JP2007202863A - Electronic toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic toothbrush which can surely and watertightly seal a recess for housing a battery, without increasing the width-direction dimension of a gripping handle part or decreasing the diameter of the recess through the use of the small-diameter battery. <P>SOLUTION: This electronic toothbrush 1 comprises: the gripping handle part 10 with the recess for housing the battery 14, which is arranged on the base end side of a head part 50; a conductive plate 40 which is attached to the gripping handle part 10 so as to cover the recess; and a seal member 30 which is interposed between the gripping handle 10 and the conductive plate 40, so as to watertightly seal the recess. A groove part 31, which enclose an opening of the recess, is formed in the gripping handle part 10, and the seal member 30 is arranged in the groove part 31. At least one place of the groove part 31 is notched in such a shape as to penetrate to the outside of the gripping handle part 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic toothbrush in which a battery is built in a handle portion of a toothbrush and a brushing effect is further improved by passing a current between teeth and brush bristles.

  Conventionally, various electronic toothbrushes and ion toothbrushes (hereinafter referred to as “electronic toothbrushes”) that can effectively remove dental plaque using potential gradient and effectively prevent tooth decay and alveolar pus leakage have been proposed. Yes. As this type of electronic toothbrush, for example, a head portion in which brush hairs are implanted, a gripping handle portion storing a battery, and a substantially U-shaped cross section mounted on at least a part of the outer surface of the gripping handle portion A conductive plate, one electrode of the battery is configured to be conductive with the brush hair, and the other electrode is configured to be conductive with the conductive plate. The electronic toothbrush with this structure effectively removes plaque by passing a weak current between the teeth and the brush bristles through the hand that holds the grip handle so as to contact the conductive plate. In addition, caries and alveolar pyorrhea can be effectively prevented.

More specifically, as such an electronic toothbrush, the brush head portion is configured to be detachable from the grip handle portion, and a support shaft made of a conductive material protrudes in the axial direction from the grip handle portion. The support shaft is connected to one electrode of the battery, and a conductive plate connected to the other electrode of the battery is attached to at least a part of the outer surface of the grip handle, and the brush head portion includes the conductive plate. The brush bristle extends in the longitudinal direction of the brush head part and communicates between the brush bristle and the spindle inserting part, and receives the spindle of the grip handle part, and uses the liquid as a medium. And a liquid path that allows the support shaft to be electrically connected to each other, and the battery is formed in a substantially disc shape and is a side surface of the body portion of the grip handle portion, and the conductive plate In the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the grip handle Is formed, the battery is housed in this recess, there is an electronic toothbrush that is sealed watertight by sealing member is interposed between the back surface of the conductive plate and its outer periphery. An O-ring is used as the seal member. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-11341

  Some conventional electronic toothbrushes are provided with a groove for arranging the sealing member on the outer periphery of a recess in which the battery of the gripping handle is stored. Here, regardless of the conventional electronic toothbrush, in most toothbrushes, in order to make it easier for the user to grip the gripping handle, the widthwise dimensions of the gripping handle are almost the same. It is difficult to make the direction dimension larger than a predetermined value. It is also difficult to reduce the size (diameter) of the battery used for the electronic toothbrush. Therefore, in the conventional electronic toothbrush, the diameter of the concave portion is a value close to the width of the grip handle portion, and the thickness of the peripheral wall defining the groove portion must be reduced. As described above, when the thickness of the peripheral wall defining the groove portion is reduced, the peripheral wall may be easily cracked or damaged when the conductive plate is assembled to the grip handle portion. And if the electronic toothbrush in such a state is used, liquid (for example, water, saliva, etc.) infiltrates from the crack or breakage point, and it becomes difficult to make the electronic toothbrush function in a good state. .

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and increases the size in the width direction of the gripping handle or reduces the diameter of the concave portion in which the battery is stored using a battery having a small diameter. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic toothbrush that can reliably seal the recesses in a watertight manner.

  In order to achieve this object, the present invention is accommodated in a head portion in which brush hairs are implanted, a grip handle portion disposed on the base end side of the head portion, and a recess formed in the grip handle portion. A battery, a conductive plate that is attached to at least a part of the outer surface of the grip handle, and covers a recess in which the battery is stored, and is interposed between the grip handle and the conductive plate, A seal member that seals the recess in a water-tight manner, and a groove portion that surrounds the opening of the recess is formed on the surface of the grip handle portion, the seal member is disposed in the groove portion, and the battery An electronic toothbrush in which one electrode is configured to be conductive with the brush bristles and the other electrode is configured to be conductive with the conductive plate, and the groove portion has at least one portion of the grip handle portion. An electronic toothbrush that is cut out to penetrate outside It is intended to.

  The electronic toothbrush having this configuration has a configuration in which a notch penetrating to the outside of the grip handle portion is formed in at least one portion of a groove portion where a sealing member for sealing a water-tight recess for a battery is disposed. It has. That is, since a notch penetrating to the outside of the gripping handle portion is formed in at least one portion of the peripheral wall that defines the groove portion formed in the gripping handle portion, the conductive plate is formed in the gripping handle portion. When assembling, it is possible to prevent the peripheral wall from cracking or the peripheral wall from being damaged.

  Moreover, the electronic toothbrush concerning this invention may be provided with the structure by which the said groove part was formed in substantially circle shape and the two places of the width direction of the said handle | grip handle part were notched. In the case of this configuration, among the peripheral walls defining the groove portion, the width direction portion of the gripping handle portion where the wall thickness is the thinnest (that is, when the conductive plate is assembled to the gripping handle portion is most easily cracked and easily damaged. A notch is formed in the portion. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent the peripheral wall from cracking or the peripheral wall from being damaged.

  Further, as one embodiment of the electronic toothbrush according to the present invention, the grip handle portion is provided to extend to the vicinity of the bristle of the head portion, and is connected to one electrode of the battery and is conductive. A support shaft made of material is disposed, and the head portion extends in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft to receive the support shaft, and communicates between the support shaft insertion portion and the bristles. In addition, a liquid path that enables electrical connection between the brush bristles and the support shaft can be formed using liquid as a medium.

  In the case of this configuration, the grip handle portion is formed with a first recess portion that forms the bottom portion of the recess portion, and communicates with the handle portion main body in which the support shaft is disposed, and the bottom portion. In addition, a second concave portion that forms the opening side of the concave portion is formed, the groove portion is formed, and a lid portion that is attached to the handle portion main body can be provided.

  In this configuration, the groove portion may have a substantially circular shape, and two locations in the width direction of the lid portion and one location on the head portion side of the lid portion may be cut out.

  In the electronic toothbrush according to the present invention, for example, an O-ring can be used as the seal member. Moreover, you may comprise so that the said head part can be attached or detached with respect to the said handle part for holding | grip.

  The electronic toothbrush according to the present invention has a configuration in which a notch penetrating the outside of the grip handle portion is formed in at least one portion of the groove portion where the seal member is disposed. When the conductive plate is assembled, it is possible to prevent the peripheral wall from cracking or the peripheral wall from being damaged. As a result, it is possible to reliably seal the recesses in a watertight manner without increasing the size in the width direction of the gripping handle or using a battery with a small diameter to reduce the diameter of the recesses in which the batteries are stored. Therefore, a highly reliable electronic toothbrush can be provided.

  Next, an electronic toothbrush according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, embodiment described below is the illustration for demonstrating this invention, and this invention is not limited only to these embodiment. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof.

  1 is a front view of the electronic toothbrush according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view of the electronic toothbrush shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a rear view of the electronic toothbrush shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state in which the head portion is removed from the handle portion for gripping the electronic toothbrush shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 5 is a case where the lid portion and the battery are removed from the handle portion main body of the electronic toothbrush according to the present embodiment FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a part of a cross section taken along line VI-VI shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a side view of the lid shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a part of a cross section taken along line VIII-VIII shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view showing a state in which a seal member is disposed on the lid shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. The side view seen from the front end side of the cover part shown in FIG. 11, FIG. 11 is sectional drawing along the XI-XI line shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 12 is the cover part shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the sealing member.

  In the present embodiment, the side on which the bristle is located is described as the “front end side”, and the opposite side is described as the “base end side”.

  As shown in FIGS. 1-12, the electronic toothbrush 1 concerning this Embodiment is provided so that attachment or detachment to the handle | grip handle part 10 which a user hold | grips, and the handle | grip handle part 10 and brush hair 51 is flocked The head unit 50 is configured.

  The gripping handle 10 includes a handle main body 11 that stores a component that will be described in detail later, and a lid 12 that is provided on the surface of the handle main body 11 that stores the component and closes the handle main body 11. It is configured.

  The handle body 11 is provided with a first battery storage hole 15 for storing, for example, a disc-shaped lithium battery 14 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) in the substantially central portion thereof, and a switch-use opening on the base end side. A hole 16 is opened. Further, an LED 18 for notifying the effectiveness (life) of the battery 14 is disposed on the proximal end side of the handle body 11 with respect to the switch hole 16. A support shaft 26 made of a conductive material is disposed at a substantially central portion along the longitudinal direction of the handle body 11. An engaging portion 13 for removably fixing the head portion 50 is formed on the end surface of the handle portion main body 11 from which the support shaft 26 extends.

  The distal end side of the support shaft 26 is configured to extend from the distal end of the handle portion main body 11 and terminate immediately before the bristle 51 when the head portion 50 is attached to the gripping handle portion 10. A part of the support shaft 26 is exposed from the bottom of the first battery housing hole 15 and the switch hole 16. A portion of the support shaft 26 exposed from the first battery housing hole 15 is in contact with the other electrode of the battery 14. On the other hand, the portion exposed from the switch hole 16 can be connected to one terminal of the LED 18 via the connection member 17 when the switch 21 described in detail after being formed in the lid portion 12 is pressed. . Further, the other terminal of the LED 18 is connected to one electrode of the battery 14 via the connection member 19.

  A second battery housing hole 25 that can communicate with the first battery housing hole 15 when the lid 12 is assembled to the handle body 11 is formed at the tip of the lid 12. The second battery housing hole 25 is defined by a circular peripheral wall 27. The second battery housing hole 25 and the first battery housing hole 15 constitute a recess that houses the battery 14.

  On the outer side of the peripheral wall 27, a ring-shaped groove portion 31 in which an O-ring 30 as a seal member is disposed is formed along the outer periphery of the peripheral wall 27. The outer diameter of the groove part 31 is slightly smaller than the dimension in the width direction of the lid part 12, but has a size close to the dimension in the width direction of the lid part 12. The groove 31 is cut so that both sides in the width direction of the lid 12 communicate with the outside of the lid 12, thereby forming notches 35 </ b> A and 35 </ b> B continuous to the groove 31. The groove 31 is also cut so that the front end side of the lid 12 communicates with the outside of the lid 12, thereby forming a notch 35 </ b> C continuous to the groove 31. That is, the notches 35 </ b> A to 35 </ b> C are formed in portions of the peripheral wall that defines the outer periphery of the groove portion 31, where the wall thickness is thin.

  Further, a switch 21 is formed in the lid portion 12 at a position facing the switch hole 16 when the lid portion 12 is assembled to the handle body 11. The switch 21 is made of an elastic member, and when the switch 21 is pushed, the connection member 17 is pressed toward the support shaft 26, and one terminal of the LED 18 and the support shaft 26 are electrically connected via the connection member 17. It is a thing made to contact.

  Further, the lid 12 is formed with a window 22 made of a translucent material at a position facing the LED 18 when the lid 12 is assembled to the handle body 11, and the LED 18 emits light (lights up). Then, the light can be confirmed from the outside through the window 22.

  In addition, the gripping handle 10 has a battery 14 housed in a recess formed by the first battery housing hole 15 and the second battery housing hole 25 after the lid 12 is covered on the handle body 11. A conductive plate 40 that is electrically connected to one of the electrodes is disposed. Specifically, the conductive plate 40 is formed by covering a conductive member having a substantially U-shaped cross section over the position of the handle main body 11 and bending both side open edges 40A and 40B (see FIG. 3) inward. Then, by engaging with a locking groove (not shown) formed in the handle body 11, the handle body 11 and the lid 12 are fixed. The back surface of the conductive plate 40 is in contact with one electrode of the battery 14, so that it is electrically connected to one electrode of the battery 14.

  Here, in the lid portion 12, notches 35 </ b> A to 35 </ b> C are formed in portions where the wall thickness is thin among the peripheral walls that define the outer periphery of the groove portion 31 in which the O-ring 30 is disposed. . That is, when assembling the conductive plate 40 to the handle body 11 to which the lid portion 12 is attached, the cutout portions 35A to 35C are formed in the portions where cracks are most likely to occur and are easily damaged. It is possible to prevent the peripheral wall from entering or being damaged. For this reason, the recessed part (The recessed part formed of the 1st battery accommodation hole 15 and the 2nd battery accommodation hole 25) in which the battery 14 is accommodated can be sealed watertight reliably.

  The head unit 50 is configured to include a flocked portion 52 in which the brush hairs 51 are flocked and a shank portion 53 that is constricted and extends from the flocked portion 52. A communication groove 54 for exposing a part of the support shaft 26 is formed between the flocked portion 52 and the shank portion 53 on the surface on which the bristles 51 are flocked. A shaft insertion hole 55 into which the shaft 26 is inserted is formed inside the shank portion 53. On the proximal end side of the shank portion 53, an engagement recess 56 that engages with the engagement portion 13 formed in the handle portion main body 11 is formed.

  In the electronic toothbrush 1 having this structure, when the user grips the grip handle 10 while touching the conductive plate 40 and brushes the teeth with the brush bristles 51, the brush bristles 51 are wetted by a liquid such as saliva. Then, the support shaft 26 is in a state where it can be electrically conducted through a path in which the liquid including the communication groove 54 is continuous. As a result, the current flows from the battery 14 through the user's hand, body, teeth, brush bristles 51, fluid path including the communication groove 54, the support shaft 26, and the path of the battery 14, and the plaque is removed during brushing due to the potential gradient. The effect and brushing effect can be enhanced.

  When the effectiveness (life) of the battery 14 is confirmed, when the switch 21 is pressed, the connecting member 17 comes into contact with the support shaft 26 and the LED 18 and the battery 14 are electrically connected. By this operation, when the battery 14 has a predetermined voltage, the LED 18 is turned on and the window 22 is illuminated, indicating that the battery 14 is effective. On the other hand, when the battery 14 is exhausted and no longer has a predetermined voltage, the LED 18 is not lit even if the switch 21 is pressed. When the switch 21 is stopped, the connecting member 17 is separated from the support shaft 26, the LED 18 is not electrically connected to the battery 14, and the LED 18 is turned off.

  In the present embodiment, the electronic toothbrush in which the head portion 50 is separable from the gripping handle portion 10 has been described. However, the electronic toothbrush according to the present invention is not limited thereto, and the head portion and the handle portion are integrated. Of course, the structure may be formed as follows.

  In the present embodiment, the electronic toothbrush having a configuration for confirming the effectiveness (life) of the battery 14 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the effectiveness (life) of the battery 14 is confirmed. The configuration may not be provided.

  In the present embodiment, the grip handle portion 10 is configured to cover the handle portion main body 11 with the lid portion 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a seal member is disposed on the surface of the grip handle portion. A groove part may be formed, and a notch part penetrating to the outside of the grip handle part may be formed in the groove part. In addition, the formation position of a groove part can be arbitrarily changed according to the formation position of the recessed part which accommodates a battery.

  In the present embodiment, the case where three cutout portions are formed has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of cutout portions and the formation location may be determined as desired.

It is a front view of the electronic toothbrush concerning this Embodiment. It is a side view of the electronic toothbrush shown in FIG. It is a rear view of the electronic toothbrush shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the state which removed the head part from the handle | grip part for holding | grip of the electronic toothbrush shown in FIG. It is a disassembled front view which shows the state which removed the cover part and the battery from the handle | pattern part main body of the electronic toothbrush concerning this Embodiment, and removed the sealing member from this cover part. It is a figure which shows a part of cross section along the VI-VI line shown in FIG. It is a side view of the cover part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows a part of cross section along the VIII-VIII line shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the sealing member to the cover part shown in FIG. It is the side view seen from the front end side of the cover part shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the XI-XI line shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the sealing member to the cover part shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic toothbrush 10 Handle part 11 Handle part main body 12 Cover part 15 1st battery accommodation hole 25 2nd battery accommodation hole 26 Support axis 27 Peripheral wall 30 O-ring 31 Groove parts 35A, 35B, 35C Notch part 40 Conductive plate 50 Head part 51 Brush hair

Claims (7)

A head portion in which brush hairs are implanted, a grip handle portion disposed on the proximal end side of the head portion, a battery housed in a recess formed in the grip handle portion, and the grip handle portion A conductive plate that is attached to at least a part of the outer surface of the battery and covers a recess in which the battery is housed, and a sealing member that is interposed between the grip handle and the conductive plate and seals the recess in a water-tight manner. And forming a groove portion surrounding the opening of the concave portion on the surface of the grip handle portion, disposing the seal member in the groove portion, and allowing one electrode of the battery to conduct with the brush bristles. An electronic toothbrush in which the other electrode is configured to be conductive with the conductive plate,
The groove portion is an electronic toothbrush in which at least one portion is notched so as to penetrate outside the grip handle portion.   The electronic toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the groove has a substantially circular shape, and at least two portions in the width direction of the grip handle are cut out. The grip handle portion is provided to extend to the vicinity of the bristle of the head portion, is connected to one electrode of the battery, and is provided with a support shaft made of a conductive material,
The head portion extends in the longitudinal direction of the head portion, receives a support shaft, receives a support shaft, communicates between the support shaft insertion portion and the bristles, and uses the liquid as a medium for the bristles. The electronic toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein a liquid passage that allows the support shaft to be electrically connected is formed. The grip handle part is
A handle body that is formed with a first recess that constitutes the bottom of the recess, and on which the support shaft is disposed,
A second recess that communicates with the bottom and forms the opening side of the recess, and the groove is formed, and a lid that is attached to the handle body;
An electronic toothbrush according to claim 3, comprising:   The electronic toothbrush according to claim 4, wherein the groove portion has a substantially circular shape, and two portions in the width direction of the lid portion and one portion on the head portion side of the lid portion are cut out.   The electronic toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the seal member is an O-ring. The electronic toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the head portion is configured to be detachable from the grip handle portion.

Images