Self-ligating brackets with full archwire coverage

Abstract

The present application discloses a self-locking bracket with full coverage of an archwire slot, comprising a mesh bottom, a base body provided with an archwire slot, and a cover sheet slidably arranged on the base body, a slide rail matched with the cover sheet is arranged on the side of the base body facing away from the mesh bottom, the cover sheet is arranged on the slide rail, and the slide rail has two locking surfaces arranged oppositely in the width direction thereof, and each locking surface is provided with an elastic locking member; the portion where the cover sheet matches the locking surface is a guide surface, and an anti-slipping engaging position and a positioning engaging position are provided on the guide surface; the locking member engages with the anti-slipping engaging position when the cover sheet is in an open and closed state, and engages with the positioning engaging position when the cover sheet is in a closed state. The technical solution of the present application realizes the guidance of the sliding of the cover sheet by arranging a slide rail with the cover sheet, avoids the influence of the stress of the cover sheet on the locking member, and ensures the locking effect; the cooperation between the locking member and the two locking surfaces realizes the positioning of the cover sheet relative to different positions of the base body, and the positioning effect is good while avoiding the situation of stagnation and locking failure, which facilitates the treatment process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of dental orthodontics, and in particular to a self-ligating bracket fully covering an archwire slot. Background Art

[0002] The self-ligating brackets currently on the market are basically semi-covered, that is, the mesiodistal width of the bracket is wider than the mesiodistal width of the cover. Due to the design characteristics of this type of self-ligating structure, the mesiodistal width of the bracket becomes narrower, which affects the control of tooth torsion during clinical correction.

[0003] Therefore, the inventor has also proposed a design scheme for full coverage of the archwire slot. For example, the Chinese patent document with publication number CN110478062A discloses a bracket with reliable structure, including a base with an archwire slot, a mesh bottom fixed on one side of the base, and a cover plate installed on the other side of the base, the bottom surface of the cover plate and the top surface of the base are in contact with each other and slide in cooperation; a strip-shaped elastic member is installed on the top surface of the base, and two slots are arranged in sequence on the bottom surface of the cover plate along the sliding direction of the cover plate, and a transition ridge protruding toward the base is between the two slots; a part of the elastic member is a working section, and when the cover plate slides, the working section enters a corresponding slot via the transition ridge, and an avoidance groove is also provided on the top surface of the base to accommodate the deformation part of the working section when it abuts against the transition ridge. The above technical scheme realizes the positioning of multiple positions of the cover plate through the cooperation of the elastic member and the transition ridge, ensures the stability of the cover plate state, and thus ensures the stability of the bracket state.

[0004] However, the inventors have found that there is still room for improvement in the locking method of the cover in the related art. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present application discloses a self-ligating bracket that fully covers an archwire slot, comprising a mesh bottom, a base body provided with an archwire slot and a cover piece slidably arranged on the base body, a slide rail that cooperates with the cover piece is provided on the side of the base body facing away from the mesh bottom, the cover piece is arranged on the slide rail, and the slide rail itself has two locking surfaces arranged oppositely in the width direction, and each locking surface is provided with an elastic locking piece; the portion of the cover piece that cooperates with the locking surface is a guide surface, and an anti-dropping engaging position and a positioning engaging position are provided on the guide surface; the locking piece is engaged with the anti-dropping engaging position when the cover piece is in an open and closed state, and is engaged with the positioning engaging position when the cover piece is in a closed state.

[0006] Several optional methods are also provided below, but they are not intended to be additional limitations on the above-mentioned overall solution, but are merely further supplements or preferences. Under the premise that there are no technical or logical contradictions, each optional method can be combined with the above-mentioned overall solution separately, and multiple optional methods can also be combined.

[0007] Optionally, the guiding surface comprises:

[0008] The anti-dropping engagement position and the positioning engagement position are recessed relative to the guide surface and are used to constrain the locking member at corresponding positions;

[0009] A transition ridge is located between the anti-dropout engagement position and the positioning engagement position, and is raised relative to the anti-dropout engagement position and the positioning engagement position to drive the locking member to enter the anti-dropout engagement position or the positioning engagement position.

[0010] Optionally, the guide surface further includes an avoidance slope, which is arranged on a side of the cover plate facing the archwire slot and is used to drive the locking member to deform to avoid the movement path of the cover plate during the installation of the cover plate.

[0011] Optionally, the avoidance slope is smoothly raised from one end of the cover sheet relative to the guide surface, and the other end is quickly fitted with the guide surface to form the anti-slip engagement position.

[0012] Optionally, a mounting groove is provided on the top surface of the slide rail, both ends of the mounting groove are open to the locking surfaces on the corresponding sides, a cross bar is provided in the mounting groove, and both ends of the cross bar are respectively connected to a corresponding locking piece.

[0013] Optionally, the cross bar and the two locking pieces are an integral structure, which is U-shaped as a whole and is buckled onto the slide rail.

[0014] Optionally, each locking surface has a receiving groove connected to the installation groove, and the position of the locking member is adapted to the receiving groove on the corresponding side.

[0015] Optionally, the elastic force of the cross bar and the two locking members drives the two locking members to interact with the guide surface.

[0016] Optionally, the cross section of the slide rail is a T-shaped groove, the cross section of the cover plate is C-shaped and the opening portion accommodates the slide rail, and the guide surfaces are located on both sides of the C-shaped opening of the cover plate.

[0017] Optionally, the cover sheet covers the entire archwire slot.

[0018] The technical solution disclosed in the present application realizes the guidance of the sliding of the cover piece by arranging a slide rail on the cover piece, thereby avoiding the influence of the stress of the cover piece on the locking piece and ensuring the locking effect; the cooperation between the locking piece and the two locking surfaces realizes the positioning of the cover piece at different positions relative to the base, and the positioning effect is good while avoiding jamming and locking failure, thereby facilitating the treatment process.

[0019] The specific beneficial technical effects will be further explained in the specific implementation methods in combination with specific structures or steps. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1a and Figure 1b Schematic diagram of different states of a self-ligating bracket in one embodiment;

[0021] Figure 1c This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the self-ligating bracket;

[0022] Figure 1d for Figure 1c An enlarged schematic diagram of a locking member;

[0023] Figure 2a is a schematic diagram of the cover sheet;

[0024] Figure 2b and Figure 2c is a schematic diagram showing different positions of the locking member and the cross bar on the cover plate from another viewing angle;

[0025] Figure 2d It is a three-dimensional cross-sectional schematic diagram of the cover plate.

[0026] The reference numerals in the figures are described as follows:

[0027] 1. Net bottom;

[0028] 2. base; 21. archwire slot; 22. slide rail; 221. locking surface; 222. locking member; 23. mounting slot; 231. crossbar; 24. storage slot;

[0029] 3. Cover plate; 31. Guide surface; 311. Anti-dropping engagement position; 312. Positioning engagement position; 313. Transition ridge; 314. Avoidance slope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to the other component or there may be a central component. When a component is referred to as being "disposed on" another component, it may be directly disposed on the other component or there may be a central component at the same time.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used herein in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0033] refer to Figures 1a to 2d The present application discloses a self-ligating bracket fully covered with an archwire slot 21, comprising a mesh bottom 1, a base 2 provided with an archwire slot 21, and a cover sheet 3 slidably arranged on the base 2, a slide rail 22 cooperating with the cover sheet 3 is provided on the side of the base 2 facing away from the mesh bottom 1, the cover sheet 3 is arranged on the slide rail 22, and the slide rail 22 has two locking surfaces 221 arranged oppositely in its width direction, and each locking surface 221 is provided with an elastic locking member 222; the portion where the cover sheet 3 cooperates with the locking surface 221 is a guide surface 31, and the guide surface 31 is provided with an anti-dropout clamping position 311 and a positioning clamping position 312; the locking member 222 is engaged with the anti-dropout clamping position 311 when the cover sheet 3 is in an open and closed state (refer to Figure 2c ), and engages with the positioning engaging position 312 when the cover sheet 3 is closed (refer to Figure 2b ).

[0034] The cover piece 3, the slide rail 22 and the locking member 222 constitute a special locking device in this embodiment. Compared with the locking member in the related art, the cover piece 3 in this embodiment is covered on the slide rail 22 to form a sliding pair. The sliding pair can be set to guide the movement of the cover piece 3, but does not limit the cover piece 3 from leaving the slide rail 22. It can also be set to constrain the cover piece 3 in the slide rail 22 as shown in the accompanying drawings. Functionally, the slide rail 22 realizes the role of the locking groove. Referring to an embodiment, the cross section of the slide rail 22 is a T-shaped groove, the cross section of the cover piece 3 is C-shaped and the opening portion accommodates the slide rail 22, and the guide surface 31 is located on both sides of the C-shaped opening of the cover piece 3. In the scheme shown in the accompanying drawings, the locking member 222 is only used to limit the relative position of the cover piece 3 and the slide rail 22 in its own sliding direction, so it can avoid the cover piece 3 from having a greater impact on the locking member 222 when receiving the stress applied by the arch wire or other components. The stability of the locking member 222 during operation has a positive effect on the locking effect of the cover plate 3. For example, the locking member 222 will not be deformed due to excessive stress or even cause the cover plate 3 to get stuck, etc. In this embodiment, in order to improve the stability of the locking member 222, two opposite locking surfaces 221 are provided on the cover plate 3 to improve the redundancy of the locking.

[0035] In terms of the specific matching relationship, referring to an embodiment, the guide surface 31 includes:

[0036] The anti-dropping engaging position 311 and the positioning engaging position 312 are recessed relative to the guide surface 31 and are used to constrain the locking member 222 at corresponding positions;

[0037] The transition ridge 313 is located between the anti-dropout engaging position 311 and the positioning engaging position 312 , and is raised relative to the anti-dropout engaging position 311 and the positioning engaging position 312 to drive the locking member 222 to enter the anti-dropout engaging position 311 or the positioning engaging position 312 .

[0038] The transition ridge 313 forms a driving threshold between the anti-slip engagement position 311 and the positioning engagement position 312. Only when the cover plate 3 receives a force greater than the driving threshold can it overcome the elastic force of the locking piece 222 to switch to a different state. At the same time, in principle, a smooth transition is required between the transition ridge 313, the anti-slip engagement position 311 and the positioning engagement position 312 to realize the movement of the cover plate 3.

[0039] Further referring to one embodiment, the guide surface 31 also includes an avoidance slope 314, which is arranged on the side of the cover piece 3 facing the archwire slot 21, and is used to drive the locking member 222 to deform to avoid the movement path of the cover piece 3 during the installation process of the cover piece 3.

[0040] The avoidance slope 314 can drive the locking member 222 to avoid the cover sheet 3 during the installation of the cover sheet 3, thereby realizing the installation of the locking member 222 and facilitating the installation of the self-locking bracket. Accordingly, after the cover sheet 3 is installed in place, the locking member 222 should be prevented from being separated from the guide surface 31. Referring to an embodiment, the avoidance slope 314 is smoothly raised from one end of the cover sheet 3 relative to the guide surface 31, and the other end is quickly fitted with the guide surface 31 to form an anti-detachment engagement position 311.

[0041] The quick fit of the avoidance slope 314 and the guide surface 31 can achieve a stopping effect, thereby limiting the maximum movement stroke of the cover sheet 3. When the locking member 222 is located at the anti-slip engagement position 311, the locking member 222 can be prevented from continuing to move relative to the guide surface 31, thereby preventing the cover sheet 3 from being separated from the base, thereby avoiding unnecessary troubles for clinicians and other operators during treatment.

[0042] Regarding the installation of the locking member 222, referring to one embodiment, a mounting groove 23 is provided on the top surface of the slide rail 22, and both ends of the mounting groove 23 are open to the locking surface 221 on the corresponding side. A cross bar 231 is provided in the mounting groove 23, and both ends of the cross bar 231 are respectively connected to a corresponding locking member 222.

[0043] The mounting groove 23 provides a space for receiving and positioning the locking member 222. During the installation process, the receiving function of the mounting groove 23 plays a pre-positioning function, which facilitates the subsequent assembly operation. During the use of the self-locking bracket, the groove wall of the mounting groove 23 can limit the movement of the locking member 222 relative to the base 2, thereby ensuring the matching effect between the locking member 222 and the guide surface 31. The crossbar 231 in the mounting groove 23 can play the role of a balance bar, linking the different states of the locking members 222 at both ends, thereby ensuring the stable operation of the locking member 222. It is not difficult to understand that a force system is formed between the crossbar 231 and the locking member 222, and the crossbar 231 and the locking member 222 can be a split assembly structure, and can also refer to an embodiment, where the crossbar 231 and the two locking members 222 are an integrated structure, which is U-shaped as a whole and buckled on the slide rail 22. The integrated structure has the advantages of better mechanical properties and more convenient manufacturing, production and assembly.

[0044] In addition to constraining the crossbar 231, the mounting groove 23 can also constrain the locking member 222. Referring to an embodiment, each locking surface 221 has a receiving groove 24 connected to the mounting groove 23, and the position of the locking member 222 is adapted to the receiving groove 24 on the corresponding side.

[0045] The receiving groove 24 and the locking member 222 have a variety of matching modes. For example, the receiving groove 24 accommodates a part of the locking member 222 to limit the stability of the locking member 222 under the force state; for another example, the size of the receiving groove is equal to the size of the locking member 222, and when driven by the guide surface 31, at least a part of the locking member 222 can be retracted into the receiving groove to improve the feel of the movement of the cover sheet 3 and adjust the size of the driving force of the cover sheet 3. In addition to the matching of the installation groove 23 and the receiving groove 24, the force system composed of the cross bar 231 and the locking member 222 can also improve the state of the locking member 222. Referring to an embodiment, the elastic force of the cross bar 231 and the two locking members 222 drives the two locking members 222 to interact with the guide surface 31. The elastic force that keeps the locking member 222 in the preset position can be provided by the elastic force of the deformation of the locking member 222 itself, or by the force applied by the two locking members 222 to the cross bar 231. In actual products, since elastic deformation is inevitable, when the locking piece 222 is driven by the guide surface 31, both the cross bar 231 and the locking piece 222 will be deformed, but the degree of deformation of the two is not necessarily the same. However, from a mechanical point of view, the elastic force is generated by the deformation of the cross bar 231 and the two locking pieces 222 themselves.

[0046] From the perspective of the normal use of the self-ligating bracket, referring to an embodiment, the cover plate 3 covers the entire archwire slot 21. Specifically, the mesiodistal width of the archwire slot 21 is consistent with the width of the cover plate 3, ensuring the tooth torsion control performance consistent with ordinary ligation, while realizing the ligation-free function of the self-ligating bracket, and better realizing the tooth torsion control in clinical correction.

[0047] The following is an explanation of the working process of the self-ligating bracket in combination with the specific structure:

[0048] The cross-section of the cover plate 3 is C-shaped and the two ends of the opening are arranged opposite to each other. The guide surface 31 is arranged at both ends of the opening. The avoidance slope 314, the anti-disengagement clamping position 311, the transition ridge 313 and the positioning clamping position 312 on the guide surface 31 are arranged in sequence on the path of the locking member 222 (in fact, the locking member 222 is stationary, and the cover plate 3 drives the guide surface 31 to move relative to the locking member 222).

[0049] During the assembly process, first place the cross bar 231 and the locking piece 222 as a whole in the position formed by the installation groove 23 and the storage groove 24, push the cover piece 3 along the slide rail 22, and the avoidance slope 314 will be squeezed against the locking piece 222. At this time, the locking piece 222 is subjected to the force of the avoidance slope 314 and enters the storage groove 24 to avoid the movement path of the cover piece 3, thereby realizing the installation of the cover piece 3.

[0050] After the locking piece 222 passes through the avoidance slope 314, it enters the anti-detachment engaging position 311. At this time, the cover piece 3 is in the open state. When the cover piece 3 is subjected to a torque directed away from the archwire slot 21, because the side stopped by the avoidance slope 314 abuts against the locking piece 22, and the gap between the two is theoretically smaller than the outer diameter of the locking piece 222, the problem of the cover piece 3 detaching from the slide rail 22 is avoided.

[0051] When the cover piece 3 is subjected to a torque toward the archwire slot 21, and the torque is greater than a preset value, the cover piece 3 can drive the locking piece 222 to deform through the transition ridge 313 to release its own movement until the locking piece 222 enters the positioning engagement position 312; correspondingly, during the opening process of the cover piece 3, the movement process of the locking piece 222 is opposite, which will not be repeated here.

[0052] In this process, the opening and closing stroke of the cover plate 3 is controlled by the height changes of the anti-dropping engaging position 311 , the transition ridge 313 and the positioning engaging position 312 , thereby realizing the self-locking function.

[0053] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification. When the technical features in different embodiments are embodied in the same figure, it can be regarded that the figure also discloses the combination examples of the various embodiments involved.

[0054] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A self-ligating bracket with full archwire slot coverage, comprising a mesh bottom, a base body with an archwire slot, and a cover sheet arranged on the base body and capable of opening and closing, characterized in that: A slide rail cooperating with the cover sheet is provided on the side of the base body facing away from the bottom of the net, the cover sheet is arranged on the slide rail, the slide rail has two locking surfaces arranged oppositely in the width direction thereof, each locking surface is provided with an elastic locking piece, a mounting groove is provided on the top surface of the slide rail, both ends of the mounting groove are open to the locking surfaces on the corresponding side, a cross bar is provided in the mounting groove, and both ends of the cross bar are respectively connected to a corresponding locking piece, each locking surface has a receiving groove connected to the mounting groove, and the position of the locking piece is adapted to the receiving groove on the corresponding side; The portion where the cover sheet cooperates with the locking surface is a guide surface and the guide surface includes: The anti-drop-off engaging position and the positioning engaging position are recessed relative to the guide surface and are used to constrain the locking member in a corresponding position. The locking member engages with the anti-drop-off engaging position when the cover is in an open or closed state, and engages with the positioning engaging position when the cover is in a closed state. A transition ridge is located between the anti-dropout engagement position and the positioning engagement position, and is raised relative to the anti-dropout engagement position and the positioning engagement position to drive the locking member to enter the anti-dropout engagement position or the positioning engagement position. An avoidance slope is arranged on a side of the cover plate facing the archwire slot, and is used to drive the locking member to deform to avoid the movement path of the cover plate during the installation of the cover plate.

2. The self-ligating bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The avoidance slope is smoothly raised from one end of the cover sheet relative to the guide surface, and the other end is quickly fitted with the guide surface to form the anti-dropping engagement position.

3. The self-ligating bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that The cross bar and the two locking pieces are an integral structure, which is U-shaped as a whole and is buckled on the slide rail.

4. The self-ligating bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic force of the cross bar and the two locking members drives the two locking members to interact with the guide surface.

5. The self-ligating bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross section of the slide rail is a T-shaped groove, the cross section of the cover sheet is C-shaped and the opening portion accommodates the slide rail, and the guide surfaces are located on both sides of the C-shaped opening of the cover sheet.

6. The self-ligating bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cover sheet covers the entire archwire slot.

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