JPH029802B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an electric toothbrush holder, and more particularly to a toothbrush mounting structure for an electric toothbrush device that can be used to detachably attach various types of commercially available manual toothbrushes. It is something.

[Conventional technology] For the prevention and treatment of gingivitis in children and pyorrhea in adults, a brushing method called the bath method is used, in which the toothbrush is placed at an angle of about 45 degrees at the border between the teeth and the gums, and the brushing is applied horizontally in small steps. When brushing, it is necessary to vibrate the bristles to the extent that they do not slide sideways.

Performing this bus method manually is very tedious and difficult, and typically tends to result in large horizontal lateral movements.

Therefore, there are electric toothbrushes on the market that move their toothbrushes automatically, but these conventional electric toothbrushes come with their own special toothbrushes, so you can choose the best one for your teeth and gums. It is not possible to select a toothbrush based on its bristle quality, shape, size, processing method, etc. It is extremely difficult to completely clean the inside of one person's mouth with one type of toothbrush, and it is said that it is necessary to use multiple different toothbrushes to achieve a perfect result. ing.

Next, the shapes and dimensions of the handles of manual toothbrushes vary widely. It is required that handles of various shapes and sizes can be quickly and easily attached, that the attached handles will not move or come off during power-driven brushing, and that they can be removed easily and quickly. Ru.

Therefore, in the past, there has been an electric toothbrush in which a pair of leaf springs are arranged in a housing that is reciprocated by a motor, and the handle of the toothbrush is fixed to the housing by being held between the leaf springs. . (Special Publication No. 42-27372).

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, since this electric toothbrush has a structure in which the toothbrush is fixed to the housing by being held between a pair of leaf springs, a plate is required to prevent the toothbrush from accidentally falling off. The clamping force of the spring must be strong, and therefore considerable pushing and pulling force is required when attaching and detaching the toothbrush. Further, since various commercially available toothbrushes have different handle thicknesses, when using a toothbrush with a thin handle or a toothbrush with an uneven handle, there is a possibility that the toothbrush cannot be securely fixed to the housing.

The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is capable of extremely easily attaching and detaching toothbrushes (excluding those with special irregular dimensions) to all types of commercially available toothbrushes. To provide an electric toothbrush holder that can hold a toothbrush.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The electric toothbrush holder of the present invention includes a motor housed in a cylindrical main body, a power conversion mechanism that converts rotational power of the motor into reciprocating power, and a motor that moves into the main body. a cylindrical attachment for receiving a toothbrush that is freely held and connected to the power conversion mechanism and reciprocated; a bellows that is interposed between the attachment and the opening of the main body; a locking ring pivotably supported around a horizontal axis and coated with a friction member; a resilient member biasing the locking ring toward an upright position substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the attachment; The inner diameter of the locking ring is larger than the handle of the toothbrush held by the attachment.

[Function] With this configuration, when installing the toothbrush,
After the locking ring is swung to a substantially horizontal position against the biasing force of the resilient member and the toothbrush is inserted into the attachment while passing through the retaining ring, the retaining ring is reversed by the biasing force of the resilient member. What is necessary is to press the handle of the toothbrush by swinging it in the direction of the toothbrush, that is, in the direction of the upright position. As a result, the toothbrush has its lower end pressed against the bottom inner wall of the attachment, its center pressed against the mouth of the attachment in opposite directions, and its upper portion directly pressed by the locking ring. Therefore, with this holding structure, even if the thickness of the toothbrush handle changes, the holding force does not change, and the attachment/detachment operation remains the same. Since the locking ring is coated with a friction member, even if an external force that causes the toothbrush to slip out is applied, the locking ring will force the toothbrush handle against the biasing force due to the frictional force between the locking ring and the toothbrush handle. Press,
Prevents the toothbrush from slipping out due to increased frictional force.

When the bristles of the toothbrush are held with the tips facing outward, if the bristles come into contact with the tooth surface and a pressing force is generated in the lateral direction, the toothbrush will move in a direction centered around the mouth of the attachment to release the pressing force. It is rotatable and prevents excessive pressure from being applied to tooth surfaces and gums.

[Example] An example of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described.

Mainly referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 designates a cylindrical gripping portion which is open at the top of the main body 26, and which is further provided on the inner wall at diametrically opposed positions, on one side over almost the entire length, and on the other side almost from the bottom. 3
Each length is 1/2 length.
Grooves 28 and 29 are formed by the pair of protrusions, and a vertical long hole 32 is bored above the groove 29, and a thin long groove 33 is provided in the outer wall on both sides of the long hole 32. The top opening has a stepped opening 3 whose diameter gradually decreases from the top to the bottom.
4, 35, and 36 are formed.

Reference numeral 2 indicates an attachment supporter made of resin such as polyacetal, which is inserted into the gripping part 1, and has an annular upper flange bearing 38 that fits into the lower opening 36 of the gripping part 1 on the upper part, and several side plates 39. It has an annular lower flange bearing 40 mounted at a predetermined interval by a screw. The upper flange bearing 38 has a protrusion 43 that fits into the longitudinal groove 28 of the grip 1 to hold the supporter 2 in a predetermined position relative to the grip 1, and the lower flange bearing 40 has a protrusion 43 located below the protrusion 42. And on the opposite side in the diametrical direction is Ju groove 2.
Projections 43 and 44, which similarly fit into 8 and 29, are provided vertically. Two vertical slits 45 are provided on the outer periphery of the upper flange bearing 38 on the opposite side of the protrusion 42, and the slits 45 are connected at right angles to the top of the slits and are connected to the top surface of the flange bearing 38. A recess is provided. Through holes 49, 49 are provided between the protrusions 43, 44.

3 indicates an attachment made of resin such as nylon, which is slidably fitted into the supporter 2;
It has a cylindrical body 54 with an opening 55 at the top and a bottom plate 56 closed at the bottom, an annular flange 57 at the top and an annular groove 58 at the bottom.
is formed, and the flange 57 has a horizontal through hole 5.
A bearing part 60 having a bearing part 9 is established, and this bearing part 6
Holes 61 are bored in the flange 57 on both sides of the flange 57.

A leg portion 64 is provided vertically from the bottom plate 56, and a horizontal circular hole 65 is formed in the leg portion 64.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a bellows made of an elastic material, and is provided with upper and lower annular flanges 68 and 69 facing inward, the upper flange 68 being tightly fitted into the annular groove 58 of the attachment 3, and the lower flange 69 being fitted into the opening 34 of the gripping part 1.
The holding ring 5 is tightly fitted into the opening 35 of the gripping part 1, and is firmly held in the gripping part 1.

The annular small protrusion c provided on the grip part 1 and the annular small protrusion d provided on the attachment 3 close the respective contact parts of the bellows 4 more completely in a watertight manner. The bellows 4 seals the upper opening of the grip 1.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a toothbrush receiver made of an elastic material that is tightly fitted to the attachment 3, and the bottom plate 71 is an inclined surface that gradually rises from the bearing portion 60 side of the attachment 3 to the opposite side.

The inner surface of the receiving tube 6 forms an octagonal hole, and when the toothbrush handle is inserted, the handle is reliably supported by the inclined surface of the inner wall.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a locking ring made of an elastic material, the leg of which is pivotally supported by a pin 75 on the bearing 60 of the attachment 3, and the lower part of a spring 77 embedded in the main body 76 is wound around the pin 75. The tip 78 projects outward and is fitted into a hole 61 formed in the annular flange 57 of the attachment 3, thereby urging the ring 7 to always assume the upright position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

9 is a motor, and a pinion 88 is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor.

A drive shaft 100 is fixedly supported by the through holes 49, 49, and the drive shaft includes a drive member 11 having a bevel gear 101 that meshes with the pinion 88 and an eccentric body portion 102 that slides into the hole 65 of the attachment 3. is a smooth fit.

Reference numeral 12 indicates a switch attached to the main body 26 of the grip part 1, and a square column part 106 protruding from the back surface of the knob 105, which is curved similarly to the outer peripheral surface of the main body 26, is attached to the main body 26 of the grip part 1.
The protrusions 108 provided on both sides of the square column part 106 are slidably fitted into the elongated hole 32 provided in the elongated hole 32 so as to be movable up and down (Fig. 1). It is positioned by sliding into place. A substantially elliptical groove 109 is formed on the back surface of the knob 105 and passes through the middle part of the prismatic portion 106 and the projection 108, and an O-ring 110 is disposed in this groove 109. is in contact with the surface and is sealed. A movable contact support member 111 made of a non-conductive material has a rectangular hole on its back surface as a rectangular column portion 1.
06 and is fixed to the knob 105 by a set screw 112. And this supporting member 111
has chevron-shaped protrusions on both sides,
A movable contact piece having a contact portion is wound around the middle of one of the inclined surfaces.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a pair of fixed contacts made of a conductive material, which are installed in the circuit of the motor 9;
Its upper straight part is the upper flange 38 of the supporter 2.
The bent portion is held in the recess, and the lower end portion is fitted into the slit 48 of the lower flange 40 and held there. A chevron-shaped protrusion is formed on the opposing inner side of the contact piece 13, and this engages with the protrusion of the movable contact piece supporting member 111 to close the current circuit.

Toothbrush 1, explaining how to use the above item
4 to the holder, insert the toothbrush retaining ring 7 pivotally attached to the attachment 3 into the spring 7.
In addition to resisting the force of 7 and falling sideways, this ring 7
The handle 15 of the toothbrush 14 is inserted into the toothbrush receiver 6 through the
and release ring 7. Here, the ring 7 returns to the upright position by the force of the spring 77, and at this time, the ring 7 is engaged with the upper part of the handle 15, and the rear end of the toothbrush 7 is engaged with one of the inner surfaces of the receiving tube 6. The toothbrush 14 is moved until it is aligned, and then the toothbrush 14 is held in this position.

After doing this, when you put the toothbrush 14 in your mouth and move the knob 105 of the switch 12, the circuit of the motor 9 is closed and rotates, and the gears 88, 101
The eccentric body portion 102 of the drive member 11 rotates through the rotation, and the attachment 3 and the toothbrush receiver 6 inserted therein reciprocate about the flange bearing 38 as a fulcrum, and as it is, the toothbrush 1
This becomes exercise number 4, which is brushing your teeth.

When saliva, toothpaste paste, etc. generated during tooth brushing flow along the handle 15 toward the holder, the opening is sealed by the bellows 4 and the O
Since the switch 12 is also sealed by the ring 110, these parts do not enter into the grip part 1 and enter into the receiving cylinder 6. Therefore, by cleaning this receiving cylinder 6, the entire holder will always be kept clean.
There is no risk of water getting inside during this cleaning.

In addition, since the attachment 3 and the motor 9 are supported by the grip part 1 via the elastic support ring e and the elastic supporter that supports the lower end of the motor, the generation of noise and vibration during use is significantly reduced. do.

In FIG. 6, E represents the amount of eccentricity of the eccentric body portion 102, and therefore 2E represents the amount of vertical reciprocating stroke of the receiving tube 3. Depending on the length of the handle of the toothbrush 14 or the depth of insertion into the receiver 3, the toothbrush 14
Since the length from the top of the receiving tube 3 to the tip of the toothbrush 14 changes to LA, L ₂ , and L ₃ , the amount of lateral rocking of the tip of the toothbrush 14 also changes to V ₁ , V ₂ , and V . ₃
It can be changed to The amount of vertical reciprocation is
2E is constant for all of L ₁ , L ₂ , and L ₃ .
In this way, teeth can be brushed by varying the amount of motion of the toothbrush.

At this time, if the lower end of the handle 15 of the toothbrush 14 is used in the position shown by the solid line in FIGS. 1 and 5, the handle 15 will move left and right in FIG. To prevent the toothbrush from swinging and ensure circular or elliptical movement in the mouth. In this case, if the toothbrush bristles are used with the tip facing away from the bearing 60, the lower end of the handle 15 will always be at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 5 without swinging.

Next, when the toothbrush bristles are inserted toward the bearing 60 and the lower end of the handle 15 is in the position shown by the chain line in FIGS. 1 and 4, the left-right movement V shown in FIG. It can also be used in such a way that only the vertical reciprocating stroke 2E operates reliably.

When an external force is applied that causes the toothbrush 14 to come off during use, the locking ring 7 tends to further swing toward the upright position using the pin 75 as a fulcrum due to the frictional force between the toothbrush handle and the inner edge of the locking ring 7. ,
The frictional force between the toothbrush handle and the locking ring 7 is further increased to prevent the toothbrush 14 from slipping out.

When removing the toothbrush, the toothbrush 14 is released by pushing down the retaining ring 7 to a substantially horizontal position against the spring force, and can be easily removed.

[Effect] As explained above, according to the present invention, all kinds of commercially available manual toothbrushes (excluding specially shaped ones) can be attached and detached very easily, and the brushes can be swiveled in the upright position. Since the toothbrush is held on the attachment by pressing the toothbrush handle with the biased locking ring, it is possible to prevent the toothbrush from accidentally falling off, and
Since the toothbrush itself is also rotatably held, it is possible to prevent excessive force from acting on tooth surfaces and gums.

Further, according to the present invention, even if the thickness of the toothbrush handle changes, the force for holding the toothbrush does not change, and the operating force for attaching and removing the toothbrush also changes as the toothbrush changes. There will be nothing to do.

In addition, since a bellows is interposed between the attachment and the opening of the main body, it is possible to reliably prevent water and paste from entering the main body, thereby providing an electric toothbrush holder that is both sanitary and less likely to malfunction. It's also effective.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of the same, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of the same, and FIG. 4 is the same as that of FIG. C-C
5 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a front view showing the movement of the toothbrush. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Gripping part, 2... Attachment supporter, 3... Attachment, 4... Bellows, 5...
... Retaining ring, 6 ... Toothbrush receiver, 7 ... Toothbrush locking ring, 9 ... Motor, 11 ... Drive member,
12...Switch, 13...Fixed contact piece, 14...
Toothbrush, 15...handle.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A motor housed in a cylindrical main body, a power conversion mechanism that converts the rotational power of the motor into reciprocating power, and a motor that is movably held within the main body and connected to the power conversion mechanism for reciprocating motion. a cylindrical attachment for receiving a toothbrush; a bellows interposed between the attachment and the opening of the main body; A toothbrush comprising a covered locking ring and a resilient member that urges the locking ring toward an upright position substantially horizontal to the longitudinal axis of the attachment, the inner diameter of the locking ring being held by the attachment. An electric toothbrush holder that is larger than the handle.