A new tooth cleaning device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a novel tooth cleaning device, including toothbrush handle, rotary brush head, water delivery module and sewage discharge module, rotary brush head includes the impeller and carousel that are connected in front and back, and the brush hair is provided on the front side of carousel, the inside of the head end of toothbrush handle is provided with the impeller chamber, and the water inlet passage and the backwater passage that are respectively communicated with the impeller chamber, and the impeller is located in the impeller chamber, water delivery module is linked with the water inlet passage, and the sewage discharge passage is also provided in toothbrush handle, and the head end is communicated with the front side of carousel, and the tail end is communicated with sewage discharge module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of medical equipment technology, and in particular to a novel teeth cleaning device. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, commonly used dental cleaning tools (such as regular toothbrushes, electric toothbrushes, and water flossers) are primarily designed for healthy individuals. However, a large number of patients in my country with swallowing disorders (such as stroke patients and Parkinson's disease patients) are highly susceptible to aspiration and lung infections due to weakened throat reflexes. Therefore, they require higher standards of oral hygiene but have very low tolerance for conventional dental cleaning methods, such as the water flow from water flossers and the mixture of toothpaste and saliva produced by regular brushing. To prevent aspiration, cotton swabs, negative pressure suction cotton swabs, or suction toothbrushes are often used clinically. However, these devices are not powered and require manual cleaning by caregivers, resulting in low cleaning efficiency and difficulty in guaranteeing effectiveness.

[0003] To address these issues, new technologies have been developed that combine electric toothbrushes with a spray suction device, enabling simultaneous electric brushing, spraying, and suction. However, because the rotating brush head can easily become entangled with the inlet and outlet pipes, the spraying, suction, and electric brush head cannot be tightly integrated. The three actions of brushing, spraying, and suction must be performed separately and cannot be done simultaneously. As a result, leakage of sprayed liquid can still occur, leading to accidental aspiration.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent clinical need for a new type of dental cleaning device that is self-driven and has an anti-aspiration structure. Utility Model Content

[0005] This invention provides a novel dental cleaning device that can clean teeth conveniently and effectively while preventing aspiration in patients with swallowing dysfunction.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a novel teeth cleaning device, including a toothbrush handle, a rotary brush head, a water supply module, and a wastewater discharge module. The rotary brush head is disposed inside the toothbrush handle and includes an impeller and a turntable fixedly connected to the front end of the impeller. Bristles are provided on the front side of the turntable. A driving liquid passage is provided inside the toothbrush handle, and the water supply module is connected to the driving liquid passage, with the impeller located in the driving liquid passage. The driving liquid passage is also connected to a bypass branch, with one end of the bypass branch away from the driving liquid passage connected to the front side of the turntable. A wastewater discharge passage is also provided inside the toothbrush handle, with the head end of the wastewater discharge passage connected to the middle of the front side of the turntable, and the tail end of the wastewater discharge passage connected to the wastewater discharge module.

[0007] Furthermore, the driving liquid passage includes a water inlet passage, an impeller cavity, and a return passage connected in sequence, with the impeller located inside the impeller cavity; the bypass branch is a water spray nozzle that runs through the front and rear of the turntable.

[0008] Furthermore, the liquid is a mouthwash or water; both the water supply module and the sewage discharge module are pumps.

[0009] Furthermore, the toothbrush handle is provided with an impeller support shaft, which is located in the middle of the impeller cavity. A through mounting hole is provided in the middle of the rotary brush head, and the mounting hole is fitted onto the outside of the impeller support shaft.

[0010] Furthermore, a central hole is provided in the middle of the impeller support shaft, which is connected to the sewage discharge passage.

[0011] Furthermore, the front side of the turntable is also provided with multiple curved guide protrusions, with the starting end of the guide protrusions close to the mounting hole and the ending end of the guide protrusions far away from the mounting hole; the multiple guide protrusions are evenly distributed circumferentially.

[0012] Furthermore, a limiting groove is provided on the inner side of the head end of the toothbrush handle, and the limiting groove is located on the front side of the impeller cavity; the outer diameter of the turntable is larger than the outer diameter of the impeller, and the turntable is engaged inside the limiting groove.

[0013] Furthermore, a ring-shaped sealing ring is fixedly connected to the head end of the toothbrush handle, and the sealing ring is located on the outside of the bristles.

[0014] Furthermore, a flow regulating valve is installed between the water supply module and the toothbrush handle.

[0015] The above technical solution has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] This innovative technical solution utilizes water flow as a driving force to simultaneously achieve three functions: rinsing, self-powered brushing, and suction. These three functions are located on the same side (the front side of the turntable), with a compact structure and a surrounding closed ring, conforming to the principles of hydrodynamics. Upon contact with the teeth, it forms a closed water path to the greatest extent, thereby achieving convenient and effective teeth cleaning and preventing aspiration in patients with swallowing disorders.

[0017] In addition, this technical solution also has the following characteristics:

[0018] 1) In the rotary brush head, the water spray nozzle is located on the outside, the sewage discharge passage is located in the central part, and there is a guide protrusion between the two, thus realizing a unique mode of water spraying on the outside, drainage in the middle, and absorption on the inside, which makes it easier to form a closed water channel.

[0019] 2) Compared to electric cleaning devices, water-driven devices are safer to use and have lower replacement costs due to their water-powered operation, non-circuitous design, and waterproof electrical components. They also have good practicality and economic value. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the system configuration of a novel teeth cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the water conveying module and the sewage module in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of water flow driving the impeller to rotate in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the toothbrush handle head end in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the water passage arrangement inside the toothbrush handle in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rotary brush head in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a front view of the rotary brush head in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the rotary brush head and the toothbrush handle in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the water circuit in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0030] Reference numerals: 1. Toothbrush handle; 2. Rotary brush head; 3. Water supply module; 4. Flow regulating valve; 5. Water supply hose; 6. Clean water tank; 7. Return water hose; 8. Return water tank; 9. Sewage hose; 10. Sewage discharge module; 11. Sewage tank; 12. Check valve; 13. Sealing ring; 101. Grip; 102. Water inlet passage; 103. Return water passage; 104. Sewage discharge passage; 105. Impeller support shaft; 106. Impeller cavity; 107. Limiting groove; 201. Impeller; 202. Turntable; 203. Spray nozzle; 204. Brush bristles; 205. Guide protrusion; 206. Mounting hole. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0032] This invention provides a novel dental cleaning device to solve the aforementioned problems. The main idea of ​​this invention is to use a rotatable brush head 2 (similar to the rotating brush head of an electric toothbrush) to reduce the difficulty of operation and improve the cleaning effect. Simultaneously, the dental cleaning device should be able to supply water to the rotating brush head 2 to ensure thorough cleaning. Furthermore, considering the special circumstances of patients with swallowing difficulties, contaminated liquid generated during the cleaning process should be promptly drained. Therefore, overall, the purpose of this invention is to design a dental cleaning device that integrates cleaning, water supply, and water absorption.

[0033] Meanwhile, integrating a liquid supply pipe and a wastewater discharge pipe (used to drain contaminated liquid generated during tooth cleaning and prevent aspiration) into the dental cleaning device is difficult to achieve using existing electric toothbrush designs. This is because the head of the dental cleaning device needs to extend into the patient's mouth, and its limited size makes it difficult to solve the problem of entanglement between the rotating brush head and the liquid supply and wastewater discharge pipes. Furthermore, it is difficult to solve the internal sealing problem necessary for water-electricity isolation; if the seal is not tight, components such as the motor will inevitably be damaged by water. Therefore, in this embodiment of the invention, the conventional electric drive is no longer used; instead, a hydraulic drive is employed. This drive method eliminates problems such as short circuits, thus significantly reducing the requirements for sealing performance and facilitating the arrangement of water flow paths, enabling simultaneous rinsing, brushing, and wastewater backflow. The main structure of this technical solution is described in [reference needed]. Figure 1 , Figure 3 :

[0034] The new teeth cleaning device mainly includes a toothbrush handle 1, a rotating brush head 2, a water supply module 3, and a wastewater discharge module 10. The toothbrush handle 1 resembles a regular toothbrush in appearance. Its head is used to assemble the rotating brush head 2 for cleaning teeth, while the lower part of the head has a rod-like structure for the operator to hold (since the rod-like structure is relatively thin, a section with a thicker outer diameter, i.e., the grip 101, can be provided at the bottom for better results; the grip 101 should be ergonomically designed). The structure of the rotating brush head 2 is described below. Figure 6 , Figure 7It includes an impeller 201 and a turntable 202 fixedly connected to the front end of the impeller 201. The outer diameter of the turntable 202 is larger than the outer diameter of the impeller 201. Brush bristles 204 are provided on the front side of the turntable 202. A bypass branch (i.e., a water spray nozzle 203) is also provided on the turntable 202. The inner side of the head end of the toothbrush handle 1 is provided with a driving liquid passage, which includes an impeller cavity 106 and a water inlet passage 10 connected to the impeller cavity 106. 2. The impeller 201 is installed inside the impeller cavity 106, along with the return water passage 103. The water supply module 3 is connected to the inlet water passage 102 via the water supply hose 5 outside the toothbrush handle 1, and the return water passage 103 is connected to the return water hose 7 outside the toothbrush handle 1. The toothbrush handle 1 also needs to be connected to a passage for draining wastewater. To simplify the structure, a wastewater discharge passage 104 is directly opened inside the toothbrush handle 1. In this way, all three water passages are integrated into the toothbrush handle 1 (see...). Figure 5 , Figure 5 (The cross-section of the middle part of the toothbrush handle 1) The head end of the drain passage 104 is connected to the front side of the turntable 202 and is located in the middle of the turntable 202. The tail end of the drain passage 104 is connected to the drain module 10 through the sewage hose 9 outside the toothbrush handle 1.

[0035] For its working process, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 3 , Figure 8 As shown: The operator (either the patient with swallowing dysfunction or another caregiver) holds the toothbrush handle 101 and inserts the tip of the toothbrush handle 1 into the predetermined position in the patient's mouth. The device is then turned on, the water delivery module draws in liquid, pumps out pressurized liquid, and delivers it through the water delivery hose 5 into the water inlet passage 102, then into the impeller chamber 106. Upon entering the impeller chamber 106, the liquid flow splits into two paths: one path (with a larger flow rate) drives the impeller 201 to rotate, while the other path (with a smaller flow rate) is used to clean the teeth. Because the outlet of the water inlet passage 102 is angled, the liquid driving the impeller 201 will impact the blades of the impeller 201 and push the impeller 201 along... Figure 3 Rotating in the direction indicated by the solid arrow, after turning a certain angle, the liquid stored in the cavities between the blades flows into the return water passage 103 on the other side, then enters the return water hose 7 along the return water passage 103, and finally exits the dental cleaning device (e.g., flowing back into the return water tank 8 described later). Because the water pressure on the inlet passage 102 side is higher than that on the return water passage 103, the liquid flow process (see...) Figure 3As the hollow arrow remains in place, the impeller 201 continues to rotate under the propulsion of the liquid, thereby driving the bristles 204 in front to clean the teeth. Simultaneously, another stream of liquid is sprayed along the nozzle 203 onto the front side of the turntable 202, where it joins the bristles 204 in the teeth cleaning process. During this process, due to the moderate negative pressure generated by the drain module 10, the contaminated liquid (referring to the liquid after participating in the teeth cleaning) is drawn into the hole in the middle of the turntable 202, and then flows sequentially through the drain passage 104, the wastewater hose 9, and the drain module 10 before being discharged outside the teeth cleaning device. The specific flow direction can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 9 .

[0036] like Figure 7 As shown, it is preferable to have multiple water nozzles 203, and to distribute these nozzles and bristles 204 in a mixed manner, so that the water sprays out and immediately wets the bristles, making operation easier. The diameter of the water nozzle 203 can be designed according to actual needs. Furthermore, since the front outlet of the water nozzle 203 is located on the front side of the turntable 202, there is a sufficient distance between the front outlet of the water nozzle 203 and the patient's teeth, separated by bristles. Because the diameter of the water nozzle 203 is small, the sprayed liquid immediately enters a larger cavity. This sudden change in volume creates a decompression effect, causing the pressure of the liquid sprayed from the water nozzle 203 to drop instantaneously, thus preventing damage to the patient.

[0037] In addition, liquid in impeller cavity 106 may enter the front side of turntable 202 from the assembly gap at the edge of turntable 202, but the amount of liquid in this part is extremely small and will not have an adverse effect.

[0038] Furthermore, it should be noted that while the water inlet passage 102 and the water return passage 103 both contain the word "water," this naming is merely for convenience and does not imply that the liquid in these passages can only be water. In actual applications, the liquid transported can be either mouthwash or clean water, and the appropriate method should be selected based on actual needs. Additionally, the water delivery module 3 is used to provide liquid at a certain pressure and flow rate to the water inlet passage 102, while the wastewater discharge module 10 is used to create a certain negative pressure in the wastewater discharge passage 104. Both can be implemented in various forms, with the most convenient method being the use of a pump. In one specific embodiment, both the water delivery module 3 and the wastewater discharge module 10 preferably employ peristaltic pumps commonly used in the medical industry.

[0039] like Figure 2As shown, in practical applications, the system can also be equipped with a clean water tank 6 to supply water to the water supply module 3, and a return water tank 8 to collect the cleaning liquid discharged from the dental cleaning device (clean water that only drives the impeller 201 to rotate but does not participate in cleaning teeth). Additionally, a wastewater tank 11 is required to collect the contaminated liquid discharged from the wastewater hose 9. If the cleaning liquid needs to be recycled, the return water tank 8 can be omitted, and the cleaning liquid discharged from the return water hose 7 can be directly recycled back to the clean water tank 6.

[0040] Furthermore, to ensure smoother rotation, such as Figure 4 As shown, the toothbrush handle 1 is also provided with an impeller support shaft 105, which is located in the middle of the impeller cavity 106. At the same time, the middle of the rotary brush head 2 is provided with a through mounting hole 206, which is sleeved on the outside of the impeller support shaft 105, so that the rotary brush head 2 can rotate around the impeller support shaft 105.

[0041] Furthermore, after the impeller support shaft 105 is installed, in order to facilitate the discharge of polluted liquid, a central hole that runs through the front and rear of the impeller support shaft 105 should be opened in the middle, and the central hole should be connected to the sewage discharge passage 104.

[0042] Furthermore, the front side of the turntable 202 is provided with multiple curved guide protrusions 205. The starting end of the guide protrusions 205 is close to the mounting hole 206, and the ending end of the guide protrusions 205 is far away from the mounting hole 206; the multiple guide protrusions 205 are evenly distributed circumferentially. The guide protrusions 205 can be supported by elastic materials such as rubber or silicone. The design of the guide protrusions 205 is more conducive to guiding the contaminated liquid on the outer ring (at the bristles 204) to the center of the turntable 202, realizing the rapid removal of contaminated liquid, and also having a certain cleaning effect.

[0043] Furthermore, a limiting groove 107 is provided on the inner side of the head end of the toothbrush handle 1. The limiting groove 107 is located on the front side of the impeller cavity 106. The turntable 202 is engaged inside the limiting groove 107. That is, the limiting groove 107 limits the front and rear position of the turntable 202 to prevent it from shaking when rotating and to prevent it from moving forward due to water pressure at the rear. (If the limiting groove 107 is not provided, the rotating brush head 2 can also be fixed by setting a shaft end retaining ring on the impeller support shaft 105.)

[0044] Furthermore, a ring-shaped sealing ring 13 is fixedly connected to the head end of the toothbrush handle 1, and the sealing ring 13 is located on the outside of the bristles 204. The sealing ring 13 is a circle or an oval made of elastic materials such as rubber or silicone. Its purpose is to confine water within the sealing ring 13, prevent liquid from spreading, and make it easier to avoid accidental aspiration. At the same time, it also has a certain cleaning and gum massage effect.

[0045] Furthermore, a flow regulating valve 4 is provided between the water supply module 3 and the toothbrush handle 1. By adjusting the opening of the flow regulating valve 4, the liquid flow speed can be changed, thereby adjusting the rotation speed of the rotary brush head 2. Therefore, this solution can achieve stepless speed regulation of the rotary brush head 2 to meet diverse usage needs. This feature is also a prominent advantage of this utility model embodiment.

[0046] Furthermore, a one-way valve 12 is provided between the sewage module 10 and the toothbrush handle 1 to prevent backflow of contaminated liquid in case of accident. At the same time, a one-way valve 12 can also be provided in the water supply hose 5.

[0047] In such Figure 3 As shown, to ensure that the impeller 201 rotates stably in a fixed direction, the outlet of the water inlet passage 102 (the connection between the water inlet passage 102 and the impeller cavity 106) is not directed vertically upward, but rather tilted outward at a certain angle. This ensures that when the liquid flow from the water inlet passage 102 is injected into the impeller cavity 106, the angle between it and the blade surface is closer to 90°, thereby driving the blades to rotate. Conversely, if the outlet of the water inlet passage 102 faces directly upward, the angle between the ejected water flow and the blade surface is very small, resulting in insufficient torque and difficulty in rotating the impeller 201. Furthermore, the blades in the impeller 201 can be straight or have an arc shape, etc.

[0048] In the above detailed description, various features are combined together in a single embodiment to simplify this disclosure. This approach to disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that embodiments of the claimed subject matter require more features than are explicitly stated in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the appended claims, the invention is presented with fewer features than all of the features in a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the appended claims are hereby explicitly incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim representing a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0049] The disclosed embodiments have been described above to enable any person skilled in the art to implement or use this invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments given herein, but is consistent with the widest scope of the principles and novel features disclosed in this application.

[0050] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of this utility model. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A novel teeth cleaning device, characterized in that, The toothbrush includes a handle (1), a rotary brush head (2), a water supply module (3), and a wastewater discharge module (10). The rotary brush head (2) is located inside the toothbrush handle (1). The rotary brush head (2) includes an impeller (201) and a turntable (202) fixedly connected to the front end of the impeller (201). The front side of the turntable (202) is provided with bristles (204). A driving liquid passage is opened on the inner side of the toothbrush handle (1). The water supply module (3) is connected to the driving liquid passage. The impeller (201) is connected to the drive fluid passage; the drive fluid passage is also connected to a bypass branch, the end of the bypass branch away from the drive fluid passage is connected to the front side of the turntable (202); the toothbrush handle (1) is also provided with a drain passage (104), the head end of the drain passage (104) is connected to the middle of the front side of the turntable (202), and the tail end of the drain passage (104) is connected to the drain module (10).

2. The novel dental cleaning device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The driving liquid passage includes a water inlet passage (102), an impeller cavity (106), and a return water passage (103) connected in sequence, with the impeller (201) located in the impeller cavity (106); the bypass branch is a water spray nozzle (203) that runs through the turntable (202) from front to back.

3. The novel dental cleaning device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Both the water supply module (3) and the sewage discharge module (10) are pumps.

4. The novel dental cleaning device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The toothbrush handle (1) is provided with an impeller support shaft (105), which is located in the middle of the impeller cavity (106). The rotary brush head (2) has a through mounting hole (206) in the middle, which is sleeved on the outside of the impeller support shaft (105).

5. The novel dental cleaning device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The impeller support shaft (105) has a central hole that runs through the front and back, and the central hole is connected to the sewage passage (104).

6. The novel dental cleaning device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The front side of the turntable (202) is also provided with a plurality of curved guide protrusions (205). The starting end of the guide protrusions (205) is close to the mounting hole (206), and the ending end of the guide protrusions (205) is far away from the mounting hole (206). The plurality of guide protrusions (205) are evenly distributed circumferentially.

7. The novel dental cleaning device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The toothbrush handle (1) has a limiting groove (107) on the inner side of the head end, and the limiting groove (107) is located on the front side of the impeller cavity (106); the outer diameter of the turntable (202) is larger than the outer diameter of the impeller (201), and the turntable (202) is engaged inside the limiting groove (107).

8. The novel dental cleaning device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The toothbrush handle (1) is also fixedly connected to an annular closed ring (13), which is located on the outside of the bristles (204).

9. The novel dental cleaning device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A flow regulating valve (4) is also provided between the water supply module (3) and the toothbrush handle (1).

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