KR20190060458A - Oral cleaner and control method for the oral cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

A mouth cleaner and a control method thereof are disclosed. The mouth cleaner according to an embodiment comprises: a head unit having a brush; a main body to which the head unit is coupled; at least one detection unit provided at one side of the head unit for detecting a user′s mouth condition; and a communication unit based on the internet of things (IoT) for transmitting and receiving the measurement result of the detection unit to an external organization or database. The present invention can effectively manage the oral condition.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an oral cleanser,

The following embodiments relate to an oral cleanser and its control method.

Generally, a toothbrush used for removing food residue, plaque, and calculus which are caught between teeth after eating food has played an important role in preventing tooth decay, periodontal disease and gingivitis as an oral hygiene appliance.

Background Art [0002] A toothbrush is a tool used for brushing teeth with toothpaste for health care and hygiene cleansing of teeth, and includes a stick-like handle and a brush formed at the tip of the handle and having a mother member closely attached. When the tooth is cleaned, the brush of the toothbrush is rubbed against the tooth, and the action of removing the tooth in the mouth is repeated. When the brush is finished, the mouth is washed with the cleansing water and the tooth is spit out.

In order to clean the inside of the oral cavity after the gargle is finished, it is troublesome to the user because it needs to drink the cleansing water and spit it out several times. In particular, it is sometimes difficult to brush the teeth of a handicapped person, an elderly person, or a serious patient who is uncomfortable in his or her mobility. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to brush the teeth with the help of somebody. In this way, when a person brushes teeth with the help of another person, the toe tooth may fall over the throat. In the case of a patient with swallowing disorder, the toe tooth may be transferred to the esophagus, which may cause inconvenience when brushing teeth. Therefore, there is a need for a more convenient, hygienic and safe way of brushing teeth.

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

According to embodiments, there is provided an oral cleaner capable of transmitting and receiving information on tooth cleaning and a control method thereof.

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

According to embodiments of the present invention, a mouth washer includes a head having a brush; A main body to which the head portion is coupled; At least one detector provided at one side of the head for detecting a user's oral condition; And a communication unit for transmitting and receiving the measurement result of the detection unit to an external organization or a database.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the communication unit transmits / receives data to / from the external organization or the database using a communication network including a communication network based on an Internet (IOT). The communication unit is configured to enable bi-directional communication between the main body and the external organ, and transmits the measured result to the external organ and receives feedback from the external organ.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the detection section may be provided at least at one or more positions in the head section. For example, the detecting unit may include at least one oral condition detecting sensor for detecting a user's oral condition, and the oral condition detecting sensor may include a sensor for detecting plaque or tartar, a sensor for detecting bacteria or virus in the oral cavity, A sensor for detecting pH in the mouth, a sensor for detecting odor, a color sensor for detecting color such as a tooth or a tongue, and a sensor for detecting residues such as toothpaste or foam in the oral cavity .

According to one aspect of the present invention, the detection unit may further include an imaging unit that images an oral image of a user. Wherein the image sensing unit comprises: a first image sensor for photographing in a visible light region; And a second image sensor that irradiates light of a specific wavelength band including infrared rays or ultraviolet rays and photographs the image sensor. The imaging unit may further include a light source for irradiating light of the specific wavelength band inside the user's mouth.

According to one aspect, the detecting unit may further include a position sensor for detecting whether the head part is inserted into the user's mouth or detecting a position in the mouth.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a timer for measuring time is provided on one side of the main body so that the brushing operation is allowed to proceed for a predetermined time, or the time of brushing operation of the user can be counted.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling an oral care appliance, the method comprising: detecting a user's oral condition in a detection unit provided in the oral care unit; And transmits the feedback information to the database and the external organization via the communication unit, receives the feedback information from the external organization through the communication unit, and controls the operation of the oral cleanser using the feedback information received from the communication unit.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the communication unit uses a communication network including a communication network based on the Internet (IOT), and transmits data in the oral state to the database and the external organization when the user finishes cleaning the teeth. Alternatively, the communication unit continuously transmits data of the oral condition to the database and the external organ at a predetermined time interval during the operation of the oral cleanser.

The oral cleanser according to one embodiment can communicate the tooth and oral condition to a database and / or an external organ using bidirectional communication using an IOT-based communication unit provided in the oral cleanser. In addition, the oral cleanser can receive feedback information from an external organ through the communication unit and effectively manage the oral condition.

The effects of the oral cleanser according to one embodiment are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned may be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to further the understanding of the technical idea of the invention, It should not be construed as limited.
1 is a perspective view of an oral cleanser according to one embodiment.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are block diagrams for explaining the operation of the oral cleanser according to one embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the drawings, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference symbols as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the embodiments, detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the best of an understanding clear.

In describing the components of the embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are intended to distinguish the constituent elements from other constituent elements, and the terms do not limit the nature, order or order of the constituent elements. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "connected" to another component, the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, Quot; may be " connected, " " coupled, " or " connected. &Quot;

The components included in any one embodiment and the components including common functions will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless otherwise stated, the description of any one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted in the overlapping scope.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, an oral cleanser 10 according to an embodiment includes a body 11 and a head 12, which cleans the user's teeth and oral cavity.

The main body 11 may include a housing 111 forming an external appearance of the mouth washer 10 and a main body side engaging portion 112 on which the head portion 12 is mounted.

The housing 111 is formed to have a predetermined size and a cross-sectional area so that the housing 111 can be held by the user. For example, the housing 111 may have various shapes such as a surface or a cross-sectional shape of the housing 111 for gripping, a variety of shapes formed on the surface of the housing 111, A material may be provided.

Inside the housing 111, an operation module 15 (see FIG. 2) for operating the oral cleaner 10 may be provided. For example, the operation module 15 includes a circuit for controlling the operation of the oral care device 10, and a switch (not shown) for operating the oral care appliance 10 such as on / A PCB circuit board (not shown) mounted thereon, a battery for power supply, and the like. In addition, the oral cleaner 10 may generate vibration or sound waves, and the operation module 15 may include a structure such as a motor, a vibrator, or the like for generating vibration or sound waves in the oral cleaner 10 as described above. However, this is merely an example, and the operation module required for operation of the oral care appliance 10 may include various ways and configurations that are substantially usable.

The main body side engaging portion 112 is provided on the upper portion of the main body 11 and may be formed into a shaft having a predetermined length so that the head portion 12 can be detached.

The head portion 12 includes a head 121 for fixing the brush 121 and a head side engaging portion 123 for engaging the main body 11 and the brush 121 for cleaning the teeth and the oral cavity, do.

The brush 121 is formed to include a plurality of bristles for cleaning the user's teeth or oral cavity.

The head side engaging part 123 is formed to have an empty space therein so that the main body side engaging part 112 is inserted therein and is fixed to the main body side engaging part 112 on the inner side surface thereof.

The head portion 12 is inserted into the mouth of the user to be cleaned, so that the head portion 12 is formed of a suitable size and material. In addition, the size, shape, material, strength, etc. of the brush 121 can be substantially varied.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are block diagrams for explaining the operation of the oral cleaner 10 according to one embodiment.

The oral cleaner 10 is configured to be able to communicate with the external organ 30.

2 and 3, the oral cleanser 10 includes a detection unit 13 for measuring the state of the user's teeth and oral cavity, and a detection unit 13 for detecting the detected result in the external organ 30 and / And a communication unit 14 for communicating with the base station.

The communication unit 14 is configured to be capable of bi-directional communication using a communication network including an internet of things (IOT) -based communication network. The communication unit 14 transmits the oral condition information detected by the detecting unit 13 to the external institution 30 or the database 21 by using the communication network and transmits the oral condition information detected by the database 21 and / The feedback information is received. The feedback information received via the communication unit 14 is provided to the oral cleanser 10 or a user or a caregiver or controls the operation of the oral cleanser 10 through the operation module 15. [ In addition, the oral cleanser 10 can easily check and continuously check the oral condition of the user through the feedback information, thereby effectively cleaning and managing the teeth.

Here, the term " communication network " means a high-speed period network of a large communication network capable of a large capacity, long-distance voice and data service, and may be a wired and wireless network for providing the Internet or a 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 database 21 stores the oral condition that is the result detected by the detecting unit 13. [

The external organization 30 includes a database of an institution or an institution including a medical institution 31 such as a dentist or the like or an insurance company or a medical corporation 32 and an individual or a terminal such as a guardian 33 or a user terminal 34 And the like. For example, the protector 33 and the user terminal 34 may be substantially various means for receiving data from the mouthwasher 10, such as a PC, laptop, PDA, mobile terminal, smart TV, and the like. Here, the external organ 30 is merely an example, and may include substantially various organs, individuals, devices, etc. that can receive data from the oral cleaner 10.

The external organ 30 monitors the oral condition of the user using the oral cleanser 10 based on the data received from the oral cleanser 10 and accordingly provides a solution such as a user's oral cleansing method and management method as feedback information .

The detecting unit 13 is provided on one side of the head unit 12 to measure the state of a user's teeth and / or oral cavity. In addition, the detection unit 13 may include at least one sensor for measuring the user's oral condition, and may be provided at at least one position in the head unit 12.

The detecting unit 13 may include at least one or more oral condition detecting sensors 131 for detecting a user's oral condition. The oral condition detecting sensor 131 includes various sensors capable of measuring the state in the oral cavity and includes, for example, a sensor for detecting plaque or calculus, a sensor for detecting bacteria or virus in the oral cavity, a blood glucose measuring sensor, Such as a sensor for detecting the pH in the oral cavity, a sensor for detecting odor, a color sensor for detecting color such as a tooth or a tongue, and a sensor for detecting residues such as toothpaste or foam in the oral cavity. And may include at least one of various sensors. The oral condition detection sensor 131 is provided at an appropriate position in the head part 12 according to the characteristics of the sensor.

As another example, the detection unit 13 can detect an oral condition by capturing an image inside the user's mouth. In this case, the detection unit 13 may include at least one imaging unit 133 for imaging the inside of the mouth. For example, the image pickup unit 133 may be a variety of image sensors including a CCD or a CMOS device. The imaging unit 133 irradiates light of a specific wavelength band such as infrared rays or ultraviolet rays to a first image sensor (not shown) that photographs an image in a visible light region, and a second image And a sensor (not shown). In the case of the second image sensor, the image pickup unit 133 may be provided with a light source such as an LED for irradiating the light of the specific wavelength band inside the user's mouth.

As another example, the detection portion 13 may include a position sensor 132 that detects the position of the head portion 12 to confirm that the user is using the mouth washer 10. [ The position sensor 132 can detect whether the head portion 12 is inserted into the user's mouth or detect the position of the head portion 12 in the mouth. For example, various sensors capable of detecting the absolute position of the head portion 12 can be used as the position sensor 132. [ Or the position sensor 132 detects the position (rotation angle or the like) of the sensor or the head portion 12 that detects whether the head portion 12 is inserted into the mouth or not even if the direct position of the head portion 12 is not detected Can be used. In addition, various means for detecting the position and attitude of the head portion 12 can be used as the position sensor 132.

In addition, the position sensor 132 can detect the operation of the head unit 12 using a value at which the position of the head unit 12 is changed. That is, by using the result of the detection of the position sensor 132, the head part 12 compares positions (relative positions) in the teeth or oral cavity to determine whether the user is performing the brushing or the correct position It can also be used to judge.

On the other hand, a timer 134 may be provided for the user to detect the operating time of the oral cleaner 10. For example, the timer 134 is provided on one side of the main body 11 and measures the operation time of the oral care cleanser 10 to generate an alarm action such as vibration when a predetermined time elapses, And may be configured to turn off the operation of the mouth washer 10 after a certain period of time has elapsed since the operation. However, the operation of the timer 134 is merely exemplary and may include various schemes and configurations in which the configuration and operation of the timer 134 may be substantially utilized.

In summary, the oral cleanser 10 according to an embodiment allows the user to check the oral condition and the oral cleansing state through the communication network, transmits / receives the confirmed oral condition to / from the external organ 30, By receiving, it is possible to continuously check and manage the oral condition. For example, the oral cleanser 10 transmits information, such as the operation time or the number of times of operation of the oral cleanser 10, to the external organ 30, in addition to information on the measured oral condition. Based on the information transmitted from the oral cleanser 10, the external organ 30 can determine whether the oral cleansing method has been correctly performed, such as the oral cleansing time or the number of times the oral cleansing has been performed, a management method such as the life of the oral cleanser, Information about whether or not to visit the external institution 30 or the hospital is fed back to the oral cleanser 10 for transmission. Such feedback information may be transmitted to the oral cleanser 10 at real time or at predetermined time intervals. Using the feedback information, the user can effectively manage the oral condition using the oral cleanser 10. In addition, the oral cleaning apparatus 10 can easily confirm the state of tooth cleaning in the case of a user who is inconvenient in behavior, an inexperienced user of the oral cleanser 10, or a user who cleans the oral cavity by a third person.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. For example, it is contemplated that the techniques described may be performed in a different order than the described methods, and / or that components of the described structures, devices, and the like may be combined or combined in other ways than the described methods, Appropriate results can be achieved even if they are replaced or replaced.

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

10: Oral cleanser
11: Body
111: Housing
112: main body side engaging portion
12:
121: Brush
122: Head frame
123: head side engaging portion
13:
14:
15: Operation module
21: Database
30: External organization

Claims (13)

A head having a brush;
A main body to which the head portion is coupled;
At least one detector provided at one side of the head for detecting a user's oral condition; And
A communication unit for transmitting and receiving the measurement result of the detection unit to an external organization or a database;
.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the communication unit transmits and receives data to the external organization or the database using a communication network including a communication network based on an internet of things (IOT).
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the communication unit is provided to enable bidirectional communication between the main body and the external engine,
Transmitting the measurement result from the detection unit to the external organization,
Wherein the oral cleaner receives feedback from the external organ.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the detecting portion is provided at least at one or more positions in the head portion.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the detecting unit includes at least one oral condition detecting sensor for detecting a user's oral condition,
The oral condition detecting sensor may be a sensor for detecting plaque or tartar, a sensor for detecting bacteria or virus in oral cavity, a blood glucose measuring sensor, a sensor for detecting pH in the mouth, a sensor for detecting odor, a tooth or a tongue A sensor for detecting a color, a color sensor for detecting, and a sensor for detecting residues such as toothpaste or foam inside the oral cavity.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the detecting unit further includes an imaging unit that takes an image of the user's mouth.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the image sensing unit comprises: a first image sensor for photographing in a visible light region; And
A second image sensor which irradiates light of a specific wavelength band including infrared rays or ultraviolet rays and photographs the light;
Wherein the at least one image sensor comprises at least one image sensor.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the imaging unit further comprises a light source for irradiating the light of the specific wavelength band inside the mouth of the user.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the detecting unit further comprises a position sensor for detecting whether the head part is inserted into the user's mouth or detecting a position in the mouth.
The method according to claim 1,
A timer for measuring time is provided on one side of the main body,
A mouth washer for allowing the brushing operation to proceed for a predetermined time or counting the time of brushing operation of the user.
A detection unit provided in the oral care unit detects the oral condition of the user,
And transmits data of the detected oral condition to a database and an external organization through a communication unit provided in the oral cleaner,
Receives feedback information from the external organization through the communication unit,
And controlling the operation of the oral cleaner by using feedback information received from the communication unit.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the communication unit uses a communication network including a communication network based on an Internet (IOT)
And transmitting data of the oral condition to the database and the external organ when the user completes cleaning the teeth.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the communication unit transmits data of oral condition to the database and the external institution continuously or at predetermined time intervals during operation of the oral cleanser.

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