Air Polishing Handpiece Segmentation for Consistent Abrasive Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dental air polishing systems are cumbersome, lead to premature grip fatigue, and result in inconsistent abrasive material application due to weight, bulk, and limited container capacity, with a tendency to clog, especially with water-soluble materials like sodium bicarbonate.
Innovation Solution
A dental apparatus with a lightweight design featuring an enclosed container system that uses a conduit with a restriction to create a consistent flow of pressurized fluid, entraining abrasive particles uniformly, and includes a purge cycle to prevent clogging, allowing for extended use without frequent refilling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the container is directly assembled to the hand piece to minimize weight and bulk, then the hand piece becomes lighter and more comfortable, but the container size is limited which reduces duration of use before refilling
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two separate components: a lightweight hand piece and a separate container that can be attached or removed. This segmentation allows the hand piece to remain lightweight and comfortable while the container can be sized independently to provide extended duration of use before refilling.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the container is made larger to extend duration of use, then the duration of use before refilling is extended, but the weight and bulk of the hand piece increase leading to premature grip fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the container from the hand piece, the system allows the container to be made larger for extended duration of use without increasing the weight and bulk of the hand piece that the dental professional must hold and maneuver.
3Manufacturing precision
If the container is constantly shifted and rotated during operation, then the abrasive material application becomes inconsistent, but maintaining level orientation is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a oscillating mechanism that dynamically adjusts the container orientation during operation. This controlled oscillation ensures consistent abrasive material application by preventing the container from remaining in a fixed position, while the oscillation frequency and amplitude are designed to maintain level orientation effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes a feedback mechanism that monitors the container orientation and adjusts the oscillation accordingly. This feedback control ensures that the abrasive material application remains consistent by continuously adapting to the container's position and maintaining optimal orientation during operation.
4Productivity
If pressurized gas is introduced into the container to entrain abrasive material, then the abrasive material is delivered to teeth, but the abrasive material tends to clog the apparatus especially in small passages
Solution Approach 1:
The system controls the parameters of the pressurized gas flow, including pressure, flow rate, and gas composition, to optimize abrasive material delivery while minimizing clogging. By carefully adjusting these parameters, the system maintains efficient productivity while preventing the water-soluble abrasive material from clogging the small passages in the apparatus.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a comfortable, lightweight dental instrument with consistent abrasive material delivery, reducing clogging risks and extending the time between refills, ensuring efficient and effective polishing without compromising performance.
Implementation Method 1
As the highly pressurized fluid passes the restriction, the pressure of the fluid drops and the velocity of the fluid increases, thereby creating a suction to draw fluid from the interior of the container
Implementation Method 2
creating a suction to draw fluid from the interior of the container
Implementation Method 3
A restriction is formed in the first conduit between the at least one opening and the passageway. As the pressurized fluid approaches the restriction, the pressure is further increased and velocity of the fluid is reduced. As the highly pressurized fluid passes the restriction, the pressure of the fluid drops and the velocity of the fluid increases
Implementation Method 4
Abrasive particles are thus drawn into the first conduit through the opening and are entrained into the increased velocity fluid, creating a stream of particles entrained in the fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A dental apparatus provides a substantially uniform concentration of abrasive material entrained in a pressurized gas to a desired location substantially irrespective the amount of abrasive material in a pressurized container of the apparatus, and resists clogging by the abrasive material. The apparatus includes a control unit having a container that secures the abrasive material, the abrasive material in the container becoming entrained in pressurized gas received from a dental unit. The concentration of the mixture of entrained abrasive material in pressurized gas is maintained by upwardly directing the flow of the mixture in a first conduit against a cap, a portion of the entrained abrasive material returning to the container, with the regulated mixture of entrained abrasive material in pressurized gas being delivered through a hand piece to the desired location.