JPH0724127U - Vibration generator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide a vibration generator capable of efficiently transmitting vibration to a vibrating tool such as an interdental brush, a toothbrush, or a rubber member for massage. A main body holder 4 having an electric motor 7 and a battery 8 built-in, an elastic member 6 provided at one end of the main body holder 4 on the electric motor 7 side, and a base end extending straight from the main body holder 4 The main body holder 4 via the elastic member 6
A pipe member 10 that is swingably supported, and a holder member 13 provided at the tip of the pipe member 10,
Holder member 13 to which the interdental brush 3 is detachably fixed
And the pipe member 1 connected to the rotary shaft 7a of the electric motor 7.
A rotation transmission shaft 11 extending rotatably in the holder member 10 and a rotation transmission shaft 1 in the holder member 10.
1, an eccentric weight 16 which is rotatable in a non-contact state with the inner surface of the holder member 10.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a vibration generator suitable for a vibration type electric toothbrush or an electric toothbrush.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, as electric toothbrushes and electric interdental brushes, those that apply vibration to a toothbrush or an interdental brush by rotating an eccentric weight with an electric motor have been widely adopted. As the electric toothbrush, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-4918 discloses a main body holder having an electric motor and a battery built therein, a replacement brush detachably attached to one end of the main body holder on the electric motor side, and a main body holder. Describes an electric toothbrush having an eccentric weight fixed to the rotating shaft of an electric motor and configured to transmit vibration generated by rotating the eccentric weight to a replacement brush via a main body holder. .

In Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-21064, a main body holder in which an electric motor and a battery are incorporated, a hollow handle extending from one end of the main body holder on the electric motor side, and a tip of the handle. The elastic gingival massager attached, the flexible wire inserted into the handle and connected to the rotating shaft of the electric motor at one end, and the flexible wire at the tip of the flexible wire to contact the gingiva massager, An electric gingiva massaging device is described that has an eccentric cam that vibrates the gingiva massaging tool by rotation.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 In the electric toothbrush described in the above publication, the eccentric weight is housed in the main body holder, and when the main body holder is strongly gripped, the vibration transmitted from the eccentric weight to the main body holder is absorbed by the hand or arm. Since it is necessary to hold and brush the end of the electric toothbrush opposite to the eccentric weight side, the operability of the electric toothbrush is not very good, and the main body holder contains the electric motor and batteries. Since the cross-sectional area of the replacement brush becomes relatively large, it is necessary to lengthen the handle of the replacement brush in order to prevent deterioration of the operability of the toothbrush in the oral cavity. There is a problem that the distance between and becomes longer and the vibration is attenuated.

Further, in the electric gingival massager described in the above publication, since the eccentric cam is brought into sliding contact with the base end side portion of the gingiva massaging tool, vibration is directly applied to the gingival massaging tool, so that the main body holder Although the vibration will not be attenuated even if you firmly grip, the electric motor and the eccentric cam are connected by a flexible wire, so the rotation resistance is large and the vibration is correspondingly small. Since it is slidably contacted with the end side portion, when the gingiva massaging tool is brought into pressure contact with the gingiva, the load on the electric motor increases, resulting in a large loss of electric energy. An object of the present invention is to provide a vibration generator capable of efficiently transmitting vibration to a vibration acting tool such as an interdental brush, a toothbrush, or a rubber member for massage.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The vibration generator according to claim 1 includes a main body holder having an electric motor and a battery built therein, an elastic member provided at one end of the main body holder on the electric motor side, and a base extending straight from the main body holder. A pipe member whose end portion is swingably supported by a main body holder via an elastic member, and a holder member which is provided at the tip end portion of the pipe member and is integral with or separate from the pipe member. And a holder member to which a vibration acting tool such as a rubber member for massage is integrally or detachably fixed, and a rotation member that is connected to the rotating shaft of the electric motor and rotatably passes through a pipe member into the holder member. A transmission shaft and an eccentric weight which is connected to the rotation transmission shaft in the holder member and is rotatable in a non-contact state with the inner surface of the holder member. Here, the rotating shaft of the electric motor may be connected to the rotation transmitting shaft via a flexible connecting member.

[0007]

In the vibration generator according to the first aspect, the holder member is provided at the tip of the pipe member that is swingably supported by the main body holder via the elastic member, and the eccentric weight is provided in the holder member. The eccentric weight is rotated by an electric motor via the rotation transmission shaft, and the pipe member vibrates slightly around the elastic member due to the inertial force of the eccentric weight and is fixed integrally or detachably to the holder member. Vibration tools such as an interdental brush, a toothbrush, and a rubber member for massage vibrate.

As described above, since the eccentric weight as a vibration source is brought as close as possible to the vibrating tool and is swingably supported by the main body holder at a position as far as possible from the main body holder, the vibration of the eccentric weight is reduced. Most of the energy will act on the vibrating tool via the holder member. Further, when the main body holder is firmly gripped and fixed, the vibration energy is prevented from flowing away to the main body holder side, and the vibration energy of the eccentric weight is more efficiently transmitted to the vibration operation tool. Further, since the eccentric weight rotates in the holder member without contacting the inner surface of the holder member, even if the vibration acting tool is pressed against the teeth or gums to restrain the vibration, the load on the electric motor increases. There is nothing to do.

Here, when the rotating shaft of the electric motor and the rotation transmitting shaft are connected by the flexible connecting member as in claim 2, the pipe member vibrates around the elastic member. Even if the portion of the rotation transmission shaft on the electric motor side vibrates, it becomes possible to reliably transmit the rotational force from the rotation shaft of the electric motor to the rotation transmission shaft. Further, even if a load is applied to the vibrating device in the holder member at the tip end and the pipe member is bent, the function of the connecting member can reduce the load on the electric motor side and allow the electric motor to operate smoothly.

[0010]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an electric interdental brush. As shown in FIG. 1, the electric interdental brush 1 includes a vibration generator 2 and an interdental brush 3 as a vibrating tool detachably attached to the vibration generator 2. Instead of the interdental brush 3, a replaceable toothbrush, a gum massager, a floss unit, a candy with a stick, or the like may be detachably attached.

Explaining the vibration generator 2, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a substantially cylindrical body holder 4 made of a synthetic resin material or a metal material is provided, and the right end portion of the body holder 4 is The main body holder 4 is closed by a lid member 5, the left end portion of the main body holder 4 is formed into a cone shape that shrinks toward the left side, and a substantially cylindrical elastic member 6 made of synthetic rubber is mounted. The electric motor 7 is fixedly installed in a state where the battery is projected to the left, two batteries 8 are loaded in series in the right part of the main body holder 4, and the electric motor 7 is installed in the upper part of the main body holder 4. A switch 9 for switching ON / OFF the energization of is provided, and the electric motor 7 is rotationally driven by two batteries 8.

A pipe member 10 extending to the left is swingably attached to the elastic member 6, and a rotation transmission shaft 11 is provided in the pipe member 10 at both ends of the pipe member 10 (not shown). Is rotatably mounted without contacting the inner peripheral surface of the pipe member 10 with the rotation transmission shaft 11 being provided on substantially the same axis as the rotation shaft 7a of the electric motor 7, and the right end of the rotation transmission shaft 11 The portion is connected to the rotary shaft 7a via a flexible tubular connecting member 12.

A substantially cylindrical holder member 13 is provided at the left end of the pipe member 10, and the holder member 13 is attached to the pipe member 10 via a substantially disk-shaped lid member 14 attached to the right end thereof. A partition wall 13a is formed in the center of the holder member 13 in the left-right direction, and the left end of the rotation transmission shaft 11 is composed of an outer peripheral wall of the holder member 13, a partition wall 13a, and a lid member 14. An eccentric weight 16 is provided on the rotation transmitting shaft 11 extending in the housing portion 15, and the eccentric weight 16 is rotatably supported by the rotation transmitting shaft 11 with a slight gap from the outer peripheral wall. A holding portion 13b that detachably holds the shaft portion 3a of the interdental brush 3 is formed in the left half portion of the holder member 13.

The interdental brush 3 includes a shaft portion 3a that is detachably attached to the holding portion 13b, and an interdental cleaning bristle portion 3b that extends leftward from the shaft portion 3a, and the bristle portion 3b is made of a steel wire. A synthetic resin filament is planted in the steel wire, and the right end of the steel wire is embedded in the shaft portion 3a and fixed to the shaft portion 3a. The flocked portion 3b is bent, for example, as shown by phantom lines in FIG. You may use it.

Next, the operation of the electric interdental brush 1 will be described. When the switch 9 is turned on, the eccentric weight 16 is rotationally driven by the electric motor 7 via the rotation transmission shaft 11, and the inertia force of the eccentric weight 16 causes the holder member 13 and the interdental brush 3 to vibrate slightly. However, since the holder member 13 and the interdental brush 3 are supported by the main body holder 4 via the elastic member 6 and fixed to the left end portion of the pipe member 10 extending leftward from the main body holder 4, the main body holder 4 is The vibration of the holder member 13 and the interdental brush 3 increases as it is fixed so as not to vibrate. In other words, the closer the tip of the body holder 4 is gripped, or the stronger the body holder 4 is gripped, the greater the vibration caused by the eccentric weight 16, so the position of the interdental brush 3 is delicately grasped by gripping the tip side of the body holder 4. It becomes possible to brush efficiently while adjusting to.

Moreover, since the eccentric weight 16 rotates without coming into contact with the outer peripheral wall of the holder member 13, even if the interdental brush 3 is fixed by being sandwiched between the teeth, the load on the electric motor 7 will not increase. Absent. Further, since the holder member 13 has only the function of holding the interdental brush 3 and the function of accommodating the eccentric weight 16, the holder member 13 can be configured to have a relatively small diameter. It can be easily inserted inside. Therefore, as in the conventional electric interdental brush, the electric interdental brush 1 is configured to have substantially the same length as in the case where a small-diameter handle is extended from the main body holder 4 and the interdental brush 3 is provided at the tip thereof. You can do it. Note that the holder member 13 may be configured to be detachable from and replaceable with the lid member 14 depending on the purpose and shape of the operating tool.

As shown in FIG. 4, instead of the elastic member 6, an elastic member 6A having a truncated cone shape that expands leftward is provided, and the swing center of the rotation transmitting shaft 11 serves as the rotating shaft 7a. It is also possible to reduce the load that acts on the connecting member 12 by setting it to the connecting portion. In this embodiment, a flexible tube is used as the connecting member 12. However, as shown in FIG. 5, a connecting member 12A composed of a coil spring may be used, or a universal joint or the like may be used. Good. The left end of the rotation transmitting shaft 11 may be rotatably supported by the partition wall 13a, as shown in FIG. Although the left end portion of the pipe member 10 is directly connected to the lid member 14 in this embodiment, an elastic member 20 may be provided between the lid member 14 and the pipe member 10 as shown in FIG. Good. In this case, the vibration caused by the rotation of the eccentric weight 16 is prevented from flowing away to the pipe member 10 side, and the interdental brush 3 can be vibrated more effectively via the holder member 13. Further, in this case, the rotation transmitting shaft 11 may be divided into left and right parts in the vicinity of the left end of the pipe member 10, and both may be connected by the same connecting member as the connecting member 12. When the holder member 13 is detachably attached to the lid member 14 and an interdental brush, a replacement toothbrush, a gingiva massaging tool, a floss unit, or the like having different sizes is used, the holder member 13 has a different shape. It may be replaced with a holder member having a different holding portion.

[0018]

[Effect of device]

 As described in detail in the section of the action, the following effects can be obtained. According to the vibration generator of the first aspect, since the eccentric weight as the vibration source is arranged close to the vibration acting tool, the vibration energy of the eccentric weight can be efficiently transmitted to the vibration acting tool. What is possible is that the eccentric weight as the vibration source is swingably supported by the tip of the pipe member via the elastic member, so that the flow of vibration energy to the body holder side is prevented and the eccentric weight of the eccentric weight is prevented. The vibration energy can be more efficiently transmitted to the vibration action tool, and by firmly grasping and fixing the main body holder, the flow of the vibration energy to the main body holder side is suppressed, so that the vibration action tool It is possible to efficiently transmit the vibration energy of the eccentric weight to the vibration action tool while improving the operability, and since the eccentric weight rotates in the holder member with a predetermined gap, the vibration action tool can move the teeth and gums. Pressed against Even when vibration is restrained, the load on the electric motor does not increase, it is possible to suppress battery consumption, and when an excessive load is applied to the vibration actuator, the elastic member It is possible to prevent the pipe member from bending due to its function, and to prevent excessive force from being applied to the gingiva, etc.Since the minute vibration due to the rotation of the eccentric weight is absorbed by the function of the elastic member, the vibration transmitted to the hand is reduced. The effect of reducing discomfort during use can be obtained.

According to the vibration generator of the second aspect, the pipe member is centered on the elastic member by connecting the rotary shaft of the electric motor and the rotation transmission shaft with the flexible connecting member having a simple structure. Even if the part of the rotation transmission shaft on the electric motor side vibrates due to vibration, or if the pipe member bends due to the load at the tip, the rotation force from the rotation shaft of the electric motor to the rotation transmission shaft can be reliably ensured. It becomes possible to transmit.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view around a holder member of an electric interdental brush

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vicinity of an elastic member of an electric interdental brush

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a modified example of the elastic member.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the vicinity of the connecting member showing a modified example of the connecting member.

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a modified example of the support structure of the rotation transmission shaft.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a modified example of the connecting structure of the pipe member and the lid member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric interdental brush 2 Vibration generator 3 Interdental brush 3a Shaft part 3b Flocking part 4 Main body holder 5 Lid member 6 Elastic member 7a Rotating shaft 7 Electric motor 8 Battery 9 Switch 10 Pipe member 11 Rotation transmission shaft 12 Connecting member 13 Holder Member 13a Partition wall 13b Holding part 14 Lid member 15 Housing part 16 Eccentric weight 20 Elastic member

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A main body holder having an electric motor and a battery built-in, an elastic member provided at one end of the main body holder on the electric motor side, and a base end elastically extending straight from the main body holder. A pipe member swingably supported by a main body holder via a member, and a holder member provided at the tip of the pipe member, which is integral with or separate from the pipe member, and is an interdental brush, toothbrush, or rubber for massage. A holder member to which a vibrating member such as a member is integrally or detachably fixed; a rotation transmission shaft connected to the rotation shaft of the electric motor and rotatably passing through a pipe member into the holder member; An eccentric weight which is connected to a rotation transmission shaft in the member and is rotatable in a non-contact state with the inner surface of the holder member. 2. The vibration generator according to claim 1, wherein the rotation shaft of the electric motor is connected to the rotation transmission shaft via a flexible connecting member.