JP2012125405A - Gum massaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gum massaging device having a structure capable of generating audible vibration and ultrasonic vibration by a single vibrating element with respect to a thin-film vibrator embedded in a mouthpiece, and capable of providing effects using both the audible vibration and the ultrasonic vibration from one massaging device by adjustment of frequencies generated from the vibrating element.SOLUTION: A mouthpiece 4 is constructed having vibration generating means 3 including an ultra magnetostrictive element 2 joined to a vibrator 1 both sides of which are engaged by upper and lower teeth, and a coil 7 wound around the ultra magnetostrictive element 2 for applying a magnetic field. The audible vibration and the ultrasonic vibration generated in the ultra magnetostrictive element 2 are transmitted to the vibrator 1.

Description

  The present invention relates to a gum massage device that promotes blood circulation by applying vibrations to the gums through upper and lower teeth and massaging the gums, and prevents or improves periodontal disease and the like.

  Periodontal disease is caused by bacteria in dental plaque, and ischemic damage caused by congestion of periodontal tissue is also cited as a factor. For this reason, conventionally, in order to prevent or improve periodontal disease, it is said that it is effective to promote blood circulation by massaging the gums.

  As a simple means for that purpose, a method of massaging a fingertip abdomen against a gum is well known. This method seems to be an ideal massage method in that the acupressure can be adjusted according to the condition of the gums. However, if it is performed without washing the fingers, bacteria attached to the fingertips or the like may enter the gums and cause irritation.

  For this reason, conventionally, a device has been devised that massages the gums by mechanically applying vibration. As an example, an apparatus has been developed in which a toothbrush is massaged at the same time as toothbrushing by applying vibration to a toothbrush with an electric motor or the like.

  However, toothbrushes that generate this type of vibration are extremely painful to the gums because the tip of the toothbrush is applied directly to the gums. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, there is an electric gum massager having a configuration using a low elasticity material such as natural rubber or silicone rubber having flexibility in a toothbrush part of a conventional electric massager. Has been developed.

  However, even in such a massager, it is necessary to apply the massage part at the tip to the gums. Therefore, like the type using a conventional toothbrush, the gums are painful during use.

  Moreover, when using the conventional electric massager as described above and the electric gum massager shown in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to hold the main body with one hand. Therefore, it is impossible to massage the gums with the above device while doing something with both hands.

  In view of such circumstances, a gingival massage device shown in Patent Document 2 has been devised. In this gingival massage device, a vibrating body is built in a mouthpiece portion that meshes with upper and lower teeth, and vibration is transmitted to the gums through the upper and lower teeth by vibrating the vibrating body with an electric motor such as a DC motor. It is what I did.

  By the way, in the apparatus of Patent Document 2, a vibration motor such as a DC motor is used as the vibration part. In this vibration motor, since the center of gravity of the rotor is generally formed of an eccentric structure, the vibration due to the generated frequency is about several tens to several hundreds HZ, and the frequency is about 20 Hz to 20000 Hz. It belonged to vibration.

JP 2006-326246 A JP 2008-237276 A

  As a vibration motor, an ultrasonic vibration motor has been conventionally developed. This ultrasonic vibration motor changes a minute position change due to deformation of a vibrating body into a rotational motion or a linear motion. That is, since the vibrator that generates such ultrasonic vibration uses an electrostrictive vibrator, another vibrator is separately required to vibrate the audible range.

  Therefore, it has been conventionally difficult to realize a structure that generates audible vibration and ultrasonic vibration by a single vibration element in a massager for gums. Have been developed separately.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to generate an audible range vibration and an ultrasonic vibration by a single vibration element for a thin plate vibrating body embedded in a mouthpiece. An object of the present invention is to provide a gum massaging device that achieves the effects of audible range vibration and ultrasonic vibration with a single massage device by adjusting the vibration according to the frequency of the vibration element.

  In order to solve the above problems, the gum massage apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is to join a super magnetostrictive element to a vibrating body meshing both surfaces with upper and lower teeth, and to apply a magnetic field to the super magnetostrictive element. A mouthpiece having a vibration generating means formed by winding a coil is configured to transmit audible range vibration and ultrasonic vibration generated in the giant magnetostrictive element to the vibrating body.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gum massage device according to the first aspect, wherein the vibrating body according to the first aspect is provided with a signal from a sound source connected to the giant magnetostrictive element, so It is characterized by emitting music in the audible range.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gum massage device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the mouthpiece has a structure in which a vibrating body made of a thin titanium alloy is incorporated in a silicon resin.

  Furthermore, the gum massage apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that, in claim 1, 2 or 3, the vibrating body has a U-shape which is a mesh shape of upper and lower teeth.

  According to the gum massaging device of the present invention, the vibrating body that meshes both surfaces with the upper and lower teeth, and the vibration generating means formed by winding a coil for applying a magnetic field to the giant magnetostrictive element joined to the vibrating body. The mouthpiece provided is configured to transmit audible range vibration and ultrasonic vibration generated in the giant magnetostrictive element to the vibrating body. Therefore, with such a configuration, it is possible to apply audible range vibration and ultrasonic vibration to the gums through the upper and lower teeth without applying a toothbrush or a vibrating body to the gums and using both hands as in the past. It becomes possible.

  In addition, according to the present invention, by adjusting the frequency generated in the giant magnetostrictive element, the effect of audible range vibration and ultrasonic vibration can be provided by a single massage device, and the gum massage by audible range vibration is achieved. In addition, it is possible to exert a massage effect by ultrasonic vibration. This ultrasonic vibration can exert a bactericidal and thermal effect to the deep part of the gums, promote blood flow in the gums, activate metabolism, and be beneficial for the prevention and improvement of periodontal disease. It is also possible to expect a secondary effect of promoting the secretion of.

  Furthermore, according to the gum massaging device of the present invention, an audible range vibration is generated in the giant magnetostrictive element, and an audible range vibration such as music is generated from the vibrating body by converting an electric signal from a sound source into a music signal. It becomes possible. Therefore, the user who bites the mouthpiece can hear the vibration wave of the music generated from the vibrating body through his / her upper and lower teeth by bone conduction and can massage the gums while listening to the music. It becomes possible.

  In the configuration of the present invention, the mouthpiece can be configured such that a thin titanium alloy is incorporated in the silicon resin. With such a configuration, it is possible to efficiently generate vibration with a frequency from the audible range to the ultrasonic range generated in the giant magnetostrictive element using the characteristics of the titanium alloy having excellent vibration transmission performance.

  In addition, the vibrator has a U-shape that is the mesh shape of the upper and lower teeth, so that the mouthpiece can be engaged with the upper and lower teeth and vibration can be transmitted to the entire upper and lower teeth. It becomes. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently exert vibration from the vibrating body on the entire gum through the upper and lower teeth, and it is possible to prevent or improve periodontal disease etc. by promoting blood circulation of the gum. Become.

It is a perspective view which shows the mouthpiece in the gum massage apparatus of Example 1 by this invention, and shows the external appearance of a mouthpiece with a continuous line. It is a perspective view of the mouthpiece in the gum massage device of Example 1 by the present invention, and shows the appearance of a mouthpiece with a two-dot chain line. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure in the gum massage apparatus of Example 1 by this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the gum massaging apparatus of the present embodiment joins a giant magnetostrictive element 2 to a vibrating body 1 that meshes both surfaces with upper and lower teeth, and applies a magnetic field by a coil 7 to the giant magnetostrictive element 2. The vibration generating means 3 is configured, and the audible range vibration and the ultrasonic vibration are transmitted to the vibrating body 1 by causing the super magnetostrictive element 2 to generate the audible range vibration and the ultrasonic vibration.

  The gum mass massage device having such a configuration will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the mouthpiece 4 has a configuration in which a vibrating body 1 made of a thin titanium alloy is incorporated in a silicon resin 5. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the mouthpiece 4 has a U-shape that is a meshed shape of upper and lower teeth of a vibrating body 1 made of a thin titanium alloy having a thickness of about 1 mm and covered with a silicon resin 5. Is formed.

  The titanium alloy constituting the vibrating body 1 is lightweight and has excellent vibration transmission performance. Using this vibration transmission performance, the audible range vibration and ultrasonic vibration generated in the giant magnetostrictive element 2 are vibrated. It becomes possible to transmit to the body 1 efficiently.

  In addition, as a protective layer that forms the outer cover of the vibrating body 1, by applying a coating with the silicon resin 5, when the user bites the mouthpiece 4, the elastic elasticity is exerted, and symptoms such as periodontal disease. It is possible to give a gentle sense of use to those who have the problem.

  Furthermore, since the vibrating body 1 of the present embodiment is formed in a U shape that is the mesh shape of the upper and lower teeth, when the mouthpiece 4 is engaged with the upper and lower teeth, the entire upper and lower teeth vibrate. It becomes possible to transmit the vibration of the body 1 efficiently.

  Further, an extension 6 is formed at the curved end of the U-shaped vibrating body 1 made of this titanium alloy, and the giant magnetostrictive element 2 as the vibration generating means 3 is attached to the end of the extension 6 by an adhesive or the like. It is joined. The super magnetostrictive element 2 has a change magnification of about 100 times compared with a normal magnetostrictive material, for example, Fe-Cu type, Fe-B type, Fe-B-Si type, Fe-Co-Si type and the like. It is known as a magnetostrictive material.

  The giant magnetostrictive element 2 is made of a Laves cubic (RT2) material composed of one or more lanthanoid elements R and one or more iron group elements T (Fe, Co, Ni). Can be used. In addition, the giant magnetostrictive element 2 includes B, N, C, F, P, S, Cl, Se, As, Si, Sb, Te, I, Bi, Po, At, Ga, In, and Tl. Alternatively, two or more kinds may be added as additive elements.

  Furthermore, Terfenol-D (registered trademark of manufacturer name ETREMA Products, Inc.) can be used as the giant magnetostrictive element 2 of the present embodiment. This Terfenol-D means a Tb-Dy-Fe alloy, and its composition is "Tb0.27Dy0.73Fe1.9". The giant magnetostrictive element 2 has a magnetostriction of about 2,000 pp and is characterized by being about two orders of magnitude larger than conventional magnetostrictive materials.

  In the present embodiment, the giant magnetostrictive element 2 expands and contracts by the strength of an external magnetic field applied by a coil 7 wound around the outer periphery thereof, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. Since the coil 7 is disposed so as to uniformly surround the giant magnetostrictive element 2, a magnetic field can be generated uniformly.

  When a magnetic field is applied to the giant magnetostrictive element 2 described above, it is possible to generate a vibration having a frequency equal to the frequency of the magnetic field. Therefore, by adjusting the strength of the external magnetic field applied to the giant magnetostrictive element 2 by the circuit configuration shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3, audible range vibration and ultrasonic vibration can be generated in the giant magnetostrictive element 2. It becomes possible.

  Here, the circuit configuration 10 shown in FIG. 3 adjusts the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic generation circuit 11 by connecting the ultrasonic generation circuit 11 to the mixing circuit 12, and passes through the amplification circuit 13. Amplification is performed and the amplifier circuit 13 is connected to the coil 7 provided in the giant magnetostrictive element 2 via the lead wire 9. Then, ultrasonic vibration is transmitted to the vibrating body 1 by generating ultrasonic vibration in such a magnetostrictive element 2, and ultrasonic vibration is applied to the gums via the upper and lower teeth of the user who bites the mouthpiece 4. Can be given.

  In addition, ultrasonic vibration is a vibration wave having a high frequency of 20000 Hz or more, and the propagation of molecular motion, which is a thermal energy source, is transmitted by ultrasonic vibration energy to give a thermal effect to the deep part of the gums. Can do. Furthermore, the blood flow is promoted by the thermal effect of the ultrasonic vibration, the metabolism becomes active, and it is useful for preventing periodontal disease, and it is possible to expect a secondary effect of promoting the secretion of saliva.

  In the circuit configuration 10 shown in FIG. 3, an internal sound source circuit 14 such as MP3 is connected to the mixing circuit 12, and a music signal from the internal sound source circuit 14 passes through the mixing circuit 12 and the amplifier circuit 13. Is transmitted to the coil 7. An audible range vibration such as music is generated in the giant magnetostrictive element 2 by the magnetic field applied by the coil 7 and is transmitted to the vibrating body 1 joined to the giant magnetostrictive element 2. For this reason, the user who bites the mouthpiece 4 can hear the vibration wave of the music generated from the vibrating body 1 through his / her upper and lower teeth through bone conduction, and in this way while listening to the music, the gums It becomes possible to perform massage.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the internal sound source circuit 14 is connected to a terminal 16 of an external sound source 15 such as an external music player, so that an externally supplied music signal is taken in, and the above-described configuration vibrates. It is possible to listen to audible vibration music from the body 1 through bone transmission.

  Further, in this embodiment, the magnetostrictive element 2 having the coil 7 wound around the extension 6 of the mouthpiece 4 is built in, and an ellipse or a round collar 9 is formed on the outer periphery in the middle of the extension 6. Thus, it is possible to prevent the user from swallowing the mouthpiece 4 when the mouthpiece 4 according to the present embodiment is placed in the oral cavity.

  Since the vibration generating mouthpiece of the present invention is configured as described above, an audible range vibration and an ultrasonic vibration are generated by a single vibration element with respect to a thin plate vibrating body embedded in the mouthpiece. It can be used as a gum massage device with a structure that can be made to operate, and by adjusting the frequency generated from the giant magnetostrictive element, the effect of audible range vibration and ultrasonic vibration can be exerted with one massage device. It becomes possible to do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vibrator 2 Giant magnetostrictive element 3 Vibration generating means 4 Mouthpiece 5 Silicon resin 6 Extension part 7 Coil 8 Eaves part 9 Lead wire 10 Circuit structure 11 Ultrasonic wave generation circuit 12 Mixing circuit 13 Amplifying circuit 14 Internal sound source circuit 15 External sound source 16 Terminal

Claims (4)

A mouthpiece having vibration generating means formed by joining a giant magnetostrictive element to a vibrating body meshing both surfaces with upper and lower teeth and winding a coil for applying a magnetic field to the giant magnetostrictive element is formed. A gum massaging device characterized by transmitting audible range vibration and ultrasonic vibration generated in a magnetostrictive element to the vibrating body. The audible range music is emitted from the vibrating body by an audible range vibration generated from the super magnetostrictive element by applying a signal from a sound source connected to the super magnetostrictive element. Gums massage device. The gum massaging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mouthpiece has a structure in which a vibrating body made of a thin titanium alloy is built in a silicon resin. The gum massaging device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the vibrating body has a U-shape which is a mesh shape of upper and lower teeth.

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