JPH0316504A - Motor tooth brush - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a rechargeable battery from lowering the capacity, etc., of a rechargeable battery by providing a control means to a charger by which a rechargeable battery of a tooth brush body is charged only for a specified time when the charger is mounted to the tooth brush body. CONSTITUTION:A motor tooth brush is composed of a tooth brush body 1 which has a rechargeable battery B built in and a charger 2 to which the body 1 is removably mounted, and which charges the rechargeable battery B when the body 1 is mounted. And the charger 2 is provided with a control means 3 (e.g. time circuit) to charge the rechargeable battery B of the body 1 for a specified time when the body 1 is mounted to the charger 2. As a result, cycles of charge and discharge can be more increased by using of self-discharge of a rechargeable battery than a motor tooth brush continuously charged so that the rechargeable battery can be in an activated condition, causing no trouble of capacity lowering or liquid spill, etc.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an electric toothbrush that is equipped with a rechargeable battery and that is charged by attaching the toothbrush body to a charger when not in use.

[Prior art 1] In this type of electric toothbrush, the toothbrush body and the charger are separated, and after using the toothbrush body, the toothbrush body is transferred to the charger. Some toothbrushes are designed to charge the built-in rechargeable battery when not in use. FIG. 9 shows an internal circuit between the toothbrush body and the charger of such an electric toothbrush. The toothbrush body 1 has a built-in rechargeable battery B and a motor M that operates using the rechargeable battery B as a power source, and when the power switch SW1 is turned on, power is supplied to the motor M from the rechargeable battery B. It is set to . *The charger 2 is
A step-down transformer T that steps down the commercial power supply AC, and a G-f ord bridge D that rectifies the secondary output of this step-down transformer T.
B and a smoothing capacitor C that smooths the output of the diode bridge DB. In this electric toothbrush, when the toothbrush main body 1 is attached to the charger 2, the rechargeable battery B is charged with a relatively small current of, for example, about 50 to 100 eaA. {Problem to be Solved by the Invention J By the way, this type of electric toothbrush has few use failures, and its use time is relatively short, about 1 to 2 minutes. For example, the toothbrush of the toothbrush body 1 is detachable, for example, 3
Even if a person's family uses the above-mentioned electric toothbrush in the morning and at night, they will use it a total of 6 times, and the total usage time will be about 10 minutes. That is, in such an electric toothbrush, the rechargeable battery B is constantly charged and the usage time is extremely short, so the time during which the rechargeable battery B is discharged is extremely short. Furthermore, this type of electric toothbrush is not used every day, but may be used in conjunction with a regular toothbrush.
In this case, the number of times and time of use will be even shorter. Also,
If you live alone and are often away from home due to business trips, the number of times you use your computer and the amount of time you use it will be extremely short. Therefore, in the above case, the rechargeable battery B is almost always left in a fully charged state. In addition, in this electric toothbrush, the rechargeable battery B has a total of 20 to 3 liters when fully charged.
Can be used 0 times. As described above, if the rechargeable battery B is left in a fully charged state for a long period of time, problems such as a decrease in the capacity of the rechargeable battery B and occurrence of liquid leakage occur. In other words, if this type of rechargeable battery B is not cycled between fully charged (slightly overcharged) and empty (overdischarged) at appropriate intervals, the capacity will decrease.
This may cause liquid leakage. The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide an electric toothbrush that does not cause a decrease in the capacity of a rechargeable battery. [Means for Solving Problem 8 1] In order to achieve the above-mentioned goal, the present invention provides a control means for charging the rechargeable battery of the toothbrush body with the charger for a specific period while the toothbrush body is attached to the charger. is provided on the charger. Note that the control means may be configured to charge the rechargeable battery and stop charging at regular intervals from the time when power is supplied to the charger, or from the time when power is supplied to the charger and from the charger of the toothbrush body. The rechargeable battery may be charged only for a certain period of time from the time of attachment. [Function 1] As described above, the present invention performs constant charging by providing the charger with a control means that allows the charger to charge the rechargeable battery of the toothbrush body only for a specific period while the toothbrush body is attached to the charger. Compared to electric toothbrushes, the self-discharge of the rechargeable battery can be used to increase the number of cycles in the charging and discharging state, thereby activating the rechargeable battery and preventing problems such as capacity loss and fluid leakage. This is what I did. [Embodiment 11 A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This embodiment is provided with a timer circuit 3 that repeatedly measures time at a fixed period, and a switching element Q1 that supplies charging current from the charger 2 to the rechargeable battery B when the output of the timer circuit 3 is at a high level. It is. In addition, timer circuit 3
It is preferable to set the measurement time to, for example, 3 to 10 hours. Further, the timer circuit 3 is configured to be reset by a reset circuit 4 when commercial electric power JAC is supplied. The reset circuit 4 includes an inverter date I+, a diode DI, a capacitor CI, and a resistor R, and the timer circuit 3 is reset at the falling edge of the reset signal. In the charger of this embodiment, the output vO of the timer circuit 3 has a high level and a low level as shown in FIG. Repeat the condition. In other words, charging of the rechargeable battery B is performed intermittently, such as charging the rechargeable battery B for 3 hours and then stopping charging for 3 hours. Therefore, compared to conventional electric toothbrushes that are constantly charged, it is possible to increase the number of charging and discharging cycles by utilizing the self-discharge of the charging battery QB, and it is therefore possible to bring the charging battery B into an activated state, preventing a decrease in capacity. Does not cause problems such as liquid leakage. For example, when the power of the charger 2 is cut off and then turned on, the reset circuit 4 outputs the reset signal ■R, as shown in Figure TS2 (b), and the timer circuit 3
is reset, so that when the power is turned on, the rechargeable battery B can be charged as shown in FIG. 2(e). In addition,
FIG. 2(a) is a diagram showing the supply status of commercial electricity @AC. [Embodiment 2] Figures 3 to 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this type of electric toothbrush, as shown in FIG. 5, a mounting part 5 on which the toothbrush body 1 is mounted vertically is provided in a recessed manner, and the inner peripheral surface of this mounting part 5 is pressed when the toothbrush main body 1 is mounted. It is equipped with a switch SW for attachment detection. Note that a terminal pin 6 is provided protruding from the lower surface of the toothbrush body 1, and when this terminal pin 6 is inserted into the connecting pin 7 provided on the bottom surface of the mounting portion 5, the rechargeable battery inside the toothbrush body 1 is connected. B
and the output of charger 2 are connected. Figure 3 shows the internal circuit of this charger 2. In this embodiment, the smoothing capacitor C
A switch SW is connected to both ends of 0 via a resistor R2,
The waveform shaping circuit 8 shapes the voltage waveform across the switch SW, and when the switch SW3 is pressed, the timer circuit 3
A signal v2 for resetting is generated, and this signal 2 is ORed with the output vl of the reset circuit 9 by OR date OR, to generate a reset signal VR. Note that the waveform shaping circuit 8 uses a NAND date NA. The inverter data }I, , I4, the capacitor C2, and the resistor R are used. Further, the reset circuit 9 has a structure in which inverter data }I2 is newly provided to the output of the reset circuit 4 shown in FIG. Furthermore, the timer circuit 3 of this embodiment is one that is reset at the rising edge of the reset signal. Now, with the toothbrush body 1 removed from the charger 2,
As shown in Figure IJ4 (&), when the commercial power supply AC is turned on, the output 2 of the reset circuit 9 rises after a certain time delay from the time when the commercial power supply AC is turned on, as shown in Figure IJ4 (b). At this time, the output of the waveform shaping circuit 8 is at a high level as shown in FIG. 4(d), so the timer circuit 3 is reset. However, at this time, since the toothbrush main body 1 is not connected to the charger 2, the transistor Q is in the O7 state, and no charging output is generated from the charger 2. When the toothbrush body 1 is attached to the charger 2 in this state, the switch S
W is turned on as shown in FIG. 4(c), and the output of the waveform shaping circuit 8 becomes low level as shown in FIG. 4(d), which is determined by the time constant of resistor R and capacitor C2. The period output ■2 becomes a low level and then returns to a high level. When the output v1 of the waveform shaping circuit 8 rises in this way, the reset signal VR, which is the output of the OR, also rises, and the timer circuit 3 is reset. At this time, since the toothbrush body l is attached to the charger 2, the transistor Q1 is turned on and charging current is supplied to the rechargeable battery B for the timer period of the timer circuit 3. Thereafter, unless the toothbrush body 1 is removed from the charger 2, the rechargeable battery B will not be charged in this electric toothbrush. For example, if the battery B is not used for about a week, the rechargeable battery B will not be charged during that time, and its capacity will decrease due to self-discharge. Therefore, the charging/discharging cycles of the rechargeable battery B can be increased, and therefore the rechargeable battery B can be activated, and problems such as a decrease in capacity do not occur. Note that, as shown on the right side of FIG. 4(a), when the supply of commercial power AC is stopped and then restarted with the toothbrush main body 1 attached to the charger 2, the output of the waveform shaping circuit 8 ■When 2 is at high level, the output v of the reset circuit 9
Since l rises from low level to high level, O7
The output Vt of the gate OR rises from the morrow level to the high level, so the timer circuit 3 is reset and the rechargeable battery B is charged. That is, in this embodiment, when the toothbrush body 1 is attached to the charger 2 after using the toothbrush body 1, and when the toothbrush body 1 is attached to the charger 2, the rechargeable battery is charged only when commercial electricity [AC is supplied]. B is charged. In addition, if the timer time of the timer circuit 3 in this embodiment is set to about 8 hours, it is possible to fully charge the rechargeable battery B even if it is almost empty. [Embodiment 3] Figure $6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. For example, in the above-mentioned second embodiment, when the electric toothbrush is not used many times and is left unused without disconnecting the commercial power AC, it is necessary to charge the toothbrush when taking only the toothbrush body 1 on a business trip etc. If battery B does not have a certain amount of capacity, there will be an inconvenience that the amount of grams will run out during a business trip. In addition, for people who do not charge the rechargeable battery B until the capacity of the rechargeable battery B has decreased to a certain level after it has been charged, it is useful to know that the capacity has decreased when the visibility has decreased to a certain degree. be. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the reference voltage that indicates that the capacity of the rechargeable battery B produced by the reference voltage generating circuit 10 has decreased to a certain degree, for example, the capacity is increased to a level that can be used two or three more times. A comparator CPl compares the reference voltage when the voltage decreases with the capacity of the rechargeable battery B, and when the capacity of the rechargeable battery B decreases beyond the above-mentioned capacity, the transistor Q2 is turned on and the light emitting diode LD is turned on. This is how it is done. In this way, the user can be informed that the capacity of the rechargeable battery B is low from the lighting state of the light emitting diode LD. Although FIG. 6 does not show a charging means for charging the rechargeable battery B, it goes without saying that the circuit shown in FIG. 1 or 3, for example, may be provided. Embodiment 41 A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. This embodiment is a charging/non-charging display circuit 1 in addition to the second embodiment.
1 is provided, and the timer time of the light emitting diode LD2 and the timer circuit 3 is lI5. ■ Output when the time is exceeded. An oscillation circuit 12 receives the voltage through an inverter gate 1 and starts an oscillation operation, and a transistor Q2 turns on and off with the output of the oscillation circuit 12 to connect and disconnect the cathode of the light emitting diode LD2 from the ground. It is organized. The light emitting diode LD of the display circuit 11. When the timer circuit 3 opens, the transistor Q1 is turned on and the light is continuously lit as shown in FIG. 8(f). Then, when the timer time T, of the timer circuit 3 has elapsed, the output of the timer circuit 3 is -. The oscillation circuit 12 starts an oscillation operation upon receiving the inperta data} I5, and the transistor Q2
Turn on and off. For this reason, the light emitting diode L D
The cathode of No. 2 is disconnected from ground, so that the light emitting diode LD flashes as shown in FIG. 8(f). In this manner, in this embodiment, whether the rechargeable battery B is being charged or not is indicated by continuous lighting and blinking of the light emitting diode LD. Note that when the supply of commercial power AC is stopped, the light emitting diode LD2 is in a non-lighting state. [Effect of the Invention 1] As described above, the present invention is provided with a control means in the charger that causes the charger to charge the rechargeable battery of the toothbrush body only for a specific period while the toothbrush body is attached to the charger. Compared to electric toothbrushes that charge, the self-discharge of the rechargeable battery can be used to increase the number of cycles in the charging and discharging state, which can activate the rechargeable battery and prevent problems such as reduced capacity and fluid leakage. do not have.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram of the first embodiment, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the same operation as above, Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of the second embodiment, Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the same as above, Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the same as above, No. 6
FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of the third embodiment, FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of the tIIJ4 embodiment, FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the same operation, and FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram of the second embodiment. 1 is the toothbrush body, 2 is the charger, 3 is the timer circuit, 4,
9 is a reset circuit, 8 is a waveform shaping circuit, AC is a commercial power supply, B is a rechargeable battery, SW is a switch, O R + is an OR date, and QI is a transistor.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In an electric toothbrush consisting of a toothbrush body with a built-in rechargeable battery, and a charger for removably attaching the toothbrush body and charging the rechargeable battery with the toothbrush body attached, the toothbrush body is connected to the charger. An electric toothbrush, wherein the charger is provided with a control means for causing the charger to charge a rechargeable battery of the toothbrush body only for a specific period while the toothbrush is being worn. (2) The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the control means charges the rechargeable battery and stops charging at regular intervals from the time when power is supplied to the charger. (3) The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the control means causes the rechargeable battery to be charged only for a certain period of time from the time when power is supplied to the charger and the time when the toothbrush main body is attached to the charger.