Cross-Shaped Oral Care Filament Geometry for Plaque Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional oral care filaments struggle with effective plaque removal from interdental spaces and hard-to-reach areas due to low bending stiffness, which leads to reduced cleaning efficiency and increased wear, while thicker filaments can cause discomfort and gum injury.
Innovation Solution
A filament with a cross-shaped cross-sectional area featuring four projections and four channels arranged in an alternating manner, providing a concave curvature with a radius between 0.015 mm to 0.12 mm and an outer diameter to radius ratio between 2.5 to 12, enhancing bending stiffness and capillary action for improved cleaning performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the length of the filament is increased, then the bending stiffness decreases, but the cleaning efficiency and interdental penetration are improved
Solution Approach 1:
The filament cross-section is designed with non-uniform properties featuring four projections and four channels, creating local variations in stiffness and flexibility. This allows the filament to maintain adequate bending stiffness while achieving improved interdental penetration through the projection geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The filament employs an asymmetric cross-sectional shape with four projections and four channels rather than a symmetric circular or square shape. This asymmetric geometry provides directional stiffness characteristics that improve both bending performance and interdental penetration capability
2Strength
If the cross sectional area of the filament is increased, then the bending stiffness is compensated, but the brushing sensation becomes unpleasant and gum injury occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly increasing the filament diameter, the invention introduces local structural variations with four projections and four channels. This creates regions of different stiffness within the same filament, allowing adequate bending stiffness for cleaning while maintaining a thinner overall profile that prevents gum injury
Solution Approach 2:
The filament cross-section combines multiple geometric features (projections and channels) within a single structure, creating a composite geometry that achieves enhanced mechanical properties without increasing overall filament thickness, thereby avoiding gum irritation
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional filaments are used, then manufacturing is simple, but plaque removal from interdental areas is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs an asymmetric cross-sectional shape with four projections and four channels that can be manufactured using conventional extrusion processes. The asymmetric geometry is achieved through standard manufacturing techniques while providing superior interdental penetration and plaque removal effectiveness
4Reliability
If cross-shaped filaments are used, then cleaning properties are improved, but the filaments catch amongst themselves during brushing
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric cross-sectional design with four projections and four channels reduces filament entanglement during brushing by creating a geometry that is less likely to interlock with adjacent filaments, while still maintaining the enhanced cleaning properties of a non-circular cross-section
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 specific geometry of the filament improves plaque removal from all tooth surfaces, including interdental areas, reduces wear, and maintains comfort by providing increased stiffness and capillary action, allowing for better dentifrice retention and distribution during brushing.
Implementation Method 1
the cross-sectional area having an outer diameter, and each channel having a concave curvature formed by neighboring and converging projections, the concave curvature having a radius, wherein the radius is within a range from about 0.015 mm to about 0.12 mm
Data Source
AI summary
A filament for an oral care implement has a longitudinal axis and a substantially cross-shaped cross-sectional area extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The cross-shaped cross-sectional area has four projections and four channels, the projections and channels are arranged in an alternating manner. The cross-sectional area has an outer diameter, and each channel has a concave curvature formed by neighboring and converging projections. The concave curvature has a radius which is within a range from about 0.015 mm to about 0.12 mm, and the ratio of the outer diameter to the radius is within a range from about 2.5 to about 12.