Pressurized valve system for driving bristle tufts
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorsHendrik Richard Jousma, Johannes Hotze Bernhard De Vries
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The dental cleaning appliance includes an appliance body (30, 73) which has a bristle field housing (32, 52) and fluid within the housing. A flexible membrane (34) is positioned within the housing, or in a fluid-tight relationship (54) within an opening (60) in the housing. A fluid pressure system involving either a dual piston system (22, 24, 28) or a pump and valve system (70, 68, 68) provides pressure on the fluid, wherein the pistons move alternately, or the valves open and close alternately, in such a manner to produce alternating pressure above and beneath the membrane, moving the membrane and the bristle field toward and away from the teeth.
Claims15
A dental cleaning appliance, comprising:
- an appliance body (30), including a forward portion thereof having two separate interior channels (18, 20) and a bristle field housing (32) at a distal end thereof;
- two moveable piston members (22, 24) positioned in a fluid-tight relationship within the two channels;
- a flexible membrane (34) positioned within the bristle field housing, whereas the two channels extend above and below, respectively, the membrane, wherein fluid is present in the two channels, without fluid communication between them;
- a plurality of bristle tufts (14, 39) mounted on the membrane and extending sealingly through the housing;
- and
- an actuator assembly (28) for moving the pistons alternately in a counter action within the two channels such that the membrane moves up and down, moving the bristle field toward and away from the teeth.
A dental cleaning appliance, comprising:
- an appliance body (73), including a bristle field housing (52) filled with fluid, wherein the housing includes an opening (60) therein;
- a flexible membrane (62) positioned in the opening, the membrane having a fluid-tight relationship with the housing;
- a bristle tuft field (64) mounted on the membrane;
- and
- a pump and valve system (70, 66, 68) for maintaining pressure on the fluid in the housing, the valves arranged within the housing in such a manner and operating alternately such that fluid pressure alternately increases and decreases beneath the membrane, resulting in movement of the membrane and the bristle tuft field toward and away from the teeth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.