Oral cavity cleaner including spray button having improved operability

Abstract

An oral cavity cleaner is disclosed. The present invention comprises: a conveying tube for conveying cleaning water supplied from the outside; a spray nozzle part for spraying cleaning water into the oral cavity of a user; and a water supply control module installed between the conveying tube and the spray nozzle part to control the supply of cleaning water to the spray nozzle part, wherein the water supply control module includes a first water-passing space in which cleaning water is stored when a button part is not pressed by the user, and a second water-passing space into which cleaning water stored in the first water-passing space is conveyed according to that the button part is pressed by the user in order to spray cleaning water. According to the present invention, despite the high water-pressure of cleaning water supplied to an oral cavity cleaner, a user can operate a spray button for controlling spraying of cleaning water even with a small force.

Description

Oral irrigator with improved spray button operability

[0001] The present invention relates to an oral irrigator with improved operability of a spray button, and more particularly, to an oral irrigator with improved operability of a spray button that allows a user to operate a spray button for controlling the spraying of cleaning water with little force despite the high water pressure of cleaning water supplied to the oral irrigator.

[0002] As interest in dental health has increased recently, various types of dental health aids are being developed and sold.

[0003] A dual oral irrigator is a dental health aid device that uses cleaning water sprayed at an appropriate water pressure through a nozzle to remove food residue between teeth or to polish teeth. It is also called a 'water pick'.

[0004] Meanwhile, oral irrigators according to the prior art may be provided with a spray button on the main body to enable the user to control the spraying of the irrigating water. However, although such a spray button is provided with consideration for ease of use, there is a problem in that it is very difficult for the user to press the button due to the high water pressure of the irrigating water supplied to the oral irrigator.

[0005] Accordingly, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an oral irrigator with improved operability of a spray button that allows a user to operate the spray button for controlling the spraying of the irrigating water with little force despite the high water pressure of the irrigating water supplied to the oral irrigator.

[0006] The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and include other technical problems that can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, an oral irrigator includes a transport pipe for transporting cleaning water supplied from an external source, a spray nozzle unit for spraying the cleaning water into a user's oral cavity, and a water supply control module installed between the transport pipe and the spray nozzle unit for controlling the supply of the cleaning water to the spray nozzle unit.

[0008] Preferably, the water supply control module is characterized by including a first water supply space in which the cleaning water is stored when the user does not press the button, and a second water supply space in which the cleaning water stored in the first water supply space is transferred when the user presses the button to spray the cleaning water.

[0009] In addition, the water supply control module is characterized in that it further includes a control member that moves inside the water supply control module by the pressure of pressing the button portion and controls the movement of the cleaning water from the first water passage space to the second water passage space.

[0010] In addition, it further includes an elastic body that returns the control member to its original position when the pressure for pressing the button part is released.

[0011] Meanwhile, an oral irrigator according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a conveying pipe for conveying cleaning water supplied from an external source; a spray nozzle unit for spraying the cleaning water into a user's oral cavity; and a water supply control module installed between the conveying pipe and the spray nozzle unit for controlling the supply of the cleaning water to the spray nozzle unit.

[0012] Preferably, the transport pipe is characterized by being a cylindrical filter structure with a hollow structure.

[0013] In addition, the cylindrical filter structure of the hollow structure is characterized in that it is installed in a water purification space that receives the cleaning water from the outside.

[0014] In addition, the water supply control module is characterized by including a button portion that the user presses to spray the cleaning water; and a water passage space in which the degree of opening to the transfer pipe is adjusted according to the user pressing the button portion.

[0015] In addition, it further includes an elastic body that returns the water supply control module to its original position when the pressure for pressing the button portion is released.

[0016] In addition, the water passage space is characterized by including an inlet for receiving the cleaning water from the transfer pipe; and an outlet for discharging the cleaning water from the water passage space to the spray nozzle unit.

[0017] In addition, when the user presses the button, the inlet is fully opened to the transfer pipe, but when the user does not press the button, the inlet is only partially opened to the transfer pipe.

[0018] In addition, the water supply space is characterized in that the cleaning water is filled even when the user does not press the button.

[0019] According to the present invention, despite the high water pressure of the cleaning water supplied to the oral irrigator, the user can operate the spray button for controlling the spraying of the cleaning water with little force.

[0020] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned, and include other effects that can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the following description.

[0021] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an oral irrigator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Fig. 2 is a drawing showing the structure of an inner housing installed inside the second outer housing in Fig. 1;

[0023] Figure 3 is a drawing showing the cross-sectional structure of the inner housing and the water supply control module installed inside the inner housing in Figure 2.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the operating principle of a water supply control module in an oral irrigator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 is a perspective view of an oral irrigator according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of an oral irrigator according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of an oral irrigator according to another embodiment of the present invention, and

[0028] Figure 8 is a drawing showing a state in which a user presses the button portion in Figure 7.

[0029] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that, wherever possible, identical components are represented by identical reference numerals throughout the drawings. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an oral irrigator according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a drawing showing the structure of an inner housing (125) installed inside a second outer housing (120) in FIG. 1.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 1, an oral irrigator according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first outer housing (110), a second outer housing (120), a spray nozzle unit (130), and a water supply control module (150).

[0032] As shown in Fig. 1, a conveying pipe (115), which is a hollow cylindrical filter structure that conveys the cleaning water supplied from the outside in the direction of the spray nozzle unit (130), is installed inside the first external housing (110), and an internal housing (125) in which each component of the water supply control module (150) is combined and installed is provided inside the second external housing (120), as shown in Fig. 2.

[0033] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, one end of the inner housing (125) having a structure of a truncated cone with both ends open is provided with an end of a conveying pipe (115), so that cleaning water is supplied to one end of the inner housing (125) through the conveying pipe (115), and as the spray nozzle unit (130) is installed and coupled to the other end of the inner housing (125), the cleaning water supplied to one end of the inner housing (125) is supplied to the spray nozzle unit (130) through the other end of the inner housing (125).

[0034] Meanwhile, the spray nozzle unit (130) sprays the cleaning water supplied from the internal housing (125) into the user's oral cavity.

[0035] More specifically, the transport pipe (115) filters the cleaning water supplied from the outside using the side wall to remove various bacteria and impurities and transports it in the direction of installation of the spray nozzle unit (130).

[0036] Inside the first external housing (110), a cylindrical water purification space for receiving cleaning water from the outside is provided, and a transfer pipe (115) is installed with a predetermined separation space inside the water purification space.

[0037] That is, as a space is formed between the outer surface of the transport pipe (115) and the inner surface of the first outer housing (110), the cleaning water in the space passes through the side wall of the transport pipe (115), which is a hollow cylindrical filter structure, and is filtered by the direct water pressure of the cleaning water supplied from the outside, and moves to the transport path, which is the inner area of ​​the transport pipe (115).

[0038] The cleaning water that is filtered in this way and moved to the transport path is transported in the direction of installation of the spray nozzle unit (130) by the direct water pressure of the cleaning water.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a drawing showing the cross-sectional structure of the inner housing (125) in FIG. 2 and the water supply control module (150) installed inside the inner housing (125). As shown in FIG. 3, an installation hole (127) in which the water supply control module (150) is installed is formed in the upper portion of the inner housing (125), and the water supply control module (150) can be detachably installed inside the inner housing (125) through the installation hole (127).

[0040] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, the water supply control module (150) has a cylindrical structure with the upper and lower sides open, and the water supply control module (150) includes a control member (158) that is installed so as to be able to slide up and down along the cylindrical space inside.

[0041] The cylindrical space inside the water supply control module (150) is composed of a first water passage space (153a) located in the lower region of the water supply control module (150), and a second water passage space (153b) connected to the upper portion of the first water passage space (153a) and located in the upper region of the water supply control module (150), but having a circular cross-section narrower than that of the first water passage space (153a).

[0042] In this way, the cylindrical space inside the water supply control module (150) has a variable cross-section structure in which the cross-section of the upper area space is smaller than that of the lower area space.

[0043] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, the piston-structured control member (158) installed to move up and down while being closely coupled to the inner wall of the second water passage space (153b) has an indented structure in which the upper and lower sides are closely coupled to the inner wall of the second water passage space (153b), while the central side region is spaced apart from the inner wall of the second water passage space (153b), so that even when the piston-structured control member (158) is installed inside the water supply control module (150), the second water passage space (153b) can maintain the function of storing and moving the cleaning water.

[0044] Meanwhile, in carrying out the present invention, in order to increase the watertightness between the inner wall of the second water passage space (153b) on the upper and lower sides of the control member (158), an O-ring (155) may be installed on the upper and lower sides of the control member (158), as shown in FIG. 3.

[0045] In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning water from the transfer pipe (115) flows into the first water passage space (153a) through the inlet (157) formed on the side of the lower region of the water supply control module (150), and the cleaning water of the second water passage space (153b) can be supplied to the spray nozzle unit (130) through the outlet (159) formed on the side of the upper region of the water supply control module (150).

[0046] Meanwhile, in carrying out the present invention, an elastic body (not shown) such as a spring is installed on the bottom surface of the installation hole (127) of the inner housing (125) to elastically support the bottom surface of the adjustment member (158), so that when the user does not press the button portion (151) provided on the top of the adjustment member (158), the bottom surface of the adjustment member (158) is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the installation hole (127), as shown in FIG. 3.

[0047] In addition, when the user does not press the button portion (151) provided at the top of the control member (158), as shown in FIG. 3, the lower side of the control member (158) forms a watertight structure in which it is tightly coupled to the lower side of the inner wall of the second water passage space (153b), so that the cleaning water flowing into the first water passage space (153a) through the water inlet (157) as shown in FIG. 4 (a) is blocked from moving to the second water passage space (153b), thereby forming a state in which it is trapped in the first water passage space (153a).

[0048] That is, when the user does not press the button portion (151) provided at the top of the control member (158), the first water passage space (153a) and the second water passage space (153b) are mutually blocked by the lower side of the control member (158).

[0049] Meanwhile, when the user applies an external force by pressing the button (151) to use the oral irrigator, as shown in (b) of FIG. 4, the lower side of the control member (158) moves downward toward the bottom surface of the installation hole (127), leaving the inner wall of the second water passage space (153b) and entering the first water passage space (153a), and a part of the central area of ​​the control member (158), which is a concave recessed section of the control member (158), is located in the first water passage space (153a).

[0050] As a result, the blocking state of the first water passage space (153a) and the second water passage space (153b) by the lower side of the control member (158) is resolved, so that the first water passage space (153a) and the second water passage space (153b) are connected to each other, and the cleaning water in the first water passage space (153a) moves to the second water passage space (153b), and the cleaning water that has moved to the second water passage space (153b) is supplied to the spray nozzle unit (130) through the outlet (159).

[0051] In this way, according to the present invention, when the user does not press the button portion (151) provided at the top of the control member (158), the lower end of the control member (158) is positioned at the center of the first water passage space (153a) as shown in FIG. 3, so that the cleaning water stored in the first water passage space (153a) applies pressure to the control member (158) with a uniform intensity along the circumference of the lower end of the control member (158), thereby canceling out the water pressure by the cleaning water applied from the side of the lower end of the control member (158).

[0052] That is, according to the present invention, the pressure of the cleaning water flowing in through the inlet (157) is not directly applied to only one side of the control port (158), but is distributed as a uniform pressure along the circumference of the lower part of the control port (158), so that the user can operate the oral irrigator according to the present invention by pressing the button portion (151) even with a small force.

[0053] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an oral irrigator according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an oral irrigator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 5, an oral irrigator according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a first outer housing (110), a second outer housing (120), a spray nozzle unit (130), and a water supply control module (150).

[0055] As shown in Fig. 6, a conveying pipe (115), which is a hollow cylindrical filter structure that conveys the cleaning water supplied from the outside in the direction of the spray nozzle unit (130), is installed inside the first external housing (110), and an internal housing (125) in which each component of the water supply control module (150) is installed is provided inside the second external housing (120).

[0056] Specifically, since the end of the transfer pipe (115) is defective at the bottom of the inner housing (125) having an open cylindrical structure, the cleaning water is supplied to the lower part of the inner housing (125) through the transfer pipe (115), and since the spray nozzle part (130) is installed in combination with the inner nozzle (133) at the top of the inner housing (125), the cleaning water supplied to the lower part of the inner housing (125) is supplied to the spray nozzle part (130) through the upper part of the inner housing (125).

[0057] Meanwhile, the spray nozzle unit (130) sprays the cleaning water supplied from the internal housing (125) into the user's oral cavity.

[0058] In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, an elastic body (170) such as a spring is fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the internal space of the internal housing (125) through an installation hole (127) formed on the side of the cylindrical internal housing (125), and the water supply control module (150) having a button portion (151) at the top is installed in the internal space of the internal housing (125) through the installation hole (127) of the internal housing (125) so that the lower part of the water supply control module (150) is elastically supported by the elastic body (170).

[0059] As a result, the user can control the spraying and stopping of purified water through the spray nozzle unit (130) by pressing or releasing the button unit (151) provided in the water supply control module (150) with a finger.

[0060] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of an oral irrigator according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 7 is a drawing showing a state in which a user presses the button portion (151) in Fig. 7.

[0061] Hereinafter, the internal structure of an oral irrigator according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8.

[0062] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the transport pipe (115) filters the cleaning water supplied from the outside using the side wall to remove various bacteria and impurities, and transports it in the direction of installation of the spray nozzle unit (130).

[0063] Specifically, a cylindrical water purification space (113) for receiving cleaning water from the outside is provided inside the first external housing (110), and a transfer pipe (115) is installed with a predetermined separation space inside the water purification space (113).

[0064] That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a space is formed between the outer surface of the transport pipe (115) and the inner surface of the first outer housing (110), so that the cleaning water in the space passes through the side wall of the transport pipe (115), which is a hollow cylindrical filter structure, and is filtered by the direct water pressure of the cleaning water supplied from the outside, and moves to the transport path (117), which is the inner area of ​​the transport pipe (115).

[0065] The cleaning water that is filtered in this way and moved to the transport path (117) is transported in the direction of installation of the spray nozzle unit (130) by the direct water pressure of the cleaning water.

[0066] In addition, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the water supply control module (150) in the oral irrigator according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a button portion (151), a water passage space (153), and an O-ring (155).

[0067] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 8, when the user presses the button portion (151) with his or her finger to apply pressure, thereby causing the water supply control module (150) to compress an elastic body (170) such as a spring and move along the installation hole (127), the cleaning water in the transport path (117) passes through the water passage space (153) of the water supply control module (150) and is sprayed into the user's oral cavity through the spray nozzle portion (130). When the user releases the pressure on the button portion (151), the elastic body (170) is restored to elasticity and the water supply control module (150) returns to its original position, the supply of the cleaning water to the spray nozzle portion (130) is stopped.

[0068] In this way, the water supply control module (150) is installed between the transfer pipe (115) and the spray nozzle unit (130), and selectively controls the supply of cleaning water to the spray nozzle unit (130) as the user operates the button unit (151).

[0069] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 7, the water passage space (153) is a cylindrical space having a cross-section formed by penetrating the water supply control module (150) in a lateral direction (i.e., in the direction of conveyance of the cleaning water), and the water passage space (153) is provided with an inlet (157) through which cleaning water is received from the conveyance pipe (115) and an outlet (159) through which cleaning water is discharged from the water passage space (153) to the spray nozzle unit (130).

[0070] In carrying out the present invention, the inlet (157) may be a circular hole having the same size as the cross-section of the conveyance path (117), and the outlet (159) may be a circular hole having the same size as the cross-section of the supply pipe (135) which is provided at the end of the spray nozzle unit (130) and is connected to the water supply control module (150) to receive cleaning water from the water supply control module (150).

[0071] In addition, when carrying out the present invention, it is preferable that the cross-sectional size of the inlet (157) be formed to be larger than the cross-sectional size of the outlet (159), as shown in FIG. 7.

[0072] Meanwhile, in the present invention, when no pressure is applied to the button portion (151) as shown in FIG. 7 (i.e., when the user does not want to spray the cleaning water), the elastic body (170) elastically supports and pushes the water supply control module (150), so that the water outlet (159) is not connected to the supply pipe (135) and is blocked by the side of the spray nozzle portion (130), so that the cleaning water is not sprayed to the outside through the spray nozzle portion (130).

[0073] Meanwhile, in a state where no pressure is applied to the button portion (151), the elastic body (170) elastically supports and pushes the water supply control module (150) so that when the water supply control module (150) is in the first position, the entire front surface of the water inlet (157) is not connected to the transport path (117), but as shown in FIG. 7, a part of the water inlet (157) (for example, an area of ​​about 5 to 10% of the front size of the water inlet (157)) is connected to the transport path (117), so that the water passage space (153) is formed in a state where the cleaning water supplied through the transport path (117) is full.

[0074] In this way, in the present invention, the water supply space (153), which is the internal space of the water supply control module (150), is filled with cleaning water without applying pressure to the button portion (151), so that the same level of water pressure as in the transport path (117) is formed inside the water supply space (153), and at the same time, the pressure applied from the transport path (117) to the water supply control module (150) in a lateral direction (i.e., the direction of transport of the cleaning water) can be reduced, so that the user can easily press the button portion (151) as shown in FIG. 8 with relatively little force thereafter.

[0075] In addition, in the present invention, the side of the water supply control module (150) that pressurizes the washing water in the transport path (117) is partially opened by the water inlet (157) as shown in FIG. 7 when no pressure is applied to the button portion (151), thereby relatively lowering the pressure applied laterally (i.e., in the direction of washing water transport) from the transport path (117) to the water supply control module (150), so that the user can easily press the button portion (151) as shown in FIG. 8 with relatively little force.

[0076] In addition, in the present invention, the diameter of the outlet (159) is formed to be smaller by a predetermined ratio (e.g., 30 to 70%) than the diameter of the inlet (157), so that the water pressure applied by the cleaning water filled inside the water passage space (153) to the side of the spray nozzle unit (130) through the outlet (159) can be minimized, thereby allowing the user to easily press the button unit (151) as shown in FIG. 8 with relatively little force.

[0077] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 8, when the user presses the button portion (151) to apply pressure (i.e., when the user operates to spray the cleaning water), the elastic body (170) is compressed and the water supply control module (150) moves along the installation hole (127), and the lower end of the button portion (151) is caught by a catch provided on the side of the spray nozzle portion (130) and a catch provided at the same height in the internal housing (125), thereby restricting further movement of the water supply control module (150), and thus the water supply control module (150) completes movement to the second position.

[0078] In this way, when the water supply control module (150) is moved to the second position, the entire front of the water inlet (157) forms a complete connection with the transport path (117), as shown in FIG. 8, and the water outlet (159) also forms a complete connection with the supply pipe (135).

[0079] In this way, according to the present invention, the degree of opening of the water passage space (153) to the transfer pipe (115) can be adjusted as the user presses the button portion (151).

[0080] Meanwhile, as the water supply control module (150) moves to the second position, the cleaning water is supplied from the transfer pipe (115) to the supply pipe (135) through the water passage space (153), and the cleaning water supplied to the supply pipe (135) is sprayed into the user's oral cavity through the spray nozzle unit (130).

[0081] Meanwhile, since the water passage space (153) of the water supply control module (150) has a cylindrical structure with a variable cross-section in which two cylinders having different diameters are connected and installed, the water passage space (153) is composed of a first water passage space (153a), which is a relatively wide cylindrical space on the side of the water inlet (157), and a second water passage space (153b), which is a relatively narrow cylindrical space on the side of the water outlet (159).

[0082] Accordingly, as the cleaning water moves from the first water passage space (153a) to the relatively narrow second water passage space (153b), the water pressure increases, and the user can spray the cleaning water with the increased water pressure into the oral cavity through the spray nozzle unit (130).

[0083] Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an O-ring (155) coupled and installed on the outer surface of a water supply control module (150) having a cylindrical structure prevents the cleaning water from leaking through the coupling surface of the water supply control module (150) and the spray nozzle unit (130) or the coupling surface of the water supply control module (150) and the inner housing (125).

[0084] In addition, in carrying out the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8, by forming a supply pipe (135) having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the spray pipe (131) branched from the lower end of the spray pipe (131) that sprays the cleansing water into the user's oral cavity from the spray nozzle unit (130), the water pressure of the cleansing water moving to the spray pipe (131) through the supply pipe (135) is somewhat lowered, thereby preventing the cleansing water from being sprayed with excessive water pressure into the user's oral cavity.

[0085] In addition, in carrying out the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a cylindrical closed pipe (137) having a blocked end is branched from the lower end of the injection pipe (131), and the cylindrical closed pipe (137) is fixedly installed inside the injection nozzle unit (130), thereby realizing a stable installation structure of the injection pipe (131) and preventing the connection portion between the injection pipe (131) and the supply pipe (135) from becoming vulnerable.

[0086] The terminology used herein is merely used to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, it should be understood that the terms "comprise" or "have" indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0087] Although the preferred embodiments and application examples of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and application examples described above, and various modifications can be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or prospect of the present invention.

[0088] The present invention is recognized as having industrial applicability in the field of oral irrigators.

Claims

1. A transport pipe (115) for transporting cleaning water supplied from outside; A spray nozzle part (130) that sprays the above-mentioned cleansing water into the user's mouth; and A water supply control module (150) installed between the above-mentioned transfer pipe (115) and the above-mentioned spray nozzle unit (130) and controlling the supply of the cleaning water to the above-mentioned spray nozzle unit (130) An oral irrigator comprising:

2. In paragraph 1, The above water supply control module (150) is A first water supply space (153a) in which the cleaning water is stored when the user does not press the button (151); and An oral irrigator including a second water passage space (153b) into which the water stored in the first water passage space (153a) is transferred when the user presses the button portion (151) to spray the water.

3. In paragraph 2, The above water supply control module (150) is An oral irrigator further comprising a control member (158) that moves inside the water supply control module (150) by the pressure applied to the button portion (151) and controls the movement of the cleaning water from the first water passage space (153a) to the second water passage space (153b).

4. In paragraph 3, An oral irrigator further comprising an elastic body that returns the control member (158) to its original position when the pressure applied to the button portion (151) is released.

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