Control method and control device of electric toothbrush and electric toothbrush

Abstract

The invention discloses a control method and device of an electric toothbrush and the electric toothbrush, and relates to the technical field of electric toothbrushes. The electric toothbrush comprises a motor, an attitude sensor for detecting the attitude of the electric toothbrush, a clock circuit for accumulating the working duration of the motor and a prompt circuit for outputting a prompt signal, and the method comprises the following steps: responding to a mode trigger signal, and confirming the target working duration range of the motor corresponding to a plurality of electric toothbrush attitudes according to the mode trigger signal; under the condition that the motor is in the working state, acquiring a posture detection signal output by the posture sensor, and accumulating working durations of a plurality of postures of the electric toothbrush through the clock circuit; and under the condition that at least one of the working durations of the plurality of electric toothbrush postures is smaller than the corresponding target working duration range, controlling a prompt circuit to output a corresponding prompt signal. The invention aims to improve the tooth cleaning degree of the electric toothbrush and improve the tooth cleaning safety degree of the electric toothbrush while improving the tooth cleaning degree of the user using the electric toothbrush.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electric toothbrush technology, and in particular to a control method, control device, and electric toothbrush. Background Technology

[0002] Electric toothbrushes have revolutionized oral hygiene by providing a superior cleaning experience. Compared to manual toothbrushes, electric toothbrushes offer superior cleaning power. However, many users struggle to control the brushing time, either stopping too early or brushing for too long. This results in plaque and food debris not being effectively removed, or even gum damage. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this invention is to provide a control method, control device, and electric toothbrush, aiming to improve the degree of tooth cleaning achieved by users while enhancing the safety of tooth cleaning.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes a control method for an electric toothbrush, wherein the electric toothbrush includes a motor, an attitude sensor for detecting the posture of the electric toothbrush, a clock circuit for accumulating the motor's operating time, and a prompting circuit for outputting a prompting signal. The method includes: In response to a mode trigger signal, the target working time range of the motor corresponding to multiple electric toothbrush postures is confirmed based on the mode trigger signal; When the motor is in operation, the attitude detection signal output by the attitude sensor is acquired, and the working time of multiple electric toothbrush attitudes is accumulated by the clock circuit. If at least one of the working durations of the various electric toothbrush postures is less than the corresponding target working duration range, the prompting circuit is controlled to output a corresponding prompting signal.

[0005] In one embodiment, the electric toothbrush includes a drive circuit for driving the motor; prior to the step of responding to a mode trigger signal and confirming, based on the mode trigger signal, the target operating time range of the motor corresponding to multiple electric toothbrush postures, the method further includes: In response to a mode trigger signal, the target drive mode corresponding to the motor is confirmed based on the mode trigger signal; Based on the target driving mode, the target working time range of the motor corresponding to multiple electric toothbrush postures is determined.

[0006] In one embodiment, the electric toothbrush further includes a mode switching circuit and a power-on trigger circuit. The mode switching circuit is used to output a mode switching signal when triggered, and the power-on trigger circuit is used to output a power-on signal when triggered. The mode trigger signal includes both a power-on signal and a mode switching signal. The electric toothbrush has multiple preset driving modes corresponding to the motor, and the multiple driving modes are arranged in a first order. The step of responding to the mode trigger signal and confirming the target driving mode corresponding to the motor based on the mode trigger signal specifically includes: In response to the power-on signal, confirm that the current drive mode is the target drive mode; In response to the mode switching signal, the next driving mode after the current driving mode is identified as the target driving mode in the first order.

[0007] In one embodiment, the step of acquiring the attitude detection signal output by the attitude sensor and accumulating the working time of multiple electric toothbrush attitudes via the clock circuit when the motor is in operation specifically includes: When the motor is in operation, the attitude detection signal output by the attitude sensor is acquired; When the posture detection signal corresponds to the electric toothbrush posture of the target driving mode, the clock circuit is controlled to accumulate the working time of the motor. When the posture of the electric toothbrush in the target driving mode corresponding to the posture detection signal changes, the cumulative value of the working time of the clock circuit under the corresponding electric toothbrush posture is saved.

[0008] In one embodiment, the electric toothbrush further includes a battery, and after the step of responding to a mode trigger signal and confirming the target drive mode corresponding to the motor based on the mode trigger signal, the method further includes: The output voltage of the battery is obtained, and the drive signal output to the drive circuit is adjusted according to the output voltage of the battery and the target drive mode of the motor, so that the working power of the motor is within a preset power range corresponding to the target drive mode.

[0009] In one embodiment, the drive signal is a PWM signal, and the step of adjusting the drive signal output to the drive circuit according to the battery output voltage and the target drive mode of the motor, so that the operating power of the motor is within a preset power range corresponding to the target drive mode, specifically includes: The target duty cycle of the drive signal is determined based on the battery's output voltage and the motor's target drive mode. Adjust the duty cycle of the drive signal to the target duty cycle so that the motor's operating power is within the preset power range corresponding to the target drive mode.

[0010] In one embodiment, the output voltage of the battery is inversely proportional to the target duty cycle.

[0011] In one embodiment, the step of acquiring the output voltage of the battery and adjusting the drive signal output to the drive circuit according to the output voltage of the battery and the target drive mode of the motor further includes: When the motor starts working, the current duty cycle of the drive signal will be adjusted at preset intervals until the duty cycle of the drive signal reaches the target duty cycle.

[0012] The present invention also proposes a control device, the control device comprising a memory, a processor, and a control program for an electric toothbrush stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the control program for the electric toothbrush being configured to implement the steps of the control method for the electric toothbrush as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0013] The present invention also proposes an electric toothbrush, the electric toothbrush comprising a motor, an attitude sensor for detecting the posture of the electric toothbrush, a clock circuit for accumulating the operating time of the motor, a prompting circuit for outputting a prompting signal, and a control device as described above.

[0014] This invention provides a control method for an electric toothbrush that effectively improves both the cleaning efficiency and safety of the user's teeth. The electric toothbrush includes a motor, a posture sensor for detecting the toothbrush's posture, a clock circuit for accumulating motor operating time, and a prompting circuit for outputting a prompt signal. Responding to a mode trigger signal, and confirming the target operating time range for multiple electric toothbrush postures based on the mode trigger signal; when the motor is in operation, acquiring the posture detection signal output by the posture sensor, and accumulating the operating time of multiple electric toothbrush postures via the clock circuit; if at least one of the operating times of the multiple electric toothbrush postures is less than the corresponding target operating time range, or if at least one of the operating times corresponding to the multiple electric toothbrush postures is greater than the corresponding target operating time range, the prompting circuit is controlled to output a corresponding prompt signal. In this way, it is possible to confirm the target working time range for different working modes and different tooth areas when using an electric toothbrush. By accumulating the working time for different postures and corresponding tooth areas, corresponding prompt signals are output to remind the user to change the brushing area or supplement the brushing time in certain brushing areas. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the control method of the electric toothbrush of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the control method for the electric toothbrush of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the control method for the electric toothbrush of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the control method for the electric toothbrush of the present invention.

[0017] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0020] Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" in this invention is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. Additionally, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but only on the basis of being achievable by those skilled in the art. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, such a combination of technical solutions should be considered non-existent and not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0021] Electric toothbrushes have revolutionized oral hygiene by providing a superior cleaning experience. Compared to manual toothbrushes, electric toothbrushes offer superior cleaning power. However, many users struggle to control the brushing time, either stopping too early or brushing for too long. This results in plaque and food debris not being effectively removed, or even gum damage.

[0022] To solve the above problems, refer to Figure 1 This application proposes a control method for an electric toothbrush, the electric toothbrush including a motor, an attitude sensor for detecting the electric toothbrush's posture, a clock circuit for accumulating the motor's operating time, and a prompting circuit for outputting a prompting signal. The method includes: Step S100: In response to the mode trigger signal, and based on the mode trigger signal, confirm the target working time range of the motor corresponding to multiple electric toothbrush postures; Step S200: When the motor is in working condition, acquire the attitude detection signal output by the attitude sensor, and accumulate the working time of multiple electric toothbrush attitudes through the clock circuit; Step S300: If at least one of the working durations of the plurality of electric toothbrush postures is less than the corresponding target working duration range, or if at least one of the working durations corresponding to the plurality of electric toothbrush postures is greater than the corresponding target working duration range, control the prompting circuit to output a corresponding prompting signal.

[0023] Understandably, the target working time range for the motor corresponding to different electric toothbrush postures varies depending on the driving mode. The confirmation of the electric toothbrush posture is achieved through a posture sensor installed inside the toothbrush body. This posture sensor can be implemented using a combination of a three-axis gyroscope and a three-axis accelerometer. The three-axis gyroscope detects the angular velocity of the toothbrush body along the X, Y, and Z axes, thus determining the speed and direction of rotation. The three-axis accelerometer detects the linear acceleration of the toothbrush body along the X, Y, and Z axes, thus determining the orientation and motion state of the toothbrush body, thereby confirming the user's holding posture. It's easy to understand that different electric toothbrush postures correspond to different areas of the teeth, and these different areas, due to their varying areas and structures, require different brushing times. Therefore, the target working time range for the motor corresponding to different electric toothbrush postures also differs. In summary, the target working time range for the motor corresponding to different electric toothbrush postures varies in different modes; that is, the working time range for the motor corresponding to different tooth areas varies in different modes. The mode trigger signal confirms the motor's drive mode, which is also the working mode of the electric toothbrush.

[0024] In this embodiment, when the motor is in operation, i.e., when the motor is executing the corresponding working mode, the posture detection signal output by the posture sensor is acquired to determine which tooth area the electric toothbrush is currently cleaning. The cleaning time for that tooth area is then accumulated via a clock circuit, which is equivalent to accumulating the motor's working time under that electric toothbrush posture. It is understood that teeth are divided into multiple different tooth areas, and the target working time range for the motor varies for each tooth area. For example, the oral cavity can be divided into six areas: upper left, upper right, upper anterior teeth, lower left, lower right, and lower anterior teeth. The upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right areas are high-risk areas for caries; therefore, the target working time range for the electric toothbrush posture corresponding to the teeth in these areas is longer. For example, the target working time range for the upper and lower anterior teeth is 30 to 45 seconds, while the target working time range for the teeth in the upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right areas is 45 to 50 seconds. The clock circuit accumulates the working time of different electric toothbrush postures to determine the cleaning time for different tooth areas.

[0025] In this embodiment, if at least one of the working times of multiple electric toothbrush postures is less than the corresponding target working time range, it can be confirmed that the cleaning time for a certain tooth area has not reached the target. At this time, the prompting circuit outputs a corresponding prompt signal to remind the user to supplement the cleaning of the corresponding tooth area. For example, if the cleaning time for the upper left tooth area has not reached the target working time range, the prompting circuit will prompt the user to supplement the cleaning of the upper left tooth area until the cumulative working time of the motor for the corresponding upper left tooth area reaches the target working time range, at which point the motor will stop working. If at least one of the working times of multiple electric toothbrush postures is greater than the corresponding target working time range, it can be confirmed that the cleaning time for a certain tooth area has exceeded the corresponding target working time range. At this time, the prompting circuit outputs a corresponding prompt signal to remind the user to stop cleaning the corresponding tooth area. For example, if the cleaning time for the upper left tooth area has exceeded the target working time range, the prompting circuit will prompt the user to stop cleaning the upper left tooth area.

[0026] By employing a control method for electric toothbrushes, the effectiveness and safety of tooth cleaning can be improved simultaneously. The electric toothbrush includes a motor, a posture sensor for detecting the toothbrush's posture, a clock circuit for accumulating motor operating time, and a prompting circuit for outputting a prompt signal. Responding to a mode trigger signal, and confirming the target operating time range for multiple toothbrush postures corresponding to the motor based on the mode trigger signal; when the motor is in operating mode, acquiring the posture detection signal output by the posture sensor, and accumulating the operating time of multiple toothbrush postures via the clock circuit; if at least one of the operating times of the multiple toothbrush postures is less than the corresponding target operating time range, or if at least one of the operating times corresponding to the multiple toothbrush postures is greater than the corresponding target operating time range, the prompting circuit is controlled to output a corresponding prompt signal. In this way, it is possible to confirm the target working time range for different working modes and different tooth areas when using an electric toothbrush. By accumulating the working time for different postures and corresponding tooth areas, corresponding prompt signals are output to remind the user to change the brushing area or supplement the brushing time in certain brushing areas.

[0027] refer to Figure 2 In one embodiment of the present invention, the electric toothbrush includes a drive circuit for driving the motor; prior to the step of responding to a mode trigger signal and confirming, based on the mode trigger signal, the target working time range of the motor corresponding to multiple electric toothbrush postures, the method further includes: Step S400: In response to the mode trigger signal, the target drive mode corresponding to the motor is confirmed according to the mode trigger signal; Step S500: Based on the target driving mode, confirm the target working time range of the motor corresponding to multiple electric toothbrush postures.

[0028] In this embodiment, the surface of the electric toothbrush body is provided with at least one trigger button, which the user can trigger to turn on the electric toothbrush and switch modes. Depending on actual needs, the electric toothbrush can be set to multiple drive modes, which can be switched one-to-one via multiple trigger buttons, or continuously switched via the continuous triggering of a single button. For example, the electric toothbrush may have three drive modes: normal, gentle, and strong, designed to meet the diverse oral cleaning needs and sensitivity levels of users. The normal drive mode typically provides medium to high intensity vibration, suitable for most daily cleaning scenarios. It effectively removes food debris and plaque from the tooth surface and between teeth, suitable for users already accustomed to using electric toothbrushes and with good oral health. The gentle drive mode is suitable for first-time users or those with sensitive gums or prone to bleeding. It provides a lower vibration intensity than the standard mode to reduce irritation to the gums and oral soft tissues, ensuring gentle cleaning and helping users gradually adapt to using the electric toothbrush. The powerful mode achieves cleaning through high-intensity vibration, which generates a strong cleaning effect in a short time. Furthermore, users can input a mode trigger signal via a button on the electric toothbrush surface. This trigger signal causes the toothbrush to determine the corresponding target drive mode for the motor, causing the motor to operate according to the drive signal. The target working time range for different toothbrush postures varies depending on the target drive mode, meaning the working time range for different tooth areas also differs under different target drive modes.

[0029] refer to Figure 3 Optionally, the electric toothbrush further includes a mode switching circuit and a power-on trigger circuit. The mode switching circuit outputs a mode switching signal when triggered, and the power-on trigger circuit outputs a power-on signal when triggered. The mode trigger signal includes both a power-on signal and a mode switching signal. The electric toothbrush contains multiple preset drive modes corresponding to the motor, and the multiple drive modes are arranged in a first order. The step of responding to the mode trigger signal and confirming the target drive mode corresponding to the motor based on the mode trigger signal specifically includes: Step S410: In response to the power-on signal, confirm that the current drive mode is the target drive mode; Step S420: In response to the mode switching signal, the next driving mode after the current driving mode is identified as the target driving mode according to the first sequence.

[0030] In this embodiment, the surface of the electric toothbrush body is provided with at least two types of trigger buttons: a power-on trigger button and a mode switching button, corresponding to the power-on trigger circuit and the mode switching circuit, respectively. It can be understood that the two types of trigger buttons on the surface of the electric toothbrush body correspond to the power-on / off function and the mode switching function, respectively. Therefore, the mode trigger signal includes a power-on signal and a mode switching signal. The power-on trigger button can switch between power-on and power-off modes through repeated triggering of a single button. Multiple trigger buttons can be provided for the mode switching function, each corresponding to a driving mode; alternatively, a single trigger button can be provided, and the sequential switching of driving modes can be achieved through multiple triggerings of this single button. Specifically, the power-on signal is obtained through the power-on trigger circuit and input to the control device, causing the control device to execute the last driving mode executed when the electric toothbrush was previously turned off, i.e., the mode memory function. The driving mode executed by the control device when the electric toothbrush was previously turned off is the first driving mode. When the mode switch button is not triggered, triggering only the power-on button will cause the electric toothbrush to operate in the last drive mode executed when the toothbrush was turned off. When the power-on button is triggered, the mode switch button is also triggered. The control device will receive a mode switch signal and then switch modes according to a first sequence, i.e., from the first drive mode to the second drive mode, so that the motor operates according to the second drive mode, and this mode is identified as the target drive mode. For example, if the last drive mode executed when the electric toothbrush was turned off was the normal drive mode, then the normal drive mode is the first drive mode; when the power-on button is triggered, the mode switch button is also triggered, and the control device will switch from the normal drive mode to the powerful drive mode according to the preset mode switch sequence, i.e., the powerful drive mode is the second drive mode.

[0031] refer to Figure 4 In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of acquiring the attitude detection signal output by the attitude sensor and accumulating the working time of multiple electric toothbrush attitudes via the clock circuit when the motor is in operation specifically includes: Step S210: When the motor is in operation, acquire the attitude detection signal output by the attitude sensor; Step S220: When the posture detection signal corresponds to the electric toothbrush posture of the target driving mode, control the clock circuit to accumulate the working time of the motor; Step S230: When the posture of the electric toothbrush corresponding to the target driving mode of the posture detection signal changes, save the cumulative value of the working time of the clock circuit under the corresponding electric toothbrush posture.

[0032] In this embodiment, when the motor is in operation, the posture detection signal output by the posture sensor is acquired to confirm the tooth area to be cleaned by the electric toothbrush. The target working time range for the tooth area to be cleaned varies depending on the target drive mode of the motor. Therefore, the posture detection signal determines whether the motor's working time reaches the target working time range when the electric toothbrush is in a corresponding posture. The determination of whether the motor's working time reaches the target working time range is achieved by accumulating the motor's working time using a clock circuit. It is understood that this accumulation of working time is performed by a clock circuit. If the electric toothbrush posture changes according to the target drive mode corresponding to the posture detection signal, the accumulated value of the working time under the corresponding electric toothbrush posture is saved by the clock circuit. Therefore, if at least one of the working times for different electric toothbrush postures is less than the corresponding target working time range, the prompting circuit outputs a corresponding prompt signal to remind the user to continue cleaning the tooth area corresponding to that electric toothbrush posture.

[0033] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electric toothbrush further includes a battery, and after the step of responding to a mode trigger signal and confirming the target driving mode corresponding to the motor based on the mode trigger signal, the method further includes: The output voltage of the battery is obtained, and the drive signal output to the drive circuit is adjusted according to the output voltage of the battery and the target drive mode of the motor, so that the working power of the motor is within a preset power range corresponding to the target drive mode.

[0034] It's understandable that when a battery powers the motor, the battery's internal voltage gradually decreases due to continuous power supply, leading to a decrease in the motor's power supply voltage. This decrease in motor power supply voltage results in a reduction in motor speed, causing the electric toothbrush to output an unstable vibration frequency, thus negatively impacting the user experience. Therefore, to ensure a relatively stable motor speed, the motor's operating power must also remain relatively stable, limiting it to a preset range. It's important to understand that electric toothbrushes typically use DC motors, which are usually driven by PWM signals that adjust the average voltage supplied to the motor, thereby controlling its speed. By changing the pulse width—the ratio of the high-level duration to the total cycle (duty cycle)—fine-tuning of the motor speed can be achieved without altering the power supply voltage. Since the battery's internal voltage continuously decreases due to the toothbrush's operation, not changing the pulse width of the PWM signal driving the DC voltage will cause the motor speed to decrease. The battery's output voltage is essentially the motor's power supply voltage. Therefore, to ensure the motor speed remains relatively stable, the ratio of high-level duration to total cycle time needs to be increased. This is achieved by adjusting the drive signal output to the drive circuit through the battery's output voltage, ensuring the motor's operating power remains within the preset power range corresponding to the target drive mode. The battery output voltage is determined by a voltage detection circuit. Furthermore, the motor speed is also related to the drive mode. Different drive modes result in different motor speeds. For example, when the electric toothbrush is in gentle mode, the motor speed is relatively slow; while in strong mode, the motor speed is relatively fast. Therefore, the motor drive signal also needs to be adjusted according to the drive mode.

[0035] Optionally, the drive signal is a PWM signal, and the step of adjusting the drive signal output to the drive circuit according to the battery output voltage and the target drive mode of the motor so that the operating power of the motor is within a preset power range corresponding to the target drive mode specifically includes: The target duty cycle of the drive signal is determined based on the battery's output voltage and the motor's target drive mode. Adjust the duty cycle of the drive signal to the target duty cycle so that the motor's operating power is within the preset power range corresponding to the target drive mode.

[0036] In this embodiment, the battery output voltage can be obtained using a voltage detection circuit, which can be implemented using a resistor voltage divider sampling circuit, a linear operational amplifier voltage sampling circuit, a voltage sampling transformer, etc. The electric toothbrush obtains the battery output voltage, i.e., the motor's power supply voltage, through the voltage detection signal output by the voltage detection circuit. The control device converts the input voltage detection signal into a corresponding voltage value using a built-in analog-to-digital converter module, thereby confirming the battery output voltage. It is understood that the battery output voltage directly affects the motor's operating power in the electric toothbrush. Therefore, a preset correspondence is built into the control device, meaning there is a correspondence between the battery output voltage and the drive signal that drives the motor. Furthermore, the drive mode to be executed by the motor needs to be considered. Further, it is understood that the motor drive can be implemented using PWM signal control, direct voltage change control, resistor control, current chopping control, etc. Taking the motor drive signal as a PWM signal as an example, the motor drive mode can be switched and controlled by changing the duty cycle and output frequency of the PWM signal. It's easy to understand that as the electric toothbrush continues to operate, the battery's output voltage gradually decreases, meaning the motor's supply voltage also gradually decreases. Increasing the duty cycle of the PWM signal means increasing the proportion of high-level signals within a PWM cycle. Although the voltage of a single pulse remains the reduced battery output voltage, the longer high-level duration increases the effective average voltage across the motor. This increases the motor's average input power without significantly increasing instantaneous current, thus maintaining the motor's speed. Specifically, for different drive modes, the corresponding PWM duty cycle differs for the same supply voltage. The voltage value corresponding to the voltage detection signal is inversely proportional to the duty cycle of the PWM signal driving the motor; that is, the larger the voltage value of the voltage detection signal, the smaller the duty cycle of the PWM signal driving the motor; conversely, the smaller the voltage value of the voltage detection signal, the larger the duty cycle of the PWM signal driving the motor.

[0037] Optionally, the step of obtaining the output voltage of the battery and adjusting the drive signal output to the drive circuit according to the output voltage of the battery and the target drive mode of the motor further includes: When the motor starts working, the current duty cycle of the drive signal will be adjusted at preset intervals until the duty cycle of the drive signal reaches the target duty cycle.

[0038] In this embodiment, to ensure the responsiveness of the electric toothbrush's drive mode activation and mode switching, the control device sets the current drive mode before the electric toothbrush receives a mode trigger signal to power on. However, as the electric toothbrush's usage time increases, its internal circuit impedance also increases, and the battery's activity is affected. This leads to a greater difference between the battery voltage during actual motor operation and the voltage in the idle state. Consequently, the vibration frequency will suddenly increase from a low to a high level the moment the user turns on the electric toothbrush. Although the increased vibration frequency meets the actual requirements of the target drive mode, the sudden change in the output vibration frequency of the electric toothbrush can mislead the user into believing that the product's stability is flawed. Therefore, when the motor starts working, the control device adjusts the drive signal output to the drive circuit based on the voltage of the electric toothbrush in the idle state and the drive mode retained from the last operation. It is easy to understand that the output voltage obtained in the idle state is greater than the output voltage in the working state. Therefore, the working power obtained by the motor at this time is lower than the corresponding preset power range. By setting a preset interval, the drive circuit is gradually adjusted. For example, in normal operating mode, the voltage detection circuit detects an output voltage of 4.0V when the battery is at rest, with a target duty cycle of 79.2% for the corresponding drive signal. When the battery is in operation, the voltage detection circuit detects an output voltage of 3.9V, with a target duty cycle of 80.8% for the corresponding drive signal. Therefore, in response to the mode trigger signal, when the motor starts working, the duty cycle of the drive signal input to the drive circuit will abruptly change from 79.2% to 80.8%, causing a sudden increase in the motor's output power and consequently, a greater increase in the water pressure driven by the pump. Furthermore, with a preset interval of 0.3 seconds and a preset duty cycle of 0.4%, the duty cycle of the drive signal input to the drive circuit will change from 79.2% to 80.8% in 1.2 seconds. This setting method ensures that the water pressure output when the electric toothbrush starts working changes slowly over a certain period, effectively avoiding the technical problem of sudden changes in vibration frequency.

[0039] The present invention also proposes a control device, which includes a memory, a processor, and a control program for an electric toothbrush stored in the memory and executable on the processor. The control program for the electric toothbrush is configured to implement the steps of the control method for the electric toothbrush as described in any of the preceding claims. It is worth noting that since the control device of the present invention is based on the above-described control method for an electric toothbrush, the embodiments of the control device of the present invention include all the technical solutions of all embodiments of the above-described control method for an electric toothbrush, and the achieved technical effects are also completely the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0040] This invention also proposes an electric toothbrush, which includes a motor, an attitude sensor for detecting the toothbrush's posture, a clock circuit for accumulating motor operating time, a prompting circuit for outputting a prompt signal, and a control device as described above. It is worth noting that since the battery module of this invention is based on the aforementioned control device, the embodiments of the battery module of this invention include all the technical solutions of all embodiments of the aforementioned control device, and the achieved technical effects are completely the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0041] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for an electric toothbrush, characterized in that, The electric toothbrush includes a motor, a posture sensor for detecting the posture of the electric toothbrush, a clock circuit for accumulating the motor's operating time, and a prompting circuit for outputting a prompt signal. The method includes: In response to a mode trigger signal, the target working time range of the motor corresponding to multiple electric toothbrush postures is confirmed based on the mode trigger signal; When the motor is in operation, the attitude detection signal output by the attitude sensor is acquired, and the working time of multiple electric toothbrush attitudes is accumulated by the clock circuit. If at least one of the working durations of the multiple electric toothbrush postures is less than the corresponding target working duration range, or if at least one of the working durations corresponding to the multiple electric toothbrush postures is greater than the corresponding target working duration range, the prompting circuit is controlled to output a corresponding prompting signal.

2. The control method for an electric toothbrush as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The electric toothbrush includes a drive circuit for driving the motor; prior to the step of responding to a mode trigger signal and confirming, based on the mode trigger signal, the target operating time range of the motor corresponding to multiple electric toothbrush postures, the method further includes: In response to a mode trigger signal, the target drive mode corresponding to the motor is confirmed based on the mode trigger signal; Based on the target driving mode, the target working time range of the motor corresponding to multiple electric toothbrush postures is determined.

3. The control method for an electric toothbrush as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The electric toothbrush further includes a mode switching circuit and a power-on trigger circuit. The mode switching circuit outputs a mode switching signal when triggered, and the power-on trigger circuit outputs a power-on signal when triggered. The mode trigger signal includes both a power-on signal and a mode switching signal. The electric toothbrush has multiple preset drive modes corresponding to the motor, and these drive modes are arranged in a first order. The step of responding to the mode trigger signal and confirming the target drive mode corresponding to the motor based on the mode trigger signal specifically includes: In response to the power-on signal, confirm that the current drive mode is the target drive mode; In response to the mode switching signal, the next driving mode after the current driving mode is identified as the target driving mode in the first order.

4. The control method for an electric toothbrush as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The step of acquiring the attitude detection signal output by the attitude sensor and accumulating the working time of multiple electric toothbrush attitudes via the clock circuit when the motor is in operation specifically includes: When the motor is in operation, the attitude detection signal output by the attitude sensor is acquired; When the posture detection signal corresponds to the electric toothbrush posture of the target driving mode, the clock circuit is controlled to accumulate the working time of the motor. When the posture of the electric toothbrush in the target driving mode corresponding to the posture detection signal changes, the cumulative value of the working time of the clock circuit under the corresponding electric toothbrush posture is saved.

5. The control method for an electric toothbrush as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The electric toothbrush further includes a battery, and after the step of responding to a mode trigger signal and confirming the target drive mode corresponding to the motor based on the mode trigger signal, the method further includes: The output voltage of the battery is obtained, and the drive signal output to the drive circuit is adjusted according to the output voltage of the battery and the target drive mode of the motor, so that the working power of the motor is within a preset power range corresponding to the target drive mode.

6. The control method for an electric toothbrush as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The drive signal is a PWM signal. The step of adjusting the drive signal output to the drive circuit according to the battery output voltage and the target drive mode of the motor, so that the operating power of the motor is within a preset power range corresponding to the target drive mode, specifically includes: The target duty cycle of the drive signal is determined based on the battery's output voltage and the motor's target drive mode. Adjust the duty cycle of the drive signal to the target duty cycle so that the motor's operating power is within the preset power range corresponding to the target drive mode.

7. The control method for an electric toothbrush as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The output voltage of the battery is inversely proportional to the target duty cycle.

8. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the output voltage of the battery and adjusting the drive signal output to the drive circuit according to the output voltage of the battery and the target drive mode of the motor further includes: When the motor starts working, the current duty cycle of the drive signal will be adjusted at preset intervals until the duty cycle of the drive signal reaches the target duty cycle.

9. A control device, characterized in that, The control device includes a memory, a processor, and a control program for an electric toothbrush stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the control program being configured to implement the steps of the control method for an electric toothbrush as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An electric toothbrush, characterized in that, The electric toothbrush includes a motor, an attitude sensor for detecting the posture of the electric toothbrush, a clock circuit for accumulating the motor's operating time, a prompting circuit for outputting a prompting signal, and a control device as described in claim 9.

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