Cleaning and nursing equipment

Abstract

The cleaning and nursing tool includes a housing (1), a motor (10) that performs a rotational motion, a drive shaft (11) having a second axis and protruding from a chamber, and a link mechanism (7) that is connected to the output shaft of the motor (10) and the drive shaft (11) and is configured to convert the rotational motion of the output shaft about a first axis into a reciprocating rotation about a second axis of the drive shaft (11). The link mechanism (7) includes a main drive wheel (16) connected to the output shaft. The cleaning and nursing tool includes a rack (20). The rack (20) is a housing. The rack (20) is installed adjacent to the motor (10) in the housing, the rack (20) has a rack bottom wall (27) and a first boss (24) and a second boss (23) protruding from the rack bottom wall (27), the main driving wheel (16) is accommodated in the first boss chamber (30) of the first boss (24), the drive shaft (11) is accommodated in the hole (21) of the second boss (23) and rotates back and forth, and the second boss (23) is stacked above the first boss (24) so ​​that the hole (21) is located directly above the first boss chamber (30). The rack (20) provides a compact arrangement structure by providing two overlapping bosses (23, 24) to which the link mechanism (7) and the drive shaft (11) are attached.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning and nursing tool such as an electric toothbrush, and more particularly to a cleaning and nursing tool, such as an electric toothbrush, having a link mechanism that converts the rotary motion of a drive unit into the reciprocating rotation of a drive shaft. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, there are various handheld electric cleaning and nursing tools on the market, such as electric toothbrushes. An electric toothbrush has a handle and a brush head attached to a drive shaft protruding from the handle. A rotating electric motor is attached inside the handle. The driving force supplied from the rotating electric motor is output via the output shaft and converted into reciprocating rotation of the drive shaft via a planar four-link structure, causing the brush head mounted thereon to swing back and forth.

[0003] In conventional electric toothbrushes that use a motor as a drive device, the longitudinal axis of the rotating motor and the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft to which the brush head is directly attached are both offset from each other by an equal distance, typically 5 mm or more. In this case, in order to reduce the volume of the product, the brush head of the electric toothbrush is positioned eccentrically with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the handle.

[0004] However, due to the limitations of the conventional planar four-link structure and the mounting structure of the drive shaft, the overall outline of the conventional motor-driven electric toothbrush is relatively large, and the appearance design is limited by the offset between the brush head and the central longitudinal axis of the handle. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, there is a need to improve the conventional motor-driven electric cleaning and nursing tools to reduce the volume and improve the design aesthetics of the appearance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a cleaning and nursing tool, the cleaning and nursing tool including: a housing having a chamber formed therein; a motor, the motor having an output shaft having a first axis, the output shaft performing a rotational motion, the motor being disposed in the chamber, the output shaft being provided with a main wheel; a drive shaft having a second axis and protruding from the chamber; and a drive shaft connected to the main wheel of the output shaft and the drive shaft, respectively, and configured to rotate the output shaft about the first axis by reciprocating the drive shaft about the second axis. and a link mechanism configured to convert the motor into a drive shaft, and the cleaning and nursing tool includes a rack installed in the housing adjacent to the motor, the rack having a rack bottom wall and a first boss and a second boss protruding from the rack bottom wall, the drive shaft being received in a first boss cavity formed in the first boss, the second boss having a hole portion, the drive shaft being received in the hole portion to perform the reciprocating rotation, and the second boss being stacked above the first boss such that the hole portion is located above the first boss cavity.

[0007] According to another aspect of the invention, the second boss is stacked above the first boss such that the first axis of the output shaft and the second axis of the drive shaft are essentially aligned, i.e. the longitudinal axes of the output shaft and the drive shaft are in line or have a parallel offset distance of less than 1 mm, and the distal end of the drive shaft is located directly above the output shaft.

[0008] Such a positional relationship between the drive shaft and the output shaft reduces the size of the handle portion, avoids offset of the brush head relative to the handle portion, and allows greater flexibility in external design.

[0009] A rack with two overlapping bosses allows both the output shaft and the drive shaft of the motor to be held through the same rack, with the output shaft essentially aligned with the axis of the drive shaft.

[0010] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a boss hole bottom is provided between a first boss and the second boss, the boss hole bottom abuts against an end of the drive shaft, and the boss hole bottom is formed integrally with at least one of the first boss and the second boss.

[0011] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a main driving wheel is provided on the output shaft of the motor and at least partially housed within the first boss chamber, and the link mechanism further includes a driven wheel meshing with the main driving wheel, a driven wheel eccentric rod connected to the driven wheel, wherein the central axis of the driven wheel eccentric rod is eccentrically arranged with respect to the rotation axis of the driven wheel, a link having one end connected to the driven wheel eccentric rod, a drive shaft eccentric rod connected to the other end of the link, and a drive shaft connecting rod having one end connected to the drive shaft eccentric rod and the other end fixed to the drive shaft.

[0012] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the first boss has a first boss wall that circumferentially surrounds the main driving wheel, and the first boss wall has a notch portion, at which the driven wheel and the main driving wheel mesh.

[0013] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the other end of the drive shaft connecting rod is fixed to the drive shaft above the second boss.

[0014] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the rack further includes a rack outer wall extending from the rack bottom wall and integrally formed with the rack bottom wall to surround the link mechanism, and the rack bottom wall has a first opening between the first boss and the outer wall, and the first opening accommodates one end of the driven wheel eccentric rod.

[0015] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the second boss is formed separately from the first boss, and the second boss engages with the first boss.

[0016] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the rack bottom wall defines a boss bottom hole on a side of the first boss closer to the motor, and the output shaft of the motor passes through the boss bottom hole and enters the first boss cavity. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rack provides a compact arrangement by providing two overlapping bosses to mount the linkage and the drive shaft. Particularly advantageously, in the present invention, the longitudinal axis of the brush head of the electric toothbrush and the longitudinal axis of the handle are essentially aligned, and the drive shaft is essentially aligned with the output shaft of the motor through the same rack, which is accurate in positioning and convenient in installation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the following description of an illustrative embodiment may be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electric toothbrush according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the electric toothbrush shown in FIG. 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with a portion of the handle housing removed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view showing a link mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a motor and linkage mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a link mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and shows a four-link structure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a rack housing a linkage according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is another perspective view of a rack housing a linkage according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with a drive shaft attached to the rack. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and drawings. In the following description, various details are described to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention, but it is clear that the present invention can be implemented in other forms different from the above description, and those skilled in the art can extend and infer the present invention according to the actual application situation without departing from the spirit of the present invention, so it goes without saying that the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments.

[0021] Hereinafter, the exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking the electric toothbrush 100 as a typical example of a personal cleaning and care tool. Although the electric toothbrush 100 will be used as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention may be applied to cleaning and care tools that provide a cleaning action by a driving device, such as an electric shaver, an electric face washer, and an electric bathing device.

[0022] For clarity, this specification uses spatially relative position terminology, such as "proximal end", "distal end", etc., to simply describe the interrelationship of one element or feature to other element(s) or feature(s) as shown in the figures, where "proximal end" means the end or side closer to the position where a cleaning force acts when the cleaning tool is in use, and "distal end" means the end or side away from the position where a cleaning force acts when the cleaning tool is in use.

[0023] Furthermore, as used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms.

[0024] In this specification, a plurality of elements or components are described using words such as "first", but these elements or components should not be limited by these words. These words are used merely to distinguish one element or component from other elements or components, and do not include "order". Therefore, even if the ordinal words of the elements or components described below are interchanged, the concept and scope of the present invention will not be exceeded.

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a cleaning and care tool according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is an electric toothbrush 100. As shown in FIG.

[0026] The electric toothbrush 100 mainly comprises a handle portion 1 and a brush head 2 detachably attached to the handle portion 1. The handle portion 1 comprises a handle housing 6 and various functional components attached to the handle housing 6. The brush head 2 is provided with cleaning elements 4 such as brush bristles. A switch portion 3 is provided on the approximate proximal end side of the center of the handle housing 6, and a user can press the switch portion 3 to turn on various functional components inside the electric toothbrush 100 and cause the brush head 2 to reciprocate.

[0027] Fig. 2 further illustrates the internal configuration of the electric toothbrush 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 2, from the distal end to the proximal end along the longitudinal direction of the electric toothbrush 100, the electric toothbrush 100 includes a battery 5 provided in a chamber formed in the handle housing 6, a wiring board 8, a motor 10, a link mechanism 7, and a drive shaft 11. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, a rack 20 that houses and holds the link mechanism 7 and the drive shaft 11, and a rack cover 26 that is assembled integrally with the rack 20 on the proximal end side of the rack 20 are provided within the handle housing 6.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the battery 5 is disposed at the distal end of the chamber in the handle portion 1 and supplies power to the motor 10 of the electric toothbrush 100. A wiring board 8 is disposed between the battery 5 and the motor 10, and a switch and related control means are mounted thereon. The wiring board 8 is disposed at the distal end of the motor 10, while the output shaft of the motor 10 extends to a link mechanism 7 at the proximal end of the motor 10. When the motor 10 is operated, the output shaft can rotate about its longitudinal axis L2 (first axis). The link mechanism 7 is connected to the main wheel 16 and the drive shaft 11 of the output shaft of the motor 10, respectively, so as to convert the rotational motion of the output shaft into a reciprocating rotation about the longitudinal axis L1 (second axis) of the drive shaft 11. At the proximal end of the handle housing 6 of the electric toothbrush 100, the drive shaft 11 connected to the link mechanism 7 extends partially from a chamber formed in the handle housing 6 of the handle to connect the brush head 2.

[0029] Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the link mechanism 7 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the motor 10 and link mechanism 7 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the link mechanism 7 includes a driven wheel 15, a driven wheel eccentric rod 17, a link 14, a drive shaft eccentric rod 13, and a drive shaft connecting lever 12, and these members form a four-link mechanism.

[0030] Specifically, in a preferred embodiment, the main wheel 16 is a cylindrical gear attached to the output shaft of the motor 10, the rotation axis of the main wheel 16 and the longitudinal axis L2 of the output shaft are aligned in a straight line, and the rotation of the output shaft of the motor 10 rotates the main wheel 16. The driven wheel 15 is also a cylindrical gear and meshes with the main wheel 16, and the rotation axis of the driven wheel 15 is parallel to but spaced apart from the rotation axis of the main wheel 16. The driven wheel eccentric rod 17 in the link mechanism 7 is essentially disposed in the longitudinal direction and is connected to the driven wheel 15 and the link 14, respectively.

[0031] The link 14 is disposed transversely to the longitudinal direction, and is connected to the driven wheel eccentric rod 17 and the drive shaft eccentric rod 13, respectively. As can be seen from Fig. 5, the link 14 has a first hole 18 and a second hole 19, one end of the driven wheel eccentric rod 17 is inserted into the first hole 18, the center of the first hole 18 is offset with respect to the rotation center of the driven wheel 15, and the driven wheel eccentric rod 17 is configured to connect the first hole 18, the center of which is offset, with the driven wheel 15, thereby also configuring the drive arm of the planar four-link mechanism.

[0032] The drive shaft eccentric rod 13 is connected to the link 14 and the drive shaft connecting rod 12. The distal end of the drive shaft eccentric rod 13 is inserted into a second hole 19 of the link 14. The drive shaft eccentric rod 13 is also essentially longitudinally disposed and offset to one side of the drive shaft 11.

[0033] The drive shaft connecting rod 12 is connected to the drive shaft eccentric rod 13 and the drive shaft 11. Like the link 14, the drive shaft connecting rod 12 also has a first hole and a second hole spaced apart by a fixed distance, with the drive shaft eccentric rod 13 inserted into the first hole and the distal end of the drive shaft 11 inserted into and passing through the second hole.

[0034] In particular, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, in the present invention, the central axis of the second hole of the drive shaft connecting rod 12 of the link mechanism 7 is basically aligned with the rotation axis of the main driving wheel 16, that is, the longitudinal axis L1 of the drive shaft 11 inserted into the second hole is basically aligned with the longitudinal axis connected to the output shaft of the motor 10. It is particularly necessary to explain that in the present invention, the axis being "basically aligned" means that the two axes are in a straight line or the parallel offset distance is less than 1 mm.

[0035] Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a four-link device consisting of the above-mentioned link mechanism 7. In Fig. 5, point O is the center of the drive shaft 11, point A is the center of the second hole of the link 14, point B is the center of the first hole of the link 14 (i.e., the position where the central axis of the driven wheel eccentric shaft is located), and point C is the rotation center of the driven wheel 15. Rotation of the output shaft of the motor 10 rotates the main driving wheel 16, and engagement of the main driving wheel 16 rotates the driven wheel 15 around point C. The driven wheel 15 is fixed to the driven wheel eccentric rod 17, and rotation of the driven wheel 15 rotates the driven wheel eccentric rod 17 around point C. Also, since the center point B of the first hole of the link 14 is offset with respect to point C and the position of point O is fixed, as the driven wheel eccentric rod 17 rotates around point C, the rotation of the driven wheel eccentric rod 17 causes the link 14, the drive shaft eccentric rod 13, and the drive shaft connecting rod 12 to reciprocate around point C, and causes the drive shaft 11 to rotate reciprocally around point O, thereby achieving reciprocating motion of the brush head 2 attached to the drive shaft 11. In short, the drive shaft 11, the drive shaft connecting rod 12, the link 14, the driven wheel 15 and the driven wheel eccentric rod 17 form a planar four-link structure, and as shown in FIG. 5, the connecting line from the center C of the driven wheel 15 to the center of the hole 18 of the link 14 forms a drive arm of the planar four-link structure, and this drive arm can continuously rotate 360 ​​degrees, thereby realizing the reciprocating rotation of the drive shaft 11 around the longitudinal axis.

[0036] The rack 20 is provided adjacent to the motor 10 in the housing, and as described in particular with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the rack 20 includes a rack bottom wall and a rack outer wall, and inside the rack outer wall, there are a first boss 24 and a second boss 23 protruding from the rack bottom wall along a substantially longitudinal direction, the first boss 24 has a first boss wall surrounding it to form a first boss cavity 30, and the second boss 23 has a second boss wall surrounding it to form a hole portion 21. The first boss chamber 30 mainly houses the main driving wheel 16, and the main driving wheel 16 is rotatable within the first boss chamber 30, and the hole portion 21 houses an end of the drive shaft 11, and the drive shaft 11 is rotatable within the hole portion of the second boss. As shown in FIG. 6, the second boss 23 is overlapped above the first boss 24 in the longitudinal direction so that the hole portion 21 is located above the first boss chamber 30. Preferably, the hole 21 is located directly above the first boss chamber 30, i.e., the entire hole 21 is located within the spatial area longitudinally above the first boss chamber 30, thereby allowing the output shaft and drive shaft 11 to be held and accommodated with their axes essentially aligned via the same rack 20.

[0037] As can be seen from Figure 3, a boss hole bottom 22 is provided between the first boss 24 and the second boss 23, and the upper surface of this bottom 22 abuts against the end of the drive shaft 11 and serves to position and support the drive shaft 11. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the boss hole bottom 22 is formed integrally with the second boss wall and thereby becomes part of the second boss 23. However, it should be understood that in other alternative embodiments, the boss hole bottom may be formed integrally with the first boss 24, for example as part of the top of the second boss 23. Obviously, the first boss 24, the second boss 23 and the boss hole bottom may be formed integrally.

[0038] 6, the rack bottom wall 27 defines a boss bottom hole 25 on the side of the first boss 24 closer to the motor 10, and the output shaft of the motor 10 enters the first boss cavity 30 through the boss bottom hole 25. As shown in FIG. 3, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of the boss bottom hole 25 is slightly larger than the main driving wheel 16, and a portion of the main driving wheel 16 extends through the bottom hole 25. It should be understood that in other alternative embodiments, the boss bottom hole 25 may be smaller to allow only the output shaft of the motor 10 to pass through.

[0039] In addition, the first boss wall 28 is particularly provided with a cutout portion, and as is clear from Figures 3 and 6, the space provided by this cutout portion allows the main wheel 16 located inside the first boss chamber 30 and the driven wheel 15 located basically outside the boss chamber 30 to mesh with each other.

[0040] In addition, the rack bottom wall 27 and the rack cover 26 are each provided with two openings, preferably corresponding to each other along the top and bottom, which respectively accommodate the proximal end and distal end of the driven wheel eccentric rod 17 and allow the driven wheel eccentric rod 17 to rotate under the driving of the driven wheel 15.

[0041] When the link mechanism 7 is mounted in the rack 20, the driving wheel 16 mounted on the motor output shaft is located in the first boss chamber 30, and the driven wheel 15 is located in the space between the outside of the first boss chamber 30 and the rack outer wall 29. The link 14 and the drive shaft eccentric rod 13 are located in the space between the second boss wall and the rack outer wall 29. The drive shaft connecting rod 12 extends laterally in the space between above the second boss 23 and below the rack cover 26, and one end of the hole through which the drive shaft 11 is drilled is located above the second boss 23.

[0042] 3, the second boss 23 and the first boss 24 preferably form separate members, with the bottom of the second boss 23 engaging and attached to the top of the first boss 24. It should be understood that in other alternative embodiments, the first boss 24 and the second boss 23 may be integrally formed and fixedly attached to the bottom wall of the rack. The first boss 24 and the second boss 23 may be injection molded integrally with the rack 20.

[0043] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rack 20 provides a compact arrangement by providing two overlapping bosses to mount the link mechanism 7 and the drive shaft 11. Particularly advantageously, in the present invention, the longitudinal axis of the brush head 2 of the electric toothbrush 100 and the longitudinal axis of the handle are essentially aligned, and the drive shaft 11 is essentially aligned with the output shaft of the motor 10 through the same rack 20, which is accurate in positioning and convenient in installation.

[0044] Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and those skilled in the art may make possible changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiment based on the contents that do not deviate from the technical solution of the present invention and the technical essence of the present invention fall within the scope of protection defined in the claims of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Handle 2 Brush heads 3 Switch section 4 Cleaning elements 5 Battery 6 Handle housing 7 Link mechanism 8. Wiring Board 10 Motor 11 Drive shaft 12 Drive shaft connecting rod 13 Drive shaft eccentric rod 14 Links 15 Driven Wheel 16 Main drive wheel 17 Driven wheel eccentric rod 18 2nd hole 19 Hole 1 20 Racks 21 Hole 22 Boss hole bottom 23 Second Boss 24 First Boss 25 Boss bottom hole 26 Rack cover 27 Rack bottom wall 28 First Boss Wall 29 Rack Outer Wall 30 First Boss Chamber 100 Electric Toothbrush L1 Longitudinal axis of drive shaft L2 Longitudinal axis of output shaft O Drive shaft center A Link 1st hole centre B Link 2nd hole centre C Center of rotation of driven wheel

Claims

1. A housing (1) in which a chamber is formed; a motor (10) having an output shaft with a first axis, the output shaft performing rotational motion, the motor being disposed within the chamber; a drive shaft (11) having a second axis and projecting from the chamber; a link mechanism connected to the output shaft and the drive shaft, respectively, and configured to convert a rotational motion of the output shaft about the first axis line into a reciprocating rotational motion of the drive shaft about the second axis line, a rack (20) installed adjacent to the motor (10) within the housing, the rack (20) having a rack bottom wall and a first boss (24) and a second boss (23) protruding from the rack bottom wall, the drive shaft being at least partially accommodated in a first boss cavity (30) formed in the first boss (24), the second boss (23) having a hole portion (21), the drive shaft (11) being accommodated in the hole portion (21) to perform the reciprocating rotation, and the second boss (23) being stacked above the first boss (24) so ​​that the hole portion (21) is located above the first boss cavity (30).

2. The cleaning and nursing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the second boss (23) is stacked above the first boss (24) so ​​that the first axis of the output shaft and the second axis of the drive shaft are essentially aligned.

3. The cleaning and nursing tool of claim 1, characterized in that a boss hole bottom (22) is provided between the first boss and the second boss, the boss hole bottom (22) abuts against an end of the drive shaft (11), and the boss hole bottom (22) is formed integrally with at least one of the first boss (24) and the second boss (23).

4. The output shaft of the motor (10) is provided with a main wheel at least partially housed within a first boss chamber; The link mechanism includes: A driven wheel (15) meshing with the main driving wheel; A driven wheel eccentric rod (17) connected to the driven wheel, the center axis of the driven wheel eccentric rod being eccentrically disposed with respect to the rotation axis of the driven wheel; A link (14) having one end connected to the driven wheel eccentric rod (17); A drive shaft eccentric rod (13) connected to the other end of the link; 2. The cleaning and nursing tool according to claim 1, further comprising a drive shaft connecting rod (12) having one end connected to the drive shaft eccentric rod (13) and the other end fixed to the drive shaft.

5. The cleaning and nursing tool according to claim 4, characterized in that the first boss has a first boss wall that circumferentially surrounds the main driving wheel, the first boss wall has a notch portion, and the driven wheel and the main driving wheel mesh with each other at the notch portion.

6. The cleaning and nursing tool according to claim 4, characterized in that the other end of the drive shaft connecting rod (12) is fixed to the drive shaft above the second boss.

7. The rack further includes a rack outer wall, the rack outer wall extending from the rack bottom wall and integrally formed with the rack bottom wall to surround the link mechanism; The cleaning and nursing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that the bottom wall of the rack has a first opening between the first boss and the outer wall of the rack, and the first opening accommodates one end of the driven wheel eccentric rod (17).

8. The cleaning and nursing equipment described in claim 7, characterized in that the rack further comprises a rack cover fixed to the outer wall of the rack with an opposing end fixed to the bottom wall of the rack, the rack cover being provided with a second opening, the second opening accommodating the other end of the driven wheel eccentric rod (17).

9. 2. The cleaning and nursing tool according to claim 1, wherein the second boss is formed separately from the first boss, and the second boss engages with the first boss.

10. The cleaning and nursing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the rack bottom wall forms a boss bottom hole (25) on the side of the first boss closer to the motor, and the output shaft of the motor passes through the boss bottom hole and enters the first boss cavity (30).

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