Electric toothbrush, and transmission for an electric toothbrush

Abstract

The transmission according to the invention for an electric toothbrush serves for the transmission and reforming of a rotational movement provided by an electric motor into a particularly careful and effective cleaning movement of a cleaning element. The ratio of the distance between the longitudinal mid-axis of an output shaft and the longitudinal mid-axis of a drive shaft of the transmission and of the distance between the longitudinal mid-axis of a shaft driving a cam of the transmission and the longitudinal mid-axis of the cam amounts to at least 10:1.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Plug-on brush configured to be attachable to and detachable form on an output shaft of an electric toothbrush and to perform a reversibly pivoting movement, said plug-on brush comprising a plug-on brush basic body with a spring element wherein the plug-on brush basic body is manufactured from a hard material, said spring element applying pressure on the output shaft and the plug-on brush basic body being partially surrounded by a soft-elastic material. 
     
     
         2 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the spring element cooperates with a notch on the output shaft. 
     
     
         3 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the hard material plug-on brush basic body is injection molded over with the soft-elastic material. 
     
     
         4 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the hard material and the soft-elastic material adhere to one another in form of a material bond. 
     
     
         5 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the combination of hard material and soft-elastic material provides a flexibility of the plug-on brush. 
     
     
         6 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the spring element is formed tongue-like. 
     
     
         7 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the spring element has snap bosses integrally formed on it which cooperate with the notch on the output shaft. 
     
     
         8 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 7 , characterized in that by varying the thickness of the hard material of the spring element in the extent of the snap bosses and by varying the thickness of the surrounding soft-elastic material, a pull-off weight for pulling-off the plug-on brush from the output shaft can be set. 
     
     
         9 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 8 , characterized in that the pull-off weight is between 2 kg and 5 kg, preferably between 3.5 kg and 4.5 kg. 
     
     
         10 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that supporting stubs consisting of hard material are shaped both on a head-side end region and in a neck-side portion of the plug-on brush basic body. 
     
     
         11 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the plug-on brush basic body comprises a vent hole which is covered with soft-elastic material. 
     
     
         12 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the plug-on brush basic body comprises a vent hole which is not covered with soft-elastic material. 
     
     
         13 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that a U-shaped recess is provided in a neck-side end region of the plug-on brush basic body which surrounds the spring element. 
     
     
         14 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that on an underside the plug-on brush is equipped on the head with an elastomeric cleaning structure. 
     
     
         15 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 14 , characterized in that the cleaning structure comprises scraper edges consisting of soft-elastic material said scraper edges standing transversely with respect to the stipulated direction of movement of the brush head. 
     
     
         16 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 14 , characterized in that the cleaning structure is formed from hard material. 
     
     
         17 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that in the bristle field massage elements made from soft-elastic material, preferably in form of elastomeric cleaning lamellae, are formed. 
     
     
         18 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that a shaft receptacle is provided in the neck-side end region of the plug-on brush basic body which comprises an orifice into which a flattened end region of the output shaft can be introduced. 
     
     
         19 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 18 , characterized in that the orifice is preceded on the neck-side end region by a cylindrical holding recess. 
     
     
         20 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 19 , characterized in that an outer sheath is provided which surrounds the holding recess of the plug-on brush. 
     
     
         21 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 20 , characterized in that the outer sheath surrounds a connection piece of a basic body of the electric toothbrush in the manner of a skirt. 
     
     
         22 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the output shaft is made of metal. 
     
     
         23 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the hard material is made of polypropylene (PP), polyester (PET), polycyclohexanedimethanolterephthalate (PCT/PCT-A (acid-modified)/PCT-G (glycol-modified)), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), styreneacrylonitrile (SAN), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), acrylobutadienestyrene (ABS), polyoxymethylene (POM) or polyamide (PA). 
     
     
         24 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the hard material is made of polypropylene (PP) with a modulus of elasticity of 1000 N/m 2  to 2400 N/m 2 , preferably of 1300 N/m 2  to 1800 N/m 2 . 
     
     
         25 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the soft-elastic material is made of low-density polyethylene (PE-LD), high-density polyethylene (PE-HD), polyethylene (PE), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyurethane (PUR) or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). 
     
     
         26 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the Shore A hardness of the soft-elastic material is below 90. 
     
     
         27 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that a cleaning element is arranged on the head of the plug-on brush said head having a neck with a longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         28 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 27 , characterized in that at least one further movement is superposed on the reversible pivoting movement of the cleaning element. 
     
     
         29 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 27 , characterized in that a reversible pivoting movement of the cleaning element runs virtually parallel to the longitudinal axis of the neck. 
     
     
         30 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 27 , characterized in that the movement of the cleaning element has a reversibly translational to-and-fro movement component, the direction of movement of which extends virtually parallel to the longitudinal axis of the neck. 
     
     
         31 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 27 , characterized in that the cleaning element can be deflected during the pivoting movement between 3° to 15° between its two maximum deflection positions. 
     
     
         32 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 31 , characterized in that the defection is between 5° and 15°. 
     
     
         33 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 27 , characterized in that the cleaning element executes a reversible pivoting movement with a frequency of between 3000 cycles/min and 15000 cycles/min. 
     
     
         34 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 33 , characterized in that the frequency is between 8000 cycles/min and 12000 cycles/min. 
     
     
         35 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 27 , characterized in that the cleaning element is equipped with bundles of bristles of elongate cross section and/or elongate elastomeric cleaning lamellae or cleaning structures which are oriented with their longitudinal axis' transversely with respect to a direction of movement of the cleaning element. 
     
     
         36 . Plug-on brush configured to be attachable to and detachable form on an output shaft of an electric toothbrush, said plug-on brush comprising a plug-on brush basic body with a spring element wherein the plug-on brush basic body is manufactured from a hard material, said spring element applying pressure on the output shaft and the plug-on brush basic body being partially surrounded by a soft-elastic material, wherein the hard material and the soft-elastic material adhere to one another in form of a material bond. 
     
     
         37 . Plug-on brush configured to be attachable to and detachable form on an output shaft of an electric toothbrush and to perform a reversibly pivoting movement, said plug-on brush comprising a plug-on brush basic body with a spring element wherein the plug-on brush basic body is manufactured from a hard material, said spring element applying pressure on the output shaft, wherein a cleaning element is arranged on the head of the plug-on brush said head having a neck with a longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         38 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 37 , characterized in that the movement of the cleaning element has a reversibly translational to-and-fro movement component, the direction of movement of which extends virtually parallel to the longitudinal axis of the neck. 
     
     
         39 . The plug-on brush as claimed in  claim 37 , characterized in that the cleaning element is equipped with bundles of bristles of elongate cross section and/or elongate elastomeric cleaning lamellae or cleaning structures which are oriented with their longitudinal axis' transversely with respect to a direction of movement of the cleaning element.