Power toothbrush control

Abstract

A powered toothbrush (10) is disclosed, comprising a motor (12) for driving a brush head (15) of the powered toothbrush and a controller (20) configured to control the motor based on an operational mode selection signal. The controller includes a timer (22) for timing the total duration of a toothbrushing session with the powered toothbrush, and is configured, in a feedback mode of operation, to calculate an average total duration of toothbrushing sessions based on stored times of past toothbrushing sessions, define a target value based on the calculated average total duration, and cause the generation of a sensory output during the toothbrushing session when the duration reaches the target value to prompt the user to continue brushing. Methods of evaluating toothbrushing session data generated by the powered toothbrush, a computer program for implementing the method, an electronic device configured to implement the method, and an oral hygiene kit are also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a powered toothbrush having a motor for driving a brush head of the powered toothbrush and a controller arranged to control the motor, the controller including a timer for timing the total duration of a brushing session by the powered toothbrush.

[0002] The present invention further relates to a computer-implemented method for evaluating brushing session data by receiving the brushing session data from a controller of a powered toothbrush.

[0003] The present invention further relates to a computer program for implementing such a method. Regarding the program.

[0004] The present invention further relates to an electronic device including a processor and such a computer program.

[0005] The present invention further relates to an oral hygiene kit having such a powered toothbrush and a computer program.

Background Art

[0006] Powered toothbrushes have revolutionized oral hygiene management by providing superior cleaning power compared to manual brushing. However, to ensure optimal cleaning results, users of such powered toothbrushes must use the powered toothbrush correctly. For this reason, a powered toothbrush can include one or more sensors that detect, for example, the pressure applied with the powered toothbrush and the orientation of the powered toothbrush. The powered toothbrush can generate a warning if the user is not using the powered toothbrush correctly or provide the user with an evaluation of the characteristics of such a brushing session in order to enable the user to correct their brushing technique, and can transmit such sensor data to a related application operating on an electronic device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer.

[0007] Another important parameter related to the quality of a toothbrushing session with a powered toothbrush is the total duration of the toothbrushing session. For this reason, the controller of the powered toothbrush may include a timer that measures the duration of the toothbrushing session and causes a warning to be generated when this duration reaches a recommended value, such as 2 minutes, to notify the user that the recommended duration of the toothbrushing session has been reached. As a further improvement, the controller can generate a plurality of warnings at equally spaced time intervals, such as warnings every 20 or 30 seconds, to assist the user in spending equal amounts of time brushing different areas of the user's teeth, such as the occlusal surfaces and / or the front and back of the upper and lower teeth respectively. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0008] Despite the generation of such warnings indicating the end of a brushing session (or a part thereof), many users are known to end a toothbrushing session with such a powered toothbrush prematurely, i.e., before the generation of a warning. As a result, the efficiency of the toothbrushing session deteriorates, and there is a high possibility of insufficient removal of dirt such as dental plaque and food debris.

[0009] US2010 / 0175208 discloses a toothbrush in which the actual cleaning time is compared with a target cleaning time. Although there is a standard cleaning time, additional time can be added to this standard cleaning time to obtain the target cleaning time, especially if the user has previously had a cleaning time shorter than the standard cleaning time. MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a powered toothbrush configured to encourage a user to continue a toothbrushing session when the user is prone to ending such a session prematurely.

[0011] The present invention further aims to provide a computer-implemented method for evaluating whether a user has a tendency to terminate a toothbrushing session prematurely.

[0012] The present invention further aims to provide a computer program for implementing such a method.

[0013] The present invention further aims to provide an electronic device configured to implement such a method.

[0014] The present invention further aims to provide an oral hygiene kit including such a power toothbrush and a computer program.

[0015] According to one aspect, there is provided a power toothbrush having a motor for driving a brush head of the power toothbrush and a controller configured to control the motor based on an operation mode selection signal. The controller includes a timer for timing a total duration of a toothbrushing session by the power toothbrush, and is configured to store the timed total duration of the brushing session. In a first operation mode, when the duration reaches a default target value corresponding to a recommended duration of the toothbrushing session, it causes generation of a first sensory output during the toothbrushing session. Based on the operation mode selection signal, it switches between the first operation mode and a further operation mode. In the further operation mode, it calculates an average total duration of the toothbrushing session based on at least some of the stored toothbrushing session times,

[0016] defines a further target value based on the calculated average total duration of the stored total toothbrushing duration, and when the duration reaches the further target value, it causes generation of a further sensory output during the toothbrushing session.

[0017] The present invention provides a power toothbrush having an operating mode that encourages the user to continue brushing when the user has a tendency to end the brushing session prematurely, for example, before the recommended minimum of two minutes, by generating additional sensory output at the time obtained from such user's brushing history, i.e., at the average brushing session time achieved by this user. As a result, the user can be encouraged to continue brushing by the generated additional sensory output.

[0018] For this purpose, the controller is preferably configured to define a further target value as the calculated average total duration minus a predetermined amount of time so as to increase the likelihood that additional sensory output is generated before the user ends the brushing session. The predetermined amount of time can be selected in the range of 2 to 30 seconds, preferably 2 to 10 seconds, so that additional sensory output is generated shortly before the typical time when the user ends the brushing session. This provides a clear correlation between encouraging the user to continue the brushing session and this time point.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the controller is further adapted to calculate an updated average total duration of the brushing session based on at least a part of the stored brushing session times including at least one brushing session time stored after starting the second operating mode in the second operating mode, update the further target value based on the calculated updated average total duration of the stored total brushing duration, and when the duration reaches the updated further target value, result in the generation of additional sensory output during the brushing session. By generating additional sensory output at a point in time that is a function of the moving average of the duration of the user's brushing session, the correlation between the time when the additional sensory output is generated and the time when the user ends the brushing session is maintained, which can thus optimize the likelihood of continuously encouraging the user to extend the brushing session.

[0020] In the second operating mode, the controller is further adapted to compare the updated further target value with the default target value, and when the difference between the updated further target value and the default value is below a predetermined threshold, switch from the second operating mode to the first operating mode. When the controller establishes that the total duration of the user's brushing session is approximately or exceeds the recommended total duration of the brushing session, the controller causes the power toothbrush to return to the first operating mode. In that mode, since there is no longer a need to prompt the user to extend the brushing session, the controller results in the generation of a default or first sensory output for the recommended duration of the brushing session.

[0021] The first and further sensory outputs can be generated in any suitable form, such as tactile, visual or auditory outputs, or any suitable combination of such outputs. For example, the controller can be configured to result in the generation of at least one of the first sensory output and the further sensory output by the motor in the form of tactile feedback, such as a vibration pattern, which has the advantage that no additional sensory output generator is required. In certain embodiments, the controller is configured to turn off the motor with the further target value or the updated further target value. As a result, the user has to manually turn on the switch of the power toothbrush. This encourages the user to continue brushing for several seconds or more.

[0022] Alternatively or additionally, the power toothbrush further has a sensory output device, and the controller is configured to cause the sensory output device to generate at least one of the first sensory output and the further sensory output. Such a sensory output device can take any suitable shape or form, such as one or more light sources, such as LEDs, speakers, and the like.

[0023] Preferably, the first sensory output and the further sensory output are different sensory outputs. As a result, the user can clearly distinguish between the sensory output indicating that the brushing session has reached the recommended duration and the sensory output prompting the user to continue the brushing session. The first sensory output and the further sensory output may be different types of output, such as tactile output and visual output, or different outputs of the same type, such as different tactile outputs, visual outputs, or audible outputs.

[0024] In one embodiment, the controller is configured to cause transmission of brushing session data including an indication of the total duration of the brushing session to an evaluation module of the brushing session, and to receive the operation mode selection signal from the evaluation module. This is the case, for example, when a powered toothbrush is supported by an app that implements such an evaluation module, which runs on a portable electronic device such as a smartphone or tablet computer and can evaluate such brushing data to determine whether the user regularly ends the brushing session prematurely. In this case, the app can cause generation of the operation mode selection signal and transmission thereof to the controller of the powered toothbrush, as a result of which the controller switches the powered toothbrush from the first operation mode to the second operation mode. Alternatively, the powered toothbrush can further have an evaluation module to provide a powered toothbrush with such evaluation capabilities.

[0025] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method for evaluating toothbrushing session data including an indication of the total duration of a toothbrushing session, the method comprising receiving toothbrushing session data from a controller of a powered toothbrush; after receiving toothbrushing session data from the powered toothbrush for a plurality of brushing sessions, evaluating the compliance of the total duration of each toothbrushing session with a recommended target value of the total duration; and, for at least some of the plurality of toothbrushing sessions, if the evaluation indicates that the total duration of the toothbrushing session is shorter than the recommended target value of the total duration, sending an operation mode selection signal to the controller. In such a method, the typical total duration of a toothbrushing session of a particular user can be evaluated, and if the evaluation indicates that the user does not regularly reach the recommended total duration of the toothbrushing session, an operation mode selection signal is generated and provided to the powered toothbrush, and as previously explained, the powered toothbrush is forced into a user training mode to prompt the user to extend the duration of the toothbrushing session.

[0026] This method may be part of a computer-implemented method for controlling the operation mode of a powered toothbrush.

[0027] According to yet another aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising a computer-readable storage medium having embodied therein computer-readable program instructions that, when executed on a processor arrangement of an evaluation module, cause the processor arrangement to implement any of the methods of the embodiments described herein. Such a computer program can be installed on an electronic device, such as a portable electronic device like a smartphone or a tablet computer, so that the electronic device can process the brushing session data provided by the power toothbrush and, if necessary, generate an operation mode selection signal that causes the power toothbrush to switch to a user training mode that prompts the user to extend the duration of the brushing session, as described above.

[0028] According to yet another aspect, there is provided an electronic device comprising a processor arrangement and a computer program of any of the embodiments described herein, the processor arrangement executing the computer-readable program instructions. The installation of this computer program enables the electronic device to process the brushing session data provided by the power toothbrush and, if necessary, generate an operation mode selection signal that causes the power toothbrush to switch to a user training mode that prompts the user to extend the duration of the brushing session, as described above.

[0029] According to yet another aspect, there is provided an oral hygiene kit comprising a power toothbrush and a computer program of any of the embodiments described herein, the oral hygiene kit facilitating the evaluation of brushing session data and the control of the operation mode of the power toothbrush, as described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the corresponding drawings using non-limiting examples.

[0032] It should be understood that the figures are merely schematic and not drawn to scale. It should also be understood that the same reference numbers are used throughout the figures to indicate the same or similar parts.

[0033] FIG. 1 schematically shows a powered toothbrush 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The powered toothbrush 10 includes a handle to which a brush head 15 can be attached such that the brush head 15 is driven by a motor 12 within the handle. The handle further includes a rechargeable power source 14, such as one or more rechargeable batteries, configured to supply power to the motor 12. A controller 20 is also present within the handle, and this controller 20 is configured to operate the motor 12 by enabling a switch (not shown) of an electrical conduction path between the rechargeable power source 14 and the motor 12 based on the user operating the powered toothbrush 10 via, for example, a button 11 or any other suitable user interface.

[0034] The controller 20 measures the total duration of a brushing session performed with the power toothbrush 10 and further includes a timer 22 configured to trigger the generation of a sensory output at a particular point in time during the brushing session in a first operating mode of the power toothbrush 10, such as a default operating mode. For example, the timer 22 can trigger the generation of an intermediate sensory output at set times, such as every 20 or 30 seconds, to assist the user in spending the correct amount of time when cleaning a particular portion of the user's teeth, such as a quadrant. Additionally or alternatively, the timer can trigger a sensory output when the duration of the brushing session reaches a recommended amount of time, such as 2 minutes, to inform the user that sufficient time has been spent brushing the user's teeth. The intermediate sensory output generally differs from the sensory output generated when the brushing session reaches the recommended amount of time. As a result, the user can correctly interpret the meaning of the generated sensory output.

[0035] In the context of the present application, a sensory output is an output that can be detected by one or more of the user's senses, particularly touch, vision, or hearing. The sensory output can take any suitable shape or form. For example, the sensory output can be visual, auditory, or tactile. Such a sensory output can be generated by the controller 20's target control of the motor 12 or by a dedicated sensory output device 40 under the control of the controller 20. Since the generation of such a sensory output is well known per se, this will not be described in further detail for the sake of brevity.

[0036] The powered toothbrush 10 further has a communication interface 30 communicably coupled to a controller 20, and the communication interface can establish a communication link 55 with a communication interface 54 of an electrical device 50 that further includes a processor arrangement 52 communicably coupled to the communication interface 54. For this purpose, any suitable communication protocol, such as Bluetooth or other P2P communication protocol, can be used. An electronic device 50, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, etc., is configured to operate as an evaluation module 60 for the brushing session data provided by the controller 20 via the communication link 55 for processing by the processor arrangement 52. Such brushing session data typically has an indication of the total duration of the brushing session, and the evaluation module evaluates the brushing session and provides feedback obtained from this evaluation to the user, for example, by displaying such feedback on a display 56 of the electronic device 50. To enable this, the powered toothbrush 10 can further include sensor data from one or more sensors (not shown), such as a proximity sensor, a force gauge, a direction sensor such as a gyroscope, etc.

[0037] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the power toothbrush 10 can be switched between a first operation mode which may be its default operation mode, and a second operation mode which prompts the user to extend the brushing session, for example, when the user has a tendency to end the brushing session early, that is, when there is a tendency to end before the total duration of the brushing session reaches 2 minutes. This will be described in more detail in FIG. 2 which represents a flowchart of a method 100 for operating the power toothbrush 10, including the first operation mode 110 and the second operation mode 120. The method 100 starts in operation 101 when the user turns on the power toothbrush 10 by pressing the button 11 or in any other suitable manner. Thereafter, the method 100 proceeds to operation 102 where the controller 20 checks which operation mode the power toothbrush 10 should operate in during the brushing session.

[0038] For example, when the power toothbrush 10 operates in the first operation mode 110, the controller 20 starts the timer 22 in operation 103, and then the controller 20 checks the timer 22 in operation 104 to determine whether a predetermined time point has been reached at which a sensory output should be generated, such as an intermediate sensory output indicating the completion of a time interval corresponding to the cleaning time spent on a particular section of the user's teeth, e.g., a quadrant, or a sensory output indicating that the user's brushing session has reached the recommended duration described above. If the controller 20 determines in operation 104 that such a time point has been reached, the controller 20 proceeds to operation 105 where the controller 20 controls the motor 12 and / or the sensory output device 40 to generate an appropriate sensory output to inform the user that this time point has been reached, and then the controller 20 proceeds to operation 106. If the controller 20 determines in operation 104 that the predetermined time point for generating the sensory output has not yet been reached, the controller 20 skips operation 105 and proceeds directly to operation 106.

[0039] In operation 106, the controller 20 checks whether the user has ended the brushing session or continues brushing. If the user continues brushing, the controller 20 returns to operation 103 where the controller 20 continues to time the duration of the brushing session using the timer 22. On the other hand, if the controller 20 determines in operation 106 that the user has ended the brushing session, the controller 20 proceeds to operation 107 where data of the brushing session, reinforced by additional information such as time or date optionally, for example the total duration of the brushing session and sensor data if present, is stored in a data storage device (not shown) such as a memory incorporated in the handle of the power toothbrush 10. For example, such a data storage device may form part of the controller 20 or may be a separate entity within the power toothbrush 10. Further, the controller 20 may, in operation 107, transmit the collected data for evaluation to the evaluation module 60 via the data communication link 55 using the data communication interface 30, and then, in operation 108, the first operation mode ends.

[0040] A data evaluation method 150 realized by the operation of the evaluation module 60 is schematically shown in FIG. 3. The method 150 begins in operation 151 by establishing, for example, a communication link 55 between the evaluation module 60 and the power toothbrush 10. Then, the method 150 proceeds to operation 152, where the evaluation module 60 having the processor arrangement 52 including, for example, one or more processor elements receives toothbrushing session data from the controller 20 for evaluation, i.e., processing. For this purpose, the controller 20 may obtain the toothbrushing session data from the data storage device, or alternatively, the controller 20 may directly transfer this data to the evaluation module 60. When the data is obtained from the data storage device, it may be data regarding a plurality of toothbrushing sessions, for example, if the power toothbrush 10 is not communicatively coupled to the evaluation module 60 during all toothbrushing sessions. The evaluation module 60 can evaluate the data from one brushing session and present the evaluation result to the user, for example, on the display device 56 of the electronic device 50, in a manner well known per se.

[0041] However, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the evaluation module 60 is configured to evaluate in operation 153 whether data regarding a sufficient number of brushing sessions has been transferred by the controller 20 to the evaluation module 60. This can be based on a single data transfer in which the controller 20 transfers data regarding a plurality of brushing sessions, or may be based on a plurality of such data transfers in which the evaluation module 60 stores previously received data and / or data evaluation results. In particular, in operation 153, the evaluation module 60 checks whether timing information indicating the total duration of the brushing sessions is received for a sufficient number of brushing sessions to enable a determination of how well the user has adhered to the recommended minimum time of a brushing session, for example 2 minutes. This evaluation can be based on any suitable number of brushing sessions, for example 5 sessions, 10 sessions, etc. If the evaluation module 60 determines in operation 153 that the number of brushing sessions for which data has been received has not yet reached a sufficient number, method 150 proceeds to operation 157 and method 150 ends.

[0042] On the other hand, if the evaluation module 60 determines in operation 153 that the number of brushing sessions for which data has been received has reached a sufficient number, method 150 proceeds to operation 154, where the evaluation module 60 determines for each brushing session whether the user has adhered to the recommended target value for the total duration of the brushing session, and if not, determines whether the number of non-compliant brushing sessions indicates that the user has not regularly or consistently adhered to the recommended minimum duration of the brushing session. Based on this determination, the evaluation module 60 can determine the ratio or percentage of the number of evaluated brushing sessions having a total duration that is (substantially) below the recommended minimum duration of the brushing session, for example at least 30 seconds below this recommended minimum duration.

[0043] Next, in operation 155, the evaluation module 60 determines whether the evaluation result indicates that the user has not regularly or consistently adhered to the recommended minimum duration, for example, whether at least half (50%) or more of the evaluated brushing sessions exhibit such non - compliance. If not, method 150 proceeds to operation 157, where method 150 ends. If so, method 150 proceeds to operation 156, where, before ending at operation 157, the evaluation module 60 sends an operation mode selection signal to the controller 20. The evaluation module 60 may automatically generate the operation mode selection signal or, for example, present the evaluation result of operation 155 to the user on the display device 56 and, after giving the user the option to switch the power toothbrush 10 to its second operation mode, generate this signal based on the user of the evaluation module 60 instructing that this signal should be generated.

[0044] Now, returning to FIG. 2, in operation 102, the controller 20 determines whether such an operation mode selection signal has been received, for example, by setting a flag in a memory or the like when this signal is received and checking this flag each time the user activates the power toothbrush 10. If, in operation 102, the controller 20 determines that such an operation mode selection signal has actually been received, the controller 20 switches to the second operation mode 120 of the power toothbrush 10. There, in operation 111, the controller 20 calculates the average total duration of a plurality of previous brushing sessions from the data stored in the data storage device, based on, for example, a plurality of recent brushing sessions, such as the most recent 5, 10, 20 brushing sessions, or any other suitable number of recent brushing sessions.

[0045] In operation 112, the controller 20 defines a further target value, i.e., a time point, for generating further sensory output during an ongoing toothbrushing session. The further sensory output is for the purpose of prompting the user to continue the toothbrushing session. This further target value is based on the average total duration of the memorized toothbrushing session calculated in operation 111, and preferably is defined as the calculated average total duration minus a predetermined amount of time, in order to increase the likelihood that further sensory output will be generated before the time point when the user is likely to end the toothbrushing session. For example, this predetermined amount of time is in the range of 2 to 30 seconds, preferably in the range of 2 to 10 seconds, i.e., it may be just before the user attempts to end the toothbrushing session prematurely, such that the user can clearly associate the further sensory output with prompting the continuation of brushing.

[0046] When the further target value is defined, the second operation mode 120 proceeds in the same manner as the first operation mode 110 in that during operation 113, the controller 20 starts the timer 22. Thereafter, the controller 20 checks the timer 22 in operation 114 and determines whether a predetermined time point at which further sensory output must be generated has been reached. If the controller 20 determines in operation 114 that such a time point has been reached, the controller 20 proceeds to operation 115, where the controller 20 controls the motor 12 and / or the sensory output device 40 to generate further sensory output that prompts the user to continue brushing. Thereafter, the controller 20 proceeds to operation 116. If the controller 20 determines in operation 114 that the further target value of the duration of the toothbrushing session at which further sensory output should be generated has not yet been reached, the controller 20 skips operation 115 and proceeds directly to operation 116.

[0047] In operation 116, the controller 20 checks whether the user has ended the brushing session or continues brushing. If the user continues brushing, the controller 20 returns to operation 113, where the controller 20 continues to measure the duration of the brushing session with the timer 22. On the other hand, in operation 116, if the controller 20 determines that the user has ended the brushing session, the controller 20 proceeds to operation 107, where the data of the brushing session, for example, the total duration of the brushing session reinforced by additional information such as time or date optionally, and the sensor data if any, are stored in a data storage device (not shown). Further, the controller 20 may, in operation 117, transmit the evaluation collection data to the evaluation module 60 via the data communication link 55 using the data communication interface 30, and then the first operation mode ends in operation 118.

[0048] At this point, it should be noted that the further sensory output for prompting the user to continue brushing, preferably generated as in operation 115, should be clearly distinguished from other sensory outputs generated by the controller 20, for example, the sensory output notifying the completion of the time interval for brushing a specific section of the user's teeth, or the sensory output notifying the completion of the recommended duration of the brushing session. As a result, the user does not confuse these different sensory outputs. For example, the further sensory output may be a specific vibration pattern generated by the motor 12 that is different from the vibration pattern used for other sensory outputs, and the further sensory output may be a different type of sensory output, for example, an audible or visual output when other sensory outputs are tactile outputs, a tactile output when other sensory outputs are audible or visual outputs, etc. In a specific example, the further sensory output includes the controller 20 switching off the motor 12 at a further target value of the duration of the brushing session, whereby the user is forced to switch on the power toothbrush 10 again to complete the brushing session, which prompts the user to continue brushing for a longer time.

[0049] While the power toothbrush 10 is maintained in its second operating mode 120, during operation 111, the average total duration of a plurality of previous brushing sessions is recalculated for each subsequent brushing session. Thus, if the user responds to the additional sensory output provided during a brushing session in the second operating mode 120 and as a result extends the duration of the brushing session, this average total duration will gradually increase. In other words, the point in time at which additional sensory output should be generated, i.e., the additional target value, should be continuously updated and move towards the recommended minimum duration of a brushing session over time.

[0050] In an embodiment, the controller 20 in operation 112 further compares the calculated additional target value with the recommended minimum duration of a brushing session. If the difference between the calculated additional target value and the recommended minimum duration is below a predetermined threshold, for example a difference of less than 5 seconds, or if the two values are substantially the same, the controller 20 returns the operating mode of the power toothbrush 10 to the first operating mode 110. This is because the user is now regularly or consistently adhering to the recommended minimum duration of a brushing session. As a result, there is no longer a need to prompt the user to continue brushing beyond the point at which the user tends to end a brushing session. Of course, the power toothbrush 10 can be switched from the second operating mode 120 to the first operating mode 110 in any suitable manner, for example via user intervention. For example, the user may hold a button 11 for a set time to toggle between the two operating modes, or select the first operating mode 110 or the second operating mode 120 manually via any other suitable user interface, such as the user interface of an electronic device 50 that functions as an evaluation module 60.

[0051] In an alternative embodiment schematically depicted in FIG. 4, the controller 20 is further adapted to generate a sensory output indicating that a brushing session has reached a recommended minimum duration in the second operating mode 120. In particular, when the controller 20 causes the generation of further sensory output in operation 115 to prompt the user to continue or extend the brushing session, the user can be motivated to continue brushing until the duration of the brushing session reaches the recommended minimum time. Thus, when further sensory output is generated in operation 115, the controller 20 proceeds to operation 106 described above, where the controller 20 checks whether the user has ended the brushing session. As a result, if not yet ended, the controller 20 can cause the generation of a sensory output in operation 105 indicating that the duration of the brushing session has reached its recommended minimum duration when the duration of the brushing session reaches this point as verified in operation 104.

[0052] FIG. 5 schematically shows an alternative embodiment of the power toothbrush 10, where the power toothbrush 10 includes an evaluation module 60, and thus there is no need for an external electronic device to provide the functionality of the evaluation module 60. The evaluation module 60 may be at least partly implemented by the controller 20. For this reason, the controller 20 can be implemented as a microprocessor or as a processor arrangement including one or more microprocessors or processor elements. Alternatively, the evaluation module 60 may be separate from the controller 20 and may be implemented, for example, as a processor arrangement that communicates with the controller 20. Note that for the sake of clarity, the communication interface 30 is omitted from the power toothbrush 10 of FIG. 5. It should be understood, for example, that the communication interface 30 may still be present to facilitate the transmission of brushing session data to an external device, such as the electronic device 50, for evaluation.

[0053] When referring to a computer-implemented method, this is to be understood as intending to refer to a method that is executed on one or more data processing elements such as an electronic controller, a processor, etc. The above-described embodiment of method 150 executed by processor arrangement 52, when executed on an electronic device 50 such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, etc., or on the processor arrangement 52 of power toothbrush 10, may be realized by computer-readable program instructions embodied in a computer-readable storage medium that causes processor arrangement 52 to implement any embodiment of method 150. For this purpose, any suitable computer-readable storage medium can be used, for example, optical-readable media such as CDs, DVDs or Blu-Ray discs, magnetic-readable media such as hard disks, electronic data storage devices such as memory sticks, etc. The computer-readable storage medium may be a medium accessible via a network such as the Internet. As a result, the computer-readable program instructions can be accessed via the network. For example, the computer-readable storage medium can be a storage device connected to the network, a storage area network, cloud storage, etc. The computer-readable storage medium may also be an Internet-accessible service from which the computer-readable program instructions can be obtained. In an embodiment, such a computer program may be provided together with power toothbrush 10 as an oral hygiene kit.

[0054] The above-described embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention, but are illustrative, and it should be noted that those skilled in the art can design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs enclosed in parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those recited in the claims. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The present invention can be implemented by hardware having several different elements. In apparatus claims listing several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain means are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these means cannot be advantageously used.

Claims

1. A powered toothbrush having a motor for driving a brush head of the powered toothbrush and a controller for controlling the motor based on an operation mode selection signal, wherein the controller includes a timer for timing a total duration of a brushing session by the powered toothbrush, and the controller stores the timed total duration of the brushing session, in a first operation mode, when a duration reaches a default target value corresponding to a recommended duration of the brushing session, during the brushing session, it causes generation of a first sensory output, based on the operation mode selection signal, switches between the first operation mode and a second operation mode, and in the second operation mode, calculates an average total duration of the brushing session based on at least some of the stored brushing session times, defines a further target value based on the calculated average total duration of the stored total brushing duration, and when the duration reaches the further target value, during the brushing session, it causes generation of a further sensory output that prompts the user to continue the brushing session. A powered toothbrush.

2. The powered toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the controller defines the further target value as a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined amount of time from the calculated average total duration.

3. The powered toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined amount of time is in the range of 2 to 30 seconds.

4. The controller further, in the second operation mode, calculates an updated average total duration of the brushing session based on at least some of the stored brushing session times including at least one brushing session time stored after the second operation mode is started, Based on the calculated updated average total duration of the stored toothbrushing total duration, update the further target value, When the duration reaches the updated further target value, it results in the generation of further sensory output during the toothbrushing session. The powered toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 3. **Claim 5** The controller further, in the second operation mode, Compare the updated further target value with the default target value, When the difference between the updated further target value and the default value is less than a predetermined threshold, switch from the second operation mode to the first operation mode. The powered toothbrush according to claim 4. **Claim 6** The controller causes at least one of the first sensory output and the further sensory output to be generated using the motor. The powered toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 5. **Claim 7** The controller turns off the switch of the motor when the generation of the further sensory output is caused. The powered toothbrush according to claim 6. **Claim 8** Further comprising a sensory output device, and the controller causes at least one of the first sensory output and the further sensory output to be generated using the sensory output device. The powered toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 7. **Claim 9** The first sensory output and the further sensory output are different sensory outputs. The powered toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 8. **Claim 10** The controller, Transmit toothbrushing session data including an indication of the total duration of the toothbrushing session to an evaluation module, and Receive the operation mode selection signal from the evaluation module. The powered toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 9. **Claim 11** The power toothbrush according to claim 10, further comprising the evaluation module.

12. In a computer-implemented method for controlling an operating mode of a power toothbrush, the power toothbrush provides brushing session data including an indication of the total duration of a brushing session, and the method comprises: Receiving brushing session data from a controller of the power toothbrush while operating in a first mode in which the total duration of the brushing session is compared with a recommended target value for the total duration of the brushing session; After receiving brushing session data from the power toothbrush for a plurality of brushing sessions, evaluating the suitability of the total duration of each brushing session to the recommended target value for the total duration; For at least some of the plurality of brushing sessions, when the evaluation indicates that the total duration of the brushing session is shorter than the recommended target value for the total duration, sending an operating mode selection signal to the controller for switching to a second mode, wherein during the second mode, an average total duration of the brushing session is calculated based on at least a part of the total duration of the brushing session, a further target value is based on the calculated average total duration, and when the total duration reaches the further target value, generating a further sensory output prompting the user to continue the brushing session during the brushing session.

13. A computer program comprising computer-readable program instructions which, when executed on a processor arrangement of an evaluation module, cause the processor arrangement to implement the method according to claim 12.

14. An electronic device including a processor arrangement and the computer program according to claim 13, wherein the processor arrangement executes the computer-readable program instructions. **Claim 15** An oral hygiene kit having the powered toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and the computer program according to claim 13.

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