JP2584862Y2 - Liquid-tight battery holder - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid-tight battery holder suitable for a portable electric interdental brush, an electric toothbrush and a penlight.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an electric toothbrush or an electric tooth cleaning brush, an interdental cleaning brush or tooth brush is detachably attached to one end of a substantially cylindrical holder member, and an electric motor and a driving motor are driven in the holder member. The battery is mounted, the other end of the holder member is sealed in a liquid-tight manner with a cap member, and the eccentric weight is fixed to the rotating shaft of the electric motor. Various proposals have been made to apply vibration to the cleaning brush.

[0003] Generally, electric toothbrushes and electric interdental cleaning brushes are required to have sufficient watertightness because they are used in washrooms and the like. For example, as shown in FIG.
The female screw part 103 of the cap member 102 is screwed into the male screw part 101 of 00, a seal ring 104 is attached to the base end of the male screw part 101, and the cap member 102 is screwed into the holder member 100. As a result, the seal ring 104 is pressed against the tip of the cap member 102,
In order to supply power to the electric motor, the positive electrode of the battery 105 is directly connected to one terminal of the electric motor, and the other terminal of the electric motor is connected to a strip-shaped wiring for power supply to the electric motor. Extending to the vicinity of the opening of the holder member 100 via the plate 106 or the like, the negative electrode of the battery 105 is connected to the spring terminal 107 provided inside the cap member 102, and a strip-shaped connection plate 108 connected to the spring terminal 107. To the wiring plate 106 and the holder member 1.
00, the spring terminal 107 is electrically connected to the wiring plate 106, a switch is interposed in the middle of the power supply circuit, and the electric motor is driven by operating the switch. It is.

[0004]

By the way, in the electric toothbrush and the electric interdental cleaning brush, the power supply circuit is connected even when the cap member is slightly loosened, and the electric motor is driven by operating the switch. If the cap member is used without being noticed that the cap member is loose, water or the like enters the holder member, and there is a problem that the electric motor, the battery, the wiring, and the like are corroded. In addition, after turning off the switch without noticing that the main body is loose, the main body may be washed with water to clean the entire body, or may be left wet with brushing water or the like. In such a case, water penetrates inside and induces corrosion of the wiring plate, electric motor and battery,
In addition to the cause of failure, there is a problem that the screw portion of the cap member is not loosened due to solidification of the tooth brushing water and cannot be opened and closed. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid-tight battery holder that can prevent water or the like from entering the holder member due to loosening of the cap member.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid-tight battery holder, wherein a holder member having a holder-side screw portion formed at one end thereof is capable of accommodating a battery therein, and is screwed to the holder-side screw portion. A cap member that has a cap-side screw portion that is detachably attached to one end of the holder member and closes an opening at one end of the holder member; and a meshing end opening of one of the holder member and the cap member. Fit inside and outside of the side
A seal ring that is mounted on the mating portion and that is pressed against the cap member or the holder member within a range of a predetermined angle from the latter half of the screwing of the cap member to the holder member to the completion of the screwing to seal between the holder member and the cap member; And a holder side provided on the holder member and the cap member, respectively, approaching each other by screwing the cap member to the holder member, and contacting within the range of the predetermined angle to close the power supply circuit. It has a contact piece and a cap-side contact piece.

Here, a contact of a switch of a power supply circuit is constituted by the holder-side contact piece and the cap-side contact piece, and the cap member is rotated within the predetermined angle range. The power supply circuit may be configured to be switched between a closed state and an open state, and a switch for switching the power supply circuit between a closed state and an open state in the holder member or the cap member as in claim 3. A play may be provided between the holder-side screw portion and the cap-side screw portion in the axial direction.

[0007]

In the liquid-tight battery holder according to the first aspect, the seal ring attached to the holder member or the cap member is within a predetermined angle from the latter half of the screwing of the cap member to the holder member until the screwing is completed. In the above, the holder member and the cap member are pressed against each other to seal the gap between the holder member and the cap member. Within a range of the predetermined angle, the holder-side contact piece provided on the holder member is replaced with the cap-side contact piece provided on the cap member. , The power supply circuit is closed, and power can be supplied to the electric motor and the like. That is, the power supply circuit is not closed until the cap member is screwed into the holder member within the predetermined angle range and the seal ring securely seals between the holder member and the cap member. Cannot be driven, so that the user is informed that the seal has not been securely made, and thus the seal cannot be used in an uncertain state. In addition, since the seal ring is attached to a portion of one of the holder member and the cap member on the side where the engagement ends of both members are open,
The seal ring makes it possible to reliably prevent tooth brushing water or the like from entering the meshing portion between the holder-side screw portion and the cap-side screw portion.

In the case where the contact piece of the switch of the power supply circuit is constituted by the contact piece on the holder side and the contact piece on the cap side, the cap member is rotated within a predetermined angle range. The power supply circuit can be switched between the closed state and the opened state while the holder member and the cap member are securely sealed.

In the case where a switch for switching the power supply circuit between the closed state and the open state is provided on the holder member or the cap member as in claim 3, it is necessary to ensure that the holder member and the cap member are securely sealed. , The power supply circuit cannot be closed even if the switch is operated, and it is possible to inform the user that the seal is not securely made.

In the case where a play in the axial direction is provided between the screw portion on the holder side and the screw portion on the cap side as in claim 4, the cap member is brought into contact with the contact piece on the holder side and the contact piece on the cap side immediately before the contact. Is screwed into the holder member, and the power supply circuit is closed by pushing the cap member, and the power supply circuit can be opened by interrupting the pushing operation of the cap member.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a portable electric interdental brush. As shown in FIG. 1, a portable electric interdental cleaning brush 1 includes a liquid-tight battery holder 2.
A main body device 5 in which vibration generating means 3 and a battery 4 are provided,
An interdental cleaning brush 6 is detachably attached to the left end of the main unit 5. However, the interdental cleaning brush 6
Instead, a replacement toothbrush, a gum massager, or a floss unit may be attached to the main device 5.

The liquid-tight battery holder 2 is provided with a vibration generating means 3.
And a substantially cylindrical holder member 10 accommodating the battery 4 and a cap member 2 detachably attached to the holder member 10.
0 and a wiring means 30 constituting a power supply circuit to the vibration generating means 3.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the holder member 10 is a cylindrical member having a bottom and a closed portion near the left end.
Four holding claws 11 for detachably holding the interdental cleaning brush 6 are formed on the left end of the holder member 10, and a female screw part 12 is formed on the inner wall near the right end of the holder member 10, At the right end of the holder member 10, a seal portion 14 having a seal surface 13 whose inner peripheral surface has a larger diameter than the female screw portion 12 is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cap member 20 is a substantially cylindrical member having a right end closed, and a male screw portion screwed to the female screw portion 12 is provided on the left portion of the cap member 20. The male screw part 21 is divided into two parts through a pair of slits 22 extending in the left-right direction, and the right side of the male screw part 21 (opening of the engagement end between the female screw part 12 and the male screw part 21 is opened). A mounting portion 23 having a larger diameter than the male screw portion 21 is formed on the side), and the mounting portion 23 is mounted in the sealing portion 14 with a slight gap therebetween, and is pressed against the sealing surface 13 in a liquid-tight manner. A seal ring 24 is mounted, and a grip part 25 having a larger diameter than the mounting part 23 for rotating the cap member 20 is formed on the right part of the cap member 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vibration generating means 3 includes an electric motor 7 provided near the left end of the holder member 10 and a rotating shaft 7 protruding leftward of the electric motor 7.
The eccentric weight 8 is fixed to the holder a, and the centrifugal force of the eccentric weight 8 acts on the holder member 10 to vibrate the interdental cleaning brush 6.

The wiring means 30 will now be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a cup-shaped contact piece 31 for contacting the positive electrode of the battery 4 is provided on the right end of the electric motor 7 so as to cover the rotating shaft 7a. The cup-shaped contact piece 31 is connected to one terminal of the electric motor 7, a groove 32 extending in the left-right direction is formed on the inner wall of the holder member 10, and the other end of the electric motor 7 is formed in the groove 32. The connected strip-shaped holder-side contact piece 33 is mounted, and the right end of the holder-side contact piece 33 extends into the seal portion 14 to extend the seal portion 14 and the female screw portion 1.
It is locked to the annular step 34 between the two.

A substantially disk-shaped cap-side contact piece 35 is fixed to the base end of the male screw portion 21 of the cap member 20.
The outer peripheral portion of the cap-side contact piece 35 is disposed to face the left end of the holder-side contact piece 33, and a spring terminal 36 made of a coil spring whose central part is enlarged in the male screw part 21 is accommodated. The middle portion is locked via a locking piece 37 fixed to a portion near the left end of the male screw portion 21,
The right end of the spring terminal 36 is electrically connected to the cap-side contact piece 35, and the left end of the spring terminal 36 is protruded to the left through an insertion hole 37 a formed in the locking piece 37, and It is arranged so as to be pressed against.

A contact of a switch of a power supply circuit is constituted by the holder-side contact piece 33 and the cap-side contact piece 35, as shown in FIG. 4, between the left end face of the cap-side contact piece 35 and the center of the seal ring 24. The distance L1 of the holder side contact piece 3
3 is set smaller than the distance L2 between the right end face of the seal part 14 and the left end face of the seal part 14, the cap member 20 is screwed into the holder member 10, the seal ring 24 is fitted in the seal part 14, and the outer peripheral surface is In a state in which the holder-side contact piece 33 and the cap-side contact piece 35 are pressed against the seal surface 13, a gap L3
And a cap member 2 as shown in FIG.
By further screwing 0 into the holder member 10, the cap-side contact piece 35 is pressed against the holder-side contact piece 33, the power supply circuit is closed, and the electric motor 7 is driven to rotate.

Here, an operation angle required for rotating the cap member 20 to contact / separate the cap-side contact piece 35 and the holder-side contact piece 33, that is, for switching ON / OFF the power supply circuit. The necessary operation angle was found to be 90 ° to 150 ° as a result of the monitor test, and the gap L3 was set to 150 ° / 360 ° in the pitch between the two screw portions.
, And preferably the operation angle is 36
It is set to a value greater than or equal to the value when it is set to 0 to 450 ° or more. That is, as long as L3 + L1 does not exceed L2, L3
By setting 3 as large as possible, the range of the sealing effect can be widened.

Next, the operation of the electric interdental cleaning brush 1 will be described. When the cap member 20 is screwed into the holder member 10, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the seal ring 24 is pressed against the seal surface 13 and the holder member 10 is pressed.
When the cap member 20 is further screwed into the holder member 10 by a predetermined angle, the cap-side contact piece 35 is sealed in a liquid-tight manner as shown in FIG.
Is pressed against the holder-side contact piece 33 to close the power supply circuit, and the electric motor 7 is driven to rotate to apply vibration to the interdental cleaning brush 6.

On the other hand, the cap member 20 is turned 90 ° in the reverse direction.
When the rotation operation is performed by up to 150 °, the cap-side contact piece 35 separates from the holder-side contact piece 33 as shown in FIG. 2, and the electric motor 7 stops. At this time, the seal ring 24 is held in pressure contact with the seal surface 13, and the inside of the holder member 10 is held in a liquid-tight state. Moreover, in this state, the rotation of the cap member 20 is restricted by the sealing ring 24 being pressed against the sealing surface 13, and the cap member 20 is inadvertently rotated and the electric motor 7 is driven, or the cap member 20 is dropped. Is prevented. And
From the next time, the cap member 20 is rotated and switched between the state shown in FIG. 5 and the state shown in FIG.
N / OFF switching is performed.

As described above, the power supply to the electric motor 7 is turned on.
Since the seal ring 24 seals the gap between the cap member 20 and the holder member 10 within the operation range of the cap member 20 for which the / OFF switching is performed, the inside of the holder member 10 can be constantly maintained in a liquid-tight state. Moreover,
Even when the cap member 20 is loosened and the gap between the cap member 20 and the holder member 10 is not securely sealed when the electric tooth cleaning brush 1 is used, as shown in FIG. Since it is necessary to rotate the cap member 20, which seals the gap between the cap member 20 and the holder member 10, it is possible to reliably prevent water or the like from entering the holder member 10 during use. Become. Further, even if the cap member 20 is loosened, even if washing is performed, if the looseness is within a range where the sealing effect of the seal ring 24 can be obtained, it is possible to reliably prevent water or the like from entering. Becomes

Further, by bringing the cap-side contact piece 35 into contact with and away from the holder-side contact piece 33, it is possible to switch ON / OFF the energization of the electric motor 7, thereby simplifying the switch structure of the power supply circuit. In addition, the sealing structure can be simplified, and the configuration of the main body device 5 can be greatly simplified. Furthermore, the seal ring 24 can reliably prevent intrusion of tooth brushing water or the like into the meshing portion between the female screw portion 12 and the male screw portion 21,
The toothpaste water is hardened at the meshing portion of the two screw portions 12 and 21,
The problem that the rotation operation of the cap member 20 becomes difficult can be prevented.

In order to reduce the frictional resistance between the cap member 20 and the holder member 10, the hardness of the seal ring 24 is set to a softer value (a hardness of about 50), or the surface of the seal ring 24 is made of a low-grade material such as Teflon. A friction agent may be coated. In addition, as shown in FIG.
A play G is provided between the male screw portion 12 and the female screw portion 12 by pressing the cap member 20 into a state in which the cap member 20 is screwed to a position immediately before energizing the electric motor 7. By contacting the cap-side contact piece 35 with the holder-side contact piece 33 via the play G between the twelve 12, the power supply circuit is closed, and the pushing operation of the cap member 20 is interrupted.
The cap member 20 may be returned to the original position by the spring force of the spring terminal 36, the cap-side contact piece 35 may be separated from the holder-side contact piece 33, and the power supply circuit may be opened.

Next, another embodiment in which the configuration of the electric interdental cleaning brush 1 is partially changed will be described. The same members as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 7, the electric interdental cleaning brush 40 basically includes a male screw portion 51 formed on the holder member 50 and a female screw portion 61 formed on the cap member 60.
Are screwed together to attach the cap member 60 to the holder member 50.

The male screw portion 51 is formed at the right end of the holder member 50, a seal ring 52 is mounted near the base end of the male screw portion 51, and the right end of the holder side contact piece 53 is formed with the male screw portion 51. Is hooked and fixed to the right end.

The cap member 60 is a cylindrical member having a bottom.
A male screw 5 is provided on the inner wall near the left end of the cap member 60.
1 is screwed into the female screw portion 61, and the cap member 6
A seal portion 63 having a seal surface 62 having an inner diameter larger than that of the female screw portion 61 is formed at the left end portion of the cap member 60, and a disc-shaped cap-side contact piece 64 is provided at the far end of the cap member 60 with a holder-side contact piece. A spring terminal 65 formed of a coil spring whose diameter is reduced to the left is fixed to the cap-side contact piece 64 and fixed to the cap 53.

In the electric interdental cleaning brush 1, the distance L 1 between the center of the seal ring 52 and the right end of the holder-side contact piece 53 is equal to the distance between the left end of the seal portion 63 and the cap-side contact piece 64.
Is set shorter than the distance L2 between the left end faces of the sealing ring 5 by screwing the cap member 60 into the holder member 50.
2 is configured such that a gap is formed between the holder-side contact piece 53 and the cap-side contact piece 64 in a state where the second piece 2 is pressed against the left end of the seal.

In the electric interdental cleaning brush 1, the cap member 60 and the holder member 50 are provided in the same manner as in the above embodiment.
With the space sealed by the seal ring 52, the electric motor 7 can be turned on / off, and the intrusion of water or the like into the holder member 50 during use can be effectively prevented. The same operations and effects as described above can be obtained.

As shown in FIG. 8, the male screw 51
A play G is provided between the male screw portion 61 and the female screw portion 61, and the cap member 60 is screwed to a position immediately before energizing the electric motor 7, and the cap member 60 is pushed to operate the male screw portion 51 and the female screw portion. The cap-side contact piece 64 is brought into contact with the holder-side contact piece 53 through the play G between the contact pieces 61 to close the power supply circuit, and the pushing operation of the cap member 60 is interrupted.
The power supply circuit may be opened by returning the cap member 60 to the original position by the spring force of the spring terminal 65 to separate the cap-side contact piece 64 from the holder-side contact piece 53.

A long circumferential groove is formed in the holder member 10, 50 or the cap member 20, 60, and the cap member 20, 60 or the holder member 10, 50 is provided with an engaging projection for engaging with the long groove. The cap member 20, 60 is formed with the engagement member and the long groove to regulate the rotation operation range of the cap members 20, 60, and the cap members 20, 60 are moved out of the rotation operation range for turning ON / OFF the energization of the electric motor 7. By regulating the rotation operation, the rotation operation of the cap members 20 and 60 may be given a sense of moderation.

In this embodiment, the cap members 20, 6
Although the power supply circuit is configured to be turned on / off by the rotation operation of 0, a separate switch may be provided in the power supply circuit, and the power supply circuit may be turned on / off by operating this switch. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to the liquid-tight battery holder 2 of the electric interdental cleaning brush 1,
The present invention can be similarly applied to a battery holder such as a penlight or an electric pop rubber.

[0033]

As described in detail in the above section, the following effects can be obtained. According to the liquid-tight battery holder according to claim 1, the power supply circuit is divided by separating the holder-side contact piece and the cap-side contact piece until the holder member and the cap member are securely sealed by the seal ring. With the simple configuration, the power supply to the electric motor and the like when the cap member is loose is prohibited, and the user is notified of the seal failure, thereby preventing the intrusion of water or the like into the holder member. Becomes possible. In addition, the seal ring makes it possible to reliably prevent tooth brushing water or the like from entering the meshing portion of the holder side screw portion and the cap side screw portion, and the tooth brushing water hardens at the meshing portion of both screw portions, and the cap member Can be prevented from being difficult to rotate.

According to the liquid-tight battery holder of the second aspect,
Since the contact piece of the power supply circuit switch is constituted by the holder-side contact piece and the cap-side contact piece, there is no need to separately provide a switch for switching the power supply circuit between the closed state and the open state. The power supply circuit can be switched between the closed state and the open state while the members are securely sealed, and the structure of the liquid-tight battery holder can be greatly simplified by simplifying the switch structure and the seal structure. Further, even if washing or the like is performed in the closed state, since water tightness is maintained, a failure caused by intrusion of water and a solidification phenomenon that makes it difficult to open and close the screw portion do not occur.

According to the liquid-tight battery holder according to the third aspect,
If the seal between the holder member and the cap member is not securely sealed, the power supply circuit cannot be closed even if the switch is operated, so that the user is informed of the sealing failure and water or the like enters the holder member. Can be prevented beforehand.

According to the liquid-tight battery holder of the fourth aspect,
With a simple configuration in which a play in the axial direction is provided between the holder side screw portion and the cap side screw portion, it is possible to close the power supply circuit while pressing the cap member,
By using the contact piece on the holder side and the contact piece on the cap side as a contact of the push switch, the switch structure and the seal structure thereof are simplified, and the configuration of the liquid-tight battery holder can be greatly simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an electric interdental cleaning brush.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of an electric interdental cleaning brush.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cap member and members provided therein.

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 at a seal start position.

5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 when the power supply circuit is turned on.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part according to a modification of the male screw part and the female screw part.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 according to another embodiment of the electric interdental cleaning brush.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part according to a modification of the male screw portion and the female screw portion of another embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of an electric interdental cleaning brush according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric tooth cleaning brush 30 Wiring means 2 Liquid-tight battery holder 31 Cup-shaped contact piece 3 Vibration generating means 32 Groove part 4 Battery 33 Holder side contact piece 5 Main unit 34 Annular step part 6 Interdental cleaning brush 35 Cap side contact piece 7 Electric motor 36 Spring terminal 7a Rotating shaft 37 Locking piece 8 Eccentric weight 37a Insertion hole 10 Holder member G play 11 Holding claw 40 Electric tooth cleaning brush 12 Female screw part 50 Holder member 13 Seal surface 51 Male screw part 14 Seal part 52 Seal ring 20 Cap member 53 Holder side contact piece 21 Male screw part 60 Cap member 22 Slit 61 Female screw part 23 Mounting part 62 Seal surface 24 Seal ring 63 Seal part 25 Gripping part 64 Cap side contact piece 65 Spring terminal

Claims (4)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A holder member having a holder-side screw portion formed at one end thereof and capable of accommodating a battery, and a cap-side screw portion screwed to the holder-side screw portion. A cap member removably attached to close an opening at one end of the holder member; and a cap member mounted on a portion of one of the holder member or the cap member that fits inside and outside of a meshing end open side of both members. A seal ring that is pressed against the cap member or the holder member to seal between the holder member and the cap member within a range of a predetermined angle from the latter half of the screwing of the cap member to the completion of the screwing; The cap member is screwed into the holder member to approach each other, and comes into contact with each other within the predetermined angle range to close the power supply circuit. A liquid-tight battery holder comprising: a holder-side contact piece and a cap-side contact piece. 2. The power supply circuit is closed by forming a contact of a switch of a power supply circuit with the holder-side contact piece and the cap-side contact piece, and rotating the cap member within the predetermined angle range. The liquid-tight battery holder according to claim 1, wherein the liquid-tight battery holder is configured to switch between the open state and the open state. 3. The liquid-tight battery holder according to claim 1, wherein a switch for switching a power supply circuit between a closed state and an opened state is provided on the holder member or the cap member. 4. The liquid-tight battery holder according to claim 1, wherein an axial play is provided between the holder-side screw portion and the cap-side screw portion.