Device for cleaning surfaces and its use

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for cleaning surfaces in the oral cavity, in particular a device for cleaning teeth and adjacent gums, comprising a base plate that can be guided between the teeth of the upper and lower jaws and a guide rod arranged on the base plate for moving the base plate in the oral cavity, wherein the base plate is pivotably arranged on the guide rod and filament arrangements for cleaning the occlusal surfaces and filament arrangements for cleaning the lateral surfaces of the teeth, the interdental spaces and the adjacent gums are provided on the base plate, wherein the base plate has a disc or eccentric disc which is rotatable in the same direction or in reverse via a shaft in the guide rod and via a drive and is connected to the base plate in such a way that its movements are transmitted to the base plate.so that the base plate performs a reversing movement about a vertical axis or an oscillating movement about an eccentric axis.

Description

The invention relates to a device for cleaning surfaces and to their use.Improvements in cleaning are constantly being sought in the field of tooth cleaning. Conventional cleaning with a toothbrush and dentifrice has a number of disadvantages.The usual dentifrices have up to 20% abrasive components, whereby the abrasive components together with too high a pressure of the brush by the user can lead to a massive removal of dental material over time. With the increasing average life expectancy, this has the effect that teeth are usually cut open at age and problems arise therefrom.In addition, the toothbrush has the disadvantage that the gums can be damaged, in particular in the case of improper cleaning, so that periodontosis is a frequent problem. Most of the biofilm forming the contaminant is located directly above or below the gum, and cleaning on or adjacent to the gum is therefore of great importance. This is particularly difficult for tooth brushes because the brush comes into contact with the gum and irritates it.The manual cleaning of the teeth is effected by a user by means of the removal of the tooth covering by means of filaments from brush heads of a wide variety of designs, in which the individual bristles rub the tooth surface abrasively. This abrasive cleaning method is accompanied by a continuous tooth enamel reduction. Improper use causes increased tooth enamel removal and poor cleaning results.The main cause of the wrong application is the small space in the mouth, which leads to a toothbrush not touching all locations in the mouth equally well.For many users, cleaning one side of the oral cavity is easier than the other, but also cleaning the lower jaw is typically easier for the user because the contact pressure is automatically generated by gravity, while one has to combat the upper jaw.Another problem is that the user must guide the toothbrush across the teeth in a blind manner without having to have feedback about the cleaning. Modern electric tooth brushes, in which the brush head makes revolving or vibrating movements, often have a pressure control and apps which reduce the human error, but in this way it cannot be eliminated altogether without increasing the cleaning time by a multiple.Moreover, the process of the users on cleaning is not very scheduled, so that there are areas which are cleaned over, while other areas are not cleaned too much. In addition, the cleaning behavior is often hardly varied, so that such cleaning errors are not corrected.The plaque forming by bacterial processes (=oral biofilm), from which calculi form in later stages, is a relatively well-adhering and also well-adhering contamination film which cannot be easily detached even if it is cleaned off in direct contact with the toothbrush, but already not at all in the interstices of the teeth into which the toothbrush can only penetrate to a limited extent or not at all.In addition, many attempts have been made to provide so-called ultrasonic brushes in which a vibration of the toothbrush, which serves for cleaning and ultimately again brings about abrasive cleaning together with toothpaste, is superimposed with ultra-vibrations which are supposed to bring about a cleaning effect. However, it has been found that such tooth brushes are not capable of coupling the ultrasound in the oral cavity in such a way that a cleaning effect would be detectable at all. Such so-called ultrasonic tooth brushes are thus not substantially better than a conventional hand tooth brush.Other electric tooth brushes, in which the brush head makes revolving or vibrating movements, often have a pressure control, but ultimately these movements also lead to abrasive brushing.DE 20 2016 101 191 U1 discloses a brush head for an electric toothbrush, which is intended to engage around the tooth on all sides and on which bristles are arranged for cleaning.U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,690 A discloses a cleaning device in which ultrasound is applied to a surface via a liquid by means of a lamp which engages over at least one tooth.US 2005 / 091,770 A discloses a toothbrush which operates like a normal electric toothbrush but additionally also has an ultrasonic generator which is intended to introduce acoustic energy into a cleaning liquid.US 2017 / 0189,149 A1 discloses a system with which teeth are to be lightened using an ultrasonic device. For this purpose, a mouthpiece is provided, which has a volume for the upper jaw and the lower jaw, wherein ultrasonic generators are arranged in the mouthpiece facing the teeth, which ultrasonic generators can apply ultrasonic energy to the tooth surface.This is intended to produce an effect known as ultrasound streaming, in which it is carried out that the temperature must be controlled and, moreover, bubbles must also be prevented from forming, since these impede the transmission of the ultrasound. In this case, a frequency of 20 kHz to 100 kHz is to be used, wherein cavitation is to be specifically induced here, so that vapor bubbles are formed, which implode on the surface of the tooth, wherein local temperatures of up to 5000 Kelvin and local pressures of up to 1000 atmospheres are to be produced in this case.It is disadvantageous here that the energies introduced are so high that damage to the tissue is virtually unavoidable.The object of the invention is to provide a device for cleaning surfaces which, miniaturized, enables a planned, simple and autonomous cleaning of biofilm.The object is achieved with the features of claim 1.Advantageous further developments are characterized in the dependent claims dependent thereon.The device according to the invention is designed such that it can be guided between the slightly open jaws in a mouth space along the jaw arches and thereby carries out cleaning with bristles or filaments. The drive is here reduced in size such that the device is in particular very flat. The device comprises a guide rod with which the device can be guided over the teeth starting from a control and movement unit, on the other hand the device can adapt to the course of the teeth. The device thereby cleans up at most two teeth simultaneously and is able to adapt well to tooth shapes due to the corresponding length limitation.The device has a base plate that can be guided between the teeth of the upper jaw and the lower jaw, and the guide rod arranged on the base plate for moving the base plate in the oral cavity, wherein the base plate is arranged pivotably on the guide rod.Arranged on the base plate are the filament arrangements for cleaning the occlusal surfaces and filament arrangements for cleaning the tooth side surfaces, the tooth interstices and the adjacent gum.In particular, the filament arrangements for cleaning the occlusal surfaces are arranged directly on the base plate and are moved with the latter for carrying out cleaning movements.For this purpose, the base plate has a disk and, if appropriate, an eccentric disk, which is rotatable in a reversing manner via a shaft in the guide rod and via a drive and is connected to the base plate in such a way and, in particular, in a rotationally fixed manner that its movements are transmitted to the base plate, so that the base plate performs a reversing movement about a vertical axis, if appropriate eccentrically deflected. This allows a particularly flat configuration. In addition, such a drive can be miniaturized.The rotary drive of the disk and in particular of the eccentric disk is a toothed drive or a belt drive, wherein the disk is formed at least partially with a toothing for the engagement of a drive gearwheel or of a toothed belt.For example, the shaft in the guide rod acts via a grub screw on a first gearwheel mounted on the guide rod in a rotating manner on the latter, and this first gearwheel acts indirectly via at least one further second gearwheel or directly on the toothing of the disc.Alternatively, the shaft in the guide rod can be designed to drive a drive roller, wherein a toothed belt or drive belt is placed around the drive roller and the disk so as to bring the latter into operative connection. A reversing rotation of the shaft thus also rotates the disk in a reversing manner.The first gear wheel, if present second gear wheels, and the disk are rotatably arranged on a common support plate. At least the axis of rotation of the first gearwheel passes through the support plate and at least one support plate on the guide rod in a rotatable manner, so that the support plate is thereby arranged on the guide rod in a pivotable manner. For reasons of stability, in particular two retaining plates are present, wherein the retaining plate is located between the retaining plates and is accordingly pivotable between them.Preferably, the first gearwheel, optionally present second gearwheels and the disk are formed symmetrically on both sides of the supporting plate and each have a common axis of rotation which reaches through the supporting plate. Since the support plate is also arranged on the base plate via the disk, the base plate is thus also arranged pivotably on the guide rod and can thereby follow a jaw arch.The filament arrangements for cleaning the tooth side surfaces, the tooth interstices and the adjacent gum are arranged on pivot arms, wherein the pivot arms are arranged pivotably in the region of end faces of the base plate laterally on both sides on the base plate and extend beyond the end faces of the base plate.At free ends of the pivot arms, carriers for the filament arrangements are provided, which are arranged pivotably by means of the pivot arms at a region above the base plate to a region below the base plate, so that both surfaces on the upper jaw and surfaces on the lower jaw are swept over in alternating sequence by the pivoting.In one embodiment, 2 pivot arms are arranged on each side in the region of an end face of the base plate, which form a parallelogram pivot drive. This makes it possible to keep the filament arrangements upright without describing an arc of a circle during pivoting.Since two end faces are present, a total of 4 filament arrangements can thus be arranged on the device and can thus clean simultaneously at two different points.For pivoting the pivot arms, these are preferably arranged on a common pivot shaft which is reversibly driven by motor, wherein the motor acts directly on the shaft via a tooth or spindle drive. Each pivot arm can, however, also have its own drive.In one embodiment, the disk is connected to the base plate in a rotationally fixed manner, so that a reversing rotation of the disk also moves the base plate and thus the filament arrangements in a reversing rotation.In another embodiment, instead of the symmetrical disk, which supports the eccentric disk rotatably about an eccentric axis in the base plate, so that rotation of the eccentric disk oscillates the base plate about the eccentric axis.The invention is explained by way of example with reference to a drawing, in which: FIG. 1 : the device in a perspective side view; FIG. 2 : shows the device in a further perspective side view; FIG. 3 : shows the drive unit of the device in a cut-away perspective view; FIG. 4 : a detail view of the drive of the disc; FIG. 5 shows a further detail view of the pane; FIG. 6 is a view of a drive of the swivel arms; FIG. 7 is a view of a further drive version of the disc; FIG. 8 is a view of the version of FIG. 7 with staggered filament arrangements; FIG. 9 : 2 Devices in a schematic view on a jawbone arch.The device 1 (FIGS. 1, 2 ) has a base plate 2 that can be guided between the teeth of the upper jaw and the lower jaw and the guide rod 3 arranged on the base plate 2 for moving the base plate 2 in the oral cavity, wherein the base plate 2 is arranged pivotably on the guide rod 3.Arranged on the base plate 2 are the filament arrangements 4 for cleaning the occlusal surfaces (FIG. 7 ) and filament arrangements 5 for cleaning the tooth side surfaces, the tooth interstices and the adjacent gum (FIGS. 1, 2 ).In particular, the filament arrangements 4 for cleaning the occlusal surfaces are arranged directly on the base plate 2 and are moved therewith for carrying out cleaning movements.For this purpose, the base plate 2 has a disk 6 or eccentric disk 6, which is rotatable in a reversing manner via a shaft 7 in the guide rod and via a drive 8 and is connected to the base plate 2 in such a way and in particular in a rotationally fixed manner that its movements are transmitted to the base plate 2, so that the base plate 2 performs a reversing circular movement about a vertical axis or an eccentrically deflected movement about an eccentric axis (not shown). This allows a particularly flat configuration. In addition, such a drive can be miniaturized.The drive 8 of the disk or of the eccentric disk is a toothed drive or a belt drive, wherein the disk 6 is formed at least partially with a toothing 10 for the engagement of a drive gearwheel or of a toothed belt (FIGS. 3, 4 ).For example, the shaft 7 in the guide rod 3 acts via a grub screw 11 on a first gearwheel 12 mounted on the guide rod in a rotating manner, and this first gearwheel 12 acts indirectly via at least one further second gearwheel 13 or directly on the toothing 10 of the disk 6.Alternatively, the shaft 7 in the guide rod 3 can be designed to drive a drive roller 14 (FIGS. 7, 8 ), wherein a toothed belt 15 or drive belt is placed around the drive roller 14 and the pulley 6 so as to bring them into operative connection. A reversing rotation of the shaft 7 thus also rotates the disk 6 in a reversing manner. A continuous rotation of the shaft 7 rotates in particular the eccentric disc.The first gear wheel 12, thus provided second gear wheels 13 and the disc 7 are rotatably arranged on a common support plate 16. At least the axis of rotation 17 of the first gearwheel 12 extends through the support plate 16 and at least one support plate 18 on the guide rod 3 in a rotatable manner, so that the support plate 16 is thereby arranged on the guide rod 3 in a pivotable manner. For reasons of stability, in particular two retaining plates 18 are present, wherein the support plate 16 is located between the retaining plates 18 and is accordingly pivotable between them.Preferably, the first gearwheel 12, optionally present second gearwheels 13 and the disk 6 are formed symmetrically on both sides of the support plate 16 and each have a common axis of rotation 17 (first gearwheel), 19 (second gearwheels) and 20 (disk and eccentric disk), which engage through the support plate 16. Since the support plate 16 is also arranged on the base plate 2 via the disk 6, the base plate 2 is thus also arranged pivotably on the guide rod 3 and can thereby follow a jaw arch (FIG. 9 ).The filament arrangements 5 for cleaning the tooth side surfaces, the tooth interstices and the adjacent gum are arranged on pivot arms 21, wherein the pivot arms 21 are arranged pivotably in the region of end faces 22 of the base plate 2 laterally on both sides on the base plate 2 and extend beyond the end faces 22 of the base plate 2.At free ends 23 of the swivel arms 21, carriers 24 for the filament arrangements 5 are provided, which are arranged by means of the swivel arms 21 so as to be pivotable from a region above the base plate 2 to a region below the base plate 2 according to the arrow 28 in FIG. 1, so that both surfaces on the upper jaw and surfaces on the lower jaw are swept over in alternating sequence by the pivoting.In one embodiment, 2 pivot arms 21 are arranged on each side in the region of an end face 22 of the base plate 2, which form a parallelogram pivot drive 25. This makes it possible to keep the filament arrangements 5 upright in their position without describing a circular arc during pivoting.Since two end faces 22 are present, a total of 4 filament arrangements 5 can thus be arranged on the device and can thus clean simultaneously at two different points.For pivoting the pivot arms 21, these are preferably arranged on a common pivot shaft 26 (FIG. 3 ), which is reversibly driven by motor, wherein the motor 27 acts directly on the shaft 26 or via a toothed or spindle drive. Each pivot arm 21 can, however, also have its own drive.In one embodiment, the disk 6 is connected to the base plate in a rotationally fixed manner, so that a reversing rotation of the disk also moves the base plate and thus the filament arrangements in a reversing rotation.In another embodiment, instead of the symmetrical disc 6, the eccentric disc is arranged rotatably about a symmetrical axis 20 in the support plate 16 and is mounted with an eccentric axis (not shown in the base plate 2, so that rotation of the eccentric disc oscillates the base plate 2 about the eccentric axis.List of reference characters1 Device 2 Base plate 3 Guide rod 4 Filament arrangement 5 Filament arrangement 6 Disc 7 Shaft 8 Drive 9 Vertical axis 10 Toothing of 6 11 Grub screw 12 First gearwheel 13 Second gearwheel 14 Drive roller 15 Toothed belt 16 Support plate 17 Axis of rotation of 12 18 Retaining plate 19 Axis of rotation of 13 20 Axis of rotation of 6 21 Pivot arms 22 End faces 23 Free ends 24 Carrier 25 Parallelogram drive 26 Pivot shaft 27 Motor 28 ArrowReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedDE 20 2016 101 191 U1

[0013] U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,690 A

[0014] US 2005 / 091,770 A

[0015] US 2017 / 0189,149 A1

[0016]

Claims

Device for cleaning surfaces in the oral cavity, in particular device for cleaning teeth and adjacent gums, comprising a base plate that can be guided between the teeth of the upper jaw and the lower jaw and (2) a guide rod (3) arranged on the base plate (2) for moving the base plate (2) in the oral cavity, wherein the base plate (2) is arranged pivotably on the guide rod (3) and filament arrangements (4) for cleaning the occlusal surfaces and filament arrangements (5) for cleaning the tooth side surfaces, the tooth interstices and the adjacent gums are present on the base plate (2), wherein the base plate (2) comprises a disc (6) or eccentric disc, which is rotatable in a reversing manner via a shaft (7) in the guide rod (3) and via a drive (8) and is connected to the base plate (2) in such a way, that their movements are transferred to the base plate (2), so that the base plate (2) performs a reversing movement about a vertical axis (20) or an oscillating movement about an eccentric axis.Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the rotary drive (8) of the disc (6) or eccentric disc is a toothed drive or a belt drive, wherein the disc (6) or eccentric disc is formed at least partially with a toothing (10) for the engagement of a drive gearwheel (12, 13) or a toothed belt (15).Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the shaft (7) in the guide rod (3) acts in a rotating manner via a grub screw (11) on a first gearwheel (12) mounted on the guide rod (3), and this first gearwheel (12) is designed to act indirectly via at least one further second gearwheel (13) or directly on the toothing (10) of the disc (6) or eccentric disc.Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the shaft (7) in the guide rod (3) is designed to drive a drive roller (14), wherein a toothed belt (15) or drive belt is placed around the drive roller (14) and the disc (6) or the eccentric disc so as to bring them into operative connection.Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first gearwheel (12), if present second gearwheels (13), and the disc (6) or the eccentric disc are rotatably arranged on a common support plate (16), and that one axis of rotation (17) of the first gearwheel (12) rotatably passes through the support plate (16) and at least one retaining plate (18) on the guide rod (3), so that the base plate (2) is thereby rotatably arranged on the guide rod (3).Device according to claim 5, characterised in that the first toothed wheel (12), optionally present second toothed wheels (13), and the disc (6) or the eccentric disc are formed symmetrically on both sides of the support plate (16) and each have a common axis of rotation (17, 19, 20), which pass through the support plate (16).Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the filament arrangements (5) for cleaning the tooth side surfaces, the tooth interstices and the adjacent gum are arranged on pivot arms (21), wherein the pivot arms (21) are arranged pivotably in the region of end faces (22) of the base plate (2) laterally on both sides of the base plate (2) and extend beyond the end faces (22) of the base plate (2), wherein carriers (24) for the filament arrangements (5) are present at free ends (23) of the pivot arms, which carriers are arranged pivotably by means of the pivot arms (21) at a region above the base plate (2) to a region below the base plate (2), so that both surfaces on the upper jaw and surfaces on the lower jaw are swept over by the pivoting in alternating succession.Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 2 pivot arms (21) are arranged parallel to one another on each side in the region of an end face (22) of the base plate (2), which form a parallelogram pivot drive (25).Device according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that for pivoting the pivot arms (21), these are arranged on a common pivot shaft (26), which is reversibly driven by motor, wherein the motor (27) acts directly on the shaft (26) or via a toothed or spindle drive.Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the disc (6) is connected to the base plate (2) in a rotationally fixed manner, so that a reversing rotation of the disc (6) also moves the base plate (2) and thus the filament arrangements (4, 5) in a reversing rotation.Device according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the eccentric disc is mounted in the base plate (2) rotatably about an eccentric axis, with the result that rotation of the eccentric disc oscillates the base plate (2) about the eccentric axis.

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