TWI851252B - toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is a toothbrush, which includes an outer shell, a driving mechanism and a turning mechanism disposed in the outer shell, and a brush connected to the turning mechanism. The brush includes a main brush head and side brush heads disposed on two opposite sides of the main brush head. The toothbrush of the invention can simultaneously clean the top surface and the inner and outer side surfaces of the teeth through the structural design of the brush, and can be used with the turning mechanism. The toothbrush has a toothpaste structure and a driving mechanism, so that the brush can not only move linearly and repeatedly, but also change the direction and movement direction of the entire brush according to the arrangement direction of the teeth. This allows the user to clean the teeth without having to adjust the direction of the toothbrush significantly, and can effectively clean the top surface and the inner and outer side surfaces of each tooth, which can effectively improve the convenience of use and the cleaning effect.

Description

toothbrush

This creation is a toothbrush, especially a toothbrush that can be used to clean teeth.

When cleaning the oral cavity, people hold a toothbrush and manually move the toothbrush repeatedly in the axial or radial direction relative to the teeth, so that the bristles at the end of the toothbrush can clean the tooth surface.

In order to improve the convenience of people in cleaning their oral cavity, electric toothbrushes are now available on the market. The electric toothbrushes can control the rotation of the bristles through a driving motor, and the rotation of the bristles can brush away the plaque on the surface of the teeth, so that users do not need to repeatedly move the toothbrush axially or radially, and only need to adjust the holding direction and position of the electric toothbrush to achieve the effect of cleaning teeth.

Among them, when users are cleaning their mouths, whether they are using a traditional toothbrush or an electric toothbrush currently sold on the market, they must constantly and significantly change the direction in which they hold the toothbrush in order to truly clean the inside, outside, and end faces of each tooth.

However, in long-term care institutions, when caregivers assist the care recipients in oral hygiene, they must hold a toothbrush or electric toothbrush and try to clean the teeth of the care recipients from all angles. This is not only inconvenient in operation, but also prone to blind spots during the cleaning process, making it difficult to truly clean the teeth.

The main purpose of this invention is to provide a toothbrush, hoping to improve the traditional toothbrush and commercially available electric toothbrush, which requires a significant change in the direction of holding in order to clean the inside, outside and end faces of each tooth, resulting in inconvenience in operation, and it is still easy to clean blind spots during the cleaning process, making it difficult to clean the teeth accurately.

To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the toothbrush of the present invention comprises: an outer shell having a grip portion and a brush head end portion extending from one end of the grip portion; a driving mechanism, which is arranged in the grip portion of the outer shell, the driving mechanism having a driving motor and a power supply module and an operating module electrically connected to the driving motor, the power supply module can supply working power to the driving motor, and the operating module can control whether the driving motor operates; a turning movement mechanism, which is arranged in the brush head end portion of the outer shell and is connected to and controlled by the driving motor; and a brush set, which defines a cleaning space, and the brush set comprises a main brush head portion and two side brush heads surrounding the cleaning space, the main brush head portion comprises a A connecting piece and a main brush head, the connecting piece is connected to the turning mechanism, the main brush head is detachably arranged on the connecting piece, each side brush head includes a connecting piece and a side brush head, the connecting pieces of the two side brush heads are pivoted on the two opposite sides of the main brush head, and an elastic element is inserted between the connecting piece and the main brush head, the two side brush heads are pivoted on the ends of the corresponding connecting pieces, the main brush head and the two side brush heads are both formed with a plurality of bristle bundles, and the bristle bundles of the main brush head and the two side brush heads are respectively oriented toward the cleaning space, the turning mechanism can drive the brush to move repeatedly along a linear brushing path, and can change the direction of the brush and the direction of the brushing path.

The cleaning space defined by the brush tool of the toothbrush of the invention can be inserted into the teeth of the user, so that the bristle bundles of the main brush head and the bristle bundles of the two side brush heads respectively press against the top surface and the inner and outer side surfaces of the teeth. The brush tool of the toothbrush can be driven by the driving mechanism and the turning movement mechanism to perform repeated linear movement, so as to facilitate cleaning of the tooth surface.

When the user is cleaning the incisors or canines located at the front side of the oral cavity, the two side brush heads can use the connecting piece and the elastic element inside the main brush head to make the bristle bundles of the two side brush heads respectively press against the inner and outer surfaces of the teeth during the cleaning process. When the user wants to clean the molars located at the back side of the oral cavity, the user can apply force to drive the brush to move along the arrangement direction of the teeth. At this time, the brush is pushed down by the resistance of the teeth during the movement. The turning mechanism can change the direction of the brush and the direction of the brushing path, and at the same time, the two side brush heads of the brush can be pushed outward according to the shape of the teeth through the elastic characteristics of the elastic element, so that the bristle bundles of the main brush head and the side brush head can respectively press against the top surface and the inner and outer side surfaces of the teeth during the cleaning process, thereby allowing the user to effectively clean the teeth without significantly adjusting the holding direction, which can greatly improve the convenience of the user when cleaning teeth.

The steering mechanism can include a driving wheel set and a steering wheel, wherein the driving wheel set has a driving shaft and a driven wheel, wherein the driving shaft is connected to the driving motor and can rotate along a driving axis, wherein the driven wheel is pivoted at the end of the brush head and is engaged with the driving shaft, wherein the driven wheel rotates along a pivot axis, wherein the driven wheel is formed with a pivot column deviating from the pivot axis, wherein the steering wheel is pivoted in the brush head end of the housing and is connected to the brush head end. An elastic buckle on the inner side of the head end is elastically engaged, the steering wheel has a guide groove extending laterally and a matching hole connected to the guide groove, the connecting piece is movably arranged in the guide groove along the brushing path, the brushing path is parallel to the extension direction of the guide groove, and the connecting piece has a matching long groove perpendicular to the extension direction of the guide groove, the pivot of the driven wheel passes through the matching hole of the steering wheel and extends into the matching long groove of the connecting piece.

In this way, the driving motor can drive the driven wheel to rotate through the transmission shaft, so that the pivot of the driven wheel performs a circular motion in the matching hole of the steering wheel, while driving the connecting piece, and the connecting piece will move along a linear brushing path under the limitation of the guide groove of the steering wheel.

In addition, the steering wheel is rotatably disposed in the brush head end of the outer shell, and is elastically engaged with the elastic convex buckle on the inner side of the brush head end, whereby the steering wheel can make the brush turn under the push of the user, so that the brushing path of the brush can change direction in accordance with the arrangement direction of the teeth.

10: Shell

11: Grip

12: Brush head end

121: Elastic buckle

20: Driving mechanism

21: Driving motor

22: Power supply module

23: Operation module

30: Turning mechanism

31: Drive wheel set

311: Drive shaft

312: driven wheel

313: Pillar

32: Steering wheel

321:Guide groove

322: Matching hole

40: Brushes

41: Clean space

42a, 42b: Main brush head

421:Connector

422: Main brush head

423: Bristle bundle

424: Matching long groove

43: Side brush head

431a,431b: Connectors

432a,432b: Side brush head

433: Bristle bundle

44: Elastic element

50: Front teeth

51: Posterior teeth

L1: Transmission axis

L2: Pivot axis

Figure 1: A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention.

Figure 2: A partial cross-sectional diagram of the first preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention.

Figure 3: A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention.

Figure 4: A partial cross-sectional diagram of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention.

Figure 5: A three-dimensional exploded schematic diagram of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention using a detachable main brush head.

Figure 6: A three-dimensional exploded diagram of the steering wheel and joint in Figure 5.

Figure 7: A three-dimensional exploded schematic diagram of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention and the main brush head formed in one piece.

Figure 8: A partial cross-sectional diagram of the brush head end, the turning mechanism and the joint of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of the invention.

Figure 9: A schematic diagram of the brush movement method of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention.

Figure 10: A schematic diagram of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention showing the steering wheel and the brush tool's steering direction (I).

Figure 11: A schematic diagram of the steering wheel and brush tool steering of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention (Part 2).

Figure 12: A top view of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention for cleaning the front teeth.

Figure 13: A side view of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of the invention for cleaning the front teeth.

Figure 14: A top view of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention for cleaning the back teeth.

Figure 15: A side view of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush of this invention for cleaning the back teeth.

Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 for several preferred embodiments of the toothbrush of the invention, which include an outer shell 10, a driving mechanism 20, a turning mechanism 30 and a brush 40.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 , the housing 10 has a grip portion 11 and a brush head end portion 12 extending from one end of the grip portion 11 .

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 , the driving mechanism 20 is disposed in the grip portion 11 of the housing 10 . The driving mechanism 20 has a driving motor 21 and a power supply module 22 and an operating module 23 electrically connected to the driving motor 21 . The power supply module 22 can supply working power to the driving motor 21 , and the operating module 23 can control whether the driving motor 21 is running or not.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the turning mechanism 30 is disposed in the brush head end 12 of the housing 10 and is connected to and controlled by the driving motor 21.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 and 7, the brush 40 defines a cleaning space 41, and the brush 40 includes a main brush head 42a, 42b and two side brush heads 43 surrounding the cleaning space 41. The main brush heads 42a, 42b include a connecting piece 421 and a main brush head 422. The connecting piece 421 is connected to the turning and moving mechanism 30. The main brush head 422 is detachably arranged on the connecting piece 421. Each side brush head 43 includes a connecting piece 431a, 431b and a side brush head 432a, 432b. The connecting pieces 431a, 431b of the two side brush heads 43 are pivotally arranged on two opposite sides of the main brush head 422, and the connecting pieces 431a, 431b are pivotally arranged on two opposite sides of the main brush head 422. An elastic element 44 is inserted between the connecting parts 431a, 431b and the main brush head 422. The two side brush heads 432a, 432b are respectively pivoted at the ends of the corresponding connecting parts 431a, 431b. The main brush head 422 and the two side brush heads 432a, 432b are formed with a plurality of bristle bundles 423, 433, and the bristle bundles 423, 433 of the main brush head 422 and the two side brush heads 432a, 432b are respectively oriented toward the cleaning space 41. As shown in Figures 8 to 11, the turning mechanism 30 can drive the brush 40 to move repeatedly along a linear brushing path, and can change the direction of the brush 40 and the direction of the brushing path.

As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 7, the steering mechanism 30 includes a driving wheel set 31 and a steering wheel 32. The driving wheel set 31 has a driving shaft 311 and a driven wheel 312. The driving shaft 311 is connected to the driving motor 21 and can rotate along a driving axis L1. The driven wheel 312 is pivotally arranged at the end 12 of the brush head, and the driven wheel 312 is engaged with the driving shaft 311. The driven wheel 312 rotates along a pivot axis L2. The driven wheel 312 is formed with a pivot 313 deviating from the pivot axis L2.

As shown in Figures 4 to 7, the steering wheel 32 is pivotally disposed in the brush head end 12 of the housing 10 and is elastically engaged with an elastic convex buckle 121 on the inner side of the brush head end 12. The steering wheel 32 has a guide groove 321 extending laterally and a matching hole 322 connected to the guide groove 321. The connecting piece 421 is movably disposed in the guide groove 321 along the brushing path. The brushing path is parallel to the extension direction of the guide groove 321, and the connecting piece 421 has a matching long groove 424 perpendicular to the extension direction of the guide groove 321. The pivot 313 of the driven wheel 312 passes through the matching hole 322 of the steering wheel 32 and extends into the matching long groove 424 of the connecting piece 421.

In addition, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the connection between the connecting parts 431a, 431b and the side brush heads 432a, 432b can be set to a pivot connection or a ball head connection according to the needs. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the connecting part 431a and the side brush head 432a are connected in a pivotal manner, so that the The side brush head 432a can pivot relative to the connecting member 431a along the axis of the pivot; as shown in Figures 3 and 4, in the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the connecting member 431b and the side brush head 432b are connected in a ball head manner, so that the side brush head 432b can rotate in multiple directions relative to the connecting member 431b, and can be applied to teeth with curved surfaces.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the ends of the majority of bristle bundles 423 of the main brush head 422 are V-shaped, and the bristle bundles 433 of the side brush heads 432a, 432b increase in length from the direction adjacent to the main brush head 422 toward the direction away from the main brush head 422.

This creative toothbrush can be used by users to clean their own mouths, or by caregivers in long-term care institutions to assist caregivers in cleaning their mouths. The following is an example of the second preferred embodiment of this creative toothbrush.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, 7 and 8, when the user uses the toothbrush, the user can start the driving motor 21 by operating the operating module 23 of the driving mechanism 20. At this time, the driving motor 21 will drive the transmission shaft 311 to pivot along the transmission axis L1, and drive the driven wheel 312 to start rotating along the pivot axis L2. During the rotation of the driven wheel 312, the pivot 313 on the driven wheel 312 that deviates from the pivot axis L2 will perform a circular motion in the matching hole 322 of the steering wheel 32 with the pivot axis L2 as the center.

Please refer to Figures 8 and 9. Since the pivot 313 extends into the matching long groove 424 of the connecting piece 421, and the connecting piece 421 can move along the extension direction of the guide groove 321 of the steering wheel 32, when the pivot 313 performs circular motion, the connecting piece 421 will be limited by the guide groove 321 of the steering wheel 32, thereby causing the brush 40 to repeatedly move linearly along the brushing path as a whole.

Please also refer to Figures 10 and 11. The steering wheel 32 of the steering mechanism 30 of the toothbrush of the invention can rotate inside the brush head end 12 of the outer shell 10 when the brush 40 is pushed by external force. When the steering wheel 32 rotates, the direction of the guide groove 321 will be changed, thereby changing the direction of the brush 40 and the direction of the brushing path. The elastic buckle 121 is elastically engaged with the steering wheel 32, which can provide a certain rotation resistance to the steering wheel 32, thereby limiting the steering wheel 32, so that the steering wheel 32 will not deflect at the same time when the brush 40 repeatedly moves linearly along the brushing path.

As shown in FIGS. 12 to 15, when using the toothbrush of the invention to clean teeth, the user can move the brush 40 to the teeth to be cleaned and extend the teeth into the cleaning space 41 of the brush 40. At this time, the bristle bundles 423 of the main brush head 42a and the bristle bundles 433 of the two side brush heads 43 respectively press against the teeth. The toothbrush brush 40 can be driven by the driving mechanism 20 and the turning mechanism 30 to perform repeated linear movement, so that the bristle bundles 423, 433 of the main brush head 42a and the two side brush heads 43 can move repeatedly along the brushing path, thereby brushing away the plaque on the top surface and the inner and outer side surfaces of the teeth.

As shown in Figures 12 to 15, the user can hold the grip portion 11 to make the brush head end 12 drive the brush 40 to move along the tooth arrangement direction. At this time, the two side brush heads 43 of the brush 40 will drive the steering wheel 32 to rotate under the guidance of the tooth arrangement, thereby changing the direction of the brush 40 and the direction of the brushing path, so that the two side brush heads 43 of the brush 40 remain on the inner and outer sides of the teeth, and can adjust the brushing path at the same time, so that the brushing path can change direction in accordance with the tooth arrangement direction.

As shown in Figures 13 and 15, the brush tool 40 can be connected to the main brush head 422 and the side brush head 432b via the connecting member 431b, so that the side brush heads 432b of the two side brush head parts 43 can fine-tune the angle of the bristle bundle 433 according to different tooth shapes. At the same time, through the elastic characteristics of the internal elastic element 44, the bristle bundle 433 of the side brush head 432b can provide sufficient clamping force during the process of cleaning teeth, so that the bristle bundle 433 of the side brush head 432b can surely press against the inner and outer side surfaces of each tooth.

For example, as shown in FIG. 13 , when the user is cleaning the front teeth 50 such as the incisors or canines located at the front side of the oral cavity, since the elastic element 44 is penetrated inside the two connecting pieces 431b and the main brush head 422, the two connecting pieces 431b can pivot downward relative to the main brush head 422 under the influence of the elastic force of the elastic element 44, so that the two side brush heads 43 are connected to the two connecting pieces 431b. b, and at the same time, the two side brush heads 43 can pivot relative to each other through the hinge between the connecting piece 431b and the side brush head 43 in coordination with the surface of the front tooth 50, so that the bristle bundles 433 of the two side brush heads 43 can respectively fit against the inner and outer surfaces of the tooth during the cleaning process, thereby making the cleaning space 41 present a triangular state similar to an inverted V shape.

As shown in FIG. 15 , when the user wants to clean the rear teeth 51 such as the molars at the rear side of the oral cavity, the user can apply force to drive the brush 40 to move along the arrangement direction of the teeth. At this time, the two side brush heads 43 of the brush 40 can be spread outwards according to the shape of the teeth, so that the bristle bundles 423 of the main brush head 42a can be against the top surface of the rear teeth 51, and the two connecting parts 431b can be pivoted upward relative to the main brush head 422, and at the same time, the The side brush heads 43 can provide sufficient clamping force by the elastic characteristics of the elastic element 44, and the hinge between the connecting part 431b and the side brush heads 43 can be relatively pivoted with the surface of the rear tooth 51, so that the bristle bundles 433 of the side brush heads 43 can still be respectively pressed against the inner and outer side surfaces of the tooth during the cleaning process, thereby making the cleaning space 41 present an M-shaped quadrilateral state.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG6 , the connecting piece 421 of the main brush head 42a and the main brush head 422 can be designed to be detachable, so that after using the toothbrush for a period of time, the user can replace the main brush head 422 and the side brush heads 432a, 432b by detaching the main brush head 422 from the connecting piece 421 without replacing the entire toothbrush, which can effectively reduce the cost of replacing parts for the user, and can regularly replace the main brush head 422 and the side brush head 43 with new ones to improve the hygiene and safety of use; In addition, as shown in FIG7 , the connecting piece 421 of the main brush head 42b and the main brush head 422 can also be connected in an integrally formed manner.

In summary, the toothbrush of the invention can simultaneously clean the top surface and the inner and outer side surfaces of the teeth through the structural design of the brush 40, and can be matched with the turning movement mechanism 30 and the driving mechanism 20, so that the brush 40 can not only move repeatedly along the brushing path, but also change the direction of the entire brush 40 and the angle of the brushing path according to the arrangement direction of the teeth, so that the user does not need to adjust the direction of the toothbrush significantly during the process of cleaning the teeth, that is, the top surface and the inner and outer side surfaces of each tooth can be cleaned accurately, which can effectively improve the convenience of use and the cleaning effect.

10: Shell

11: Grip

12: Brush head end

20: Driving mechanism

21: Driving motor

22: Power supply module

23: Operation module

311: Drive shaft

40: Brushes

41: Clean space

42a: Main brush head

422: Main brush head

423: Bristle bundle

43: Side brush head

431a: Connectors

432a: Side brush head

433: Bristle bundle

Claims (6)

A toothbrush comprises: an outer shell having a grip portion and a brush head end extending from one end of the grip portion; a driving mechanism disposed in the grip portion of the outer shell, the driving mechanism having a driving motor and a power supply module and an operating module electrically connected to the driving motor, the power supply module can supply working power to the driving motor, and the operating module can control whether the driving motor operates; a turning movement mechanism disposed in the brush head end of the outer shell and connected to and controlled by the driving motor; a brush tool defining a cleaning space, and the brush tool The invention comprises a main brush head and two side brush heads surrounding the cleaning space, the main brush head comprises a joint and a main brush head, the joint is connected to the turning and moving mechanism, the main brush head is connected to the joint, each side brush head comprises a connecting member and a side brush head, the connecting members of the two side brush heads are pivotally arranged at the two opposite sides of the main brush head, and an elastic element is penetrated between the connecting member and the main brush head, the two side brush heads are pivotally arranged at the ends of the corresponding connecting members, the main brush head and the two side brush heads are formed with a plurality of bristle bundles, and the brushes of the main brush head and the two side brush heads are The hair bundles are respectively oriented toward the cleaning space, and the turning movement mechanism can drive the brush to move repeatedly along a linear brushing path, and can change the direction of the brush and the direction of the brushing path; and the turning movement mechanism includes a driving wheel set and a turning wheel, the driving wheel set has a driving shaft and a driven wheel, the driving shaft is connected to the driving motor and can rotate along a driving axis, the driven wheel is pivoted at the end of the brush head, and the driven wheel is engaged with the driving shaft, the driven wheel rotates along a pivot axis, and the driven wheel is formed with a rotation axis deviated from the pivot. A pivot in the direction of the rotation axis, the steering wheel is pivoted in the brush head end of the housing and elastically engaged with an elastic convex buckle on the inner side of the brush head end, the steering wheel has a guide groove extending laterally and a matching hole connected to the guide groove, the connecting piece is movably arranged in the guide groove along the brushing path, the brushing path is parallel to the extension direction of the guide groove, and the connecting piece has a matching long groove perpendicular to the extension direction of the guide groove, the pivot of the driven wheel passes through the matching hole of the steering wheel and extends into the matching long groove of the connecting piece. A toothbrush as described in claim 1, wherein the connecting member and the side brush head are connected in a pivotal manner. The toothbrush as described in claim 1, wherein the connecting member and the side brush head are connected in a ball-shaped connection. A toothbrush as described in claim 1, wherein the ends of the majority of bristle bundles of the main brush head are V-shaped, and the bristle bundles of the side brush heads increase in length from the direction adjacent to the main brush head toward the direction away from the main brush head. A toothbrush as described in claim 2, wherein the ends of the majority of bristle bundles of the main brush head are V-shaped, and the bristle bundles of the side brush heads increase in length from the direction adjacent to the main brush head toward the direction away from the main brush head. As described in claim 3, the ends of the majority of bristle bundles of the main brush head are V-shaped, and the bristle bundles of the side brush heads increase in length from the direction adjacent to the main brush head toward the direction away from the main brush head.

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