JP3179819B2 - electric toothbrush - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric toothbrush for preventing tooth decay and alveolar pyorrhea by brushing teeth and for cleaning teeth.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electric toothbrush is conventionally known.
A conventional electric toothbrush has a brush body attached to a toothbrush body having a reciprocatingly rotating shaft, the same reciprocating rotation as the shaft of the toothbrush body is given to the brush body, and a brush portion implanted at the tip of the brush body so as to be orthogonal to the brush body. Is generally reciprocated about the axis of the toothbrush body to brush the teeth.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional example, the brush portion can be made to move only in the same movement as the reciprocating rotational movement of the shaft of the toothbrush main body. There is a current need for electric toothbrushes that have teeth and corresponding other different movements.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has as its object the purpose of brushing teeth (so-called rotary brushing ) with a reciprocating rotary brush capable of reciprocating rotation about a direction perpendicular to the toothbrush body. ) , And by removing the brush body from the toothbrush body, an electric toothbrush is provided that can easily attach the same brush body as in the related art and make reciprocating rotational movement about the toothbrush body to brush the teeth (so-called rolling brushing). It is in.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems] With the above-mentioned problems with the conventional example to achieve the object of the present invention, the electric toothbrush of the present invention, the upper toothbrush body 2 having an axis 1 reciprocally rotated
A normal brush body directly connected to the shaft 1 and driven to reciprocate.
14 and the rotation shaft 4 to which the reciprocating rotation of the shaft 1 is transmitted.
A reciprocating rotary block that projects the reverse rotation in a direction orthogonal to the rotary shaft 4
A rotating direction changing means 6 for changing the direction and transmitting to the brush 5;
That can be selectively attached to and detached from the brush body 3
A moving toothbrush comprising a reciprocating rotary brush 5;
The brush body 3 has a reciprocating rotary brush 5 and a rotating direction on its tip side.
Replacement means 6 and connected to the toothbrush body 2.
The reciprocating rotation of the shaft 1 of the toothbrush body 2 is on the proximal side to be tied.
An angle-enhancing means 27 for enlarging the turning angle and transmitting it to the rotary shaft 4
It is characterized by having.

Further, the angle increasing means 27 may be constituted by a planetary gear mechanism. Further, the internal gear 7 of the planetary gear mechanism may be formed integrally with the brush body 3. Also, the rotating shaft 4 which is the axis of the sun gear 8 of the planetary gear mechanism is
The rotation shaft 4, which is the axis of the sun gear 8, which is held by the bearing means above the, may be rotatable with respect to the driver 11 that holds the axis of the planetary gear 10.

Further, the rotation direction changing means 6 is provided with a miter gear 6.
a, 6b may be provided, and a spring member 12 for holding the engagement of the miter gears 6a, 6b may be provided. Further, the reciprocating rotary brush 5 may be detachably attached to a brush fixing table provided on the brush body 3 side so as to be reciprocally rotatable, and may be coupled so as to transmit rotation by unevenness at a position deviated from the center. .

Further, the reciprocating rotary brush 5 may be configured such that the center of rotation is not planted but the outer periphery is planted. It is also preferable that the pair of drivers 11 for transmitting the rotation of the toothbrush main body 2 from the shaft 1 to the rotation shaft 4 of the brush body 3 be free in a direction other than the rotation transmission direction.

[0009]

[Effect] Normally on the toothbrush body 2 having the reciprocating shaft 1
So-called rolling polishing
Reciprocating rotating brush 5 and rotating direction changing element
When the brush body 3 having the step 6 is mounted, a so-called rotation
Can be polished and the shaft 1 of the toothbrush body 2
The rotation angle is set according to the normal brush body 14 described above.
However, the angle increasing means 27 is provided.
Reciprocating rotation when the brush body 3 having the reverse rotation brush 5 is mounted
The brush 5 can be given a sufficient rotation angle .

Further, by configuring the angle increasing means 27 by a planetary gear mechanism, the angle of the reciprocating rotation of the rotary shaft 4 can be increased with a simple configuration. Here, brush body 3
By forming the internal gear 7 of the planetary gear mechanism integrally with
The internal gear 7, which is a component of the planetary gear mechanism constituting the angle increasing means 27, can be formed. Further, the rotating shaft 4 as the shaft of the sun gear 8 of the planetary gear mechanism is held by bearing means above the sun gear 8, and the rotating shaft 4 as the shaft of the sun gear 8 holds the shaft of the planetary gear 10. The rotation shaft 4 of the sun gear 10 can be reliably supported on the brush body 3 by being rotatable with respect to the child 11.

Further, the rotation direction changing means 6 includes a miter gear 6.
a, 6b, and by providing a spring member 12 for holding the meshing of the miter gears 6a, 6b, the brush body 3
When the rotation of the rotating shaft 4 is changed in direction and transmitted to the reciprocating rotary brush 5, the rotation can be performed with a simple configuration. The reciprocating rotary brush 5 is detachably attached to a brush fixing base provided on the brush body 3 side so as to be reciprocally rotatable, and is coupled so as to transmit rotation by unevenness at a position deviated from the center. The rotary brush 5 can be replaced and used, and the reciprocating rotary brush 5 can be rotated with a simple configuration.

Further, the reciprocating rotary brush 5 is not planted at the center of rotation, but is planted on the outer peripheral portion. Easy to polish. In addition, if the pair of drivers 11 that transmit the rotation of the toothbrush body 2 from the shaft 1 to the rotation shaft 4 of the brush body 3 is configured to be free except in the direction of rotation transmission, the shaft 1 is prevented from being displaced from the center. Overload can be absorbed.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The toothbrush body 2 is provided with a reciprocating shaft 1. The tip of the shaft 1 projects upward from the upper end of the toothbrush body 2 so that the shaft 1 reciprocates as shown by the arrow in FIG. Has become. The toothbrush body 2 is provided with a switch 13. As shown in FIG. 8, the toothbrush body 2 has a brush body 14 attached to the shaft 1 of the toothbrush body 2 so that the brush body 14 can be reciprocated around the toothbrush body 2 as indicated by an arrow to brush the teeth. This is the same as a conventional electric toothbrush. That is, the toothbrush body 2 of the present invention has the same structure as the toothbrush body 2 of the conventional electric toothbrush, and the same brush as the conventional brush body 14 can be used as a replacement brush.

In the present invention, a brush body 3 unique to the present invention is removably attached to the toothbrush body 2 of the electric toothbrush conventionally used. As shown in FIG. 4, the brush body 3 is provided with a hook 16 at the lower end of the holder 15 and provided with a rotation preventing projection 17, and the hook 16 of the brush body 3 is attached to the cover 43 of the toothbrush body 2 as shown in FIG. It is detachably locked to a locking portion 18 at an opening edge of an upper end portion.
7 is fitted into the concave portion 19 at the opening edge of the cover 43 to prevent the rotation of the brush body 3. A brush fixing base 20 is disposed on the front side of the upper end of the brush body 3, and the reciprocating rotary brush 5 is detachably disposed on the brush fixing base 20. The brush fixing base 20 is provided with a fixing concave portion 21 and a rotation preventing concave portion 22 at positions deviated from the center, and the fixing rib 23 and the rotation preventing rib 24 provided on the back of the base 35 of the reciprocating rotary brush 5 are provided. The fixing ribs 23 of the reciprocating rotary brush 5 are fitted into the fixing recesses 21 of the brush fixing base 20 and the rotation preventing ribs 24 are rotated.
The reciprocating rotary brush 5 is detachably attached by being fitted in the fitting. The brush fixing base 20 is fitted through a window provided on the front surface of the upper end of the holder 15 of the brush body 3, and is rotatably fitted into the pin 25. Brush fixing base 20
The rear part is provided with one miter gear 6a of a pair of miter gears 6a and 6b constituting the rotation direction changing means 6. A pair of drivers 11 are provided in the brush body 3,
The lower driver 11a of the pair of drivers 11 is freely fittable with the upper end of the shaft 1 of the toothbrush body 2, and the lower driver 11a and the upper driver 11b are connected by pins 41. It is. In this case, the pair of drivers 11 is configured to be free in directions other than the rotation transmitting direction. Specifically, the hole through which the pin 41 is inserted is the elongated hole 26 so that the driver 11a and the driver 11b can move in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3, and the driver 11a reciprocates only in the direction of arrow B. The rotation movement can be transmitted to the driver 11b. A pin 28 for rotatably holding the planetary gear 10 is fixed to the upper driver 11b. This pin 28 is arranged at a position shifted from the extension of the shaft 1.
A hole 29 for rotatably inserting the rotating shaft 4 which is the shaft of the sun gear 8 is provided in a portion corresponding to an extension of the shaft 1 of 1b.
Is provided. The planetary gear 10 fixed to the pin 28 meshes with the internal gear 7 formed integrally with the holder 15 on the inner wall surface of the holder 15, and the planetary gear 10 meshes with the sun gear 8 fixed to the rotating shaft 4. The sun gear 8, the planetary gear 10, and the internal gear 7 increase the angle.
And a planetary gear mechanism as follows. The rotating shaft 4 is held by a bearing 9, and the bearing 9 is a bearing holder 30.
It is held by. The spring material 1 is provided between the bearing 9 and the miter gear 6b provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft 4 as described later.
2 intervenes and absorbs the variation of each part to mesh the miter gear 6b with the miter gear 6a. Here, the upper end of the rotating shaft 4 is rounded, and a knurl 31 is machined below the rotating shaft 4, and the miter gear 6b is press-fitted into the upper end of the rotating shaft 4 and fixed. At this time, the knurls 31 are completely fitted into the press-fitting portions, show the concentricity between the rotating shaft 4 and the miter gear 6b, and also serve as detents and stoppers. The shaft part 3 is provided on the miter gear 6b.
2 is provided so as to slide reciprocally on the inner surface of the holder 15. And, as described above, the rotating shaft 4 includes the bearing 9 and the shaft portion 32 above the sun gear 8.
The lower part is slidably inserted into the hole 29 of the driver 11b, so that the sun gear 8, the planetary gear 10, and the internal gear 7 Engagement is secured. In the figure, reference numeral 40 denotes a fixing ring which functions to prevent the blocks of the drivers 11a and 11b from coming off.

When the shaft 1 of the toothbrush body 2 makes a reciprocating rotational movement (about 30 °) about the axis 1 as shown by an arrow in FIG. 2, the driving elements 11a and 11b also make a 30 ° reciprocating rotation. Do exercise. In this case, an elongated hole 26 is provided as a countermeasure against
The configuration is free except for the rotation transmission from a to the driver 11b. When the driver 11b reciprocates, the driver 1
The planetary gear 10 rotatably mounted on 1b is about 30 °
And the planetary gear 10 meshes with the internal gear 7 to increase the rotation angle of the sun gear 8. When the rotation angle is enlarged in this way and the sun gear 8 reciprocates, the rotating shaft 4
Is reciprocally rotated with the angle increased, and reciprocally rotates with the angle of the brush fixing base 20 increased through the miter gears 6a and 6b as the rotation direction changing means 6, whereby the brush fixing base 20 is rotated.
The reciprocating rotary brush 5 attached to the shaft reciprocates around an axis substantially perpendicular to the shaft 1.

A plurality of types of reciprocating rotary brushes 5 are prepared, and these can be used interchangeably. 6 and 7 show embodiments of the reciprocating rotary brush 5. FIG. The brush shown in FIG. 6 is of a large type, and a brush portion 36 is planted on the front surface of the base 35. In this case, the brush is not planted at the center but only at the outer periphery. In this way, when brushing the teeth, as shown in FIG. 6D, the brush portions 36 are put on the teeth 38, so that the surfaces of the teeth 38 can be easily brushed. 7 is a small-sized type, in which the tip of the flocked portion 36 is pointed so that the gap between the teeth and the meshing concave portion are easily polished. In this case, a fixing rib 23 and a detent rib 24 of the same size are provided so that both the large one shown in FIG. 6 and the small one shown in FIG.

[0017]

In the present invention, as described above, usually
So-called rolling polishing by attaching the brush body of
With a reciprocating rotating brush
By attaching a body, it is possible to do so-called rotary polishing
Is possible, and the angle increasing means is provided.
In addition, the setting of the rotation angle of the shaft is
Reciprocating rotary block
You can make the lashes rotate at a sufficient angle and add
In addition to the rotation direction changing means, the angle increasing means is a brush body.
The reciprocating rotary brush is attached to the tip of the brush body.
A brush and a rotating direction changing means are provided, and the angle increasing means is a toothbrush.
Because it is provided on the proximal side connected to the main body,
The tip of the brush body that is to be put in is too thick
It is possible to brush the teeth comfortably without getting sick .

By configuring the angle increasing means with a planetary gear mechanism, the angle of the reciprocating rotation of the rotating shaft can be increased with a simple configuration, and the efficiency of tooth brushing can be increased. Also, when the internal gear of the planetary gear mechanism is formed integrally with the brush body, the internal gear, which is a component of the planetary gear mechanism constituting the angle increasing means, can be easily formed, and the structure of the planetary gear mechanism can be simplified. Can be

Further, the rotating shaft, which is the shaft of the sun gear of the planetary gear mechanism, is held by bearing means above the sun gear, and the rotating shaft, which is the shaft of the sun gear, corresponds to the driver which holds the shaft of the planetary gear. Even if it is freely rotatable, the rotating shaft of the sun gear can be reliably supported on the brush body. Further, in the case where the rotation direction changing means is constituted by a miter gear and provided with a spring material for holding the meshing of the miter gear, a simple change in the direction of rotation of the rotating shaft of the brush body and transmission to the reciprocating rotary brush is required. It can be done with a configuration. In the case where the reciprocating rotary brush is detachably attached to a brush fixing base provided reciprocally rotatable on the brush body side and is coupled so as to transmit rotation by unevenness at a position deviated from the center, the reciprocating rotary brush is used. Can be used interchangeably, and the reciprocating rotary brush can be rotated with a simple configuration.

Further, when the reciprocating rotary brush is not planted at the center of rotation and is planted on the outer periphery, the tooth surface is brushed by covering the teeth with the reciprocating rotary brush and brushing the teeth. It can be easier. Also,
In a configuration in which the pair of drivers that transmit rotation from the shaft of the toothbrush body to the rotation shaft side of the brush body is free except in the rotation transmission direction, the overload due to shaft center deviation is absorbed. Is what you can do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the same.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the brush body.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the brush body.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1;

6A and 6B show one embodiment of a reciprocating rotary brush used in the above, wherein FIG. 6A is a perspective view seen from the front, FIG. 6B is a front view, and FIG. 6C is a perspective view seen from the back. Yes, (d)
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a use state.

7A and 7B show another embodiment of the reciprocating rotary brush used in the above embodiment, wherein FIG. 7A is a front perspective view, FIG. 7B is a front view, and FIG. 7C is a rear perspective view. It is.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment in which the same brush body as the conventional brush body is attached to the toothbrush body.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 shaft 2 toothbrush body 3 brush body 4 rotating shaft 5 reciprocating rotating brush 6 rotation direction changing means 6a miter gear 6b miter gear 7 internal gear 8 sun gear 10 planetary gear 11 driver 12 spring material

────────────────────────────────────────────────── (5) References JP-A-3-82464 (JP, A) JP-A-49-3775 (JP, U) JP-A-63-36323 (JP, U) US Pat. , A) International Publication 91/7117 (WO, A1) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A46B 1/00-17/08

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A top to the toothbrush body having a shaft rotated reciprocally
Ordinary brush body directly connected to the shaft and driven to reciprocate
And the reciprocating rotation of the rotating shaft to which the reciprocating rotation of the shaft is transmitted.
Direction of reciprocating rotary brush protruding in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis
Brush provided with rotation direction changing means for changing and transmitting
An electric toothbrush that is selectively detachable from the body
The brush body provided with the reciprocating rotary brush has a tip end side.
Equipped with a reciprocating rotary brush and a rotating direction changing means
Both have a toothbrush book on the proximal end connected to the toothbrush body.
Enlarge the rotation angle of the reciprocating rotation of the body shaft and transmit it to the above rotation shaft
An electric toothbrush comprising: an angle increasing means . 2. The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the angle increasing means comprises a planetary gear mechanism. 3. The electric toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein an internal gear of the planetary gear mechanism is formed integrally with the brush body. 4. A rotating shaft, which is a shaft of a sun gear of a planetary gear mechanism, is held by bearing means above the sun gear, and the rotating shaft, which is the shaft of the sun gear, corresponds to a driver which holds the shaft of the planetary gear. The electric toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein the electric toothbrush is rotatable. 5. The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the rotation direction changing means is constituted by a miter gear, and is provided with a spring member for holding the engagement of the miter gear. 6. A reciprocating rotary brush is characterized in that the reciprocating rotary brush is detachably attached to a brush fixing base provided reciprocally rotatable on a brush body side and is coupled to transmit a rotation by unevenness at a position deviated from the center. The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein 7. The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the reciprocating rotary brush is not planted at the center of rotation and is planted at the outer periphery. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of drivers for transmitting the rotation from the shaft of the toothbrush body to the rotation shaft side of the brush body is free except in the direction of rotation transmission.
The described electric toothbrush.