Toothbrush

Abstract

A toothbrush, comprising a pressure sensing assembly, and a brush head, a brush rod and a handle that are connected in sequence. The pressure sensing assembly comprises a strain gauge and a force transmission plate member that are arranged inside the brush rod. The force transmission plate member is configured to transmit deformation from the brush rod to the strain gauge; the strain gauge deforms and outputs a corresponding electrical signal. The toothbrush of the present disclosure has a simple and compact structure and facilitates improvement to the accuracy of pressure sensing.

Description

A toothbrush Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of personal hygiene products, and more specifically to a toothbrush. Background Technology

[0002] As society progresses, more and more people are paying attention to their health. At the same time, due to the fast pace of urban life and unhealthy lifestyle habits, oral diseases have become one of the most prevalent diseases in people's daily lives.

[0003] When using a toothbrush, the brush head needs to be in close contact with the tooth surface. If the user presses the brush too hard, the excessive pressure combined with the high-frequency friction of the bristles can damage the teeth and easily cause harmful health problems such as bleeding gums and wedge-shaped tooth wear. Therefore, a toothbrush with pressure reminder and protection functions is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a toothbrush. The toothbrush includes a pressure sensing component and a brush head, a brush handle, and a handle connected in sequence. The pressure sensing component includes a strain gauge and a force transmission plate disposed inside the brush handle. The force transmission plate is configured to transmit deformation from the brush handle to the strain gauge. The strain gauge generates deformation and outputs a corresponding electrical signal.

[0005] The force transmission plate provides a relatively stable medium for transmitting deformation between the brush rod and the strain gauge. The structure is simple and compact and helps to improve the accuracy of pressure sensing.

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the brush head includes a dental cleaning element. The strain gauge and the force transmission plate are stacked along the extending direction of the dental cleaning element. Since the direction of force on the brush head during brushing is approximately the extending direction of the dental cleaning element, stacking the strain gauge and the force transmission plate along this extending direction minimizes the deformation transmission path.

[0007] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the brush handle has a first accommodating space for receiving the strain gauge and the force transmission plate. The toothbrush has a cover plate that covers the first accommodating space. Thus, during assembly, the pressure sensing component is placed first, and then the cover plate is closed, resulting in a simple and efficient process.

[0008] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a clamping block is provided on the side of the cover plate facing the first accommodating space. The clamping block is used to press the strain gauge and the force transmission plate into the first accommodating space. No clearance space is left in the direction of force, which facilitates better transmission of deformation to the strain gauge.

[0009] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the toothbrush includes a front surface on which the tooth cleaning element is embedded and a rear surface opposite to the front surface. The opening of the first accommodating space faces the rear surface. The strain gauge is closer to the rear surface relative to the force transmission plate. This improves the overall aesthetics of the toothbrush, and since the force direction of the toothbrush during brushing is from the front surface to the rear surface, the structure of the cover plate on the rear surface is more stable and less prone to falling off.

[0010] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the force transmission plate is made of a rigid material. Therefore, the deformation generated by the brush rod is not absorbed or mitigated by the force transmission plate.

[0011] According to another aspect of this disclosure, the force-transmitting plate and the strain gauge are bonded together using an adhesive. This results in a more stable connection between the two.

[0012] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the toothbrush further includes a microprocessor and an alarm. The microprocessor is electrically connected to the strain gauge to receive electrical signals from the strain gauge and to notify the alarm when the electrical signals reach a preset value. Thus, when the pressure is too high, the user can be notified via the alarm.

[0013] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the handle has a second accommodating space for receiving the microprocessor. The microprocessor is electrically connected to the strain gauge via a wire. Thus, the microprocessor is housed within the toothbrush and achieves a stable electrical connection with the strain gauge.

[0014] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the toothbrush further includes a power supply electrically connected to the microprocessor and the alarm. The handle has a third receiving space for accommodating the power supply. Thus, the power supply is housed within the toothbrush and provides power support.

[0015] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the power supply is a dry cell battery. Attached Figure Description

[0016] This disclosure will also be explained in more detail with the aid of the following drawings. These should be understood by way of example only and are not intended to limit this disclosure to the examples shown.

[0017] Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a toothbrush according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the pressure sensing component in Figure 1.

[0019] List of reference numerals: 1. Pressure sensing component; 11. Strain gauge; 12. Force transmission plate; 2. Brush head; 21. Dental cleaning element; 3. Brush handle; 31. First receiving space; 4. Handle; 41. Second receiving space; 42. Third receiving space; 5. Cover plate; 51. Clamping block; 6. Microprocessor; 7. Wire. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present disclosure will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. More details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can obviously be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein. Those skilled in the art can make similar extensions and derivations based on actual application situations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should not be limited by the content of this specific embodiment.

[0021] Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a toothbrush according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, while Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the pressure sensing component in Figure 1.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the toothbrush includes a pressure sensing component 1 and a brush head 2, a brush handle 3, and a handle 4 connected in sequence. The brush head 2 is used to clean teeth by inserting it into the oral cavity. The handle 4 is convenient for the user to hold. The brush handle 3 is located between the brush head 2 and the handle 4. The three components can be integrally formed or detachably connected. Similarly, the toothbrush in this application can be either a regular toothbrush or an electric toothbrush, and there is no limitation here.

[0023] The pressure sensing component 1 includes a strain gauge 11 and a force transmission plate 12 disposed inside the brush handle 3. During brushing, the brush head 2 is subjected to pressure from the teeth, and the handle 4 is subjected to the user's gripping force; therefore, the brush handle 3, located between the two, is often the position where deformation is most significant. Placing the strain gauge 11 and the force transmission plate 12 within the brush handle 3 improves the sensitivity of pressure sensing. The force transmission plate 12 is configured to transmit the deformation from the brush handle 3 to the strain gauge 11. The strain gauge 11 deforms and outputs a corresponding electrical signal. The arrangement of the force transmission plate 12 provides a relatively stable medium for transmitting deformation between the brush handle 3 and the strain gauge 11, resulting in a compact structure and improved accuracy of pressure sensing. It should be understood that the positional design of the strain gauge 11 and the force transmission plate 12 should prioritize the force transmission plate 12 receiving the deformation of the brush handle 3 before the strain gauge 11. This will be explained in subsequent embodiments.

[0024] According to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, as shown in FIG1, the brush head 2 includes a tooth cleaning element 21. Generally, the tooth cleaning element 21 consists of several groups of bristles and is implanted approximately vertically on the surface of the brush head 2, contacting and rubbing against the teeth to clean the tooth surface. As shown in FIG2, the strain gauge 11 and the force transmission plate 12 are stacked along the extending direction of the tooth cleaning element 21. Since the force direction of the brush head 2 during brushing is approximately the extending direction of the tooth cleaning element 21, the deformation is transmitted to the strain gauge 11 along the thickness direction of the force transmission plate 12, resulting in the shortest transmission path.

[0025] According to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, as shown in FIG1, the brush handle 3 has a first accommodating space 31 for accommodating the strain gauge 11 and the force transmission plate 12. The toothbrush is provided with a cover plate 5 for covering the accommodating space. Thus, during assembly, the strain gauge 11 and the force transmission plate 12 are first placed in the first accommodating space 31, and then covered with the cover plate 5, which is simple and efficient.

[0026] In other alternative embodiments, the brush rod 3 is detachably connected to the handle 4. The bottom of the brush rod 3 has a channel for inserting the strain gauge 11 and the force transmission plate 12. This channel can be subsequently closed by connecting it to the handle 4, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0027] According to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, as shown in FIG1, a clamping block 51 is provided on the side of the cover plate 5 facing the first accommodating space 31. The clamping block 51 is used to press the strain gauge 11 and the force transmission plate 12 into the first accommodating space 31. The thickness design of the clamping block 51 should be such that the clamping block 51, the strain gauge 11 and the force transmission plate 12 just fill the first accommodating space 31 in the direction of force application, with a compact structure and no clearance space, avoiding the possibility of displacement of the strain gauge 11, and facilitating better transmission of deformation to the strain gauge 51.

[0028] In other alternative embodiments, the clamping block 51 may also be located in other positions, such as on the inner wall of the brush rod 3, to clamp the strain gauge 11 and the force transmission plate 12 into the first accommodating space 31, which will not be described in detail here.

[0029] According to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, as shown in FIG1, the toothbrush includes a front surface incorporating a tooth cleaning element 21 and a rear surface opposite to the front surface. The opening of the first accommodating space 31 faces the rear surface. Thus, on the one hand, the cover plate 5 covers the rear surface of the toothbrush, improving the overall aesthetics of the toothbrush; on the other hand, since the force applied to the toothbrush during brushing is from the front surface to the rear surface, the cover plate 5 is structurally more stable on the rear surface and less prone to falling off. Preferably, the strain gauge 11 is closer to the rear surface than the force transmission plate 12. That is, the strain gauge 11 is disposed between the cover plate 5 and the force transmission plate 12.

[0030] According to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the force transmission plate 12 is made of a rigid material. Therefore, the deformation generated by the brush rod 3 is not absorbed or mitigated by the force transmission plate 12, ensuring the accuracy of the deformation transmitted to the strain gauge 11.

[0031] According to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the force transmission plate 12 and the strain gauge 11 are bonded together by an adhesive. The adhesive may be double-sided tape, VHB acrylic foam, AB glue, epoxy resin, or other similar materials. The choice of material and thickness of these adhesives are determined according to the materials of the force transmission plate 12 and the strain gauge 11. This results in a more stable connection between the two.

[0032] According to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the toothbrush further includes a microprocessor 6 and an alarm (not shown). The microprocessor 6 is electrically connected to a strain gauge 11 to receive electrical signals from the strain gauge 11 and to notify the alarm when the electrical signal exceeds a preset value. Optionally, the electrical signal may be a resistance value that varies with deformation. The microprocessor 6 is mounted on a circuit board. The alarm has alerting methods including, but not limited to, light and sound. The microprocessor 6 notifies the alarm to issue an alert when the resistance value reaches the preset value, enabling the user to perceive the alert.

[0033] According to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, as shown in FIG1, the handle 4 has a second accommodating space 41 for accommodating the microprocessor 6. As shown in FIG2, the microprocessor 6 and the strain gauge 11 are electrically connected via wires 7. Thus, the microprocessor 6 can be accommodated in the toothbrush and achieve a stable electrical connection with the strain gauge 11.

[0034] According to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the toothbrush also includes a power supply (not shown) electrically connected to the microprocessor 6 and the alarm. The handle 4 has a third receiving space 42 for accommodating the power supply. Thus, the power supply is housed within the toothbrush and provides power support.

[0035] According to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the power supply is a dry cell battery.

[0036] While this disclosure has described above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Any changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this disclosure, without departing from the content of the technical solution, fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A toothbrush, characterized in that: The toothbrush includes a pressure sensing component and a brush head, a brush handle, and a handle connected in sequence. The pressure sensing component includes a strain gauge and a force transmission plate disposed inside the brush rod; wherein, The force transmission plate is configured to transmit the deformation from the brush rod to the strain gauge; The strain gauge generates deformation and outputs a corresponding electrical signal.

2. The toothbrush as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The brush head includes a teeth cleaning element; The strain gauge and the force transmission plate are stacked along the extension direction of the tooth cleaning element.

3. The toothbrush as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The brush rod has a first accommodating space for accommodating the strain gauge and the force transmission plate; The toothbrush is provided with a cover that covers the first accommodating space.

4. The toothbrush as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The cover plate is provided with a clamping block on the side facing the first accommodating space; The clamping block is used to press the strain gauge and the force transmission plate into the first accommodating space.

5. The toothbrush as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The toothbrush includes a front surface on which the tooth cleaning element is implanted and a rear surface opposite to the front surface; The opening of the first accommodating space faces the rear surface; The strain gauge is closer to the rear surface relative to the force transmission plate.

6. The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The force-transmitting plate is made of a rigid material; and / or, The force transmission plate is bonded to the strain gauge with an adhesive.

7. The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The toothbrush also includes a microprocessor and an alarm; The microprocessor is electrically connected to the strain gauge to receive electrical signals from the strain gauge and to notify the alarm when the electrical signal reaches a preset value.

8. The toothbrush as described in claim 7, characterized in that: The handle has a second accommodating space for accommodating the microprocessor; The microprocessor and the strain gauge are electrically connected via wires.

9. The toothbrush as described in claim 7, characterized in that: The toothbrush also includes a power supply electrically connected to the microprocessor and the alarm; The handle has a third accommodating space for accommodating the power supply.

10. The toothbrush as described in claim 9, characterized in that: The power supply is a dry cell battery.

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