FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for monitoring the position
of an oral care device in the mouth of a user.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Determining position information of a handheld personal care device and its constituent
parts relative to a user's body enables monitoring and coaching in personal cleaning
or grooming regimens such as tooth brushing and interdental cleaning, face cleansing
or shaving, and the like. For example, if the location of a head member of a personal
care device is determined within the user's mouth, portions of a group of teeth, a
specific tooth, or gum section may be identified so that the user may focus on those
areas.
[0003] To facilitate proper cleaning techniques, some devices contain one or more sensors
to detect location information of a handheld personal care device during a use session.
Existing methods and devices detect orientation of a hand held personal care device
using an inertial measurement unit, such as in power toothbrushes. However, the orientation
data in the current devices does not uniquely identify all particular locations in
the oral cavity. Thus, to locate the head member portion in a particular area of an
oral cavity, the orientation data must be combined with guidance information. To enable
this technology, the user must carry out a certain period of use session while following
the guidance information to locate the head member portion within a certain segment
of the mouth. Since this technology is based on orientation of the handheld personal
care device relative to the world, movements associated with use of the device may
not be differentiated from non-use movements (e.g., walking or turning head). As a
result, the user is forced to limit his or her movement while operating the handheld
personal care device if accurate location data is desired. Approaches which simply
detect the presence or absence of skin in front of a sensor fail to account for user
behaviour which may vary over time for an individual user and/or varies between users.
[0004] Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved systems and methods for tracking
the location of an oral care device within the mouth of the user.
SUMMARY
[0005] It is desirable to provide a more robust method to determine the location of an oral
cleaning device in a person's mouth. To better address this concern, according to
an embodiment of a first aspect there is provided a method for monitoring the position
of an oral care device in the mouth of a user, the method comprising emitting energy
towards the user's face, receiving reflected energy from the user's face corresponding
to the emitted energy, and determining the position of an oral care device in the
mouth of the user using the received reflected energy and facial characteristics information
of the user which relates to one or more facial features of the user.
[0006] The facial characteristics information may include information on one or more facial
features of a user. The received reflected energy may be used to determine the position
of an oral care device in the mouth of the user based on facial characteristics information.
A portion of energy emitted towards a face of the user from the oral care device may
be scattered or reflected by the face of the user (surface of the face). A portion
of the reflected or scattered energy may be received by the oral care device. The
distance of the oral care device from the face of the user may affect the amount of
energy that will be detected. For example, the closer the emitting and detecting are
conducted to the face of the user, the greater the amount of energy that will be detected.
The geometry of the face of the user may relate to the reflected energy which is detected.
For example, facial features which are angled with respect to the direction of the
emitted energy may cause some of the reflected energy to be directed away from the
oral care device, and less reflected energy may therefore be collected by the energy
detector. The intensity of the reflected energy may therefore vary depending on the
topology of the face of the user. The shape of facial features at which the energy
is directed may therefore affect the signal produced due to the reflected energy.
The detected energy may be processed to determine the shape of the feature from which
the energy has been reflected, and may therefore determine which feature of the user's
face the energy is emitted onto. The detected energy may vary when the same feature
is detected due to the relative angle of the oral care device and the feature. The
signal may be processed to determine the location of the facial feature with respect
to the oral care device and the orientation of the oral care device with respect to
the feature.
[0007] Facial characteristic information may be used to determine the location of the oral
care device in the mouth of the user based on the facial feature which has been detected
using the reflected energy. For example, the location of the mouth relative to the
nose of the user of the oral care device may be used as the facial characteristics
information. Energy reflected from the face of the user may indicate the location
of the nose of the user. The facial characteristics information which may provide
information on the location of the mouth of the user relative to the nose of the user
may then be used to determine the position of the oral care device in the mouth of
the user. The position of the oral care device in the mouth of the user may therefore
be determined by reference to one or more facial features of the user. Any external
facial features, such as size, shape and/or location of the eyes, nose, mouth may
be used as the facial characteristics information. The reflected energy and facial
characteristics information may indicate the orientation of the oral care device with
respect to the user's face and/or the distance of the oral care device from the user's
face and/or mouth, and/or the location of the oral care device within the mouth of
the user. Thus, the facial characteristics may be used to determine where an oral
care device is positioned with respect to the inside of the mouth of the user.
[0008] The position of the oral care device may include the location of the oral care device
relative to the mouth of the user and/or or the face of the user. The position may
indicate the location of a head of an oral care device within the mouth of the user,
and/or in relation to the teeth and/or gums of the user. The position may include
the angular position, or orientation, of the oral care device with respect to a vertical/horizontal
direction or with respect to at least one facial feature of the user. The position
may include the location and orientation of the oral care device in three dimensional
space.
[0009] According to an embodiment of a further aspect, the facial characteristics information
of the user may further comprise at least one of: data relating to one or more facial
characteristics of the user, metadata related to the user, facial characteristics
information derived from the received reflected energy.
[0010] The received reflected energy may be processed to provide information on the facial
characteristics of the user, for example, the topology of the user's face. The received
reflected energy may be processed to provide information on the location of the oral
care device in relation to a facial feature of the user. During normal use of the
oral care device, the received reflected energy may be collected so as to collate
information on the facial characteristics of the user. A correlation between subsequently
received reflected energy which indicates a facial feature and the location of other
facial features of the user may be determined using the collated information. Thus,
any subsequently received reflected energy may be used to determine the location of
the oral care device with respect to the location of facial features of the user based
on the previously received reflected energy. A representation of a portion of the
face of the user, including facial features, may be produced by processing the collected
reflected energy. Thus, a three dimensional (3D) map of the user may be created using
the reflected energy. Information on the dimensions and relative location of facial
features may be provided in the facial characteristics information. The received reflected
energy may be collected in real-time, to build up information regarding facial characteristics
of the user while the oral care device is in use. Once a sufficient amount of facial
characteristics information has been collected, the collected reflected energy may
be used to create a map or the like of the facial characteristics of the user.
[0011] Additionally or alternatively, prior to use the user may make a scanning motion of
the oral care device a predetermined distance from the user's face while energy is
emitted and received to and from the face of the user. This energy may be used to
build a two-dimensional (2D) or 3D map or picture of the user's face.
[0012] Additionally or alternatively, data relating to one or more facial characteristics
of the user, and/or metadata related to the user, may be used to provide the facial
characteristics information.
[0013] The data and/or metadata may provide information on one or more facial features of
the user, such as the size and/or shape and/or position of the nose, eyes, lips, teeth,
jawline, cheekbones, facial hair, general face shape, hairline etc.. The position
of each feature may be determined with respect to the mouth of the user. Any feature
of the face or head may be used. The position of an oral care device in the mouth
of the user may be determined by using the position of a facial feature relative to
the mouth of the user known from the facial characteristics information in conjunction
with the facial feature detected using the received reflected energy. For example,
the relationship (for example, the distance) between at least two facial features
determined using the data and/or metadata may be used to determine the location of
the oral care device with respect to one or more facial features of the user detected
using the received reflected energy. Using the reflected energy in conjunction with
the data and/or metadata and/or facial characteristics information derived from the
received reflected energy means that a more accurate positioning of the oral care
device in the mouth of the user may be determined. The metadata may be used to estimate,
or improve the estimation, of facial features of the user using a predetermined correlation
between the size/position of facial features and metadata.
[0014] According to an embodiment of a further aspect, the facial characteristics information
of the user may be at least one of: obtained from an image of the user, input by the
user, obtained by processing the received reflected energy.
[0015] An image of the user may be used to determine the facial characteristics of the user.
For example, an image of the user may be processed to extract information on each
facial feature of the user, or a selection of features, and determine their dimensions
and/or locations. An image of the user may be a 2D image and/or a 3D image. The image
may be input by the user, for example, by the user taking an image of their own face.
The image may be taken by moving an imaging device at least part of the way around
the head of the user to obtain a 3D image of the head and/or face of the user. The
metadata may be input by the user. The metadata may be input manually or by voice
command.
[0016] The image and/or input may be obtained before the oral care device is used. The same
image and/or input may be used each time the method is performed. The image and/or
input may be obtained when setting up the oral care device, and the determining may
be performed by reference to the same image and/or data each time the method is performed
thereafter.
[0017] The reflected energy may be used to generate an image, or map, of the user. As discussed
above, a map or image of the facial characteristics of the user may be obtained while
the oral care device is in use, by the collection and processing of the received reflected
energy. The reflected energy may indicate the location of facial features relative
to one another. The user may indicate via, for example, an app (application on a mobile
phone, tablet, smart watch or the like), the location of the oral care device within
their mouth while energy is emitted and received. The data and/or metadata may be
input using an app.
[0018] According to a further aspect the metadata is based on information on at least one
of: the user's weight, height, complexion, gender, age.
[0019] Using metadata such as the user's weight, height, complexion, gender and/or age allows
the step of determining to more accurately correlate the received reflected energy
with the information on the face of the user. The metadata may be used to predict
the location of features of the user, for example, based on a predicted face shape
of the user. The metadata may be used in conjunction with data and/or received reflected
energy. The metadata may be used to improve the estimation of facial features of a
user based on a determined correlation, for example, by correlating data on size and
shape of facial features for particular groups of people sharing similar facial characteristics.
[0020] According to a further aspect, the position of the oral care device in the mouth
of the user is determined using a mapping which indicates the position of the oral
care device in the mouth of the user based on the received reflected energy and facial
characteristics information of the user.
[0021] The mapping may be an algorithm which processes data to determine the position of
the oral care device. The mapping may be a machine-learned algorithm, which may be
taught using data input from multiple people in a controlled environment. For example,
a known location of the oral care device in the mouth of the user may be correlated
to the reflected energy gathered from multiple facial features of the multiple people.
The mapping may be produced by compiling data on a plurality of users which it compares
to the energy reflected from the user to determine the location of the oral care device
in the mouth of the user. The mapping may provide information on the topology of a
generic face. The mapping may provide information on the location of the oral care
device relative to the face of a (generic) user based on reflected energy.
[0022] The mapping may be developed by collecting data on reflected energy which is received
while each of the multiple people uses an oral care device. The reflected energy may
be collected during a controlled session, in which the location of the oral care device
in the mouth of a person is monitored while reflected energy is received. The reflected
energy may then be processed to develop a mapping which correlates the received reflected
energy from an average or generic person with respect to the location of the oral
care device relative to their facial features. The mapping may define the relationship
between facial characteristics of a generic person and received reflected energy.
The mapping may be an image map.
[0023] The mapping may indicate the position of the oral care device in the mouth of the
user based on the received reflected energy and/or on the data and/or metadata and/or
facial characteristics information derived from the received reflected energy. The
mapping may use facial characteristic information obtained from the received reflected
energy and/or on the data and/or metadata to determine the position of particular
facial features of the user relative to one another, or to the mouth of the user.
The facial characteristics of the user may be used to calibrate the mapping so that
the location of the facial features relative to the mouth of the user indicated by
the mapping is specific to the user. For example, the mapping may be calibrated using
an image of the user, where facial characteristics information including the position
of facial features extracted from the image are used to calibrate the position of
the equivalent features in the mapping. The distance of the user's mouth to the feature,
and therefore the distance of the oral care device to the mouth of the user, may be
determined. The mapping may be used to determine a topology map of the user's face
based on the data and/or metadata and/or reflected energy.
[0024] Data relating to the reflected energy may be processed using the mapping. The received
reflected energy may be input to the mapping to determine the location of the oral
care device with respect to the user of the device. The mapping may indicate the position
of the oral care device based on a combination of the reflected energy and the data
and/or metadata and/or facial characteristics information derived from the received
reflected energy. As discussed above, the data and/or metadata and/or facial characteristics
information derived from the received reflected energy may be used to determine the
dimensions and/or locations of facial characteristics of the user, for example, the
topology of the user's face.
[0025] According to a further aspect the mapping is selected from a plurality of mappings,
the selected mapping being a mapping which is determined to be the most relevant based
on the facial characteristics information of the user.
[0026] Thus, the mapping may be selected from a plurality of stored mappings. Each of the
plurality of stored mappings may relate to a person with different facial characteristics.
The mapping most relevant to the facial characteristics of the user may be selected
so that the position of the oral care device in the mouth of the user may be more
accurately determined. A mapping which indicates the relationship between received
reflected energy and a position of the oral care device based on facial features similar
to that of the user of the oral care device may give a more accurate prediction of
the position of an oral care device with respect to the user. Using such a mapping,
the received reflected energy may correlate with a similar pattern of reflected energy
which is received when a person with similar facial characteristics to the user uses
the oral care device.
[0027] The mapping may be selected from the plurality of mappings based on the relevance
of the facial characteristics information of the user to a group of people sharing
similar facial characteristics. The mapping which has been developed based on facial
characteristics of a group of people most similar to that of the user may be selected
from the plurality of mappings. The facial characteristics information may be obtained
from data of the user, metadata of the user and/or received reflected energy. Where
an image of the user is used to obtain the facial characteristics information, the
image (or features extracted from the image) may be compared to images (or features
extracted from images) of the group of people who were used to create the mappings
in order to determine which mapping should be selected.
[0028] The mapping may be selected based on one or more features of the user. For example,
the mapping may be selected based on the nose of the user. The mapping which has been
developed based on noses which are most similar to the nose of the user may be selected
from the plurality of mappings. Alternatively, the mapping which has been developed
based on a plurality of facial features which are similar to that of the user may
be selected.
[0029] According to a further aspect each of the plurality of mappings may relate to a different
group of people, each group sharing at least one of: certain facial characteristics,
metadata. The certain facial characteristics and/or metadata of each group and the
facial characteristics information of the user may be used to identify which group
is most relevant to the facial characteristics information of the user. The mapping
corresponding to the identified group may be selected.
[0030] Thus, each of the mappings may be based on a particular group of people who are considered
to have shared facial characteristics. Each of the plurality of mappings may be developed
by collecting information of the facial features of a group of people and collecting
data on reflected energy which is received while each of the people uses an oral care
device while the position of the oral care device in the mouth of the person is monitored.
[0031] Each group may comprise information on people with facial characteristics which are
similar within a threshold. For example, the dimensions of a facial feature, such
as width, length, location of a nose, for each of a plurality of people may be compared
and the data on faces, or people, with a similar characteristic may be assigned to
a particular group. Each group may have set ranges, for example a range of a dimension
of a facial feature. One or more facial features of the user may be compared with
one or more facial features of each group to see which of the ranges the dimensions
of their facial features fall within, and the group may be selected based on this
comparison.
[0032] For each group, a machine-learned algorithm may be provided as the mapping. Thus,
each machine-learned algorithm (each of the plurality of mappings) may correspond
to a different group of people. Each machine-learned algorithm may be trained in a
controlled environment as described above, where each algorithm is trained using data
input from multiple people within a particular group of people sharing similar facial
characteristics. Thus, a different machine-learned algorithm may be provided for each
group.
[0033] Thus, when the facial features of the user are compared to the facial features of
the plurality of groups to determine which mapping should be selected based on which
group has the most similar features, the selected mapping will indicate the position
of the oral care device in the mouth of the user to a higher precision, as the selected
mapping will have been trained using people with similar features to those of the
user. Thus, the mapping will give a better indication of the location of the oral
care device based on the features of the user.
[0034] According to a further aspect the mapping is adjusted based on the facial characteristics
information.
[0035] The mapping may be adjusted based on the facial characteristics information of the
user so that the map between the facial characteristics of the user and the location
of the oral care device in the mouth of the user is improved. Thus, the location of
the oral care device in the mouth of the user may be determined with a greater accuracy.
For example, data relating to an image of the user may indicate information on each
of the facial characteristics of the user. This information may be used to adapt the
mapping, where, for example, the dimensions and location of the facial features of
the user are correlated to the size and location of the facial features on which the
mapping is based, and adjust the mapping based on the correlation so that received
reflected light can be processed using the mapping to give a more precise indication
of the location of the oral care device in the mouth of the user. Thus, when the adjusted
mapping is used to process the received reflected energy, the determined position
of the oral care device may more accurately reflect the actual position of the oral
care device relative to the user. The mapping may be altered based on the received
reflected energy, where the mapping is adapted as the user uses the oral care device,
and information on the facial features of the user are indicated by processing the
received reflected energy.
[0036] According to a further aspect the method may further comprise emitting setting energy
towards the user's face; and receiving reflected setting energy from the user's face
corresponding to the emitted energy; and determining the amount of the energy to be
emitted towards the user's face in the step of emitting energy based on the reflected
setting energy; or determining the amount of energy to be emitted towards the user's
face in the step of emitting energy based on at least one of: data relating to one
or more facial characteristics of the user, metadata related to the user.
[0037] The amount of energy to be emitted in the step of emitting energy may be set based
on the characteristics of the user. For example, before the energy is emitted towards
the user's face to determine facial characteristics, energy ("setting energy") may
be emitted towards the user's face to determine the amount of energy to be emitted
subsequently. The setting energy may be emitted from a predefined distance from the
user. The amount of reflected setting energy detected may indicate the adjustment
required to be made to the energy to be emitted towards the user's face. Energy adjustment
may be required depending on complexion of the user, for example, the skin tone of
the user. A darker skin tone may require more energy to be emitted towards the user's
face in order to receive sufficient reflected energy, whereas a lighter skin tone
may require less energy to be emitted towards the user's face in order to receive
sufficient reflected energy. The skin tone of the user may be determined by emitting
a predefined amount of energy towards the face of the user from a predefined distance,
and receiving reflected energy corresponding to the emitted energy. The amount of
energy received may be compared to an average or predefined amount of expected reflected
setting energy, which may indicate the amount that the emitted energy needs to be
increased or decreased in order to obtain the desired amount of reflected energy.
[0038] The amount of energy to be emitted may additionally or alternatively be based on
data and/or metadata of the user. For example, information on the skin tone of the
user may be determined from an image of the user or input as metadata. The amount
of energy to be emitted may then be based on a predetermined correlation between the
skin tone of a person and the amount of energy that is required to be emitted in order
to receive the required corresponding reflected energy.
[0039] Additionally or alternatively, the received reflected energy may be offset to adjust
for differences between the received reflected energy and the desired reflected energy.
For example, using the skin tone of the user determined in any of the ways described
above, a signal produced as a result of the received reflected energy may be offset
so as to compensate for a lower or higher signal received due to the skin tone of
the user with respect to a predefined average.
[0040] According to a further aspect the energy may be at least one of: electromagnetic
energy, acoustic energy.
[0041] The acoustic energy may be sonar, and acoustic frequencies used may include very
low (infrasonic) to extremely high (ultrasonic) frequencies, or any combinations thereof.
Reflections of sound pulses (echoes) may be used to indicate the distance, or dimensions,
of an object.
[0042] According to a further aspect the electromagnetic energy may be at least one of:
infra-red energy, radar energy.
[0043] According to a further aspect the receiving of reflected energy comprises a measurement
based on a measurement of at least one of: capacitance, reflected intensity, reflected
polarization.
[0044] According to a further aspect there may be provided a computer program product comprising
code for causing a processor, when said code is executed on said processor, to execute
the steps of any of the methods described above.
[0045] According to a further aspect there may be provided a computer program product comprising
code for causing an oral care system to execute any of the methods described above.
[0046] According to a further aspect there may be provided a computing device comprising
the computer program product as described above. The computing device may be a processor,
or may comprise a processor.
[0047] According to a further aspect there may be provided an oral care system comprising
an oral care device having an energy emitter and an energy detector; and a computing
device comprising the computer program product, configured to receive and process
signals from energy emitted and received by the oral care device.
[0048] The energy emitter/detector may perform the method step of emitting/detecting energy
towards/from the user's face. The energy emitter may comprise an energy source. The
oral care device may comprise one or more energy sources. The energy emitter may be
directly integrated into a body portion of the device. The energy emitter and/or the
energy detector may be arranged in a planar or curved surface of the oral care device.
The energy emitter and/or the energy detector may be arranged so that they are outside
the mouth during use. Energy emitters and energy detectors may be mounted together
within a single package for ease of assembly of the oral care device or may be mounted
separately with different positions and orientations within the oral care device.
The energy emitter and energy detector may be arranged in close proximity to one another,
or the energy emitter and energy detector may be arranged at a distance from one another.
The energy emitter and/or the energy detector may be located anywhere within the device
along a long axis of the device or around a circumference of the device.
[0049] The energy emitter may generate near infrared light energy using light emitting diodes
and the energy detector may be configured to detect the wavelength of light emitted
by the one or more energy emission sources. The energy detector may comprise photodetectors,
for example, photodiodes or phototransistors, with spectral sensitivity which is consistent
with detecting the wavelength of the light generated by the energy emitter.
[0050] The energy detector may be configured to generate sensor data, e.g. signals, based
on received reflected energy and provide such sensor data to the computing device.
The computing device may be formed of one or more modules and be configured to carry
out the methods for monitoring the position of an oral care device in the mouth of
the user as described herein. The computing device may comprise, for example, a processor
and a memory and/or database. The processor may take any suitable form, including
but not limited to a microcomputing device, multiple microcomputing devices, circuitry,
a single processor, or plural processors. The memory or database may take any suitable
form, including a non-volatile memory and/or RAM. The non-volatile memory may include
read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). The
memory may store, among other things, an operating system. The RAM is used by the
processor for the temporary storage of data. An operating system may contain code
which, when executed by computing device, controls operation of the hardware components
of the oral care device. The computing device may transmit collected sensor data,
and may be any module, device, or means capable of transmitting a wired or wireless
signal, including but not limited to a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, near field communication,
and/or cellular module. The computing device may receive sensor data generated by
the energy detector and assess and analyse that sensor data to determine the position
of the oral care device in the mouth of the user.
[0051] According to a further aspect the oral care device may be a device chosen from a
group of devices comprising: a toothbrush, a flossing device, an oral irrigator, a
handle for receiving a care head for any of the foregoing devices, a care head for
any of the foregoing devices. The computing device may be comprised in at least one
of: a remote server, an interface device to provide user information about the use
of the oral care device; wherein the interface device is chosen from a group of interface
devices comprising: a smart phone, a tablet, the oral care device, the care head.
The computing device may be provided in the oral care device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0052] Embodiments of the present disclosure may take form in various components and arrangements
of components, and in various steps and arrangements of steps. Accordingly, the drawings
are for purposes of illustrating the various embodiments and are not to be construed
as limiting the embodiments. In the drawing figures, like reference numerals refer
to like elements. In addition, it is to be noted that the figures may not be drawn
to scale.
Fig. 1 is a diagram of a power toothbrush to which embodiments of aspects of the present
invention may be applied;
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an oral care system according to an aspect of an
embodiment;
Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating energy being emitted and detected to/from a face
of the user according to an aspect of an embodiment;
Fig. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of monitoring the position of an oral
care device in the mouth of the user according to an aspect of an embodiment;
Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the relative position and dimensions of facial characteristics
of the user according to an aspect of an embodiment;
Fig. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of monitoring the position of an oral
care device in the mouth of the user according to an aspect of an embodiment;
Fig. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of a step of determining the position
of an oral care device in the mouth of the user according to an aspect of an embodiment;
Fig. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of monitoring the position of an oral
care device in the mouth of the user according to an aspect of an embodiment;
Fig. 9 is a graph illustrating grouping of people based on their facial characteristics
according to an aspect of an embodiment;
Fig. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method of determining the amount of energy
to be emitted towards the user's face according to an aspect of an embodiment; and
Fig. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a method of determining the amount of energy
to be emitted towards the user's face according to an aspect of an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0053] The embodiments of the present disclosure and the various features and advantageous
details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting examples
that are described and/or illustrated in the drawings and detailed in the following
description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are
not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with
other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated
herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted
so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the present disclosure. The
examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in
which the embodiments of the present may be practiced and to further enable those
of skill in the art to practice the same. Accordingly, the examples herein should
not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure,
which is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law.
[0054] Fig. 1 shows an exemplary oral care device in which the teaching of the present disclosure
may be implemented. The oral care device in Fig. 1 is in the form of an electric toothbrush
(power toothbrush), but it will be appreciated that this is not limiting, and the
teaching of the present disclosure may be implemented in other devices where location
sensing is required. For example the teachings may be applied to personal care devices
such as tongue cleaners, shavers, hair clippers or trimmers, hair removal devices,
or skin care devices, and the position which is determined may be in relation to the
surface of the face of the user, rather than the position within the mouth of the
user.
[0055] Referring to Fig. 1 a handheld oral care device 10 is provided that includes a body
portion 12 and a head member 14 removably or non-removably mounted on the body portion
12. The body portion 12 includes a housing, at least a portion of which is hollow,
to contain components of the device, for example, a drive assembly/circuit, a computing
device, and/or a power source (e.g., battery or power cord), not shown. The particular
configuration and arrangement shown in Fig. 1 is by way of example only and does not
limit the scope of the embodiments disclosed below.
[0056] Oral care device 10 includes one or more energy emitters 20 and one or more energy
detectors 22 located in the handheld oral care device 10. The energy emitters and
detectors 20, 22 may be directly integrated in the body portion 12 of the oral care
device 10 (as shown in Fig. A). Alternatively, the sources and detectors 20, 22 may
be in a device attachment such as head member 14 or a module that may be attached
to the device body portion 12. In this example, energy emitter 20 is configured to
generate near infrared light energy using light emitting diodes and the energy detector
22 is configured to detect the wavelength of light emitted by the energy emitter 20.
[0057] Referring to Fig. 1, body portion 12 includes a long axis, a front side, a back side,
a left side, and a right side. The front side is typically the side of the oral care
device 10 that contains the operating components and actuators. Typically, operating
components are components such as the bristles of a power toothbrush, the nozzle of
a flossing device, the blade of a shaver, the brush head of a face cleansing device,
etc.. If the operating side is the front side of the body portion 12, the energy emitter
20 may be located on the right side of the body portion, opposite the left side, at
its end proximate to the head member 14. However, the energy emitter 20 may be located
anywhere within the device along the long axis or around a circumference of the oral
care device 10. Similarly, the energy detector 22 may be located on the right side
of the body portion, opposite the left side, at its end proximate to the head member
14. Although Fig. 1 depicts energy detector 22 located adjacent to the energy emitter
20, the energy detector 22 may be located anywhere within the device along the long
axis or around a circumference of the device. Additional sensors may be included in
the oral care device 10 shown in Fig. 1, including but not limited to a proximity
sensor and other types of sensors, such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetic
sensor, a capacitive sensor, a camera, a photocell, a clock, a timer, any other types
of sensors, or any combination of sensors, including, for example, an inertial measurement
unit.
[0058] Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of an example of an oral care system 200.
The oral care system comprises an energy emitter 20 and an energy detector 22 and
a computing device 30. The oral care system 200 may be implemented in one or more
devices. For example, all the modules may be implemented in an oral care device. Alternatively,
one or more of the modules or components may be implemented in a remote device, such
as a smart phone, tablet, wearable device, computer, or other computing device. The
computing device may communicate with a user interface via a connectivity module.
[0059] The oral care system 200 includes the computing device 30 having a processor and
a memory (not shown), which may store an operating system as well as sensor data.
System 200 also includes an energy emitter 20 and an energy detector 22 configured
to generate and provide sensor data to computing device 30. The system 200 may include
a connectivity module (not shown) which may be configured and/or programmed to transmit
sensor data to a wireless transceiver. For example, the connectivity module may transmit
sensor data via a Wi-Fi connection over the Internet or an Intranet to a dental professional,
a database, or other location. Alternatively, the connectivity module may transmit
sensor or feedback data via a Bluetooth or other wireless connection to a local device
(e.g., a separate computing device), database, or other transceiver. For example,
connectivity module allows the user to transmit sensor data to a separate database
to be saved for long-term storage, to transmit sensor data for further analysis, to
transmit user feedback to a separate user interface, or to share data with a dental
professional, among other uses. The connectivity module may also be a transceiver
that may receive user input information. Other communication and control signals described
herein may be effectuated by a hard wire (non-wireless) connection, or by a combination
of wireless and non-wireless connections. System 200 may also include any suitable
power source. In embodiments, system 200 also includes the user interface which may
be configured and/or programmed to transmit information to the user and/or receive
information from the user. The user interface may be or may comprise a feedback module
that provides feedback to the user via haptic signal, audio signal, visual signal,
and/or any other type of signal.
[0060] Computing device 30 may receive the sensor data in real-time or periodically. For
example, a constant stream of sensor data may be provided by the energy detector 22
to the computing device 30 for storage and/or analysis, or the energy detector 22
may temporarily store and aggregate or process data prior to sending it to computing
device 30. Once received by computing device 30, the sensor data may be processed
by a processor. The computing device 30 may relay information and/or receive information
from the energy emitter and the energy detector 22.
[0061] Fig. 3 shows an example of the oral care device 10 in use. In use, the oral care
device 10 is inserted into the mouth of a user 300. Typically, the user 300 will move
the oral care device around their mouth so that the teeth of the user 300 are brushed
by the bristles of the head of the oral care device 10. In the example shown in Fig.
3, the energy emitter 20 provided on the oral care device 10 emits energy towards
the face of the user 300. As is shown in this figure, the energy may be directed to
a particular portion of the face of the user 300, in this case the nose of the user
300. Energy reflects off the nose of the user 300 and is detected by the energy detector
22 which is also provided on the oral care device 10. The detected energy which has
been reflected from the face of the user indicates the dimensions of the portion of
face onto which the emitted energy was directed and the distance of the feature to
the oral care device 10, and the orientation of the oral care device 10 relative to
the feature. In this case, the reflected energy will indicate the dimensions and position
of the nose of the user 300.
[0062] The movement of the oral care device 10 relative to the face of the user 300 will
cause energy to be directed onto different portions of the face of the user 300, for
example, the eyes or mouth.
[0063] Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of an example of a method which may be performed for monitoring
the position of the oral care device. In step S100, energy is emitted towards the
user's face. In step S102, reflected energy is received from the user's face which
corresponds to the emitted energy. For example, at least a portion of the energy which
is emitted towards the face of the user will be reflected or scattered from the user's
face. A portion of the reflected or scattered energy will be received. At step S104,
facial characteristics information is obtained. For example, the facial characteristics
information may be obtained from the reflected energy, or from data relating to one
or more facial characteristics of the user, for example, an image of the user, or
from metadata relating to the user, or a combination thereof. In step S106, the position
of an oral care device in the mouth of the user is determined using the reflected
energy and the obtained facial characteristics information.
[0064] Fig. 5 shows an example of the relative position and dimensions of facial features
of the user. Fig. 5 represents an image of the user from which facial characteristics
are determined in step S104 of Fig. 4. In Fig. 5, the regions of the facial features
of interest are indicated by dotted lines. In this case, the nose, mouth and eye of
the user are indicated as regions of facial features of interest. The positions of
the eye and nose relative to the mouth are determined as indicated by the arrows in
Fig. 5. Facial characteristics such as the dimensions and location of each of the
facial features indicated by dotted lines are determined based on the image of the
user. One facial feature may be used as the facial characteristics, or several facial
features may be used, or the whole face of the user may be used. In this example,
the facial characteristics information is obtained from an image of the user. The
image is obtained by the user taking a self-image which in this case is a two dimensional
image but may be a three dimensional image. A three dimensional image may be obtained
by moving an imaging device, such as that found in a mobile device, around the head
and/or face of the user, and processing the image to determine the dimensions and/or
the relative position of the features of the user. Alternatively, a three dimensional
image may be obtained by a multi focus imaging device.
[0065] Additionally or alternatively, the information on the facial characteristics of the
user may be obtained using the emitter and detector. Prior to use the user may perform
a scanning motion of their face using the oral care device, where the oral care device
is positioned at a predetermined distance from the face of the user. The received
reflected energy may be used to collect information on the topology of the face of
the user, for example, to create a three dimensional image. The facial characteristics
information may be collected in real time, as the user uses the oral care device.
[0066] Additionally or alternatively, the facial characteristics information may include
metadata such as the weight, height, complexion, gender and/or age of the user. This
data may be collected by processing an image of the user or may be input by the user,
using an application on a mobile phone or the like. The metadata may be used to estimate,
or improve the estimation, of facial features of the user using a predetermined correlation
between the size/position of facial features and metadata.
[0067] Fig. 6 shows an example of a method involved in step S106 of determining the position
of the oral care device in the mouth of the user as shown in Fig. 4. Step S106 comprises
the steps of S110, inputting the received reflected energy to the mapping, and thereby
S112, estimating the location of the oral care device in the mouth of the user. The
mapping is a trained (machine learning) algorithm which is developed during controlled,
or guided, sessions with a diverse group of people, whereby the location of the oral
care device in the mouth of a person is monitored while reflected energy is received.
For example, the facial characteristics of each person of the group of people may
be represented as a vector of parameters describing the surface of the face of a user
which is used to train the algorithm. Thus, a general algorithm based on a generic
person is provided which will estimate the location of an oral care device in the
mouth of the user using the received reflected energy from the user.
[0068] Fig. 7 shows an example of the method as shown in Fig. 6, comprising the additional
step S108, which defines adjusting a mapping based on the obtained facial characteristics
information. Where the mapping is a machine learned algorithm, the user's facial characteristics
are added as additional inputs to the algorithm, whereby the mapping is then adapted
based on the user's facial characteristics. The facial characteristics of the user
may be represented as a vector of parameters describing the surface of the face of
a user, which may be fed as the additional input to the algorithm. The facial characteristics
information is used to determine the location and dimensions of each facial feature
of the user relative to one another. The location and dimensions of the facial features
of the user are compared to the location and dimensions of the facial features upon
which the mapping is based, and the mapping is adjusted so that when reflected energy
from the face of the user is received, the mapping correlates the reflected energy
with a facial feature of the user, rather than with a facial feature of the generic
person. Thus, the location of the oral care device is indicated more accurately determined
with respect to the mouth of the user.
[0069] Fig. 8 shows an example of a method of monitoring the position of an oral care device
in the mouth of the user which may be implemented alternatively or additionally to
the method shown in Fig. 7. In Fig. 8, data and/or metadata related to the user and/or
reflected energy are obtained, S101, and information on facial characteristics of
the user are obtained or extracted from the data and/or metadata and/or reflected
energy S103. Information on facial characteristics relating to groups of people sharing
similar facial characteristics are obtained, S105. For example, the information may
be obtained from a database which stores information on the facial characteristics
of groups of people. The information on facial characteristics of the groups and the
information on facial characteristics of the user are compared to determine which
group of people has facial characteristics most similar to those of the user, S107.
A mapping which corresponds to the determined group of people is then selected, S109.
The selected mapping is an algorithm which has been trained using data compiled during
a controlled brushing session, where the location of the oral care device relative
to the facial characteristics of each member of the group of people is monitored while
each member uses the oral cleaning device, such that reflected energy can be correlated
to the location of the oral cleaning device. The reflected energy is then input to
the selected mapping in order to determine the position of the oral care device in
the mouth of the user S106. The process of step S106 may include the steps S108-S112
shown in Fig. 7.
[0070] Fig. 9 shows an example of the grouping of people used to develop a plurality of
mappings for different facial characteristics. In Fig. 9, a first feature, such as
the distance of the nose from the mouth, is correlated with a second feature, such
as the distance from the nose to the eyes. Each point on the graph indicates a different
person. People with similar first and second features are grouped together, as indicated
by the rings shown in Fig. 9. The data relating to people who are grouped together
are used to develop a mapping which corresponds to that group of people. The point
indicated by an arrow illustrates the user of the oral care device. The facial characteristics
of the user are extracted using one of the abovementioned techniques. For example
the first and second facial features described above are extracted. As is shown in
this figure, the user has first and second facial features which are similar to a
particular group of people, as they fall within the perimeter defined by a ring surrounding
a particular group. The perimeter of the ring represents threshold values of the first
and second characteristics. If the user falls within the threshold values of the first
and second facial characteristics of a particular group of people, the user has facial
characteristics most similar to those people. There may be provided any number of
groups. The groups may comprise any number of people. Each group may only comprise
one person, where the mapping corresponding to the person with the most similar facial
features to the user is used as the selected mapping.
[0071] Fig. 10 shows an example of a method which may be applied additionally or alternatively
to any of the previously specified methods. The method of Fig. 10 is performed before,
for example, the step of emitting energy towards the user's face (step S100 in Fig.
4). At step S114, setting energy is emitted towards the user's face. This may be energy
which is of a predefined intensity. The energy may be emitted from a predefined location,
for example the oral care device may be held in front of a particular feature of the
user, for example the nose, at a predefined distance. The setting energy may be emitted
and reflected from the oral care device onto the particular feature of the user. The
reflected setting energy corresponding to the emitted setting energy is received from
the user's face S116. The reflected setting energy is then analysed S117, for example
the amount or intensity of reflected setting energy which is received is compared
to a predefined value of required energy. The amount of energy to be subsequently
emitted towards the user's face is then determined, or corrected, based on the result
of the comparison. For example, the amount of energy is increased or decreased based
on the result of the comparison, so that the subsequently emitted energy returns a
desired amount or intensity of reflected energy. Subsequently, any of the methods
as described above may be implemented.
[0072] Alternatively or additionally, the method as set out in Fig. 11 may be implemented.
At step S120, facial characteristics information may be extracted as is described
above. At step S122, the amount of energy to be emitted may be determined based on
the extracted information. For example, an image of the user may be analysed to determine
the skin tone of the user. This may be used as the facial characteristics information
to determine the amount of energy to be emitted in a step of emitting by increasing
or decreasing the amount of energy by comparison of the skin tone to a predefined
skin tone and energy.
[0073] While embodiments described herein include near infrared light energy sources and
detectors, other types of energy may also be used. For example, alternative wavelengths
of light, such as within the visible spectrum, radio frequency electromagnetic radiation
forming a radar sensor, or electrostatic energy, such as in a mutual capacitance sensor
may also be used. The sensor output may be derived from different aspects of the detected
energy such as magnitude of the detected energy and/or phase or time delay between
the energy source and the detected signal, time of flight.
[0074] It is understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to
the particular methodology, protocols, devices, apparatus, materials, applications,
etc., described herein, as these may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology
used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and
is not intended to be limiting in scope of the embodiments as claimed. It must be
noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an,"
and "the" include plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0075] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the
same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which
the embodiments of the present disclosure belong. Preferred methods, devices, and
materials are described, although any methods and materials similar or equivalent
to those described herein may be used in the practice or testing of the embodiments.
[0076] Although only a few exemplary embodiments have been described in detail above, those
skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in
the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and
advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiments
of the present invention may advantageously be used independently of any other of
the embodiments or in any feasible combination with one or more others of the embodiments.
[0077] Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope
of the embodiments of the present disclosure as defined in the following claims. In
the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described
herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but
also equivalent structures.
[0078] In addition, any reference signs placed in parentheses in one or more claims shall
not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" and "comprises," and
the like, does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed
in any claim or the specification as a whole. The singular reference of an element
does not exclude the plural references of such elements and vice-versa. One or more
of the embodiments may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct
elements. In a device or apparatus claim enumerating several means, several of these
means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain
measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that
a combination of these measures may not be used to an advantage.
1. A method for monitoring the position of an oral care device in the mouth of a user,
the method comprising:
emitting energy towards the user's face;
receiving reflected energy from the user's face corresponding to the emitted energy;
and
determining the position of an oral care device in the mouth of the user using the
received reflected energy and facial characteristics information of the user which
relates to one or more facial features of the user.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the facial characteristics information of
the user further comprises at least one of: data relating to one or more facial characteristics
of the user, metadata related to the user, facial characteristics information derived
from the received reflected energy.
3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the facial characteristics information of
the user are at least one of: obtained from an image of the user, input by the user,
obtained by processing the received reflected energy.
4. The method as claimed in any of claim 2 or 3, wherein the metadata is based on information
on at least one of: the user's weight, height, complexion, gender, age.
5. The method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the position of the oral care
device in the mouth of the user is determined using a mapping which indicates the
position of the oral care device in the mouth of the user based on the received reflected
energy and facial characteristics information of the user.
6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the mapping is selected from a plurality
of mappings, the selected mapping being a mapping which is determined to be the most
relevant based on the facial characteristics information of the user.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein
each of the plurality of mappings relates to a different group of people, each group
sharing at least one of: certain facial characteristics, metadata;
the at least one of: certain facial characteristics, metadata, of each group and the
facial characteristics information of the user are used to identify which group is
most relevant to the facial characteristics information of the user; and
the mapping corresponding to the identified group is selected.
8. The method as claimed in any of claims 5-7, wherein the mapping is adjusted based
on the facial characteristics information.
9. The method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the method further comprises
emitting setting energy towards the user's face; and
receiving reflected setting energy from the user's face corresponding to the emitted
energy; and
determining the amount of the energy to be emitted towards the user's face in the
step of emitting energy based on the reflected setting energy; or
determining the amount of energy to be emitted towards the user's face in the step
of emitting energy based on at least one of: data relating to one or more facial characteristics
of the user, metadata related to the user.
10. The method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the energy is at least one of:
electromagnetic energy, acoustic energy.
11. The method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the receiving of reflected energy
comprises a measurement based on a measurement of at least one of: capacitance, reflected
intensity, reflected polarization.
12. A computer program product comprising code for causing a processor, when said code
is executed on said processor, to execute the steps of the method as claimed in any
of claims 1 to 11.
13. A computing device (30) comprising the computer program product of claim 12.
14. An oral care system (200) comprising:
an oral care device (10) having an energy emitter (20) and an energy detector (22);
and
a computing device (30) comprising the computer program product of claim 12, configured
to receive and process signals from energy emitted and received by the oral care device
(10).
15. An oral care system (200) as claimed in claim 14, wherein at least one of:
the oral care device (10) is a device chosen from a group of devices comprising: a
toothbrush, a flossing device, an oral irrigator, a handle for receiving a care head
for any of the foregoing devices, a care head for any of the foregoing devices; and
the computing device (30) is comprised in at least one of: a remote server, an interface
device to provide user information about the use of the oral care device; wherein
the interface device is chosen from a group of interface devices comprising: a smart
phone, a tablet, the oral care device, the care head.