ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THEREOF

• US 20100106336A1
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Xiu-Solution Company Limited
• Inventors: Lee, Jeong-Whan, Hwang, Jin Sang
• Granted Patent: US 8,272,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/280
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0006 with a controlling brush technique device, e.g. stroke movement measuring device
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/22 with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like brush bodies, e.g. arrangements of the bristles A46B
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/32 reciprocating or oscillating
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3481 Vibrating brush body, e.g. by using eccentric weights

Abstract

An electric toothbrush is disclosed. The electric toothbrush according to some example embodiments includes a bristle-vibrating unit that vibrates toothbrush bristles to clean a side of teeth in contact with the toothbrush bristles, a bristle direction-sensing unit detecting a direction to which the toothbrush bristles are directed in an oral cavity and a control unit automatically controlling the bristle-vibrating unit in response to the detected direction such that the vibration intensity of the toothbrush bristles when an occlusal side is brushed is weaker than the vibration intensity when a buccal side or a lingual side is brushed.

Claims

1. An electric toothbrush, comprising:

a bristle-vibrating unit configured to vibrate toothbrush bristles to clean a side of teeth in contact with the toothbrush bristles;

a bristle direction-sensing unit configured to detect a direction to which the toothbrush bristles are directed in an oral cavity, the direction being one of directions toward a buccal side, a lingual side and an occlusal side, the buccal side being an outer side of the teeth, the lingual side being an inner side of the teeth, and the occlusal side being a chewing side of the teeth; and

a control unit configured to automatically control the bristle-vibrating unit in response to the detected direction such that the vibration intensity of the toothbrush bristles when the occlusal side is brushed is weaker than the vibration intensity when the buccal side or the lingual side is brushed.

2. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the bristle-vibrating unit includes a three-axis acceleration sensor, an x-axis of the three-axis acceleration sensor directed along a direction that is perpendicular to a toothbrush handle length direction and to a toothbrush bristle direction, a y-axis of the three-axis acceleration sensor directed along the toothbrush handle length direction, a z-axis of the three-axis acceleration sensor directed along the toothbrush handle length direction.

3. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the bristle-vibrating unit includes a pair of acceleration sensors, axis directions of the acceleration sensors being perpendicular to a y-axis directed along a toothbrush handle length direction, the axis directions of the acceleration sensors being inclined at a positive predetermined angle and a negative predetermined angle, respectively, with reference to an x-axis that is perpendicular to the toothbrush handle length direction and to a toothbrush bristle direction, and the acceleration sensors arranged symmetrically to each other.

4. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the bristle direction-sensing unit detects the direction to which the toothbrush bristles are directed by dividing the detected direction into a direction toward an upper occlusal side, a direction toward a lower occlusal side, a direction toward a left buccal side or a left lingual side, and a direction toward a right buccal side or a right lingual side.

5. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, further comprising:

a timer configured to count a toothbrushing time for the detected direction; and

a feedback unit configured to provide a user with at least one of visual feedback, auditory feedback and tactile feedback when the counted toothbrushing time reaches a predetermined recommended toothbrushing time.

6. A method of automatically controlling the vibration intensity of an electric toothbrush, comprising:

detecting a direction to which toothbrush bristles are directed in an oral cavity by a bristle direction-sensing unit, the direction being one of directions toward a buccal side, a lingual side and an occlusal side, the buccal side being an outer side of teeth, the lingual side being an inner side of the teeth, and the occlusal side being a chewing side of the teeth; and

controlling the vibration intensity of the toothbrush bristles in response to the detected direction such that the vibration intensity when the occlusal side is brushed is weaker than the vibration intensity when the buccal side or the lingual side is brushed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein detecting the direction to which the toothbrush bristles are directed includes detecting the direction to which the toothbrush bristles are directed by dividing the detected direction into a direction toward an upper occlusal side, a direction toward a lower occlusal side, a direction toward a left buccal side or a left lingual side, and a direction toward a right buccal side or a right lingual side.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

counting a toothbrushing time for the detected direction; and

providing a user with at least one of visual feedback, auditory feedback and tactile feedback when the counted toothbrushing time reaches a predetermined recommended toothbrushing time.

9. An electric toothbrush, comprising:

a bristle-vibrating unit configured to vibrate toothbrush bristles to clean a side of teeth in contact with the toothbrush bristles;

a bristle direction-sensing unit configured to detect a direction to which the toothbrush bristles are directed in an oral cavity, the direction being one of directions toward a buccal side, a lingual side and an occlusal side, the buccal side being an outer side of the teeth, the lingual side being an inner side of the teeth, and the occlusal side being a chewing side of the teeth;

a timer configured to count a toothbrushing time for the detected direction;

a feedback unit configured to provide a user with at least one of visual feedback, auditory feedback and tactile feedback, or any combination thereof; and

a control unit configured to control the bristle-vibrating unit, and configured to control the feedback unit to provide the user with the at least one type of feedback when the counted toothbrushing time reaches a predetermined recommended toothbrushing time by checking the toothbrushing time provided from the timer in response to the detected direction.

10. The electric toothbrush of claim 9, wherein the control unit is configured to control the feedback unit to provide the user with feedback about an insufficiency state if the toothbrushing time of any portion of the teeth is shorter than a predetermined recommended toothbrushing time by checking the toothbrushing time of each of a plurality of portions of the teeth in response to the detected direction.

11. An electric toothbrush, comprising:

a bristle-vibrating unit configured to vibrate toothbrush bristles to clean a side of teeth in contact with the toothbrush bristles;

a bristle direction-sensing unit configured to detect a direction to which the toothbrush bristles are directed in an oral cavity, and

a control unit configured to control a vibration intensity of the toothbrush bristles in response to the detected direction.

12. A method of automatically controlling a vibration intensity of an electric toothbrush, comprising:

detecting a direction to which toothbrush bristles are directed in an oral cavity; and

controlling the vibration intensity of the toothbrush bristles in response to the detected direction.