WO2006062187A1

WO2006062187A1 - Tooth brush and method of processing bristle tip thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2006062187A1
Application number: PCT/JP2005/022632
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hiroyuki Kobayashi
Original assignee: Lion Corporation
Priority date: 2004-12-09
Filing date: 2005-12-09
Publication date: 2006-06-15
Also published as: CN101076271B; JPWO2006062187A1; KR101243431B1; CN101076271A; KR20070083864A; JP4831621B2

Abstract

A flat wire type implanted tooth brush having soft bristle tips, capable of providing soft touch feeling by the soft bristle tips, having the excellent fittability thereof to clearances between teeth and teethridge, and suitably used for the medical treatment and prevention of periodontal disease, and a method of processing the bristle tips of the tooth brush. The tips of tufts are formed in a roughly semispherical shape for each bristle bundle and cut by a ruffled cutting so that the tips of bristles can be covered by a large number of semispherical profiles. The implanted tooth brush comprises a head part (1) formed by implanting the tufts (4) formed by binding a plurality of bristles in two folds by a flat plate, and a neck part (5) and a grip part continued to the head part. The diameter of implanted holes (3) in which the tufts (4) are implanted is set to 1.7 to 2.3 mm, the shape of the tips of the tufts (4) implanted in the implanted holes (3) is formed in a roughly semispherical shape, and a difference (d) in height between the top parts and the bottom parts of the semispherical portion at the tips of the tufts is set to 1 to 3 mm, the width (W) of the implanted parts is set to 6 to 13 mm, the number of rows of the tufts in the lateral direction of the head part is set to 3 to 4, and the height (h) of the bristles is set to 7 to 13 mm.

Description

Specification

Toothbrush and its tip processing method

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flat-type flocked toothbrush having a brush profile suitable for use in the treatment and prevention of periodontal disease and a method of covering the tip thereof.

Background art

[0002] Conventionally, the brush profile of a toothbrush has been devised in various ways, such as a mountain cut suitable for interdental cleaning and a dome cut that polishes between the teeth and the gums. A number of three-dimensional brush profiles have also been proposed.

[0003] Toothbrushes for periodontal disease are easy to polish the boundary between teeth and gums! / Because brush specifications are required, dome-cut hair cutting is used. However, with a simple dome cut, there was room for further research to clean the corners where the fit between the teeth (the loose interdental triangle) was low. In addition, as for the toothbrush for periodontal disease, it is difficult to use as a toothbrush for periodontal disease, which is suitable for a user who has weakened gums. It was a thing.

[0004] On the other hand, with regard to a three-dimensional three-dimensional profile, in the case of a general flat-line type flocking toothbrush, a complicated shape is realized because the brush is passed through a hair-cutting cutter after flocking. It was difficult. For this reason, a toothbrush with a conical tip at the end of the hair bundle has been proposed as a design for the flat-line type flocking toothbrush, but due to its high processing difficulty, a practical hair tip processing method has not been developed. It was difficult to apply to commercial products. The ability to manufacture non-flat wire flocking methods such as in-mold molding as a toothbrush manufacturing method that enables a three-dimensional profile Non-flat wire flocking methods have low productivity and poor product changeability. The problem is that capital investment is expensive and costs tend to be high.

[0005] Hereinafter, the brush profile in a conventional toothbrush will be described with reference to prior patent documents.

[0006] 1. Patent Document 1 (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-57733) The toothbrush which formed the bristles line of the hair | bristle bundle in multiple stages is shown. This toothbrush has a stepped shape, so it is not suitable for a toothbrush for periodontal disease, in which the bristles are not comfortable to touch. In addition, no specific production method is disclosed that is difficult to produce with a flat wire type flocking due to its brush shape.

This can be realized with a non-flat type flocking toothbrush, such as an in-mold toothbrush, but the cost becomes high.

[0007] 2. Patent Document 2 (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-57231)

A toothbrush with three-dimensional cuts is shown. Since it has a sharp crest, it is not suitable for toothbrushes for periodontal diseases because it is not soft and has a soft feel. Moreover, nothing is disclosed regarding the manufacturing method.

[0008] 3. Patent Document 3 (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-17133)

The first brush bristle bundle with the tip part formed in a conical shape and the second brush bristle bundle with the tip part formed flat are mixed so that the first brush bristle bundle is longer than the second brush bristle bundle. A protruding toothbrush is shown. This toothbrush is suitable for cleaning the gaps between the teeth and the tooth surface, but the tip of the first brush bristle tip is conical and can gently pine-surge the gingiva. It is not suitable for a toothbrush for periodontal disease. In addition, the production method for obtaining conical hair bundles is also specified! Cunning.

[0009] 4. Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9149815)

A toothbrush is shown in which one or more hair bundles are wide in the longitudinal direction of the flocking table, and the tip of the hair bundle tip is directed to a dotted, linear or planar top to form a roof shape. Yes. Since this toothbrush has a hair bundle that is wide in the longitudinal direction of the flocking table on the side, it is not suitable for a toothbrush with periodontal disease that has a low fit to the root part (interdental triangle) between teeth. Since brush profiling by the cutting process with a flat wire type flocking toothbrush is difficult, non-flat type flocking is adopted, and there is a problem that the manufacturing cost tends to be high.

[0010] 5. Patent Document 5 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-295447)

There is shown a brush tip polishing device in which a cylindrical drum having an abrasive on its surface is arranged so as to be able to rotate and revolve, and a spiral surface is formed on the polishing surface. This polishing device is a tip rounding device that is effective for tip processing such as a toothbrush, but it is suitable for a brush shape. There was room for improvement in the setting of the convex shape.

[0011] Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-57733 (full text, all figures)

Patent Document 2: Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-57231 (full text, all figures)

Patent Document 3: Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-17133 (full text, all figures)

Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-149815 (full text, full diagram)

Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-295447 (full text, all figures)

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0012] The brush profiles of conventional toothbrushes, including the toothbrushes described in the above patent documents, have the following problems.

[0013] (1) The dome-cut brush has a problem of cleanability immediately after it is left unpolished due to insufficient fit of the hair tip to the boundary between the teeth and the gums.

(2) Mountain cuts and bristles conical cut brushes with excellent clearance cleaning properties are not suitable for patients with periodontal diseases with delicate gingiva because they have a gentle contact with the hair tips.

(3) For complex brush shapes with tips that are approximately hemispherical for each hair bundle, no method has been developed for rounding the hair tips within the scope of the method for producing flat-line flocked tooth brushes. However, in order to achieve commercialization, there was a problem that a non-flat type flocking method such as an in-mold molded toothbrush had to be adopted, resulting in high costs.

[0014] The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and the tip of the hair bundle is made into a substantially hemispherical shape for each hair bundle, and the brush tip is made into a ripple cut that is covered with a number of hemispherical profiles. A flat-line flocked toothbrush that is suitable for the treatment and prevention of periodontal disease, and its tip processing method The purpose is to provide

Means for solving the problem

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following means.

That is, the toothbrush according to claim 1 includes a handle including a head portion, a neck portion, and a grip portion, and a hair bundle composed of a plurality of brushes, and each hair bundle is flat in a flock hole formed in the head portion. In a toothbrush, the diameter of the flocked hole is 1 7 to 2.3 mm, and the tip of the hair bundle planted in the tuft hole is substantially hemispherical.

[0016] Here, "substantially hemispherical" in the present invention refers to a conical shape in which the top of the hair bundle is rounded, or a quadrangular pyramid or a polygonal pyramid in which the top of the hair bundle and the peripheral edge are rounded. .

[0017] The toothbrush according to claim 2 is the same as the toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the height difference between the top and bottom of the hemispherical portion at the tip of the bristles is 1 to 3 mm. It is.

[0018] A hair tip processing method according to claim 3 is a hair tip processing method for manufacturing the toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of different direction forces with respect to the toothbrush head portion are provided. The step of cutting the tip of the hair bundle with a cutter and the step of shaping the tip of the hair bundle into a substantially hemispherical shape by rounding the cut tip of the hair bundle with a tip rounding device Is.

[0019] The hair tip processing method according to claim 4 uses the hair tip rounding device provided with a rotating abrasive disc as the hair tip rounding device in the hair tip processing method according to claim 3. Forming a spiral irregularity having a corrugated shape in a radial cross section on the polishing surface of the polishing disk outward from the center of the disk, and the helical pitch of the spiral irregularity is defined as a pitch between the flock holes. And the difference in height of the spiral irregularities is set to be approximately the same as the difference in height between the top and bottom of the hemispherical portion, and the spiral unevenness of the polishing surface is The abrasive grain size is set in the range of # 100 to # 800.

[0020] The hair tip processing method according to claim 5 is the first hair tip processing method according to claim 4, wherein the polishing tip having a polishing particle size # 100 to # 400 of the polished surface is used. A rounding step and a second rounding step using a polishing disc having a polishing particle size # 400 to # 800 of the polishing surface.

[0021] 1. Hair bundle tip shape

As described above, the tip shape of the bristle bundle in the toothbrush of the present invention is substantially hemispherical. If the tip has a sharp tip like a pyramid, or the tip has a sharp tip like a pyramid and an edge exists on the peripheral surface, a soft contact feeling cannot be obtained. It is desirable that the whole is composed only of a curved surface without an edge, but the apex at the tip of the hair bundle may have a slight flat surface. If this flat surface is too large, the teeth and gums In order to impair the fit between the gaps, it is desirable to have a diameter of about 0.5 mm or less.

[0022] The height difference d between the top and bottom of the hemispherical portion is l to 3 mm, more preferably 1.5 to 2.5 mm. If it is less than 1 mm, the unevenness effect will be felt at the time of brushing, and if it exceeds 3 mm, if the concave / convex effect is saturated, the inclination angle of the side of the hemispherical part that is crushed by the force becomes too tight, resulting in poor cutting performance and cutter manufacture. Various troubles occur, such as difficulty in shortening and shortening the cutter life.

[0023] The diameter of the hair bundle, that is, the diameter of the flock hole into which the hair bundle is implanted is 1.7 to 2.3 mm, more preferably 1.8 to 2.2 mm. 1. If it is less than 7 mm, the amount of hair used per bundle is too small, and even if the tip of the hair is substantially hemispherical, it becomes sharp and impairs the comfort immediately. 2. If it exceeds 3mm, the amount of hair per bundle will be too large, and the fit between the teeth and gums will be impaired.

[0024] The inter-hole pitch P between the flocked holes is preferably about 2.0 to 4.5 mm. If the pitch is too narrow, flocking will occur, and if it is too wide, the flocking density will decrease, and the hair will not be touched comfortably.

[0025] The arrangement of the hair bundles, that is, the arrangement of the flock holes is preferably 3 to 4 rows in the head width direction! /. With less than two rows, the brushing pressure cannot be dispersed, so the contact feeling of the hair ends is poor. If the number of rows exceeds 4, the width of the head becomes too wide and the operability in the oral cavity is poor.

[0026] The hair width W is preferably 6 to 13mm! If it is less than 6 mm, the arrangement of the hair bundles will be hindered. Further, the length L of the flocked portion along the longitudinal direction of the head portion is preferably about 16 to 25 mm from the viewpoint of intraoral operability.

[0027] The hair length h (height from the flocked surface to the tip of the hair bundle) is preferably about 7 to 13 mm. Below this level, the feeling of hairiness increases and the softness tends to be lost. Above this, the operability in the oral cavity decreases.

[0028] 2. Toothbrush materials

The material of the brushes (filaments) that make up the hair bundle is polyamide, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), etc. Preferred.

[0029] The brush diameter is preferably about 100 to 230 μm, which is used for general toothbrushes! Ama A thick brush is not suitable as a toothbrush for periodontal diseases. The cross-sectional shape of the brush can be any force. A circular cross-section with excellent durability is desirable.

[0030] Handle materials are used for general toothbrushes such as polypropylene (PP), PET-based resin, acrylic resin, and elastomer (olefin-based, styrene-based, polyethylene-based, urethane-based). If there is no restriction. The handle may be molded in one color, but may be a multicolor molded product using the elastomer.

[0031] 3. Cutting the hair ends

The hair end cut is carried out after fixing a bunch of multiple bristles by folding them into the flocked hole with a flat wire.

[0032] For example, a head portion of a toothbrush in which a hair bundle is implanted is held by a chuck that can rotate 90 degrees. Then, preferably, the tip of the brush is preliminarily cut to the vicinity of the set hair length with a flat cutting cutter. After that, first, use the horizontal cutter to cut the head side force on each side of the hair in a roughly chevron shape, then rotate the chuck 90 degrees and use the vertical cutter from the longitudinal direction of the head. The tip of each hair bundle is also cut into a roughly chevron. In this cutting order, on the contrary, after cutting the longitudinal force on the head part with a vertical cutter, the lateral force on the head part side is also cut with a horizontal cutter.

[0033] When the chuck is rotated by 90 degrees as described above, it is sufficient that the cutter blade direction is the same in both the vertical and horizontal cutters. Perform by rotating 90 degrees. If the chuck is not rotary, the orientation of the blades of the vertical and horizontal cutters should be 90 degrees. In this case, the horizontal cutter may move as usual, but in order to cut the longitudinal force of the head with the vertical cutter, the cutting process should be intermittent rather than continuous, and the vertical cutter should be swung back and forth. It is desirable to cut the hair.

[0034] In addition, if a part of the brush is laid down with a comb device or the like in the vertical or horizontal cutter process, the hair bundle becomes a substantially chevron cut cut only in one direction. Therefore, a hemispherical cut hair bundle and a conventional unidirectional chevron cut hair bundle can be mixed in the hair bundle.

[0035] 4. Rounding of hair ends

[0036] Since only the cutting with the vertical and horizontal cutters cuts in the vertical and horizontal directions, the hair bundle The tip does not have a substantially hemispherical shape, but has a substantially quadrangular pyramid shape. In order to make it approximately hemispherical, it is possible to cut the force in an oblique direction. However, this method restricts the arrangement of the holes by the force if the cost increases due to an increase in the size of the equipment. This is not preferable because the degree of freedom in design is reduced.

[0037] Therefore, in the present invention, in order to drop the edge of the peripheral surface cut into a quadrangular pyramid shape and to round the hair ends into a substantially hemispherical shape, the polished surface has spiral irregularities having a corrugated cross section. The tip rounding is performed using the tip rounding device. By polishing the tip of the hair bundle with a polishing surface having a spiral uneven surface having a corrugated cross-sectional shape, the tip of the hair bundle is rounded, and at the same time, the excess edge portion of the peripheral surface is scraped off. After that, each tip of the bristles at the tip of the hair bundle is rounded with a fine tip rounding device having a fine abrasive grain size. Finally, after removing the abrasive powder adhering to the toothbrush by air blow or the like and conducting a quality inspection, the toothbrush of the present invention as a finished product is obtained.

[0038] The tip rounding device used in the present invention is preferably a tip rounding device that is easy to handle and inexpensive and does not take up space. As such a hair rounding device, it is preferable to use a disc-shaped hair rounding device provided with a rotating disc-shaped polishing disk. The polishing surface of the disc-shaped polishing disc is provided with unevenness of a corrugated cross section having the same uneven pitch and the height difference between the top and the bottom as the brush profile. This unevenness is a spiral unevenness that goes outward from the center of the disk.

[0039] In the rounding process of the tip of the hair bundle, the polishing disk is rotated, and the brush tip is passed through the polishing surface made of spiral irregularities of the polishing disk while pressing about 0.5 to 2 mm. The spiral unevenness fits to the tip of the brush while rotating, and the hairs are sequentially measured, so that the hair tips are polished evenly. In the rounding process, it is desirable to perform the polishing by the spiral unevenness a plurality of times (for example, twice) by changing the polishing particle size of the polishing surface.

[0040] Taking the case where the rounding process is performed twice as an example, at the first rounding process, the polishing grain size of the polished surface consisting of spiral irregularities is in the range of # 100 to # 400, and at the second rounding process The polishing grain size of the polished surface consisting of spiral irregularities is preferably in the range of # 400 to # 800. The polishing time is about 1.5 to 3 seconds per rounding process. If the processing time is too short, there is not enough rounding effect. If it is too long, productivity is lowered, which is not preferable. The invention's effect

[0041] According to the toothbrush of claim 1, the diameter of the flock hole for flocking the bristles is set to 1.7 to 2.3 mm, and the tip shape of the bristles planted in the flock holes is substantially hemispherical. As a result, it is possible to obtain a flat-type flocking toothbrush suitable for use in patients with periodontal diseases, in which the hair tip fits at the boundary between the teeth and the gums, the contact feeling is gentle and soft, and the gums are delicate.

[0042] Further, according to the toothbrush according to claim 2, since the height difference d between the top and bottom of the hemispherical portion at the tip of the bristle bundle is 1 to 3 mm and the flocked portion width W is 6 to 13 mm, It is possible to obtain a flat-line flocking toothbrush that is optimal for the treatment and prevention of peri-illness.

[0043] According to the hair tip processing method according to claim 3, after the hair bundle tip is cut into a substantially chevron by a plurality of different directional forces with respect to the toothbrush head portion, the cut hair bundle tip The tip of the hair bundle was shaped into a substantially hemispherical shape by rounding it with a bristles rounding device, so it was difficult to care for the hemispherical shape. Can be easily and reliably processed into a substantially hemispherical shape. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the capital investment and increase the productivity, and it is possible to provide a flat-type flocking toothbrush with a hair bundle tip profiled in a substantially hemispherical shape at a low cost.

[0044] According to the hair tip processing method of claim 4, a hair tip rounding device provided with a rotating disc-shaped polishing disc is used as the hair tip rounding device, and the disc-shaped polishing disc is polished. On the polished surface, a spiral corrugation having a corrugated shape is formed in a cross section in the radial direction from the center of the disk to the outside, and the spiral pitch p of the spiral concavity and convexity is substantially the same as the pitch between the flock holes. In addition, the height difference t of the unevenness is set to be substantially the same as the height difference d between the top and bottom of the substantially hemispherical portion, and the polishing grain size of the polishing surface that also has the helical unevenness force is set to # 100 to # 800 Since it is set to the range, high quality can be achieved with simple adjustments, and complex hair rounding can be performed. In addition, since the equipment structure is simple, it is excellent in maintainability, low cost, and space saving.

[0045] Further, according to the hair tip processing method of claim 5, the hair tip rounding processing by the polishing disk is divided into two steps of a first rounding step and a second rounding step, and the first rounding step In the second rounding process, the polishing particle size of the polished surface is set to # 400 to # 800, so that the tip of the hair bundle is easily and reliably made substantially hemispherical. Shaping Togashi.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention, in which (a) is a side view of the head portion, (b) is a front view of the head portion, and (c) is a bristle. It is a top view of a head part which omitted a bundle.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the toothbrush according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a side view of the head part, (b) is a front view of the head part, and (c) is a bunch of hairs omitted. It is a top view of the made head part.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a hair tip processing apparatus used in the hair tip processing method of the present invention, wherein (a) is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the entire device, and (b) is an abbreviation of the hair tip rounding device. FIG. 3C is a schematic side view of a disc-shaped polishing disk.

[Fig. 4] Shows the shape change due to the hair tip processing at the tip of the hair bundle, (a) is a schematic enlarged perspective view of the tip of the hair bundle after pre-cutting with a flat-cutting cutter, and (b) is a cut with a horizontal cutter (C) is a schematic enlarged perspective view of the end of the hair bundle after being cut by a vertical cutter, and (d) is a hair made into a substantially hemispherical shape by rounding the tip of the hair. FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged perspective view of a bundle tip.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is the head part of the toothbrush, 2 is the flocked part of the head part, 3 is the flocked hole, 4 is the hair bundle planted by flat lined flocking, and 5 is the neck part following the head part. This first embodiment has a head portion 1 in which a hair bundle 4 in which a plurality of brushes are bundled is planted in a folded manner by a flat line, followed by a neck portion 5 and a grip portion (not shown). In a flat-line type flocking toothbrush, the diameter of the 24 flocking holes 3 for flocking the bristles 4 is 2. Omm. The tip shape of the head is approximately hemispherical, and the hair transplant width W is 9.2 mm, the pitch between holes in the longitudinal direction of the head portion of hair transplant hole 3 is 3. Omm, and the pitch between holes in the head width direction is 2 4mm, the height difference between the top and bottom of the hemispherical part at the tip of each hair bundle (difference in the valley) d 2. Omm, 7 hair bundles in the longitudinal direction of the head part, hair bundles in the width direction of the head part Maximum number of columns is 4 , It is obtained by the Hair length h and 10. 0 mm.

[0048] The toothbrush of FIG. 1 includes an injection molding machine and a flat-wire-type flocking machine (not shown), and a tip processing of FIG. It is manufactured using the apparatus 20 as follows.

[0049] First, using an injection molding machine (not shown), head part 1 (width = 11. Omm) scissors flocking hole 3 (hole diameter = φ 2. Omm, pitch between holes in the head part longitudinal direction = 3 mm) 1) The toothbrush handle with the shape force shown in Fig. 1 (c) is placed in polypropylene (WP638C: manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.). ) Injection molding.

[0050] Next, using a common flat-type hair transplanter (ZT-1: Zahoranski), multiple brushes (brush material = polyamide 6mil (0.152mm)) in the hair hole 3 of the head 1 Hair: DuPont) is bundled and folded in half with a flat wire. Then, while holding the bristled toothbrush with the movable chuck 21 of the bristle-cage device 20 shown in FIG. 3 and feeding it at a predetermined speed, the bristles 4 are connected to the bristles 4 with a flat cutter (not shown). 10. Precut to 5 mm (see Fig. 4 (a)).

[0051] Next, after each of the pre-cut hair bundles 4 is cut into a substantially chevron shape (mountain pitch 3. Omm) from the side surface of the head portion by the horizontal cutter 22 (see Fig. 4 (a)), the chuck 21 is Rotate 90 degrees and cut with a vertical cutter 23 into a roughly chevron shape (mountain pitch = 2.4 mm) from the longitudinal direction of the head (see Fig. 4 (c)).

[0052] In the cut state by the vertical and horizontal cutters, the tip of the hair bundle has a substantially quadrangular pyramid shape. Therefore, the tip of the hair bundle is subsequently polished by using a tip rounding device, and the edge of the quadrangular pyramid is dropped. The tip of the hair is rounded and the tip of the hair bundle is shaped into a substantially hemispherical shape (see Fig. 4 (d)).

Specifically, this is carried out using the two tip rounding devices 28 and 29 in FIG. 3 (a). As shown in FIGS. 3 (b) and 3 (c), the bristle rounding devices 28 and 29 are disk-shaped polishing discs 26 in which spiral irregularities 25 having a corrugated cross section are formed on the polishing surface 24. The polishing disk 26 is configured to rotate in the direction of the arrow R, and the rotational speed of the polishing disk 26 can be controlled by the motor unit 27.

[0054] The first tip rounding device 28 is set to have a concavo-convex pitch of spiral concavo-convex 25 p = 3. Omm, concavo-convex height t = 2. Omm, abrasive grain size = # 100, disk rotational speed = 2000 rpm The tip of the hair bundle 4 cut into a substantially quadrangular pyramid shape using this first hair rounding device 28 is ground for 2.5 seconds, dropping the square pyramid edge and rounding the tip, The tip of the hair bundle is shaped into a difference between the height of the top and the bottom. [0055] Next, the second bristle rounding device 29 is used to round the bristles of each brush that constitutes the hair bundle 4. This second hair rounding device 29 is set to have a concavo-convex pitch p = 3. Omm, a concavo-convex height t = 2. Omm, an abrasive grain size = # 400, and a disc rotation speed = 1500 rpm. The tip of the hair bundle shaped into a substantially hemispherical shape using the tip rounding device 29 is ground for 2 seconds, and one brush at the tip of the hair bundle is rounded.

[0056] Finally, after the abrasive powder adhering to the toothbrush was removed by air blowing in the fluff remover 30 and the appearance was inspected, the toothbrush of FIG. 1 as a finished product was obtained.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the toothbrush according to the present invention.

In the second embodiment, a hair bundle 4 in which a plurality of brushes are bundled 4 is a flat wire having a head portion 1 in which the hair bundle 4 is folded in two by a flat wire, followed by a neck portion 5 and a grip portion (not shown). In the flocked toothbrush, the diameter of the fifteen follicle holes 3 for flocking the bristles 4 is 1.8 mm, and the tips of the follicles 4 flocked in the flock holes 3 are substantially hemispherical. The hair transplant width W is 6.6 mm, the pitch between holes in the longitudinal direction of the head of the flocked hole 3 is 2.8 mm, the pitch between holes in the width direction of the head is 2.4 mm, and the hemisphere at the tip of each hair bundle Difference in height between the top and bottom of the belt-shaped part d is 1.5 mm, the number of hair bundles in the head longitudinal direction is 5, the number of hair bundles in the head width direction is 3, the hair length h is 9. Omm It is what.

[0058] The toothbrush of FIG. 2 is manufactured as follows using an injection molding machine and a flat-wire-type flocking machine (not shown) and a hair tip processing apparatus 20 of FIG.

[0059] First, using an injection molding machine (not shown), a flocking hole 3 (hole diameter = φ1.8 mm, pitch between holes in the longitudinal direction of the head part = 2.) on the head part 1 (width = 8.6 mm). Toothbrush handle with shape force shown in Fig. 2 (c) with 8mm width-to-hole pitch = 2.4 mm, number of holes = 15) arranged in a grid pattern in polypropylene (WP638C: manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.) ) Injection molding.

[0060] Next, using a general flat-type hair transplanter (manufactured by Kashimura Kikai Co., Ltd.), a plurality of brushes (brush material = polyamide 6mil (0.152 mm) bristles: Du Pont ), Fold it in half and drive it with a flat wire. Then, while holding the bundle of toothbrushes with the movable chuck 21 of the bristle-cage device 20 shown in FIG. 9. Precut to 5mm (see Fig. 4 (a)). [0061] Next, after each of the pre-cut hair bundles 4 is cut into a substantially chevron shape (mountain pitch 2.8 mm) from the side of the head portion by the horizontal cutter 22 (see Fig. 4 (a)), the chuck 21 is Rotate 90 degrees and cut with a vertical cutter 23 into a roughly chevron shape (mountain pitch = 2.4 mm) from the longitudinal direction of the head (see Fig. 4 (c)).

[0062] In the cut state by the above vertical and horizontal cutters, the tip of the hair bundle has a substantially quadrangular pyramid shape. Therefore, the tip of the hair bundle is subsequently polished by using a tip rounding device, and the edge of the quadrangular pyramid is dropped. The tip of the hair is rounded and the tip of the hair bundle is shaped into a substantially hemispherical shape (see Fig. 4 (d)).

[0063] In the case of the second embodiment, the first tip rounding device 28 has an uneven pitch p = 2.8 mm of the spiral unevenness 25, an uneven height t = l. 5 mm, and a polishing particle size = # 200, disk rotation speed = 2 OOOrpm. The first bristle rounding device 28 was used to cut the tip of the hair bundle 4 that was cut into a substantially quadrangular pyramid shape for 2.5 seconds. The edge of the tip is dropped and the tip is rounded, and the tip of the hair bundle is shaped into a substantially hemispherical shape with a difference in height between the top and bottom d = l.

[0064] Next, the second bristle rounding device 29 is used to round the bristles of each brush that constitutes the hair bundle 4. This second bristle rounding device 29 is set to have a concavo-convex pitch = 3. Omm, a concavo-convex height = 1.5 mm, a polishing particle size = # 800, and a disc rotation speed = 1500 rpm. Using a rounding device 29, sharpen the tip of the hair bundle shaped into a substantially hemispherical shape for 2 seconds, and then round the tip of each hair at the tip of the hair bundle.

[0065] Finally, the abrasive powder adhering to the toothbrush was removed by air blowing in the powder removal apparatus 30 and the appearance was inspected, and the toothbrush of FIG. 2 as a finished product was obtained.

[0066] In the first and second embodiments, the case of cutting from the two directions of the head portion side surface and the head portion longitudinal direction side is taken as an example when the hair bundle tip is cut by the cutter. This cutting direction is not limited to two directions, but may be configured to cut a plurality of directional forces in three directions or more.

[0067] The effect of the tip shape of the bristles on the use performance of the toothbrush was tested, and the results are shown below.

[0068] [1] Evaluation test of hair bundle tip shape

Toothbrush specifications>

Handle: Polypropylene “WP638C” (manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.) Flocking hole: Hole diameter = φ1.8 mm

Hole arrangement = 2 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 (20 holes)

Pitch between holes = Head length direction 2.8mm, width direction 2.8mm Hair: Polyamide (DuPont), diameter 6mil (0.152mm) hair

Hair length: 10mm, height difference between top and bottom d = 2mm

[0069] <Test method>

The sensory evaluation test of usability 'usability was performed by changing the shape of the tip of the hair bundle. The results are shown in Table 1.

Subjects: 50

Period of use: 1 month

[0070] [Table 1] Evaluation test of usage performance due to differences in hair bundle tip shape

○: Good, △: Normal (Neither), X: Bad

[0071] As can be seen from the evaluation results shown in Table 1, the hair bundle tip shape having a soft and gentle contact feeling with a high fit to the gap between the teeth and the gums is substantially hemispherical.

[0072] [2] Brush size evaluation test

Toothbrush specifications>

Handle: Polypropylene “WP638C” (manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.)

Flocking hole: Hole arrangement = 2 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 (20 holes)

Distance between holes: lmm

Hair: Polyamide (DuPont), diameter 6mil (0.152mm)

Hair length: 10mm Hair bundle tip shape: almost hemispherical

[0073] <Test method>

The difference in the diameter of the flocked hole and the height of the top and bottom was changed to perform a sensory evaluation of usability. The results are shown in Table 2.

Subjects: 50

Period of use: 1 month

[0074] [Table 2] Flocking hole diameter · Evaluation test of performance due to differences in Yamatani difference

○: Good, △: Normal (Neither), X: Bad

[0075] From the evaluation results in Table 2, the following became clear.

(1) If the diameter of the flocked hole is too small, the “soft and gentle contact feeling” and “feeling that dirt will fall” will decrease, and if it is too large, the “fit feeling to the gap between teeth and gums” will decrease. 7mm to φ2.3mm is preferable.

(2) If the difference in height between the top and bottom is too small, the tip of the hair will not enter the gap, so the `` fit feeling to the gap between teeth and gums '' will decrease, and if it is too large, it will be `` soft and gentle touch comfort '' Therefore, it is preferably about 1.0 to 3.0.

[0076] [3] Polishing condition evaluation test

Toothbrush specifications>

Flocking hole: Hole diameter = Φ 2. Omm

Hole arrangement = 2 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 (20 holes) Pitch between holes = Head length direction 3. Omm, width direction 2.4mm Hair: Polyamide (DuPont), diameter 6mil (0.152mm) hair

Hair length: 10mm, height difference between top and bottom = 2mm

[0077] <Test method>

The toothbrush sample with the above specifications was rounded twice by a bristles rounding device using a disc-shaped abrasive disc. After each processing, the tip of the hair bundle was visually and microscopically checked. We evaluated the shapeability due to the difference in the polishing conditions such as the height and pitch of the surface irregularities, and the polishing particle size. The results are shown in Tables 3 and 4. The first rounding process is a process for rounding the front end surface of the hair bundle that has been cut into a substantially pyramid shape into a substantially hemispherical shape, and the second rounding process that follows is rounded into a substantially hemispherical form. Processed bristles Brush at the end 1 This is a process to round one bristles.

Number of samples: 50

Rounding time: 2.5 seconds for each of the first and second rounding

[0078] [Table 3] Shaping suitability evaluation test with different polishing conditions (first rounding)

[0079] [Table 4] Evaluation test of aptitude suitability by polishing conditions (second rounding)

From the evaluation results in Tables 3 and 4 above, the following became clear.

(1) The height of the spiral unevenness is too small for the height difference d between the top and bottom of the substantially hemispherical portion, or if it is a flat surface with no unevenness, it is sufficient to reach the valley of the brush. If it is too large, the brush crest will not touch the polished surface sufficiently, and the entire surface will not be evenly ground. Therefore, it is preferable to match the concavo-convex shape so that the height of the spiral concavo-convex height is within 2 mm with respect to the height difference d between the top and bottom of the substantially hemispherical portion.

(2) If the helical pitch of the spiral irregularities is too small, the hair can not be sufficiently separated, and if it is too large, the hairs extend too much and the irregularity effect is hardly exhibited, and in either case, the processing becomes insufficient. Therefore, it is desirable that the helical uneven pitch be approximately the same as the pitch of the hair bundle, that is, the hole pitch of the flock holes.

(3) The polishing particle size in the approximately hemispherical rounding of the first hair bundle tip is preferably about # 100 to # 400. If the particle size is too small, the removal of burrs and the formability to a substantially hemispherical shape will be poor, and if it is too large, it will not be possible to exhibit adequate frictional resistance, so sufficient abrasiveness cannot be demonstrated.

(4) 2nd brush 1 time The polishing particle size in the rounding process is preferably about # 400 to # 800. One brush, one rounding process is as high as the first hemispherical rounding process on the tip of the hair bundle, and grindability is necessary, so the abrasive grain size is small.

Explanation of symbols

1 Head

2 Flocked part 3 Flocking hole

4 Hair bundles

5 neck

20 Tip processing equipment

21 Chuck

22 Horizontal cutter

23 Vertical cutter

24 Polished surface

25 Spiral irregularities

26 Disc-shaped abrasive disc

27 Motor

28 First tip rounding device

29 Second tip rounding device

30 Flour removal device

d Difference in height between top and bottom of hemispherical part h Hair length

L Flocked part length

P Spiral pitch

R direction of rotation

t Uneven height

W Rooted width

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] Consists of a handle including a head part, a neck part, and a grip part, and a hair bundle composed of a plurality of brushes, and each hair bundle is implanted in two in a flock hole formed in the head part by a flat line. A toothbrush characterized in that the diameter of the flocked hole is 1.7 to 2.3 mm and the tip of the bristles planted in the flocked hole is substantially hemispherical.

[2] The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the height difference between the top and bottom of the hemispherical portion at the tip of the bristles is 1 to 3 mm.

[3] A hair tip processing method for producing the toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tip of the hair bundle is cut into a substantially chevron from a plurality of different directions with respect to the toothbrush head portion. And a step of shaping the front end of the hair bundle into a substantially hemispherical shape by rounding the front end of the cut hair bundle with a hair tip rounding device.

[4] In the method of processing a hair tip according to claim 3, a hair tip rounding device provided with a rotating polishing disk is used as the hair tip rounding device, and a disc central force is directed outwardly on the polishing surface of the polishing disc. As a result, a spiral irregularity having a waveform in a radial cross section is formed, and the spiral pitch of the spiral irregularity is set substantially the same as the pitch between the holes of the flocked holes, and the height of the spiral irregularity is set. The difference in height was set to be substantially the same as the difference in height between the top and bottom of the hemispherical part, and the polishing particle size of the polishing surface consisting of the spiral irregularities was set in the range of # 100 to # 800. A featured hair end processing method.

[5] The method of processing a hair end according to claim 4, wherein the rounding process includes a first rounding step using a polishing disk having a polishing particle size # 100 to # 400 of the polishing surface, and a polishing particle size of the polishing surface. And a second rounding step using an abrasive disc having # 400 to # 800.