Oral care implement with mechanical energy harvesting
First Claim
1. An oral care implement, comprising:
- a head coupled to a handle, the head having to field of cleaning elements, at least one flex joint, and a piezoelectric device located at the flex joint;
a handle having an electromagnetic generator with a coil and a magnet configured to pass through the coil;
a rectifier circuit coupled to the coil and the piezoelectric device; and
a storage device for storing electrical energy from the rectifier circuit.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
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. The closing of the electrical connection may be used to power output devices when that desired amount of brushing has been reached.
-
Citations
9 Claims
-
1. An oral care implement, comprising:
-
a head coupled to a handle, the head having to field of cleaning elements, at least one flex joint, and a piezoelectric device located at the flex joint; a handle having an electromagnetic generator with a coil and a magnet configured to pass through the coil; a rectifier circuit coupled to the coil and the piezoelectric device; and a storage device for storing electrical energy from the rectifier circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
Specification