JP2001128995A - Electric interdentium brush, vacuum device intraoral washing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool convenient in use for keeping clean an oral cavity of a person to be care-given such as a bed-ridden patient. SOLUTION: This electric interdentium brush 10 includes a brush body 11 having a nozzle 12 at the tip, a fine brush 13 for interdentium rotatably held in the state of projecting from the tip of the nozzle 12, and a motor M for rotatively driving the brush 13. The lower part of a shaft 25 of the brush 13 has flexibility, and is connected to a rotating plate 17 rotatively driven by the motor M. The axis of the rotating plate 17 and the center of the shaft 25 are eccentric, whereby the brush 13 is rotated and also moved to reciprocate in the axial direction. A magnet type slide clutch 16 is interposed between a driving shaft 15 of the rotating plate 17 and an output shaft 14 of the motor M.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric interdental brush, a vacuum device and an intraoral cleaning device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electric interdental brush suitable as a nursing care product for a caregiver to clean teeth of a sleeping sick person or the like, a vacuum device used with the electric interdental brush, and an intraoral cleaning device including both of them.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional electric toothbrush is for a healthy person to polish the surface and gaps of teeth firmly. For example, as shown in FIG. And a drive main body 104 for detachably holding a shaft 103 protruding from the center of the rotary pedestal 102 and driving the shaft 103 to rotate. Drive body 10
4 includes a motor M and a battery 105. The user grips the drive body 104, applies the circular brush bristles 101 to the teeth, and rotates the rotating pedestal 102 at a high speed.
You can brush your teeth, clean your teeth, and massage your gums.

[0003]

The conventional electric toothbrush is convenient when a user brushes his / her own teeth.
It is not easy to use when brushing another person's teeth as when caring for a sick person, especially when brushing the teeth of a cared person such as a sick person who is sleeping. It is especially difficult for a sick person to keep his mouth wide open, so he closes his mouth immediately. Also, when liquid mouth brushing or the like is included in the mouth, the mouth is closed so as not to spill from the mouth. However, when the mouth is closed in such a manner, the caregiver cannot see the brush and cannot brush his / her teeth sufficiently. Furthermore, in some cases, the rotating pedestal rotates at high speed, which may be dangerous.

[0004] It is a technical object of the present invention to provide an easy-to-use appliance for keeping the oral cavity clean, and in particular, an appliance for purifying the oral cavity of a cared person such as a sick person who is sleeping.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An electric interdental brush of the present invention comprises a main body having a nozzle-shaped holding portion at a front end thereof, and a tooth space for interdental teeth which is rotatably held protruding from the front end. It is characterized by having a thin brush and a motor for rotating the brush. In such an electric interdental brush, it is preferable that the brush is configured to reciprocate in the axial direction with rotation.

A vacuum device for nursing care according to the present invention is a vacuum device used together with an electric interdental brush for nursing care, and includes a main body having a thin suction port at a tip, and a main body connected to the suction port and housed in the main body. And a suction pump to be used.

[0007] The intraoral cleaning device of the present invention includes the above-mentioned electric interdental brush further having a function of ejecting or dropping a cleaning liquid or a deodorant liquid from an opening at the tip end, and the vacuum device. It is characterized by.

[0008]

The electric interdental brush (claim 1) of the present invention has a nozzle-like holding portion at the tip of the main body, and a thin brush protrudes from the holding portion. Then, the thin brush is rotated by the rotation of the motor. Therefore, even if the care receiver such as a sick person is sleeping, once the tip is included in the mouth, even if the care receiver closes the mouth, it is easy to operate, and the tip has teeth or gums. It is easy to find out which position is hit. Therefore, while minimizing the burden on the cared person, it is possible to clean food debris clogged between teeth. It also has a high massage effect on the gums.

Further, since only the thin brush is actually rotated, compared with the case where the entire rotating base is rotated,
Low risk of mucous membranes in the oral cavity, such as gums. Therefore, the caregiver gently presses the tip of the main body against the surface of the tooth and explores between the teeth, and at that position from the front side and the back side of the tooth,
Cleaning between the teeth may be sufficient.

[0010] Such a thin electric interdental brush,
The cleaning area at one location is smaller than that of a conventional electric toothbrush having a rotating pedestal and a circular brush. However, most of the oral cleansing is achieved by simply removing the food debris clogged between teeth after eating. In addition, by using together with a deodorant, an oral freshener, and the like, the care recipient's mood is greatly improved.

[0011] Further, although different from the original usage, it is possible to polish the tooth surface to some extent by applying the tip of the brush to the tooth surface. In some cases, the brush may be applied to the tooth surface with the brush laid on its side. By contacting and rotating in that state, it is also possible to brush the tooth surface efficiently.

In the electric interdental brush configured to reciprocate in the axial direction with the rotation of the brush, the relative movement between the tooth and the brush is not only in the rotational direction but also in the axial direction. As a result, the cleaning effect is further enhanced. In addition, the massage effect by the reciprocating motion is enhanced.

[0013] The vacuum device of the present invention (claim 3)
Since a thin suction port is provided at the distal end of the main body, after the portion is put on the mouth, saliva and washing liquid in the oral cavity can be sucked by the pump in the main body even when the mouth is closed. Therefore, the cared person is less likely to feel bad by swallowing those liquids.

The mouth washing apparatus of the present invention (claim 4)
The above-mentioned electric interdental brush is further provided with a function of ejecting or dropping a cleaning liquid or a deodorant liquid from an opening at a tip portion, and the electric interdental brush and the above-mentioned vacuum device are combined. Therefore, the tip of the electric interdental brush can be used as a nozzle. That is, the cleaning liquid or deodorant is ejected or dropped from the opening from which the brush at the tip protrudes, and the moistness of the liquid makes the cleaning effect of the interdental brush more effective or refreshes the mouth after cleaning. Can be kept. In addition, since these liquids can be sucked by the vacuum device used at the same time, the care recipient does not need to be patient so as not to swallow the liquid, and it is possible to avoid accidentally swallowing and harming the user after use. .

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiments of the electric interdental brush, the vacuum device and the intraoral washing device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the electric interdental brush of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views and main part cross-sectional views showing another embodiment of the electric interdental brush of the present invention, respectively. Is a perspective view of a main part of a further embodiment of the electric interdental brush of the present invention with the nozzle portion removed, FIG. 5 is a side view showing a charged state of the electric interdental brush of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the vacuum device of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a side view showing the oral cavity cleaning device of the present invention in a use state.

The electric interdental brush 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a cylindrical main body 11, a conical cylindrical nozzle 12 connected to an upper end thereof, and a brush 13 housed therein. The nozzle 12 is the holding unit according to claim 1. The nozzle 12 and the main body 11 may be integrated. A motor M is housed in the main body 11, and a drive shaft 15 is arranged concentrically with the output shaft 14. Further, a magnet type slip clutch 16 is interposed between the output shaft 14 and the drive shaft 15. The drive shaft 15 is rotatably supported by a bearing 15a, and a rotating plate 17 is fixed to an upper portion thereof. The rotating plate 17 has a brush 13 at its eccentric position.
Are connected to transmit rotational torque.
The slip clutch 14 transmits torque by using a repulsive force or an attractive force of a magnet, and can slip against excessive torque to secure the care receiver and the motor M.

Further, a pipe or tube 18 is disposed inside the main body 11 from its upper end to its lower end.
The lower end of the tube 18 is connected to a water injection tank 19 also serving as a bottom cover of the main body 11. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes a battery for supplying electricity to the motor M, and reference numeral 21 denotes a switch for operating rotation and stop of the motor M.

In the electric interdental brush 10, the tip 12a of the nozzle 12 is bent. Therefore, the brush 13 has flexibility at least near its tip so that the brush 13 can rotate while freely bending in accordance with the bending. Such a brush 13 can be composed of, for example, a linear shaft 25 and a number of flexible bristles 26 connected to the tip of the shaft 25. In that case, the bristles 26 pass through the bent portion 12b of the nozzle 12. Further, the shaft 25 may be constituted by a flexible shaft 25 capable of transmitting torque and a plurality of bristles 26 connected to the tip thereof. In that case, the shaft 25 can be passed through the bent portion 12b. In each case, a large number of bristles 26 are rotatably and axially movably supported by an opening 27 provided at the tip of the nozzle 12, and the vicinity of the end of the shaft 25 is rotatably supported by a bearing 28. It is supported movably in the direction. Note that the bearing 28 may be omitted.

On the upper part of the main body 11, a tapered shoulder portion 30 tapered somewhat toward the front end is provided, and a partition wall (seal) 31 is provided at the boundary between the shoulder portion 30 and the nozzle 12 to partition the upper and lower portions in a liquid-tight manner. Is provided. On the partition wall 31,
A bearing 32 for rotatably supporting the lower end of the shaft 25 and movably in the axial direction is provided. The bearing 32 and the drive shaft 15 are eccentric, and the shaft 15 of the brush 13 has flexibility at least near its lower end. Brush 13
The lower end of the shaft 25 is connected to the eccentric position of the rotary plate 17 as described above. The above-mentioned tube 18 is a partition wall 31.
And is fixed in a liquid-tight manner. Nozzle 1
Even if the cleaning liquid or the like accumulates in the interior of the second 2, it does not leak to the lower part.

The bristles 26 of the brush 13 are usually made of a synthetic resin such as nylon or a metal wire such as stainless steel (for example, having a diameter of about 0.05 to 0.1 mm) by 5 to 2 mm.
Bundling about 0 pieces, about 0.2-2mm in diameter as a whole,
More preferably, those having a thickness of about 0.6 to 1 mm are used. The shaft 25 is made of synthetic resin or metal and has a diameter of 1 mm.
Approximately 3 mm is used. The nozzle 12 is
It can be obtained by molding a hard or soft synthetic resin. The main body 11 is usually made of a hard synthetic resin molded product. The water injection tank 19 is preferably, for example, a bellows type made of a soft synthetic resin. Thus, by pressing the bottom of the water injection tank 19, the cleaning liquid (or just water) can be easily sent into the nozzle 12 through the tube 18.

The electric interdental brush 1 constructed as described above
0 indicates that when the switch M is pressed to rotate the motor M,
The drive shaft 14 rotates via the slip clutch 16. Thereby, the rotating plate 15 rotates. At that time, the shaft 25 is connected to the connecting portion 17 between the bearing 32 and the rotating plate 17 depending on the angular position.
Since the wiring length (distance) up to a changes, it rotates while reciprocating up and down. Therefore, the bristle 26 at the tip of the brush 13 rotates while bending at the bending portion 12b, and simultaneously reciprocates in the axial direction. As a result, it is possible to clean or clean the space between the teeth of the cared person and the surface of the teeth. When brushing the care-receiver's teeth, when the bottom of the water injection tank 19 is pressed to supply the cleaning liquid and the deodorant liquid therein to the bristles 26 of the brush 13, the liquid exerts a lubricating effect. Therefore, the work is easy, and the cared person is comfortable. Also,
In this electric interdental brush 10, the tip 12a of the nozzle 12
Because the body is thin, the cared person can brush their teeth even if their mouth is closed.

As the shaft 25, for example, an inner cable of a rotation control cable or the like can be used. This rotation control cable is composed of a flexible inner cable capable of transmitting a rotational torque and capable of being pushed and pulled, and a conduit for holding the inner cable rotatably and axially movable. Such a rotation control cable can be diverted, for example, for transmitting the rotational force of a motor tachometer, or the like. The inner cable is usually composed of a plurality of spirally twisted metal wires and a metal wire wound tightly around it.The conduit is formed by spirally winding the metal wires into a tube. , And a synthetic resin layer is provided around and on the inner surface thereof.

The above-mentioned numerous hairs 26 are fixed to the tip of the inner cable. The upper end of the conduit is fixed to a holding part provided near the tip of the nozzle, and the lower end is fixed to the partition wall 31. When such a rotation control cable is used, the conduit functions as a bearing that supports the inner cable as a shaft rotatably and axially movable. The inner cable is protected from the washing liquid and the like by the conduit.

The electric interdental brush 34 shown in FIG. 2 does not have a rotating plate, but has a drive shaft 15, a lower end of the brush 13 and a connecting member 35.
Are connected by For this, a rigid one can be adopted as the shaft 25 of the brush 13. In this case, if a flexible member is employed as the connecting member 35, the drive shaft 15 and the lower end of the brush 13 may be eccentric.

When the motor M is rotated, the electric interdental brush 34 shown in FIG. 2 rotates the brush 13 to clean the inside of the oral cavity of the care receiver. This does not move in the axial direction but only rotates, but the tip 12a of the nozzle 12
Because of the small size, it is possible to clean the mouth of the cared person as compared with a conventional electric toothbrush or the like.

The electric interdental brush 40 of FIG. 3 is basically the same as that of FIG. 1, the bearing 32 is eccentric with respect to the drive shaft 16, and the lower end of the flexible shaft 25 is 1
5 is connected to an eccentric position of a rotary plate 17 fixed at a right angle to the axis 5 such that torque can be transmitted. In this case, the shaft 15 is twisted in accordance with the rotation of the rotary plate 17, and the push / pull operation is performed by an amount corresponding to the difference in the wiring length.

Further, in the electric interdental brush 40 shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle 12 is detachable from the main body 11 by the cap 41. The cap 41 is provided with a female screw, and is screwed to a male screw provided on the upper part of the main body 11. A flange 42 is provided at a lower end of the nozzle 12, and an opening 44 through which a lower portion of the nozzle 12 passes is formed on a top surface 43 of the cap 41. Therefore, when the nozzle 12 is passed through the opening of the cap 41 and screwed into the main body 11, the top surface 43 presses the flange 42 against the upper end of the main body 11 and fixes it. It is preferable to interpose a waterproof seal 45 made of rubber or the like between the top surface 43 and the flange 42 or between the flange 42 and the upper end of the main body 11.

The shaft 25 protruding from the bearing 32 of the partition wall 31 is divided into upper and lower parts, and is connected by a connecting member 46 so as to be capable of transmitting torque and removably so as to transmit vertical movement. This allows the nozzle 12 to be separated from the body 11 as shown in FIG.
And the brush 13 can be exchanged as a set. Therefore, the set of the nozzle 12 and the brush 13 (the shaft 25 has only the upper portion) can be exchanged according to the care receiver, and the main body 11 can be shared. In addition, even when the bristles 26 of the brush 13 are worn, they can be easily replaced.

In the electric interdental brush shown in FIG.
A configuration in which the position 2 is connected to the main body 11 so as to be adjustable in the axial direction can be adopted. Such a configuration can be achieved, for example, by screwing the nozzle 12 to the body 11 and providing means for locking in place. When such a configuration is employed, the nozzle 12 can be used with the nozzle 12 positioned at the upper side while the brush 13 is new, and the nozzle 12 can be moved downward as the brush 13 wears. Exchange time can be delayed. In addition, even when the nozzle 12 is not detachable, the brush 13 can be used for a long time by being configured to be freely adjustable in the axial direction.

FIG. 5 shows the electric interdental brush 10 of FIGS.
A case where a rechargeable battery such as a nickel-cadmium battery is used as the battery 20 is shown. In this electric interdental brush, when the water supply tank 19 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is removed, a connection portion to the charger 48 appears. Then, when the electric interdental brush is not used, it may be connected to the charger 48 and charged.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a vacuum device 50 used simultaneously with the electric interdental brush 10 described above.
In this vacuum device 50, a suction tube 51 is provided inside the nozzle 12, and the lower end thereof is connected to a pump 52 driven by a motor M provided in the main body 11. Pump 5
A drain tube 53 extends downward from 2, and the lower end thereof is connected to a drain tank 54 provided at the lower end of the main body 11. A drain hole 55 is provided at the bottom of the drain tank 54, and is always closed by a stopper 56. Drain tank 5
4 may be detachably connected to the main body 11 and the drain tube 53, in which case the drain tank 54 is
1 and can be drained.

Further, the superabsorbent resin powder used for disposable diapers and the like may be stored in the drain tank 54. In that case, it is difficult for water to leak,
And can be discarded as it is.

The vacuum device 5 configured as described above
When the switch 21 is operated to rotate the motor M, the pump 52 is operated, and the cleaning liquid or the like can be sucked from the tip of the suction tube 51 from the mouth of the care receiver. Further, the sucked liquid is stored in a drain tank 54 through a drain tube 53, and can be drained or discarded / replaced at an appropriate timing. This brush can be used alone to suck saliva and the like in addition to the mouth of the care-receiver. However, it can be used simultaneously with the above-mentioned electric interdental brush 10, and the tip of the nozzle 12 of the electric interdental brush 10 can be used. The washing liquid and the deodorant liquid discharged from the above can be suitably used for sucking from the mouth of the care receiver. A set in which the electric interdental brush 10 of FIG. 1 and the vacuum device 50 of FIG. 5 are combined is an embodiment of the intraoral cleaning device 6 of the present invention.

Also in the above-described vacuum device 50, when the drainage tank 54 is detached from the main body 11, a connection portion connected to the charger 48 in FIG.
A rechargeable battery 20 can be employed. In that case, the charger 48 can be shared with the electric interdental brush 10.

Further, in the vacuum device 50 described above, the nozzle 12 may be omitted, and only the suction tube 51 may extend from the main body 11. Further, the nozzle 12 may be detachably connected to the main body 11. In these cases, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the main body 11 may be placed on the bedside, and only the tip of the suction tube 51 may be held in the mouth of the care receiver 60.

In the mouth washing apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the electric interdental brush 10 is used so that the nozzle 12 faces upward.
The nozzle 12 may be used so as to face downward, or the nozzle 12 may be used only when a cleaning liquid or the like is dropped. In the above embodiment, the tip 12a of the nozzle 12 is bent, but may be straight.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of an electric interdental brush of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the electric interdental brush of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a main part of another embodiment of the electric interdental brush of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an essential part perspective view showing a state in which a nozzle portion is removed in another embodiment of the electric interdental brush of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a charged state of the electric interdental brush of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the vacuum device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the oral cavity cleaning device of the present invention in a state of use.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a main part showing an example of a conventional electric toothbrush.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electric interdental brush 11 Main body 12 Nozzle 12a Tip part 12b Bending part 13 Brush M motor 14 Output shaft 15 Drive shaft 15a Bearing 16 Slip clutch 17 Rotating plate 18 Tube 19 Water injection tank 20 Battery 21 Switch 25 Shaft 26 Hair 27 Opening 28 Bearing 30 Shoulder 31 Partition wall 32 Bearing 34 Electric interdental brush 35 Connecting member 40 Electric interdental brush 41 Cap 42 Flange 43 Top surface 44 Opening 45 Waterproof seal 46 Connecting member 48 Charger 50 Vacuum device 51 Suction tube 52 Pump 53 Drainage tube 54 Drainage tank 55 Drainage hole 56 Plug 60 Cared person

Continued on the front page. (72) Yoshiaki Tsunami, Kameoka-shi, Kyoto 22-22-4 Kayanakamura, Tanomachi Kyowa Seiko Co., Ltd. (72) Kenji Ishii 3- 8-30 Hattori-Nishimachi, Toyonaka-shi, Osaka Co., Ltd. Inside Daiko Technica (72) Inventor Yosaburo Onishi 1-3-14 Yuigaoka, Toyonaka City, Osaka

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A main body having a nozzle-shaped holding portion at a front end portion, a thin brush between teeth held rotatably in a state protruding from the front end portion, and a motor for driving the brush to rotate. Electric interdental brush. 2. The electric interdental brush according to claim 1, wherein the brush is configured to reciprocate in the axial direction with rotation. 3. A vacuum apparatus for use with an electric interdental brush, comprising: a main body having a thin suction port at a distal end; and a suction pump connected to the suction port and housed in the main body. . 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a function of ejecting or dropping a cleaning liquid or a deodorant liquid from an opening of said tip.
An intraoral washing device comprising the electric interdental brush of (1) and the vacuum device for nursing care according to claim 2.