Oral Care System

Abstract

A body care appliance for personal use is disclosed. The body care appliance includes a toothbrush; a display device and a sensing device. The display device displays interactive representations that can be controlled interactively from the toothbrush by means of a control device. The sensing device senses at least one operating parameter relating to the toothbrush, wherein the sensing device has position sensing means for sensing the relative position of the toothbrush to the body part of the appliance user. The representations can be controlled by means of the control device depending on the sensed relative position

1 . A body care appliance for personal use, comprising:
 a toothbrush;   a display device for displaying interactive representations that can be controlled interactively from the toothbrush by means of a control device; and   a sensing device for sensing at least one operating parameter relating to the toothbrush, wherein the sensing device has position sensing means for sensing the relative position of the toothbrush to the body part of the appliance user and wherein the representations can be controlled by means of the control device depending on the sensed relative position.   
     
     
         2 . A body care appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the position sensing means has includes at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of a distance sensor, a inclination sensor, a movement sensor, and an acceleration sensor. 
     
     
         3 . A body care appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the sensing device has object recognition means for recognizing a body part and the control device controls the representations of the display device based on the sensed object recognition data and at least one operating parameter relating to the toothbrush. 
     
     
         4 . A body care appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the object recognition means has an optical sensing unit for the optical sensing of at least one anatomical feature of the body part in order to identify the body part. 
     
     
         5 . A body care appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the optical sensing unit is embodied to work without markings. 
     
     
         6 . A body care appliance according to  claim 3 , wherein the object recognition means has at least one determining unit for determining colors, color contrasts, surface structures, structure differences, material contrasts, surface contours, and/or spatial geometries. 
     
     
         7 . A body care appliance according to  claim 3 , wherein the object recognition means have at least one sensing unit arranged on the toothbrush. 
     
     
         8 . A body care appliance according to  claim 3 , wherein the object recognition means has a camera. 
     
     
         9 . A body care appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the sensing device has sensing means for sensing a body care parameter individually for the respectively identified body part, the body care parameter selected from the group consisting of duration of care, care movement, contact pressure force, worked-on surface, and angle of incidence. 
     
     
         10 . A body care appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the control device has a simulation device for simulating the body care procedure by means of a virtual, animated representation on the display device, whose animation can be controlled by an animation control unit depending on the sensed relative position and/or the sensed object recognition data. 
     
     
         11 . A body care appliance according to  claim 10 , wherein the animated representation includes a virtual image part and/or an avatar, which is controlled synchronously to the sensed relative position and/or synchronously to the at least one body care parameter. 
     
     
         12 . A body care appliance according to  claim 10 , wherein the simulation device has display means for displaying an already worked-on body part and/or a body part yet to be worked on. 
     
     
         13 . A body care appliance according to  claim 10 , wherein the simulation device has display means for displaying the desired value and/or the actual value of a body care parameter in the virtual representation. 
     
     
         14 . A body care appliance according to  claim 10 , wherein the simulation device has display means for displaying an error display in the virtual representation in the case of an excessive desired/actual value deviation of one or more body care parameters. 
     
     
         15 . A body care appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the control device includes a games- and/or simulation controller for controlling a video game and/or an animated simulation on the display device as well as an information controller for providing information on the display device, wherein a switch device, which can be actuated by a switch key, is provided on the display device for switching the game representation generated by the game controller to an information representation generated by the information controller and/or vice versa. 
     
     
         16 . A body care appliance according to  claim 15 , wherein the referenced information controller has an evaluating unit for evaluating sensed operating parameters and/or can be connected to an evaluating unit, wherein by means of the switching device, the game representation shown by the game controller can be switched to an evaluation representation reproducing evaluated operating parameters and/or vice versa. 
     
     
         17 . A body care appliance according to  claim 16 , wherein the operating parameters that can be evaluated is selected from the group consisting of duration of care, care time, toothbrush movement, toothbrush position, toothbrush speed, toothbrush acceleration, and toothbrush contact pressure force. 
     
     
         18 . A body care appliance according to  claim 15 , wherein a further switch key is provided on the toothbrush for switching the screen content of the display device from the toothbrush.