JP2014198269A - Electric toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric toothbrush which is light-weight, compact in size, less noisy, convenient in portability, excellent in fashionability, and has a simple removable structure for a toothbrush body.SOLUTION: The electric toothbrush comprises a main body 1, which has a one side provided with a connection part 11 including a vibration transmission shaft at a distal end thereof, the other side formed with a dry cell storage part and an intermediate area incorporating a drive motor and being integrally fit with an outer cover on an outer peripheral surface thereof, a main body cover body 2 enclosing the storage part and having an open side end part integrally fit to the other side of the main body, a toothbrush body 4 removably connected to the vibration transmission shaft and a toothbrush case body 3 enclosing the toothbrush body 4 and having an open side end being fit to the one side of the main body.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vibration-type electric toothbrush that is lightweight, small, and has low noise and is convenient to carry.

  In recent years, awareness of oral hygiene has increased, and toothbrushing has become more common in the workplace and travel destinations. For this reason, toothbrushes are quiet, lightweight, small and convenient for carrying, and in particular, women and young people are required to be fashionable. Further, as the toothbrush, an electric toothbrush is preferable because fine cleaning can be performed over the entire tooth, but it is also an important factor that the toothbrush body can be easily attached and detached.

  For this reason, various structures have been proposed in which a cap is attached for portable use and a structure in which a replacement toothbrush is securely connected to the main body. As an electric toothbrush with a cap, for example, it is disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, but since both are circular or almost circular columnar bodies, there is a problem of rolling during handling. I was not satisfied with fashion.

Moreover, the connection structure disclosed by patent document 3 and patent document 4 is known regarding the attachment to the main-body part of a toothbrush body. The former is connected via a locking member between the toothbrush and the main body part, and the latter is connected to the connection engaging part in the plug part of the toothbrush body and the connection engaging part in the socket part of the main body part. Positioning is performed by fitting the protrusion at the tip of the plug portion with the gap portion of the socket portion. The attachment and detachment of the toothbrush body and the main body shown in these Patent Documents 3 and 4 require a separate locking member or a positioning means for the coupling engagement part in addition to the coupling engagement part. Met. As described above, the connection of Patent Documents 3 and 4 requires an extra locking member, or has a complicated connection structure, which causes a problem in manufacturing cost.

Design Registration No. 848390 Design Registration No. 1083425 JP 2005-296515 A Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2003-531672

  An object of the present invention is to further improve such an electric toothbrush, to provide an electric toothbrush having quietness, convenient to carry, excellent in fashionability, and having a simple attachment / detachment structure of a toothbrush body. To do.

  The present invention is an electric toothbrush that is used by attaching and detaching a toothbrush body to a main body incorporating a drive motor, wherein the main body has a connecting portion having a vibration transmission rod at one end of the main body, A convex portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the vibration transmission rod at the distal end of the coupling portion, and the toothbrush body is configured to be detachable from the vibration transmission rod at the distal end of the coupling portion on the one side of the main body, and The O-ring is arranged on the other side to maintain the waterproofness inside the main body, and a space portion for fitting the vibration transmission rod is provided at the end portion of the toothbrush body on the main body side. On the inner wall surface of the portion, a guide groove comprising a first concave portion in the axial direction that allows the convex portion of the vibration transmitting rod to be fitted, and a second concave portion in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction from the terminal end of the first concave portion, A through hole communicating with the outer edge at the end of the second recess is formed, The convex portion of the transmission rod is inserted into and engaged with the through hole that communicates with the outer edge via the guide groove. When the toothbrush body is attached to the main body, first, the toothbrush body and the main body are relative to each other in the axial direction. And then, when removing the toothbrush body from the main body, first, the toothbrush body and the main body are relatively moved in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and then A relative movement in the axial direction is provided.

  In the present invention, in order to further enhance fashionability, the surfaces of the main body cover body, the outer cover, and the toothbrush case body are colored with metallic luster, and the main body cover body and the toothbrush case body are made the same color. It is preferable to make it different from the color of the outer cover.

  Furthermore, as an embodiment of the present invention, the connection between the vibration transmission rod and the toothbrush body includes a convex portion formed on the vibration transmission rod and a space portion of the toothbrush body into which the vibration transmission rod is fitted. A guide groove formed on the wall surface, the first recess extending in the axial direction, the second recess extending from the end of the first recess in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a through hole communicating with the outer edge at the end of the second recess It is preferable that the projection is fitted into the through hole through the guide groove.

  According to the present invention, the connecting portion of the main body and the toothbrush body have an antibacterial function, and the toothbrush body connected to the main body is covered with the toothbrush case body, so that adhesion and growth of various bacteria are suppressed. Excellent oral hygiene and convenient to carry to work or travel destinations. In addition, since the outer edge has an octagonal columnar shape, it can be prevented from rolling during handling, and a decorative part such as a pearl, natural stone, or artificial jewel can be replaced at the closed end of the toothbrush case body. To enhance fashionability. Moreover, the metallic luster color is given to the whole surface, and if it is set as the accent on an external appearance by setting it as a partially different color, fashionability can be improved further.

  Further, as an effect of the embodiment of the present invention, since the attachment and detachment of the main body and the toothbrush main body can be realized with a small number of engaging members, a simple attachment / detachment operation is possible, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

It is a front view which shows one Example of the electric toothbrush in this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the toothbrush case body. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the state which removed the toothbrush body and the main body cover body from the main body. It is an end view which expands and shows the edge part by the side of the main body in a toothbrush body. It is an expansion explanatory view showing an example of a decoration part formed in a toothbrush case body.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view of an electric toothbrush according to the present invention, showing a main body 1, a main body cover body 2, and a toothbrush case body 3. Since these outer edge shapes are octagonal columns, rolling during handling is prevented. Further, the main body 1, the main body cover body 2, and the toothbrush case body 3 are made of synthetic resin, and the surface thereof is given a metallic luster color, and the main body cover body 2 and the toothbrush case body 3 have the same color, The main body 1 can be accented with different colors to further enhance fashionability. Conventionally known surface treatment means such as plating, vapor deposition, or painting can be used for coloration of these members. Furthermore, an identification mark such as a logo mark may be printed on the main body cover body 2 or the toothbrush case body 3.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the toothbrush case body 3 is removed from the electric toothbrush.
The toothbrush body 4 is connected to the connecting portion 11 which is one side of the main body 1. The toothbrush case body 3 can be positioned on the main body 1 by surrounding the toothbrush body 4 by fitting the protrusion 11a on the outer edge of the connecting portion 11 into the recess 3a drilled in the open end. In the figure, reference numeral 4 d denotes an alignment mark formed on the toothbrush body 4.

  A decorative portion 3b (see FIG. 5) in which decorative members such as pearls, natural stones, and artificial jewels are interchangeably arranged is formed at the closed side end of the toothbrush case body 3, and the decorative member is, for example, the bottom surface thereof. If the threaded leg material is screwed into a screw hole drilled in the toothbrush case body, it can be replaced with various decorative members prepared in advance.

  By covering the insertion part into the oral cavity with the toothbrush case body 3 that the connecting part 11 of the main body 1 and the toothbrush body 4 have an antibacterial function, adhesion / growth of germs in this part can be suppressed, Oral hygiene is maintained. As the antibacterial agent, a silver antibacterial agent having a high antibacterial effect is used.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the toothbrush body 4 and the main body cover body 2 are removed from the main body 1. One side of the main body 1 is formed as a connecting portion 11 having a vibration transmission rod 11b at the tip, and a convex portion 11c is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the vibration transmission rod 11b to ensure connection with the toothbrush body 4. . On the other side of the main body 1, a storage portion 11d of a dry battery 5 as a drive power source is formed. A small drive motor is built in the middle area of the main body 1, and an outer cover 11e with a metallic luster color is fitted and integrated on the outer circumferential surface of the middle area. The drive motor is preferably a weight type or wire brush type small motor from the viewpoint of portability and quietness.

  Further, a protrusion 11a that fits into the recess 3a of the toothbrush case body 3 is formed on the outer edge of the connecting portion 11, and a recess formed on the inner surface of the open side end portion of the main body cover body 2 on the other side of the outer cover 11e (see FIG. A projection 11f that fits with the projection 11f is formed. Further, an O-ring (not shown) is arranged on the other side of the outer cover 11e, and the main body cover body 2 is fitted and integrated with the main body 1 via this O-ring, so that the waterproofness inside the main body is excellent. Yes.

  Reference numeral 6 denotes an operation switch, which has a structure in which the switch is repeatedly turned on and off by repeated pressing. The operation switch 6 is not shown when the main body cover body 2 is connected to the main body 1, but the main body together with the thin film covering the through hole from the through hole formed in the end portion on the opposite side of the main body cover body 2. The cover body 2 is slightly protruded outside. In the figure, reference numeral 11g denotes an alignment mark formed on the connecting portion 11.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged end view showing the end of the toothbrush body 4 on the main body side. A space portion 4a into which the vibration transmission rod 11b is fitted is provided at an end portion of the toothbrush body 4, and an axial first concave portion that allows the projection 11c of the vibration transmission rod 11b to be fitted on the inner wall surface thereof. 4b-1 and a guide groove 4b composed of a second recess 4b-2 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction from the end of the first recess 4b-1, and a through hole 4c leading to the outer edge at the end of the second recess 4b-2. The protrusion 11c of the vibration transmission rod 11b is formed and fitted into the through hole 4c through the guide groove 4b. Here, the groove depth in the vicinity of the end of the second concave portion is designed to be slightly shallower than the protruding length of the convex portion 11c, so that the convex portion 11c can be fitted and engaged with the through hole 4c.

  Therefore, the toothbrush body 4 is attached to the main body 1 by first moving the toothbrush body 4 and the main body 1 relative to each other in the axial direction (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 4), and then in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction (clockwise in FIG. 4). The alignment mark 4d of the toothbrush body 4 and the alignment mark 11g of the connecting portion 11 are matched to each other, and when removing, the toothbrush body 4 and the main body 1 are first orthogonal to the axial direction. It can be realized by moving relative to each other and then moving relative to each other in the axial direction. The positioning of the toothbrush body 4 with respect to the main body 1 (a state in which the alignment marks 4d and 11g are matched) is a direction orthogonal to the axial direction by the engagement of the convex portion 11c and the second concave portion 4b-2 in the axial direction. Then, it will be fixed by engagement of the convex part 11c and the through hole 4c. In addition, the relative movement in the 2nd recessed part 4b-2 of the convex part 11c is enabled by the elastic deformation of these structural materials.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Main body cover body 3 Toothbrush case body 4 Toothbrush body 5 Dry cell 6 Operation switch 3a Depression 3b Decoration part 4a Space part 4b Guide groove 4c Through-hole 4d Alignment mark 11 Connection part 11a Protrusion 11b Vibration transmission rod 11c Protrusion part 11d Storage Part 11e external cover 11f protrusion 11g alignment mark

Claims (3)

An electric toothbrush that attaches and detaches a toothbrush body to a main body incorporating a drive motor,
The main body has a connecting portion having a vibration transmission rod at one end of the main body, and a convex portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the vibration transmitting rod at the leading end of the connecting portion. It is configured to be detachable from the vibration transmission rod at the end of the connecting portion that is the one side of the main body, and an O-ring is arranged on the other side to maintain the waterproofness inside the main body.
A space portion for fitting the vibration transmission rod is provided at an end of the toothbrush body on the main body side, and an axial direction that allows the convex portion of the vibration transmission rod to be fitted on the inner wall surface of the space portion. A guide groove comprising a first recess and a second recess in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction from the end of the first recess, and a through hole communicating with the outer edge at the end of the second recess are formed. It has a structure in which a convex portion is fitted and engaged with a through hole that communicates with the outer edge via the guide groove,
When attaching the toothbrush body to the main body, first, the toothbrush body and the main body are relatively moved in the axial direction, and then relatively moved in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, while the toothbrush body is removed from the main body. First, the toothbrush body and the main body are relatively moved in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and then relatively moved in the axial direction. The toothbrush body and the connecting portion are respectively formed with alignment marks, and when the toothbrush body is attached to the main body, the toothbrush body and the main body are relatively moved in the axial direction, and then the axial direction. 2. The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein when the relative movement is performed in a direction orthogonal to the alignment mark, the alignment mark of the toothbrush body is aligned with the alignment mark of the connecting portion. The toothbrush body is positioned with respect to the main body by engaging the convex portion of the vibration transmission rod with the second concave portion in the axial direction and in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction with the convex portion of the vibration transmission rod. The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the electric toothbrush is fixed by engagement with a hole.

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