Toothbrush head and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a toothbrush head and a manufacturing method thereof.The manufacturing method of the toothbrush head comprises the following steps that a jig is provided, and the jig is provided with a profiled groove and at least two positioning holes formed in the groove bottom of the profiled groove; fixing rings are arranged in the positioning holes; a bristle bundle is arranged on the fixing ring in a penetrating mode, the end, exposed out of the profiled groove, of the bristle bundle is subjected to hot melting to form fixing ends, and at least two fixing ends are arranged at intervals; a brush handle is arranged in the groove, soft rubber is formed through injection molding to wrap the fixing ring, the fixing end and the brush handle, and the toothbrush head is obtained. According to the toothbrush head manufactured by the manufacturing method of the toothbrush head, the fixed ends of the at least two bristle bundles are arranged at intervals on the profile groove side, and after the soft rubber body is formed through injection molding to wrap the fixed ring, the fixed ends and the brush handle, the fixed ends arranged at intervals can swing relative to the soft rubber body when the free ends of the bristle bundles are extruded and deflected in the use process of a user; namely, the bristle bundle has a higher swinging freedom degree, so that the toothbrush can be better adapted to the angles of teeth and gingiva, and the use comfort is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of toothbrush heads, and in particular to a toothbrush head and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the related art, such as the brush head and its manufacturing method disclosed in patent CN112438480A, the bristles of the brush head are welded into a whole piece on one side of the brush handle mounting portion to form a welded connecting piece. When the vibration motor of the electric toothbrush drives the bristles to vibrate through the brush handle, all the bristle bundles are driven to vibrate by the welded connecting piece, and the swing freedom of a single bristle bundle is low, and its swing angle is difficult to change according to the angle of the toothbrush relative to the teeth, and the comfort of use needs to be improved. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiment of the present invention provides a toothbrush head and a manufacturing method thereof, which improves the comfort of using the toothbrush head.

[0004] A method for manufacturing a toothbrush head comprises the following steps:

[0005] Providing a jig, the jig having a groove and at least two positioning holes arranged at the bottom of the groove;

[0006] A fixing ring is arranged in the positioning hole;

[0007] A bristle bundle is passed through the fixing ring, and one end of the bristle bundle exposed to the groove is hot-melted to form a fixing end, and at least two fixing ends are spaced apart; and

[0008] A brush handle is arranged in the groove, and a soft colloid is formed by injection molding to wrap the fixing ring, the fixing end and the brush handle, so as to obtain a toothbrush head.

[0009] In one embodiment, the positioning holes correspond one-to-one to the fixing rings, the fixing rings correspond one-to-one to the bristle bundles, the bristle bundles correspond one-to-one to the fixed ends, and all the positioning holes are spaced apart in the grooves, and the fixed ends of any two adjacent bristle bundles are spaced apart.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, in the step of hot-melting one end of the bristle bundle exposed to the groove to form a fixed end, the fixed end is solidified into a non-fixed shape.

[0011] In one embodiment, a limiting portion is provided on the hole wall of the positioning hole, and the limiting portion is used to abut against the fixing ring so that the fixing ring partially extends into the positioning hole, and the remaining part of the fixing ring is exposed to the groove;

[0012] In the step of injection molding a soft colloid to wrap the fixing ring, the fixing end and the brush handle, the soft colloid wraps the fixing ring exposed to the groove, and after obtaining the toothbrush head, the fixing ring protrudes from the outer surface of the soft colloid.

[0013] In one embodiment, after the step of hot-melting one end of the bristle bundle exposed to the groove to form a fixed end, the width of the fixed end is greater than the width of the through hole of the fixing ring, and the fixed end protrudes from the fixing ring on the groove side.

[0014] In one embodiment, the fixture has a brush handle groove connected to the mold groove, and the brush handle groove is used to limit the brush handle.

[0015] In one embodiment, the brush handle includes an integrally formed connecting portion and a transition portion. In the step of arranging the brush handle in the groove and injection molding a soft colloid to wrap the fixing ring, the fixed end and the brush handle, the transition portion is limited to the brush handle groove, and the soft colloid wraps the entire connecting portion.

[0016] In one of the embodiments, in the step of arranging the brush handle in the groove, the end of the fixing ring exposed to the groove is spaced apart from the connecting portion.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, the outer contour of the cross section of the positioning hole at one end close to the groove is polygonal or arc-shaped and matches the shape of the fixing ring, and the inner contour of the cross section of the fixing ring is arc-shaped.

[0018] A toothbrush head is manufactured by any of the above manufacturing methods for a toothbrush head.

[0019] In the toothbrush head made by the above manufacturing method of a toothbrush head, the fixed ends of at least two bristle bundles are spaced apart on the side of the groove, and after the soft colloid is formed by injection molding to wrap the fixed ring, the fixed end and the brush handle, during use by the user, when the free end of the bristle bundle is squeezed and deflected, the spaced apart fixed end can swing relative to the soft colloid, that is, the bristle bundle has a higher degree of freedom of swinging, thereby better adapting to the angle of teeth and gums, thereby improving the comfort of use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0021] Figure 1is a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a toothbrush head according to an embodiment;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a toothbrush head according to an embodiment;

[0023] Figure 3 An exploded view of a toothbrush head according to an embodiment;

[0024] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Another exploded view of the toothbrush head shown;

[0025] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a fixture according to an embodiment;

[0026] Figure 6 for Figure 5 An enlarged schematic diagram of point A of the fixture shown.

[0027] Reference numerals:

[0028] Toothbrush head 10, brush handle 100, connecting portion 110, protruding anchor point 111, transition portion 120, bristle assembly 200, bristle bundle 210, free end 211, fixed end 213, fixing ring 220, through hole 220a, soft colloid 300, fixture 40, groove 40a, positioning hole 40b, brush handle groove 40c, limiting portion 41 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more fully below with reference to the relevant drawings. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are provided in the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0030] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0032] refer to Figure 1 The present application discloses a method for manufacturing a toothbrush head, combining Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The toothbrush head 10 manufactured by the manufacturing method of the toothbrush head of the present application may include a hard brush handle 100 and a bristle assembly 200 connected to the hard brush handle 100. The end of the hard brush handle 100 away from the bristle assembly 200 can be used to insert and fix the vibration shaft of the electric toothbrush, and the vibration of the vibration shaft is transmitted to the bristle assembly 200 through the hard brush handle 100. The brush handle 100 is usually made of hard plastic. It can be understood that when the Shore hardness of the plastic is less than 77HD, the plastic can be called soft plastic; when the hardness of the plastic is greater than 77HD, the plastic can be called hard plastic.

[0033] The bristle assembly 200 may include a bristle bundle 210 and a fixed ring 220, the bristle bundle 210 includes a relatively free end 211 and a fixed end 213, the bristle bundle 210 is inserted into the fixed ring 220, and the fixed end 213 is exposed on the side of the fixed ring 220 away from the free end 211, the fixed end 213 of any bristle bundle 210 is integrally formed, for example, hot-melted into one, the fixed ends 213 of adjacent bristle bundles 210 are spaced apart, and adjacent fixed rings 220 are arranged at intervals, and the hard brush handle 100 is connected to the fixed ring 220 by a soft colloid 300 formed by injection molding.

[0034] The free end 211 of the bristle bundle 210 is the end that can contact the teeth and perform brushing operations. The bristle bundle 210 may include multiple bristles or a whole bristle. These bristles are arranged in the through hole 220a of the fixed ring 220, and the fixed end 213 and the free end 211 thereof protrude from the fixed ring 220 respectively, and the height of the free end 211 protruding from the fixed ring 220 is greater than the height of the fixed end 213 protruding from the fixed ring 220, so that the user can use the free end 211 to clean the oral cavity. The bristle bundle 210 is hot-melted into one at the fixed end 213, that is, the fixed end 213 of the bristle bundle 210 is not completely received in the fixed ring 220, and part of it protrudes from the side of the fixed ring 220 away from the free end 211 to facilitate the hot-melt operation. The shape of the fixed end 213 after hot melting does not need to be fixed. In other words, it is only necessary to hot melt the side of the bristle bundle 210 protruding from the fixing ring 220 away from the free end 211 to achieve fixed connection of multiple bristles of the same bristle bundle 210 and prevent the bristle bundle 210 from easily escaping from the fixing ring 220.

[0035] The cross-sectional shape of the fixing ring 220 may be polygonal or circular, that is, the fixing ring 220 may be a hollow prism or a cylinder, which can prevent the bristle bundle 210 from spreading and maintain the bundle shape of the bristle bundle 210. The fixing rings 220 are arranged at intervals from each other and connected to the soft colloid 300 formed by injection molding of the hard brush handle 100. The bristle assembly 200 is arranged on the hard brush handle 100, or there is a small gap between the bristle assembly 200 and the hard brush handle 100, and then fixed by injection molding of the soft colloid 300. The hard brush handle 100 can directly transmit vibration to the bristle bundle 210 on the bristle assembly 200, or transmit vibration to the bristle bundle 210 on the bristle assembly 200 through the soft colloid 300. The bristle assembly 200 has a high degree of freedom of swinging and a soft touch.

[0036] In this method, the bristle bundle 210 is formed into a bristle assembly 200 through a fixing ring 220, and the fixing ring 220 is arranged at intervals on the hard brush handle 100, and connected by injection molding soft colloid 300. When the vibration axis of the electric toothbrush drives the bristles to vibrate through the hard brush handle 100 and the soft colloid 300, the bristle assembly 200, as an independent unit, has a relatively high degree of freedom of swinging combined with the deformation of the soft colloid 300, so it can adapt to the changes in the angle of the toothbrush head 10 relative to the teeth and the shape of the tooth surface. When the soft colloid 300 contacts the teeth, gums or the inner wall of the oral cavity, it feels softer, which can improve the comfort of brushing.

[0037] Continue to refer Figure 2 The soft colloid 300 can cover at least a portion of the fixing ring 220 and all of the fixing ends 213 . In other words, the fixing ends 213 of the bristle bundle 210 are encapsulated in the soft colloid 300 , and at least a portion of the fixing ring 220 is encapsulated in the soft colloid 300 .

[0038] Further, combined with Figure 3The top of the hard brush handle 100 may be provided with a raised anchor point 111, and the soft colloid 300 wraps the top of the hard brush handle 100 and is arranged around the raised anchor point 111 or wraps the raised anchor point 111. Specifically, the hard brush handle 100 includes an integrally formed connecting portion 110 and a transition portion 120. At the connection between the connecting portion 110 and the transition portion 120, the width of the connecting portion 110 is smaller than the transition portion 120, so that a step-like structure is formed. The bristle assembly 200 is fixed to the connecting portion 110 by the soft colloid 300, and the soft colloid 300 wraps the entire connecting portion 110. The transition portion 120 can be used to dock with the vibration shaft of the electric toothbrush, and the raised anchor point 111 is located at the connecting portion 110. The soft colloid 300 wraps the entire connection part 110, that is, the outer surface of the connection part 110 is not exposed in the part where the connection part 110 of the hard brush handle 100 is located, thereby preventing the connection part 110 of the hard brush handle 100 from accidentally hitting the gums or teeth during the user's brushing process and causing discomfort. The raised anchor point 111, the connection part 110 and the transition part 120 form a step-like structure, which can improve the combination stability of the soft colloid 300 and the hard brush handle 100, and prevent the molten soft colloid from easily escaping from the hard brush handle 100 or loosening along the axial direction of the hard brush handle 100 after solidifying on the hard brush handle 100.

[0039] Continue to refer Figure 1 , and combined with Figure 5 , the manufacturing method of the toothbrush head comprises the following steps:

[0040] S100 , providing a jig 40 , wherein the jig 40 has a groove 40 a and at least two positioning holes 40 b disposed at the bottom of the groove 40 a .

[0041] In some embodiments, the material of the jig 40 is metal such as steel or aluminum alloy, which can be placed in an injection mold for subsequent injection molding. One side surface of the jig 40 is recessed to form a groove 40a with a trough-like structure, and the shape of the groove 40a determines the shape of the soft colloid 300 that is finally injection molded. The positioning hole 40b extends from the bottom of the groove 40a to the other side of the jig 40. The outer contour of the cross section of the positioning hole 40b close to one end of the groove 40a is polygonal or arc-shaped and matches the shape of the fixing ring 220. The polygon is not limited to a rectangle, a pentagon or a hexagon, and the arc is not limited to an ellipse, a waist or a runway. The shape, quantity, aperture, and arrangement of the positioning holes 40b can be determined according to design requirements and can be flexibly customized.

[0042] S200: Set the fixing ring 220 in the positioning hole 40b.

[0043] The inner contour of the cross section of the fixing ring 220 can be an arc shape, such as an ellipse, a circle, a waist shape, etc., or a polygon. The fixing ring 220 is generally made of hard plastic, which can keep the bristle bundle 210 inserted therein in a bundle shape to prevent the bristle bundle 210 from easily dispersing after repeated use. The shape of the positioning hole 40b matches the shape of the fixing ring 220, so that the fixing ring 220 can be reliably limited in the positioning hole 40b. For example, a transition fit is used to realize the assembly of the fixing ring 220 and the positioning hole 40b, so as to prevent the fixing ring 220 from shaking during the subsequent processing due to excessive gap in the positioning hole 40b.

[0044] Combined with Figure 6 The hole wall of the positioning hole 40b may be provided with a limiting portion 41. After the fixing ring 220 is inserted into the positioning hole 40b, the limiting portion 41 abuts against the fixing ring 220, so that the fixing ring 220 partially extends into the positioning hole 40b, and the remaining part of the fixing ring 220 is exposed to the groove 40a. In the subsequent step of injection molding to form the soft colloid 300 to wrap the fixing ring 220, the fixing end 213 and the brush handle 100, the soft colloid 300 wraps the fixing ring 220 exposed to the groove 40a, and after the toothbrush head 10 is obtained, the fixing ring 220 protrudes from the outer surface of the soft colloid 300.

[0045] In the embodiment of the present application, the positioning holes 40b correspond one-to-one to the fixing rings 220, the fixing rings 220 correspond one-to-one to the bristle bundles 210, the bristle bundles 210 correspond one-to-one to the fixed ends 213, and all the positioning holes 40b are spaced apart in the groove 40a, and the fixed ends 213 of any two adjacent bristle bundles 210 are spaced apart, so that after the soft colloid 300 is injection molded, any bristle bundle 210 has a fixed end 213, the fixed ends 213 of any two adjacent bristle bundles 210 are spaced apart, and any two adjacent fixing rings 220 are arranged at intervals.

[0046] S300, the bristle bundle 210 is passed through the fixing ring 220, and one end of the bristle bundle 210 exposed to the groove 40a is hot-melted to form a fixing end 213, and at least two fixing ends 213 are arranged at intervals.

[0047] In the step of hot-melting the end of the bristle bundle 210 exposed to the groove 40a to form the fixed end 213, the fixed end 213 is solidified into a non-fixed shape. In other words, it is only necessary to hot-melt the side of the bristle bundle 210 protruding from the fixing ring 220 away from the free end 211 on one side of the groove 40a to achieve fixed connection of multiple bristles of the same bristle bundle 210 and prevent the bristle bundle 210 from easily falling out of the fixing ring 220. Furthermore, after the step of hot-melting one end of the bristle bundle 210 exposed to the groove 40a to form a fixed end 213, the width of the fixed end 213 after hot-melt solidification is greater than the width of the through hole 220a of the fixing ring 220, and the fixed end 213 protrudes from the fixing ring 220 on the side of the groove 40a. This structure can prevent the bristle bundle 210 from easily escaping from the fixing ring 220, ensure the reliability of the bristle bundle 210 in the fixing ring 220, and enable any bristle bundle 210 to have appropriate swinging freedom after being wrapped by the soft colloid 300.

[0048] S400 , setting the brush handle 100 in the groove 40 a , and injecting the soft colloid 300 to wrap the fixing ring 220 , the fixing end 213 and the brush handle 100 , so as to obtain the toothbrush head 10 .

[0049] In some embodiments, the fixture 40 has a brush handle groove 40c connected to the profile groove 40a, and the brush handle groove 40c is used to limit the brush handle 100. Specifically, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 In an embodiment where the brush handle 100 includes an integrally formed connecting portion 110 and a transition portion 120 , the transition portion 120 is limited to the brush handle groove 40 c , and the soft colloid 300 wraps the entire connecting portion 110 .

[0050] Further, in some embodiments, in the step of setting the brush handle 100 in the groove 40a, the end of the fixing ring 220 exposed to the groove 40a is spaced apart from the connecting portion 110. This effect can be achieved by designing the structure of the brush handle groove 40c, that is, when the connecting portion 110 of the brush handle 100 is limited in the brush handle groove 40c, the end of the fixing ring 220 exposed to the groove 40a is spaced apart from the connecting portion 110.

[0051] In other words, after the soft glue is solidified to form the soft glue body 300, a soft glue layer can be formed between one end of the fixing ring 220 located in the soft glue body 300 and the connecting part 110, so that there is still a suitable deformation space between the fixed end 213 of the bristle bundle 210 and the connecting part 110. When the bristle bundle 210 is subjected to pressure along its length direction, it can also make a small displacement to one side of the connecting part 110, thereby further improving the swinging freedom of the bristle bundle 210.

[0052] Of course, in other embodiments, when designing the structure of the brush handle groove 40c, after the transition portion 120 of the brush handle 100 is limited in the brush handle groove 40c, the end of the fixing ring 220 exposed to the groove 40a can be arranged in contact with the connecting portion 110, that is, there is no need to form a soft rubber layer between the two, so that the vibration energy of the hard brush handle 100 can be more transmitted to the bristle bundle 210.

[0053] In the toothbrush head 10 manufactured by the above manufacturing method of a toothbrush head, the fixed ends 213 of at least two bristle bundles 210 are spaced apart on the side of the groove 40a. After the soft colloid 300 is formed by injection molding to wrap the fixed ring 220, the fixed end 213 and the brush handle 100, during use by the user, when the free end 211 of the bristle bundle 210 is squeezed and deflected, the spaced apart fixed end 213 can swing relative to the soft colloid 300, that is, the bristle bundle 210 has a higher degree of freedom of swinging, thereby better adapting to the angle of teeth and gums, thereby improving the comfort of use.

[0054] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0055] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a toothbrush head, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Providing a jig, the jig having a groove and at least two positioning holes arranged at the bottom of the groove; A fixing ring is arranged in the positioning hole; A bristle bundle is passed through the fixing ring, and one end of the bristle bundle exposed to the groove is hot-melted to form a fixing end, and at least two fixing ends are arranged at intervals; as well as A brush handle is arranged in the groove, and a soft colloid is formed by injection molding to wrap the fixing ring, the fixing end and the brush handle, so as to obtain a toothbrush head.

2. The method for manufacturing a toothbrush head according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning holes correspond one-to-one to the fixing rings, the fixing rings correspond one-to-one to the bristle bundles, the bristle bundles correspond one-to-one to the fixed ends, and all the positioning holes are spaced apart in the grooves, and the fixed ends of any two adjacent bristle bundles are spaced apart.

3. The method for manufacturing a toothbrush head according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the step of hot-melting one end of the bristle bundle exposed to the groove to form a fixed end, the fixed end is solidified into a non-fixed shape.

4. The method for manufacturing a toothbrush head according to claim 3, characterized in that: A limiting portion is provided on the hole wall of the positioning hole, and the limiting portion is used to abut against the fixing ring so that the fixing ring partially extends into the positioning hole, and the remaining part of the fixing ring is exposed to the groove; In the step of injection molding a soft colloid to wrap the fixing ring, the fixing end and the brush handle, the soft colloid wraps the fixing ring exposed to the groove, and after obtaining the toothbrush head, the fixing ring protrudes from the outer surface of the soft colloid.

5. The method for manufacturing a toothbrush head according to claim 3, characterized in that: After the step of hot-melting one end of the bristle bundle exposed to the groove to form a fixed end, the width of the fixed end is greater than the width of the through hole of the fixing ring, and the fixed end protrudes from the fixing ring on the side of the groove.

6. The method for manufacturing a toothbrush head according to claim 2, characterized in that: The fixture has a brush handle groove communicated with the profile groove, and the brush handle groove is used to limit the brush handle.

7. The method for manufacturing a toothbrush head according to claim 6, characterized in that: The brush handle includes an integrally formed connecting portion and a transition portion. In the step of arranging the brush handle in the groove and injecting a soft colloid to wrap the fixing ring, the fixing end and the brush handle, the transition portion is limited to the brush handle groove, and the soft colloid wraps the entire connecting portion.

8. The method for manufacturing a toothbrush head according to claim 7, characterized in that: In the step of arranging the brush handle in the groove, one end of the fixing ring exposed to the groove is spaced apart from the connecting portion.

9. The method for manufacturing a toothbrush head according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The outer contour of the cross section of the positioning hole at one end close to the groove is polygonal or arc-shaped and matches the shape of the fixing ring, and the inner contour of the cross section of the fixing ring is arc-shaped.

10. A toothbrush head, characterized in that: The toothbrush head is manufactured by the manufacturing method of the toothbrush head according to any one of claims 1-9.

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