Toothbrush system

Abstract

A toothbrush apparatus, method, and medical system. The apparatus includes a sensing module configured to detect one or more scrubbing parameters for determining at least a scrubbing intensity. The one or more processors are communicatively coupled to the sensing module and configured to determine at least a scrubbing intensity and output the determined scrubbing intensity.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 926,212 filed on October 25, 2019 by May et al. and entitled “A Toothbrush System” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 062,979 filed on August 7, 2020 by May et al. and entitled “A Toothbrush System,” and the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0003] This application also relates to U.S. patent application No. 16 / 263,802 of May et al., filed on January 31, 2019, entitled “A Toothbrush System,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 624,433 of May et al., filed on January 31, 2018, entitled “Toothbrush System with Improved Tracking, Feedback, Data Storage, Communication and Evaluation Features and Methods Thereof,” and the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to dental instruments, and more particularly to interchangeable motor arrangements for toothbrush systems and / or for toothbrushes having improved tracking, feedback, data storage, communication and / or evaluation capabilities. Background Art

[0005] Brushing teeth is essential for maintaining good oral health. There are various manual and electric toothbrushes that allow consumers to choose a toothbrush that adapts to their specific expectations and needs. A toothbrush is used to clean teeth, gums, and tongue. It generally includes a brush head with multiple bristles, on which toothpaste is applied, and a handle that allows the user to clean the hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. Toothbrushes can have different bristle textures, sizes, forms, etc. Soft-bristled toothbrushes can minimize damage to tooth enamel and provide less stimulation to the gums. Although manual toothbrushes can provide adequate cleaning of teeth, it has been found that electric toothbrushes not only provide better cleaning, but also reduce the incidence of various dental diseases (such as gingivitis, dental plaque, etc.). Due to integrated electronics, these brushes are usually more expensive. In addition, various components of electric toothbrushes occasionally break down, requiring the entire toothbrush to be replaced. Moreover, traditional toothbrushes cannot provide useful feedback to users about the user's brushing habits. Summary of the invention

[0006] In some embodiments, the subject matter relates to a toothbrush device that can provide improved tracking, feedback, data storage, communication, and / or evaluation capabilities. The device can include one or more sensing modules (e.g., accelerometers, sensors, detectors, and / or any other sensing / detection devices) that perform at least one of: sensing / detecting at least one time period associated with use of the toothbrush device, sensing / detecting one or more movements of the toothbrush device, sensing / detecting the positioning of the toothbrush device (whether in the user's mouth, outside the user's mouth, etc.), sensing / detecting the brushing intensity of the toothbrush device, operating status (e.g., on / off, data transmission / reception, troubleshooting, upgrading, execution of one or more functions, etc.), and / or any other information and / or any combination thereof.

[0007] In some exemplary embodiments, the device may be configured to include one or more modules that can detect and / or measure and / or determine the number of strokes on one or more axes (e.g., the longitudinal axis and / or any other axis) of the toothbrush. The determination / measurement can be performed by determining / measuring the acceleration along one or more axes (e.g., the longitudinal axis, etc.) of the toothbrush and processing data associated with the determined acceleration. The processing may include filtering the data (e.g., using a low-pass filter) to generate a waveform and determining the slope of the waveform. If the determined slope (whether positive and / or negative) exceeds a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time period, the device may be configured to count the movement associated with the determined slope as a brush stroke. In some exemplary embodiments, the device may also be configured to count the number of brush strokes during a predetermined time period (e.g., every 30 seconds) and store the count in a memory.

[0008] In some embodiments, the device can be further configured to determine / measure the average amplitude of longitudinal acceleration (e.g., x-axis acceleration, y-axis acceleration, etc.) over a predetermined time period (e.g., every 30 seconds). Additionally, based on the above data, the device can be configured to determine the brushing intensity being applied (e.g., how vigorously the user is brushing) and how long each brush stroke is. Shorter and less aggressive strokes can indicate a normal brushing intensity that can avoid damaging the user's teeth / gums / oral cavity.

[0009] In some embodiments, one or more processors of the device communicatively coupled to the sensing module can determine one or more measurements based on at least one of: the detected time period, the detected motion, the determined positioning of the toothbrush, the determined number and / or length of brush strokes, the determined brushing intensity, and any combination thereof, and store the determined measurements in one or more memory locations communicatively coupled to the processor. The device may also include one or more communication modules (e.g., Bluetooth) that receive / transmit data related to the stored measurements. TM , Bluetooth Low Energy TM , Classic Bluetooth TM , Smart Bluetooth TM , WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE (Long Term Evolution), NFC (Near Field Communication), etc.).

[0010] In some embodiments, the subject matter may include one or more of the following optional features. The toothbrush device may also include a brush head and a housing, the housing including an interchangeable motor module and a feedback module. The interchangeable motor module may include one or more power modules, one or more memories, and a processor. In some exemplary embodiments, the interchangeable motor module may be backward compatible, for example, it can be used for any toothbrush device (whether smart / connected and / or non-smart / connected toothbrush device) that can accommodate the placement and / or connection (e.g., mechanical, electrical and / or electromechanical, etc.) of the motor module to the toothbrush device.

[0011] In some embodiments, the time period may include at least one of the following: the start time of using the toothbrush device, the end time of using the toothbrush device, the duration of using the toothbrush device, the number of times the toothbrush device is used, the duration between at least two uses of the toothbrush device, the amplitude of the accelerometer, the coordinates of the accelerometer, and any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the sensing module may include at least one of the following: an accelerometer, a clock, a monitoring module, and any combination thereof. Further, the measurement value may be determined separately for each of the multiple users of the toothbrush device. In addition, the measurement value may include at least one of the following: brushing intensity, brushing pressure and / or any other pressure, one or more parameters associated with brushing or other movements, the position of the toothbrush device outside the user's mouth or in the user's mouth during brushing, the orientation of the toothbrush device (inside or outside the user's mouth), the brushing coverage, the battery voltage measurement, the motor current, the motor speed, the toothbrush temperature, the biometric reading of the mouth, and / or any combination thereof.

[0012] In some embodiments, the communication module can be configured to transmit to one or more external devices communicatively coupled to the toothbrush apparatus.

[0013] In some embodiments, the transmitted / received signal may include at least one of the following: an audio signal, a visual signal, an optical signal, an ultrasonic signal, a vibration, a radio frequency signal (RF), an ultra-wideband signal, various communication signals (e.g., Bluetooth TM , Bluetooth Low Energy TM , Classic Bluetooth TM , Smart Bluetooth TM , WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, NFC, etc.) and / or any combination thereof. Further, the signals may correspond to different time periods of using the toothbrush device. Moreover, the signals may correspond to one or more parameters associated with the operation of the toothbrush device (e.g., speed, intensity, position, location, orientation, power consumption, etc.).

[0014] In some embodiments, data relating to measurements associated with the toothbrush system can be automatically recorded, stored and / or transmitted / received during a predetermined time period and / or after each use of the toothbrush device. Further, a signal can be generated based on the operating mode of the toothbrush device. The operating mode may include at least one of the following: low mode, high mode, soft mode, whitening mode, gentle mode, firm mode, communication mode, notification mode, sleep mode, and any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the data can be stored and / or processed by the toothbrush system (e.g., by a processor, memory, various interfaces, and / or any other computing component of the toothbrush system). In a further embodiment, the toothbrush system can be configured to transmit data to one or more external computing devices (e.g., smart phones, tablet computers, personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), databases, servers, etc.) for processing and / or storage. The external computing device may include various hardware and / or software (e.g., a smart phone application, a browser, etc.) that may be configured to communicate with the toothbrush system, receive and / or transmit various data from the toothbrush system, generate one or more user interfaces based on processed data, provide software upgrades to the toothbrush system, and / or perform any other functions, etc. Further, in some embodiments, the data may be transmitted to a cloud storage system, a server system, and / or any other computing system.

[0015] In some embodiments, the subject matter relates to a method for tracking, recording and generating feedback on the use of a toothbrush device. The method may include detecting at least one time period associated with the use of a toothbrush, one or more movements of the toothbrush, and any combination thereof. One or more measurements may be determined based on at least one of the following: a detected time period, a detected movement, brushing intensity, brushing pressure and / or any other pressure, one or more parameters associated with brushing or other movements, the position of the toothbrush device outside the user's mouth or in the user's mouth during brushing, the orientation of the toothbrush device (inside or outside the user's mouth), the coverage of the brushing, a battery voltage measurement, a motor current, a motor speed, a toothbrush temperature, a biometric reading of the mouth, and any combination thereof. The measurement value may be stored in a memory location. Data related to the measurement may be transmitted. In some embodiments, the above data may be stored and / or processed by the toothbrush device (e.g., by a processor, memory, various interfaces, and / or any other computing component of the toothbrush device). Alternatively or in addition, the toothbrush device can be communicatively coupled (e.g., wirelessly, wired, etc.) to one or more external computing devices (e.g., smart phones, tablet computers, personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), databases, servers, etc.). The external computing devices may include various hardware and / or software (e.g., smart phone applications, browsers, etc.) that may be configured to communicate with the toothbrush device, perform the above methods, receive and / or transmit various data from the toothbrush device, generate one or more user interfaces based on processed data, provide software upgrades to the toothbrush device, and / or perform any other functions, etc. Further, in some embodiments, the data may be transmitted to a cloud storage system, a server system, and / or any other computing system. In some embodiments, the subject matter may include one or more of the optional features discussed above.

[0016] The details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, help explain some principles associated with the disclosed embodiments.

[0018] Figure 1 An exemplary toothbrush system according to some embodiments of the present subject matter is shown;

[0019] Figure 2 Some embodiments of the present subject matter are shown Figure 1An exploded view of an exemplary toothbrush system shown in;

[0020] Figure 3 is a block diagram / flow chart illustrating an exemplary toothbrush system according to some embodiments of the present subject matter;

[0021] 4a-4b illustrate another exemplary embodiment of a toothbrush system according to some embodiments of the present subject matter;

[0022] Figure 5a-5c shows a running core of a toothbrush system according to some embodiments of the present subject matter, such as the toothbrush system shown in FIGS. 4a-4b ;

[0023] FIG. 6a illustrates an exemplary table showing various on / off events for the toothbrush system shown in FIGS. 4a-4b , according to some embodiments of the present subject matter;

[0024] 6b-6c illustrate various operational features of a motor module of a toothbrush system according to some embodiments of the present subject matter;

[0025] Figure 7 shows exemplary data (e.g., "brushing data") that may be collected, transmitted, and / or stored by a toothbrush system and / or any external components according to some embodiments of the present subject matter;

[0026] Figure 8 An exemplary system according to some implementations of the present subject matter is shown;

[0027] Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary method according to some embodiments of the present subject matter; and

[0028] Fig.10 Another exemplary method according to some implementations of the present subject matter is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In some embodiments, the subject matter relates to a dental cleaning system and an interchangeable motor device with improved tracking, feedback, data storage, communication and evaluation features. The dental cleaning system may be a toothbrush system. The toothbrush system provides improved tracking of the user's brushing behavior and system operating performance. The tracked information / data may be stored in a local memory within the interchangeable motor device, which provides a secure, long-term storage of data. The toothbrush system may further include one or more feedback devices that may provide feedback to the user about the user's brushing behavior and / or system performance. In some embodiments, data may be stored and / or processed by the toothbrush system (e.g., by a processor, memory, various interfaces and / or any other computing component of the toothbrush system). Alternatively or in addition thereto, the toothbrush system may be configured to transmit data to one or more external computing devices (e.g., smart phones, tablet computers, personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), databases, servers, etc.) for processing and / or storage. The external computing device may include various hardware and / or software (e.g., a smartphone application, a browser, etc.) that may be configured to communicate with the toothbrush system, receive and / or transmit various data from the toothbrush system, generate one or more user interfaces based on processed data, provide software updates to the toothbrush system, and / or perform any other functions, etc. Further, in some embodiments, the data may be transmitted to a cloud storage system, a server system, and / or any other computing system.

[0030] The data stored in the system can be transferred to an external computing device via the transmission of raw / unprocessed data (e.g., data collected by various sensors, accelerometers, communication devices, pressure sensors, etc.), generating encoded / unencoded feedback to / from the feedback device. The feedback can be received by the external computing device and can be decoded into user and / or system data. The data can then be transferred to an evaluation device for further review and / or analysis of the data in order to provide further services and / or notifications to the user and / or third parties. The system can further include power saving features (such as, low power sleep states, etc.) to maximize power efficiency.

[0031] In some embodiments, the present subject matter relates to a dental appliance (e.g., a toothbrush system, a toothbrush, etc.) that can include an accelerometer that can be configured to detect one or more movements of the dental appliance (e.g., the toothbrush is turned on / off, toothbrush brushing is activated / completed, the toothbrush is operating in a specific quadrant of the mouth, the toothbrush is in a specific orientation inside / outside the user's mouth, the toothbrush is in a specific position / location inside / outside the user's mouth, a specific pressure is applied to the teeth (e.g., the sensor can sense the force applied to the teeth using the bristles of the brush head, feedback, etc.), the toothbrush is oriented in a specific direction, the toothbrush moves in a specific motion pattern (e.g., straight, circular, etc.), etc.).

[0032] The toothbrush system may include one or more of the following: an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a pressure sensor, and / or any other sensor. The toothbrush system may further include one or more processors that may be communicatively coupled to the accelerometer and may be configured to determine one or more measurements based on the detected movement of the dental appliance and store the determined measurements in one or more memory locations communicatively coupled to the processor.

[0033] The toothbrush system may also include one or more feedback devices or modules (whether internal and / or external to the toothbrush), which may be configured to receive the stored measurements and encode the measurements into corresponding feedback signals. One or more transmission devices of the toothbrush system may be configured to transmit the feedback signals to one or more external devices, which may be configured to be communicatively coupled to the dental appliance.

[0034] In some embodiments, the subject toothbrush system may include one or more communication modules, such as Bluetooth TM , Bluetooth Low Energy TM (BLE), Classic Bluetooth TM , Smart Bluetooth TM , WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, NFC (near field communication) and other communication modules and / or any other communication modules and / or any combination thereof. The communication module can be configured as one or more communication capabilities of the toothbrush system, such as for communicating with one or more computing devices (e.g., smart phones, tablet computers, personal computers, computing networks, etc.). The communication module can be configured to transmit / receive various signals. The transmitted / received signal may include at least one of the following: an audio signal, a visual signal, an optical signal, an ultrasonic signal, a vibration, a radio frequency signal (RF), an ultra-wideband signal, various communication signals (e.g., Bluetooth TM , Bluetooth Low Energy TM , Classic Bluetooth TM , Smart Bluetooth TM, WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, NFC, etc.) and / or any combination thereof. Further, the signals may correspond to different time periods of using the toothbrush system. Moreover, the signals may correspond to one or more brushing parameters associated with the operation of the toothbrush system (e.g., speed, intensity, position, location, orientation, power consumption, etc.).

[0035] In some embodiments, the toothbrush system of the present subject may also be configured to include a sensing module, such as an accelerometer. The accelerometer may be configured to collect orientation data, including but not limited to the (x, y, z) coordinates of the toothbrush when the toothbrush rotates (e.g., when the motor of the toothbrush is running). In some embodiments, the toothbrush system of the present subject may be configured to include one or more sensors, which may indicate that the toothbrush is in the mouth. Alternatively or in addition, the use of the toothbrush may be configured to manually indicate that the toothbrush is in the user's mouth, and the positioning of the toothbrush can now be tracked. The coordinate data collected by the accelerometer may be configured to be transmitted to a communication device (e.g., a smart phone, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, etc.), which is communicatively coupled to the toothbrush. The connection may be wired, wireless and / or both. Using the received data, the communication device may be configured to determine the positioning of the toothbrush in the user's mouth. The positioning may include positioning in a specific quadrant of the user's mouth and indicating whether the bristles of the toothbrush are positioned relative to the teeth of the user. In some implementations, the computing device may be configured to determine and indicate to a user of the toothbrush system that the user may be in a particular quadrant.

[0036] In some embodiments, the toothbrush system can be configured to determine the brushing intensity at which the user is brushing. As described above, the toothbrush system can be configured to include an accelerometer, data of which can be used to measure and / or determine the amplitude of one or more axes of the accelerometer, one or more axes of the accelerometer being parallel to the toothbrush. A higher amplitude can correspond to more intense brushing (or overbrushing) and a lower amplitude can correspond to less intense brushing. In some embodiments, a threshold amplitude can be used to determine whether the user is brushing with greater or lesser intensity.

[0037] In some embodiments, the toothbrush system of the present subject matter can be configured to save data related to brushing ("brushing data"). The data can be saved by the toothbrush system (e.g., saved to a storage component incorporated in the toothbrush), saved by an external computing device, and / or saved by any other device, and / or saved by any combination thereof. The brushing data can be saved after each brushing event (e.g., full brushing, partial brushing, and / or any on / off event). Alternatively or in addition, the brushing data can be saved after more than one brushing event. In some exemplary, non-limiting embodiments, the saved data can include any number of bytes (e.g., 64 bytes, 16 bytes, etc.) of information. The saved data can include at least one of the following: date and time, number of runs, total number of seconds the toothbrush is turned on, operating temperature, minimum battery voltage recorded, average amplitude of the accelerometer axis parallel to the toothbrush body, average value of the accelerometer axis parallel to the toothbrush body, one or more time histograms, roll angles calculated in each quadrant, and / or any other data, and / or any combination thereof. Data may be transmitted to an external computing device and / or requested / queried / accessed by an external computing device.

[0038] In some embodiments, the toothbrush system may be configured to save (e.g., in different address blocks of memory) one or more of the following data: current count (e.g., number of runs), life count, last run time, last connected time, accelerometer errors, EEPROM errors, total power-on resets, last run start battery voltage, total on seconds, number of battery changes, current firmware revision, number of DFUs, total Bluetooth pairings, total runs transmitted, communication failures, total seconds connected via Bluetooth, reset pin reset count (e.g., number of times the reset pin is used to reset the toothbrush), monitor reset count, soft reset count, CPU lock count, system shutdown wakeup from GPIO, low battery error count, maximum time exceeded error count, CRC of information block, and / or any other data. Further, the toothbrush system may be configured to save the coordinate data information in one or more address fields. For example, for each run, the toothbrush system can be configured to save one or more of the following: run number, run date and time, time setting flag, run time in seconds, temperature, total number of power-on resets, minimum battery voltage, Q1 (quadrant 1) amplitude (Amp), Q2 Amp, Q3 Amp, Q4 Amp, Q1 x-avg (average x-axis position of the toothbrush in quadrant 1), Q2 x-avg, Q3 x-avg, Q4 x-avg, Q1 angle -180--91 (the inclination angle of the toothbrush in the 1st quadrant), Q1 angle -90-0, Q1 angle 0-90, Q1 angle 90-180, Q2 angle -180--91, Q2 angle -90-0, Q2 angle 0-90, Q2 angle 90-180, Q3 angle -180--91, Q3 angle -90-0, Q3 angle 0-90, Q3 angle 90-180, Q4 angle -180--91, Q4 angle -90-0, Q4 angle 0-90, Q4 angle 90-180, CRC and / or any other information. In some exemplary embodiments, a predetermined time period can be used to define a quadrant. For each quadrant and / or for one or more quadrants and / or for all quadrants, the predetermined time period can be preset, preconfigured and / or otherwise predetermined in any desired manner. For example, the first quadrant can be associated with a brushing time period from 0 seconds to 30 seconds, the second quadrant - associated with a brushing time period from 31 seconds to 60 seconds, the third quadrant - from 61 seconds to 90 seconds, and the fourth quadrant - from 91 seconds to 120 seconds. The time spent brushing a quadrant can correspond to brushing all three sides of all or some of the teeth in the quadrant. In some exemplary embodiments, the time allocated to each quadrant can depend on the number of teeth in the quadrant. Further, the user and / or the toothbrush device and / or a computing device connectable to the toothbrush device can be configured to define a specific time period for each quadrant.

[0039] Figure 1 A perspective view of an exemplary toothbrush system 100 is shown, according to some embodiments of the present subject matter. Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 Exploded view of an exemplary toothbrush system 100 shown. The toothbrush system 100 may have a modular design that enables simple and low-cost replacement of parts and / or maximizes user customization options. By reducing the cost and / or difficulty of manufacturing and installation, and / or by enabling users to customize their personal toothbrushes with custom parts (e.g., purchased and / or manufactured by themselves), users may select parts that may be ergonomically comfortable and / or aesthetically pleasing to each individual user and / or that are capable of low-cost maintenance, part replacement, manufacturing, etc.

[0040] In some embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, the toothbrush system 100 may include a toothbrush head 202, a motor component 204, a battery compartment 206 for accommodating a battery 212 within the motor assembly component 204, and a handle 210 having a locking mechanism 208. An exemplary toothbrush system is disclosed in co-owned co-pending U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 522,805 to May, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The combined motor assembly 204 and battery 212 may be placed within the handle 210 and / or the head 202, and the two remaining parts (e.g., the handle 210, the head 202) may be securely connected to each other by the locking mechanism 208.

[0041] If a user wishes to purchase and / or install a separate customized version of a handle 210 having a unique shape, color, or design, the user may purchase and replace only that part on their toothbrush (e.g., the handle 210), which reduces the cost of customizing the toothbrush system 100 by easily changing the design of the toothbrush system 100 without the use of tools.

[0042] Separating the toothbrush system 100 into four (or any other number) smaller modular parts that are easily disassembled can significantly reduce the cost of replacing the handle 210 and / or the head 202, and can increase the ease of replacing the parts of the toothbrush for custom designs. In some embodiments, the design of the toothbrush system 100 can also reduce manufacturing costs by minimizing the number of parts and / or components required by the factory during production. The handle 210 can also be designed to have a simple geometric shape so that users who do not have experience with three-dimensional (3D) design software can easily modify the external shape and / or appearance to suit their specific expectations for function and / or aesthetics.

[0043] In some embodiments, the motor assembly 204 and the battery 212 may not be included, and / or may be optional parts of the toothbrush system 100. Since the head 202 and the handle 210 may be able to be securely connected to each other using the locking mechanism 208, they may be able to function as a fully capable, non-electric toothbrush by themselves (e.g., without a motor and / or battery). The inclusion of the motor assembly 204 and / or the battery 212 may be optional and may be added at a later time, or not added at all, depending on the preference of a particular user.

[0044] It should be noted that the user can upgrade his / her toothbrush without the use of tools by purchasing and installing the motor assembly 204 and the battery 212 separately to improve the functionality of its toothbrush system 100, thereby including the electric vibration motor feature. In some exemplary embodiments, the toothbrush can be upgraded with any desired components, including but not limited to any smart components described herein, without the need to purchase a completely new toothbrush. In addition, it should be noted that if the motor assembly 204 is damaged and / or becomes malfunctioning, it may be possible to replace only that part without the use of tools, which reduces costs (e.g., maintenance costs for the user, manufacturer's warranty costs, etc.) and enables the user to perform simple repairs and replacements.

[0045] In some embodiments, the toothbrush system 100 may also include an activation button ( Figure 1 to Figure 2In one embodiment, the toothbrush system 100 may be activated by moving the toothbrush system 100 from one position to another. Further, once the toothbrush system 100 is activated, the toothbrush system 100 may remain in operation for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 2 minutes). The operating state of the toothbrush system 100 may be maintained during continuous / periodic detection of the movement of the toothbrush system 100. If, after the initial movement of the toothbrush system 100, the toothbrush system 100 no longer moves, the toothbrush system 100 may be automatically deactivated. In some embodiments, in the communication mode, the toothbrush system 100 may be configured to transmit and / or receive data to and / or from one or more external devices. To initiate the communication mode, the user may press and / or hold the activation button for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 5 seconds), after which the toothbrush system 100 may begin transmitting signals / data (e.g., data related to brushing (e.g., time, duration, pressure, intensity, frequency, etc.)) to an external device and / or receiving signals / data (e.g., data related to software upgrades, operating parameters, etc. of the toothbrush system 100). The communication mode may be terminated when the activation button is pressed again (e.g., temporarily and / or for a predetermined period of time) and / or automatically terminated, such as when data transmission / reception is completed. In some exemplary embodiments, when the communication mode is initiated, the toothbrush system 100 may perform signal / data propagation to establish a communication channel with a suitable external device, and / or transmit data to or receive data from an authenticated external device when performing a suitable authentication procedure.

[0046] Figure 3 An exemplary toothbrush system 300 according to some embodiments of the present subject matter is shown. The system 300 can include a toothbrush system 100 that is communicatively coupled to an external computing device 326 (including a decoding module 328), which in turn is communicatively coupled to an evaluation device 330. The toothbrush system 100 can include an interchangeable motor module 304 that is communicatively coupled to one or more feedback modules 318 (e.g., feedback modules 1, ... N 319 (a, ..., n)). The modules can be incorporated as different electromechanical components on a flexible printed circuit board and can be communicatively coupled to each other using wired and / or wireless connections.

[0047] The motor module 304 may include a processing module 306, a memory 308, a clock 313, an accelerometer 314, a power module 320, a transfer module 324, and a secondary processing module 332. It is understood that one or more of these modules may be included in the motor module 304. The processing module 306 may include a monitoring module 310, a calculation module 316, and an inspection module 322. The memory 308 may allocate a portion for storing usage data 312. In some embodiments, the motor module may include one or more sensing modules, sensing elements, and / or sensors (hereinafter, "sensing modules"). The sensing module may combine one or more of the above modules, including but not limited to the accelerometer 314, the timer and / or clock 313, the monitoring module 310, the calculation module 316, the inspection module 322, the secondary processing module 332, the transfer module 324, and / or any other module and / or any combination thereof. The sensing module can be configured to detect and / or track one or more movements of the toothbrush system 100 (e.g., the position of the toothbrush system 100 in the user's mouth, the movement of the toothbrush system 100 in the user's mouth, the pressure applied by the toothbrush system 100 during brushing, etc.), the time when the toothbrush system 100 is used (e.g., the start time of brushing, the end time of brushing, the length of brushing, the time between brushings, the frequency of brushing, etc.). In some embodiments, the toothbrush system 300 can provide improved tracking, feedback, data storage, communication, and evaluation features.

[0048] In some embodiments, the interchangeable motor module 304 can be received in an existing toothbrush and / or can be configured to provide a motorized brushing function to the toothbrush and provide improved tracking, feedback, data storage, communication and evaluation features. In some embodiments, although the system 300 is generally described as including an interchangeable motor module, the motor module can be integrated into the toothbrush during the manufacturing process and / or may not be configured to be interchangeable by the user. It is understood that one or more of the above modules can be integrated together and / or separately arranged in the toothbrush system 100.

[0049] The interchangeable motor module 304 may include battery contacts to provide conductivity with a power module 320 (such as one or more batteries, etc.). The power module 320 may be configured to monitor power from a power source and / or selectively enable power to be directed to one or more components of the system 300, including components of the motor module 304 and / or feedback module 319. The interchangeable motor module 304 may also include a switch for activating the motor device. Alternatively, the motor module 304 may be automatically activated when movement of the toothbrush 100 is detected.

[0050] In some embodiments, the processing module 306 can be included on a circuit board that is secured to an interchangeable motor assembly. The circuit board can be a flexible printed circuit board assembly ("PCBA"). The flexible PCBA can provide various advantages because it can allow the processing module 306 to maximize the available space within the toothbrush cavity. For example, the flexible PCBA can be configured as a folding back design. The flexible PCBA can be interwoven in a serpentine manner within the toothbrush cavity or arranged in an S shape to effectively stack components. The flexible PCBA can also provide a solderless assembly to improve manufacturing efficiency and reliability. In addition, the flexible PCBA can be configured to be more suitable for improving communication module antennas (e.g., Bluetooth TM In some embodiments, processing module 306 may be included on other circuit boards and / or devices. For example, processing module 306 may be a combination of rigid and / or flexible printed circuit board assemblies that may optimize cost, value, performance, efficiency, and / or space parameters of processing module 306.

[0051] The monitoring module 310 (and / or any sensing module) of the processing module 306 can be configured to track usage data 312 related to the use of the toothbrush by one or more users. For example, the processing module 306 can be communicatively coupled to a clock 313 and / or other time measurement / tracking module / device. The monitoring module 310 can be configured to operate with the clock 313 to determine when the toothbrush 100 is used by a user. In some exemplary, non-limiting embodiments, the monitoring module 310 can be configured to receive time information from the clock 313 and record the time when the user starts brushing his / her teeth and stops brushing his / her teeth. In some embodiments, in addition to recording the start and end times of brushing, the clock 313 can also record the total time of brushing and / or other uses of the toothbrush that have occurred.

[0052] In some embodiments, the monitoring module 310 (and / or any sensing module) can be configured to automatically determine that the toothbrush is being used when a button on the toothbrush that activates a switch on the interchangeable motor assembly is pressed. The monitoring module 310 can be configured to automatically determine that brushing is complete when the button on the toothbrush is pressed again and the switch on the interchangeable motor assembly is turned off. In alternative embodiments, the monitoring module 310 can be configured to determine when the toothbrush is in use by other means (such as using measurements from an accelerometer and / or other physical measurements about the toothbrush, etc.).

[0053] In some embodiments, the accelerometer 314 (and / or any sensing module) may be included on the processing device 106 and / or may be included in the interchangeable motor module 304 (eg, Figure 3The accelerometer 314 may be configured to collect measurements during use of the toothbrush 100 by a user. The accelerometer 314 may be configured to obtain measurements related to brushing intensity, brushing pressure, various brushing motions, position of the toothbrush during brushing, brushing coverage, etc., and / or any combination thereof. The system 300 may include additional monitoring devices (and / or any sensing modules) that may monitor physical characteristics of the toothbrush system and / or user. For example, the toothbrush system 100 may be used by different users (e.g., when changing Figure 2 The toothbrush system 100 may be configured to detect that a different user is using the toothbrush and prompt the user to confirm their identity by, for example, detecting the replacement of the head 202. Once the new user identity is confirmed, the system 100 may be configured to track usage data associated with different users.

[0054] The monitoring module 310 may further include a computing module 316, which may be configured to receive measurements (including time measurements, accelerometer measurements, etc.) of the use of the toothbrush by the user, and calculate data related to the use. For example, the computing module 316 may be configured to determine the duration between the previous brushing and the current brushing of the user, the duration of the current brushing of the user, the measurements of the brushing behavior of the user, etc. In some embodiments, the computing module 316 may be located in the toothbrush system (e.g., module 304) and / or any other module of the toothbrush system. The computing module 316 may be configured to process and / or store various data. Alternatively or in addition, the toothbrush device may be communicatively coupled (e.g., wirelessly, wired, etc.) to one or more external computing devices (e.g., smart phones, tablet computers, personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), databases, servers, etc.), and the external computing devices may be configured to include the computing module 316. The external computing device may include various hardware and / or software (e.g., a smart phone application, a browser, etc.) that may be configured to communicate with the toothbrush device, receive and / or transmit various data from the toothbrush device, generate one or more user interfaces based on processed data, provide software upgrades to the toothbrush device, and / or perform any other functions, etc. Further, in some embodiments, the data may be transmitted to a cloud storage system, a server system, and / or any other computing system.

[0055] Regardless of the location of the calculation module 315, the module 316 may also include predetermined values ​​related to expected measurements or measurement ranges of data related to the user's use of the toothbrush and / or system operation data (collectively, "usage data" 312). For example, the calculation module 316 may include predetermined values ​​representing minimum and maximum lengths of brushing, minimum or maximum lengths of time between brushings, expected pressure applied by the bristles of the toothbrush on the user's teeth / gums, maximum and minimum levels of movement of the toothbrush, expected coverage within areas of the user's mouth, length of time the toothbrush is in a particular area, etc. The calculation module 316 may be configured to compare the measured usage data to these predetermined values ​​and determine whether the usage data complies with such values.

[0056] Feedback module 319 can be integrated into toothbrush system 100, and can include audio device, vibration device, visual feedback device (such as LED light or display, etc.), tactile device and / or any other feedback device. The vibration device can be part of the motor and / or on the one hand or a separate vibration feedback device. Feedback module 319 can be configured to generate feedback about usage data, system operation characteristics, etc. to the user. For example, if the usage data is in compliance with and / or does not meet the predetermined expected value, then the calculation module 316 can be configured to activate the feedback module 319 to provide the user with specific feedback indicating such compliance and / or non-compliance. The feedback signal can include an audio signal (such as a beep, etc.), a change in vibration mode, an activated light, a display generating a readable message, etc. Similar to the calculation module 316, the feedback module 319 can be located in one or more external computing devices (e.g., smart phones, tablet computers, personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), databases, servers, etc.). Any data that may be processed, transmitted, and / or received by the feedback module 319 and / or the computing module 316 may be transmitted to or received from one or more cloud storage systems, server systems, and / or any other computing systems.

[0057] As an example, if the time between brushings exceeds a predetermined maximum time, the audio device 319 may generate an audio signal and / or the visual feedback device may generate visual feedback. Similar feedback may be generated if the computing module 316 determines that the brushing pressure is too high or too low, the accelerometer 314 shows too much or too little motion, the brushing duration is too long or too short, or any other brushing parameter regarding the brushing behavior is not met or met, etc.

[0058] In addition, the feedback module 319 can be configured to generate feedback based on the accumulated usage data. For example, a goal such as brushing twenty times in a row on time by a user can be indicated by generating a pleasing audio tone.

[0059] In some embodiments, the feedback signal provided by the feedback module 319 may be provided immediately after the user has finished using the toothbrush. For example, the system 100 may be configured such that the audio device generates an unpleasant or "angry" beep after the user brushes his / her teeth to indicate that the user missed brushing or was late for brushing. The system may generate a pleasant beep after brushing to indicate that brushing is on time. In an alternative embodiment, the feedback signal provided by the feedback module 319 may be provided when the user begins using the toothbrush.

[0060] In some embodiments, the system 100 can be configured to generate feedback signals at regular time increments and / or at specific times. For example, the system 100 can include a child mode that can be configured to remind children to brush their teeth at one or more specific times of the day or at one or more time intervals of the day (e.g., 8 hours after the user last brushed their teeth). In the child mode, the feedback module 319 can be configured to generate reminders that attract the child's attention and motivate the child to use a toothbrush, such as a pleasant or interesting audio signal, etc.

[0061] The system can also be configured so that the feedback module 319 provides a feedback signal during the regular time increment during the brushing of the user. In some exemplary non-limiting embodiments, the feedback module 319 can be configured to provide feedback every 30 seconds to indicate to the user that the toothbrush should move to different quadrants of the mouth. The feedback signal can be an audio signal, a vibration signal, etc. Alternatively or in addition to this, the feedback can include turning the motor of the toothbrush on / off for a predetermined time period and / or turning it on / off in a predetermined time period (e.g., when it is time to switch from one quadrant to another, stop brushing, etc.). In addition, the toothbrush system 100 can have a variety of different brushing modes, such as low mode, high mode, soft mode, whitening mode, gentle mode, firm mode, etc. The system can be configured to trigger the feedback module 319 to provide a feedback signal indicating that the user should change the current brushing mode to another mode.

[0062] In some embodiments, the system 100 can be configured such that the power module 320 automatically disables power to the interchangeable motor module 304 after the brush has been used for a certain length of time (eg, two minutes).

[0063] The system 100 may also be configured such that the feedback module 319 generates a feedback signal based on system operating characteristics. For example, the calculation module 316 may be configured to compare the current power level of the power source as determined by the power module 320 with a predetermined minimum power reserve level. The feedback module 319 may be configured to generate a feedback signal, such as an audio and / or visual warning and / or vibration, etc., if the power is below the predetermined minimum power level.

[0064] The checking module 322 of the system 100 can be configured to monitor the operating performance of the system. The checking module 322 can determine that one of the components of the system 100 (such as the toothbrush head or the motor, etc.) has failed. In some embodiments, the checking module 322 can be configured to trigger the feedback module 319 to provide a feedback signal when a failure is detected.

[0065] The processing module 306, including the monitoring module 310 and the computing module 316, can be configured to store the tracked usage data 312 in the memory 308. The system 100 can also be configured so that other tracked data (such as operating performance data determined by the inspection module 322, etc.) can be stored in the memory 308. The memory 308 can be any computer-usable and / or computer-readable storage medium, such as electronic, magnetic, optical, and electromagnetic storage media and / or any combination thereof.

[0066] The memory 308 may provide local storage of data about the user and / or the system 100. The data may be stored in the memory 308 in a secure manner for an extended period of time (and / or any other predetermined period of time). As a non-limiting example, the data may be stored in the memory 308 for 1 to 3 years (and / or any other period of time). The data may also be stored at a selective resolution level to reduce memory usage.

[0067] As a non-limiting example, the toothbrush system 100 can be configured to track the movement of the toothbrush system 100 during a first time period (e.g., 2 minutes) of brushing by a user, the non-movement during a second time period (e.g., between brushings) (e.g., 8 hours), and the movement of the toothbrush during a subsequent brushing of the user for the second time period (e.g., 2 minutes). The tracked data can also include other data, such as date, time of day when the above time period occurs, brushing intensity, pressure applied, quadrant used, power consumed, power level, etc. Based on the tracked data, the toothbrush system 100 can determine measurements related to the above data and store them in the memory 308. The measurements can be provided to the feedback module 319. The feedback module 319 can generate an audio tone corresponding to each measurement, for example, tone 1 for the first time period, tone 2 for the second time period, tone 3 for the third time period, tone 4 for the associated intensity, etc. The tone can be encoded by the transmission module 324 and then transmitted to the external computing device 326. It can be understood that the feedback signal is not limited to the tone and can include a visual signal, a light signal, etc. The delivery module 324 may include an encoder that may be configured to encode the feedback signals in such a manner that they may be decoded by a decoding module 328 of an external computing device. Once the signals are decoded by the decoding module 328, the computing device 326 may generate a report that may contain information about the user's use of the toothbrush system 100. In some embodiments, the computing device may perform various analyses (e.g., including deep learning, machine learning, etc.) to evaluate the user's brushing habits and provide appropriate instructions (e.g., analysis may be performed based on the brushing habits of other users, etc.), such warnings, suggestions, etc. This information may then be provided to the evaluation device 330 for further analysis and / or use by the user and / or any third party (e.g., a dentist, medical professional, insurance company, manufacturer, retailer, etc.).

[0068] The delivery module 324 can also be configured to cause the feedback module 318 to provide system operation data to the external computing device 326. For example, the feedback module 318 can be configured to generate feedback encoded to indicate an error code, firmware modification, a motor serial identifier (ID), metadata related to the device and its components, etc. and / or any combination thereof.

[0069] When the button ( Figure 3308 to the external computing device 326. For example, pressing the button for a specific duration may cause the toothbrush system 100 to perform a partial transfer (e.g., data obtained since the last transfer) and / or a complete transfer of all data stored in the memory 308. For example, a long press of the button (e.g., which exceeds 3 seconds) may trigger a complete transfer of data, while a shorter press (e.g., between 1 and 2 seconds) may trigger a partial transfer. In alternative embodiments, the transfer module 324 may be configured to automatically transfer the data stored in the memory 308 to the external computing device 326 at regular time intervals or after the toothbrush system 100 has been used a certain number of times. In some embodiments, any data transfer may be initiated, processed, triggered, etc. by one or more external computing devices (as described above), which may be communicatively coupled to the toothbrush system. Further, one or more cloud systems, server systems, and / or any other computing systems may be used to transmit, receive, transfer, process, store, and / or perform any other functions associated with data acquired by the toothbrush system. Further, any such transmission, receipt, delivery, processing, storage and / or any other function may be accomplished upon receipt of appropriate authentication (e.g., user name and / or password, public key, private key, etc. and / or any other information and / or any combination thereof).

[0070] Data may be transferred between the toothbrush system and / or any external device using at least one of the following: audio signals, visual signals, optical signals, ultrasonic signals, vibrations, radio frequency signals (RF), ultra-wideband signals, various communication signals (e.g., Bluetooth TM , Bluetooth Low Energy TM , Classic Bluetooth TM , Smart Bluetooth TM , WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, NFC, etc.) and / or any combination thereof. Any type of data and / or signal may be transmitted, which may include one or more brushing parameters associated with the operation of the toothbrush device (e.g., speed, intensity, position, location, orientation, power consumption, etc.).

[0071] In some embodiments, the feedback module 318 can be configured to generate a feedback signal to remind the user to transfer data to the external computing device 326. For example, the computing module 316 can determine that the time between the last data transfer exceeds the maximum elapsed time value since the previous data transfer, and trigger the feedback device to generate a specific feedback signal to remind the user to transfer data.

[0072] As described above, the external computing device 326 can be configured to communicate data received from the toothbrush to the evaluation device 330. In some embodiments, the evaluation device 130 is a device included on a communication network, such as an Internet server or the like.

[0073] In some embodiments, the external computing device 326 can be configured to automatically transmit data received from the toothbrush to the evaluation device 330 when the data is received. In alternative embodiments, the external computing device 326 can be configured to transmit data to the evaluation device 330 at specific times, time intervals, and / or events.

[0074] The evaluation device 330 can be configured to store data and can analyze data. For example, the evaluation device 330 can be configured to allow a dental care provider to access the data. The dental care provider can review the data and make recommendations to the user regarding his / her compliance. The dental care provider can also use the data on the evaluation device to diagnose dental or health problems and / or formulate treatment plans, corrective care recommendations and / or additional recommendations for the user. The dental care provider can also recommend new or modified predetermined values ​​of the usage data that will be input into the calculation module 316 based on the user's dental health and brushing effectiveness. In one embodiment, the data in the evaluation device 330 can be reviewed by a dental care provider or another reviewer, and recommendations for dental appointments can be sent to the user on an external computing device or by other methods.

[0075] In some embodiments, parents can access the data on the evaluation device 330 to determine whether their child's use of the toothbrush is satisfactory. For example, parents can review the data on the evaluation device to determine whether the child has skipped brushing, has not brushed enough, or has not brushed properly.

[0076] The data stored by the evaluation device 330 may also be configured to be accessed by the user to enable self-evaluation of the data. For example, the user may review the data to analyze compliance and learn relevant data and variables that may help improve the user's brushing habits and oral health.

[0077] Dental insurance companies can also review the data in the evaluation device 330 to provide a more accurate insurance quote that reflects the user's actual brushing habits. For example, the data in the evaluation device 330 can be reviewed by a dental insurance company, and a modified insurance rate can be generated and communicated to the user.

[0078] The evaluation device 330 may be provided as part of an ecosystem established by or affiliated with a company that manufactures, markets or sells toothbrushes to users. The user may have an account with the company so that the user's identity and personal information is integrated into the data in the evaluation device.

[0079] The company can review the data and transmit the data to an insurance company, a dental care provider, or another third party. The company can also review the data to analyze product performance and generate improvements in system components (such as toothbrushes or interchangeable motor devices, etc.). The data can also allow the company to more accurately market additional products and services to users. Coupons or rewards can also be provided to users based on the data to incentivize compliance.

[0080] In some embodiments, the interchangeable motor module 304 may include a serialized identification number that is stored in the processing module 306, such as in the memory 308, etc. This may ensure compatibility and / or authenticity of the data being recorded and / or transferred.

[0081] Data received from the toothbrush system 100 can be encrypted to indicate that the data originates from a specific toothbrush with a serialized identification number. The serialized identification number protects the integrity of the data and prevents the data from being manipulated. The measurements from the accelerometer 314 can also be used to confirm that the toothbrush has been used by the user and that the data is valid.

[0082] The serialized identification number can be paired with an account of the user established by or affiliated with a company that manufactures, markets, or sells the toothbrush to the user. This allows data received from the toothbrush to be automatically associated with the user's account. In addition, the serialized motor identification number can allow the user to automatically log in to the user's company account. The data encrypted with the motor identification number can also serve as an authentication credential that allows the user to use the device to automatically log in to the office of a dental care provider, medical provider, etc.

[0083] Upon request, the company can transfer the serialized identification number to another user account. In addition, a new toothbrush or interchangeable motor device with a different serialized identification number can be linked to the user account. This can allow the user to upgrade or replace with a new brush / motor and have the device linked to their account, even while retaining the original device.

[0084] In some embodiments, the interchangeable motor module 304 may include a secondary processing module 332 and / or a crystal. The secondary processing module 332 may be configured to require reduced power requirements compared to the processing module 306. The secondary processing module 332 may be configured to perform limited functions when the toothbrush is not in use in order to maximize battery life. These functions may include timing functions, memory functions, communication functions, etc.

[0085] The toothbrush system 100 can be configured so that the toothbrush can operate in a sleep state, wherein the processing module 306 is inactive, and the secondary processing module 332 is active. This allows the system 100 to maximize battery life. For example, in one embodiment, the toothbrush can be fully powered by a single AA, AAA, etc. battery for 3 to 6 months or longer. The low-power sleep state of the system also increases the service life of the system by providing reduced wear on inactive components. Alternatively, the toothbrush system 100 can be powered by a rechargeable battery, wherein the toothbrush system 100 can generate a feedback signal indicating the need for battery recharging.

[0086] Although the present subject matter is described with respect to a toothbrush system, the interchangeable motor module 304 may be configured for use with other dental and / or medical devices to provide improved tracking, feedback, data storage, communication, and evaluation features therefor.

[0087] In some embodiments, the subject matter also relates to methods for providing improved tracking of user data and system data for a toothbrush system, as described above in connection with a toothbrush system. The subject matter also relates to methods for providing feedback to a user of a toothbrush system, as described above in connection with a toothbrush system. The subject matter further relates to improved data storage for user data and system data for a toothbrush system, as described above in connection with a toothbrush system.

[0088] The present subject matter also relates to using a feedback device as described above in connection with a toothbrush system to transmit user data and system data of a toothbrush system. The present subject matter further relates to a method of evaluating user data and system data using an evaluation device as described above in connection with a toothbrush system (which can be integrated with an established ecosystem). The present subject matter also relates to a method of efficiently powering a toothbrush system as described above in connection with a toothbrush system.

[0089] 4a-4b illustrate another exemplary embodiment of a toothbrush system 400 according to some embodiments of the present subject matter. The toothbrush system 400 shown in FIG. 4a may be configured to include Figure 1 and / or Figure 3One or more components of the toothbrush system 100 shown. The toothbrush system 400 may include a processing module 402, a sensing module 404 (e.g., an accelerometer module, one or more pressure sensors, one or more position sensors, one or more orientation sensors, one or more counter devices, and / or any other sensor and / or device, and / or any combination thereof), a communication module 406, a button module 408, a motor module 410, an antenna module 412, a memory module 414, and a power module 416. It is understood that the toothbrush system 400 may include other modules. In some embodiments, the toothbrush system 400 may also include a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a pressure sensor, a timing device, a battery sensor, a temperature sensor, and / or any other sensing device. Such devices may be incorporated into any of the components 402 to 416 of the toothbrush system 400.

[0090] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4 b, the toothbrush system 400 can be implemented in a system 430. In addition to the toothbrush system 400, the system 430 can also be configured to include one or more computing devices 420 with an application 422, one or more backend systems 424, and / or any other computing / communication components. The communication components can be configured to transmit / receive various signals. The system 400, the computing device 420, and / or the system 424 can be configured to use any communication medium (whether wireless and / or wired (e.g., classic Bluetooth)). TM , Smart Bluetooth TM , WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, NFC (near field communication), etc.)) are communicatively coupled. The components 400, 420, 424 of the system 430 can be configured to transmit / receive various signals, which can include at least one of the following: audio signals, visual signals, optical signals, ultrasonic signals, vibrations, radio frequency signals (RF), ultra-wideband signals, various communication signals (e.g., Bluetooth TM , Bluetooth Low Energy TM , Classic Bluetooth TM , Smart Bluetooth TM , WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, NFC, etc.) and / or any combination thereof. The device 420 can be configured to include one or more software applications 422 (e.g., "app"), which can be configured to receive various data (e.g., raw, unprocessed, processed, etc.), process the received data, generate one or more user interfaces based on the processed data, provide software upgrades to the toothbrush system, and / or perform various other functions, etc. The software application 422 can be configured to communicate with a back-end system 424 for further processing, storage, etc. of the data. The back-end system 424 may include a cloud storage system, a server system, and / or any other computing system.

[0091] In some embodiments, the processing module 402 can be similar to Figure 3 Module 402 may include a circuit board (rigid and / or flexible, such as a circuit board shown in FIG. 5 ) of a running core 500 of a toothbrush system (such as toothbrush system 400). Figure 5a-5c ) and can be fixed to the motor module 410 (as described above, the motor module 410 can be interchangeable). Figure 3 The circuit board may be a flexible printed circuit board assembly ("PCBA"). The processing module 402 may also be included on other circuit boards and / or devices.

[0092] The processing module 402 may be configured to track usage data related to the use of the toothbrush system 400 by a user of the toothbrush system 400, as described above with reference to Figure 3 The processing module 402 can determine when the toothbrush system 400 is turned on, turned off, in use, transmitting data, etc. The processing module 402 can be configured to incorporate a clock and / or other sensors that can record the time, motion, action type, etc. of various operating / non-operating events associated with the toothbrush system 400. The processing module 402 can be configured to record and store (e.g., in the memory module 414) time information, action type information, key parameters, etc., which can be associated with each single brushing / non-brushing event / action (before the event, during the event, and / or after the event is completed). Such events can include, but are not limited to: brushing teeth, brushing a specific quadrant of the mouth, brushing a specific side of the teeth, brushing specific teeth, brushing with a specific intensity, brushing with a specific pressure, brushing with a specific speed, brushing time, brushing in a specific mode, brush head replacement, new user / change user registration / subsequent use, transmitting data to an external device, receiving data from an external device, software upgrade, activation, deactivation, battery change, etc.

[0093] In some embodiments, activation of the toothbrush system 400 can be configured to be detected by activating the button module 408 (e.g., a user pressing a button). The user of the toothbrush system 400 can activate the button module 408 in different ways (e.g., by pressing the button once, short pressing the button, long pressing the button (e.g., 2 seconds, 3 seconds, etc.), repeatedly pressing the button, etc.). Alternatively, the toothbrush system 400 can be configured to be activated using the sensing module 404, for example, by detecting various movements of the toothbrush system 400 (e.g., picking up the toothbrush system; left-right movement, up-and-down movement, diagonal movement, etc.; shaking the toothbrush system, etc.). As a non-limiting example, the module 404 may include an accelerometer for detecting toothbrush movement. As can be appreciated, other types of modules may be used. In further alternative embodiments, the toothbrush system 400 may be configured to be activated using the communication module 406. For example, a Bluetooth TM , BLE, WiFi, NFC, sports phone and / or any other communication capability module 406 can be configured to receive and / or transmit signals from an external device (e.g., a smart phone, tablet, laptop, personal computer, smart watch, etc.). These signals can be configured to "wake up" the toothbrush system 400 so that it can perform one or more actions, including turning on / off, brushing, data transmission, etc. It is understood that the toothbrush system 400 can be activated in any other way.

[0094] In an exemplary embodiment, the button module 408 can be configured to activate the toothbrush system 400, as described above, by pressing a button to trigger a brushing event. Once the button is pressed, the toothbrush system 400 can be configured to activate in a predetermined time period (e.g., 100ms or less). Brushing can be terminated by pressing the same or different buttons (or, brushing can be terminated by the user not moving the toothbrush system 400 for another predetermined time period). In some embodiments, once the toothbrush system 400 (e.g., during brushing) is activated, the motor module 410 can operate (e.g., vibrate, rotate, etc.) and / or can be turned on / off at certain times to indicate certain events (and cause the processing module 402 to record and store the event in the memory 414). Events can be used to alert the user to switch from one side of the tooth to the other, switch one quadrant to another quadrant, and indicate to the user that a specific brushing cycle has been completed.

[0095] FIG. 6 a shows an exemplary table 600 showing various on / off events of the toothbrush system 400. For example, the motor of the toothbrush system 400 may be activated at 0 minutes and 0 seconds, corresponding to an “on” indication. The motor may begin to run, whereby the toothbrush head (e.g., head 202 and / or its bristles) may begin to vibrate, rotate, or the like. At 0 minutes and 29.6 seconds, an “off” event may be triggered, whereby the motor may be temporarily stopped from running for, for example, 0.4 seconds. The motor may resume running at 0 minutes and 30 seconds. The off event may correspond to an indication to the user to change the quadrant / side of the teeth that the user is currently brushing. For example, if the user begins brushing the front side of the teeth in the upper left quadrant, the “off” event at 0 minutes and 29.6 seconds may indicate that it is time to switch to the back side of the teeth in the upper left quadrant. The on / off and duration may continue (as shown in FIG. 6 a) for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 2 minutes and 1.475 seconds) and / or until the user has finished brushing all teeth and / or for any other reason. As can be appreciated, the on / off times and / or durations shown in table 600 provided herein are for exemplary, illustrative, and non-limiting purposes, and other times / durations may be used.

[0096] In some embodiments, a user can turn off the brushing system 400 by pressing a button of the button module 408 (e.g., once, for a short period of time, for a long period of time, repeatedly, etc.). Once pressed, the toothbrush system 408 can be configured to shut down (e.g., the motor module 410 can stop running) within a predetermined time period (e.g., 100ms or less). In some embodiments, the toothbrush system 400 can be configured to enter a "sleep mode" to save power. This can include turning off the power supply from the power module 416 to one or more components of the toothbrush system 400 (e.g., the sensing module 404, the motor module 410, the processing module 402, etc.). The sleep mode can be activated after a predetermined period of time (e.g., after 10 seconds of inactivity). The total average current consumption of the toothbrush system 400 when in sleep mode may be less than or equal to 50μA. To exit sleep mode, the toothbrush system 400 can be "woken up" by pressing a button of the button module 408, using the antenna module 412 and the communication module 406 (e.g., Bluetooth TM , BLE, WiFi, NFC, mobile phone, etc.) to transmit / receive signals. In some exemplary embodiments, the toothbrush system 400 can continue to transmit / receive signals using its communication module 406 while in sleep mode. In some embodiments, an internal clock (e.g., incorporated in the processing module 402) can be set to a predetermined time to wake up the toothbrush system 400 and thus exit sleep mode.

[0097] In some embodiments, the toothbrush system 400 can be configured to include a real-time clock that can be configured to track in real time when the toothbrush system 400 is active and / or asleep. The clock can be incorporated into the processing module 402 and / or any other module of the toothbrush system 400 and / or can be a separate module. It can be configured to track time intervals (e.g., in seconds, minutes, hours, etc., in UNIX epoch time, and / or in any other time unit). The time intervals can be configured to use Bluetooth TM After each event (e.g., a brushing event, a transmission event, etc.), the toothbrush system 400 may store in the memory 414 the activation time of the event, data and / or parameters associated with the event, the total amount of time elapsed during the event, and / or any other data.

[0098] In some embodiments, the sensing module 404 of the toothbrush system 400 can be configured to detect the movement of the toothbrush system (e.g., picking up the toothbrush, brushing movement, positioning, tilt angle, approach angle, etc.). The sensing module 404 can be further configured to detect acceleration changes, such as, for example, changes along an axis parallel to the toothbrush housing. The toothbrush system 400 can count the number of times the acceleration changes when the toothbrush is activated. At the end of the brushing event, the toothbrush system 400 can be configured to store such a number during the brushing event. In some exemplary, non-limiting embodiments, the sensing module 404 may include at least one of the following: an accelerometer module, one or more pressure sensors, one or more position sensors, one or more orientation sensors, one or more counter devices and / or any other sensor and / or device and / or any combination thereof.

[0099] In some embodiments, the sensing module 404 can be configured to collect orientation and / or direction data of the motion, including but not limited to the coordinates (x, y, z) of the toothbrush system 400 when the toothbrush is turned on (e.g., when the motor 410 of the toothbrush is running). The coordinate data collected by the module 404 can be transmitted to an external communication device 420 (e.g., a smart phone, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, etc.), which is communicatively coupled to the toothbrush and can include an application ("app") 422, as shown in Figure 4b. The device 420 can determine the positioning of the toothbrush in the user's mouth using the received data. The positioning can include positioning in a specific quadrant of the user's mouth and / or an indication of how the bristles of the toothbrush are tilted relative to the user's teeth (e.g., by determining the tilt angle of the bristles and / or the toothbrush). In some embodiments, the device 420 can be configured to determine and / or indicate to the user of the toothbrush system 400 that the user can be in a specific quadrant and can suggest that the user should move to the next quadrant.

[0100] In some embodiments, the toothbrush system 400 can determine the brushing intensity at which the user is brushing. The data obtained by the module 404 can be used to measure and / or determine the amplitude of the module 404 parallel to one or more axes of the toothbrush. For example, a higher amplitude can correspond to more intense brushing (or overbrushing) and a lower amplitude can correspond to less intense brushing. In some embodiments, a threshold amplitude can be used to determine whether the user is brushing with greater intensity and / or less intensity.

[0101] In some embodiments, data from module 404 can be streamed to device 420 in real time. This can allow for "live" analysis of the accelerometer data to determine, for example, the real-time position of the toothbrush in the user's mouth, the real-time intensity of brushing, and / or any other information. Device 420 can be configured to include a user interface that can display the user's brushing data, analysis, etc. along with any visual aids (e.g., a model of the user's mouth, etc.). Accelerometer data can be read at a predetermined frequency (e.g., 31.25 Hz) and can be monitored using Bluetooth. TM The accelerometer data may be transmitted automatically. Alternatively or in addition, the data may be transmitted when prompted by the device 420 and / or at a predetermined time.

[0102] In some embodiments, the processing module 402 can be configured to perform battery voltage measurements. Such measurements can be performed periodically, upon request, automatically, etc. For example, when the toothbrush system 400 is in a brushing event (or any other event), the processing module 402 can be configured to read the battery voltage of the power module 416 and store and / or filter the results. At the end of the event, the toothbrush system 400 can be configured to store the minimum battery voltage during the event. In some embodiments, the communication module 406 can be used to (such as using Bluetooth TM command, etc.) to access the battery voltage reading.

[0103] In some embodiments, the toothbrush system 400 may include one or more sensors, and one or more sensors may be incorporated in one or more locations of the toothbrush system 400. The sensors may be incorporated in one or more modules of the toothbrush system 400, and / or one or more modules of the toothbrush system 400 may function as these sensors. The sensors may be configured to measure temperature (e.g., operating temperature of the toothbrush system 400, the user's mouth, ambient temperature, etc.), humidity, acidity, etc. For example, the sensing module 404 may be used to measure temperature. At the end of an event (e.g., a brushing event), the toothbrush system 400 may store the temperature at the beginning, during, and / or end of the event.

[0104] In some embodiments, the power module 416 of the toothbrush system 400 may include a disposable battery (e.g., AAA, AA, etc.), a rechargeable battery, and / or any other power source. It may also have a predetermined operating voltage. For example, the toothbrush system 400 may be configured to shut down when the battery voltage drops below a predetermined threshold voltage (e.g., 1.1 volts (V), 1.05V, etc.) and / or drops below a predetermined threshold voltage for a predetermined time period (e.g., 1.1V for 5 seconds). In this case, the toothbrush system 400 may be configured to require resetting, replacing batteries, recharging, etc. to continue operation.

[0105] In some embodiments, the processing module 402 of the toothbrush system 400 can be configured to determine that the battery 416 has low power and execute a low voltage battery shutdown procedure. The low voltage battery shutdown can be performed for one or more of the following events: if the battery voltage is below a predetermined voltage (e.g., 1.05V) for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 5 seconds) when the motor module 410 is not running, if the total amount of time the motor module 410 is "on" since the last power-on reset is greater than a predetermined period of time (e.g., 28,800 seconds (120 seconds * 2 times a day * 120 days)). In some exemplary, non-limiting embodiments, once a low voltage battery shutdown occurs, the way to exit this error mode can be to perform a power-on reset. When the toothbrush is in error mode, the motor module 410 can be configured to generate a notification to the user that an error mode event has occurred. One or more prompts can be generated to alert the user and / or request a specific action to be performed (e.g., shut down, replace batteries, recharge, etc.). Thus, when the button module 408 is activated in this module, the motor module 402 may be configured to operate using the configuration 602 shown in FIG. 6 b and shut down after its completion.

[0106] As shown in Fig. 6b, table 602 shows various motor on / off events of toothbrush system 400. For example, the motor of toothbrush system 400 can be activated at 0 seconds, corresponding to the "on" indication, and the motor can start running at 0 seconds. The "on" operation can be interrupted at 0.105 seconds by the triggered "off" event, thereby temporarily stopping the operation of the motor for example 0.2 seconds. The motor can resume operation at 0.305 seconds. On / off and duration can continue (as shown in Fig. 6b) for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 2.24 seconds). The "on" interval can continue the same and / or different time amounts. The "off" interval can also continue the same and / or different time amounts. The on / off time interval can be preconfigured. As can be understood, the on / off time and / or duration shown in table 602 are provided herein for exemplary, illustrative and non-limiting purposes, and other time / durations can be used.

[0107] In some embodiments, the toothbrush system 400 can be configured to provide information to the user related to the operation of the toothbrush system 400 (e.g., using a functional "show me motor operation" mode). To activate this mode, the button module 408 can be pressed by the user, and the motor module 402 can be switched to operate using the configuration 604 shown in FIG. 6c. This mode can be used for diagnostic purposes and / or to monitor the operation of the toothbrush system 400.

[0108] As shown in Fig. 6c, table 604 shows various motor on / off events of toothbrush system 400, as described above, they can be used for diagnostic purposes. For example, the motor of toothbrush system 400 can be activated at 0 seconds, corresponding to the "on" indication, and the motor can start running at 0 seconds. The "on" operation can stop at 0.210 seconds, and the "off" event is triggered to temporarily stop the operation of the motor for example 0.4 seconds. The motor can resume operation at 0.610 seconds. On / off and duration can continue (as shown in Fig. 6c) for a predetermined time period (e.g., 5.70 seconds). The "on" interval can continue the same and / or different time amounts. The "off" interval can also continue the same and / or different time amounts. The on / off time interval can be preconfigured. As can be understood, the on / off time and / or duration shown in table 604 are provided herein for exemplary, illustrative and non-limiting purposes, and other time / durations can be used.

[0109] In some embodiments, the memory 414 can be configured to store various parameters (including brushing parameters) related to the operation of the toothbrush system 400. This can include user brushing data and / or any other data. For example, at the end of each brushing event, the toothbrush system 400 can use a memory map to store various information in the memory 414. The memory can store the current count (e.g., number of uses), life count, last run time, last connection time, accelerometer errors, EEPROM errors, total number of power-on resets, last run start battery voltage, total number of seconds the system 400 has been on, number of battery changes, current software / firmware revisions, Bluetooth TM Number of pairings / total number of transmissions, communication failures, use of Bluetooth TM The memory 414 may also store the number of operations, the date and / or time of the operation, a time setting flag, the number of seconds of operation, accelerometer data, temperature, the total number of power-on resets, the minimum battery voltage, and / or any other data. The communication module 406 (e.g., using Bluetooth) may be used to communicate with the user. TM, BLE, WiFi, etc.) to transmit the above data. Further, the memory 414 can (such as by transmitting a command to the communication module (for example, using Bluetooth TM , BLE, WiFi, etc.) can be cleared / erased. Upon receiving such a command, the data values ​​that can be stored in the memory 414 can be initialized to 0 and / or any other desired value (e.g., factory settings, etc.). The data stored in the memory 414 can be checksummed (e.g., using CRC, etc.) to ensure that the data has not been corrupted. A user ID and password can be set to allow the user to access the data that can be stored by the memory 414.

[0110] Figure 7 Exemplary data 702, 704 (e.g., "brushing data") that may be collected, transmitted, and / or stored by the toothbrush system 400 and / or any external components 420, 424 are shown. As described above, the brushing data may be saved by the toothbrush system 400, such as to the memory 414, by the external computing device 420, 424, and / or any other device, and / or any combination thereof. The brushing data may be saved after each brushing event (e.g., a full brushing, a partial brushing, and / or any on / off event). Alternatively or in addition, the brushing data may be saved after more than one toothbrush event. In some exemplary, non-limiting embodiments, the saved data may include any number of bytes (e.g., 64 bytes, 16 bytes, etc.) of information. As described above, the brushing data may be saved after each toothbrush event (e.g., a full brushing, a partial brushing, and / or any on / off event). Figure 7 As shown, the saved data 702 may include at least one of the following: date and time, number of operations, total number of seconds the toothbrush is turned on, operating temperature, minimum battery voltage recorded, average amplitude of the accelerometer axis parallel to the toothbrush body, average value of the accelerometer axis parallel to the toothbrush body, one or more time histograms, roll angle calculated in each quadrant, and / or any other data and / or any combination thereof. The data may be transmitted to an external computing device and / or requested / queried / accessed by an external computing device.

[0111] like Figure 7 As further shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the toothbrush system 400 can be configured to save one or more of the following data 704 (e.g., in different address blocks of memory): current count (e.g., number of operations), life count, last operation time, last connection time, accelerometer errors, EEPROM errors, total number of power-on resets, last operation start battery voltage, total power-on seconds, number of battery replacements, current firmware revisions, number of device firmware upgrades (DFU), Bluetooth TM Total number of pairings, total number of transmissions, communication failures, via Bluetooth TMTotal seconds connected, reset pin reset count (e.g., the number of times the reset pin is used to reset a toothbrush), watchdog reset count, soft reset count, CPU lockup count, system shutdown wakeup from GPIO, low battery error count, maximum time exceeded error count, CRC of the information block, and / or any other data.

[0112] Further, the toothbrush system can be configured to store coordinate data information in one or more address fields. For example, for each operation, the toothbrush system can be configured to store one or more of the following: operation number, operation date and time, time setting flag, operation time in seconds, temperature, power-on reset count, minimum battery voltage, Q1 (quadrant 1) amplitude (Amp), Q2 Amp, Q3 Amp, Q4 Amp, Q1 x-avg (average x-axis position of the toothbrush in quadrant 1), Q2 x-avg, Q3 x-avg, Q4 x-avg, Q1 angle -180--91 (the inclination angle of the toothbrush in quadrant 1), Q1 angle -90-0, Q1 angle 0-90, Q1 angle 90-180, Q2 angle -180--91, Q2 angle -90-0, Q2 angle 0-90, Q2 angle 90-180, Q3 angle -180--91, Q3 angle -90-0, Q3 angle 0-90, Q3 angle 90-180, Q4 angle -180--91, Q4 angle -90-0, Q4 angle 0-90, Q4 angle 90-180, CRC and / or any other information. In some exemplary embodiments, a predetermined time period can be used to define a quadrant. For each quadrant and / or for one or more quadrants and / or for all quadrants, the predetermined time period can be preset, preconfigured and / or otherwise predetermined in any desired manner. For example, the first quadrant can be associated with a brushing time period from 0 seconds to 30 seconds, the second quadrant - associated with a brushing time period from 31 seconds to 60 seconds, the third quadrant - from 61 seconds to 90 seconds, and the fourth quadrant - from 91 seconds to 120 seconds. The time spent brushing a quadrant can correspond to brushing all three sides of all or some of the teeth in the quadrant. In some exemplary embodiments, the time allocated to each quadrant can depend on the number of teeth in the quadrant. Further, the user and / or the toothbrush device and / or a computing device connectable to the toothbrush device can be configured to define a specific time period for each quadrant.

[0113] In some exemplary embodiments, the communication module 406 may be configured to comply with Bluetooth TM Bluetooth Low Energy (e.g., v5.0 and / or lower / higher) specification TM(BLE) radio. The communication module 406 can be configured to transmit and / or receive data at 2.4 GHz and / or any other frequency. The communication module 406 using the antenna module 412 can be configured to announce when the toothbrush system 400 is not actively connected to the smartphone. The toothbrush system 400 can announce the unique Bluetooth low energy (BLE) radio of the toothbrush system 400. TM ID and / or unique ID. The unique ID of the toothbrush system 400 can be used to determine the owner of the toothbrush system 400 and its password (if any). In some exemplary embodiments, the toothbrush system 400 can advertise even when the toothbrush system 400 is in "sleep" mode. To ensure secure communication, the toothbrush system 400 may only allow access to its Bluetooth® device if certain security protocols are met (e.g., if mode 1, 2 level security has been achieved). TM The communication module 406 can be configured to support multiple Bluetooth TM Serve.

[0114] In some embodiments, the computing components (e.g., processing modules and / or processors, memory, etc.) of the toothbrush system 100 can be configured to be implemented in the system 800, such as Figure 8 The system 800 can be incorporated into the toothbrush system 300 in various ways (e.g. Figure 34a-4b) and / or toothbrush system 400 (as shown in FIG. 4a-4b), and may include a processor 804, a storage device 806, a memory 808, and an input / output (I / O) device 802. Each of components 802, 804, 806, and 808 may be interconnected using a system bus 810. Processor 804 may be configured to process instructions for execution within system 800. In some embodiments, processor 804 may be a single-threaded processor. In an alternative embodiment, processor 804 may be a multi-threaded processor. Processor 804 may further be configured to process instructions stored on memory 808 or storage device 806, including receiving or sending information through I / O 802. Memory 808 may store information within system 800. In some embodiments, memory 808 may be a computer-readable medium. In an alternative embodiment, memory 808 may be a volatile memory unit. In yet other embodiments, memory 808 may be a non-volatile storage unit. Memory 806 may be capable of providing mass storage for system 800. In some embodiments, the storage device 806 may be a computer readable medium. In alternative embodiments, the storage device 806 may be a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, a magnetic tape device, a non-volatile solid-state memory, or any other type of storage device. The I / O 802 may be configured to provide input / output operations for the system 800. In some embodiments, the input / output device 802 may include buttons, a touch screen, a keyboard, etc. In alternative embodiments, the input / output device 802 may include a display unit for displaying a graphical user interface.

[0115] In some embodiments, the subject matter relates to a toothbrush device (e.g., similar to Figure 1-Figure 7 The toothbrush device may include one or more sensing modules, sensing elements and / or sensors (which may be combined with one or more modules above, including but not limited to accelerometer 314, sensing module 404 and / or Figure 3- any other modules shown in Figure 4b and / or any combination thereof) and one or more processors (e.g., processing modules 306, 402), the sensing module, sensing element and / or sensor are configured to perform at least one of the following: detecting at least one time period associated with the use of the toothbrush device, detecting one or more movements of the toothbrush device, determining the positioning of the toothbrush, determining the brushing intensity (e.g., using the amplitude of an accelerometer) and any combination thereof, the processor is communicatively coupled to the sensing module and is configured to determine one or more measurement values ​​based on at least one of the following: one or more detected time periods of the toothbrush device, one or more detected movements, one or more determined toothbrush positioning, one or more number and / or length of brush strokes, one or more determined brushing intensities and any combination thereof, and store the one or more determined measurement values ​​in one or more memory locations (e.g., memory 308, 414, having) communicatively coupled to the one or more processors. Figure 7 The toothbrush device may also include one or more communication modules (eg, module 406) configured to transmit / receive data related to the measurement value.

[0116] In some embodiments, the subject matter may include one or more of the following optional features. The toothbrush device may also include a brush head (e.g., brush head 202) and a housing including an interchangeable motor module (e.g., module 204, 304, 410). The interchangeable motor module may include one or more power modules (e.g., module 320, 416), one or more memories (e.g., memory 308, 414), and a processor (e.g., processing module 306, 402).

[0117] In some embodiments, the time periods may include at least one of: a start time of using the toothbrush device, an end time of using the toothbrush device, a duration during which the toothbrush device is used, a number of times the toothbrush device is used, a duration between at least two uses of the toothbrush device, and any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the sensing module may include at least one of: an accelerometer, a clock, a monitoring module, and any combination thereof. Further, the measurement values ​​may be determined separately for each of a plurality of users of the toothbrush device. In addition, the measurement values ​​may include at least one of: brushing intensity, brushing pressure, one or more parameters associated with the brushing motion, the position of the toothbrush device in the user's mouth during brushing, brushing coverage, and any combination thereof.

[0118] In some embodiments, the measurements may be stored in a memory location in a compressed format using a predetermined resolution. The measurements may be compared to one or more predetermined usage values. The predetermined usage values ​​may include at least one of the following: a minimum length of brushing, a maximum length of brushing, a minimum length of time between brushings, a maximum length of time between brushings, a desired pressure exerted by the bristles of the toothbrush head on the teeth and / or gums of the user, a maximum level of movement of the toothbrush device, a minimum level of movement of the toothbrush device, a desired brushing coverage within an area of ​​the user's mouth, a length of time the toothbrush device is in a particular area, and any combination thereof.

[0119] In some embodiments, data can be automatically collected, stored and / or transmitted at a predetermined time period or after each use of the toothbrush device. Further, data can be collected, stored and / or transmitted based on the operating mode of the toothbrush device. The operating mode can include at least one of the following: low mode, high mode, soft mode, whitening mode, gentle mode, firm mode, communication mode, notification mode and any combination thereof.

[0120] Fig. 9 An exemplary method 900 for tracking, recording, and generating toothbrush device usage feedback according to some embodiments of the present subject matter is shown. At 902, at least one time period associated with the use of a toothbrush, one or more movements of the toothbrush, one or more positions of the toothbrush, one or more brushing intensities, and any combination thereof can be detected (e.g., using an accelerometer, etc.). At 904, one or more measurements can be determined based on at least one of the following (e.g., using processing modules 306, 402): a detected time period, a detected movement, a determined position of the toothbrush, a determined brushing intensity, and any combination thereof, and at 906, stored in a memory location (e.g., memory 308, 414). At 908, a feedback signal can be transmitted (e.g., using transmission module 324, communication module 406).

[0121] In some embodiments, the subject device can be configured to include one or more modules that can detect and / or measure and / or determine the number of strokes on one or more axes of the toothbrush (e.g., the longitudinal axis and / or any other axis). The determination / measurement can be performed using one or more processors, sensing devices (e.g., accelerometers, pressure sensors, circuit components (e.g., low-pass filter components), and / or any other components). The determination / measurement can be used to determine the brushing intensity applied by the user (e.g., how vigorously the user brushes) and to determine the duration of each brush stroke.

[0122] Fig.10Exemplary steps 1000 for determining the number of brush strokes performed by a user and / or the duration of each brush stroke according to some embodiments of the present subject matter are shown. At 1002, one or more sensing devices (e.g., accelerometers and / or any other circuitry) may be configured to determine / measure the acceleration of the toothbrush along one or more axes (e.g., longitudinal axis, etc.) of the toothbrush and process data associated with the determined acceleration.

[0123] At 1004, the obtained data may be filtered (e.g., using a low pass filter that may be incorporated into the circuitry of the toothbrush) to generate a waveform. The data may also be used to determine the slope of the waveform. At 1006, upon determining that the slope (positive slope and / or negative slope) exceeds a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time period, the device may be configured to count the motion associated with the determined slope as a brush stroke. At 1008, the number of brush strokes may be counted during a predetermined time period (e.g., every 30 seconds) and the count stored in a memory.

[0124] In some embodiments, at 1010, the average amplitude of axial acceleration (e.g., x-axis acceleration, y-axis acceleration, etc.) may be determined / measured during a predetermined time period (e.g., every 30 seconds). At 1012, based on the above data, the device may be configured to determine the brushing intensity applied by the user and the length of each brush stroke. At 1014, the brushing intensity and duration of each brush stroke may be output (e.g., stored and / or transmitted to an external computing device).

[0125] In some embodiments, the subject matter relates to a medical system. The system may include a toothbrush device, the toothbrush device may include a sensing module, the sensing module is configured to perform at least one of the following: detecting at least one time period associated with the use of the toothbrush device, detecting one or more movements of the toothbrush device, determining one or more positions of the toothbrush, determining the number and / or length of one or more brush strokes, determining one or more brushing intensities, and any combination thereof. The system may also include one or more processors, the one or more processors are communicatively coupled to the sensing module and are configured to determine one or more measurements based on at least one of the one or more detected time periods of the toothbrush device, the one or more detected movements, the determined positions of the toothbrush, the determined number and / or length of one or more brush strokes, the determined brushing intensities, and any combination thereof, and store the determined measurements in one or more memory locations communicatively coupled to the processor and / or transmit the stored data related to the measurements.

[0126] All statements of the principles, aspects and embodiments of the present invention and its specific examples are intended to cover both their structural and functional equivalents. Alternatively, it is intended that such equivalents include currently known equivalents and equivalents developed in the future (i.e., elements of any development that perform the same function regardless of the structure). Therefore, for example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the block diagrams presented herein represent conceptual views of illustrative system components and / or circuits that illustrate the principles of the present invention. Similarly, it will be understood that any flow chart, flow diagram, etc. represent various processes, which can be generally represented in a computer-readable storage medium and executed by a computer or processor, regardless of whether this computer or processor is explicitly displayed.

[0127] It should be understood that, for example, in the case of "A / B," "A and / or B," and "at least one of A and B," the use of any of the following " / ," "and / or," and "at least one of" is intended to encompass selecting only the first listed option (A), or only the second listed option (B), or selecting both options (A and B). As a further example, in the case of "A, B, and / or C," and "at least one of A, B, and C," such wording is intended to encompass selecting only the first listed option (A), or only the second listed option (B), or only the third listed option (C), or only the first and second listed options (A and B), or only the first and third listed options (A and C), or only the second and third listed options (B and C), or selecting all three options (A and B and C). It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that this can be expanded for many of the items listed. It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present.

[0128] As described above, the systems and methods disclosed herein can be embodied in different forms, including, for example, data processors, such as computers that also include databases, digital electronic circuits, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. In addition, the above-mentioned features and other aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure and principles can be implemented in different environments. Such environments and related applications can be specially constructed to perform various steps and operations according to the disclosed embodiments, or they can include general-purpose computers or computing platforms that are selectively activated or reconfigured by code to provide necessary functions. The steps disclosed herein are not inherently related to any particular computer, network, architecture, environment, or other device, and can be implemented by a suitable combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, various general-purpose machines can be used with programs written according to the teachings of the disclosed embodiments, or specialized equipment or systems can be more conveniently constructed to perform the desired methods and techniques.

[0129] Although in some cases, ordinal numbers (such as first, second, etc.) can relate to order; as used in this document, ordinal numbers do not necessarily imply order. For example, ordinal numbers can be used simply to distinguish one item from another item. For example, to distinguish a first event from a second event, but need not imply any time order or fixed reference system (such that the first event in one paragraph of the specification can be different from the first event in another paragraph of the specification).

[0130] The foregoing description is intended to illustrate but not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the claims presented. Other implementations are within the scope of the claims presented.

[0131] These computer programs, which may also be referred to as programs, software, software applications, applications, components or codes, include machine instructions for programmable processors and may be implemented in high-level programs and / or object-oriented programming languages ​​and / or in assembly / machine languages. As used herein, the term "machine-readable medium" refers to any computer program product, device and / or device for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, such as a disk, an optical disk, a memory, and a programmable logic device (PLD), including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor. A machine-readable medium may store such machine instructions in a non-transient manner, such as a non-transient solid-state memory or a magnetic hard drive or any equivalent storage medium, etc. A machine-readable medium may alternatively or additionally store such machine instructions in a transient manner, such as a processor cache or other random access storage associated with one or more physical processor cores, etc.

[0132] To provide interaction with a user, the subject matter described herein may be implemented on a computer having a display device (such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor for displaying information to a user) and a keyboard and pointing device (such as a mouse or trackball) through which a user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may also be used to provide interaction with a user. For example, the feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback, and the input from the user may be received in any form, including but not limited to sound, voice, or tactile input.

[0133] The subject matter described herein can be implemented in a computing system that includes back-end components (such as one or more data servers, etc.) or includes middleware components (such as one or more application servers, etc.) or includes front-end components (such as one or more client computers with a graphical user interface or web browser, etc., through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described herein) or any combination of such back-end, middleware or front-end components. These components of the system can be interconnected by digital data communication in any form or medium (such as a communication network, etc.). Examples of communication networks include, but are not limited to, a local area network ("LAN"), a wide area network ("WAN"), and the Internet.

[0134] A computing system may include clients and servers. Clients and servers are typically, but not exclusively, remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

[0135] The embodiments described in the above description do not represent all embodiments consistent with the subject matter described herein. On the contrary, they are merely some examples consistent with various aspects of the subject matter described. Although several variations have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, in addition to those features and / or variations described herein, further features and / or variations may also be provided. For example, the embodiments described above may be directed to various combinations and sub-combinations of disclosed features and / or combinations and sub-combinations of several further features disclosed above. In addition, the logical flows depicted in the drawings and / or described herein do not necessarily require the specific order or sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. Other embodiments may be within the scope of protection of the presented claims.

Claims

1. A toothbrush device, comprising: a sensing module configured to detect one or more brushing parameters for determining at least brushing intensity; one or more processors communicatively coupled to the sensing module and configured to determining at least said scrubbing intensity; as well as The determined scrubbing intensity is output.

2. The toothbrush device according to claim 1, wherein: The brushing intensity is determined based on at least an acceleration of the toothbrush device along at least one axis during brushing, wherein the acceleration is determined using the sensing module.

3. The toothbrush device according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more processors are configured using the determined acceleration to determine the brushing intensity based on at least one of: a number of brush strokes counted by the one or more processors during brushing, a duration of each brush stroke during brushing, and any combination thereof.

4. The toothbrush device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more processors are configured to determining one or more measurements based on at least the detected brushing parameter; as well as The one or more determined measurements are stored in one or more memory locations communicatively coupled to the one or more processors.

5. The toothbrush device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a housing comprising the brush head, the interchangeable motor module and one or more feedback modules, wherein The one or more feedback modules are configured to receive the one or more stored measurements and generate one or more feedback signals.

6. The toothbrush device according to claim 5, wherein: The interchangeable motor module includes one or more power modules, one or more memory devices, and the one or more processors.

7. The toothbrush device according to claim 4, wherein: The one or more measurement values ​​include one or more time periods, and the one or more time periods include at least one of the following: the start time of using the toothbrush device, the end time of using the toothbrush device, the length of time of using the toothbrush device, the number of times the toothbrush device is used, the duration between at least two uses of the toothbrush device, and any combination thereof.

8. A toothbrush device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The sensing module includes at least one of the following: an accelerometer, a clock, a monitoring module, and any combination thereof.

9. The toothbrush device according to claim 4, wherein: The one or more measurements include at least one of: a brushing pressure parameter, one or more parameters associated with a brushing motion, a position of the toothbrush device in a user's mouth during brushing, brushing coverage of a user's mouth, and any combination thereof.

10. The toothbrush device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more transmission modules configured to transmit one or more feedback signals to one or more external devices communicatively coupled to the toothbrush device, wherein The one or more feedback signals include the at least one brushing intensity.

11. The toothbrush device according to claim 10, wherein The one or more external devices are configured to: decoding the one or more feedback signals; and One or more reports indicative of toothbrush device usage are generated based on the one or more decoded feedback signals.

12. The toothbrush device according to claim 11, wherein The feedback signal includes at least one of the following: an audio signal, a visual signal, a light signal, an ultrasonic signal, a vibration, and any combination thereof.

13. The toothbrush device according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more feedback signals correspond to different time periods during use of the toothbrush device.

14. The toothbrush device according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more feedback signals correspond to one or more parameters associated with the operation of the toothbrush device.

15. The toothbrush device according to claim 14, wherein The one or more measured values ​​are compared to one or more predetermined usage values.

16. The toothbrush device according to claim 15, wherein The one or more predetermined usage values ​​include at least one of: a minimum duration of brushing, a maximum duration of brushing, a minimum duration between brushings, a maximum duration between brushings, a desired pressure applied by the bristles of the brush head on the user's teeth and / or gums, a maximum level of movement of the toothbrush device, a minimum level of movement of the toothbrush device, a desired brushing coverage within an area of ​​the user's mouth, a length of time the toothbrush device is in a particular area, and any combination thereof.

17. The toothbrush device according to claim 15, wherein: The one or more feedback signals are generated based on a comparison of the one or more measured values ​​and the one or more predetermined usage values.

18. The toothbrush device according to claim 4, wherein: The one or more feedback signals are generated using at least one of: automatically, at a predetermined time period, and after each use of the toothbrush device.

19. The toothbrush device according to claim 4, wherein: The one or more feedback signals are generated based on an operating mode of the toothbrush device.

20. The toothbrush device of claim 19, wherein The operating mode includes at least one of: a low mode, a high mode, a soft mode, a whitening mode, a gentle mode, a firm mode, a communication mode, and any combination thereof.

21. The toothbrush device according to claim 4, wherein: The one or more feedback signals include one or more audio signals having a predetermined frequency range.

22. A method for determining brushing intensity of a toothbrush device during brushing, the toothbrush device comprising a sensing module communicatively coupled to one or more processors, the method comprising: detecting one or more brushing parameters for determining at least brushing intensity; determining at least said scrubbing intensity; as well as The determined scrubbing intensity is output.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein: The brushing intensity is determined based on at least an acceleration of the toothbrush device along at least one axis during brushing, wherein the acceleration is determined using the sensing module.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: The one or more processors are configured using the determined acceleration to determine the brushing intensity based on at least one of: a number of brush strokes counted by the one or more processors during brushing, a duration of each brush stroke during brushing, and any combination thereof.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising: determining one or more measurements based on at least the detected brushing parameter; as well as The one or more determined measurements are stored in one or more memory locations communicatively coupled to the one or more processors.

26. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 25, wherein: The toothbrush apparatus comprises a housing including a brush head, an interchangeable motor module, and one or more feedback modules, wherein the one or more feedback modules are configured to receive the one or more stored measurements and generate one or more feedback signals.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein: The interchangeable motor module includes one or more power modules, one or more memory devices, and the one or more processors.

28. The method according to claim 25, wherein: The one or more measurement values ​​include one or more time periods, and the one or more time periods include at least one of the following: the start time of using the toothbrush device, the end time of using the toothbrush device, the length of time of using the toothbrush device, the number of times the toothbrush device is used, the duration between at least two uses of the toothbrush device, and any combination thereof.

29. A method according to any one of the preceding claims 22 to 28, wherein: The sensing module includes at least one of the following: an accelerometer, a clock, a monitoring module, and any combination thereof.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein: The one or more measurements include at least one of: a brushing pressure parameter, one or more parameters associated with a brushing motion, a position of the toothbrush device in the user's mouth during brushing, brushing coverage of the user's mouth, and any combination thereof.

31. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 30, wherein: The toothbrush apparatus includes one or more transmission modules configured to transmit one or more feedback signals to one or more external devices communicatively coupled to the toothbrush apparatus, wherein the one or more feedback signals include the at least one brushing intensity.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein: The one or more external devices are configured to: decoding the one or more feedback signals; and One or more reports indicative of toothbrush device usage are generated based on the one or more decoded feedback signals.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein: The feedback signal includes at least one of the following: an audio signal, a visual signal, a light signal, an ultrasonic signal, a vibration, and any combination thereof.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein: The one or more feedback signals correspond to different time periods during use of the toothbrush device.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein: The one or more feedback signals correspond to one or more parameters associated with the operation of the toothbrush device.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein: The one or more measured values ​​are compared to one or more predetermined usage values.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein: The one or more predetermined usage values ​​include at least one of: a minimum duration of brushing, a maximum duration of brushing, a minimum duration between brushings, a maximum duration between brushings, a desired pressure applied by the bristles of the brush head on the user's teeth and / or gums, a maximum level of movement of the toothbrush device, a minimum level of movement of the toothbrush device, a desired brushing coverage within an area of ​​the user's mouth, a length of time the toothbrush device is in a particular area, and any combination thereof.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein: The one or more feedback signals are generated based on a comparison of the one or more measured values ​​and the one or more predetermined usage values.

39. The method of claim 25, wherein: The one or more feedback signals are generated using at least one of: automatically, at a predetermined time period, and after each use of the toothbrush device.

40. The method of claim 25, wherein: The one or more feedback signals are generated based on an operating mode of the toothbrush device.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein: The operating mode includes at least one of: a low mode, a high mode, a soft mode, a whitening mode, a gentle mode, a firm mode, a communication mode, and any combination thereof.

42. The method of claim 25, wherein: The one or more feedback signals include one or more audio signals having a predetermined frequency range.

43. A medical system comprising: Toothbrush equipment, including: a sensing module configured to detect one or more brushing parameters for determining at least brushing intensity; one or more processors communicatively coupled to the sensing module and configured to determining at least the brushing intensity; and outputting the determined scrubbing intensity; An external communication module is communicatively coupled to the toothbrush device, the external communication module being configured to receive one or more feedback signals representative of the determined brushing intensity.

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