JPH0675511U - Low frequency gum massager - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] We do not provide a low-frequency gum massager that can obtain a useful energizing stimulus with good reproducibility by forming an energizing path only in the gums and applying sufficient current with good reproducibility. It is what [Composition] A low-frequency gum massager in which a pair of electrodes (2) are provided at the tip of a handle (1), and the handle (1) has a toothbrush shape, or the pair of electrodes (2) is provided inside the handle. A low frequency voltage generation circuit (4) for applying a low frequency voltage and a power source (3) are provided, a metal projection is used for the electrode (2), or conductive elasticity is used for the electrode (2). It is something to wear on the body.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a gum massager for maintaining a healthy gum.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Regarding the maintenance of oral health, much attention has been paid to the prevention of tooth decay as well as the prevention of periodontal disease by improving blood circulation in the gums. Against this background, a low-frequency toothbrush massager called a low-frequency toothbrush as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-112026 has already been proposed for the purpose of flowing a low-frequency current to the gums to promote blood circulation. ing. FIG. 10 shows the structure of such a conventional low-frequency gum massager by using an exploded view thereof. In the example shown in the drawing, a low-frequency generating circuit 21, a power source 22 such as a dry battery, frequency and output adjusting knobs 23 and 24, one electrode 25, and a pole electrode 26 as the other electrode are provided in the grip 20 and inserted into the mouth. The portion 27 is provided with a hollow path 28 through which the pole electrode 26 can be inserted, an opening 29 through which the pole electrode 26 can be exposed, and a flocked portion 30 for brushing teeth.

By turning on the power during the brushing operation, a low frequency voltage is applied between the one electrode 25 and the pole electrode 26 provided on the grip portion 20, so that the gums from the gripping hand into the oral cavity can be changed. The current is passed through the gums by configuring a closed circuit that passes through, and the current is stimulated to promote blood circulation in the gums.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, the conventional low-frequency gum massager as described above has the following problems due to its structure. First, since the low-frequency current conducting path is formed between the hand holding the massager and the gums, stimulation during energization may occur in the part of the hand that was originally not necessary, or As a matter of course, the electric resistance changes depending on the degree of wetting, which poses the problem that a constant electrical stimulation to the gum cannot be obtained with good reproducibility. Secondly, a voltage is applied in the oral cavity by the pole electrode 26 exposed from the opening 29, and since the pole electrode 26 and the gums do not come into contact with each other, an electric current flows through saliva, which causes resistance. As a result of the increase, there is a problem that a sufficiently effective current cannot be obtained.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and by forming an energization path only in the gums and allowing a sufficient current to flow with good reproducibility, it is possible to obtain a useful energizing stimulation with good reproducibility. The purpose is to provide a gum massager. The gist of the present invention is a low-frequency gum massager in which a pair of electrodes are provided at the tip of the handle. The handle has a toothbrush shape, and a low-frequency voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes inside the handle. The above problems can be solved by providing a low frequency voltage generating circuit and a power source, using a metal projection for the electrode, or attaching a conductive elastic body to the electrode. .

[0006]

[Action]

 The low-frequency gum massager of the present invention inserts the tip of a toothbrush-shaped handle into the oral cavity, applies a low-frequency voltage with a pair of electrodes in contact with the gum, and applies a low-frequency current only to the gum. To form the current-carrying path. The conductive elastic body that adheres to the electrode softens the contact of the electrode with the gum.

[0007]

【Example】

 Next, a specific structure of the low frequency gum massager of the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiment. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall structure of the low frequency gum massager of the present invention. In the example shown in the figure, a pair of electrodes 2 and 2 are provided at the tip of a handle 1 having a toothbrush shape, a battery 3 and a low frequency voltage generating circuit unit 4 are provided inside the handle 1, and the electrodes 2 and 2 serve as a power source. The battery 3 and the circuit portion 4 are connected via a switch 5 by conductors 6 such as lead wires. A side view of the electrode mounting portion is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, two electrodes 2, 2 are provided in a protruding shape at the tip portion of the handle 1. It is preferable that the electrodes 2 and 2 are made of a metal having excellent corrosion resistance.

In the above structure, the low frequency voltage is generated from the low frequency voltage generating circuit section 4 by the electric power from the battery 3, and is guided to the electrodes 2 and 2 by the conductors 6 and 6. Then, a block diagram of the low frequency voltage generating circuit section 4 is shown as FIG. As shown in the figure, the circuit section 4 includes an oscillating circuit 7 for generating a pulse voltage of a constant width, and a differentiating circuit 8 for obtaining steep spike voltages at the leading and trailing edges of the pulse obtained by the oscillating circuit 7. , An output circuit 9 for sending an effective voltage to the electrodes. In order to obtain a sharp spike voltage, it is important to set the time constant in the differentiating circuit 8 to be sufficiently smaller than the pulse width obtained in the oscillator circuit 7.

Further, when an electric current is passed through the human body, since the human body is considered to be an electrolyte, there is a concern that the electrode material may be deposited due to an electrolysis phenomenon by continuing to pass an electric current of the same polarity to the same site. It Furthermore, since the human body also has a certain amount of capacitance, it is feared that when a voltage is applied with the same polarity, the capacitance will be charged and the pulse current will gradually become difficult to flow. Therefore, in order to avoid such a problem, the following is proposed as an embodiment of the present invention.

First, in the structure shown in FIG. 1, it is proposed to provide a pulse transformer in the low-frequency voltage generation circuit unit 4 and generate a so-called bidirectional pulse in which each pulse has a different polarity by this pulse transformer. To be done. Bidirectional pulse generation by this pulse transformer is a well-known technique, and although the circuit diagram and overall structure are not shown in particular, the capacity increase by the pulse transformer etc. should be sufficiently absorbed by making the gripping part thicker. You can do it. An example of the waveform of such a bidirectional pulse is shown in FIG. In the figure, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents voltage, and the dotted line represents the level of 0 volt. As shown, a positive pulse a and a negative pulse b are generated, and the polarity of each pulse is changed. By doing so, it is possible to eliminate the above-mentioned concern about electrolysis and current reduction.

On the other hand, however, the generation of bidirectional pulses leads to an increase in the number of constituent parts such as a pulse transformer, which has a large effect but a high cost. On the other hand, it is also possible to separately provide a polarity switching switch in an appropriate place of the handle 1, for example, in the vicinity of the switch 5, so that the user can appropriately reverse the polarity by operating the switch. Furthermore, as a method for solving the above problem at a lower cost than the above, the second method is proposed below. This second method, although the generated pulses are homopolar, prevents the steady flow of currents of the same polarity in the gums by devising the structure of the massager. FIG. 5 shows a side view of the entire structure of the massager according to the second method. In the example shown in the figure, one electrode 2 is provided on each of the front and back sides of the handle 1. In such a structure, the current flows between the gums and the inner wall of the oral cavity, but for example, during use, the electrodes contacting the gum side and the inner wall of the oral cavity are alternately exchanged to some extent. It is possible to reduce the influence of the current drop due to the capacitance.

Further, as another example of the second method, a structure capable of forming a current path between the gums while exchanging the electrodes is possible, and the entire structure is shown in FIG. In the illustrated example, two electrodes 2 and 2 are provided on the tip end surface 10 of the handle 1. In such a structure, the handle 1 is gripped and used so that the tip end face 10 contacts the side wall of the gum. By appropriately rotating the handle 1 during use, for example by rotating it 180 °, the polarity of the applied voltage will change at one point in the gums, and the effect of the current decrease due to the capacitance will be affected. It can be reduced.

As described above, it is possible to apply a low-frequency voltage to the gum by various methods, but it is important to prevent the electrodes 2 and 2 from damaging the gum in any method. Is. In order to solve such a problem, the present invention proposes to coat the electrodes 2 and 2 with a conductive elastic body. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an electrode structure when a conductive elastic body is applied. As shown in the figure, the conductive elastic body 11 is deposited so as to cover the entire surface of the metal electrode 2. For the conductive elastic body 11, conductive rubber or the like in which a conductive material such as carbon black is dispersed in rubber can be used, but other than this, it is particularly limited as long as it is a material harmless to the human body. Not a thing. If the conductive elastic body 11 is made detachable, it becomes very good in hygiene.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the electrode portion 12 can be configured to be removable. At this time, appropriate pins 13 and 13 are provided on the handle 1 side, while sockets 14 and 14 into which the pins 13 and 13 can be inserted are provided on the side of the electrode portion 12 so that voltage can be conducted to the electrodes 2 and 2. You can leave it as it is. The example of this figure shows the electrode portion 12 provided with the flocked portion 15. With such a structure, it can be used as a normal toothbrush when the power is turned off. This makes it possible to perform normal tooth brushing and gum massage simultaneously and easily. Further, only the electrodes 2 and 2 may be provided in the electrode portion 12, and in any case, the detachable structure is excellent in hygiene. Further, at this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the electrode 2 is made of a conductive rubber / elastomer or the like and has a comb-like shape, so that an electrical stimulus and a mechanical stimulus can be simultaneously applied. is there. In this case, it goes without saying that the dimensions are set so that they do not interfere with each other even if the electrodes 2 fall down.

As described above, the low-frequency gum massager of the present invention has a power supply indicator lamp, an oscillation indicator lamp, an oscillating sound generating function, and a power source which is automatically cut off after a certain time, although not shown in addition to the above-mentioned configuration. It is of course possible to provide functions such as auto power off, oscillation function for multiple waveform modes, waveform mode switching function, oscillation frequency variable function, and oscillation output variable function.

[0016]

As described above, in the low frequency gum massager of the present invention, the tip of the handle is inserted into the oral cavity, and a low frequency voltage is applied while the pair of electrodes are in contact with the gums, and Since the low-frequency current conduction path is formed only in the upper part, efficient energization stimulation can be obtained, and the massage effect can be improved as compared with the conventional one. In addition, since the conductive elastic body is attached to the electrodes, the contact of the electrodes with the gums is softened, and the gums are not accidentally damaged during the massage work, and the safety is high. Furthermore, since the conductive elastic body and the entire electrode portion can be attached and detached, it is extremely sanitary.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of a low-frequency gum massager of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a side structure of an electrode mounting portion.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a low frequency voltage generation circuit section.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a waveform example of a bidirectional pulse generated by a low frequency voltage generation circuit section.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of the low frequency gum massager of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of the low frequency gum massager of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an electrode structure on which a conductive elastic body is adhered.

FIG. 8 is a structural explanatory view showing a case where an electrode part is detachable.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment in which the electrodes are comb-shaped.

FIG. 10 is an exploded explanatory view showing the structure of a conventional low-frequency gum massager.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Handle 2 Electrode 3 Battery 4 Low Frequency Voltage Generating Circuit Section 5 Switch 6 Conductor 7 Oscillation Circuit 8 Differentiation Circuit 9 Output Circuit 10 Handle Tip Face 11 Conductive Elastic Body 12 Electrode Section 13 Pin 14 Socket 15 Flocking Section 20 Grip Section 21 Low Frequency Generation Circuit 22 Power Supply 23 Frequency Adjustment Knob 24 Output Adjustment Knob 25 One Electrode 26 Pole Electrode 27 Mouth Insertion Part 28 Hollow Part 29 Opening Part 30 Flocking Part a Positive Pulse b Negative Pulse

Claims (5)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A low-frequency gum massager having a pair of electrodes provided at the tip of a handle. 2. The low-frequency gum massager according to claim 1, wherein the handle has a toothbrush shape. 3. The low frequency gum massager according to claim 1, further comprising a low frequency voltage generating circuit for applying a low frequency voltage to the pair of electrodes and a power source inside the handle. 4. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the electrode comprises a metal protrusion.
The low-frequency gum massager according to any one of 3 above. 5. The low-frequency gum massager according to claim 1, wherein the electrode is coated with a conductive elastic body.