Tooth brushing device

Abstract

The subject matter of the present disclosure relates to a tooth brushing device (20). The tooth brushing device (22) comprises: a mouth piece (22) for covering a plurality of teeth of a dental arch; a plurality of cleaning elements (24) distributed around the mouthpiece; and a plurality of actuators for moving the plurality of cleaning elements, wherein each cleaning element of the plurality of cleaning elements is associated with a different actuator of the plurality of actuators.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The subject matter of the present disclosure relates to the field of dental hygiene. More specifically, the subject matter of the present invention relates to a toothbrushing device. Background Art

[0002] Figure 1 A toothbrushing device 10 known in the prior art is shown. The toothbrushing device 10 includes an oral piece 12 and a handle 14 connected to the oral piece 12 so as to be located on the facial side of the front teeth during use. The handle 14 houses an actuator for powering cleaning elements distributed around the oral piece 12.

[0003] Due to losses along the cleaning elements and in the drive train present in the handle towards the cleaning elements, such a device may be difficult to clean teeth at the distal end of the actuator, such as molars.

[0004] The object of the subject matter of the present disclosure is to improve the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toothbrushing device comprising: an oral piece for covering a plurality of teeth of an arch; a plurality of cleaning elements distributed around the oral piece; and a plurality of actuators for moving the plurality of cleaning elements, wherein each of the plurality of cleaning elements is associated with a different one of the plurality of actuators.

[0006] By employing a plurality of cleaning elements each associated with a different actuator means, losses along the distal portion of the cleaning elements to the oral piece will be reduced. Thus, more uniform tooth cleaning across the entire arch can be achieved. It should be understood that the term "different" may be used herein to mean one actuator per cleaning element. While it is conceivable that each actuator could be a different type of actuator, in some embodiments, the plurality of actuators may all be of the same type.

[0007] In one embodiment, in use, the plurality of actuators may be positioned within the user's oral cavity. In this way, the center of gravity of the device will be within the user's oral cavity, making the device more comfortable for the user during toothbrushing.

[0008] In one embodiment, the plurality of actuators may be distributed around the oral piece at the occlusal portion of the arch. Positioning the actuators at the occlusal portion of the arch is most convenient when considering the most common up-and-down toothbrushing motion.

[0009] In one embodiment, one or more of the plurality of actuators may include an actuator selected from the following list, which includes: piezoelectric actuators, motors with eccentric devices, magnetostrictive actuators, electroactive polymers, shape memory alloys, and shape memory polymers.

[0010] In one embodiment, the brushing device may further include a clamp that is operable to bias the oral element against the dental arch. In this way, the clamp can help ensure that the correct brushing force is applied by the cleaning elements during brushing.

[0011] In one embodiment, the clamp may be provided by a shape memory alloy or a shape memory polymer. Such materials provide an easy way to accommodate the clamp without taking up too much space in the oral cavity.

[0012] In one embodiment, one or more of the plurality of cleaning elements may include a tuft of bristles.

[0013] In one embodiment, one or more of the plurality of cleaning elements may include an interdental brush.

[0014] In one embodiment, the interdental brush may be formed by one of the actuators of the plurality of actuators, and the actuator of the interdental brush preferably includes an electroactive polymer. In such an embodiment, the electroactive polymer works well to save space inside the oral cavity.

[0015] In one embodiment, the oral element for covering a plurality of teeth of a dental arch may be an oral element for covering a plurality of teeth of two dental arches from opposite jaws of a wearer. In this way, the brushing time is reduced since two dental arches can be cleaned simultaneously.

[0016] In one embodiment, the oral element may have a substantially H-shaped cross-section. This is in contrast to embodiments where the oral element may be configured to clean a single dental arch, in which case the oral element may have a substantially U-shaped cross-section.

[0017] In one embodiment, the oral element may be divided into a plurality of segments, where each segment may include an actuator of the plurality of actuators and a cleaning element of the plurality of cleaning elements. In this way, it is easier to locate the segment where the actuator or the cleaning element has failed.

[0018] In one embodiment, the brushing device further includes a plurality of connectors, where each of the plurality of connectors may be configured to connect a corresponding adjacent segment of the plurality of segments together, and each connector may be configured to allow the corresponding adjacent segments of the plurality of segments to separate. In this way, in the case where an actuator or a cleaning element fails, the segments can be disconnected to replace the segment. Additionally, disconnecting the segments allows the user to adapt the oral element to better fit different sizes of teeth, such as smaller teeth and larger teeth.

[0019] In one embodiment, one or more of the plurality of connectors may be flexible. In this way, the oral element can more easily conform to the specific geometry of the user's dental arch.

[0020] In one embodiment, the tooth brushing device may include a power unit for powering the plurality of actuators, wherein the power unit may be positioned on the facial side of the dental arch. In this way, for comfort reasons, the power unit may be positioned outside the user's oral cavity.

[0021] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Embodiments of the present invention may be best understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a tooth brushing device known in the prior art;

[0024] Figure 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a portion of a tooth brushing apparatus according to one or more embodiments;

[0025] Figure 3 Shown Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a toothbrush device;

[0026] Figure 4 Shown is the representation Figure 2 A block diagram of various features of a tooth brushing device;

[0027] Figure 5 Shown from Figure 2 Example actuator for a tooth brushing device;

[0028] Figure 6 Shown Figure 2 A cleaning element in the form of an interdental brush and an actuator for a toothbrush device;

[0029] Figure 7 Shown for Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the actuator type in the interdental brush; and

[0030] Figure 8 Shown with Figure 7 Schematic diagram of different interdental brushes shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] At least some of the example embodiments described herein may be constructed, in part or in whole, using dedicated special-purpose hardware. Terms used herein such as "component", "module", or "unit" may include, but are not limited to, hardware devices such as circuitry in the form of discrete or integrated components, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) that perform certain tasks or provide related functionality. In some embodiments, the elements described may be configured to reside on a tangible, persistent, addressable storage medium and may be configured to execute on one or more processors. In some embodiments, these functional elements may include, for example, components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. Although example embodiments have been described with reference to components, modules, and units discussed herein, such functional elements may be combined into fewer elements or separated into additional elements. Various combinations of optional features have been described herein, and it should be understood that the described features may be combined in any suitable combination. In particular, the features of any one example embodiment may be suitably combined with the features of any other embodiment, unless such combination is mutually exclusive. Throughout the specification, the term "comprising" or "comprises" means including the specified components but not excluding the presence of other components.

[0032] Referring to Figure 2 , according to one or more embodiments, the toothbrushing device 20 includes an oral member 22 for covering a plurality of teeth of an arch and a plurality of cleaning elements 24 distributed around the oral member 22. The oral member 22 is divided into a plurality of segments 26. The toothbrushing device 20 includes a plurality of connectors 28. Each connector 28 is configured to connect adjacent segments 26 together. Each connector 28 is configured to allow the respective adjacent segments 26 to separate. One or more of the connectors 28 may be flexible.

[0033] Referring to Figure 3 , the toothbrushing device 20 may have a substantially H-shaped cross-section. In embodiments in which the oral member 22 is divided into two oral members, one oral member for each arch, the two oral members may be substantially U-shaped. The device 20 may also include a plurality of actuators 30 for moving the plurality of cleaning elements 24. The plurality of actuators 30 may be distributed around the oral member. The plurality of actuators 30 may be disposed within the user's oral cavity. In use, the actuators 30 may be disposed on the occlusal side of the teeth of the wearer's arch. In other embodiments, the actuators may be disposed on the lingual side, or the facial or oral side of the teeth. Each cleaning element 24 is associated with a different one of the plurality of actuators 30. Each segment includes an actuator 30 and a cleaning element 24.

[0034] Referring to Figure 4 , the toothbrushing device 20 includes an actuator 30, a cleaning element 24, a power unit 32, and a processor 34. The processor 34 can be, for example, a microprocessor. The power unit 32 can power the actuator 30 and the processor 34. The processor 34 is configured to send control commands to the actuator 30 to apply a force to the cleaning element 24 to move them for cleaning. For example, the movement can be a toothbrushing movement. The toothbrushing movement can be an up-and-down (vertical) movement, a left-and-right (horizontal) movement, a tapping movement, or a combination of two or more of these movements. The type and location of the actuator and the orientation of its axis can be selected to provide the desired movement. The power unit 32 can be a battery frame for housing a battery. The battery can be a primary battery or a secondary battery. In some embodiments, the power unit 32 can be positioned on the facial side of the dental arch. More specifically, in use, the power unit 32 can be arranged to sit outside the user's oral cavity.

[0035] In Figure 5 , an example of the actuator 30 is shown. The actuator 30 includes a housing 36 and a movable arm 38 for providing a longitudinal, reciprocating movement. The actuator 30 can be a hybrid of different types of actuators, or can all be the same type of actuator. Types of actuators that can be used for the toothbrushing device 20 include piezoelectric actuators, motors with eccentric devices, magnetostrictive actuators, electroactive polymers, shape memory alloys, and shape memory polymers.

[0036] Referring to Figure 6 , one or more cleaning elements 24 can be arranged in the form of bristles or bristle clusters in a bristle zone, or as an interdental brush. One or more bristles or clusters, or an interdental brush can be formed by one of the actuators 30. More specifically, they can be formed by one or more electroactive polymer actuators.

[0037] Referring to Figure 7 and 8 , an electroactive polymer can deform in response to a voltage potential applied thereto. Thus, applying a voltage affects the deformation of the interdental brush to clean between the teeth of the dental arch.

[0038] The cleaning element 24 can also include bristle clusters.

[0039] The toothbrushing device 20 can also include a clamp that is operable to bias the oral piece against the dental arch. The clamp can be provided by providing the cleaning element 24 or the oral piece 22 in the form of a shape memory alloy or a shape memory polymer.

[0040] Although the present invention has been described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, such description and illustration shall be considered illustrative or exemplary rather than restrictive; the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

[0041] By studying the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims, those skilled in the art can understand and realize other variations of the disclosed embodiments when practicing the claimed invention. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may implement the functions of several items recited in the claims. The fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A toothbrushing device (20), comprising: an oral member (22) for covering a plurality of teeth of a dental arch; a plurality of cleaning elements (24) distributed around the oral member; and a plurality of actuators (30) for moving the plurality of cleaning elements, wherein each of the plurality of cleaning elements is associated with a different one of the plurality of actuators.

2. The toothbrushing device according to claim 1, wherein in use, the plurality of actuators are positioned within a user's oral cavity.

3. The toothbrushing device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of actuators are distributed around the oral member at an occlusal portion of the dental arch.

4. The brushing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of the plurality of actuators comprise an actuator selected from the following list, the list comprising: Piezoelectric actuators, motors with eccentric devices, magnetostrictive actuators, electroactive polymers, shape memory alloys, and shape memory polymers.

5. The toothbrushing device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a clamp that is operable to bias the oral member against the dental arch.

6. The toothbrushing device according to claim 5, wherein the clamp is provided by a shape memory alloy or a shape memory polymer.

7. The toothbrushing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of the plurality of cleaning elements comprise bristle clusters.

8. The toothbrushing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of the plurality of cleaning elements comprise interdental brushes.

9. The toothbrushing device according to claim 8, wherein the interdental brush is formed by one of the actuators of the plurality of actuators, and wherein the actuator of the interdental brush preferably comprises an electroactive polymer.

10. The toothbrushing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the oral member for covering the plurality of teeth of the dental arch is an oral member for covering the plurality of teeth of two dental arches from opposite jaws of a wearer.

11. The toothbrushing device according to claim 10, wherein the oral member has a substantially H-shaped cross-section.

12. The toothbrushing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the oral member is divided into a plurality of segments, wherein each segment comprises an actuator of the plurality of actuators and a cleaning element of the plurality of cleaning elements.

13. The toothbrushing device according to claim 12, further comprising a plurality of connectors, wherein each of the plurality of connectors is configured to connect corresponding adjacent segments of the plurality of segments together, and wherein each connector is configured to allow the corresponding adjacent segments of the plurality of segments to separate.

14. The toothbrushing device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein one or more of the plurality of connectors are flexible.

15. The toothbrushing device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a power unit (32) for powering the plurality of actuators, wherein the power unit is positioned on a facial side of the dental arch.

Images