Oral care mode determination device, oral care mode determination method, and program

Abstract

This oral care mode determination device is provided with: a dental plaque adhesion amount detection unit (156) for detecting an amount of dental plaque, which is the amount of adhered dental plaque (99a) inside an oral cavity, on the basis of an image obtained by imaging the interior of the oral cavity; a disorder detection unit (157) for detecting, on the basis of the image, a disorder degree, which is the degree of the disorder of a gum section inside the oral cavity; a care mode determination unit (153b) for determining a care mode which determines the drive control of the oral care device used for oral care, on the basis of the detected dental plaque amount and the detected disorder degree; and a result output unit (153c) for outputting the care mode determination results to the oral care device.

Description

Oral Care Mode Determination Device, Oral Care Mode Determination Method, and Program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an oral care mode determination device, an oral care mode determination method, and a program.

[0002] As an oral cleaning device that uses a liquid such as a cleaning solution (in other words, an oral care device used for caring for the oral cavity), Patent Document 1 discloses a cleaning device that supplies a liquid containing fine bubbles into the oral cavity and integrates the steps of brushing the teeth and rinsing, thereby cleaning the oral cavity and the surface of the teeth at the same time.

[0003] JP 2017-118940 A

[0004] However, in an oral cleaning device, it is important to control its cleaning power (in other words, the care power for caring for the oral cavity). The present disclosure provides an oral care mode determination device and the like that can determine a care mode in which the oral cleaning device is controlled with appropriate cleaning power.

[0005] An oral care mode determination device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a plaque amount detection unit that detects the amount of plaque adhering to the oral cavity based on an image of the oral cavity; a disorder detection unit that detects the degree of disorder in the gum area of ​​the oral cavity based on the image; a care mode determination unit that determines a care mode that determines the drive control of an oral care device used for care of the oral cavity based on the detected plaque amount and the detected degree of disorder; and a result output unit that outputs the care mode determination result to the oral care device.

[0006] An oral care mode determination method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an oral care mode determination method executed by a computer, and includes the steps of detecting a plaque amount, which is the amount of plaque adhering to the oral cavity, based on an image of the oral cavity; detecting a degree of disorder, which is the degree of disorder in the gum portion of the oral cavity, based on the image; determining a care mode that determines the drive control of an oral care device used to care for the oral cavity based on the detected plaque amount and the detected degree of disorder; and outputting the care mode determination result to the oral care device.

[0007] A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the oral care mode determination method described above.

[0008] According to the oral care mode determination device etc. of the present disclosure, it is possible to determine the care mode in which the oral cleaning device is controlled with appropriate cleaning power.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of use of an oral cleaning device, etc. according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an oral cleaning device, etc. according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of an oral cleaning device according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of an oral cleaning device according to an embodiment in a plaque detection spray mode. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between a detection result and a control amount in an oral cleaning device according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is another graph showing the relationship between a detection result and a control amount in an oral cleaning device according to an embodiment. FIG. 7A is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an oral cleaning device, etc. according to a first modification of an embodiment. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of data for machine learning in an oral cleaning device according to a first modification of an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of an oral cleaning device according to a first modification of an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of operation in a plaque detection spray mode and a malfunction detection spray mode of an oral cleaning device according to a first modification of an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an oral cleaning device, etc. according to a second modification of an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of operation in a plaque detection spray mode and a malfunction detection spray mode of an oral cleaning device according to a third modification of an embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an oral health condition table according to a second modification of an embodiment. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an oral health condition table according to another example of a modification of the embodiment. Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an oral cleaning system according to a fourth modification of the embodiment. Fig. 15 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an oral cleaning system according to a fifth modification of the embodiment.

[0010] The oral care mode determination device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a plaque amount detection unit that detects the amount of plaque adhering in the oral cavity based on an image of the oral cavity; a disorder detection unit that detects the degree of disorder in the gum area of ​​the oral cavity based on the image; a care mode determination unit that determines a care mode that determines the drive control of an oral care device used for oral care based on the detected plaque amount and the detected degree of disorder; and a result output unit that outputs the care mode determination result to the oral care device.

[0011] This type of oral care mode determination device can detect the amount of plaque in the oral cavity and the degree of dental condition from an image of the oral cavity. If the amount of plaque is large, the cleaning power should be strong, but a strong cleaning power is not suitable for the gum area, which is highly unhealthy. From this perspective, the appropriate care mode is determined based on both the amount of plaque and the degree of dental condition, and the appropriate care mode can be output as the determination result. Therefore, a care mode that controls the oral care device (oral cleaning device) with appropriate cleaning power can be determined. Then, the oral care device that receives the care mode determination result can provide oral care by driving control determined by the determined care mode.

[0012] In addition, the oral care mode determination device according to the second aspect of the present disclosure is the oral care mode determination device according to the first aspect, and the image is captured by detecting light generated in response to irradiation light of a predetermined wavelength to which plaque reacts when the irradiation light is irradiated into the oral cavity.

[0013] This allows the amount of plaque to be detected using an image obtained by detecting light generated in response to the irradiated light of a predetermined wavelength to which plaque reacts when the oral cavity is irradiated, thereby improving the accuracy of plaque amount detection.

[0014] Furthermore, an oral care mode determination device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the oral care mode determination device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the images are two or more images including a first image capturing a portion of the oral cavity and a second image capturing another portion of the oral cavity, the plaque amount detection unit detects the amount of plaque for each of the portion of the oral cavity and the other portion of the oral cavity, the malfunction detection unit detects the degree of malfunction for each of the portion of the oral cavity and the other portion of the oral cavity, the care mode determination unit determines a care mode for each of the portion of the oral cavity and the other portion of the oral cavity, and the result output unit links the result of the care mode determination for the portion of the oral cavity to the portion of the oral cavity and outputs the care mode determination result for the other portion of the oral cavity, and links the result of the care mode determination for the other portion of the oral cavity to the other portion of the oral cavity.

[0015] This allows the amount of plaque and the degree of disorder to be detected and the care mode to be determined separately for each of a portion of the oral cavity and another portion, and therefore allows appropriate care modes to be output according to the amount of plaque and the degree of disorder for each of the portion of the oral cavity and another portion.

[0016] In addition, an oral care mode determination device according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the oral care mode determination device according to the third aspect, wherein the result output unit outputs positions in the oral cavity corresponding to a part of the oral cavity and another part of the oral cavity in association with the determination results of the care mode for the part of the oral cavity and the other part of the oral cavity.

[0017] According to this, the output care mode determination result can be used by identifying the position in the oral cavity corresponding to each of the part in the oral cavity and the other part in the oral cavity. In other words, the care mode determination result linked to the position can be obtained from the position in the oral cavity corresponding to each of the part in the oral cavity and the other part in the oral cavity. For example, when using the oral care device to clean a certain position in the oral cavity, cleaning can be performed using the appropriate care mode linked to that position.

[0018] In addition, an oral care mode determination device according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is an oral care mode determination device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the care mode determination unit determines the care mode by selecting one from a plurality of candidates, and each of the plurality of candidate care modes includes at least two types of control parameters that determine different drive controls of the oral care device, and the control parameters are set for each of the plurality of candidate care modes.

[0019] This allows drive control to be determined for the determined care mode using two or more types of control parameters included therein.

[0020] In addition, an oral care mode determination device according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is an oral care mode determination device according to the fifth aspect, wherein at least one of the at least two types of control parameters is a parameter for adjusting the tooth cleaning power of the oral care device, and at least another type is a parameter for complementing the cleaning power of the oral care device.

[0021] This makes it easier to balance the cleaning power and suppressing the effects of increasing the degree of discomfort by using, among the two or more control parameters included in the determined care mode, a parameter for adjusting the tooth cleaning power of the oral care device and a parameter for complementing the cleaning power of the oral care device.

[0022] In addition, an oral care mode determination device according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is an oral care mode determination device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the oral care device is a water-jet type oral cleaning device that sprays cleaning liquid toward the teeth, the care mode includes at least one control parameter that determines different drive controls for the oral care device, and the at least one control parameter is at least one of the flow rate, spray pressure, spray time, and spray frequency of the cleaning liquid, and the care mode determination unit determines the care mode based on the at least one control parameter included so that the higher the degree of discomfort, the smaller the load applied to the gums when spraying the cleaning liquid.

[0023] According to this, in a water-flow type oral cleaning device, the care mode can be determined based on at least one control parameter of the cleaning liquid flow rate, spray pressure, spray time, and spray frequency so that the higher the degree of discomfort, the smaller the load applied to the gums when spraying the cleaning liquid.

[0024] Furthermore, an oral care mode determination device according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure is an oral care mode determination device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the oral care device is an electrically driven toothbrush device that drives a disposed brush, the care mode includes at least one control parameter that determines different drive controls for the oral care device, the at least one control parameter being at least one of the brush drive torque, drive stroke, drive speed, and drive time, and the care mode determination unit determines the care mode based on the at least one control parameter included so that the higher the degree of discomfort, the smaller the load applied to the gums when driving the brush.

[0025] According to this, in an electrically driven toothbrush device, the care mode can be determined based on at least one control parameter of the brush's driving torque, driving stroke, driving speed, and driving time so that the higher the degree of discomfort, the smaller the load applied to the gums when spraying cleaning liquid.

[0026] Furthermore, an oral care mode determination device according to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure is the oral care mode determination device according to the eighth aspect, wherein the oral care device comprises a brushing pressure detection unit that detects the brushing pressure applied to the brush, and a brushing information notification unit that notifies the user of feedback information regarding the brushing pressure, wherein the brushing information notification unit sets one or more thresholds for the brushing pressure, and when the detected brushing pressure exceeds the threshold, notifies the user to reduce the brushing pressure, and the care mode further includes parameters related to the threshold, and the care mode determination unit determines the care mode based on the included threshold parameters so that the threshold becomes smaller as the degree of discomfort increases.

[0027] This allows the user to be notified so that the brushing pressure does not exceed the threshold set based on the determined care mode, allowing oral care to be performed with an appropriate brushing pressure.

[0028] In addition, an oral care mode determination device according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure is an oral care mode determination device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the result output unit further transmits the care mode determination result to a terminal device connected to the oral care mode determination device, and the terminal device has at least one of a display unit that displays the care mode determination result received from the result output unit and a notification unit that notifies by voice.

[0029] This allows the terminal device that receives the care mode determination result to at least either display or notify the determination result.

[0030] In addition, an oral care mode determination device according to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is an oral care mode determination device according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the degree of discomfort is scale information that quantifies at least one of the states of swelling and bleeding in the gum area.

[0031] This makes it possible to detect the degree of discomfort by quantifying at least one of the swelling and bleeding states of the gums.

[0032] In addition, an oral care mode determination device according to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure is an oral care mode determination device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, in which the care mode is determined based on a combination of scale information that quantifies the amount of plaque and scale information on the degree of discomfort that quantifies at least one of swelling and bleeding in the gum area, and an oral health condition table that corresponds to the determination results of the care mode.

[0033] This allows the appropriate care mode to be determined based on the oral health condition table.

[0034] In addition, the oral care mode determination device according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure is the oral care mode determination device according to the twelfth aspect, which updates the oral health condition table based on at least one of the change trend of the plaque amount detection results from multiple previous detections and the change trend of the degree of discomfort detection results from multiple previous detections.

[0035] This allows the oral health condition table to be updated based on at least one of the change trends in the results of multiple past detections of the amount of plaque and the change trends in the results of multiple past detections of the degree of dental complaint. For example, if a care mode previously determined based on the oral health condition table shows a tendency to be unsuitable for care in terms of at least one of the amount of plaque and the degree of dental complaint, the oral health condition table can be updated to become one that is suitable for care.

[0036] In addition, the oral care mode determination device according to the fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure is the oral care mode determination device according to the thirteenth aspect, and when the trend in the changes in the results of the past multiple detections of the amount of plaque does not indicate a decrease in the amount of plaque, the oral health condition table is updated so that the care level in the determination results is higher.

[0037] According to this, if the care mode previously determined based on the oral health condition table tends to be unsuitable for care in terms of the amount of plaque, the oral health condition table can be updated to be suitable for care.

[0038] In addition, the oral care mode determination device according to the 15th aspect of the present disclosure is an oral care mode determination device according to the 13th or 14th aspect, and when the trend in changes in the detection results of the degree of illness over the past several times indicates an increase in the degree of illness, the oral health condition table is updated so that the care strength in the determination results becomes lower.

[0039] According to this, if the care mode previously determined based on the oral health condition table shows a tendency to be unsuitable for care in terms of the degree of discomfort, the oral health condition table can be updated to become one that is suitable for care.

[0040] In addition, the oral care mode determination method according to the sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure is an oral care mode determination method executed by a computer, and includes the steps of detecting the amount of plaque, which is the amount of plaque adhering to the oral cavity, based on an image of the oral cavity; detecting the degree of disorder, which is the degree of disorder in the gum portion of the oral cavity, based on the image; determining a care mode that determines the drive control of an oral care device used for oral care based on the detected amount of plaque and the detected degree of disorder; and outputting the care mode determination result to the oral care device.

[0041] This can achieve the same effects as the oral care mode determination device described above.

[0042] A program according to a seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the oral care mode determination method.

[0043] This makes it possible to achieve the same effects as those of the oral care mode determination device described above using a computer.

[0044] An oral cleaning device according to another aspect of the present disclosure is an oral cleaning device that cleans teeth by colliding a sprayed cleaning solution against the teeth, and includes: a cleaning solution spray unit that sprays the cleaning solution in a predetermined direction from a spray nozzle; a spray control unit that controls at least one of the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning solution sprayed from the spray nozzle; a light irradiation unit that irradiates irradiation light onto an irradiation area that includes a predetermined point on an extension line extended from the spray nozzle in a predetermined direction and that extends intersecting the extension line; and a light detection unit that detects detection light emitted in response to the irradiation light in a two-dimensional detection area that includes the predetermined point and is included in the irradiation area, and the spray control unit estimates the plaque area within the detection area based on the detection result of the light detection unit, determines a control amount of at least one of the flow rate and spray pressure based on the estimated plaque area, and sprays the cleaning solution from the spray nozzle so that at least one of the flow rate and spray pressure becomes the determined control amount.

[0045] In such an oral cleaning device, at least one of the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the nozzle can be controlled based on the estimated plaque area. The estimated plaque area is estimated by detecting, in a two-dimensional detection area, detection light emitted in response to the irradiated light when the irradiated light is applied. For example, if the irradiated light is light that can selectively color plaque, the detection light can be detected to improve the accuracy of plaque detection. In this way, the plaque area in the detection area can be appropriately estimated, and at least one of the flow rate and spray pressure control amounts corresponding to the estimated plaque area can be determined for the detection area. Therefore, the oral cleaning device can clean the oral cavity with appropriately controlled flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid.

[0046] Also, for example, in another aspect, the injection control unit may calculate the area of ​​the plaque portion within the detection area based on the detection result, using the area of ​​the portion within the detection area where the detection light is detected, and determine the control amount of at least one of the flow rate and injection pressure of the cleaning liquid injected from the injection port so that the larger the calculated area, the larger the control amount.

[0047] This allows the plaque portion in the detection area to be appropriately estimated as a calculated area, and the control amount of at least one of the flow rate and the spray pressure for the detection area to be determined according to the estimated area of ​​the plaque portion. Thus, the oral cleaning device can clean the oral cavity with appropriately controlled flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid.

[0048] Furthermore, for example, in another aspect, the injection control unit may calculate the amount of plaque adhesion within the detection area based on the detection result using the brightness value of the detection light within the detection area, and determine the control amount of at least one of the flow rate and injection pressure of the cleaning liquid injected from the injection port so that the control amount increases as the calculated amount of adhesion increases.

[0049] According to this, the amount of plaque in the detection area can be appropriately estimated as the amount of adhesion calculated from the brightness value of the detection light, and the control amount of at least one of the flow rate and the spray pressure for the detection area can be determined according to the estimated amount of adhesion of the plaque. Therefore, the oral cavity can be cleaned with the appropriately controlled flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid.

[0050] Also, for example, in another aspect, the irradiating light may include light of a wavelength that excites metabolic products of bacteria contained in the plaque portion, and the detecting light may be fluorescence emitted by the excited metabolic products.

[0051] This allows the irradiated light to excite metabolic products of bacteria contained in the plaque, and the fluorescence emitted by the excited metabolic products can be detected as detection light, thereby enabling the light selectively emitted by the plaque to be detected, improving the accuracy of detecting the plaque.

[0052] Also, for example, in another aspect, the ejection control unit may prohibit the ejection of cleaning liquid from the ejection port during a prohibited period that at least partially overlaps with the detection period from when the light detection unit starts to detect the detection light until when it ends.

[0053] According to this, the sprayed cleaning liquid is likely to scatter as droplets, which may affect detection, but by setting a prohibited period during which the spraying of cleaning liquid is prohibited, a situation is created during that period in which the cleaning liquid is less likely to scatter, and the detection light can be detected.

[0054] In addition, for example, in another aspect, the device may further include a determination unit that determines that there is an obstruction blocking at least one of (i) the detection light between the detection area and the light detection unit, or (ii) the irradiation light between the light irradiation unit and the irradiation area, when the brightness of the detection light remains at or below a predetermined value for a predetermined time or more, and an output unit that outputs the determination result of the determination unit.

[0055] This allows the presence of an object blocking at least one of (i) the detection light between the detection area and the light detection unit, or (ii) the irradiation light between the light irradiation unit and the irradiation area, to be determined based on whether the brightness of the detection light remains below a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time or more, and the determination result can be output.

[0056] In addition, a control device according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a control device for an oral cleaning device that cleans teeth by colliding a sprayed cleaning solution against the teeth, and includes: a spray control unit that controls at least one of the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning solution sprayed from a spray nozzle for spraying the cleaning solution in a predetermined direction; and an acquisition unit that acquires detection results detected in a two-dimensional detection area that includes the predetermined point and is included in the irradiation area, the detection light being emitted in response to irradiation light irradiated into the irradiation area that extends and intersects the extension line, the irradiation area including a predetermined point on the extension line.The spray control unit estimates the plaque portion within the detection area based on the acquired detection results, and determines a control amount for at least one of the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning solution sprayed from the spray nozzle based on the estimated result of the plaque portion, and sprays the cleaning solution from the spray nozzle so that at least one of the flow rate and spray pressure becomes the determined control amount.

[0057] Such a control device can provide the oral cleaning device in which the control device is used with the same effects as the oral cleaning device described above.

[0058] In addition, a program according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute a control method for an oral cleaning device for cleaning teeth by colliding sprayed cleaning liquid against the teeth, the control method comprising the steps of: obtaining a detection result in a two-dimensional detection area that includes the specified point and is included in the irradiation area, the detection area being an irradiation area that includes a specified point on an extension line extended in a specified direction from an injection nozzle for spraying cleaning liquid in a specified direction, and detecting detection light emitted in response to irradiation light irradiated onto the irradiation area that extends and intersects the extension line; estimating the plaque portion within the detection area based on the obtained detection result; determining a control variable for at least one of the flow rate and injection pressure of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the injection nozzle based on the estimated result of the plaque portion; and spraying the cleaning liquid from the injection nozzle so that at least one of the flow rate and injection pressure of the cleaning liquid becomes the determined control variable.

[0059] Such a program can achieve the same effects as the control device described above by using a computer.

[0060] Furthermore, an oral cleaning method according to yet another aspect of the present disclosure is an oral cleaning method for cleaning teeth by colliding a sprayed cleaning liquid against the teeth, the method comprising: irradiating irradiation light onto an irradiation area that includes a predetermined point on an extension line extended in a predetermined direction from an injection nozzle for spraying the cleaning liquid in a predetermined direction, the irradiation area extending so as to intersect with the extension line; detecting light emitted in response to the irradiated irradiation light in a two-dimensional detection area that includes the predetermined point and is included in the irradiation area; estimating a plaque portion within the detection area based on the detection result of the detection light; determining a control amount for at least one of the flow rate and injection pressure of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the injection nozzle based on the estimation result of the plaque portion; and spraying the cleaning liquid from the injection nozzle so that at least one of the flow rate and injection pressure of the cleaning liquid becomes the determined control amount.

[0061] Such an oral cleaning method can achieve the same effects as the oral cleaning device described above.

[0062] Furthermore, an oral cleaning device according to yet another aspect of the present disclosure is an oral cleaning device for cleaning teeth, and is equipped with a cleaning control unit that controls the cleaning force acting on the teeth via the tooth cleaning unit, and an optical detection unit that detects an image of a two-dimensional detection area that includes an effective cleaning area where the cleaning effect is achieved by the tooth cleaning unit.When the detected image includes a gum area, the cleaning control unit estimates the condition of the gum area based on the detected image, determines a control amount of the cleaning force based on the estimated result of the condition of the gum area, and controls the tooth cleaning unit so that the cleaning force of the tooth cleaning unit is the determined control amount.

[0063] In this type of oral cleaning device, the cleaning power can be determined as a control amount based on an estimated result of the state of the gums. When the image detected in a two-dimensional detection area includes the gums, the estimated result of the state of the gums is estimated based on the detected image. In this way, the state of the gums within the detection area can be appropriately estimated, and the control amount of the cleaning power for the detection area can be determined according to the estimated state of the gums. Therefore, the oral cleaning device can clean the oral cavity with appropriately controlled flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid.

[0064] Furthermore, for example, an oral cleaning device according to yet another aspect is the oral cleaning device described in the first aspect, in which the tooth cleaning unit is a brush, and the cleaning control unit includes a drive control unit that controls the drive mode of the brush as the cleaning power of the brush.

[0065] In such an oral cleaning device, the brush drive mode can be determined based on the estimated result of the state of the gums. When the image detected in a two-dimensional detection area includes the gums, the estimated result of the state of the gums is estimated based on the detected image. In this way, the state of the gums in the detection area can be appropriately estimated, and a drive mode corresponding to the estimated plaque in the detection area can be determined. Therefore, the oral cleaning device can clean the oral cavity using an appropriately controlled brush drive mode.

[0066] Furthermore, for example, an oral cleaning device according to yet another aspect is the oral cleaning device described in the first aspect, in which the tooth cleaning unit is a water-flow type cleaning liquid spray unit that sprays cleaning liquid from a nozzle toward the teeth and collides it against the teeth, and the cleaning control unit functions as an injection control unit that controls at least one of the flow rate, injection pressure, and injection frequency of the cleaning liquid as the cleaning power of the cleaning liquid spray unit.

[0067] In this oral cleaning device, at least one of the flow rate, spray pressure, and spray frequency of the cleaning solution sprayed from the nozzle can be controlled based on an estimated result of the condition of the gums. This estimated result of the condition of the gums is estimated based on the detected image when the image detected in a two-dimensional detection area includes the gums. In this way, the condition of the gums within the detection area can be appropriately estimated, and at least one of the flow rate, spray pressure, and spray frequency control amounts corresponding to the estimated condition of the gums for that detection area can be determined. Therefore, the oral cleaning device can clean the oral cavity with appropriately controlled flow rate, spray pressure, and spray frequency of the cleaning solution. Furthermore, by appropriately setting the spray frequency according to the condition of the gums, in other words, by performing appropriate intermittent spraying according to the condition of the gums, damage to the gums that could further worsen the condition can be suppressed in cases where the gums are in poor condition.

[0068] Furthermore, for example, an oral cleaning device according to yet another aspect is the oral cleaning device described in the third aspect, in which the estimation result indicates the presence or absence of at least one of swelling and bleeding in the gum area, and the spray control unit determines the control amount of at least one of the flow rate, spray pressure, and spray frequency of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle so that when the estimation result indicates the presence of at least one of swelling and bleeding in the gum area, the control amount is smaller than when the estimation result indicates the absence of swelling and bleeding in the gum area.

[0069] According to this, the estimated condition of the gums is estimated as the presence or absence of at least one of swelling and bleeding in the gums, and when the estimation result indicates that at least one of swelling and bleeding is present in the gums, the control amount of at least one of the flow rate, spray pressure, and spray frequency of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle can be determined so that it is smaller than when it indicates that there is no swelling or bleeding in the gums. Thus, the oral cavity can be cleaned with appropriately controlled flow rate, spray pressure, and spray frequency of the cleaning liquid.

[0070] Furthermore, for example, an oral cleaning device according to yet another aspect is an oral cleaning device described in the first or second aspect, in which the spray control unit prohibits the spraying of cleaning liquid from the spray nozzle during a prohibited period that at least partially overlaps with the detection period from when the light detection unit starts to detect the detection light until it ends.

[0071] According to this, the sprayed cleaning liquid is likely to scatter as droplets, which may affect detection, but by setting a prohibited period during which the spraying of cleaning liquid is prohibited, a situation is created during that period in which the cleaning liquid is less likely to scatter, and the detection light can be detected.

[0072] Furthermore, for example, an oral cleaning device according to yet another aspect is an oral cleaning device described in any one of the first to fifth aspects, in which the cleaning control unit estimates the condition of the gum area in a cleaning effective area, which is a part of the detection area and in which the cleaning effect of the tooth cleaning unit is achieved, based on the detection result of the light detection unit, and determines the control amount of the cleaning power based on the estimated result of the condition of the gum area.

[0073] Furthermore, a control device according to yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a control device for an oral cleaning device that cleans teeth using a tooth cleaning unit, and includes a cleaning control unit that controls the cleaning force acting on the teeth via the tooth cleaning unit, and an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of a two-dimensional detection area that includes an effective cleaning area where the cleaning effect is achieved by the tooth cleaning unit.When the acquired image includes a gum area, the cleaning control unit estimates the condition of the gum area based on the acquired image, and based on the estimated result of the condition of the gum area, determines a control amount of the cleaning force acting on the teeth via the tooth cleaning unit, and controls the cleaning force to be the determined control amount.

[0074] Such a control device can provide the oral cleaning device in which the control device is used with the same effects as the other oral cleaning devices described above.

[0075] Furthermore, a program according to yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute a control method for an oral cleaning device that cleans teeth using a tooth cleaning unit, in which the control method acquires an image of a two-dimensional detection area that includes an effective cleaning area where the tooth cleaning unit has a cleaning effect, and if the acquired image includes a gum area, estimates the condition of the gum area based on the acquired image, determines a control amount of the cleaning force acting on the teeth via the tooth cleaning unit based on the estimated result of the condition of the gum area, and controls the cleaning force to be the determined control amount.

[0076] Such a program can be used by a computer to achieve the same effects as the other control devices described above.

[0077] Furthermore, an oral cleaning method according to yet another aspect of the present disclosure is an oral cleaning method using an oral cleaning device that cleans teeth using a tooth cleaning unit, which acquires an image of a two-dimensional detection area that includes an effective cleaning area where the tooth cleaning unit has a cleaning effect, determines a control amount of the cleaning force acting on the teeth via the tooth cleaning unit based on the detection result of the image, and controls the cleaning force to be the determined control amount.

[0078] This oral cleaning method can achieve the same effects as the other oral cleaning devices described above.

[0079] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0080] The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in independent claims are described as optional components.

[0081] Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Therefore, for example, the scales of the figures do not necessarily match. Furthermore, in each figure, substantially the same components are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0082] Furthermore, in this specification, terms indicating the relationship between elements, such as parallel, coincident, and orthogonal, terms indicating the shape of elements, such as ring-shaped, as well as numerical values ​​and numerical ranges, are not expressions that only express the strict meaning, but are expressions that also include a substantially equivalent range, for example, a difference of about a few percent (e.g., about 10%).

[0083] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, an oral cleaning device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.

[0084] [1. Configuration of Oral Cleaning Device] First, the configuration of the oral cleaning device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of use of the oral cleaning device according to this embodiment. In Fig. 1, (a) shows the oral cleaning device 100 in use, and (b) shows the state of the terminal device 200 connected at that time. Also, (c) of Fig. 1 shows an oral cleaning device 100c according to another example of this embodiment. In (c) of Fig. 1, some bristle bundles constituting the brush 103b are omitted from the illustration in order to make it easier to see the configuration of the portion overlapping the brush 103b. Also, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the oral cleaning device according to this embodiment.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 1A, the oral cleaning device 100 is a water-jet cleaning device that cleans the inside of a user's mouth by spraying cleaning solution into the mouth of the user using a cleaning solution spraying unit 103 (an example of a tooth cleaning unit) to remove deposits from the user's teeth 99. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 1C, the oral cleaning device 100c can also be realized as an electrically driven toothbrush device equipped with a brush 103b (an example of a tooth cleaning unit) for the purpose of removing deposits from the user's teeth 99. The user holds a gripping unit (not shown in FIGS. 1A and 1C) and moves their hand to change the position and orientation of the nozzle 103a for spraying cleaning solution or the brush 103b driven on the tooth surface, thereby causing the sprayed cleaning solution to collide with or contact the brush 103b with a desired position in the mouth (e.g., tooth 99). The impact of the impacting cleaning solution can remove deposits from the collision point. Furthermore, the brush 103b in contact with the tooth surface can be driven back and forth in a fixed direction around the brush, thereby removing deposits adhering to the brush's path. Such deposits include food debris, plaque 99a consisting of bacteria that grow on the food debris, and tartar. Unless otherwise specified, the following description of the oral cleaning device will be of a water jet type oral cleaning device 100 that sprays cleaning fluid to remove deposits adhering to the user's teeth.

[0086] In this embodiment, the oral cleaning device 100 is configured to allow the user to visually confirm the position where the cleaning solution will impinge. Specifically, the oral cleaning device 100 is provided with a camera unit 101, which detects light within the oral cavity and captures an image, which is then displayed on, for example, a terminal display unit 203 of a terminal device 200 owned by the user. This allows the user to clean the oral cavity while visually checking the direction in which the nozzle 103a is currently facing and from which the cleaning solution is being sprayed.

[0087] However, the color of plaque 99a, which is one of the deposits, is similar to the color of the teeth 99 (white to pale white, such as beige), making it difficult to visually identify using a normal camera. Therefore, the oral cleaning device 100 of this embodiment selectively colors the plaque 99a, thereby generating an image in which the color of the plaque 99a is displayed in a manner that is distinguishable from the color of the teeth 99, as shown in FIG. 1B. Furthermore, by analyzing this image, the oral cleaning device 100 can change the spray strength of the cleaning liquid (at least one of the flow rate, spray pressure, and spray frequency of the cleaning liquid) when the plaque 99a is located in the area facing the nozzle 103a, thereby enabling appropriate cleaning of the oral cavity with a spray of cleaning liquid of appropriate strength (in other words, cleaning power).

[0088] From the perspective of oral care, cleansing power should neither be too strong nor too weak. For example, high cleansing power (care power) promotes plaque removal but is likely to cause greater damage to the gums. On the other hand, low cleansing power (care power) makes plaque removal more difficult but causes less damage to the gums. Therefore, to properly clean the oral cavity according to the condition of the gums, it is necessary to set a cleansing power (care power) that is neither too high nor too low. When cleaning the oral cavity, different standards are applied to determine whether cleansing power is too high or too low depending on the amount of plaque adhering to the teeth and the degree of gum condition. Therefore, in this disclosure, setting an appropriate cleansing power (care power) that takes into account the degree of gum condition will also be described in a modified example.

[0089] In the case of the oral cleaning device 100c, this setting of the cleaning power intensity corresponds to selecting the drive mode of the brush 103b. In other words, the oral cleaning device 100c is a toothbrush device. The drive modes of the brush 103b include a horizontal brushing mode in which the brush 103b moves along the alignment direction of the tooth and adjacent teeth, and a tapping mode in which the brush 103b moves along the gap between the tooth and adjacent teeth (i.e., between the teeth). These drive modes are based on the set values ​​of the drive period, drive torque, and the like. In other words, each drive mode of the brush 103b has different strengths for the horizontal brushing mode and the tapping mode, allowing for appropriate oral cleaning depending on the location and amount of plaque 99a. These drive modes include a tapping-only drive mode with a horizontal brushing intensity of 0 and a horizontal brushing-only drive mode with a tapping intensity of 0. Alternatively, although not shown, an oral cleaning device having a rotary drive brush may be considered. In such a case, the oral cavity can be properly cleaned by selecting a drive mode with an appropriate strength.

[0090] 1 and 2, the detailed configurations of the oral cleaning device 100 and the terminal device 200 used in combination with the oral cleaning device 100 will be described below.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 2 , the oral cleaning device 100 includes a camera unit 101, an LED illumination unit 102, a cleaning fluid spray unit 103, an input unit 104, and a control device 150. The camera unit 101, the LED illumination unit 102, the cleaning fluid spray unit 103, and the input unit 104 are hardware components of the oral cleaning device 100 and may also be referred to as hardware components. On the other hand, the control device 150 is a functional component that generates and outputs various control signals for controlling the operation of the hardware components and acquires information obtained as a result of the operation of the hardware components. The control device 150 is realized by executing a predetermined program using a computer, or more specifically, a processor and memory. Therefore, it can be said that the main function of the control device 150 resides in the program executed using the processor and memory.

[0092] In the following description, an example in which the control device 150 is provided inside the oral cleaning device 100 as shown in Fig. 2 will be described, but the control device 150 may be arranged in any manner as long as it is configured to be able to communicate with the hardware unit. For example, the control device 150 can be built into the terminal device 200, or can be built into a server device (not shown) such as an edge server or a cloud server. When the control device 150 is built into such a server device, the hardware unit and the control device 150 are connected via a network such as a wide area communication network or a local communication network, and an oral cleaning system is realized in which the hardware unit and the control device 150 connected over the network are combined.

[0093] The control device 150 has a camera control unit 151 connected to the camera unit 101, an LED illumination control unit 152 connected to the LED illumination unit 102, an injection control unit 153 connected to the cleaning liquid injection unit 103, and a memory unit 154 connected to the input unit 104. In addition, the control device 150 has an image processing unit 155 and a plaque adhesion amount detection unit 156 that operate therein.

[0094] The camera unit 101 is an example of a light detection unit, and as shown in Fig. 1, is a camera realized by combining an image sensor in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix to detect the luminance of each point in the two-dimensionally expanding detection area 101a, with various optical elements such as a lens, an aperture, and a filter. The camera unit 101 starts capturing images upon receiving a capture start signal from the camera control unit 151, and ends capturing images upon receiving a capture end signal from the camera control unit 151. The camera unit 101 then transmits the captured image to the camera control unit 151. The image here shows the luminance values ​​of red, green, and blue detected at each point in the detection area 101a.

[0095] Furthermore, the detection area 101a includes a predetermined point on an extension line extending from the nozzle 103a in the spray direction (also referred to as the predetermined direction), which is the direction in which the cleaning solution is sprayed. The predetermined point corresponds to the distance between the nozzle 103a and the tooth 99 when an appropriate distance from the tooth 99 is maintained when using the oral cleaning device 100. As a result, the image captured in the detection area 101a captures areas such as the surface of the tooth 99 where the cleaning solution collides. For example, in the figure, a thick dashed arrow extending in a predetermined direction from the nozzle 103a penetrates the detection area 101a. Furthermore, the detection area 101a has a thickness in a direction intersecting the plane in which the area extends. This thickness corresponds to the direction in which the camera unit 101 receives light (the thin dashed arrow in the figure) and is designed to cover irregularities such as depressions between two teeth 99 within the detection area 101a.

[0096] The camera control unit 151 controls the capturing of images by the camera unit 101 and acquires the resulting images by receiving them from the camera unit 101. In other words, the camera control unit 151 is also an example of an acquisition unit. The camera control unit 151 then outputs the acquired images to the image processing unit 155.

[0097] The LED illumination unit 102 is an example of a light irradiation unit, and as shown in FIG. 1 , it irradiates light from the injection nozzle 103a onto an irradiation area (a fan-shaped area extending between two dashed lines in the figure) that encompasses a predetermined point on an extension line extending from the injection nozzle 103a in the injection direction and extends intersecting the extension line. The LED illumination unit 102 is realized by an LED light source, a lens, a power conversion unit for driving the LED light source, and the like. The LED illumination unit 102 starts irradiating light upon receiving an irradiation start signal from the LED illumination control unit 152, and ends irradiating light upon receiving an irradiation end signal from the LED illumination control unit 152. The light irradiated from the LED illumination unit 102 (irradiation light) is a composite light that includes light that makes the contours of the teeth 99, gums 98, etc. visible on the terminal device 200, and excitation light that selectively causes dental plaque 99a to develop a color.

[0098] Here, dental plaque 99a is composed of a mass of bacteria adhering to tooth 99 and their metabolic products, and is also called plaque. These metabolic products include substances that emit fluorescence when excited by light of a specific wavelength. Therefore, in this embodiment, the irradiated light includes light of an excitation wavelength for exciting such metabolic products, but does not include a portion of light of wavelength-shifted fluorescent wavelengths. Therefore, the LED illumination unit 102 includes an optical element capable of wavelength selection, such as a bandpass filter.

[0099] An example of such a metabolic product is porphyrin. Porphyrin, a substance produced by bacteria contained in dental plaque 99a, emits reddish-purple to orange light around 660 nm when irradiated with blue light around 405 nm. This type of fluorescence cannot be obtained from the enamel on the surface of the tooth 99, making it possible to selectively color the dental plaque 99a. Note that this example of porphyrin is just one example, and any metabolic product of bacteria contained in dental plaque 99a whose excitation wavelength and fluorescence wavelength are sufficiently different will suffice. In this way, the different wavelengths of the excitation light and fluorescence can be distinguished from light simply reflected from the surface, making it possible to selectively color the dental plaque 99a in the same manner as described above.

[0100] Since porphyrin accumulates in accordance with the propagation period of bacteria, it can also be used as an indicator for measuring the duration of the presence of the attached dental plaque 99a. The camera unit 101 is preferably configured to be able to detect the fluorescent wavelength of the fluorescence emitted from such metabolic products.

[0101] The cleaning liquid jetting unit 103 is composed of an actuator for jetting the cleaning liquid from the jetting nozzle 103a, a tank for storing the cleaning liquid, etc. The cleaning liquid jetting unit 103 jets the cleaning liquid from the jetting nozzle 103a at a flow rate and jetting pressure of the cleaning liquid determined by the jetting control unit 153. To this end, the cleaning liquid jetting unit 103 receives a control signal specifying the flow rate and jetting pressure from the jetting control unit 153, and jets the cleaning liquid in accordance with the received control signal. However, since the flow rate and jetting pressure of the cleaning liquid jetted from the cleaning liquid jetting unit 103 change depending on the image of the detection area 101a captured by the camera unit 101, the cleaning liquid jetting unit 103 receives a control signal specifying the flow rate and jetting pressure from the jetting control unit 153 each time.

[0102] The cleaning liquid sprayed by the cleaning liquid spraying unit 103 may simply be tap water, or it may be a chemical solution to improve the cleaning effect, or a slurry liquid containing fine granules to polish off plaque 99a.

[0103] The input unit 104 is a functional unit provided on a grip portion (not shown in FIG. 1 ) or the like for receiving input from the user, and is realized by various sensors capable of detecting input by the user, such as a physical switch or a touch panel. The input unit 104 is used by the user to input, for example, setting values ​​for the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid that are tailored to the user. These input setting values ​​are then stored via the memory unit 154.

[0104] The memory unit 154 is a controller that stores information in a storage device such as a semiconductor memory (not shown) and reads the information as needed. Therefore, the memory unit 154 has the function of accessing the storage device to store information and reading the stored information by referring to it.

[0105] The terminal device 200 may also have the same function as the input unit 104. Specifically, the terminal input unit 202, like the input unit 104, is used by the user to input, for example, setting values ​​for the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid that are suited to the user. These input setting values ​​are then stored via the communication unit 201 and the memory unit 154.

[0106] The image processing unit 155 converts the image output from the camera control unit 151 to improve the accuracy of estimation of the amount of plaque 99a by the plaque amount detection unit 156, which will be described later. Specifically, the image processing unit 155 performs processing to enhance the brightness near the fluorescent wavelength of the target metabolite in the image output from the camera control unit 151. This makes it possible to easily estimate the plaque portion in the image where plaque 99a is attached based on the difference in brightness value. The image processing unit 155 outputs the converted image to the plaque amount detection unit 156.

[0107] The plaque amount detection unit 156 estimates the amount of plaque 99a in the detection area 101a shown in the image. The amount of plaque 99a estimated by the plaque amount detection unit 156 is then output to the spray control unit 153 and used to determine the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid. In this way, the amount of plaque 99a attached to the teeth 99 can be estimated based on the detected fluorescence, i.e., the captured image, and the cleaning liquid can be sprayed at an appropriate flow rate and spray pressure according to the amount of plaque 99a. Note that the image processing unit 155 and the plaque amount detection unit 156 may be included as part of the functions of the spray control unit 153. In other words, the spray control unit 153 may determine the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid directly from the image.

[0108] When detecting the amount of plaque 99a, the plaque amount detection unit 156 calculates the area ratio of the portion where plaque is attached to the entire detection area 101a, and if this area ratio is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the cleaning liquid may be sprayed at a flow rate and spray pressure that would be appropriate for when plaque is attached. However, here, we will explain plaque amount detection that is more specifically tailored to the spray-type oral cleaning device 100. In the spray-type oral cleaning device 100, the cleaning liquid is sprayed in a predetermined direction, so that the cleaning liquid collides with a predetermined point on the extension of the spray.

[0109] This allows for the setting of an effective cleaning area 101aa, which is narrower than the detection area 101a and where a certain level of cleaning effect is expected (or where there is simply a cleaning effect) due to the collision of the cleaning liquid. When implemented in a toothbrush device, the effective cleaning area 101aa corresponds to the portion of the toothbrush device that comes into contact with the brush 103b along its moving path when the toothbrush device is held in a fixed position. However, this assumes that the detection itself is performed before the brush comes into contact with the teeth, and that the toothbrush device is moved from the detected position in the same position in the direction of the brush extension (i.e., toward the teeth) and then held in a fixed position.

[0110] In this embodiment, the plaque amount detection unit 156 calculates the area ratio of the portion where plaque is attached to the entire cleaning effective area 101aa, and if the area ratio is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, control is performed to spray the cleaning liquid at a flow rate and spray pressure for when plaque is attached. Therefore, the plaque amount detection unit 156 or the image processing unit 155 has a function of, for example, trimming the image of the portion within the cleaning effective area 101aa from the detection area 101a.

[0111] As described above, the terminal device 200 is an information processing device such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or PC owned by the user of the oral cleaning device 100, and can communicate with the oral cleaning device 100 via the communication unit 201. The terminal device 200 includes the communication unit 201, a terminal input unit 202, and a terminal display unit 203. The functions of these components have been described above, and therefore will not be described here.

[0112] 2. Operation of Oral Cleaning Device Next, the operation of the oral cleaning device 100 configured as described above (oral cleaning method) will be described with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 6. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the oral cleaning device according to the embodiment. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the oral cleaning device according to the embodiment in a plaque detection spray mode.

[0113] First, when the operation of the oral cleaning device 100 is started, the spray control unit 153 reads the normal spray intensity of the cleaning liquid that has been set in advance by the user (S101). For example, the spray control unit 153 queries the memory unit 154 to read the normal spray intensity stored as a set value in the storage device. The spray control unit 153 then reads the normal spray intensity via the memory unit 154. The normal spray intensity includes the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid and is a value used as a default value when, for example, there is no plaque 99a. If the set value of the normal spray intensity is not stored in the storage device, the initial normal spray intensity is read, or a notification is output prompting the user to input the set value of the normal spray intensity.

[0114] Next, the input unit 104 receives an input from the user to switch the plaque detection spray mode ON / OFF (S102). If there is no input, i.e., if it is determined that the plaque detection spray mode is not ON (No in S103), the cleaning fluid is constantly sprayed at normal spray intensity (S104, also referred to as normal spray mode). Then, the process ends.

[0115] On the other hand, if the input unit 104 receives input from the user to turn on the plaque detection spray mode, that is, if it is determined that the plaque detection spray mode is on (Yes in S103), cleaning liquid is sprayed in the plaque detection spray mode (S105), and the processing is terminated.

[0116] Step S105 is described in detail in FIG. 4 . As shown in FIG. 4 , when step S103 is determined to be Yes and spraying in the plaque detection spray mode is initiated, the spray control unit 153 reads the plaque detection spray intensity of the cleaning liquid that was previously set by the user (S201). For example, the spray control unit 153 queries the memory unit 154 to read the plaque detection spray intensity stored as a set value in the storage device. The spray control unit 153 then reads the plaque detection spray intensity via the memory unit 154. The plaque detection spray intensity includes the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid and is a value used when plaque 99a is present. If the set value of the plaque detection spray intensity is not stored in the storage device, the default plaque detection spray intensity is read, or a notification is output prompting the user to input the set value of the plaque detection spray intensity.

[0117] Here, the normal spray intensity and the plaque detection spray intensity will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the detection result and the control amount in the oral cleaning device according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, the plaque detection spray intensity has a larger control amount (in this case, including both the flow rate and the spray pressure of the cleaning liquid) than the normal spray intensity. The spray intensity is switched in this manner so that the larger the area and amount of plaque 99a, the larger the control amount of the cleaning liquid, with respect to threshold values ​​set for the area and amount of plaque 99a.

[0118] In other words, the greater the amount of plaque 99a attached, the greater the spray intensity can be to perform intensive cleaning. Here, the area and amount of attached plaque 99a will be explained. In this embodiment, the amount of attached plaque 99a is determined by the area of ​​the plaque portion within the detection area 101a to which plaque 99a is attached. If this area is large, it can be estimated that a large amount of plaque 99a is attached within that detection area.

[0119] If the cleaning solution is sprayed with a stronger spray intensity to remove this relatively large amount of plaque 99a, the spray intensity can be adjusted appropriately from the perspective of plaque 99a removal efficiency. Whether plaque 99a is present or not is determined by whether the brightness of the color corresponding to the fluorescent wavelength exceeds a brightness threshold for each pixel in the captured image. If the number of pixels exceeding the brightness threshold exceeds the value corresponding to the threshold in Figure 5, the cleaning solution is sprayed at a flow rate and spray pressure appropriate for the plaque removal jet height. The brightness threshold is also affected by conditions such as pigmentation, so it is preferable to set it for each user.

[0120] As another method for calculating the amount of plaque 99a, the amount of plaque 99a in the detection area 101a can be estimated by summing the brightness of the colors corresponding to the fluorescent wavelengths of each pixel in the detection area 101a. The brightness of the colors corresponding to the fluorescent wavelengths in each pixel corresponds to the amount of metabolic product accumulated at the actual tooth 99 surface position corresponding to that pixel. Therefore, the sum of the brightness of the colors corresponding to the fluorescent wavelengths across the entire detection area 101a is thought to correlate with the amount of plaque 99a. Therefore, the amount of plaque 99a can be calculated in this manner. In this case, if the total brightness exceeds the threshold value in Figure 5, the cleaning solution is sprayed at a flow rate and spray pressure appropriate for the plaque removal spray height. The area and total brightness may also be used in parallel to determine the control amount of the spray intensity.

[0121] FIG. 6 is another graph showing the relationship between the detection results and the control amount in the oral cleaning device according to the embodiment. While the example in FIG. 5 shows a relationship in which the jet intensity changes abruptly when the total area and brightness value exceeds a threshold, the relationship between the total area and brightness value and the jet intensity may be a continuously changing function, as shown in FIG. 6 . For example, as shown in FIG. 6( a), a logarithmic function-like relationship may be applied, in which the jet intensity increases abruptly in sections where the total area and brightness value is relatively small, and increases gradually in sections where the total area and brightness value is relatively large. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6( b), a proportional function-like relationship may be applied, in which the jet intensity increases equally in sections where the total area and brightness value is relatively small and relatively large. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6( c), an exponential function-like relationship may be applied, in which the jet intensity increases gradually in sections where the total area and brightness value is relatively small, and increases rapidly in sections where the total area and brightness value is relatively large.

[0122] 4 again, after step S201, the LED illumination unit 102 irradiates the irradiation area with irradiation light including light of a wavelength that excites metabolites (S202). Then, in the irradiation area, fluorescent light is emitted from the plaque portion where the plaque 99a is attached as the excited metabolites return to the ground state, and the portion selectively develops color.

[0123] The camera unit 101 detects this fluorescence as detection light within a detection area 101a extending in a predetermined direction from the nozzle 103a, i.e., a position corresponding to the surface of the tooth 99 in the direction of the cleaning fluid injection. In other words, an image including the fluorescence is captured (S203). Because this detection is performed within the two-dimensional detection area 101a, an image can be obtained that allows for comprehensive evaluation within the detection area 101a, such as the area and total brightness values ​​described above. Note that the operation of the cleaning fluid injection unit 103 may be prohibited during a prohibited period that at least partially overlaps with the detection period from the start to the end of image capture by the camera unit 101, preventing the injection of cleaning fluid. When the cleaning fluid is being injected, droplets of the cleaning fluid may splash within the oral cavity, potentially causing optical effects. Therefore, it is effective to prohibit the operation of the cleaning fluid injection unit 103 during the prohibited period, as described above, to prevent the injection of cleaning fluid.

[0124] If the area and brightness value (amount of plaque) are less than the threshold (No in S204), the cleaning fluid is sprayed into this detection area 101a at normal spray intensity (S205). If the area and brightness value are equal to or greater than the threshold (Yes in S204), the cleaning fluid is sprayed into this detection area 101a at plaque detection spray intensity (i.e., strong spray intensity) (S206). After steps S205 and S206, the user moves their hand while holding the oral cleaning device 100 and performs the same operation on another detection area 101a. To this end, it is determined whether the user has finished cleaning (S207). If it is determined that the user has finished cleaning, for example, by pressing an end button (not shown) (Yes in S207), the process ends. If the user continues cleaning (No in S207), the process returns to step S202 and repeats the same process.

[0125] In this way, by selectively coloring the metabolic products of bacteria contained in plaque 99a by fluorescent emission, the locations where plaque 99a is attached can be selectively detected, and this detection is performed on a two-dimensionally expanding area called detection area 101a. As a result, cleaning liquid can be sprayed with a strong spray intensity (flow rate and spray) on areas where a large amount of plaque 99a is attached, making it possible to control the spray intensity appropriately from the perspective of removing plaque 99a.

[0126] 7A to 9, an oral cleaning device according to Modification 1 will be described. Note that in Modification 1 described below, differences from the above-described embodiment will be described, and descriptions of points that are substantially the same as the embodiment will be omitted.

[0127] 7A is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an oral cleaning device according to Modification 1 of the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7A, Modification 1 differs from the embodiment in that an oral cleaning device 100a includes an illness detection unit 157.

[0128] The malfunction detection unit 157 estimates the condition of the gums and controls the spray of cleaning solution so that the spray intensity is appropriate for the condition of the gums. The malfunction detection unit 157 is connected to the image processing unit 155, acquires the converted image, and estimates the condition of the gums based on this image. Note that the malfunction detection unit 157 may also acquire the image before conversion from the camera control unit 151.

[0129] The disorder detection unit 157 has a pre-trained machine learning model that has learned the correlation between the gingival area shown in an image and the presence or absence of a disorder in that gingival area. By inputting an acquired image into the machine learning model, the disorder detection unit 157 can obtain the presence or absence of a gingival disorder as an output when the gingival area is shown in the image. A gingival disorder here refers to, for example, at least one of swelling and bleeding in the gingival area. Furthermore, other gingival conditions that are clinically considered to be disordered may also be included as disorders here. In this case, the machine learning model can be trained using an image showing the disordered gingival area and correct answer data indicating the presence of the disorder as training data.

[0130] For example, FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of data for machine learning in the oral cleaning device according to the first modification of the embodiment. FIG. 7B shows images of the oral cavity in two cases. As shown in FIG. 7B , for each symptom, such as "reddish gums (the hatched area indicated by the arrow (a) in the figure)," "rounded gums between the teeth (the area indicated by the arrow (b) in the figure)," "exposed tooth roots (the area indicated by the arrow (c) in the figure)," "receding gums between the teeth (the area indicated by the arrow (d) in the figure)," "deformed gums (the area indicated by the arrow (e) in the figure)," and "bleeding gums (the hatched area indicated by the arrow (f) in the figure)," a machine learning model can be trained using a dataset of teacher image data consisting of multiple images of similar symptoms and correct data, such as probing values ​​and / or dentist diagnosis data, corresponding to each teacher image data.

[0131] 7B shows images of the teeth observed from the outside (the anterior side relative to the subject, the so-called front side of the tooth), but images of the teeth observed from the inside (the posterior side relative to the subject, the so-called back side of the tooth) may also be used to evaluate the presence or absence of gingival disorders for each anterior and posterior region of each tooth. A machine learning model may then be trained using a dataset of teacher image data consisting of multiple images of similar symptoms and correct data such as the presence or absence of disorders corresponding to each teacher image data, i.e., probing values ​​and / or dentist diagnosis data.

[0132] Furthermore, there is no particular limitation on the correspondence between the state of the gums and the teeth. The state of the gums may be evaluated for a single tooth, i.e., for each tooth, or the state of the gums corresponding to a group of multiple teeth (for example, upper and lower jaws, molars and front teeth, etc.) may be evaluated.

[0133] If the cleaning solution is sprayed at a high spray intensity toward the detection area 101a that includes such a gum disorder, the gum disorder may worsen. Therefore, in this first modification, when a gum disorder is detected, the spray intensity of the cleaning solution toward the detection area 101a is weakened (e.g., a spray intensity weaker than the normal spray intensity), thereby preventing the gum disorder from worsening. For example, the evaluation results described above may be converted into a score with multiple levels according to the severity of the gum disorder. This allows for control such that the spray intensity is weakened as the score increases (the severity of the gum disorder increases), and the spray intensity is strengthened as the score decreases (the severity of the gum disorder decreases). The number of score levels may correspond to the number of configurable spray intensity levels, i.e., cleaning power. If the severity of the gum disorder is evaluated using a five-level score, one of the five levels of cleaning power can be selected to clean the teeth. As a specific example of operation, the oral cleaning device 100a operates as follows.

[0134] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the oral cleaning device according to the first modified embodiment. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the oral cleaning device according to the first modified embodiment in a plaque detection spraying mode and a malfunction detection spraying mode.

[0135] As shown in Fig. 8, steps S301 and S302 correspond to steps S101 and S102 in Fig. 3, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here. After step S302, the input unit 104 further receives an ON / OFF switching input from the user to turn on the malfunction detection jetting mode (S303). Step S304 corresponds to step S103 in Fig. 3, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here. If the answer is No in step S304, the process proceeds to step S305. If the answer is Yes in step S304, the process proceeds to step S308, where it is determined whether or not an input to turn on the malfunction detection jetting mode has been received.

[0136] If the answer is No in step S305, both the plaque detection spraying mode and the malfunction detection spraying mode are OFF, so cleaning fluid is always sprayed at normal spray intensity (S306, also called normal spraying mode), and the process ends.If the answer is Yes in step S305, the plaque detection spraying mode is OFF and the malfunction detection spraying mode is ON, so cleaning fluid is sprayed in the malfunction detection spraying mode (S307), and the process ends.

[0137] If the answer is No in step S308, the plaque detection spraying mode is ON and the malfunction detection spraying mode is OFF, so the cleaning solution is sprayed in the plaque detection spraying mode (S309), and the process ends.If the answer is Yes in step S308, both the plaque detection spraying mode and the malfunction detection spraying mode are ON, so the cleaning solution is sprayed in the plaque detection spraying mode and the malfunction detection spraying mode (S310), and the process ends.

[0138] Step S310 is described in detail in FIG. 9 . As shown in FIG. 9 , when step S308 returns Yes and spraying in the plaque detection spray mode and the malfunction detection spray mode begins, the spray control unit 153 reads the plaque detection spray intensity and malfunction detection spray intensity of the cleaning solution preset by the user (S201a). For example, the spray control unit 153 queries the memory unit 154 to read the plaque detection spray intensity and malfunction detection spray intensity stored as setting values ​​in the storage device. The spray control unit 153 then reads the plaque detection spray intensity and malfunction detection spray intensity via the memory unit 154. The malfunction detection spray intensity includes the spray frequency in addition to the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning solution, and is a value used when there is a malfunction in the gum area within the detection area 101a. Setting the spray frequency appropriate for the condition of the gum area—in other words, performing appropriate intermittent spraying appropriate for the condition of the gum area—can effectively prevent damage to the gum area that could further worsen the condition in the case of malfunction. In addition, if the set value of the malfunction detection injection intensity is not stored in the memory device, the initial value of the malfunction detection injection intensity is read, or a notification is output to the user urging them to input the set value of the malfunction detection injection intensity.

[0139] 4, the LED illumination unit 102 irradiates the irradiation area with irradiation light containing light of a wavelength that excites metabolites (S202a). The irradiation light here includes white light, and it is possible to capture not only fluorescent images but also normal images. Then, by capturing an image of the oral cavity including the detection light (S203a), the plaque area is selectively colored, and if the gums are captured in the detection area 101a, an image can be obtained that allows for estimation of the condition of the gums.

[0140] 4 is then determined. If the answer is No in step S204, the process proceeds to step S401. If the answer is Yes in step S204, the process proceeds to step S402. In either case, it is determined whether or not a malfunction has been detected in the gum area based on the estimated state of the gum area. If it is determined that a malfunction has been detected in the gum area (Yes in S401 or S402), cleaning liquid is sprayed into the detection area 101a at a malfunction detection spray intensity (S403).

[0141] The rest of the process is the same as steps S205 to S207 in Figure 4, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Here, an example has been described in which, if an abnormality is detected in the gum area, injection is performed at the abnormality detection injection intensity even if the amount of plaque 99a attached, i.e., the total value of the area and brightness, is equal to or greater than a threshold. In this case, it can be said that the abnormality detection injection mode takes priority over the plaque detection injection mode. For example, if the plaque detection injection mode takes priority, step S402 may not be executed, and if step S204 returns Yes, the process may proceed to step S206.

[0142] In addition, the above describes the operation when both the plaque detection spraying mode and the malfunction detection spraying mode are ON, but when the plaque detection spraying mode is OFF and the malfunction detection spraying mode is ON, steps S204, S402, and S206 in Fig. 9 are omitted. Therefore, after step S203a, the process proceeds to step S401, where it is determined whether a malfunction has been detected in the gum area. Then, depending on the determination result, the cleaning solution is sprayed at either the normal spray intensity or the malfunction detection spray intensity.

[0143] 10, an oral cleaning device according to Modification 2 will be described. Note that in Modification 2 described below, differences from Modification 1 of the embodiment described above will be described, and descriptions of points that are substantially the same as those of Modification 1 of the embodiment will be omitted.

[0144] 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an oral cleaning device according to Modification 2 of the embodiment. The oral cleaning device 100b according to Modification 2 differs from the oral cleaning device 100a according to Modification 1 in that the oral cleaning device 100b includes a determination unit 158 ​​and an output unit 159.

[0145] The determination unit 158 ​​and the output unit 159 are functional units that determine whether the light necessary to generate an image for determining the spray intensity of the cleaning liquid is properly reaching the target and notify the user of any defects, such as light not reaching the target. More specifically, when the determination unit 158 ​​acquires a converted image from the image processing unit and the overall brightness of the image continues to decrease for a certain period of time (i.e., when the brightness of the detected light remains below a predetermined value for a certain period of time), it determines that an obstruction exists that blocks at least one of (i) the detection light between the detection area 101a and the camera unit 101 or (ii) the illumination light between the LED illumination unit 102 and the illumination area. Examples of such obstructions include oral structures such as lips, teeth, and gums, as well as dust and foreign matter. The presence of such obstructions may prevent accurate detection of plaque and gum problems. In the oral cleaning device 100b of this modified example, the determination result indicating the presence of this obstruction is output by the output unit 159, and the user is notified, for example, by displaying it as an image on the terminal display unit 203 of the terminal device 200.

[0146] Upon seeing this notification, the user can take measures to ensure that various detections can be performed normally, such as changing the position of the oral cleaning device 100b or removing any obstructions.

[0147] 11 to 13, an oral cleaning device according to Modification 3 will be described. Note that in Modification 3 described below, differences from Modification 1 of the embodiment described above will be described, and descriptions of points that are substantially the same as those of Modification 1 of the embodiment will be omitted.

[0148] Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of an oral cleaning device according to Modification 3 of the embodiment in the plaque detection spray mode and the malfunction detection spray mode. The oral cleaning device according to Modification 3 has the same functional configuration as the oral cleaning device 100a according to Modification 1. Therefore, the operation of the oral cleaning device according to this modification will be described here with reference to Fig. 7A and the configuration of the oral cleaning device. Note that Fig. 11 is partially the same as Fig. 9, and therefore the description may be omitted.

[0149] In the oral cleaning device according to the third modification, the plaque amount detection unit 156 quantifies the amount of plaque on a discrete scale. Specifically, the amount of plaque is classified into one of eight levels from 1 to 8 (smaller values ​​indicate less plaque, and larger values ​​indicate more plaque), and a numerical value corresponding to the level is output as the detection result of the amount of plaque. The estimated value of the amount of plaque used as the basis for detecting the amount of plaque is the same as that described in the embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here. In this example, the amount of plaque is detected by replacing the estimated value of the amount of plaque with scale information. Furthermore, in the oral cleaning device according to the third modification, the disorder detection unit 157 quantifies the degree of disorder in the gum area (i.e., the degree of disorder) on a discrete scale. Specifically, the degree of disorder in the gum area is classified into one of eight levels from 1 to 8 (smaller values ​​indicate healthier gums, and larger values ​​indicate more disordered gums), and a numerical value corresponding to the level is output as the detection result of the degree of disorder. The estimated value of the degree of illness used as the basis for detecting the degree of illness is the same as the conversion to a score of the degree of illness described in the first modified example of the embodiment, and therefore will not be described here. In this example, the degree of illness is detected by replacing the score of the degree of illness with scale information. Note that the number of levels of scale information shown above is an example. The number of levels may be any number greater than two.

[0150] In this modified example, the spray control unit 153 controls the cleaning power used to control the oral cleaning device using the scale information on the amount of plaque and the scale information on the degree of disorder. Specifically, it determines an appropriate care mode, which is the operating mode of the oral cleaning device, from the combination of the scale information on the amount of plaque and the scale information on the degree of disorder, and outputs control information for driving and controlling the oral cleaning device so that it operates in the care mode obtained as a result of the determination. In other words, the care mode is used to determine the drive control of the oral cleaning device. Therefore, the spray control unit 153 in this modified example is a functional unit that combines the functions of a care mode determination unit and a result output unit, and the function of a control signal generation unit that generates a control signal for the oral cleaning device.

[0151] The ejection control unit 153 queries the memory unit 154 in advance to read an oral health condition table stored in a storage device, which associates combinations of plaque amount scale information and malaise level scale information with the care mode determination results. The ejection control unit 153 then reads the oral health condition table via the memory unit 154 (S501). FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an oral health condition table according to a modified embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the care mode in this oral health condition table is determined based on the combination of plaque amount scale information and malaise level scale information, and one of four care modes, care modes 1 to 4, is output as the determination result. For example, if the plaque amount scale information is 8 and the malaise level scale information is 8, care mode 1 is output as the determination result.

[0152] 12, in this example, the lower the degree of malfunction, the higher the priority in determining the care mode, and regardless of whether the plaque amount scale information is 1 to 6, the output result is care mode 1 if the malfunction scale information is 5 to 8, care mode 2 if the malfunction scale information is 4, care mode 3 if the malfunction scale information is 2 to 3, and care mode 4 if the malfunction scale information is 1. However, when the plaque amount scale information is 7 to 8, the output result is care mode 1 if the malfunction scale information is 5 to 8, care mode 2 if the malfunction scale information is 4, care mode 3 if the malfunction scale information is 3, and care mode 4 if the malfunction scale information is 1 to 2.

[0153] Furthermore, the care mode can be set to a wider variety of cleaning powers. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13 , when another example of the oral health condition table is loaded, the oral cleansing device can be controlled using an appropriate care mode from a wide variety of cleaning power options (care modes). FIG. 13 shows an example of an oral health condition table according to another example of a modified embodiment. The oral cleansing device in this example is capable of separately controlling the flow rate and pressure of the water jet and the frequency of the intermittent water jet. Specifically, the number corresponding to x in care mode xy indicates the flow rate and pressure of the water jet, and one of six flow rates and pressures (1 to 6) can be set. Furthermore, the letter corresponding to y in care mode xy indicates the frequency of the intermittent water jet, and one of four frequencies (a to d) can be set. Thus, the oral health condition table in this example outputs one of 6 × 4 = 24 care modes (care modes 1a to 6d) as the determination result. For example, if the scale information of the amount of plaque is 8 and the scale information of the degree of ailment is 8, the care mode 1c is output as the determination result.

[0154] In this example, when the scale information for the amount of plaque is 1, the frequency of the intermittent water flow during spraying is uniform at a, whereas the flow rate and spray pressure of the sprayed water flow vary depending on the degree of discomfort between 1 and 4. In this way, the care mode may be configured to be capable of controlling the oral cleaning device by specifying two or more parameters (control parameters), and in this case, the degree of contribution of the scale information for the amount of plaque and the degree of contribution of the scale information for the degree of discomfort to the two or more parameters may not be uniform.

[0155] For example, one of the two parameters may be a parameter for adjusting the cleaning power of the oral cleaning device for teeth. Examples of such parameters include the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid. To maintain cleaning power, the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning liquid must be maintained at a certain level or higher.

[0156] Another parameter can be used to enhance the cleaning power of the oral cleaning device. Examples of such parameters include the spray time (length) and spray frequency. To reduce the load on the gums and avoid increasing the severity of the discomfort, it is necessary to reduce the flow rate and spray pressure of the cleaning solution. In this case, the reduced cleaning power can be compensated for by increasing the spray time and spray frequency. In other words, adjusting the cleaning power reduces the load on the gums, while adjusting the spray time and spray frequency compensates for the reduced cleaning power. As a similar example, in the drive mode of the brush 103b in the oral cleaning device 100c, the number corresponding to x in the care mode xy indicates the strength of the horizontal brushing mode, which can be set to one of six strengths (1 to 6), and the letter corresponding to y in the care mode xy indicates the strength of the tapping mode, which can be set to one of four strengths (a to d).

[0157] In this case, for example, one of the two parameters can be a parameter for adjusting the tooth cleaning power of the oral cleaning device 100c (toothbrush device). One example of such a parameter is the drive torque and drive stroke of the brush 103b. To maintain the cleaning power, the drive torque and drive stroke of the brush 103b must be kept at or above a certain level.

[0158] Another type of parameter can be a parameter for complementing the cleaning power of the oral cleaning device 100c. Examples of such parameters include drive speed and drive time. To reduce the load on the gums without increasing the severity of the condition, it is necessary to reduce the drive torque and drive stroke of the brush 103b. In this case, the reduced cleaning power can be compensated for by increasing the drive speed and drive time. In other words, the load on the gums can be reduced by adjusting the cleansing power, while the reduced cleaning power can be compensated for by adjusting the drive speed and drive time. Note that the oral cleaning device 100c (toothbrush device) is typically used by a user holding the oral cleaning device 100c and pressing the brush 103b against the teeth. Therefore, the brushing pressure when pressed against the teeth also plays an important role in determining the cleaning power and the severity of the condition. This point will be described later in Modification Example 15.

[0159] The reason why the contribution of each parameter to the scale information on the amount of plaque and the degree of discomfort differs is that each parameter (i.e., the flow rate and pressure of the sprayed water flow and the frequency of intermittent water flow when sprayed, or the strength of the horizontal brushing mode and the strength of the tapping brushing mode) has a different effect on the effectiveness of plaque removal and the degree of discomfort.

[0160] 13, the care mode is set using two parameters (a combination of numbers 1 to 6 and letters a to d), but the care mode may also be set using three or more parameters that are a combination of one or more additional parameters. For example, when the care mode is set using three parameters, the oral cleaning device may be configured to be able to individually control the partial cleaning functions that contribute to the cleaning power using three parameters corresponding to the flow rate of the sprayed water stream, the spray pressure of the sprayed water stream, and the frequency of the intermittent water stream when sprayed.

[0161] Referring again to FIG. 11 , after reading the oral health condition table, irradiation light is applied (S202a), and the oral cavity is photographed, including the detection light (S203a). Then, the plaque amount detection unit 156 acquires the image of the oral cavity after the image has been captured and detects the amount of plaque (S502). The illness detection unit 157 acquires the image of the oral cavity after the image has been captured and detects the degree of illness (S503). Steps S501, S502, and S503 do not need to be performed in this order; they may be performed in different orders. The spray control unit 153 references the oral health condition table using the detected amount of adhesion and the degree of illness to determine the care mode (S504). Then, the spray control unit 153 outputs the determination result to the control signal generation unit, and controls the oral cleaning device in the determined care mode (S505).

[0162] In this way, the oral cavity can be cleaned in an appropriate care mode based on both the amount of plaque and the degree of gum disorder.

[0163] Note that the oral health condition table is typically different for each user and is created for each user. Therefore, a user authentication operation (not shown) may be performed to load the user's oral health condition table. Furthermore, even for the same user, the oral health condition table may become inappropriate over time. Therefore, an operation to update the oral health condition table may be performed. Specifically, the oral health condition table may be updated based on at least one of the trend in the results of multiple past plaque amount detections and the trend in the results of multiple past ailment detections. In this case, for example, if the trend in the results of multiple past plaque amount detections does not indicate a decrease in plaque amount, the oral health condition table is considered inappropriate from the perspective of plaque removal. Therefore, the oral health condition table is updated to increase the care level in the assessment results. For example, the oral health condition table may be updated so that all care modes are one level higher in care level.

[0164] Alternatively, if the trend in the results of multiple past detections of the degree of discomfort indicates an increase in the degree of discomfort, the oral health condition table is deemed inappropriate from the perspective of maintaining the condition of the gums, and the oral health condition table is updated so that the care strength in the assessment results is lower. For example, the oral health condition table may be updated so that all care modes are one level lower in care strength. Furthermore, machine learning may be incorporated into such updating of the oral health condition table.

[0165] 14, an oral cleaning device according to Modification 4 will be described. In the following description of Modification 4, differences from Modification 3 of the embodiment will be described, and descriptions of points that are substantially the same as those of Modification 3 of the embodiment will be omitted.

[0166] FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an oral cleaning system according to Modification 4 of the embodiment. The oral cleaning system 100d according to Modification 4 uses multiple devices to achieve the same functions as the oral cleaning device according to Modification 3. Compared to the oral cleaning device according to Modification 3, the operation is essentially the same except that the functional configuration is distributed among multiple devices. Since FIG. 14 is partially the same as FIG. 7A , a description thereof may be omitted. As shown in FIG. 14 , this modification differs from Modification 3 in that a portion of the configuration of the control device is included in the terminal device. Specifically, the control device 150 according to this example is composed of a processing unit related to input / output with the hardware unit, while functional units such as data processing are included in the terminal device 200. Specifically, the terminal device 200 includes an image processing unit 155, a plaque amount detection unit 156, a malfunction detection unit 157, a care mode determination unit 153b (part of the spray control unit 153 according to Modification 3), and a result output unit 153c (part of the spray control unit 153 according to Modification 3). Therefore, the terminal device 200 in this modification is equipped with an oral care mode determination device. The terminal device 200 acquires an image from the control device 150, which is an external device. The subsequent operations up to outputting the care mode determination result using the image are the same as those in the modification 3.

[0167] The result output unit 153c then outputs the determination result to the memory unit 154 of the control device 150 via the communication unit 201. As a result, the determination result is stored in the storage device. The spray control unit 153a (part of the spray control unit 153 in Modification 3) reads the determination result from the storage device via the memory unit 154 and controls the cleaning liquid spray unit 103.

[0168] On the other hand, in this modified example, the camera unit 101 and the LED illumination unit 102 are configured as independent devices (sensing device 800), and the cleaning liquid spray unit 103 and the input unit 104 are configured as another independent device (single cleaning device 900). In other words, the oral cleaning system 100d in this modified example is composed of four devices. Communication between each device in this modified example may be wireless or wired. Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the communication method used for communication between each device.

[0169] In this way, the oral cleaning device can also be realized as an oral cleaning system composed of a group of devices with similar functions. Incidentally, by providing the terminal device 200 with an oral care mode determination device, various generated information (such as an image of the oral cavity, the amount of plaque, the degree of gum discomfort, and the care mode determination result) can be displayed as an image or notified as an audio signal in real time, thereby contributing to improved usability. Images can be displayed by the terminal display unit 203 (an example of a display unit), and audio notification can be performed by a terminal speaker (an example of a notification unit, not shown). Furthermore, displaying such various generated information can also be realized in the oral cleaning device described above by transmitting the information to the terminal device 200 via communication, although this reduces real-time performance somewhat.

[0170] 15, an oral cleaning device according to Modification 5 will be described. Note that in Modification 5 described below, differences from Modification 3 of the embodiment described above, particularly from the oral cleaning device 100c (toothbrush device), will be described, and descriptions of points that are substantially the same as those of Modification 3 of the embodiment will be omitted.

[0171] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an oral cleaning system according to a fifth variation of the embodiment. The oral cleaning system 100e according to the fifth variation differs from the oral cleaning device 100c in that it uses a sliding brush 103b to provide notifications that take brushing pressure into consideration. Since FIG. 15 is partially the same as FIG. 10 , a description thereof may be omitted. As shown in FIG. 15 , in this variation, the oral cleaning system 100e removes deposits from teeth by sliding the brush 103b against the teeth. The brush 103b is electrically driven, and the motor 103c rotates upon receiving power from a power source (not shown). This rotational drive is converted into reciprocating drive or the rotational drive is used as is to reciprocate or rotate the brush 103b.

[0172] Because the brush 103b slides against the teeth, the brushing pressure, which is the pressure with which the brush 103b is pressed against the teeth, determines the cleaning power of the oral cleaning system 100e and the power to increase the degree of discomfort. In other words, an appropriate brushing pressure is necessary to obtain appropriate cleaning power without increasing the degree of discomfort.

[0173] Therefore, in this modification, the oral cleaning system 100e includes a pressure detection unit 105 for detecting the brushing pressure. The pressure detection unit 105 is an example of a brushing pressure detection unit. The pressure detection unit 105 outputs the detected brushing pressure to the output unit 159. In this modification, the output unit 159 is an example of a brushing information notification unit that compares the detected brushing pressure with one or more preset thresholds and notifies the user to adjust the brushing pressure. Specifically, if the detected brushing pressure exceeds the threshold, the output unit 159 prompts the user to reduce the brushing pressure. If the detected brushing pressure falls below the threshold, the output unit 159 prompts the user to increase the brushing pressure. It is preferable that the threshold for prompting the user to increase the brushing pressure is different from the threshold for prompting the user to reduce the brushing pressure. This allows the user to press the brush 103b against the teeth with an appropriate brushing pressure within a certain range that can be applied artificially.

[0174] The threshold value may be set for each user based on the user's plaque amount (i.e., the desired cleaning power) and the level of dental discomfort. Therefore, in this example, a threshold value for brushing pressure is included as one of the parameters in the care mode. As a result, when a care mode is determined based on the plaque amount and the level of dental discomfort, as shown in FIG. 13 , the threshold value included in the care mode allows the user to press the brush 103b against the teeth with an appropriate brushing pressure. Here, the output unit 159 reads the threshold parameter included in the care mode and compares it with the detected brushing pressure, thereby achieving the above processing. While the oral cleaning device and the like according to the embodiment of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment.

[0175] For example, in the above-described Modifications 3 and 4 of the embodiment, the care mode is determined from an image. For example, if the image includes the entire user's oral cavity, a single care mode can be calculated from the image based on the overall condition of the user's oral cavity. Meanwhile, although not described in detail, Modifications 3 and 4 also allow the care mode to be determined for each portion of the user's oral cavity. This can be achieved by, for example, cropping the image to be used for the determination. For example, it is possible to crop the corresponding image for each of the user's multiple teeth, detect the amount of plaque for each of the multiple cropped images, and detect the degree of condition of the gums surrounding the teeth, thereby determining the care mode for each tooth. Alternatively, the amount of plaque may be detected for a group of teeth consisting of a portion of the user's teeth, and the degree of condition of the gums surrounding the group of teeth may be determined in a similar manner, thereby determining the care mode for each group of teeth.

[0176] In this way, when the images include two or more images, including a first image capturing a portion of the oral cavity and a second image capturing another portion of the oral cavity, the amount of plaque may be detected for each image, the degree of dental discomfort may be detected, and a care mode may be determined for each image. However, when such multiple care modes are output as a determination result, information is required regarding which tooth or group of teeth each care mode is for. That is, the result output unit must link each care mode to a portion of the oral cavity and output a care mode determination result for that portion, and link each care mode to another portion of the oral cavity and output a care mode determination result for that other portion of the oral cavity. Each portion of the oral cavity may be identified by an identifier that identifies the tooth in the oral cavity, or by determining the position of the oral cavity using a sensor or the like and identifying the determined position in the oral cavity. Note that the relationship between the first image and the second image may be different portions extracted from a single image by cropping, or may be two images captured with the same image sensor at different times, or may be two images captured with different image sensors at the same time. The first image and the second image may be different portions of a single image. In other words, the trimming process may not involve outputting the trimmed image, but may instead involve inputting the image as is, and selectively using pixel values ​​of only a portion of the image or pixel values ​​of another portion to detect the amount of plaque and the degree of dental condition, and to determine the care mode.

[0177] Furthermore, each processing unit included in the oral cleaning device according to the above embodiment is typically realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit. These may be individually implemented as single chips, or some or all of them may be integrated into a single chip.

[0178] Furthermore, the integrated circuit is not limited to an LSI, but may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI may also be used.

[0179] In the above embodiments, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0180] Furthermore, one aspect of the present disclosure may be realized as an oral cleaning method executed by an oral cleaning device, a control method for an oral cleaning device, etc. Furthermore, one aspect of the present disclosure may be a computer program that causes a computer to execute each characteristic step included in the oral cleaning method or the control method.

[0181] Furthermore, the oral cleaning device according to the above-described embodiments may be realized as a single device or may be realized by multiple devices. When the oral cleaning device is realized by multiple devices, the components of the oral cleaning device may be distributed among the multiple devices in any manner. For example, the control device may be included in a mobile terminal. Furthermore, for example, at least one of the functional components of the control device may be realized by a mobile terminal or a server (e.g., a cloud server) capable of communicating with the mobile terminal. When the oral cleaning device is realized by multiple devices, the communication method between the multiple devices is not particularly limited and may be wireless or wired communication. Furthermore, wireless and wired communication may be combined between the devices. Note that the cloud server may be a server capable of communicating with the mobile terminal via the Internet or the like, and may provide the mobile terminal with an application for using the intraoral camera. For example, a user downloads the application from the cloud server and installs it on the mobile terminal. Furthermore, the cloud server may acquire images captured by the oral cleaning device via the mobile terminal.

[0182] The division of functional blocks in the block diagram is an example, and multiple functional blocks may be realized as a single functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple blocks, or some functions may be moved to another functional block.Furthermore, the functions of multiple functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or in time-sharing by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0183] The order in which the steps in the flowchart are executed is merely an example for specifically explaining the present disclosure, and other orders may be used. Also, some of the steps may be executed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps.

[0184] The present disclosure is not limited to one or more of the above aspects, and various modifications that a person skilled in the art may make to the present embodiment, or forms constructed by combining components in different embodiments, may also be included within the scope of one or more aspects, as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0185] The present disclosure is applicable to oral cleaning devices.

[0186] 98 Gums 99 Teeth 99a Plaque 100, 100a, 100b, 100c Oral cleaning device 100d Oral cleaning system 101 Camera unit 101a Detection area 101aa Effective cleaning area 102 LED lighting unit 103 Cleaning liquid spray unit 103a Spray nozzle 103b Brush 104 Input unit 150 Control device 151 Camera control unit 152 LED lighting control unit 153, 153a Spray control unit 153b Care mode determination unit 153c Result output unit 154 Memory unit 155 Image processing unit 156 Plaque adhesion amount detection unit 157 Malfunction detection unit 158 ​​Determination unit 159 Output unit 200 Terminal device 201 Communication unit 202 Terminal input unit 203 Terminal display unit 800 Sensing device 900 Single unit cleaning device

Claims

1. a plaque amount detection unit that detects the amount of plaque in the oral cavity based on an image of the oral cavity; a disorder detection unit that detects a degree of disorder, which is a degree of disorder of the gum portion in the oral cavity, based on the image; A care mode determination unit that determines a care mode that determines a drive control of an oral care device used for care of the oral cavity based on the detected amount of plaque and the detected degree of disorder; A result output unit that outputs the determination result of the care mode to the oral cavity care device, The care mode is at least two types of control parameters that define different drive controls of the oral care device, and at least one of the at least two types of control parameters is a parameter for adjusting the cleaning power of the oral care device for teeth, and at least another type is a control parameter for complementing the cleaning power of the oral care device. Oral care mode determination device.

2. The image is an image captured by detecting light generated in response to a predetermined wavelength of plaque-responsive light irradiated into the oral cavity. The oral care mode determination device according to claim 1 .

3. The image is two or more images including a first image capturing a part of the oral cavity and a second image capturing another part of the oral cavity, The plaque amount detection unit detects the amount of plaque for each of the part of the oral cavity and another part of the oral cavity, The illness detection unit detects the illness degree for each of the part of the oral cavity and another part of the oral cavity, The care mode determination unit determines the care mode for each of the part of the oral cavity and another part of the oral cavity, The result output unit is Linking the care mode to a portion of the oral cavity, and outputting a determination result of the care mode for the portion of the oral cavity; Linking the care mode to another part of the oral cavity and outputting the judgment result of the care mode for the other part of the oral cavity The oral care mode determination device according to claim 1 .

4. The result output unit outputs positions in the oral cavity corresponding to the part of the oral cavity and the other part of the oral cavity in association with the determination result of the care mode for the part of the oral cavity and the other part of the oral cavity. The oral care mode determination device according to claim 3 .

5. The care mode determination unit determines the care mode by selecting one from a plurality of candidates, A control parameter set for each of the plurality of candidates for the care mode is included. The oral care mode determination device according to claim 1 .

6. The oral care device is a water jet type oral cleaning device that sprays cleaning liquid toward teeth, The care modes include at least two control parameters that define different drive controls of the oral care device; one of the at least two control parameters is a control parameter for adjusting the cleaning power of the teeth, and is at least one of a flow rate and a spray pressure of the cleaning liquid; Another one of the at least two types of control parameters is a control parameter for complementing the cleaning power of the oral care device, and is at least one of an ejection time and an ejection frequency; The care mode determination unit determines the care mode so that the higher the degree of disorder is, the smaller the load applied to the gums is reduced by decreasing at least one of the flow rate and the spray pressure of the cleaning liquid when spraying the cleaning liquid, according to the control parameters for adjusting the cleaning power of the at least one type of tooth, and the lowered cleaning power is adjusted by increasing at least one of the spray time and the spray frequency, which are control parameters for complementing the cleaning power of the at least another type of the oral care device. The oral care mode determination device according to claim 1 .

7. The oral care device is an electrically driven toothbrush device that drives a brush, The care modes include at least two control parameters that define different drive controls of the oral care device; One of the at least two control parameters is a control parameter for adjusting the cleaning power of the tooth, and is at least one of a driving torque and a driving stroke of the brush; Another one of the at least two types of control parameters is at least one of a driving speed and a driving time, which are control parameters for complementing the cleaning power of the oral care device, The care mode determination unit determines the care mode according to the control parameters for adjusting the cleaning power of the at least one type of tooth, so that the higher the degree of disorder, the smaller the load applied to the gums is by reducing at least one of the driving torque and driving stroke of the brush when driving the brush, thereby adjusting the reduced cleaning power by at least one of reducing the driving speed and lengthening the driving time, which are control parameters for complementing the cleaning power of the at least another type of oral care device. The oral care mode determination device according to claim 1 .

8. The oral care device comprises: a brushing pressure detection unit for detecting a brushing pressure applied to the brush; a brushing information notifying unit that notifies a user of feedback information regarding the brushing pressure; the brushing information notification unit sets one or more thresholds for brushing pressure, and when the detected brushing pressure exceeds the threshold, notifies the user to reduce the brushing pressure; The care mode further includes a parameter related to the threshold value, The care mode determination unit determines the care mode based on a parameter related to the threshold value included therein such that the higher the degree of discomfort, the smaller the threshold value becomes. The oral care mode determination device according to claim 7.

9. The result output unit further transmits the care mode determination result to a terminal device connected to the oral care mode determination device, The terminal device includes at least one of a display unit that displays the care mode determination result received from the result output unit and a notification unit that notifies the result by voice. The oral care mode determination device according to claim 1 .

10. The degree of discomfort is scale information that quantifies at least one of the swelling and bleeding of the gums. The oral care mode determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The care mode is determined based on a combination of scale information that quantifies the amount of plaque and scale information on the degree of discomfort that quantifies at least one of swelling and bleeding of the gums, and an oral health condition table that associates the determination results of the care mode. The oral care mode determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. The care mode determination unit updates the oral health condition table based on at least one of a change trend of the plaque amount detection results obtained multiple times in the past and a change trend of the disorder detection results obtained multiple times in the past. The oral care mode determination device according to claim 11.

13. When a change trend of the plaque amount detected multiple times in the past does not indicate a decrease in the plaque amount, the care mode determination unit updates the oral health condition table so that the care level in the determination result is increased. The oral care mode determination device according to claim 12.

14. The care mode determination unit updates the oral health condition table so that the care strength in the determination result becomes lower when a change trend of the detection results of the degree of discomfort multiple times in the past indicates an increase in the degree of discomfort. The oral care mode determination device according to claim 12.

15. 1. A computer-implemented oral care mode determination method, comprising: Detecting the amount of plaque in the oral cavity based on an image of the oral cavity; detecting a degree of disorder of the gum portion of the oral cavity based on the image; determining a care mode that determines a drive control of an oral care device used for care of the oral cavity based on the detected amount of plaque and the detected degree of disorder; and outputting the care mode determination result to the oral care device. The care mode is at least two types of control parameters that define different drive controls of the oral care device, and at least one of the at least two types of control parameters is a parameter for adjusting the cleaning power of the oral care device for teeth, and at least another type is a control parameter for complementing the cleaning power of the oral care device. Method for determining oral care mode.

16. A method for causing the computer to execute the oral care mode determination method according to claim 15. program.