JPH0866235A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide the toothbrush for which there is no strange feeling inside the mouth, further, the responsiveness of plant pedestal to the operation applied to a holding part is improved and the feeling of use is improved. CONSTITUTION: Concerning a toothbrush 10, the thickness of a neck part at the position of 45mm from the tip of a planted pedestal 13 is less than 5.8mm together with width and thickness, and the natural vibration frequency of the neck part 12 and the planted pedestal 13 is more than 120MHz together with longitudinal vibration in the thickness direction and lateral vibration in the breadthwise direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toothbrush suitable for cleaning the inside of the oral cavity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a toothbrush in which a grip portion supports a flocked pedestal via a neck portion, as described in JP-A-5-15411, the neck portion is elongated and the flocked pedestal is made smaller to allow the intraoral cavity. It has been proposed to make it possible to clean every corner. This is to reduce the size of the neck and the flocked pedestal that enter the oral cavity during brushing, so that the neck and flocked pedestal are less likely to hit the lips, front teeth, gums, etc. Is.

[0003]

However, in the prior art, if the neck portion is made too thin, the natural frequency of the neck portion and the flocked pedestal becomes too small, and the responsiveness in use deteriorates. That is, if the natural frequency of the neck and the flocked pedestal becomes excessively small, the amplitude magnification of the vibration generated in the neck and the flocked pedestal increases due to the unevenness of the tooth row during the brushing, and the vibration becomes violent in the oral cavity.

That is, according to the research results of the present inventor, during the brushing, forced vibration is generated in the neck portion and the flocking pedestal due to the unevenness of the tooth row, and A: the amplitude of the forced vibration, Ast: the static deflection, A / Ast: amplitude ratio ω: frequency of forced vibration, ωn: natural frequency of neck and flocking pedestal, and ω / ωn: vibration ratio, amplitude ratio = 1 when vibration ratio = 0 Vibration ratio = good When 1, the amplitude magnification is ∞ and the response is worst (resonance phenomenon). Then, decrease of ωn → increase of vibration ratio → increase of amplitude magnification → violence in oral cavity (poor responsiveness) increase of ωn → decrease of vibration ratio → decrease of amplitude magnification → suppression of violence in oral cavity (good responsiveness) ).

It is an object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush that does not feel foreign matter in the oral cavity, has good responsiveness of the flocked pedestal to an operation applied to the grip portion, and is excellent in usability.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a toothbrush in which a grip portion supports a flocked pedestal via a neck, a neck width at a position 45 mm from a tip of the flocked pedestal has a width. And the thickness is 5.8 mm or less, and the natural frequency of the neck and the flocking pedestal is 120 Hz or more in both the longitudinal vibration in the thickness direction and the lateral vibration in the width direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect of the present invention, the neck thickness has a taper shape that tapers toward the flocking pedestal side, at least with respect to the width dimension. It is the one.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the second aspect of the present invention, the width of the neck thickness is 5.5 to 6.5 at the position 65 to 75 mm from the tip of the flocking pedestal. mm
The width at the connection part with the flocked pedestal is 4.0 to 5.0 mm, the middle of them is tapered, and the thickness of the neck thickness is 65 to 75 mm from the tip of the flocked pedestal.
5.0 to 6.0 mm, thickness at the connection with the flocking pedestal is 3.5 to 4.
It is 5 mm, and the middle of them is tapered.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the second or third aspect of the present invention, the flocked pedestal has a length of 20.5 to 21.5 mm, a width of 10.5-11.5 mm, and a tip end surface. Width 2.
0 to 3.0 mm flat surface, from the tip face and the side face
An arc surface is formed between the 4.5-5.0 mm position.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the present invention according to the fourth aspect, the flocked pedestal has a thickness of 5.5 m.
It is set as m or less.

[0011]

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, the following effects are obtained. The position 45 mm from the tip of the flocked pedestal in the neck corresponds to the front tooth when the flocked pedestal is inserted up to the back tooth in a general oral size of a human. Since the neck thickness at this position is as small as 5.8 mm or less in both width and thickness, it does not give a foreign body sensation when used in the oral cavity.

Since the natural frequencies of the neck and the flocked pedestal are both 120 Hz or more in the longitudinal vibration in the thickness direction and the transverse vibration in the width direction, the amplitude of the vibration generated in the neck and the flocked pedestal due to the unevenness of the tooth row at the time of cleaning. The magnification can be kept small, the responsiveness is good, and the oral cavity is not violent.

In the present invention, if the neck thickness is simply made thin, the natural frequency of the neck and the flocked pedestal is reduced and the comfort of use is deteriorated. It is designed to be thinner than 5.8 mm.

From the above, the toothbrush has no feeling of foreign matter in the oral cavity, the responsiveness of the flocked pedestal to the operation applied to the grip portion is good, and the toothbrush has excellent usability and is easy to brush.

The present invention according to claim 2 has the following effects. By tapering the thickness of the neck portion toward the flocking pedestal side, it is possible to make it more difficult to hit the front teeth during back tooth brushing. The neck portion is most likely to hit the front tooth when polishing the inner surface of the back tooth, and the toothbrush posture when polishing the inner surface of the back tooth is such that its width direction is oriented vertically in the oral cavity. It is particularly meaningful to use in the width dimension.

The present invention according to claim 3 has the following effects. The width of the neck thickness is 65 to 75 from the tip of the flocked pedestal.
The width at the position of mm is 5.5 to 6.5 mm, the width at the connection with the flocking pedestal is 4.0 to 5.0 mm, and the middle of them is tapered. Regarding the thickness of the neck thickness, the thickness at the position of 65 to 75 mm from the tip of the flocked pedestal is 5.0 to 6.0 mm, the thickness at the connection with the flocked pedestal is 3.5 to 4.5 mm, and the middle of them is tapered. State As a result, (a) it is difficult for the neck to hit the teeth when brushing the inside of the teeth, and (b) the neck is hard to hit the lips when brushing any part of the teeth, and the foreign body feeling during use is not felt.

According to the present invention described in claim 4, the following effects are obtained. Flocked pedestal has a length of 20.5 to 21.5 mm and a width of 10.5 to 11.5 mm
The tip surface is a flat surface with a width of 2.0 to 3.0 mm, and the tip surface is a circular arc surface between the tip surface and a position 4.5 to 5.0 mm from the tip surface. The area around the gums is hard to contact with the gums, and there is no feeling of foreign matter during use.

The present invention according to claim 5 has the following effects. By setting the thickness of the flocking pedestal to 5.5 mm or less, (a)
The jaw opening can be reduced when brushing the occlusal surface of the molars, and (b) the pressure on the cheeks can be reduced when polishing the lateral surface of the molars, and the feeling of foreign matter during use is not felt.

[0019]

1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
1 is a side view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a flocking pedestal, FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a natural frequency measuring device, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an example of the present invention and a comparative example, and FIG. Explanatory diagram showing the natural frequency measurement result of the toothbrush neck, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing foreign substance feeling evaluation, FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing responsiveness evaluation, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing polishing ease evaluation, and FIG. It is a chart which shows the comprehensive evaluation of the present invention example and a comparative example.

The toothbrush 10 is made of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene or nylon 6, and supports the flocking pedestal 13 via the neck 12 on the grip 11. Bristle (not shown) is planted on the flocked pedestal 13. The grip 11 has a neck 12
A thumb rest portion 14 is provided on the side of the connection portion with.

In the toothbrush 10, however, the dimensions of the neck portion 12 and the flocked pedestal 13 and the natural frequencies of the neck portion 12 and the flocked pedestal 13 are determined as follows. (A) Dimensions of the neck 12 (Figs. 1 to 3) The thickness of the neck 12 at a position 45 mm from the tip surface 13A of the flocking pedestal 13 is 5.8 mm or less (more preferably 5.5 mm or less) for both the width A0 and the thickness B0. ).

Further, the thickness of the neck portion 12 is tapered at least with respect to the width dimension toward the flock pedestal 13 side.

More specifically, the width dimension of the thickness of the neck portion 12 is such that the distance L from the tip surface 13A of the flocked pedestal 13 is 65.
The width A1 at the position of ~ 75 mm (69.03 mm in this embodiment) is 5.
5 to 6.5 mm (most preferably 6.28 mm), and the width A2 at the connecting portion with the flocking pedestal 13 is 4.0 to 5.0 mm (most preferably 4.62 m)
m), and it is better to taper the middle of them.

More specifically, the thickness dimension of the thickness of the neck portion 12 is such that the distance L from the tip surface 13A of the flocked pedestal 13 is 65.
Thickness D1 at the position of ~ 75mm (69.03mm in this embodiment)
5.0 to 6.0 mm (most preferably 5.44 mm), and the thickness B2 at the connecting portion with the flocked pedestal 13 is 3.5 to 4.5 mm (most preferably 3.9 mm).
7 mm) and taper the middle of them.

(B) Dimensions of the flocking pedestal 13 (FIGS. 1 to 3) The length C of the flocking pedestal 13 is 20.5 to 21.5 mm (most preferably 2
1.17mm), width D is 10.5-11.5mm (most preferably 11.2m)
m), the tip surface 13A is a flat surface having a width E2.0 to 3.0 mm, and the distance K from the tip surface to the tip surface and the side surface is 4.5 to 5.5 mm.
R3mm and R15m between the position (most preferably 5.0mm)
An arc surface is formed by connecting arcs with three radii of curvature of m and R5mm.

The flocking pedestal 13 has a thickness F of 5.5 mm or less. Specifically, the thickness F1 on the tip side of the flocked pedestal 13 is 5 mm, and the thickness F2 on the side connecting to the neck 12 is 4 mm.
I am trying.

(C) Natural frequencies of the neck 12 and the flocked pedestal 13 In the toothbrush 10, when the mass of the flocked pedestal 13 is m1, the mass of the neck 12 is m2, and the stiffness of the neck is k, the neck 12 and the flocked pedestal are shown. The natural frequency f of 13 is as shown in the following equation (1).

[Equation 1]

In the toothbrush 10, the neck portion 1
2 and the natural frequency of the flocked pedestal 13 are 120 Hz or more for both the longitudinal vibration (f1) in the thickness direction and the lateral vibration (f2) in the width direction,
More preferably, it is set to 150 Hz or higher.

The natural frequencies of the neck portion 12 and the flocking pedestal 13 were measured by the following (1) to (4) using the measuring device of FIG.

(1) The bristles are removed from the flocking pedestal 13 of the toothbrush 10, and the ferromagnetic plate 20 having the same weight as this is attached to the same portion.

(2) The thumb rest 14 of the grip 11 is fixed to the chuck device 21.

(3) Ferromagnetic material plate 20 provided on the flocking pedestal 13
When a solenoid 22 is placed below the sine wave and a sine wave having a constant voltage is input from the function generator 23, the solenoid 22 generates a magnetic field having the sine wave, and the ferromagnetic plate 20 attached to the flocking pedestal 13 accordingly. Is pulled by a magnetic force to move the flocked pedestal 13 up and down.

(4) Detection head 24 of laser displacement meter 24
The vertical vibration of the flocked pedestal 13 is measured by A and displayed on the oscilloscope 25. At this time, the displacement of vibration rapidly increases at a certain frequency of the input waveform, and this frequency becomes the natural frequency f. If the neck portion 12 of the toothbrush 10 is fixed to the chuck device 21 so as to swing in the thickness direction, a natural frequency f1 of longitudinal vibration is obtained, and the neck portion 12 is fixed to the chuck device 21 so as to swing in the width direction. Then, the natural frequency f2 of the lateral vibration can be obtained.

The relation between the thickness of the neck and the natural frequencies of the neck and the flocked pedestal is as follows. If the thickness of the neck in the length direction does not change, for example, for an elliptic cylinder having a width A and a thickness B, the neck length is constant, the Young's modulus of the neck and the flocked pedestal, and the specific gravity are constant.

[Equation 2] Becomes Applying these relationships to the equation (1), if the width A and the thickness B of the neck are reduced, the natural frequencies of the neck and the flocking pedestal are reduced. That is, if the thickness of the neck portion is reduced, the natural frequency of the neck portion and the flocked pedestal becomes smaller. This tendency applies to the case where the thickness of the entire neck portion is simply thinned even for the neck portion where the thickness in the length direction of the neck portion changes.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. 45 from the tip surface 13A of the flocking pedestal 13 in the neck 12
The position of mm is a portion corresponding to the front tooth when the flocked pedestal 13 is inserted up to the back tooth in a general human oral size. And the neck thickness at this position is
Since it has a small diameter of 5.8 mm or less (more preferably 5.5 mm or less), it does not give a foreign body sensation when used in the oral cavity.

Since the natural frequency of the neck 12 and the flocking pedestal 13 is 120 Hz or more in both the longitudinal vibration in the thickness direction and the lateral vibration in the width direction, the neck 12 and the flocking pedestal 13 are generated due to the unevenness of the tooth row during cleaning. It becomes possible to suppress the amplitude magnification of the vibration to be small, the responsiveness becomes good, and the vibration does not occur in the oral cavity.

In the above embodiment, simply reducing the thickness of the neck portion reduces the natural frequency of the neck portion 12 and the flocking pedestal 13 and makes it uncomfortable to use. Therefore, the natural frequency is 120 Hz.
While taking the above into consideration, the neck thickness was reduced to 5.8 mm or less.

From the above, there is no feeling of foreign matter in the oral cavity, and the flocking pedestal 13 for the operation applied to the grip portion 11
Toothbrush 10 with excellent responsiveness and excellent usability
Becomes

By tapering the thickness of the neck portion toward the flocking pedestal 13 side, it is possible to make it more difficult to hit the front teeth during back brushing. The neck 12 is most likely to hit the front tooth when the inner surface of the back tooth is brushed, and the toothbrush posture when polishing the inner surface of the back tooth is such that the width direction thereof is directed to the vertical direction in the oral cavity. It is especially meaningful to use in the width dimension of.

As a width dimension of the neck thickness, the flocked pedestal 13
The width at the position of 65 to 75 mm from the tip of the is 5.5 to 6.5 mm, the width at the connecting portion with the flocked pedestal 13 is 4.0 to 5.0 mm, and the middle thereof is tapered. As the thickness of the neck thickness, the thickness at the position of 65 to 75 mm from the tip of the flocked pedestal 13 is 5.0 to 6.0 mm, and the thickness at the connection with the flocked pedestal 13 is 3.
5 to 4.5 mm, with the middle of them tapered. As a result, (a) it is difficult for the neck to hit the teeth when brushing the inside of the teeth, and (b) the neck is hard to hit the lips when brushing any part of the teeth, and the foreign body feeling during use is not felt.

The flocked pedestal 13 has a length of 20.5 to 21.5 mm,
The width is 10.5-11.5 mm, and the tip surface 13A is 2.0-3.0 mm wide.
When the side surface of the back tooth is brushed, the tip surface of the flocked pedestal 13 is less likely to hit the gums by using an arc surface between the tip surface 13A and a position 4.5 to 5.0 mm from the tip surface 13A on the side surface. Do not feel the foreign body feeling above.

By setting the thickness of the flocking pedestal 13 to be 5.5 mm or less, (a) the jaw opening can be reduced when brushing the occlusal surface of the posterior teeth, and (b) the pressure on the cheek can be reduced when polishing the lateral surface of the posterior teeth. I do not feel the foreign body feeling.

The specific results of this embodiment will be described below. For the toothbrushes of Inventive Examples 1, 2 and 3 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the natural frequency of the neck and the flocking pedestal, the neck thickness, the neck taper, the material, the foreign material feeling evaluation, the responsiveness evaluation, and the polishing ease evaluation. The test was conducted and the comprehensive evaluation of FIG. 10 was obtained.

(1) Natural frequency of neck and flocking pedestal (FIGS. 6 and 10) The natural frequency of longitudinal vibration (f1) and the natural frequency of lateral vibration (f2) of each toothbrush are shown in FIG. It measured using the number measuring device and obtained the result of FIG. The natural frequency (f1) of longitudinal vibration of the toothbrush of Inventive Example 1 is 159.38 Hz, the natural frequency (f2) of lateral vibration is 185.00 Hz, and the natural frequency (f1) of longitudinal vibration of the toothbrush of Inventive Example 2 is 190 Hz, the natural frequency (f2) of lateral vibration was 190 Hz, the natural frequency (f1) of longitudinal vibration of the toothbrush of Inventive Example 3 was 120 Hz, and the natural frequency (f2) of lateral vibration was 120 Hz. Comparative Example 1 is within the scope of the present invention in terms of neck natural frequency, and Comparative Example 2 is outside of the scope of the present invention in this respect.

(2) Neck Thickness (FIGS. 5 and 10) The neck thickness at a position 45 mm from the tip of the flocking pedestal is 5.3 mm in width and 4.4 mm in thickness in Example 1 of the present invention, and both width and thickness are 5.8. mm or less. Further, in Example 2 of the present invention, the width is 4.5 mm and the thickness is 4.5 mm, and both the width and the thickness are 5.8 mm or less. In addition, in Example 3 of the present invention, both width and thickness are 5.
8 mm. Incidentally, in terms of this neck thickness, Comparative Example 2
Is within the scope of the present invention, and Comparative Example 1 is outside the scope of the present invention.

(3) Neck taper (FIGS. 5 and 10) In Examples 1 and 2 of the present invention, the thickness of the neck is tapered in both the width direction and the thickness direction toward the flocking pedestal side. There is. In terms of neck taper, Comparative Example 2 is within the scope of the present invention, and Comparative Example 1 is outside the scope of the present invention.

(4) Material (FIG. 10) Inventive Examples 1 and 3 and Comparative Example 1 are made of polypropylene,
Inventive Example 2 is made of nylon 6, and Comparative Example 2 is made of polycarbonate saturated polyester resin.

(5) Foreign body sensation evaluation (FIGS. 7 and 10) In the invention examples 1 and 2, both the neck thickness and the neck taper are within the scope of the present invention. The evaluation score (score) is high. In addition, in Invention Example 3, since the neck thickness is within the scope of the present invention,
The evaluation score (score) for feeling of foreign matter (whether it feels in the way or not) during oral use is high.

In Comparative Example 2 as well, the neck thickness and neck taper are within the scope of the present invention, and therefore the evaluation point of the feeling of foreign matter during oral use is high.

On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, both the neck thickness and the neck taper are outside the scope of the present invention. Therefore, Comparative Example 1
Has a low evaluation score for foreign body sensation during oral use.

(6) Responsiveness evaluation (FIGS. 8 and 10) In the present invention examples 1, 2, and 3, the natural frequencies (f1, f2) of the neck were measured.
), Which is within the range of the present invention, has a high evaluation point of the responsiveness of the flocked pedestal to an operation applied to the grip portion.

Also in Comparative Example 1, the natural frequencies (f1, f of the neck)
Since the point 2) is within the range of the present invention, the evaluation point of the responsiveness of the flocked pedestal to the operation applied to the gripping part is high.

In Comparative Example 2, the natural frequencies of the neck (f1, f2
) Is outside the scope of the present invention, and the evaluation of responsiveness is low.

(7) Ease of polishing (FIGS. 9 and 10) Inventive Examples 1, 2, and 3 are highly evaluated for their ease of polishing. The evaluation of the easiness of polishing is medium in Comparative Example 2 and low in Comparative Example 1.

In the evaluation of the easiness of polishing, the average evaluation points of Example 1 of the present invention and Comparative Example 2 were almost the same, but the standard deviations were very different. When thinking as a toothbrush product,
The smaller the standard deviation is, the better the stable evaluation is.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and changes in design within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention can be made. Even if it is included in the present invention. For example, the material of the toothbrush of the present invention is not limited to polypropylene and nylon, and polycarbonate and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) may be used as long as the natural frequency of the neck portion limited by the present invention can be realized in the shape and dimensions limited by the present invention. , PB
T (polybutylene terephthalate), propionate,
You may mix ABS resin, AS resin, and saturated polyester resin individually or in multiple numbers.

[0057]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a toothbrush which does not feel foreign matter in the oral cavity, has a good responsiveness of the flocking pedestal to an operation applied to the grip portion, and is excellent in usability. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a flocked pedestal.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a natural frequency measuring device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the present invention and a comparative example.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the results of measuring the natural frequency of each toothbrush neck.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing foreign body sensation evaluation.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing responsiveness evaluation.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a polishing easiness evaluation.

FIG. 10 is a chart showing the comprehensive evaluation of the example of the present invention and the comparative example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Toothbrush 11 Gripping part 12 Neck part 13 Flocking pedestal

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Takayuki Kaneda 2606 Kao Stock Association in Kaigacho, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture In-house (72) In Noriko Hase 2606 Akabane Kai-cho, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture Kao Stock Association In-house

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A toothbrush in which a flocking pedestal is supported by a gripping portion via a neck, wherein the neck thickness at a position 45 mm from the tip of the flocking pedestal has a width and a thickness of 5.8 mm or less, and the neck and the flocked pedestal. The toothbrush has a natural frequency of 120 Hz or more in both longitudinal vibration in the thickness direction and transverse vibration in the width direction. 2. The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the neck thickness has a taper shape that tapers toward the flocking pedestal side in at least the width dimension. 3. The width dimension of the neck thickness is 5.5 to 6.5 mm at a position of 65 to 75 mm from the tip of the flocked pedestal, and 4.0 to 5.0 mm at the connection part with the flocked pedestal. The taper is formed in the middle of, and the thickness dimension of the neck thickness is 65 to 75 from the tip of the flocking pedestal.
The toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein the thickness at the position of mm is 5.0 to 6.0 mm, the thickness at the connection portion with the flocking pedestal is 3.5 to 4.5 mm, and the middle thereof is tapered. 4. The flocked pedestal has a length of 20.5 to 21.5 mm, a width of 10.5 to 11.5 mm, a tip surface of a plane having a width of 2.0 to 3.0 mm, and a tip surface and side surfaces of 4.5 to 5.0 mm from the tip surface. The toothbrush according to claim 2 or 3, wherein an arc surface is formed between the position and the position. 5. The toothbrush according to claim 4, wherein the flocked pedestal has a thickness of 5.5 mm or less.