JP2538978Y2 - Electric toothbrush device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention relates to an electric toothbrush device which appropriately attaches a toothbrush to a device body having a driving means therein, and automatically rotates or reciprocates the toothbrush to perform toothbrushing.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of electric toothbrush, there is a drive stop of a toothbrush, switching between a first drive (for example, rotational reciprocation of the toothbrush) and a second drive (for example, linear reciprocation of the toothbrush). Is performed by one changeover switch mechanism. In the changeover switch mechanism, for example, the switch handle is moved up and down as appropriate in the length direction of the main body, and the switch cam is rotated in both forward and reverse directions in accordance with the up and down movement. The longitudinal switch lever is moved up and down in accordance with the above, and based on the up and down movement of the switch lever, the contact pattern provided at the tip of the switch lever appropriately conducts the circuit pattern on the printed circuit board to perform the three-stage switching of the toothbrush. (JP-A-63-7
7404). In addition, in another changeover switch mechanism, a switch operator is rotated, and based on the rotation, a movable contact piece and a fixed contact piece provided near the switch operator are appropriately brought into contact with each other to conduct electricity. There is also a configuration in which the toothbrush is switched in three stages (see JP-A-63-130007).

However, according to the former of the above-described conventional changeover switch mechanisms, the outer diameter of the switch cam is increased in order to secure a sufficient vertical stroke of the switch lever, thereby reducing the size. In addition to being hindered, the use of a printed circuit board causes a problem of high cost. According to the latter, the switch operator is provided on the upper part of the main body far away from the reversible motor and the battery for the sake of switch operability, so a complicated structure with many lead terminals extended to near the switch operator. There was a problem of becoming.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to simplify the structure of the changeover switch mechanism in the electric toothbrush device as described above,
An object is to keep costs low and to reduce the size.

Means for Solving the Problems Therefore, the electric toothbrush device of the present invention is, for example, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, an electric toothbrush device that switches the driving mode of the toothbrush 11 by changing the rotation direction of the reversible motor 17, from an intermediate position. A slide plate 66 slidably provided by an external operation at a first position moved in one direction and a second position moved in the other direction, and engaged with the slide plate 66 to move it to the first position. A rotating body such as a switch cam 63 which rotates forward when sliding and reverses when sliding to the second position, and which engages the rotating body at an eccentric position and rotates about a fulcrum 73 when rotating forward; A switch lever 68 that swings in one direction and swings in the other direction when rotating in the reverse direction, and when the switch lever 68 swings in one direction, it is deflected by one direction to reversibly Charging batteries over 17 other
When the switch lever 68 swings in the other direction, the switch reversing motor 17 is reversely connected to the power supply and reversely rotated while the switch lever 68 swings in the other direction. , And a contact spring member such as power supply springs 53 and 54.

When the tooth brushing is performed by, for example, the rolling method, the slide plate 66 is slid to the first position to rotate the rotating body forward, and the switch lever 68 is swung in one direction to remove the contact spring member. Then, the reversible motor 17 is connected to the power source in the forward direction and rotates forward to reciprocate the toothbrush 11.

For example, when brushing by the bus method, the slide plate 66 is slid to the second position to reverse the rotating body, the switch lever 68 is swung in the other direction, and the contact spring member is bent in the other direction. Instead, the reversible motor 17 is reversely connected to the power supply to rotate the reversible motor 17 in reverse, so that the toothbrush 11 reciprocates linearly.

When not used, the slide plate 66 is set to the intermediate position, the rotating body and the switch lever 68 are returned to the intermediate position, the bending of the contact spring member is eliminated, the connection with the power supply is cut off, and the driving of the reversible motor 17 is stopped. .

Embodiment Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the configuration of the entire internal mechanism of an electric toothbrush device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This electric toothbrush device has, for example, a toothbrush 11 connected to a device body 10 as shown in the figure. The container body 10 is
And an upper case 13 and a lower case 14 attached to both upper and lower ends thereof, and an internal mechanism is provided in these cases. Then, the upper case 13 is covered with the cap 15. Body case
Inside 12, an inner case 16 is arranged, and a reversible motor 17 and a rechargeable battery 18 are housed through the inner case 16. On the other hand, a charging terminal 19 is provided in the lower case 14.

A face gear 21 meshes with a motor gear 20 of the reversible motor 17, as shown in FIG. The face gear 21 is provided on a support shaft 23 arranged at right angles to the motor shaft 22 so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions. Both ends of the support shaft 23 are supported by the chassis 24. The face gear 21 has an eccentric protrusion 25, as shown in FIGS. Eccentric projection 25
Engages with a long hole 27 formed in the switching piece 26. Switching piece 26
Consists of an engaging portion 28 on the face gear 21 side and a disc-shaped fitting portion 29 having a spherical outer surface. 5A, two pairs of engaging steps 29a, 29d and 29d are symmetrically positioned with respect to the center of the elongated hole 27 as shown in FIG.
b ・ 29c is provided. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the switching piece 26 has its fitting portion 29 housed in the holding hole 31 of the follower 30 and its outer peripheral surface fitted into the inner peripheral surface of the holding hole 31. Hold together so that it can rotate freely. Further, the engaging portion 28 is disposed in the guide square hole 33 of the fixed guide frame 32. The entire switching piece 26 is clamped between the face gear 21 and the chassis 24 to restrict the lateral movement in the figure. The follower 30 has opposed engaging projections 30a and 30b on the inner peripheral surface of the holding hole 31.
Then, the drive shaft 35 penetrates the upper end portion 30c, and the drive shaft 35
Be fixed to. As shown in FIG. 2, the fixed guide frame 32 has a bearing portion 32a integrally formed on the guide square hole 33, and the drive shaft is formed by the bearing portion 32a and a bearing 36 provided at an upper portion in the drawing. Bearing 35 Then, the drive shaft 35 is rotatably and reciprocally movable about its axis and linearly and reciprocally movable in the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed guide frame 32 is screwed to the upper case 13 with the chassis 24 interposed therebetween at the upper end 32b. The drive shaft 35 is
As shown in FIG. 1, the toothbrush 11 is detachably attached to the tip 35a. And now, face gear
When 21 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 2 (forward rotation), the switching piece 26 is pushed and rotated by the eccentric projection 25 based on the rotation. Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the engaging steps 29a and 29d are respectively engaged with the engaging projections 30a and 30b, and the switching piece 26 is set to the first rotation position in the figure. When the face gear 21 further rotates, the switching piece 26 is guided by the fixed guide frame 32 and moves in parallel to the left side in the figure, and the state shown in FIG. When the face gear 21 further rotates, it returns to the neutral position as shown in (c) and then moves parallel to the right side in the figure as shown in (d). Thereafter, the robot returns to the neutral position shown in FIG. By this repetition, the switching piece 26
The drive shaft 35 is translated in a horizontal direction with a stroke corresponding to twice the amount of eccentricity of 25, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the drive shaft 35. In this case, the guide is guided by the upper and lower parallel guide surfaces 33a of the guide square holes 33 of the fixed guide frame 32, and the vertical movement of the switching piece 26 in the figure is restricted. Then, based on the parallel movement of the switching piece 26, the locking projection 30a is formed by the switching piece 26.
・ Push follower 30 through 30b. Then the follower 30
, The drive shaft 35 reciprocates around its axis. Conversely, when the face gear 21 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2, the eccentric projection 25 causes the switching piece 26 to rotate.
Press to rotate 90 degrees in reverse. Then, as shown in (a) of FIG. 6, this time, the engaging step portions 29c and 29b are respectively engaged with the engaging protrusions, and the switching piece 26 is moved perpendicularly to the first rotation position. Two rotation positions. And further face gear 21
When is rotated in the reverse direction, the switching top 26 is guided by the fixed guide frame 32 and moves in parallel to the upper side in the figure to be in the state shown in FIG. When the face gear 21 further rotates in the reverse direction, it returns to the neutral position as shown in (c) and then moves parallel to the lower side in the figure as shown in (d). Thereafter, the robot returns to the neutral position shown in FIG. By repeating this, the switching top 26
Moves in the vertical direction in the drawing, that is, in the axial direction of the drive shaft 35, with a stroke corresponding to twice the amount of eccentricity of the same eccentric projection 25. In this case, the guide is guided by the left and right parallel guide surfaces 33b of the guide square holes 33 of the fixed guide frame 32 in the figure, and the right and left movement of the switching piece 26 in the figure is restricted. Then, based on the parallel movement of the switching piece 26, the engaging projection 30a
・ Push follower 30 through 30b. Then the follower 30
The drive shaft 35 linearly reciprocates in the axial direction thereof via.

Further, as shown in detail in FIG. 7, the inner case 16 is formed by integrally molding a motor housing 40 and a battery housing 41, and a motor housing 42 and a battery It has a storage opening 43. The L-shaped insulator 44 is assembled to the reversible motor 17 housed in the motor housing part 40 as shown in FIG. Its insulator 44
Are formed by soldering the motor terminals 46 and 47 connected to the lead terminals of the reversible motor 17 to one piece 45 thereof. Contact springs 48 and 49 are integrally provided on one motor terminal 46 by press working, and a contact spring 50 is integrally provided on the other motor terminal 47 by press working. The motor terminals 46 and 47 sandwich the insulating plate portion 45a provided on one piece 45 of the insulator 44 to insulate them from each other, and the contact spring holding portions 51a and 51b provided on the other piece 51 provide one contact spring 48. 49 and the contact spring holding part
The other contact spring 50 is held by 51c. Then, the contact springs 48, 49, 50 are extended upward in the figure in parallel. Then, one piece 45 of the insulator 44 is positioned at the lower end of the motor housing 40 in the drawing, and the reversible motor 17 is placed in the motor housing 40 with the other piece 51 covering a part of the motor housing 42. It will be stored. As shown in FIG. 2, the reversible motor 17 is screwed to the upper end of the inner case 16 via the chassis 24. Furthermore, the inner case 16
As shown in the figure, bend the power springs 53 and 54 to
It is assembled to the outer peripheral surface 41a of the base 41 and is held by a plurality of holding claws 55. The power springs 53 and 54 have their upper ends 53a and 54a extended upward in the drawing in parallel with each other. And the eighth
A power spring holding portion 51d provided on the other piece 51 of the insulator 44 shown in the figure.
· Hold by 51e, as shown in Fig. 2, power springs 53 and 54
Are arranged between contact springs 48 and 50 and between contact springs 50 and 49, respectively. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, holes 56 formed in the power supply housing 41 in the power supply springs 53 and 54 are provided.
・ Battery terminals 57 projecting from 56 are connected by soldering. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower ends 53b and 54b of the power springs 53 and 54 are connected to the charging terminal 19 by the lower case 14. Reference numeral 58 in FIG. 7 denotes a backflow prevention diode when the charging terminals 19 are short-circuited.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the outer periphery of the main body case 12 (the outer periphery of the upper end in FIG. 1) is provided with a guide plate portion.
60 is provided, and a guide long groove 61a is formed on both sides thereof, and an engagement round hole 61b is formed in the center. A cylindrical switch cam (rotary body) 63 is engaged with the engagement round hole 61b via an O-ring 62, and is rotatably supported. The switch cam 63 has engagement protrusions 64 and 65 on the peripheral edges of the left and right end surfaces, respectively. Hook claws 66a projecting inward from both sides of the slide plate 66 are engaged with the guide long grooves 61a. Then, the slide plate 66 is slidable on the main body case 12 in the vertical direction. The slide plate 66 has an engaging long groove 67 provided in the center in the width direction. Then, the engagement protrusion 64 on the left side of the switch cam 63 in the figure is engaged with the engagement long groove 67. Thus, the switch cam 63 is rotated by sliding the slide plate 66. That switch cam
The engagement projection 65 on the right side of the drawing 63 is a long hole of the switch lever 68.
Engage with 69. As shown in FIG. 11, the switch lever 68 has a restriction hole 70 with an elongated hole 69 at the upper end 68a, and spring holding grooves 71 and 72 at the lower end 68b. As shown in FIG. 2, battery springs 53 and 72 are provided in the spring holding grooves 71 and 72, respectively.
The upper ends 53a of the 54 are engaged and held. And the third
As shown in the figure, the switch lever 68 is pivotally mounted on the chassis 24 with a pin 73 as a fulcrum. Thus, as shown in FIG. 11, the tip 23a of the support shaft 23 having a smaller diameter is inserted into the regulating hole 70 to regulate the swing angle range of the switch lever 68. A click spring 75 is attached to the tip 23a of the support shaft 23. The click spring 75 engages the engaging step 68c of the operating lever 68 at the engaging concave portion 75a, and hooks the hook portion 75b on a notch 63a provided on the circumference of the switch cam 63. When the switch cam 63 is rotated against the click spring 75 by the slide plate 66, a click feeling is given. When the slide plate 66 is positioned at an intermediate position on the main body case 12, for example, the switch lever 68 is in the straight neutral position as shown in FIG. 2, and the power is turned off. Then, for example, when the slide plate is slid and positioned at the upper position (first position) of the main body case 12 and the switch cam 63 is rotated, the switch cam 63 is rotated in one direction, and the switch lever 68 is moved rightward in FIG. To deflect the upper end portions 53a and 54a of the power supply springs 53 and 54 to the right side, and the one upper end portion 53a and the contact spring 50 are brought into contact with each other, and the other upper end portion 54a is brought into contact with the contact spring 49 and made conductive. The power is turned on to drive the reversible motor 17. When the slide plate 66 is positioned at the lower position (second position) and the switch cam 63 is rotated in the other direction, the switch lever 68 swings to the left in FIG. 54a
Is bent to the left, and one upper end 53a is
And the other upper end 54a is in contact with the contact spring 50.
And makes the reversible motor 17 reversely driven.

For example, when the tooth brushing is performed by the rolling method, the power of the slide plate 66 is turned on above the main body case 12 and the reversible motor 17 is driven. Then, the face gear 21 is rotated (forward rotation), and the engagement step portions 29a and 2
9d is engaged with the engagement protrusions 30a and 30b of the follower 30 to
Is the first rotation position, and the follower 30 is guided by the fixed guide frame 32.
And reciprocate with the drive shaft 35 via. Then
The toothbrush 11 is used to brush the teeth by the rolling method.

When brushing by the bath method, use a slide plate.
The reversible motor 17 is reversely driven with the position 66 below the main body case 12. Then, the switching gear 26 is rotated by rotating the face gear 21 in the reverse direction, and the engagement step portions 29c and 29b are engaged with the engagement protrusions 30a and 30b of the follower 30, and It is guided by the fixed guide frame 32 and linearly reciprocates with the drive shaft 35 via the follower 30. The toothbrush 11 is used to brush the teeth by the bath method.

In the illustrated embodiment described above, among the brushing methods in which the toothbrush is reciprocated, the case of the bath method is shown. However, the present invention makes it possible to brush the tooth by the scrubbing method by, for example, increasing the amount of eccentricity of the eccentric projection. Become.

Therefore, according to the present invention, a small rotating body is rotated by the slide plate, and the switch lever is swung by the rotating body to electrically connect the power supply spring and the motor contact spring. Since the lead terminal is not extended to the vicinity of the slide plate without using the printed board without moving the lever up and down, the structure is simple, the cost can be kept low, and the size of the electric toothbrush can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal mechanism of the entire electric toothbrush device according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the electric toothbrush device viewed from the right side, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the motion conversion mechanism of the electric toothbrush device, and FIGS. 5A to 5D show the stepwise movement of the switching piece when the face gear is rotated clockwise. 6 (a) to 6 (d) are step-by-step operation views showing the parallel movement of the switching piece when the face gear is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, and FIG. 7 is a power supply spring attached. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an insulator and a motor terminal, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of assembling a slide plate and a switch cam to a main body case, and FIG. 10 is a slide plate and a switch cam. Fig. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the electric toothbrush device at It is an exploded perspective view of a switch lever which omitted a switch cam, a click spring, and a part. 10 ... body, 11 ... toothbrush, 17 ... reversible motor, 48
・ 49 ・ 50 …… Contact spring (motor contact spring), 53 ・ 54 ……
Power spring, 63 Switch cam (rotating body), 66 Slide plate, 68 Switch lever.

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. An electric toothbrush device for switching a driving mode of a toothbrush by changing a rotation direction of a reversible motor, wherein an external position is set between a first position moved in one direction from an intermediate position and a second position moved in another direction. A sliding plate slidably provided by operation, a rotating body that engages with the sliding plate and rotates forward when sliding to the first position and reversely rotates when sliding to the second position, and the rotating body And a switch lever that swings in one direction about the fulcrum when it rotates forward and rotates in the other direction when it rotates in the opposite direction, and that when the switch lever swings in one direction. While the reversible motor is connected to a power source in the forward direction and rotates forward, while the switch lever swings in the other direction, whereby the switch lever is deflected in the other direction. An electric toothbrush device, comprising: