JP7091697B2 - electric toothbrush - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electric toothbrush with a metal tubular exterior case.

As an electric toothbrush, a linear motion type equipped with a conversion means for converting the rotational motion of the motor into a reciprocating linear motion of the brush portion, a reversing motion type equipped with a converting means for converting the rotational motion of the motor into a reciprocating reversing motion of the brush portion, A linear vibration type that directly reciprocates the brush part with a linear actuator, a weight rotation vibration type that rotates the weight-shaped movement with a motor to indirectly vibrate the brush part, and a linear actuator that reciprocates the weight-shaped movement to brush the brush. A weight linear vibration type that indirectly vibrates the part is widely adopted.

Further, as an electric toothbrush, the electric toothbrush is set vertically with respect to the non-contact type charger, and the primary coil provided in the charger and the secondary coil provided in the lower end of the electric toothbrush are electromagnetically induced and coupled. Various types of electric toothbrushes have been proposed so as to charge a secondary battery built in the electric toothbrush (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, as an electric toothbrush, it is equipped with a handle part and a replacement brush that can be detachably attached to the handle part, and the outer case of the handle part is made of a metal material such as aluminum or its alloy, and vibration is generated to vibrate the replacement brush. By providing a weight vibration type vibration generating part such as a weight rotation vibration type or a weight linear vibration type, the handle part as a handle can be made thinner to improve the operability and design of the electric toothbrush. , The thickness of the handle part is reduced to the same thickness as the handle part of the manual toothbrush, and while it is an electric toothbrush, the operability of the manual brushing operation is sufficiently secured, and the manual brushing operation is electrically assisted. It is also proposed that it is possible and not possible, and that it is configured to secure sufficient brushing power as a whole. (See, for example, Patent Document 2.).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-10444 Japanese Patent No. 6217843

The linear motion type, reversal motion type, and linear vibration type electric toothbrushes can increase the brushing force by electric power, but the structure is complicated and the handle portion is inevitably thick and the toothbrush becomes heavy. In particular, when having multiple vibration modes, the structure of the switch part becomes complicated, and since the switch is operated while holding the toothbrush, it must be installed on the circumference of the handle part, so that the handle part is It will be even thicker and the toothbrush may be heavier. If the handle becomes thicker or heavier, it will be difficult for children and women with small hands, children with weak grip strength or poor sustainability, the elderly, and the sick to keep holding the toothbrush firmly, so brush the teeth sufficiently. It is not preferable because it is not possible to secure enough time and there is a risk that the oral cavity will be inadequately cleaned despite brushing the teeth.

On the other hand, in a manual toothbrush, the cleanability of the toothbrush is greatly affected by the physical force when the tip of the filament reciprocates on the surface such as the tooth surface. Therefore, in order to efficiently clean the hair, it is preferable to reciprocate the tip of the hair at the portion to be cleaned, but for that purpose, it is necessary to acquire an appropriate brushing technique. However, in reality, many people brush with their own brushing method according to the user's preference, and if you brush with excessive force or continue brushing for a long time, there is a problem that the teeth and gums are scraped off. There is. Also, if you do not have proper brushing skills, you will need to spend a longer time brushing to get adequate oral cleaning, but for children, the elderly, the sick, pregnant women, etc., to brush their teeth. A person who cannot keep the mouth open for a long time may not be able to perform sufficient oral cleaning. Furthermore, for children and the elderly and sick people who have difficulty in self-care, even more advanced brushing techniques are required for oral cleaning by themselves or their caregivers, but not many people have mastered those techniques. In children, the elderly and the sick who have difficulty in self-care, there is a high risk that oral cleaning will be incomplete. Insufficient oral cleaning is known to cause not only diseases such as dental caries and periodontal disease, but also systemic diseases such as aspiration pneumonia and premature abortion. Sufficient oral cleaning in a short period of time has become a major issue for people requiring nursing care, the elderly, and pregnant women.

By the way, in an electric toothbrush, if the brush part (the part where the filament is planted) is to be moved up and down or rotated to a large extent, a mechanism part for physically transmitting the rotational power of the motor directly to the brush part is provided. Since there is a need and kinetic energy is required to drive the motor, there is a limit to the miniaturization of the motor, and the toothbrush body including the handle cannot be made sufficiently thin. On the other hand, electric toothbrushes of the weight vibration type, such as the weight rotation vibration type that rotates the weight type movement with a rotary motor and the weight linear vibration type that gives vibration to the entire toothbrush by reciprocating the weight type movement with a linear motor, have a structure. Since it is easy to use, the handle part can be made thin and stylish, and it can be stored in a handbag or pochette, so it is becoming popular among young women these days. However, this weight vibration type electric toothbrush obtains mechanical cleaning force by transmitting the fluctuation of the center of gravity due to the rotation and reciprocating movement of the weight-shaped movement to the brush part, so that the motor drive part and the physical Compared with a general electric toothbrush that moves the toothbrush head portion by binding to the brush portion, the kinetic energy given to the brush portion is remarkably small, and it is insufficient to obtain sufficient cleaning power.

In view of such a situation, the inventor of the present application can make the handle portion thinner like the weight vibration type, but in the electric toothbrush where only a weak brushing force can be obtained, the thickness is as thin as the handle portion of the manual toothbrush. By doing so, even though it is an electric toothbrush, by ensuring sufficient operability of manual brushing operation, cleaning work is performed based on manual brushing operation, and sufficient cleaning operability can be obtained only by manual brushing operation. Based on the idea that a sufficient brushing force can be secured as a whole by assisting by electric power when there is no electric toothbrush, Patent Document 2 proposes an electric toothbrush that can electrically assist manual brushing.

Further, the outer case of the handle portion as a handle is usually made of a synthetic resin material because it can be manufactured at low cost and has a high degree of freedom in design. However, if the outer case is made of a synthetic resin material, there is a problem that the handle portion is inevitably thick because the strength and rigidity are sufficiently secured. Therefore, in the electric toothbrush described in Patent Document 2, the outer case is made of a metal material. Therefore, the strength and rigidity of the outer case have been increased, and the handle has been made thinner.

By the way, as described in Patent Document 1, in an electric toothbrush configured to charge a charger by setting the electric toothbrush vertically, the outer case of the electric toothbrush is made of a conductive metal material such as an aluminum alloy. When the outer case is provided up to the lower end of the electric toothbrush, a vortex current is generated at the lower end of the outer case due to the magnetic flux formed by the primary coil of the charger, and the charging efficiency is significantly reduced. There is a problem that non-contact charging becomes difficult. Therefore, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, in order to prevent the generation of such an eddy current, the synthetic resin lid member that closes the lower end opening of the outer case has a protruding portion that protrudes downward from the outer case. Is provided, and a secondary coil is incorporated in the protruding portion so that an eddy current is not generated at the lower end portion of the outer case.

However, in the electric toothbrush described in Patent Document 2, the design of the electric toothbrush is improved because it is necessary to separately manufacture the metal outer case and the synthetic resin lid member, which are completely different in manufacturing method. Therefore, when the color tone of the outer case and the lid member is unified, there is a problem that quality control becomes very complicated. Further, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, if the electric toothbrush is configured to be small in the length direction like the manual toothbrush, the lid member may be caught by the finger when the handle portion is held by hand. When flushing is performed, there is a problem that a bending force centered on the lower end of the outer case acts on the lid member, and the waterproof property between the lid member and the outer case is lowered.

An object of the present invention is that the handle portion can be configured to be thin over the entire length, and the simple configuration makes it possible to arrange a metal outer case to or near the lower end portion of the handle portion without lowering the charging efficiency. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric toothbrush that can improve design and waterproofness and can omit quality control for color matching.

The present invention includes the following inventions.
(1) By having a handle portion and a brush portion and setting it in a non-contact type charger, the secondary coil provided in the handle portion can be electromagnetically induced and coupled to the primary coil of the charger. In the electric toothbrush, the handle portion is made of a non-magnetic material and has a metal tubular outer case having both ends and the inside of the first end portion of the outer case opposite to the brush portion. The secondary coil is provided with a magnetic member made of a ferromagnetic material provided between the outer case and the secondary coil so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the secondary coil. An electric toothbrush that features that.

In this electric toothbrush, since the outer case is made of a metal material, the handle part can be made thinner over the entire length as compared with the case of making it of a synthetic resin material, and the operability and design of the electric toothbrush can be improved. Can be improved.

Further, in this electric toothbrush, a secondary coil is arranged inside a first end portion of an exterior case made of a non-magnetic material. Therefore, when the electric toothbrush is set in the charger and charged, an eddy current is generated at the first end portion of the outer case, and there is a concern that the charging efficiency is significantly lowered. However, in this electric toothbrush, since a magnetic member made of a ferromagnetic material is provided between the outer case and the secondary coil so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the secondary coil, it is formed by the primary coil of the charger. The magnetic flux passes through the magnetic member and its vicinity to the outer peripheral side of the secondary coil, and prevents the formation of a vortex current in the outer case. That is, in the electric toothbrush of the present invention, the outer case is provided up to the first end portion of the handle portion without deteriorating the charging efficiency by a simple configuration in which a magnetic member is provided so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the secondary coil. Can be done. Therefore, unlike the electric toothbrush described in Patent Document 2, quality control for adjusting the color tone between the metal outer case and the synthetic resin lid member is not required, and the entire length or substantially the entire length of the handle portion is not required. Since the outer case can be provided, the design of the electric toothbrush can be improved, and even when the handle portion is configured to be small in the length direction, the finger is placed on the lid member that closes the first end portion of the outer case. It is possible to prevent the brush from hanging and surely prevent the deterioration of the waterproof property at the time of brushing.

(2) The electric toothbrush according to (1) above, wherein the maximum outer diameter of the outer case is set to 8 mm or more and 18 mm or less. In this case, by setting the maximum outer diameter of the outer case to 8 mm or more and 18 mm or less, the thickness of the handle portion is reduced to the same thickness as the handle portion of the manual toothbrush, and the brushing operation is performed manually. Operability can be improved.

(3) The electric toothbrush according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the magnetic member is made of a magnetic sheet made of a ferromagnetic material and a synthetic resin material. The magnetic member may be formed of, for example, a cylindrical molded product using a ferromagnetic material and a synthetic resin material, but it is preferable to roll the magnetic sheet into a cylindrical shape because the manufacturing cost of the magnetic member can be reduced. ..

(4) The electric toothbrush according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein the magnetic member is provided on the outside of the secondary coil at intervals of 0.5 mm or more. With such a configuration, a sufficient distance between the secondary coil and the magnetic member can be sufficiently secured, and a sufficient charging efficiency can be ensured.

(5) The electric toothbrush according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the magnetic member is provided inside the outer case at intervals of 0.5 mm or more. The magnetic member is preferably configured to have a diameter as large as possible in order to improve charging efficiency. However, if the magnetic member is too close to the outer case, heat transfer from the magnetic member to the outer case cannot be blocked. Therefore, as in the present invention, the magnetic member is magnetic. It is preferable to provide a gap of 0.5 mm or more between the member and the outer case to block heat transfer from the magnetic member to the outer case during charging and prevent the outer case from becoming hot.

(6) The above-mentioned (1) to (5), wherein a lid member made of a synthetic resin material capable of transmitting magnetic flux that closes the opening of the first end portion of the outer case is provided. electric toothbrush. With such a configuration, the first end portion of the outer case can be closed without lowering the charging efficiency.

(7) The lid member is provided with an inner fitting cylinder portion to be internally fitted into the outer case, and between the inner peripheral surface of the first end portion of the outer case and the outer peripheral surface of the inner fitting cylinder portion of the lid member. The electric toothbrush according to (6) above, wherein a seal ring is provided on the toothbrush, and the magnetic member is provided inside the inner fitting cylinder portion. With such a configuration, it is possible to sufficiently secure the sealing property between the outer case and the lid member while incorporating the magnetic member in the outer case. In addition, although the magnetic member generates heat during charging, heat transfer from the magnetic member to the metal outer case is blocked by the inner fitting cylinder of the lid member and the seal ring, so that the outer case becomes hot. Can be prevented.

(8) The electric toothbrush according to (6) or (7) above, wherein the lid member protrudes outward by 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less from the first end portion of the outer case. Considering the design of the electric toothbrush, it is preferable to provide the lid member so as not to protrude outward from the first end of the outer case, but considering charging efficiency, the lid member is projected outward. It is preferable to arrange the next coil as outside the outer case as possible. On the other hand, since the electric toothbrush is used by inserting the brush part into the oral cavity at the time of use, it is visually observed from the diagonally upper side in the normal usage mode, and at the time of charging, the lower part is fitted to the charger for charging. For this reason, the lower part of the outer case cannot be seen. In the present invention, the lid member is projected outward by 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less from the first end portion of the outer case so that the lid member cannot be visually recognized in the normal usage mode. It is possible to improve the charging efficiency by minimizing the generation of eddy currents in the outer case while preventing the deterioration of the design due to exposure to the outside. Further, when the electric toothbrush is set in the charger, a gap is formed between the first end of the outer case and the mounting surface of the electric toothbrush in the charger, so that heat is transferred from the charger during charging. It is possible to prevent the outer case from becoming hot.

(9) The electric toothbrush according to any one of (1) to (8) above, wherein a vibration generating portion for vibrating the replacement brush is incorporated in the handle portion. The electric toothbrush according to the present invention can also be applied to electric toothbrushes such as a linear motion type, a reversal motion type, and a linear vibration type, but the weight rotation vibration including a motor and a weight-shaped movement that is eccentrically rotated by the motor. It is suitable for a weight linear vibration type electric toothbrush that is provided with a type electric toothbrush, a linear actuator, and a weight-shaped movement that reciprocates by the linear actuator, and is configured to transmit the vibration transmitted to the casing to the brush portion. be. In other words, since the electric toothbrush of the weight rotation vibration type and the weight linear vibration type is transmitted to the toothbrush body, the vibration of the brush part is inevitably weakened, but a small motor or linear actuator can be adopted. Therefore, it is preferable that the handle portion of the electric toothbrush can be made thin so that an electric toothbrush suitable for manual brushing operation can be realized. Specifically, by adopting a weight rotation vibration type or weight linear vibration type electric toothbrush, the outer diameter of the handle portion can be reduced to 8 mm or more and 18 mm or less, preferably 8 mm or more and 15 mm or less, and more preferably 8 mm or more and 12 mm or less. Can be set. And since the thickness of the handle part can be reduced to the same thickness as the handle part of the manual toothbrush in this way, it is possible to sufficiently secure the operability of the manual brushing operation even though it is an electric toothbrush, and it is manually operated. Cleaning work is performed based on the brushing operation, and when sufficient cleaning performance cannot be obtained only by manual brushing operation, it can be configured to secure sufficient brushing force as a whole by assisting with electric power. Even for small children and women, children with weak grip strength or poor sustainability, elderly people, and sick people, it is possible to realize an electric toothbrush that is easy to grip, operate, and has excellent brushing performance.

According to the electric toothbrush according to the present invention, the handle portion can be made thin over the entire length, and the operability and design of the electric toothbrush can be improved. Further, with a simple configuration in which a magnetic member is provided so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the secondary coil, the outer case can be provided up to the first end portion of the handle portion without lowering the charging efficiency. For this reason, quality control for adjusting the color tone between the metal outer case and the synthetic resin lid member becomes unnecessary, and the outer case can be provided over the entire length or substantially the entire length of the handle portion, so that the electric toothbrush can be provided. Even when the handle part is made smaller in the length direction, it prevents the lid member that closes the first end of the outer case from getting caught by the lid member, and is waterproof during brushing. Effects such as being able to reliably prevent deterioration of sex can be obtained.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electric toothbrush of the present invention and a charger for charging the electric toothbrush. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the upper part of the handle portion of the electric toothbrush. FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the lower part of the handle portion of the electric toothbrush. FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the lower part of the handle portion of the electric toothbrush provided with the lower plug having another configuration. FIG. 6 is a front view of the vibration generating means having another configuration. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of formation of magnetic flux during charging. FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the upper part of the handle portion of the electric toothbrush in which the casing configuration is changed. FIG. 9 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the lower part of the handle portion of the electric toothbrush. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the winding diameter of the magnetic sheet and the charging voltage when the bottom surface of the lower plug and the lower end portion of the outer case are arranged in the same plane. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the winding diameter of the magnetic sheet and the charging voltage when the bottom surface of the lower plug is projected downward by 1.5 mm from the lower end portion of the outer case.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the upper and lower parts are defined and described with the replacement brush on the upper side and the electric toothbrush in the vertical direction as a reference.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the electric toothbrush 10 includes a handle portion 11 as a handle and a replacement brush 50 attached to the handle portion 11, and the lower portion of the electric toothbrush 10 is a fitting recess of the charger 60. By fitting it into the 60a and setting it vertically, the primary coil 61 provided in the charger 60 and the secondary coil 12 provided in the handle portion 11 are electromagnetically induced and coupled to enable non-contact charging. Is.

The replacement brush 50 has a synthetic resin handle 53 having a flocking table 51 formed at the upper end and a mounting hole 52 at the lower end, and a brush portion 55 having a plurality of hair bundles 54 planted on the flocking table 51. It is a well-known configuration in which a mounting shaft 22 provided in a protruding shape at the upper end of the handle portion 11 is fitted into the mounting hole 52 so as to be detachably attached to the handle portion 11. ..

A pair of elastically deformable semi-cylindrical locking pieces 50a constituting the mounting hole 52 are provided face-to-face in the lower end of the replacement brush 50, and an engaging groove 22a is formed in the middle of the mounting shaft 22. The replacement brush 50 is detachably configured so that it does not easily fall off with a force similar to that of a brushing operation due to the engagement between the convex portion 50b provided at the lower end of the locking piece 50a and the engaging groove 22a. .. However, as the mounting structure of the replacement brush 50 to the mounting shaft 22, a well-known structure can be adopted. For example, after inserting the mounting shaft 22 into the mounting hole 52 of the replacement brush 50, the replacement brush 50 is rotated by a constant angle. Therefore, the replacement brush 50 can be configured to be connected to the mounting shaft 22.

The handle portion 11 includes a casing 14 having a metal tubular outer case 13 made of a non-magnetic material, a vibration generating means 15 for vibrating the brush portion 55, and a secondary battery 16 as a power source for the vibration generating means 15. , A circuit board 17 provided with a charging circuit for the secondary battery 16, a secondary coil 12 arranged inside the lower end portion of the exterior case 13 as the first end portion of the exterior case 13, and the secondary coil 12. A magnetic member 18 made of a ferromagnetic material provided between the outer case 13 and the secondary coil 12 is provided so as to surround the outer peripheral portion.

The casing 14 includes an outer case 13, an upper plug 20 that closes the upper end of the outer case 13, a fixed cover 21 that fixes the upper plug 20 to the outer case 13, and a lower plug 24 that closes the lower end of the outer case 13. (This corresponds to a lid member) and an inner frame 26 for connecting the upper plug 20 and the lower plug 24.

The outer case 13 is made of a metal tubular member made of a non-magnetic material, is provided over substantially the entire length of the handle portion 11 in the vertical direction, and the diameter is reduced upward in the vicinity of the upper end of the outer case 13. A tapered portion 13a is provided, and an upper end cylinder portion 13b having a diameter smaller than that of the middle portion of the exterior case 13 is provided at the upper end portion of the exterior case 13 in a row with the tapered portion 13a.

The outer case 13 is made of a non-magnetic material made of a conductive metal, and in order to make the electric toothbrush 10 as light as possible, it can be made of a light metal material such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy, magnesium or a magnesium alloy, and rust. It can also be made of stainless steel or the like in order to prevent the occurrence of rust as much as possible. Further, when it is made of an aluminum alloy, it is preferable to apply anodizing treatment to the outer surface to improve designability, scratch resistance and rust resistance. The maximum outer diameter of the outer case 13 may be set to 8 mm or more and 18 mm or less, preferably 8 mm or more and 15 mm or less, and more preferably 8 mm or more and 12 mm or less so that operability in the case of manual brushing operation can be sufficiently obtained. preferable. The wall thickness of the outer case 13 depends on the metal material used, but when it is made of an aluminum alloy, for example, it is preferably set to 0.1 mm or more so that sufficient strength and rigidity can be obtained, and it is lightweight. Moreover, it is preferable to set it to 1.0 mm or less so that the outer diameter is as small as possible. Further, the outer peripheral surface of the outer case 13 may be formed of a smooth surface, but a plurality of anti-slip dimples or the like may be provided. Furthermore, the exterior case 13 can be configured to have substantially the same diameter over the entire length, but can also be configured to have a tapered cylinder whose diameter decreases toward the upper end portion side.

An upper plug 20 for closing the upper end opening of the outer case 13 is provided in the upper end portion of the outer case 13, and a connecting portion 20a protruding upward from the outer case 13 is provided on the upper portion of the upper plug 20. The fixed cover 21 is attached in an outer fit shape over the upper end portion of the outer case 13 and the upper plug 20, and the fixed cover 21 is detachably screwed to the connecting portion 20a of the upper plug 20. A mounting shaft 22 to which the replacement brush 50 is detachably attached is inserted into the upper plug 20 and fixed in a protruding shape upward through the fixing cover 21. In the outer case 13, an annular seal ring 23 that can be pressure-contacted in a liquidtight manner to the tapered portion 13a of the outer case 13 is externally fitted and fixed to the lower part of the upper plug 20, and the upper plug 20 is fixed to the fixed cover 21 and the seal ring 23. By holding the tapered portion 13a of the outer case 13 between them, it is attached to the outer case 13 so as not to fall off. Although the mounting shaft 22 is made of a separate member from the upper plug 20, the mounting shaft 22 and the upper plug 20 may be made of an integrally molded product made of a synthetic resin material.

A lower plug 24 (which corresponds to a lid member) is provided in an inner fit shape at the lower end of the outer case 13, and the lower plug 24 uses a synthetic resin material capable of transmitting magnetic flux, and has a cylinder portion 24a and a bottom portion. It is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having 24b. A groove 24c is formed on the lower outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 24a of the lower plug 24, and a seal ring 25 made of an O-ring pressed against the inner surface of the outer case 13 is mounted in the groove 24c, and the lower end opening of the outer case 13 is provided. The portion is closed in a liquidtight manner by the lower plug 24 and the seal ring 25.

The bottom portion 24b of the lower plug 24 is formed so as to project downward by the protrusion length Y from the outer case 13, and when the electric toothbrush 10 is set in the fitting recess 60a of the charger 60, the back end surface of the fitting recess 60a A gap is formed between the mounting surface 60b and the outer case 13, so that the outer case 13 is prevented from becoming hot due to heat transfer from the charger 60. The protrusion length Y of the lower plug 24 can be arbitrarily set, but in order to improve the design of the electric toothbrush 10 by making the lower plug 24 invisible when the electric toothbrush 10 is viewed from diagonally above. It is preferably set to 2.0 mm or less, and preferably 0.5 mm or more so as to improve the charging efficiency and effectively block the heat transfer from the charger 60. However, the bottom portion 24b of the lower plug 24 may be configured so as not to protrude downward from the lower end portion of the outer case 13. In this case, an annular groove may be formed on the mounting surface 60b of the charger 60 at a position facing the outer case 13 so that the outer case 13 does not come into contact with the mounting surface 60b of the charger 60. It is possible.

Further, the outer diameter D1 of the bottom portion 24b of the lower plug 24 can be set to be the same as the inner diameter D2 of the outer case 13, but the lower plug 24 cannot be seen as much as possible when the electric toothbrush 10 is viewed from diagonally above. Therefore, it is preferable that the outer diameter D1 is smaller than the inner diameter D2. Further, the outer diameter D1 is preferably set to 60% or more and 95% or less of the inner diameter D2 so that the electric toothbrush 10 can be placed vertically with good stability. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a chamfered surface 27 made of a tapered surface or an arc surface is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the bottom portion 24b so that the lower plug 24 cannot be visually recognized as much as possible when the electric toothbrush 10 is viewed from diagonally above. You can also do it.

An inner frame 26 is provided in the middle of the outer case 13, and the lower plug 24 is connected to the upper plug 20 via the inner frame 26 so as not to fall off from the outer case 13. In the outer case 13, the vibration generating means 15 and the secondary battery 16 are built up and down, and the circuit board 17 is provided in parallel with the vibration generating means 15 and the secondary battery 16, and the vibration generating means 15 and the secondary battery 16 are provided. And the circuit board 17 are housed in the outer case 13 without play via the inner frame 26.

As the secondary battery 16, a secondary battery such as a nickel hydrogen secondary battery or a lithium ion secondary battery is used. By setting the electric toothbrush 10 in the external charger 60, the secondary battery is formed by the secondary coil 12. It is configured to be able to charge 16.

The vibration generating means 15 has a motor 30 and a weight movement 31 fixed to the upper end of the rotation shaft 30a of the motor 30, and the weight movement 31 is eccentrically rotated by the motor 30 to vibrate the upper part of the casing 14. , This vibration is configured to be transmitted to the brush portion 55 via the mounting shaft 22 and the handle 53. However, as shown in FIG. 6, a linear actuator 70 having an output shaft 70a that reciprocates linearly in the length direction of the handle portion 11 and a weight movement 71 fixed to both ends of the output shaft 70a of the linear actuator 70 are provided. A vibration generating means 72 configured to reciprocate and linearly move the weight movement 71 by a linear actuator 70 and transmit the vibration acting on the upper part of the casing 14 to the brush portion 55 is used to assist the brushing operation by the bus method. It can also be configured as follows. The weight movement 71 may be provided at both ends of the output shaft 70a, or may be provided only on one side. Further, as the vibration generating means, it is preferable to adopt a weight vibration type like the vibration generating means 15 and 72 in order to form the handle portion 11 thinly, but linear motion type, reversal motion type, linear vibration type and the like are used. It is also possible to adopt a vibration generating means.

A bobbin 35 made of a synthetic resin material capable of transmitting magnetic flux, in which a secondary coil 12 is wound, is provided in the lower portion of the lower plug 24, and the bobbin 35 is fixed to the bottom portion 24b of the lower plug 24. A cylindrical magnetic member 18 made of a ferromagnetic material is provided in the tubular portion 24a of the lower plug 24 in an inwardly fitted shape with substantially no gap, and the magnetic member 18 is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the secondary coil 12. There is.

The magnetic member 18 is composed of a magnetic sheet obtained by molding a synthetic resin material to which a ferromagnetic material is added into a sheet shape. The magnetic sheet is cut into strips, rolled into a cylinder shape, and fitted inside the cylinder portion 24a. Is. As the ferromagnetic material, well-known materials such as iron, cobalt, nickel and alloys thereof can be adopted. However, as the magnetic member 18, a powdery ferromagnetic material formed into a desired shape and fired may be adopted, or a synthetic resin material to which the ferromagnetic material is added is formed into a tubular shape. It can also be composed of a molded product.

The thickness of the magnetic sheet constituting the magnetic member 18 can be arbitrarily set, but can be set to 0.02 mm or more and 0.25 mm or less in order to prevent magnetic flux leakage. The magnetic member 18 may be formed by rolling a magnetic sheet into a single roll to form a cylinder, or by rolling a magnetic sheet into a multiple roll to form a cylinder.

The winding diameter (outer diameter) of the magnetic sheet constituting the magnetic member 18 is set to 17 mm or less in consideration of the maximum diameter of the handle portion 11, and the operation plate 42 of the switch structure 40 described later is pushed. It can be set to 6 mm or more in consideration of the property.

The axial length (vertical length) of the magnetic member 18 is set to a length that can surround at least the entire outer peripheral surface of the secondary coil 12. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent a part of the magnetic flux of the primary coil 61 from passing through the lower end portion of the outer case 13 during charging, and effectively prevent an eddy current from being generated in the outer case 13. can.

The annular spacing G formed between the magnetic member 18 and the secondary coil 12 is preferably set as large as possible in order to form a magnetic circuit reasonably and increase the charging efficiency. Specifically, the magnetic member 18 is provided inside the tubular portion 24a of the lower plug 24 without any gap, and is configured so that the spacing G is 0.5 mm or more. However, it is also possible to arrange the seal ring 25 above the secondary coil 12 and arrange the magnetic member 18 on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 24a of the lower plug 24 so that the interval G becomes larger. be.

The magnetic member 18 can be provided inside the outer case 13 at a distance of 0.5 mm or more. In order to efficiently pass the magnetic flux of the primary coil 61 of the charger 60 to the magnetic member 18, it is preferable that the magnetic member 18 is arranged as close as possible to the outer case 13, but if it is too close, the magnetic member 18 moves to the outer case 13. Since the heat transfer of the magnetic member 18 cannot be blocked, it is preferable that the magnetic member 18 is provided inside the outer case 13 at a distance of 0.5 mm or more.

With the electric toothbrush 10 set vertically on the charger 60, the secondary coil 12 of the electric toothbrush 10 is configured to be arranged coaxially with the primary coil 61 of the charger 60, and the outer peripheral surface of the primary coil 61 is configured. The center diameter between the primary coil 12 and the inner peripheral surface is substantially the same as the center diameter between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the secondary coil 12, and the loss of electromagnetic induction coupling between the primary coil 61 and the secondary coil 12 is small. It is configured to be.

The charger 60 includes a primary coil 61 and a power supply unit 62 for supplying an alternating current to the primary coil 61. The power supply unit 62 rectifies an alternating current power source for home use into a direct current and rectifies this to a predetermined frequency. This is a well-known configuration in which an alternating magnetic current is generated in the primary coil 61 by converting the alternating current into the alternating current of the above and supplying this alternating current to the primary coil 61.

The circuit board 17 of the electric toothbrush 10 is provided with a rectifying unit that rectifies the alternating current from the secondary coil 12, a detecting unit that detects the charging state of the secondary battery 16, and an LED 36 for indicating that charging is in progress. When the electric toothbrush 10 is set in the charger 60, the detection unit detects whether the secondary battery 16 is in the fully filled state, and if it is not in the fully filled state, the alternating current flux of the primary coil 61 is received. The alternating current generated in the secondary coil 12 is converted into a direct current by the rectifying unit, the secondary battery 16 is charged and the LED 36 is turned on. In the case of a fully filled state, the charging of the secondary battery 16 is stopped and the LED 36 is charged. It is a well-known configuration that turns off the light.

Explaining the switch structure 40 for switching the vibration generating means 15 between the operating state and the stopped state, a power switch 41 is provided at the lower end of the circuit board 17 with the operation button 41a facing downward, and the lower plug 24 is provided. The operation hole 27d is formed in a penetrating shape on the bottom portion 24b, and an operation plate 42 made of a rubber plate that closes the operation hole 27d is provided. A guide portion 26a arranged above the bobbin 35 of the secondary coil 12 is provided at the lower end of the inner frame 26, and an operating member 44 made of a synthetic resin material capable of transmitting magnetic flux is moved up and down in the bobbin 35. It is provided so that it can be moved. The operation member 44 includes a flat plate portion 44a that is internally fitted to the bobbin 35, and a rod portion 44b that extends upward from the flat plate portion 44a. It is arranged face-to-face with the operation button 41a. A spring member 45 made of a compression coil spring is provided between the flat plate portion 44a and the guide portion 26a, and the operating member 44 is constantly urged downward by the spring member 45. In this switch structure 40, by pushing the operation plate 42 upward, the operation member 44 is operated upward against the urging force of the spring member 45, and the operation button 41a is pushed at the upper end portion of the rod portion 44b. By doing so, for example, the vibration generating means 15 is switched to the operating state when the pushing operation is performed once, and the vibration generating means 15 is switched to the stopped state when the pushing operation is performed once again. However, a soft switch may be provided instead of the mechanical switch. For example, when an acceleration sensor is provided and a manual brushing operation is detected based on the output from the acceleration sensor, the vibration generating means 15 is energized, and when the manual brushing operation is not detected, the vibration generating means It can also be configured to cut off the energization to 15.

According to the electric toothbrush 10, since the outer case 13 is made of a metal material, the handle portion 11 can be made thinner than the case where the outer case 13 is made of a synthetic resin material. Further, as for the vibration generating means 15, by adopting small-sized vibration generating means 15 and 72 of a weight vibration type such as a weight rotating vibration type and a weight linear vibration type, which have a relatively weak output, the brushing force by electric power can be reduced. Although it is reduced, the brushing performance of the electric toothbrush 10 can be sufficiently ensured as a whole by making the handle portion 11 of the electric toothbrush 10 thinner and improving the operability of the manual brushing operation. Therefore, even for children and women with small hands, children with weak grip strength or poor sustainability, elderly people, and sick people, it is possible to realize an electric toothbrush 10 that is easy to grip, easy to operate, and has excellent brushing performance.

Further, in the electric toothbrush 10, the secondary coil 12 is arranged inside the lower end portion of the exterior case 13 made of a non-magnetic material. Therefore, when the electric toothbrush 10 is vertically set in the charger 60 for charging, an eddy current is generated at the lower end of the outer case 13, and there is a concern that the charging efficiency is significantly reduced. However, since the magnetic member 18 made of a ferromagnetic material is provided between the outer case 13 and the secondary coil 12 so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the secondary coil 12, the charger 60 is provided as shown in FIG. The magnetic flux formed by the primary coil 61 passes through the magnetic member 18 and its vicinity and passes through the outer peripheral side of the secondary coil 12, and hardly passes through the outer case 13, so that a vortex current is applied to the outer case 13. It is prevented from being formed. That is, in the electric toothbrush 10 of the present invention, the outer case 13 is attached to the lower end portion of the handle portion 11 without deteriorating the charging efficiency by a simple configuration in which the magnetic member 18 is provided so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the secondary coil 12. Can be provided up to. Therefore, quality control for adjusting the color tone of the metal outer case 13 and the synthetic resin lower plug 24 becomes unnecessary, and the outer case 13 can be provided over the entire length or substantially the entire length of the handle portion 11. Therefore, the design of the electric toothbrush 10 can be improved, and even when the handle portion 11 is configured to be small in the length direction, it is possible to prevent the lower plug 24 that closes the lower end portion of the outer case 13 from being caught by a finger. Therefore, it is possible to surely prevent the deterioration of the waterproof property at the time of brushing, and the like can be obtained.

Instead of the casing 14, a casing 14A having the following configuration can also be used. However, the same members as those in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the casing 14A includes an outer case 13A, an upper plug 20A provided in the upper end portion of the outer case 13A, and a lower plug 24A provided in the lower end portion of the outer case 13A. ..

Unlike the exterior case 13 of the above embodiment, the upper portion of the outer case 13A does not have the tapered portion 13a and the upper end cylinder portion 13b, and the upper end portion of the outer case 13A is provided with the upper surface portion 13Aa and the upper plug. The entire 20A is housed in the upper part of the outer case 13A. An insertion hole 75 is formed in the central portion of the upper surface portion 13Aa of the outer case 13A, and the mounting shaft 22 passes through the insertion hole 75 through which the outer case 13A is inserted and protrudes upward from the outer case 13A. A seal ring 23 is externally fitted to the lower part of the upper plug 20A, a tapered surface 13Ab is formed in the vicinity of the upper end of the outer case 13A so as to face the seal ring 23, and a tapered surface 13Ab is formed in the upper part of the outer case 13A. It is sealed by being pressed against the seal ring 23.

A male screw 77 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 24a of the lower plug 24 above the groove portion 24c, and a female screw 76 screwable to the male screw 77 is formed on the inner surface near the lower end of the outer case 13A. Has been done.

In this casing 14A, necessary parts such as an upper plug 20A, a vibration generating means 15, a secondary battery 16, a secondary coil 12, and a lower plug 24A are attached to the inner frame 26, with respect to the inner frame 26. By mounting the outer case 13A from above and screwing the male screw 77 of the lower plug 24A into the female screw 76 of the outer case 13A, the upper plug 20A, the vibration generating means 15, the secondary battery 16, the secondary coil 12, It is attached to the outer case 13A so that the lower plug 24A and the like do not fall off.

Next, an evaluation test of charging efficiency will be described.
As the electric toothbrush, the electric toothbrush 10 shown in FIG. 1 was used.

As the outer case 13, three types of tubular outer cases having inner diameters of 13.2 mm, 13.6 mm, and 14.0 mm were manufactured using an aluminum alloy, and three types of these three types of outer cases were assembled. I made an electric toothbrush.

Further, as the magnetic member 18, a magnetic sheet having a thickness of 0.1 mm (IFL10M manufactured by TKD Co., Ltd.) is used, and the winding diameter (outer diameter) of the magnetic sheet is 10.0 mm, 10.4 mm, 10.8 mm, 11. The magnetic sheet was installed in each of the three types of electric toothbrushes so as to have a diameter of 8 mm, and a total of 12 types of electric toothbrushes were manufactured. Further, as a comparative example, an electric toothbrush was manufactured by forming a downwardly projecting portion on the lower plug 24 of the electric toothbrush 10 shown in FIG. 1 and incorporating a secondary coil 12 in the projecting portion.

For the 12 types of electric toothbrushes, the bottom surface of the lower plug 24 and the lower end portion of the outer case 13 are arranged in the same plane, and the bottom surface of the lower plug 24 is 1.5 mm from the lower end portion of the outer case 13. After charging according to the following procedures (1) to (3) for each case where a gap of 1.5 mm is formed between the mounting surface 60b of the charger 60 and the outer case 13 by projecting downward only. The voltage of the secondary battery 16 was measured. The results are shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

(1) The electric toothbrush 10 is operated until the secondary battery 16 is empty.
(2) Set the electric toothbrush 10 on the charging stand and charge it for 30 minutes.
(3) The voltage of the secondary battery 16 is measured with a digital multimeter.

From FIGS. 10 and 11, when the bottom surface of the lower plug 24 is projected downward from the lower end portion of the outer case 13, it is compared with the case where it is arranged in the same plane as the lower end portion of the outer case 13. , It can be seen that the charging efficiency increases as a whole. Further, it can be seen that the charging efficiency is improved as the diameter of the magnetic sheet is increased.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is needless to say that the configuration can be changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

10 Electric toothbrush 11 Handle part 12 Secondary coil 13 Exterior case 13a Tapered part 13b Upper end cylinder part 14 Casing 15 Vibration generating means 16 Secondary battery 17 Circuit board 18 Magnetic member 20 Upper plug 20a Connecting part 21 Fixed cover 22 Mounting shaft 22a Joint groove 23 Seal ring 24 Lower plug 24a Cylinder part 24b Bottom part 24c Groove part 27d Operation hole 27 Chamfered surface 25 Seal ring 26 Inner frame 26a Guide part 30 Motor 30a Rotating shaft 31 Weight movement 35 Bobin 36 LED
40 Switch structure 41 Power switch 41a Operation button 42 Operation plate 44 Operation member 44a Flat plate part 44b Rod part 45 Spring member 50 Replacement brush 50a Locking piece 50b Convex part 51 Fleece base 52 Mounting hole 53 Handle 54 Hair bundle 55 Brush part 60 Charging Instrument 60a Fitting recess 60b Mounting surface 61 Primary coil 62 Power supply 70 Linear actuator 70a Output shaft 71 Weight movement 72 Vibration generating means 13A Exterior case 13Aa Upper surface 13Ab Tapered surface 14A Casing 20A Upper plug 24A Lower plug 75 Insertion hole 76 Female Screw 77 Male screw D1 Outer diameter D2 Inner diameter G Spacing Y Protruding length

Claims (7)

By having a handle part and a brush part and setting it in a non-contact type charger, the secondary coil provided in the handle part can be electromagnetically induced and coupled to the primary coil of the charger. In the electric toothbrush
The handle portion is
A metal tubular outer case with both ends made of non-magnetic material,
The secondary coil arranged inside the first end portion on the side opposite to the brush portion of the outer case, and the secondary coil.
A magnetic member made of a ferromagnetic material provided between the outer case and the secondary coil so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the secondary coil.
Equipped with
An electric toothbrush characterized in that the magnetic members are provided inside the outer case at intervals of 0.5 mm or more. By having a handle part and a brush part and setting it in a non-contact type charger, the secondary coil provided in the handle part can be electromagnetically induced and coupled to the primary coil of the charger. In the electric toothbrush
The handle portion is
A metal tubular exterior case with both ends made of non-magnetic material,
The secondary coil arranged inside the first end portion on the side opposite to the brush portion of the outer case, and the secondary coil.
A magnetic member made of a ferromagnetic material provided between the outer case and the secondary coil so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the secondary coil.
Equipped with
A lid member made of a synthetic resin material capable of transmitting magnetic flux is provided to close the opening of the first end portion of the outer case.
The lid member is provided with an inner fitting cylinder portion to be internally fitted into the outer case, and a seal ring is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the first end portion of the outer case and the outer peripheral surface of the inner fitting cylinder portion of the lid member. The electric toothbrush is provided, and the magnetic member is provided inside the inner fitting cylinder portion. By having a handle part and a brush part and setting it in a non-contact type charger, the secondary coil provided in the handle part can be electromagnetically induced and coupled to the primary coil of the charger. In the electric toothbrush
The handle portion is
A metal tubular outer case with both ends made of non-magnetic material,
The secondary coil arranged inside the first end portion on the side opposite to the brush portion of the outer case, and the secondary coil.
A magnetic member made of a ferromagnetic material provided between the outer case and the secondary coil so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the secondary coil.
Equipped with
A lid member made of a synthetic resin material capable of transmitting magnetic flux is provided to close the opening of the first end portion of the outer case.
An electric toothbrush in which the lid member projects outward by 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less from the first end portion of the outer case. The electric toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the maximum outer diameter of the outer case is set to 8 mm or more and 18 mm or less. The electric toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the magnetic member is made of a magnetic sheet made of a ferromagnetic material and a synthetic resin material. The electric toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the magnetic member is provided on the outside of the secondary coil at a distance of 0.5 mm or more. The electric toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein a vibration generating portion that vibrates the brush portion is incorporated in the handle portion.

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