Oral irrigator

Abstract

To provide an oral irrigator, even when there is only one power supply button, allowing a user to switch to a power supply DFF without going through a stage of feeling pain if the user feels pain when a water flow becomes strong.SOLUTION: An oral irrigator is configured to: when a power button 5 is turned ON / OFF from a power OFF state, start up in order of "weak"→"medium"→"strong"→"power OFF"; and when the power supply button 5 is pressed and held, while operating in "weak" or "medium", transfer to power OFF without going through "medium" or "strong". When the power button 5 is pressed and held after discharging a water flow, the oral irrigator is switched to the power OFF state, so that a user can avoid such a situation that causes the user to feel pain when discharge pressure is switched from "weak" or "medium" to "medium" or "strong" in a state where the power button 5 is not pressed and held.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an oral irrigator that removes dirt and the like by ejecting a stream of cleaning water from a nozzle while the nozzle is brought close to an area to be cleaned, such as between the teeth and gums or between the teeth. [Background technology]

[0002] Oral irrigators have been used for dental health management. Oral irrigators, also called jet washers, eject water from a nozzle to clean and remove plaque that tends to accumulate between the teeth and gums and between the teeth. The water flow is generated by an electric pump, and some devices have an ejection pressure that can be switched between strong and weak in multiple stages (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, the strength is switched by switching an operating switch. Oral irrigators that have only one switch, a power button, are also sold, which switches from the power OFF state to weak with the first operation, to strong with the next operation, and to power OFF with the third operation (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-33657

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Amazon.co.jp, Supika oral irrigator, [Searched on July 24, 2023], Internet <URL:https: / / www.amazon.co.jp / dp / B09XVDZQ5J / ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?pd_rd_i=B09XVDZQ5J&pd_rd_w=iJx29&content-id=amzn1.sym.bd54db78-5863-4bcf-a990-7929193ebe33&pf_rd_p=bd54db78-5863-4bcf-a990-7929193ebe33&pf_rd_r=H0G6DBQG7AEGYD6RQ0KH&pd_rd_wg=zuSQk&pd_rd_r=021e9d56-465d-4fca-912d-1fe383c7da87&s=hpc&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExTzAwRFM5SDFHSU0wJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTUwMTkyVkhNOTlCNVlYREtOJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTM0N0pVSUgxRk5DTTQmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWMmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The reason why the discharge pressure of the water flow discharged from the nozzle of the oral irrigator can be switched between strong and weak is because the strong water pressure may hurt the user before he or she gets used to it or depending on the oral environment. Although the strong water pressure is more effective for cleaning, the weak water pressure is used when pain is felt. In the oral irrigator of Patent Document 1, the water flow is pulsated to obtain a massage effect, and the pulsation rate is switched along with the strength switching, but it is presumed that the user switches based on whether the strength of the discharge pressure is appropriate. Therefore, if the discharge pressure is too high after switching to strong and pain is felt, it is necessary to switch to weak or turn off the power. The switching operation must be performed by selecting the switch to be operated from multiple switches. Although the part of the oral irrigator that has the nozzle, pump, and operation switch is small and handheld, the operation must be performed without looking, and multiple operations are difficult unless you are accustomed to them. In Non-Patent Document 1, only one power button is required to be operated, so the strength can be switched reliably even without looking at the operation. The first operation from the power off state will be weak, not strong, so if you know that you will use it on weak and will not use strong, even if the power button operation after using weak switches it to strong, you can simply press the power button again to turn the power off. However, if you are not used to switching from weak to strong, you may not realize that you should press the power button next, and may continue to use strong until you feel pain.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an oral irrigator that can switch the power source to DFF without going through the stage where pain is felt when the water flow becomes strong even with only one power button. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides an oral irrigator capable of switching the discharge pressure of the water flow discharged from a nozzle into the oral cavity in multiple stages, A single power button and In response to a power button operation, the device determines whether the operation was performed from a power-off state, If it is determined that the operation was performed from the power off state, the discharge pressure is increased to the first stage, If it is determined that the operation was not performed from the power off state, it determines whether the power button was pressed and held down, If it is determined that the button is not pressed for a long time, the discharge pressure is changed to the next level. If it is determined that the button is pressed for a long time, the power will be switched off. Controller and The oral irrigator comprises:

[0008] In the present invention, the discharge pressure is switched from the power OFF state to weak in the first step, medium in the next step, strong in the next step, and power OFF in the next step. It is characterized by:

[0009] In the present invention, the controller further comprises: When it is determined that the operation on the power button is not an operation from the power OFF state, and it is determined that the operation is a long press, the water flow is stopped during the operation on the power button.

[0010] In the present invention, the controller further comprises: When it is determined that the operation on the power button is an operation from the power-off state, it is determined whether or not the operation on the power button is a long press; If it determines that the button is pressed and held, The discharge pressure is switched to be increased. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, by pressing and holding the power button after the water flow is discharged, the power can be switched to the OFF state, thereby avoiding a situation in which the discharge pressure is switched to a stronger state when the power button is not pressed and held, which would cause pain.

[0012] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the strength of the water flow can be switched between three levels: weak → medium → strong, and if pain is felt, the power can be turned off by pressing and holding the power button.

[0013] Furthermore, according to the present invention, if the power button is pressed and held after the water flow has been discharged from the power-off state, the water flow will stop while the power button is being operated, so that the operation of the power button can be stopped after confirming that the discharge pressure does not increase.

[0014] According to the present invention, the discharge pressure increases step by step by pressing the power button multiple times from the power off state, so that it is possible to avoid the pain of suddenly discharging water from the nozzle at a high discharge pressure. If the desired discharge pressure is known, it is possible to discharge water at the desired discharge pressure by pressing and holding the power button from the power off state. Even if the discharge pressure is divided into multiple stages, it is possible to reliably switch by pressing a single power button, avoiding the pain caused by excessive discharge pressure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the external configuration of an oral irrigator 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the oral irrigator 1 of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the oral irrigator 1 of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the oral irrigator 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] The configuration and operation of a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Also, the operation of a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 4. In each figure, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding parts, and duplicated explanations may be omitted, and parts not shown in the figure being explained may be referred to by reference numerals used in other figures. EXAMPLES

[0017] FIG. 1 shows the external configuration of an oral irrigator 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The oral irrigator 1 includes a cylindrical main body 2 and a nozzle 3 attached to one end of the main body 2. The main body 2 is, for example, about 3.5 cm in diameter and 17 cm in length, and can be handled with one hand. The nozzle 3 is detachable from the main body 2, and can be used by replacing the nozzle outlet 4 at the tip with one of a different shape. The main body 2 is provided with a power button 5, which can be operated with one hand holding the main body 2. The power button 5 can be used not only to switch the power on / off, but also to switch the discharge pressure of the water flow discharged from the nozzle outlet 4 of the nozzle 3 from "weak" to "medium" to "strong". The water discharged from the nozzle outlet 4 of the nozzle 3 is supplied from a water supply hose inserted into a water supply port provided at the bottom of the back side of the main body 2. The tip of the water supply hose is inserted into a cup or the like filled with water to draw in the water.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows the electrical configuration of the oral irrigator 1. The controller 6, pump 7, and power supply 8 are housed inside the main body 2 of the oral irrigator 1. The power button 5 provided on the surface of the main body 2 turns ON when pressed and OFF when released, and ON / OFF is determined by the controller 6. The controller 6 includes a microcomputer and controls the operation of the pump 7 that discharges a water flow from the outlet 4 of the nozzle 3 according to the ON / OFF state of the switch. The pump 7 draws water from the water supply hose, pressurizes it, and discharges it as a water flow from the outlet 4 of the nozzle 3. Power to operate the controller 6 and the pump 7 is supplied from the power supply 8. The power supply 8 includes a rechargeable battery, and can be charged while the main body 2 is placed upright on a wireless charger.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows the operation based on the control of the controller 6 of the oral irrigator 1. At the start of operation, no operation is performed on the power button 5, and the power is turned off in step a1. In the next step a2, the controller 6 monitors the ON / OFF operation of the switch using the power button 5, and if it determines that no operation has been performed, it returns to step a1. That is, in the power-off state, the controller 6 constantly monitors whether or not the power button 5 has been operated. If it determines that the power button 5 has been operated ON / OFF, it transitions to an operation to set the discharge pressure to "weak" in step a3. During the "weak" operation, it is determined in step a4 whether or not the power button 5 has been operated ON / OFF. If it determines that no operation has been performed, it continues with step a4, and the "weak" operation continues.

[0020] If it is determined in step a4 that the power button 5 has been operated, then in step a5 it is determined whether the operation of the power button 5 satisfies the condition for a long press. The condition for a long press is set to, for example, pressing the power button 5 for 0.6 seconds or more to turn it ON. If it is determined that the time the button is ON is short and the condition for a long press is not met, then in step a6 it is determined whether the "strong" operation is in progress. If it is determined that the "strong" operation is not in progress, then in step a7 it moves to the next stage of operation, that is, "medium" if it is after "weak", or "strong" if it is after "medium", and then it returns to step a4. If it is determined in step a6 that the "strong" operation is in progress, then in step a8 it turns off the power and ends the operation. If it is determined in step a5 that the condition for a long press is met, then it moves to step a8, it turns off the power and ends the operation.

[0021] Therefore, in this embodiment 1, when the power button 5 is turned on / off from the power OFF state, not only does it start up in the order of "weak" → "medium" → "strong" → power OFF, but by pressing and holding the power button 5 during operation at "weak" or "medium", it transitions to power OFF without passing through "medium" or "strong". If the power button 5 is pressed and held after the water flow is discharged, it can be switched to the power OFF state, so that it is possible to avoid a situation where the discharge pressure is switched from "weak" to "medium" or switched from "medium" to "strong" when the power button 5 is not pressed and held. The oral irrigator 1 of this embodiment 1 can be turned off without experiencing pain from the water pressure, so that usability is improved in each step. Note that the present invention can also be applied to the two-stage switching of the discharge pressure from "weak" to "strong". EXAMPLES

[0022] FIG. 4 shows the operation of the oral irrigator 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The external configuration and electrical configuration of the oral irrigator 1 are the same as those in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, respectively. This second embodiment is also applicable to the case where one or more stages are provided between "weak" and "strong" for the discharge pressure, as in the first embodiment, so that the discharge pressure increases sequentially. At the start of the operation, steps b1 to b3 are performed in a manner substantially equivalent to steps a1 to a3 in FIG. 3. However, in step b2, it is determined whether the switch is turned on by pressing the power button 5, and if it is determined that the pressing operation has been performed, an operation to set the discharge pressure to "weak" is initiated in step b3.

[0023] After starting at "weak", in step b4, it is determined whether the time the power button 5 is pressed is, for example, 0.6 seconds or more, and the condition for a long press is met. If the condition for a long press is met, the process proceeds to the next operation of increasing the discharge pressure to the next stage in step b5, and returns to step b4, where it is determined again whether the button was pressed for a long time. If the determination of the long press is repeated, the button will operate at a discharge pressure of "strong". If the button is already operating at the "strong" stage, it will continue at "strong". If it is determined in step b4 that the button was not pressed for a long time, the process proceeds to step b6, where it is determined whether the power button 5 has been released to turn the switch OFF. If it is determined that the power button 5 has not been released, the process returns to step b4. If it is determined in step b6 that the power button 5 has been released and the ON / OFF operation has ended, the process proceeds to step b7. In the above-mentioned operation after starting, if the desired discharge pressure is known, the power button 5 can be pressed for a long time only once from the power OFF state, and the water flow can be discharged at the desired discharge pressure.

[0024] In step b7, it is determined whether or not the power button 5 has been operated to switch ON / OFF. If it is determined that no operation has been performed, the process returns to step b7. If it is determined that an operation has been performed, it is determined in step b8 whether or not the button has been pressed and held. If it is determined that the button has not been pressed and held, it is determined in step b9 whether or not the button is in "strong" mode. If it is determined that the button is not in "strong" mode, the process moves to the next operation in step b10 and returns to step b7. If it is determined that the button is in "strong" mode in step b9, or if it is determined that the button has been pressed and held in step b8, the process turns off the power in step b11 and ends the operation. In this embodiment 2, it is preferable to make it possible to switch the discharge pressure in multiple stages between "weak" and "strong." Since the discharge pressure increases sequentially by operating the power button 5 multiple times from the power-off state, it is possible to prevent the water flow from the nozzle 3 from suddenly being discharged at a high discharge pressure. If the desired discharge pressure is known, the power button 5 can be pressed and held once from the power-off state to discharge the water flow at the desired discharge pressure. Even if the discharge pressure is divided into multiple stages, it can be switched reliably by operating a single power button 5, avoiding situations where pain is felt due to excessive discharge pressure. If pain is felt when moving to the next operation in step b5, it is sufficient to release the power button 5, move from step b6 to step b7, and hold down the button to turn off the power.

[0025] The determination of long press in step a5 of Example 1 and step b8 of Example 2 may be made when only the switch ON operation is detected, rather than when the switch ON / OFF operation by the power button 5 is detected in step a4 or step b7. If a long press is determined, the power can be turned OFF in step a8 or step b11. If the power button 5 is pressed and held after the water flow is discharged from the power OFF state, the water flow stops during the operation of the power button 5, so the operation of the power button can be ended after confirming that the discharge pressure does not increase. [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 1. Mouth irrigator 2 Main unit 3 Nozzles 5. Power button 6. Controller 7. Pump 8 Power supply

Claims

1. In an oral irrigator, the discharge pressure of the water flow discharged from a nozzle into the oral cavity can be switched in multiple stages. A single power button and In response to an operation on the power button, it is determined whether the operation is performed from a power-off state, If it is determined that the operation was performed from the power off state, the discharge pressure is increased to the first stage, If it is determined that the operation was not performed from the power-off state, it determines whether the power button was pressed and held down, If it is determined that the button is not pressed for a long time, the discharge pressure is changed to the next level. If it is determined that the button is pressed for a long time, the power is switched off. Controller and An oral irrigator comprising:

2. The discharge pressure is switched from the power-off state to weak in the first step, medium in the next step, strong in the next step, and power-off in the next step.

2. The oral irrigator according to claim 1.

3. The controller includes: If the operation on the power button after the discharge of the water flow is determined to be the long press, the water flow is stopped during the operation on the power button.

3. The oral irrigator according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The controller includes: When it is determined that the operation on the power button from the power-off state is the long press, Switching to increase the discharge pressure 2. The oral irrigator according to claim 1.

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