Field of the Invention

[0001] The present disclosure is directed generally to methods and systems for localizing the position of, and tracking movement of, an oral cleaning device using spatial sensor input.

Background

[0002] Proper tooth brushing technique, including length and coverage of brushing, helps ensure long-term dental health. Many dental problems are experienced by individuals who either don't regularly brush their teeth or who do so inadequately. Among individuals who do regularly brush, improper brushing habits can result in poor coverage of brushing and thus surfaces that are not adequately cleaned.

[0003] To facilitate proper brushing technique, toothbrushes have been designed to provide a timer function such that a user knows to brush for a minimum recommended amount of time. The timer function can include an audible sound, haptic feedback, or other notification mechanism to let the user know when a predetermined amount of time has elapsed. This provides the user with an indication that they have brushed their teeth for an adequate amount of time.

[0004] Another mechanism to facilitate proper brushing technique is to ensure that there is adequate cleaning of all dental surfaces, including areas of the mouth that are hard to reach or that tend to be improperly cleaned during an average brushing session. One way to ensure adequate coverage is to track the position of the toothbrush in the mouth during a brushing session and compare that to a map of the dental surfaces. For example, a system with sensors positioned in fixed relationship to the teeth of the user could track the movement of a toothbrush over the user's teeth.

[0005] Alternatively, the toothbrush could include one or more internal sensors that attempt to track movement of the device within the mouth. In such a system, the user starts with the toothbrush at a known, fixed position within the mouth and subsequent movement of the brush is determined from the one or more internal sensors. However, this approach has several limitations. Users are unable to move their head during brushing as this interferes with the proper positioning of the original fixed reference spot. The system is confused between certain regions of the mouth where data will be similar, such as the upper left inside of the mouth and the upper right outside of the mouth. The resolution of the system is low, meaning that only broad sections of the mouth can be tracked rather than more exact positioning such as teeth.

[0006] Accordingly, there is a continued need in the art for a method of tracking the movement of a toothbrush within the mouth using spatial sensor input without requiring exact starting position information.

Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present disclosure is directed to inventive methods and systems for tracking movement of an oral cleaning device within the mouth. Applied to a system configured to localize an oral cleaning device within the mouth, the inventive methods and systems enable greater precision of tracking and thus provide an evaluation of a user's brushing technique. The method utilizes a Probabilistic Graphical model to track the movement of an oral cleaning device within the mouth. This Probabilistic Graphical model uses probabilistic input to create a best estimate for a current state, where the current state probability distribution is calculated from a previous state probability distribution and the probabilities of transitioning from one state to any other state as detected by motion sensors. The system tracks states and transitions over the course of a brushing session, and utilizes that information to provide a brushing technique evaluation.

[0008] Generally in one aspect, a method for localizing an oral cleaning device within a user's mouth is provided. The method includes the steps of: (i) providing an oral cleaning device having a motion identifier; (ii) estimating, based on sensor information received from the motion identifier, a probability of a first location of the oral cleaning device within the user's mouth; (iii) receiving information from the motion identifier regarding a completed transition to a second state within the user's mouth; (iv) comparing the completed transition to a defined set of possible transitions between each of a plurality of possible states within the user's mouth to determine a transition probability; and (v) determining, using a probabilistic graphical model comprising the first location probability and the transition probability, a probability of the location of the second state. [0009] According to an embodiment, the step of determining a probability of the location of the second state comprises a probabilistic graphical model using the first location probability, the transition probability, and a current state probability.

[0010] According to an embodiment, the method further includes the step of providing calibration data for the oral cleaning device, where the estimating step is based on sensor information received from the motion identifier, and on the calibration data.

[0011] According to an embodiment, the probabilistic graphical model is a hidden Markov model.

[0012] According to an embodiment, the probability of the location of the second state is determined by multiplying a probability of each transition within the defined set of possible transitions with a probability of the oral cleaning device originating at each of the plurality of possible states within the user's mouth.

[0013] According to an embodiment, the method further includes the step of correcting a previous state determination based on a subsequent transition probability.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the method further includes the step of determining an identity of the user based on a pattern of two or more states and/or transitions during a brushing session.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the method further includes the step of evaluating, using the state determinations, the brushing session.

[0016] According to an aspect is an oral cleaning device. The oral cleaning device includes a motion identifier, and a controller in communication with the motion identifier, where the controller is configured to: (i) estimate, based on sensor information received from the motion identifier, a probability of a first location of the oral cleaning device within the user's mouth; (ii) receive information from the motion identifier regarding a completed transition to a second state within the user's mouth; (iii) compare the completed transition to a defined set of possible transitions between each of a plurality of possible states within the user's mouth to determine a transition probability; and (iv) determine, using a probabilistic graphical model comprising the first location probability and the transition probability, a probability of the location of the second state.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the controller is further configured to communicate a determined state location.

[0018] According to an aspect is an oral cleaning system. The system includes an oral cleaning device with a motion identifier and a communications module, where the oral cleaning device is configured to transmit, via the communications module, sensor data from the motion identifier about one or more completed transitions of the oral cleaning device within a user's mouth. The system also includes a device in communication with the oral cleaning device and comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: (i) estimate, based on received sensor information, a probability of a first location of the oral cleaning device within the user's mouth; (ii) receive information from the motion identifier regarding a completed transition to a second state within the user's mouth; (iii) compare the completed transition to a defined set of possible transitions between each of a plurality of possible states within the user's mouth to determine a transition probability; and (iv) determine, using a probabilistic graphical model comprising the first location probability and the transition probability, a probability of the location of the second state.

[0019] According to an aspect is a method for localizing an oral cleaning device within a user's mouth is provided. The method includes the steps of: (i) providing an oral cleaning device having a motion identifier; (ii) determining that the oral cleaning device is positioned at a first location within the user's mouth; (iii) receiving information from the motion identifier regarding a completed transition to a second state within the user's mouth; (iv) comparing the completed transition to a defined set of possible transitions between each of a plurality of possible states within the user's mouth to determine a transition probability; and (v) determining, using a probabilistic graphical model comprising the first location and the transition probability, a probability of the location of the second state.

[0020] It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein.

[0021] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a representation of an oral cleaning device in accordance with an embodiment.

[0024] FIG. 2A is a schematic representation of an oral cleaning device control system in accordance with an embodiment.

[0025] FIG. 2B is a schematic representation of an oral cleaning device control system in accordance with an embodiment.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting a method for tracking movement of a device within a fixed space using spatial sensor input in accordance with an embodiment.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of various states within the oral cavity in accordance with an embodiment.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of transitions between various states within the oral cavity in accordance with an embodiment.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a table of transition probabilities in accordance with an embodiment.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a table of transitions between various states within the oral cavity in accordance with an embodiment. Detailed Description of Embodiments

[0031] The present disclosure describes various embodiments of a method and controller for tracking movement of an oral cleaning device within the mouth. More generally, Applicant has recognized and appreciated that it would be beneficial to provide a system to track the movement of an oral cleaning device within the mouth in order to provide an evaluation of the user's brushing technique. Accordingly, the methods described or otherwise envisioned herein provide an oral cleaning device configured to determine the position of the oral cleaning device within the user's mouth and determine, among other variables, how long the user brushes discrete positions within the mouth. According to an embodiment, the method utilizes a Probabilistic Graphical model to track the movement of an oral cleaning device within the mouth. This Probabilistic Graphical model uses probabilistic input to create a best estimate for a current state, where the current state probability distribution is calculated from a previous state probability distribution and the probabilities of transitioning from one state to any other state as detected by motion sensors.

[0032] A particular goal of utilization of the embodiments and implementations herein is to provide brushing information using an oral cleaning device such as an electric toothbrush

[0033] Referring to FIG. 1 , in one embodiment, an oral cleaning device 10 is provided that includes a body portion 12 and a brush head member 14 mounted on the body portion. Brush head member 14 includes at its end remote from the body portion a brush head 16. Brush head 16 includes a bristle face 18, which provides a plurality of bristles. According to an embodiment, the bristles extend along an axis substantially perpendicular to the head's axis of elongation, although many other embodiments of the brush head and bristles are possible.

[0034] According to an embodiment, brush head member 14, is mounted so as to be able to move relative to the body portion 12. The movement can be any of a variety of different movements, including vibrations or rotation, among others.

[0035] According to an embodiment, body portion 12 includes a drivetrain 22 for generating movement and a transmission component 24 for transmitting the generated movements to brush head member 14. For example, drivetrain 22 can comprise a motor or electromagnet(s) that generates movement of the transmission component 24, which is subsequently transmitted to the brush head member 14. Drivetrain 22 can include components such as a power supply, an oscillator, and one or more electromagnets, among other components..

[0036] Although in the present embodiment the oral cleaning device 10 is an electric toothbrush, it will be understood that in an alternative embodiment the oral cleaning device is a manual toothbrush (not shown). In such an arrangement, the manual toothbrush has electrical components, but the brush head is not mechanically actuated by an electrical component.

[0037] Body portion 12 is further provided with a user input 26 to activate and de-activate movement generator 22. The user input 26 allows a user to operate the oral cleaning device 10, for example to turn the oral cleaning device 10 on and off. The user input 26 may, for example, be a button, touch screen, or switch.

[0038] The oral cleaning device 10 includes one or more motion identifiers 28. Motion identifier 28 are shown in FIG. 1 within body portion 12, but may be located anywhere within the device, including for example within brush head member 14 or brush head 16. The motion identifiers 28 comprise, for example, a 6-axis or a 9-axis spatial sensor system. For example, the motion identifier 28 is configured to provide the readings of six axes of relative motion (three axes translation and three axes rotation), using for example a 3 -axis gyroscope and a 3 -axis accelerometer. As another example, the motion identifier 28 is configured to provide the readings of nine axes of relative motion using, for example, 3 -axis gyroscope, a 3 -axis accelerometer, and a 3 -axis magnetometer. Other sensors may be utilized either alone or in conjunction with these sensors, including but not limited to a pressure sensor and other types of sensors. Many different types of sensors could be utilized to determine a state and/or transition of the device, as described or otherwise envisioned herein.

[0039] The motion identifier 28 is disposed in a predefined position and orientation in the oral cleaning device 10. Therefore, the orientation and position of the brush head member 14 can be easily determined based on the known orientation and position of the motion identifier 28. Accordingly, the brush head member 14 is in a fixed spatial relative arrangement to motion identifier 28.

[0040] The motion identifier 28 is configured to generation information indicative of the acceleration and angular orientation of the oral cleaning device 10. The sensor system may comprise two or more motion identifiers 28 that function together as the 6-axis or a 9-axis spatial sensor system. According to another embodiment, an integrated 9-axis spatial sensor can provide space savings in an oral cleaning device 10.

[0041] The information generated by the first motion identifier 28 is provided to a device controller 30. Controller 30 can comprise a processor 32 and a memory 34. The processor 32 may take any suitable form. For instance, processor 32 may be or include a microcontroller, plural microcontrollers, circuitry, a single processor, or plural processors. Controller 30 may be formed of one or multiple modules, and is operable to operate the oral cleaning device 10 in response to an input, for example user input 26. For example, controller 30 can be configured to actuate a motor control unit. According to an embodiment, the motion identifier 28 is integral to the controller 30.

[0042] The memory 34 can 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 can store, among other things, an operating system. The RAM is used by the processor for the temporary storage of data. The operating system may contain code which, when executed by controller 30, controls operation of each of the hardware components of the oral cleaning device 10.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 2A, an embodiment of an oral cleaning system 200 is provided. According to an embodiment, oral cleaning system 200 includes one or more motion identifiers 28 and a controller 30 comprising a processor 32 and a memory 34. When utilized with electric cleaning devices, the oral cleaning system 200 includes a drivetrain 22, the operation of which is controlled by controller 30.

[0044] According to an embodiment, the controller 30 uses information from motion identifier 28 to determine and track the position of oral cleaning device 10 as the user moves the device throughout the mouth. The controller is programmed or configured to apply a Probabilistic Graphical model, such as the Hidden Markov Model ("HMM") or any other Probabilistic Graphical model or hybrid method, to estimate the location of oral cleaning device 10 from spatial sensor information received from motion identifier 28. Positions within the mouth have a specific designation, and each of these designations can be seen as a distinct position of the brush head member of the oral cleaning device 10 within the mouth. For example, the approximate position of the brush head in the mouth is called a state. Although according to some embodiments the state may be the exact position of the brush head on a tooth, or more specifically on a specific part of a tooth, the state can be more broadly a section of the mouth, such as upper left outside, upper left inside, and others (see Table 1). As the user moves between different states within the mouth, movement information is generated by motion identifier 28 and sent to controller 30. The Probabilistic Graphical model creates a best estimate for a current state, where the current state probability distribution is calculated from a previous state probability distribution and the probabilities of transitioning from one state to any other state as detected by the motion identifier 28. Thus, the most likely location of the device within a given space is determined based on previous state probability distributions combined with transition probability distributions, where the distributions are one or more matrices which contain the information about the likelihood of transitions between states. There can be multiple transition matrices involved, such as a statistical matrix which contains behavioral information such as how likely a transition is, based on calibration by the user, and a matrix containing the likelihood of a transition having happened based on sensor readings, and/or a matrix containing the likelihood of a transition having happened based on prior knowledge of the system.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 2B is another embodiment of an oral cleaning system 200 comprising an oral cleaning device 10 and a device 40 which is separate from the oral cleaning device. The oral cleaning device 10 can be any of the oral cleaning device embodiments disclosed or otherwise envisioned herein. According to an embodiment, oral cleaning device 10 includes one or more motion identifiers 28 for spatial sensor information, and a controller 30 comprising a processor 32. The oral cleaning device 10 can include a drivetrain 22, the operation of which is controlled by controller 30.

[0046] According to an embodiment, oral cleaning device 10 further comprises a communications module 38 that transmits collected spatial sensor information. The communications module can 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. [0047] According to an embodiment, device 40 can be any device configured to or capable of receiving and processing the spatial sensor information transmitted from oral cleaning device 10. For example, device 40 may be a cleaning device holder or station, a smartphone, a computer, a server, or any other computerized device. According to an embodiment, device 40 includes a communications module 42, which can be any module, device, or means capable of receiving a wired or wireless signal, including but not limited to a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, near field communication, and/or cellular module. Device 40 also includes a processor 44 which uses the received spatial sensor information from motion identifier 28 to determine and track the position of oral cleaning device 10 as the user moves the device throughout the mouth, as described herein. According to one embodiment, device 40 may include memory 34 to store calibration data, received spatial sensor information, or any other information.

[0048] As just one example, oral cleaning device 10 can collect sensor information using motion identifier 28 and transmit that information locally via a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone device 40, where the sensor information is processed and/or stored. As another example, oral cleaning device 10 can collect sensor information using motion identifier 28 and transmit that information via a WiFi connection to the Internet where it is communicated to a remote server device 40. The remote server device 40 processes and/or stores the sensor information. A user may access that information directly or may receive reports, updates, or other information from the remote server device 40 or an associated device.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, is a flowchart of a method 300 for tracking movement of a device within a given space. At step 310 of the method, an oral cleaning device 10 is provided. The oral cleaning device can be any of the embodiments described or otherwise envisioned herein.

[0050] At optional step 320 of the method, the oral cleaning device 10 can be calibrated. The calibration can comprise, for example, defining positions and/or transitions within the system, which can be done at the factory or by the user. State calibration data consists of annotated sensor data sets. During a calibration session, for example, a designated area is brushed and the instantaneous sensor data is annotated and stored. [0051] According to an embodiment, the calibration can be performed by the individual user. This can be performed in several ways. For example, the user can simply use the device and the system can reconstruct a map of the jaw by registering shapes and boundary conditions such as the turning point at the back molars. According to another user calibration method, the user is guided through a brushing session in which it is indicated where he should brush such that the system can map the location to its sensor data as well as train the system to the user's motion pattern (e.g., fast or slow transitions).

[0052] According to an embodiment, the calibration step is omitted. Instead, the oral cleaning device develops a calibration data set over one or more brushing sessions by comparing data between those sessions. A self-learning method could also be utilized to supplement, amend, or otherwise adjust a factory or user calibration.

[0053] At step 330 of the method, the oral cleaning device is positioned within the mouth at a first location, and the user starts brushing his teeth. According to one embodiment, the user is directed where to start brushing her teeth, and thus the method skips step 335 and proceeds to step 340.

[0054] At step 335 of the method, the system determines a probability of a first state using a Probabilistic Graphical model. According to an embodiment, the model will determine a current state probability utilizing the previous state probability, the current state probability based on calibration data, and the probability of transitioning from a previous state to the current state, according to the formula:

P(s) = P(s _cal ) ° (PCs.jPCr)) (Eq. 1) where P(s) is the current state probability matrix, P(s-i) is the previous state probability matrix, P(T) is the probability matrix of transitioning from each state s-1 to state s, and P(s _ca i) is the current state probability matrix based on calibration data from step 320. The resulting distribution is then normalized.

[0055] However, during estimation of the first position within the user's mouth there will not be a previous location probability. Accordingly, for estimation of the first position only calibration data can be utilized to determine the location. There are several methods for current state estimation, and these are provided in greater detail below. For example, according to an embodiment, the probability of the first, unknown, state is determined based on the calibration data, while subsequent unknown states are determined using the equation P(s) = P(s_i) * P(T), or Equation 1.

[0056] According to an embodiment, a transition matrix T provides the probability of transitioning from each possible state to every other possible state.

[0057] The matrix is then multiplied by the current state matrix S. In the example, the current state was 100% accurately known, but this is not necessarily the case. The current position is mostly uncertain as well, leading to a matrix S with a probability distribution. The result of the multiplication of transition probabilities and state probabilities gives us the new state probability distribution matrix P. From this matrix P the most likely current state can be determined, and used to provide feedback to the user.

[0058] The transition matrix T itself can be the result of a multiplication of probabilities, and can also comprise probability information of behavioral patterns. For instance, it is unlikely that a user would skip a single tooth while brushing. For example, a transition from tooth #1 to tooth #3, while completely skipping tooth #2 between them, is unlikely. There is a transition probability between each two teeth, which can be incorporated into the transition matrix T. These behavioral probabilities can be obtained by, for example, a guided calibration session, or data mined from consumer studies.

[0059] According to an embodiment, the transition matrix T comprises boundary condition information. Since the shape of a jaw is known, boundary conditions can be imposed on the calculation. For example, if the system is tracking the absolute position on the jaw and information from the motion indicator suggests that a new position is located five centimeters outside the jaw, then that is assigned a negligible probability, since the estimated location does not fall within the system boundaries. At such a moment, the tracking might be considered lost until the estimated new location falls back within the boundary conditions of the system or a second position, lying within the boundaries of the system, also has a high probability of being the true location. Whenever the tracking is lost and found again, the intermediate path can be backtracked from the newly found position, using the transition probabilities that occurred while the trace was lost.

[0060] According to an embodiment, the instantaneous sensor values can already give an indication of location, before transition probabilities are considered. Each combination of sensor data already restricts the likely position. For example, when the brush is pointing inwards, the brush is located at the outside of the jaw, which excludes certain states. These observations can also help to recover a lost position tracking. The model which links the states to instantaneous sensor data can be data mined from calibration steps, either by the end-user or during development.

[0061] At step 340 of the method, a transition occurs and is detected by information from the motion identifier 28. For example, the motion identifier may detect a translation from one side of the mouth to the other side, a rotation from the inside of the mouth to the outside of the mouth, or both a translation and a rotation. The gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, pressure sensor, and/or other sensors of the motion identifier 28 send information to the controller 30 continuously or periodically, and a change in that information can be interpreted by the system as a transition, including but not limited to a translation, rotation, and/or other movements or transitions. According to an embodiment, the controller interprets the information form the motion identifier 28 as a transition based on comparison to calibration data, comparison to predetermined or preprogrammed data, and/or other data.

[0062] Once a transition is complete, the controller 30 will utilize that information to determine, at step 350 of the method, the new location, or state, of the oral cleaning device 10 in the mouth. Accordingly, unlike previous methods, a state is determined only after the transition of the device from the previous state to the current state is complete. To determine the new state, the controller compares the transition information from the motion identifier 28 to the calibration data. For example, the controller can determine how well the new data compares to calibration points and obtains a measure of similarity. As described below in detail, there are multiple ways to accomplish step 350 by comparing the transition information from the motion identifier 28 to the calibration data, including: (i) a histogram correlation; (ii) a probability density distribution analysis; and/or (iii) a nearest neighbor analysis.

[0063] For the histogram correlation approach, a normalized histogram is built for one or more axes of both the calibration data and currently observed sensor data from the motion identifier 28. Correlation is calculated by the inner product of the histograms, with element- wise multiplication and then summation. The data set with the most matching data points will lead to the highest sum. When multiple axes are used, the total estimation is calculated by multiplying the results of the individual axes.

[0064] For the probability density distribution analysis, a normal distribution function is fit to the calibration dataset using the following equation:

The current position is then estimated by finding the probability of each individual point of the observed sensor data in the probability density distribution. According to an embodiment, this approach is less sensitive to possible gaps in the calibration data, for example.

[0065] Some state observations lead to ambiguous results in localization. In order to distinguish between these states, it is necessary to look at the transition(s) that led to the state. The most distinctive characteristic of a transition in mouth can be, for example, the angular displacement between a first and second state. However, each transition only corresponds to one set of displacements (x, y, and z). Therefore, there may not be sufficient data to build a normal probability distribution to compare with a calibration set. Due to the small number of data points, the nearest neighbor analysis can be utilized. According to an embodiment, when a transition is observed, the system looks for the five nearest (dx, dy, dz) neighbors of the transition calibration set, although less than five or more than five may be utilized in other embodiments. Preferably the system looks for a number of neighbors that would avoid equal odds. The relative probability of each transition is determined by the number of nearest neighbors each cluster contributed.

[0066] Therefore, according to an embodiment, for the nearest neighbor analysis the observed sensor data from the motion identifier 28 is compared the calibration data set by looking at the x number of nearest neighbor in multi-dimensional space. The distance between a measured point - as determined by the observed sensor data from the motion identifier 28 - and each calibration point is calculated by taking the norm of the difference between points represented as two vectors in three-dimensional space:

(d = \\ - b \\) (Eq. 4)

[0067] The probability for each position can then be calculated by the relative number of nearest neighbors being assigned to that position, using for example the following equation where n(total) is the total number of neighbors taking into account:

P(s)= n(s) / n(total) (Eq. 5)

[0068] According to an embodiment, states and transitions in the dental cavity can be clearly defined, including but not limited to by calibration data. Referring to FIG. 4, in accordance with an embodiment, are defined states for the mouth. The mouth 400 includes upper teeth 410 and lower teeth 420 with states defined as set forth in TABLE 1. A transition is a movement from any one of the states to any other of the states. Some transitions are clear while others are ambiguous, as set forth in greater detail below. Additionally, some transitions are more likely to occur while others are less likely to occur, and this information could optionally be a component of the analysis.

[0069] TABLE 1. State Abbreviations

[0070] Referring to FIG. 5, in accordance with an embodiment, are defined transitions between states in the mouth. The mouth 400 includes upper teeth 410 and lower teeth 420 with transitions defined as either a positive or negative translation ("T") and/or a positive or negative rotation ("R"). Some transitions involve only one type of motion (T or R), while other transitions involve two types of motion (T and R).

[0071] According to an embodiment, the transition probability can be visualized as a table, where an observed signal such as a set of accumulated angle changes provides a probability of each possible transition being true. This can be done fully probabilistically, and/or based on a set of rules.

[0072] The Probabilistic Method

[0073] According to an embodiment, the fully probabilistic method requires a full calibration set of sensor data, which according to an embodiment is angular rotation. After detecting a transition, the sensor rotation between before and after transition is compared to the calibrated angular rotation for each possible transition by one of the above methods for the state estimate, resulting in a table as shown in FIG. 6. For each state transition, indicated by a To/From such as LLO (lower left outside) to LLI (lower left inside), for example, there is a probability P2 that the possible transition is true.

[0074] The Rule-Based Method

[0075] According to an embodiment, the rule-based method is based on prior knowledge of the system, where the type of motion between each segment is known. A table is made with type of motion that can be defined, in this case left and right translations (T+/-), left and right rotations (R+/-), and/or 180° rotations, as shown in FIG. 7. According to an embodiment, the calibration set can contain only calibration data (e.g. angular rotations) for each type of motion.

[0076] When a transition is detected, the angular rotation signatures are compared to the existing signatures, in this example using the nearest-neighbor approach, to assign a probability of each motion being observed. These normalized probabilities are assigned to the corresponding positions in the table, where the motion is expected to occur. All positions where the motion is not expected get assigned the inverse of the probability. According to an embodiment, this results in one full table for each possible motion. [0077] For example, when the positive rotation R+ is observed with a 0.6 certainty, each element in the R+ table where R+ occurs gets assigned 0.6. All other elements are assigned (1 - 0.6), because this is the chance of any of the others being true when R+ is NOT observed.

[0078] According to an embodiment, all tables are then multiplied element-wise to get the final transition probability distribution. When a movement is not observed, each element is assigned the same value (1 N), so the table does not influence the relative odds in the end. According to an embodiment, the representation does not need to be individual tables. It could also be performed using libraries, look-up tables, or other methods.

[0079] Returning to Equation 1, above, the probability of being in a certain state, P(s), is equal to the sum of the odds given by all combinations of having started at any other state, P(s-i), and transitioning to that specific location with probability P(T). To resolve ambiguities and arrive at a better estimate, the estimate is multiplied again by the current state probability based on the calibration data, P(s _ca i).

[0080] According to an embodiment, resolution of ambiguity requires origin information P(s- i), transition information P(T), and destination information P(s _ca i). This is because, for example, for some positions, a state detected in the dental cavity could be a minimum of two different states. For example, ULO and URI might be indistinguishable until a transition occurs, and even then some transitions may be indistinguishable. A ULO to ULI or a ULI to ULO transition, for example, comprises a rotation, but it might be difficult for the system to determine the exact positioning, at least until an asymmetry is introduced. As soon as there is a distinguishable transition, caused by the asymmetry, then the system is free of the ambiguity. Typically, the system will not only be free of the ambiguity but will be able to determine the previous state that was previously ambiguous.

[0081] At optional step 355 of the method in FIG. 3, according to an embodiment, one or more previous state determinations are corrected. For example, a state determination may be determined at step 350 of the method, but a subsequent transition may indicate that the previous state transition was incorrect. For example, the subsequent transition may be either impossible or unlikely from the incorrectly determined state, which may trigger a review and/or possible correction. The system can utilize one or more previous transitions, along with the most recent transition, to determine and correct the incorrectly determined state.

[0082] Similarly, the system can determine a current state and/or correct a previous state if the system momentarily loses track of either a state or transition, or is unable to recognize a state or transition. For example, the system may determine using previous sensor information that it is at a hypothetical state SI, followed by an undeterminable transition T? to a new undeterminable state S?. A subsequent known transition T2 results in determined state S3, which means that the previous undeterminable transition T? to state S? must have been a transition Tl to state S2. The obtained information can be utilized for self-learning and/or to refine or otherwise define the calibration data set.

[0083] Thus, at step 360 of the method in FIG. 3, the system detects a second transition of the oral cleaning device from one state to another state. For example, the motion identifier may detect a translation from one side of the mouth to the other side, a rotation from the inside of the mouth to the outside of the mouth, or both a translation and a rotation. The gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, and/or other sensors of the motion identifier 28 send information to the controller 30 continuously or periodically, and a change in that information can be interpreted by the controller as a transition, including but not limited to a translation, rotation, and/or other movements or transitions. According to an embodiment, the controller interprets the information form the motion identifier 28 as a transition based on comparison to calibration data, comparison to pre-determined or preprogrammed data, and/or other data. Steps 340, 350, and 360 may be repeated throughout the course of the brushing session.

[0084] According to another embodiment, the method utilizes only transition data to track motion and determine the state of the oral cleaning device. For example, when a transition is detected that necessarily defines the state to which the oral cleaning device was moved or is now located, then only the transition data is necessary. In a scenario where a transition defines two or more possible states, it may be necessary to either rely on other sensor data, or to utilize a previous and/or subsequent transition to determine the previous state.

[0085] At step 370 of the method, the system utilizes the state determinations, or just the transition data as described above, obtained during a brushing session to evaluate the brushing session. According to an embodiment, the system stores information about the state determinations obtained during a brushing session in order to create or otherwise perform the evaluation, either now or at some point in the future. According to another embodiment, the system stores information about multiple brushing sessions to accumulate data over time, including improvement in brushing times, technique, or other metric, as well as lack of improvement.

[0086] For example, one goal of the evaluation of the brushing session can be to track the amount of time the user spends brushing each location. If the total recommended brushing time is two minutes, for example, each of the twelve regions identified in FIG. 4 should be brushed for approximately ten seconds. The system can compare the tracked states to a timer, clock, or table to determine which regions were adequately brushed and which regions were not adequately brushed.

[0087] According to an embodiment, the system could utilize other evaluation metrics for the brushing session. For example, another metric could be distance travelled within each region. This might require knowledge of the size of the jaw which could be extracted, for example from either a calibration session or normal brushing. Another metric could be the spread of signals within a single region. For example, if the user is keeping the brush in one location only, the spread will be very small. When the user is moving in one region, thus covering it more completely, the spread will be larger and more conforming to the calibration curves, which are also wider. According to an embodiment, the system can utilize multiple metrics to evaluate a brushing session in a multi-dimensional manner.

[0088] At optional step 375 of the method, the system determines who was using the brush during the brushing session. The system can then optionally associate the information with a user and/or user account. For example, according to an embodiment, the system uses the observed order of determined states to determine who was using the brush during the brushing session. It can be reasonably assumed that most users will brush their teeth in identical or similar patterns during brushing sessions. Accordingly, once a determined order or pattern is associated with a particular user and/or user account, subsequent brushing sessions that are sufficiently close to the stored or associated order or pattern. The determination of whether a session is sufficiently close to a prior session may be determined by a threshold or a probability determination, for example.

[0089] At step 380 of the method, the evaluation of the brushing session can be communicated. For example, the system could communicate information to the user about which regions were adequately brushed and which regions were not adequately brushed. This could be performed utilizing a display, such as a display with eight or twelve target regions and a visual indicator of which regions were adequately brushed, which regions were not adequately brushed, and/or both. According to an embodiment, the system can provide real-time tracking and localization data to a user or to a remote system. For example, the system can transmit real-time tracking and localization data to a computer via a wired or wireless network connection. As another example, the system can transmit stored tracking and localization data to a computer via a wired or wireless network connection. Thus, the system could transmit information about a single brushing session and/or multiple brushing sessions directly to a healthcare professional such as a dentist or dental hygienist.

[0090] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0091] The indefinite articles "a" and "an," as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean "at least one."

[0092] The phrase "and/or," as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean "either or both" of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with "and/or" should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., "one or more" of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the "and/or" clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

[0093] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, "or" should be understood to have the same meaning as "and/or" as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, "or" or "and/or" shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as "only one of or "exactly one of," or, when used in the claims, "consisting of," will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term "or" as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. "one or the other but not both") when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as "either," "one of," "only one of," or "exactly one of."

[0094] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase "at least one," in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase "at least one" refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

[0095] It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited.

[0096] In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as "comprising," "including," "carrying," "having," "containing," "involving," "holding," "composed of," and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. While several inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.