HANDPIECE OF AN ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH AND ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH

Abstract

Handle of an electric toothbrush, comprising: a housing half-shell (1) having a light-tight structure, wherein at least one light-emitting element (9) is arranged in the inner cavity of the housing half-shell (1); and a display interface (5) arranged on the outside of the housing half-shell (1) and covering the light-emitting element (9); wherein the display interface (5) is provided with a mark of a specific shape in a position corresponding to the individual light-emitting elements (9); and the light of the light-emitting element (9) is able to penetrate the display interface (5) so that the marking is visible; wherein the housing half-shell (1) is provided with a blind hole (4) corresponding to a respective light-emitting element (9), wherein the housing half-shell (1) with the light-tight structure has light-transmitting behavior at a bottom thickness of the blind hole (4) by thinning the housing half-shell (1), wherein the light of the light-emitting element (9) penetrates the bottom thickness of the blind hole (4) and falls on the corresponding marking of the display interface (5); wherein after thinning of the housing half-shell (1), the housing half-shell (1) still has a closed structure, so that the light of each light-emitting element (9) can penetrate the housing half-shell (2) and water can be effectively prevented from penetrating into the cavity of the housing half-shell (1).

Description

Subject of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of oral health and, more particularly, to an electric toothbrush handle and an electric toothbrush. Background of the invention

[0002] An electric toothbrush serves as a personal care device in the field of oral health. The brush head vibrates at high frequency through rapid rotation or vibration of an electric motion, dissolving toothpaste into ultra-fine foam and then deeply cleaning the teeth. Compared with a regular toothbrush, the electric toothbrush offers the advantage of more thoroughly removing plaque and reducing oral diseases, including gingivitis, periodontal disease, bleeding gums, and the like, in a more scientific and effective way, and is therefore gradually becoming favored by consumers.

[0003] In terms of design, electric toothbrushes are usually equipped with a user interface on the surface. The user interface is primarily used to display information related to the toothbrush's operating mode. For example, the operating mode may be the current cleaning level, and the corresponding information displayed may include the brush head speed (or speed change rule), cleaning time, and the like under the cleaning level.

[0004] User interfaces mainly include visible interfaces and invisible interfaces. Most of the visible interfaces have a hole in the handle, and then information is displayed to a user in the manner of a light guide of a transparent part installed at the hole. Considering the water environment during toothbrush use, the visible interfaces mostly have the defect of water leakage; and the invisible user interfaces generally have a coating on one side of the transparent handle, and the coating is mostly made of a layer of composite material, with the disadvantages of high cost and complex process.

[0005] Chinese Patent CN105411712A discloses a waterproof electric toothbrush. To solve the waterproof problem of the electric toothbrush, a first recess is first formed in the surface of the casing, which does not penetrate the casing, and then a light transmission hole is formed in the first recess, penetrating the first recess. The light transmission plate is sealed with a light-transmitting sealing film to improve the sealing performance and waterproofness through double sealing. US Patent US2011 / 0247158A1 discloses a display panel and the fabrication of a light-transmitting support member of the display panel, in which recessed portions are provided on the inner and outer surfaces of a light-transmitting support member to achieve a contrasting effect of light and darkness when the backlight is illuminated. Summary of the inventionTechnical problem

[0006] In view of the above, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is how to effectively avoid the possible problem of water intrusion when an electric toothbrush is placed in a water environment while simplifying the process of designing related to the display function of the handle of an electric toothbrush. Solution

[0007] To solve the above technical problem according to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a handle of an electric toothbrush, including: a housing half-shell in which at least one light-emitting element is arranged in the inner cavity of the housing half-shell; and a display interface arranged on the outside of the housing half-shell and covering the light-emitting element; wherein the display interface is provided with a mark of a specific shape in a position corresponding to the individual light-emitting elements; and the light from the light-emitting element is able to penetrate the display interface so that the marking is visible.

[0008] In the aforementioned handpiece of the electric toothbrush, the housing half-shell is provided in one possible embodiment with a blind hole, each of which corresponds to a light-emitting element; and the light of the light-emitting element penetrates the bottom thickness of the blind hole and falls on the corresponding mark of the display interface.

[0009] In the aforementioned handle of the electric toothbrush, in one possible embodiment, the handle of the electric toothbrush further comprises a shielding part provided with a light transmitting structure corresponding to the light-emitting element; and the light of the light-emitting element successively penetrates the corresponding light transmission structure and the bottom thickness of the blind hole and falls on the corresponding mark.

[0010] In one possible embodiment of the aforementioned electric toothbrush handle, a mounting groove is machined into the outer surface of the housing half-shell; and the mounting groove is provided with the blind hole at the position corresponding to the light-emitting element; into which the display interface can be precisely installed on the outer surface of the housing half-shell through the installation groove.

[0011] In one possible design of the aforementioned electric toothbrush handle, the display interface has a transparent structure.

[0012] In one possible design of the aforementioned handle of the electric toothbrush, the marking consists of a non-transparent layer structure.

[0013] In the aforementioned handpiece of the electric toothbrush, in one possible embodiment, a drive control element is also arranged in the housing half-shell and comprises: a motor having an output side connected to a brush head mounted on the handle of the electric toothbrush for driving the movement of the brush head; and a control panel for controlling the motor and the light-emitting element.

[0014] In one possible design of the aforementioned electric toothbrush handle, the light-emitting element and the shielding plate are attached to the control panel.

[0015] In the aforementioned handpiece of the electric toothbrush, in one possible embodiment, at least one switch for selecting a desired working mode is also arranged on the housing half-shell and the switch is electrically connected to the control panel.

[0016] In one possible version of the aforementioned electric toothbrush handle, the bottom thickness of the blind hole is 0.3-1 mm.

[0017] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, according to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an electric toothbrush including a handle for an electric toothbrush and at least one brush head that can be attached to one end of the handle of the electric toothbrush; and the handle of the electric toothbrush is the above-mentioned. Beneficial effects

[0018] The process of applying the mark (e.g., character or letter information) on the display interface of the handle of the electric toothbrush in the embodiment of the present invention is simple, and a coating for forming the mark can be selectively applied to the outside or inside of the panel according to the practical situation, thus the design is flexible and the formed mark is not susceptible to damage.

[0019] In the electric toothbrush with the electric toothbrush handle, the wall thickness reduction process is carried out on the half shell of the electric toothbrush handle, so that the light of the light-emitting element can penetrate on a certain side of the display interface of the electric toothbrush handle for marking and visualization; a hole in the installation position (ie, the installation groove) of the display interface is not needed, and thus the phenomenon of water intrusion into the electric toothbrush is avoided.

[0020] Further features and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Brief description of the drawings

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, together with the specification illustrate the exemplary embodiments, functions and aspects of the present invention and are used to interpret the principle of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a handle of an electric toothbrush in an embodiment of this invention; Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of internal components of the handle of an electric toothbrush in one embodiment of this invention; Fig. 3 shows a schematic exploded view of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 during assembly; Fig. 4-a shows a schematic sectional drawing I of the handle of an electric toothbrush in an embodiment of this invention (in the axial direction); Fig. 4-b shows a schematic sectional view II of the handle of an electric toothbrush in an embodiment of this invention (in the radial direction); Fig. 5-a shows a schematic drawing I of the coating of the handle of an electric toothbrush in an embodiment of this invention (the coating is located on the outside of the display interface); Fig. 5-b shows a schematic drawing II of the coating of the handle of an electric toothbrush in an embodiment of this invention (the coating is located on the inside of the display interface); Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the application of an electric toothbrush in another embodiment of this invention. List of reference symbols 1 housing half shell 2 button 21 Key ring 22 soft rubber 3 Installation groove 4 blind hole 5 Display interface 6 lower cover 7 shielding part 71 Translucent structure 8 Control panel 9 Light-emitting element 10 carriers 11 Battery 12 Battery cover 13 Coating 601 Handpiece area 602 display area 603 key range Detailed description of the embodiments

[0022] Various exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same characters throughout the drawings represent elements having the same or similar functions. Although various aspects of the embodiments are illustrated in the drawings, the drawings are not necessarily to scale unless otherwise indicated.

[0023] The specific term "exemplary" as used herein means "serving as an example, embodiment, or illustrative." An embodiment described as "exemplary" in this document should not be construed as superior to or better than other embodiments.

[0024] Furthermore, in the specific embodiments below, numerous specific details are set forth to better illustrate the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention may be implemented without some specific details. In some embodiments, methods, means, and circuits well known to those skilled in the art are not explained in detail, thereby emphasizing the subject matter of the present invention. Embodiment 1

[0025] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a handle of an electric toothbrush in an embodiment of this invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the internal components of the handle of an electric toothbrush in one embodiment of this invention. Fig. 3 shows an exploded view of the handle of the electric toothbrush of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 after assembly.

[0026] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the handle of the electric toothbrush mainly includes: a housing half-shell 1, wherein at least one light-emitting element 9 is arranged in the inner cavity of the housing half-shell 1; and a display interface 5 arranged on the outside of the housing half-shell 1 and covering the light-emitting element 9; wherein the display interface 5 is provided with a mark in a specific shape in a position corresponding to the individual light-emitting elements 9; and the light of the light-emitting element 9 is able to penetrate the display interface 5 so that the marking is visible.

[0027] In one possible embodiment, the housing half-shell 1 may have a light-tight structure (i.e., a non-transparent structure), and the non-transparent structure is provided with a blind hole 4 corresponding to the light-emitting element 9. In this case, the light-tight housing half-shell 1 exhibits light-transmitting behavior at the bottom thickness of the blind hole 4 by thinning the housing half-shell 1, and the light from the light-emitting element 9 penetrates the bottom thickness of the blind hole 4 and is incident on the mark of the display interface 5. Preferably, the bottom thickness of the blind hole is 0.3-1 mm. By thinning the housing half-shell 1, not only can the light from each light-emitting element of the housing half-shell 1 penetrate, but also, due to the closed structure of the housing half-shell 1, water can be effectively prevented from entering the cavity of the housing half-shell 1.Of course, the housing half-shell 1 may also have a light-transmitting structure, e.g., a transparent structure or a semi-transparent structure; in this case, even if the housing half-shell 1 is not thinned, the light from the light-emitting element 9 can penetrate the housing half-shell 1 and fall on the display interface 5. In this case, the internal components are visible.

[0028] As in Fig. 3, in one possible embodiment the display interface 5 and the housing half-shell 1 can be assembled in the following way.

[0029] A mounting groove 3 is machined into the outer surface of the housing half-shell 1, the display interface 5 can be precisely installed (ie clamped) on the outer surface of the housing half-shell 1 via the mounting groove 3 and the aforementioned blind hole 4 is machined into the mounting groove 3 in a position corresponding to the light-emitting element 9.

[0030] In one possible embodiment, the display interface 5 has a light-transmitting structure (e.g., a transparent structure), the marking has a light-tight structure (e.g., a non-transparent layer structure), and the light-emitting element 9 can be an LED lamp. This means that the light emitted by the LED lamp can fall on the markings on one side of the display interface 5 after penetrating the bottom thickness of the blind hole 4 in the housing half-shell 1.

[0031] Fig. 4-a or Fig. 4-b show schematic sectional drawings of the handle of the electric toothbrush in the axial direction and in the radial direction, respectively. Fig. 5-a or Fig. 5-b show position relation diagrams of the marking of the handle of an electric toothbrush with respect to the display interface 5.

[0032] The internal components arranged in the inner cavity of the housing half-shell 1 comprise, in particular, a drive control element which serves primarily to drive a brush head functionally connected to it; the drive control element comprises: a motor having an output end protruding from the front end of the handle of the electric toothbrush and connected to the brush head and used to drive the oscillating movement of the brush head; and a control panel 8, which serves to control the operating parameters of the motor and allows the aforementioned display interface 5 to display information characterizing a desired operating mode, i.e., to visualize the marking corresponding to the desired operating mode by illuminating the corresponding light-emitting element 9. In particular: The handle of the electric toothbrush has at least one switch (e.g. a push button 2), and the button 2 is electrically connected to the control panel 8 and serves to cause the control panel 8 to issue a command to select one of a plurality of working modes as the desired working mode, or a command to switch from the current working mode to the desired working mode; depending on the command, on the one hand, the motor responds to the command from the control panel 8 by driving the brush head to perform a series of movements (e.g., vibration) adapted to the desired working mode according to the predetermined control parameters and / or a parameter group, and on the other hand, the corresponding light-emitting element 9 lights up, and the marker of the display interface 5 transmits the display information (e.g., mode marker, movement parameters of the brush head, etc.) to a user.

[0033] The internal components also include a power supply that can supply power to the light-emitting element 9, causing the light-emitting element 9 to emit light to realize the display function of the handpiece. The power supply can also supply power to the drive control element to drive the movement of the brush head. The power supply can be implemented in various ways, can consist of various types of batteries or transformers, or the like, and can be flexibly selected according to the actual application requirements.

[0034] In one possible embodiment, the power supply consists, for example, of a battery 11. In this case, one side of a carrier 10, which also serves as an internal component, fits with a battery cover 12 to form an installation space for the battery 11.

[0035] The control panel 8 is attached to the other side (ie the side near the display interface 5) of the carrier 10.

[0036] Furthermore, the rear end of the carrier 10 axially limits the internal components by a lower cover 6, which is arranged at the rear end of the housing half-shell 1.

[0037] In a specific embodiment, the aforementioned light-emitting element 9 is attached to a side of the control panel 8 near the display interface 5, a shielding part 7 is also attached to the side of the control panel 8 in a position corresponding to the light-emitting element 9, the shielding part 7 is provided with corresponding light transmission structures 71, e.g., a round hole near the rear end of the handle of the electric toothbrush, and a long hole in front of the round holes in Fig. 2, wherein the light transmitting structures 71 primarily serve to limit the light of each light-emitting element 9 to the corresponding mark on the display interface 5. In this case, the light emitted by the light-emitting element 9 successively penetrates the light transmitting structures 71 on the shielding part 7 and the blind holes 4 of the handle of the electric toothbrush and then strikes the mark on the display interface 5 to illuminate it, thus enabling visualization.

[0038] It should be noted that although the electric toothbrush handle was introduced above using the display interface 5 and the shielding part 7 as examples in the figures, those skilled in the art may appreciate that the present invention should not be limited thereto. Indeed, a user can completely flexibly determine the specific shapes of the display interface 5, the shielding part 7, and the light transmitting structures 71 according to personal preference and / or practical application scenarios, as long as the light transmitting behavior and the accuracy of the light path are guaranteed.

[0039] As stated above, the display interface 5 in the present invention consists of a structure adapted to the mounting groove 3 of the housing half-shell 1; a non-transparent coating 13 may be applied to the outer side ( Fig. 5-a) or inside ( Fig. 5-b) (the side near the shielding part 7) of the display interface 5 may be arranged according to practical product requirements and shapes (e.g., by spraying or gluing), then the coating 13 is peeled off according to a specific shape by laser engraving, and the positions of the successively peeled shapes correspond to the aforementioned light-emitting element 9 and the corresponding light-transmitting structures 71 on the shielding part 7.

[0040] Therefore, when the electric toothbrush is in the desired working mode via button 2, the light emitted by the corresponding light-emitting element 9 penetrates the light transmitting structures 71 and illuminates the mark in the specific shape on one side of the display interface 5 precisely and reliably in the desired working mode, and the mark is formed on the display interface 5 instead of on the housing half-shell 1, so that the process is simplified and the shape of the mark can be flexibly adjusted by laser engraving. Embodiment 2

[0041] Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention, namely, a schematic diagram of an application structure of an electric toothbrush having the aforementioned electric toothbrush handle. In a specific application example, the electric toothbrush mainly includes a handle portion 601, a display portion 602, and a button portion 603.

[0042] The electric toothbrush primarily comprises the aforementioned electric toothbrush handle and at least one brush head that can be attached to one end of the electric toothbrush handle; e.g., it can be designed as a multi-brush head interchangeable construction. The brush head is primarily used to clean a user's teeth. The brush head can also be used to clean other parts of the mouth, such as the tongue and the like, depending on personal habits and the specific design of the brush head, or other suitable parts, naturally outside the mouth area.

[0043] The handle area 601 is provided with a corresponding hole for the installation of the button 2; in order to improve the sealing behavior at the hole; furthermore, with regard to Fig. 3, a key ring 21 is attached to the inner edge of the hole so that the outer edge (in the circumferential direction) of the key 2 is in close contact with the key ring 21; and a buffer washer (e.g., soft rubber 22) is attached between the key 2 and the hole so that when the key 2 is pressed, the outer edge of the inner side of its end face is firmly pressed against the soft rubber 22 and its central part is securely connected to the control panel 8.

[0044] Furthermore, in order to further improve the secure connection between the button 2 and the control panel 8 when the button is pressed, further with regard to Fig.4-a, a protrusion may be incorporated on the inside of the end surface of the key 2, and a recess may be formed on the soft rubber 22 corresponding to the protrusion. Only the specific embodiments of this invention are described above, but the scope of this invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions within the disclosed technical field of this invention that are readily understood by those skilled in the art fall within the scope of this invention. Therefore, the scope of this invention is defined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

[1] Handle of an electric toothbrush, comprising: a housing half-shell (1) having a light-tight structure, wherein at least one light-emitting element (9) is arranged in the inner cavity of the housing half-shell (1); and a display interface (5) arranged on the outside of the housing half-shell (1) and covering the light-emitting element (9); wherein the display interface (5) is provided with a mark of a specific shape in a position corresponding to the individual light-emitting elements (9); and the light of the light-emitting element (9) is able to penetrate the display interface (5) so that the marking is visible; wherein the housing half-shell (1) is provided with a blind hole (4) corresponding to a respective light-emitting element (9), wherein the housing half-shell (1) with the light-tight structure has light-transmitting behavior at a bottom thickness of the blind hole (4) by thinning the housing half-shell (1), wherein the light of the light-emitting element (9) penetrates the bottom thickness of the blind hole (4) and falls on the corresponding marking of the display interface (5); wherein after thinning of the housing half-shell (1), the housing half-shell (1) still has a closed structure, so that the light of each light-emitting element (9) can penetrate the housing half-shell (2) and water can be effectively prevented from penetrating into the cavity of the housing half-shell (1). [2] The handle of an electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the handle of the electric toothbrush further comprises a shielding part (7) provided with a light transmitting structure (71) corresponding to the light-emitting element (9); and the light of the light-emitting element (9) successively penetrates the corresponding light transmitting structure (71) and the bottom thickness of the blind hole (4) and is incident on the corresponding mark. [3] Handle of an electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein a mounting groove (3) is machined into the outer surface of the housing half-shell (1); and the installation groove (3) is provided with the blind hole (4) at the position corresponding to the light-emitting element (9); into which the display interface (5) can be precisely installed on the outer surface of the housing half-shell (1) through the installation groove (3). [4] The handle of an electric toothbrush according to claim 3, wherein the display interface (5) has a transparent structure. [5] The handle of an electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the marking has a non-transparent layer structure. [6] Handle of an electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein a drive control element is also arranged in the housing half-shell (1), comprising: a motor, the output side of which is connected to a brush head mounted on the handle of the electric toothbrush and serving to drive the movement of the brush head; and a control panel (8) for controlling the motor and the light-emitting element (9). [7] The handle of an electric toothbrush according to claim 3, wherein both the light-emitting element (9) and the shielding plate are attached to the control panel (8). [8] Handle of an electric toothbrush according to claim 7, wherein at least one switch for selecting a desired working mode is also arranged on the housing half-shell (1) and the switch is electrically connected to the control panel (8). [9] The handle of an electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the bottom thickness of the blind hole (4) is 0.3-1 mm. [10] An electric toothbrush comprising a handle of the electric toothbrush and at least one brush head that can be attached to one end of the handle of the electric toothbrush; wherein the handle of the electric toothbrush corresponds to one of claims 1-9.

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