Electronic Toothbrush with Vibration Dampening

• US 20140259469A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Water Pik Incorporated (Church & Dwight Company Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Water Pik Incorporated (Church & Dwight Company Incorporated)
• Inventors: Garrigues, Jeffrey M., Luettgen, Harold A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,468,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/02 power-driven carriers
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/34 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3409 characterized by the movement of the brush body
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3418 Rotation around the axis of the toothbrush handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3481 Vibrating brush body, e.g. by using eccentric weights

Abstract

An electronically powered toothbrush. The toothbrush includes a brush head including a plurality of bristles, a motor, and an output shaft connected to the brush head and the motor. The output shaft is selectively rotated by the motor. The toothbrush further includes a bumper assembly connected to the output shaft and configured to conserve kinetic energy from the output shaft during rotation and reapply the kinetic energy to the output shaft.

Claims

1. A toothbrush comprising:

a brush head including a plurality of bristles;

a motor;

an output shaft connected to the brush head and the motor, wherein the output shaft is selectively rotated by the motor; and

a bumper assembly connected to the output shaft and configured to conserve kinetic energy from the output shaft during rotation and reapply the kinetic energy to the output shaft.

2. The too brush of claim 1, wherein the bumper assembly comprises

a first bumper;

and

a second bumper;

wherein

the first bumper and the second bumper substantially surround a portion of the output shaft.

3. The toothbrush of claim 2, wherein the bumper assembly further comprises a dowel pin, wherein the dowel pin is received through the output shaft and connects both the first bumper and the second bumper to the output shaft.

4. The toothbrush of claim 2, wherein the first bumper and the second bumper are a deformable material.

5. The toothbrush of claim 1, further comprising

a linkage assembly connecting the motor to the output shaft;

and

a chassis assembly supporting the motor and the linkage assembly.

6. The toothbrush of claim 5, further comprising a housing attached to the brush head, wherein the motor, the output shaft, the linkage assembly, and the chassis assembly are received within the housing.

7. The toothbrush of claim 6, further comprising a boot seal positioned between a top end of the chassis and an interior surface of the housing.

8. The toothbrush of claim 6, further comprising at least two vibration absorbing pads formed within an interior surface of the housing.

9. The toothbrush of claim 6, further comprising an isolator connected to the motor and positioned between the motor and the housing.

10. An electrically driven toothbrush comprising

a handle housing;

a brush head releasably connected to the handle housing and including a plurality of bristles;

a motor including a drive shaft connected to the brush head; and

an eccentric mounted to the drive shaft, the eccentric having a counterweight formed therein; and

a bearing received around a portion of the eccentric;

wherein

the counterweight of the eccentric counters the weight of the bearing.

11. The electrically driven toothbrush of claim 10, wherein the bearing is a ball bearing.

21. The electrically driven toothbrush of claim 10, further comprising a first isolator received around a portion of the motor and positioned between the motor and the housing.

22. The electrically driven toothbrush of claim 21, further comprising

a battery in electrical communication with the battery;

a battery housing securing the battery to the housing; and

a second isolator received around a portion of the battery housing and positioned between the battery housing and the housing.

12. The electrically driven toothbrush, wherein the eccentric includes a body and a hub, wherein the body has an asymmetrical distribution of weight which forms the counterweight.

13. The electrically driven toothbrush, further comprising

a linkage assembly connecting the drive shaft to the brush head;

and

a chassis supporting the linkage assembly and the motor within the handle.

14. The electrically driven toothbrush of claim 13, wherein the chassis is formed through injection molding.

15. The electrically driven toothbrush of claim 13, wherein the linkage assembly comprises

a link coupler connected to the bearing and the eccentric;

a drive pin connected to the link coupler;

a rocker connected to the drive pin; and

an output shaft connected to the rocker and the brush head.

16. The electrically driven toothbrush of claim 15, wherein the rocker is insert molded around the drive pin.

17. The electrically driven toothbrush of claim 15, wherein the rocker is insert molded around the output shaft.

18. The electrically driven toothbrush of claim 15, wherein the drive pin, the rocker, and the output shaft are integrally connected together.

19. The electrically driven toothbrush of claim 15, further comprising

a first ball bearing received around the output shaft;

and

a first sealing member received around the first ball bearing and positioned between the first ball bearing and the chassis.

20. The electrically driven toothbrush of claim 19, further comprising

a second ball bearing received around the output shaft and spatially separated from the first ball bearing;

and

a second sealing member received around the second ball bearing and positioned between the second ball bearing and the chassis.

23. An electronically driven toothbrush comprising

a brush head including a plurality of bristles;

a motor connected to the brush head an configured to selectively move the brush head;

a battery in electrical communication with the motor; and

a processing element in electrical communication with the motor and the battery, wherein the processing element is configured to selectively adjust a control signal provided to the motor to vary at least one output characteristic of the motor.

24. The electronically driven toothbrush of claim 23, wherein the processing element is further configured to detect a battery charge level and when the battery charge level is below a predetermined threshold, increase a duty cycle of the control signal.

25. The electronically driven toothbrush of claim 23, wherein the at least one output characteristic includes a rotation speed of a drive shaft of the motor.

26. The electronically driven toothbrush of claim 23, wherein the processing element selectively adjusts the control signal based on a user input.