Collapsible Oral Irrigator Layout for Portability and Fluid Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional handheld oral irrigators have limited portability and fluid capacity due to their design, where the reservoir is integrated with the handle, resulting in a smaller size that may not provide enough fluid for effective use and are often not easily transportable like countertop units.
Innovation Solution
A portable oral irrigator design featuring a removable reservoir and a handle connected to a base unit via a hose, allowing the irrigator to be collapsed for storage and travel, with a power assembly that can be disconnected and reconnected for use, and a belt drive assembly that reduces noise and improves fluid flow efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the reservoir is integrated with the handle to create a handheld unit, then portability is improved, but fluid capacity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The oral irrigator is divided into separate components: a base unit housing the pump and motor, a removable reservoir, and a handheld sprayer. This segmentation allows the reservoir to be detached and replaced, enabling users to carry only the compact sprayer while having access to full fluid capacity at home, thus resolving the contradiction between portability and fluid capacity.
2Quantity of substance
If the reservoir is connected to the handle to provide fluid flow, then fluid capacity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump and motor are extracted from the handheld unit and placed in a separate base unit. The handheld sprayer contains only the nozzle and fluid passage, dramatically reducing its complexity and size. The reservoir connects to the base unit, and the base unit connects to the handheld via a simple hose interface, maintaining fluid capacity while minimizing device complexity in the portable portion.
3Ease of operation
If the base unit is made compact to improve portability, then portability is improved, but fluid flow efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible hose serves as an intermediary between the base unit and the handheld sprayer, allowing the base unit to remain compact for portability while maintaining adequate fluid flow pathways. The hose accommodates the spatial separation between components without compromising fluid delivery efficiency to the nozzle.
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 design enhances portability and fluid capacity, allowing for effective use on-the-go while maintaining a compact form factor, and reduces noise and leakage issues, providing a more powerful and convenient oral irrigation experience compared to traditional handheld units.
Implementation Method 1
a base unit housing a motor and a pump
Implementation Method 2
a base unit housing a motor and a pump
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
An oral irrigator has a removable reservoir defining a reservoir cavity, a base unit housing a motor and a pump, and a handle for directing fluid flow from the pump removably connected to the base unit and fluidly coupled to the pump by a hose. The handle has a housing defining a slot formed in an outer wall of the housing. The slot is bounded by two opposing walls spaced apart from each other and a transverse wall at a terminal interior end of the opposing walls. The outer wall of the housing is open to the slot at lateral sides of the two opposing walls and at a base end of the opposing walls opposite the transverse wall.