Oral Care Implement With Mechanical Energy Harvesting
First Claim
1. An oral care implement, comprising:
- an energy harvesting device configured to convert mechanical energy into electricity responsive to mechanical engagement of oral tissue with said implement;
an electrical energy storage device configured to store said electricity; and
a switching circuit configured to maintain an electrical connection in an open configuration until a predetermined level of charge has been stored by said electrical energy storage device, and to close said electric connection when said predetermined level of charge has been stored by said electrical energy storage device.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mechanical energy harvesting toothbrush may employ circuits and devices to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Such conversion can be done using piezoelectric devices to convert stresses and strains from bending of the toothbrush head and/or bristles during use, and can be done using electromagnetic generators involving passing a magnet through a coil to induce current. The resulting electric energy may be rectified, and stored in a storage device, such as a capacitor or rechargeable battery. A switching circuit may be configured to detect the level of energy stored in the storage device, and to close an electrical connection when a predetermined level of energy (e.g., a charge) has been reached. The predetermined level may correspond to a desired amount of brushing (e.g., taking into account stroke length and force, and the number of strokes), and the closing of the electrical connection may be used to power output devices when that desired amount of brushing has been reached.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An oral care implement, comprising:
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an energy harvesting device configured to convert mechanical energy into electricity responsive to mechanical engagement of oral tissue with said implement; an electrical energy storage device configured to store said electricity; and a switching circuit configured to maintain an electrical connection in an open configuration until a predetermined level of charge has been stored by said electrical energy storage device, and to close said electric connection when said predetermined level of charge has been stored by said electrical energy storage device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An oral care implement, comprising:
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a head having one or more cleaning elements, a flex joint, and an energy harvesting device responsive to deflection of the head about the flex joint; a rectifier circuit coupled to said energy harvesting device; and a storage device for storing electrical energy from said rectifier circuit. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. The oral care implement of claim 17, wherein said predetermined level is based on predetermined average brush stroke length and force values.
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18. An oral care implement, comprising:
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a head coupled a handle;
the head having a field of cleaning elements, at least one flex joint, and a piezoelectric device located at said flex joint;a handle having an electromagnetic generator with a coil and a magnet configured to pass through said coil; a rectifier circuit coupled to said coil and said piezoelectric device; a storage device for storing electrical energy from said rectifier circuit; and a switch circuit, coupled to said storage device, and configured to maintain an electrical connection in an open position until a level in said storage device meets a predetermined level; and
close said electrical connection when said level in said means meets said predetermined level. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification