JPWO2021099212A5 - - Google Patents

Claims (15)

An oral irrigator,
output nozzle;
a flow system that provides a flow of pressurized liquid to the output nozzle for discharge from the output nozzle;
a controller that controls the flow rate of the pressurized flow discharged from the output nozzle;
The controller provides a time-varying flow rate in a series of pulses, each pulse having an increasing flow amplitude for at least a majority of the duration of the pulse , and providing a time gap between the pulses, each Pulse is an oral irrigator, which is for oral cleaning of one interdental space . 2. The oral irrigator of claim 1, wherein each pulse begins with zero flow rate and ends with maximum flow rate. 3. An oral irrigator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each pulse has a flow ramp with a slope that decreases monotonically with time. 4. The oral irrigator of claim 3, wherein the slope is zero at the end of each pulse. Each pulse is
The oral irrigator according to claim 1 or 2, having a flow rate ramp with a slope that increases monotonically over time, or a flow rate ramp with a constant slope. 3. An oral irrigator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each pulse has a series of stepwise increases in flow amplitude. The oral cavity irrigator according to claim 6, wherein the slope of the straight line connecting adjacent steps has a slope that monotonically decreases over time. 8. An oral irrigator according to any preceding claim, wherein the flow rate is zero between pulses. 8. An oral irrigator according to any preceding claim, wherein the flow rate has a non-zero baseline value during the pulses, and the pulses are superimposed on the baseline. An oral irrigator according to any preceding claim, wherein each pulse has a duration in the range 0.5 to 3 seconds, such as in the range 1 to 2 seconds. An oral irrigator according to any preceding claim, wherein the time gap between pulses has a duration in the range from 0.2 to 2 seconds, such as from 0.5 to 1 second. 12. An oral irrigator according to any preceding claim, further comprising an audible or visible output device, the controller controlling the output device to output a signal indicative of tooth-to-teeth timing. In a method of providing oral cleansing,
supplying a pressurized flow of liquid to the output nozzle for discharge from the output nozzle;
controlling the flow rate of the pressurized flow exiting the output nozzle to provide a flow rate that varies over time as a series of pulses, each pulse having an increasing amplitude over at least a majority of the duration of the pulse; and wherein a time gap is provided between the pulses, each pulse being for oral cleaning of one interdental space. 14. The method of claim 13, comprising generating each pulse starting at zero flow rate and ending at maximum flow rate. 15. A method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein each pulse has a ramp with a slope that decreases monotonically with time.