and engaged with the other end of the latch 62 and having a friction wheel on one end, and a balance weight 64 connected to the iron core 61. The friction wheel of the pinion 63 is adapted to frictionally transmit with a roller 57d which is hung on a portion divided outward by a cut 51b on the front side of the tooth row cover 51.

  The rotation drive unit 58 reverses the polarity of the iron core 61 by reversing the direction of the current flowing through the coil 59 in a short time. As a result, the iron core 61 moves back and forth due to the interaction with the permanent magnet 60 to vibrate the latch 62, and the roller 57 d is alternately and shortly rotated in the forward and reverse directions via the pinion 63. Thus, the drive unit 55 causes the tooth row cover 51 to reciprocate shortly. As described above, the rotation drive unit 58 is configured to electrically drive the brushing.

Next, the operation will be described.
When brushing teeth with the electric toothbrush 50, first, the toothbrush covers the entire case along with the upper dentition or the lower dentition with the dentition cover 51. The front teeth of the upper dentition and the lower dentition are lightly engaged with each other to hold the cover case 53 in the mouth. Since the cover case 53 surrounds the side of the dentition cover 51, it is possible to prevent the dentition cover 51 from damaging the buccal mucosa when brushing the teeth. The brush 52 contacts the front side, the back side, and the side of the innermost molar of the dentition. When the switch is turned on, the drive unit 55 is driven to reciprocate the dentition cover 51 shortly along the dentition. By this brushing drive, the brush 52 can simultaneously brush the front side, the back side, and the side surfaces of the molar teeth with the brush 52. In addition, the brush 52 can be inserted into the gap between the teeth, and the unpolished residue can be reduced.

  As described above, the electric toothbrush 50 can brush the entire dentition at a time, so that the time and labor required for brushing the tooth can be reduced, and the remaining unbrushed tooth can be reduced. In particular, when brushing the teeth of a sick or infant who needs nursing care, the teeth can be easily brushed in a short time, so that the pain of having the teeth open with the mouth open can be reduced. Note that the tooth row cover 51 may be bent at one edge side so as to cover the front end side of the tooth row in a lid shape, and a brush may be provided on an inner surface thereof. In this case, not only the side surface of the dentition but also the occlusal surface can be polished.

It is a front view showing the electric toothbrush of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a tooth row cover, FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along line AA of the tooth row cover, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view showing the tooth row cover and brush. It is sectional drawing. It is sectional drawing which shows the use condition of the electric toothbrush shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the modification which has the liquid agent supply part and the liquid suction part of the electric toothbrush shown in FIG. It is a front view showing the electric toothbrush of a 2nd embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of reference numerals

Reference Signs List 1 tooth row 1a molar 10 electric toothbrush 11 tooth row cover 12 brush 13 cover case 14 grip 15 drive section 16 front wall 17 back wall 18 end wall 19 covering section 20 power supply 21 reciprocating drive section 22 motor 23 transmission gear 24 ring gear 25 Link 26 Piston 27 Liquid material supply unit 28 Liquid suction unit 29 Manual pump 30 Supply pipe 31 Suction port

Claims (3)

A dentition cover that can be accommodated in the mouth and surround at least one of the upper dentition and the lower dentition along the dentition,
A brush provided inside the dentition cover so as to contact the front side and the back side of the dentition when surrounding the dentition with the dentition cover,
A drive unit for electrically brushing and driving the dentition cover with respect to the dentition,
And a cover case,
The cover case can be housed in the mouth and surrounds the side of the dentition cover,
The dentition cover comprises an endless belt,
The drive unit has a plurality of rollers and a rotation drive unit, and each roller is rotatably provided on the cover case so as to cover the tooth row cover and move the tooth row cover along the tooth row. The rotation drive unit is provided on the cover case so that the roller can be electrically rotated.
Characterized electric toothbrush. A liquid material supply unit for supplying a liquid material to the inside of the dentition cover,
A liquid suction unit for sucking liquid from the inside of the dentition cover,
The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, further comprising: The dentition cover includes an upper tooth cover and a lower tooth cover. The upper tooth cover surrounds the upper dentition along the dentition, and the lower tooth cover surrounds the lower dentition along the dentition. And
The drive unit has a configuration in which the upper tooth cover and the lower tooth cover are electrically brushed and driven.
The electric toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

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