KR102057150B1 - Oral cleaner and control method for the oral cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

An oral irrigator and control method thereof are disclosed. According to an embodiment, the oral irrigator includes: a head unit having a brush, a main body to which the head unit is coupled, a detector provided at one side of the head unit and including a plurality of sensors for detecting a user's oral cavity state, and the measurement unit is measured. And a controller configured to control the operation of the main body by using an analysis unit for calculating an evaluation index using the calculated results and an action plan stored in the analysis index and an external institution or a database.

Description

ORAL CLEANER AND CONTROL METHOD FOR THE ORAL CLEANER}

The following embodiment relates to an oral irrigator and a control method thereof.

In general, the toothbrush used to remove food debris, plaque, tartar, etc. caught between the teeth after ingestion of food has been a big role in preventing tooth decay, periodontal disease, gingivitis as oral hygiene.

Toothbrush is a tool used to brush teeth by applying toothpaste for health care and hygiene cleanliness of the tooth, and includes a handle in the form of a stick, and a brush formed at the tip of the handle and the mother member densely planted. To clean the teeth, rub the brush of the toothbrush against the teeth and repeat the action of removing the tooth decay in the oral cavity. When the brush is finished, the mouth is washed with the washing water and spit out the tooth decay.

However, in order to clean the inside of the mouth after brushing your teeth, you need to drink the washing water and spit it out several times. In particular, it is difficult to brush the teeth alone, disabled people or elderly people or severely disabled people have to brush their teeth with someone's help. As such, when brushing teeth with the help of others, the toothpaste may occur to the neck, and in the case of a patient with swallowing disorder, the toothpaste may pass to the esophagus, which may cause discomfort during brushing. Therefore, there is a need for a more convenient, hygienic and safe way to brush your teeth.

In this regard, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0999270 discloses an electric toothbrush having a flat vibration motor between a toothbrush plate on which bristles are planted and a toothbrush head portion.

According to embodiments, an oral irrigator capable of indexing information about tooth cleaning and a control method thereof are provided.

Problems to be solved in the embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to embodiments for achieving the above-described problem, the oral irrigator, a head portion having a brush, the main body is coupled to the head, a plurality of heads provided on one side for detecting the oral state of the user A detector including a sensor, an analyzer configured to calculate an evaluation index using the results measured by the detector, and an operation plan stored in the analysis engine and an action plan stored in an external institution or a database to control the operation of the main body. It is configured to include a control unit.

According to one side, the database may have a structure in which a plurality of sensor values and the action plan detected by the detector is stored in a matrix form. The analysis unit may calculate an evaluation index by standardizing and weighting using the sensor value and the action plan. The analyzer may store and update the feedback index reflected from the external organization or the database in the database.

According to one side, the analysis unit may include a state index for the oral state, and the operation index for the oral cleaning operation. The detection unit includes at least one oral state detection unit for detecting the oral state of the user, wherein the oral state detection unit, the sensor for detecting plaque or tartar, the sensor for detecting bacteria or viruses in the oral cavity, the blood glucose measurement sensor, the oral cavity At least one of a pH sensor for detecting pH in the body, an odor sensor for detecting odors, a color sensor for detecting color of teeth or tongue, and a residue detection sensor for detecting residues such as toothpaste or foam in the oral cavity The analysis unit may calculate the state index by using the result detected by the oral state detection unit. The oral condition detection unit may further include an imaging unit for capturing an oral image of the user.

According to one side, the detection unit comprises at least one or more motion detection unit for detecting the user's oral cleaning motion information, the motion detection unit, whether the head is inserted into the oral cavity of the user or position in the oral cavity At least one of a position sensor for detecting a, and a timer for counting the time of the brushing operation, the analyzer may calculate the operation index by using the result detected by the motion detector.

According to one side, the detection unit may be provided at at least one position in the head portion.

According to one side, the communication unit is further provided to enable two-way communication between the main body and the external organization, the communication unit, and transmits the results measured by the detection unit to the external organization, and can receive feedback from the external organization have.

On the other hand, according to embodiments for achieving the above-described problem, the control method of the oral irrigator, the detection unit provided in the oral irrigator detects the oral state information and operation information of the user, and the detected oral state information and The operation information and the action plan are stored in a database, an evaluation index is calculated using the oral condition information, the operation information, and the action plan of the database, and the operation index is used to control the operation of the oral irrigator. .

According to one side, a feedback index fed back from an external organization or the database may be reflected and stored in the database.

According to one side, the state index and the operation index may be transmitted to a database and an external organ through a communication unit provided in the oral irrigator, and may receive feedback information from the external organ through the communication unit. The communication unit may transmit the state index and the operation index after the user completes the tooth cleaning or continuously or at regular time intervals during the operation of the oral irrigator.

The oral irrigator according to an embodiment may manage the oral cavity more effectively by evaluating the cleaning state of the teeth and the oral cavity and indexing the evaluation result.

The effect of the oral irrigator according to one embodiment is not limited to those mentioned above, other effects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The following drawings attached to this specification are illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and together with the detailed description of the present invention serves to further understand the technical spirit of the present invention, the present invention is only to those described in such drawings It should not be construed as limited.
1 is a perspective view of an oral irrigator according to one embodiment.
2 to 4 are block diagrams illustrating an operation of the oral irrigator according to an embodiment.
5 is a structural diagram of a database according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as much as possible even though they are shown in different drawings. In addition, in describing the embodiment, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related well-known configuration or function interferes with the understanding of the embodiment, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the components of the embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the components from other components, and the nature, order or order of the components are not limited by the terms. If a component is described as being "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, that component may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but between components It will be understood that may be "connected", "coupled" or "connected".

Components included in any one embodiment and components including common functions will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless stated to the contrary, the description in any one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted in the overlapping range.

1 is a perspective view of an oral irrigator 10 according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, an oral irrigator 10 according to an exemplary embodiment may be configured to clean a user's teeth and the oral cavity, and include a main body 11 and a head 12.

The main body 11 may include a housing 111 forming an appearance of the oral irrigator 10 and a main body side coupling part 112 on which the head part 12 is mounted.

The housing 111 is formed to have a predetermined size and a cross-sectional area so that a user can use it in his hand. For example, the housing 111 may have various surfaces or cross-sectional shapes of the housing 111 for grip, various shapes may be formed on the surface of the housing 111, or the grip of silicone or rubber may be improved. Material may be provided.

An operation module 16 (see FIG. 2) for operating the oral irrigator 10 may be provided in the housing 111. For example, the operation module 16 includes a PCB circuit board (not shown) on which various electric circuits and components for operating the oral irrigator 10 and controlling the operation thereof, and a battery (not shown) are provided. C) and the like. In addition, the oral irrigator 10 may generate vibration or sound waves, and the operation module 16 may include a configuration such as a motor or a vibrator for generating vibration or sound waves in the oral irrigator 10. However, this is merely an example, and the operation module 16 for the operation of the oral irrigator 10 may include various ways and configurations that may be substantially used.

The main body side coupling part 112 is provided above the main body 11, and may be formed in a shaft having a predetermined length so that the head part 12 is detachable.

The head part 12 includes a brush 121 for cleaning teeth and oral cavity, a head frame 122 for fixing the brush 121, and a head side coupling part 123 for coupling with the main body 11. do.

Brush 121 is formed to include a plurality of hair for cleaning the user's teeth or the inside of the oral cavity.

The head side coupling portion 123 is formed with an empty space therein so that the main body side coupling portion 112 is inserted therein, and is formed to be fixed to the main body side coupling portion 112 on the inner side.

Head portion 12 is inserted into the user's mouth directly to perform the cleaning, it is formed of a suitable size and material. In addition, the size, shape, material, strength, etc. of the brush 121 may be changed in various ways.

Meanwhile, although the main body 11 and the head part 12 are illustrated as being detachable by being formed as separate objects from each other, the main body 11 and the head part 12 may be integrally formed.

2 to 4 are block diagrams for describing an operation of the oral irrigator 10 according to an embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a structural diagram of the database 20 according to an embodiment.

The oral irrigator 10 detects oral and dental conditions of a user, detects a washing operation, and manages the oral cavity state by indexing the detected result. To this end, the oral irrigator 10 uses the detector 13 for measuring the state of the user's teeth and the oral cavity, the analysis unit 14 analyzing the detected result, and the oral irrigator 10 using the analyzed results. The control unit 15 for controlling the operation of the) is provided.

Referring to the drawings, the oral irrigator 10 may be provided with a communication unit 17 for communicating with the external organ 30 and / or the database 20. For example, the communication unit 17 is formed to enable two-way communication based on the Internet of Things (IOT). However, this is only an example, and the communication unit 17 may have a variety of forms as long as the communication is possible.

In addition, the term "communication network" refers to a high-speed network of a large communication network capable of large-capacity, long-distance voice and data services, and may be a wired or wireless network for providing Internet or high-speed multimedia service. For example, the communication network may be a synchronous and asynchronous mobile communication network, and may also be a mobile communication network including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), 3G LTE network, 4G network, and other wired and wireless communication networks.

The communication unit 17 transmits oral cavity state information detected by the detection unit 13 to the external organization 30 or the database 20 using a communication network, or transmits the evaluation index calculated by the analysis unit 14. And receive feedback information from the database 20 and / or the external organization 30. The oral irrigator 10 transmits information such as the operating time and the number of times of operation of the oral irrigator 10 together with the information on the measured oral state to the external organ 30. And, in the external organ 30, based on the information transmitted from the oral irrigator 10, management methods such as whether oral cleaning methods were correctly performed, such as oral cleaning time or the number of oral rinses, the life of the oral irrigator, and the like, Information about whether to visit an external organ 30 or a hospital is fed back to the oral irrigator 10 and transmitted. Such feedback information may be transmitted to the oral irrigator 10 in real time or at regular time intervals. In addition, the feedback information received through the communication unit 17 may be provided to the oral irrigator 10 or a user or a protector, or may control the operation of the oral irrigator 10 through the operation module 16. In addition, the oral irrigator 10 may easily check and continuously check the oral cavity of the user through feedback information, so that the oral irrigator 10 may be efficiently cleaned and managed.

The database 20 stores information such as the evaluation index calculated by the detection unit 13 and the evaluation index calculated by the analysis unit 14. For example, in the database 20, an action plan including an index calculated from a sensor value detected by the detector 13 and predetermined action information may be stored in a matrix form. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, in the database 20, sensor values or index values a1 to an and b1 to bn detected by the detector 13 are arranged in rows and columns of the matrix. In each cell of the matrix, action plans p11 to pnn may be arranged. The action plans p11 to pnn are information on predetermined actions, and may include a plan for improving the oral condition such as, for example, increasing the operating time of the oral irrigator 10 or changing the operation method. And a plan associated with transmitting data to an external organization 30. In addition, the action plan may include a plan related to the life or failure of the oral irrigator 10. However, this is only an example, and the structure of the database 20 and the specific configuration of the action plan may be changed in various ways.

The external organization 30 may include an institution including a medical institution such as a dentistry or an insurance company, an insurance company or a medical corporation, or a database of the corresponding institution, and an individual or a terminal such as a guardian or a user terminal. For example, the guardian and the user terminal may be substantially various means capable of receiving data from the oral irrigator 10, such as a PC, laptop, PDA, mobile terminal device, and smart TV. Here, the external organ 30 is merely an example, and may include substantially various organs, individuals, devices, and the like that can receive data from the oral irrigator 10.

The external organ 30 may monitor the oral condition of the user who uses the oral irrigator 10 based on the data received from the oral irrigator 10, and provide a solution such as a management method as feedback information.

Hereinafter, operations of the detector 13, the analyzer 14, and the controller 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

The detection part 13 is provided in one side of the head part 12, and is provided in the head part 12 in at least 1 place or multiple positions. For example, the detector 13 may include a plurality of sensors, and the plurality of sensors may be provided at the same position or at different positions. In addition, the detection unit 13 includes an oral state detection unit 131 for measuring the state of the user's teeth and oral cavity and the operation of the head unit 12 and the motion detection unit 132 for the user to detect the oral cleaning behavior. .

The oral cavity condition detector 131 may include at least one or more sensors for detecting the oral cavity of the user. For example, the oral condition detection unit 131 may include a sensor for detecting plaque or tartar, a sensor for detecting bacteria or viruses in the oral cavity, a blood glucose measurement sensor, a pH sensor 311 for detecting pH in the oral cavity, and an odor for detecting an odor. Various sensors such as a sensor 312, a color sensor 313 for detecting a color of a tooth or a tongue, and a residue detection sensor 314 for detecting a residue such as toothpaste or foam in the oral cavity, It may include at least one or more of these various sensors. The oral cavity condition detector 131 is provided at an appropriate position in the head 12 according to the characteristics of the sensor.

In addition, the oral cavity condition detector 131 may detect an oral cavity state by taking an image in the oral cavity of the user. The oral cavity state detector 131 includes at least one imaging unit 315 for capturing an image of the interior of the oral cavity. For example, the imaging unit 315 may include various image sensors including a CCD or a CMOS device. have. In addition, the imaging unit 315 irradiates light in a specific wavelength band such as a first image sensor (not shown) that captures an image from visible light or infrared rays or ultraviolet rays, and captures a state inside the oral cavity by the light. It may include any one of the sensors (not shown). When the second image sensor is provided, one side of the head unit 12 may be provided with a light source such as an LED for irradiating light of a specific wavelength band for using the second image sensor inside the user's mouth.

However, the oral cavity state detector 131 is merely an example, and the type and number of the oral cavity state detector 131 may be changed in various ways.

The motion detector 132 may include a position sensor 321 for confirming a motion of the user using the oral irrigator 10. The position sensor 321 detects whether the head portion 12 is inserted into the user's oral cavity, or detects the position of the head portion 12 in the oral cavity, for example, whether the head portion 12 is in the molars or incisors. Can be detected. For example, the position sensor 321 may be a variety of sensors that can detect the absolute position of the head portion 12. Alternatively, the position sensor 321 detects a posture (rotation angle, etc.) of the sensor or the head 12 that detects whether the head 12 is inserted into the oral cavity, even though the position sensor 321 does not detect the direct position of the head 12. Sensor can be used. In addition to the position sensor 321, various means for detecting the position and posture of the head unit 12 may be used. In addition, when the position sensor 321 is used, the head 12 may be used to determine whether the user is properly brushing teeth by detecting and comparing the relative position in the tooth or the oral cavity.

In addition, the motion detector 132 may be provided with a timer 322 for the user to detect the operating time or the number of times of operation of the oral irrigator 10. For example, the timer 322 may be provided at one side of the main body 11 to measure an operating time of the oral irrigator 10 or to measure the number of operations. However, this is merely an example of the operation of the timer 322, and the configuration and operation of the timer 322 may include various methods and configurations that may be substantially used.

When a plurality of sensor measured values detected by the detection unit 13 are used in this way, the detected measured values have different units, and therefore, it is necessary to integrate the detected measured values into one numerical value. That is, the analyzer 14 may calculate the evaluation index by standardizing the sensor values detected by the plurality of sensors, converting the values into one numerical value, and assigning an appropriate weight. Values detected by the plurality of sensors are stored in the database 20, and the analysis unit 14 calculates the evaluation index by standardizing the stored plurality of sensor values and assigning predetermined weights as necessary.

Here, the results detected by the detector 13 are detected in different units according to each sensor, and are not integrated into one unit. Therefore, it is necessary to standardize the detected result and to quantify it to one or a plurality of representative values. The standardization and quantification of the plurality of sensor values detected as described above is referred to as exponentiation. For example, the analysis unit 14 calculates the value detected by the detection unit 13 as one evaluation index, or the oral cavity state information and operation information. Each may be analyzed to calculate a state index for an oral state, an operation index for an oral cleaning operation, and an evaluation index including any one or both of the state index and the operation index. For example, the analysis unit 14 integrates the detected results of cleanliness, dental plaque, plaque, and the like in the teeth and the oral cavity among the results detected by the detection unit 13, and calculates the results as a state index. The detected results, such as the number of times of operation and the number of times of operation, may be integrated and calculated as one operation index. In addition, when calculating the state index and the operation index, the analysis unit 14 calculates by applying a predetermined weight to each of the detected oral state information and the operation information, or calculates one evaluation index from the state index and the operation index. It is also possible to give a predetermined weight in the process. Here, the weight may be appropriately set according to the oral cavity state of the user, or may be arbitrarily set by the user.

The analyzer 14 calculates an evaluation index by using the plurality of sensor values measured by the detector 13 stored in the database 20.

Here, the analyzer 14 may calculate a plurality of sensor values detected by the detector 13 as one index and set an action plan according to the index. Alternatively, the plurality of sensor values detected by the detector 13 may be grouped into at least two or more groups and indexed for each group, and the analyzer 14 may set an action plan for the plurality of values. In this case, even when the plurality of sensor values are indexed into groups, it may be possible to calculate the index by giving a predetermined weight to the sensor values.

In addition, the analyzer 14 may calculate a feedback index by using information fed back from the database 20 or an external organization 30. For example, the feedback index may be a sensor value that checks a situation to be improved after performing the action plan. This may be configured to be different from the sensor value detected by the detector 13. For example, after performing a predetermined action plan through the oral irrigator 10, the oral cavity state is redetected through the detector 13. Here, since the redetected result is also various sensor values detected through the detector 13, the result is converted into one value and set as a feedback index. That is, the feedback index is a sensor value redetected by the detector 13 and is set and stored differently from the sensor value calculated as the evaluation index. In addition, the analyzer 14 may store and update the database 20 by reflecting the feedback index. Here, the feedback index may be calculated whenever the operation of the oral irrigator 10 is completed, or every predetermined time interval or every predetermined number of times using the oral irrigator 10, and may be stored in the database 20 or the external organ 30. .

The controller 15 controls the operation of the oral irrigator 10 through the operation module 16 using at least one of an evaluation index and a feedback index including the state index and the operation index detected by the analyzer 14. do.

In summary, the oral irrigator 10 according to an embodiment calculates an evaluation index by using the oral state of the user detected by the detector 13 and the oral rinsing operation of the user, and confirms the result of the oral rinsing using the oral irrigator. In addition, oral cleaning can be managed effectively. In addition, the oral irrigator 10 is provided with an IOT-based communication unit 17 in the oral irrigator 10, so that the user can check the oral condition and the washing operation of the user using a communication network, and the result is the database 20. And / or by transmitting to the external organs 30 and receiving the results from the database 20 and / or the external organs 30 so that the oral condition can be continuously checked and managed. In this configuration, the oral irrigator 10 is not only a general user, but also a variety of users, including a user who is uncomfortable in behavior or who is inexperienced in the use of the oral irrigator 10, or a third person cleans the oral cavity. The condition of tooth cleaning can be easily confirmed, and the results can be used to efficiently manage the oral cavity.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings as described above, various modifications and variations are possible to those skilled in the art from the above description. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order than the described method, and / or components of the described structure, apparatus, etc. may be combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or may be combined with other components or equivalents. Appropriate results can be achieved even if they are replaced or substituted.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are within the scope of the following claims.

10: mouthwash
11: body
111: housing
112: main body side engaging portion
12: head part
121: brush
122: head frame
123: head side coupling portion
13: detector
14: Analysis
15: control unit
16: operating module
17: communication unit
20: database
30: external organs

Claims (14)

A head having a brush;
A main body to which the head part is coupled;
A detection unit provided at one side of the head unit and including a plurality of sensors for detecting a user's oral cavity state;
An analysis unit configured to calculate an evaluation index using a plurality of sensor values measured by the plurality of sensors of the detection unit;
A control unit controlling the operation of the main body using the evaluation index and an action plan including information about the user's behavior stored in an external organization or a database; And
A communication unit for enabling bidirectional communication between the main body and the external organization;
Including,
The plurality of sensor values and the action plan are stored in a matrix form in the external organization or the database.
The evaluation index includes at least one of a state index for the oral state and an operation index for the oral lavage operation,
And the analysis unit stores and updates the feedback index reflected in the database after the action plan is reflected in the external organ or the database.
delete delete delete delete The method of claim 1,
The detection unit includes at least one oral state detection unit for detecting the oral state of the user,
The oral state detection unit, a sensor for detecting plaque or tartar, a sensor for detecting bacteria or viruses in the oral cavity, a blood glucose measurement sensor, a pH sensor for detecting the pH in the oral cavity, an odor sensor for detecting the odor, a color such as teeth or tongue At least one sensor of the color sensor for detecting, the residue detection sensor for detecting residues such as toothpaste or foam in the oral cavity,
And the analyzing unit calculates a state index for the oral state by using the result detected by the oral state detection unit.
The method of claim 6,
The oral cavity detection unit further comprises an imaging unit for capturing an oral image of the user.
The method of claim 1,
The detection unit includes at least one motion detection unit for detecting the oral cleaning operation information of the user,
The motion detector includes at least one or more of a position sensor for detecting whether the head is inserted into the mouth of the user or a position in the mouth, and a timer for counting the time of the brushing motion.
And the analyzing unit calculates an operation index for the oral cleaning operation by using the result detected by the motion detecting unit.
The method of claim 1,
The detection unit is provided in the oral irrigator at least one position or more in the head portion.
delete An evaluation index including at least one of a state index of a user's oral cavity state and an operation index of an oral cleaning operation is detected using a plurality of sensor values measured by a detection unit provided in the oral irrigator,
The action plan including the detected evaluation index and information about the user's behavior is stored in a matrix form in an external agency or database,
Controlling the operation of the oral irrigator using the evaluation index and the action plan,
After performing the action plan, the control method of the oral irrigator reflecting and storing the feedback index fed back from the external organ or the database in the database.
delete The method of claim 11,
Transmitting the state index and the operation index to a database and an external organ through a communication unit provided in the oral irrigator,
Control method of the oral irrigator to receive feedback information from the external organ through the communication unit.
The method of claim 13,
The communication unit,
And transmitting the condition index and the operation index continuously or at regular time intervals after the user completes the tooth cleaning or while the mouthwash is in operation.

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