Dental Handpiece Abutment Segmentation and Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dental handpieces with existing abutment means are bulky, difficult to disassemble, and interfere with the practitioner's access and precision during procedures, leading to potential nerve damage and increased material costs due to the need for multiple drill bits of different lengths.
Innovation Solution
A dental handpiece design featuring removable and compact abutment means with a simple locking mechanism that allows for adjustable depth control and easy detachment, enabling the use of drills with or without abutment shoulders and surgical guides, without the need for tools and minimizing bulk when not in use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If abutment means are fixed to the dental handpiece to limit drill penetration depth, then drilling safety is improved, but the handpiece size increases and interferes with practitioner access
Solution Approach 1:
The abutment means are segmented into separate components: an abutment body with bearing surface, a connecting section, and a guide support. These can be attached to the handpiece only when needed for depth-limited drilling, rather than being permanently fixed, thus reducing handpiece volume during non-abutment operations while maintaining safety when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The abutment means are made dynamically attachable and detachable to the handpiece through a locking mechanism that engages during assembly. This allows the handpiece to transition between a compact state (without abutment means) and an extended state (with abutment means), optimizing both access during general procedures and safety during depth-controlled drilling.
2Reliability
If abutment means are fixed to the dental handpiece, then drill penetration depth control is improved, but disassembly difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The abutment means are designed as separable components with a male protrusion and female cavity interface. This segmentation allows the abutment means to be easily detached from the handpiece by actuating the locking mechanism, enabling simple cleaning and maintenance operations while maintaining secure attachment during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The abutment means can be completely extracted from the handpiece when not needed for depth-controlled drilling. The detachable design with locking mechanism allows quick removal and reattachment, facilitating easy cleaning of the handpiece components and extending the versatility of the tool for different surgical procedures.
3Reliability
If fixed abutment means are used, then penetration depth limiting is improved, but cleaning complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The abutment means are designed to be completely removable from the handpiece through the detachable locking mechanism. This extraction capability allows practitioners to remove the abutment means for separate cleaning or sterilization, simplifying the cleaning process compared to fixed designs that require disassembly of multiple fastened components.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic attachable/detachable nature of the abutment means allows for simplified cleaning protocols. The components can be separated and cleaned independently, and the simple locking mechanism requires minimal disassembly steps compared to fixed designs, reducing cleaning time and complexity while maintaining penetration depth control functionality.
4Manufacturing precision
If non-removable abutment means are used, then drilling precision is improved, but adaptability to different procedures decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The abutment means are designed with dynamic attachability through a locking mechanism, allowing practitioners to install them when precision depth control is needed and remove them when working on procedures requiring unobstructed access. This dynamic configuration provides both drilling precision when required and procedure adaptability when the handpiece needs to be used for other purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The detachable abutment means design makes the handpiece universal, capable of performing both depth-controlled drilling operations (with abutment means attached) and other surgical procedures (with abutment means removed). This multi-functionality increases adaptability to different procedures while maintaining the option for precise drilling when needed.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Dental handpiece able to carry a drill (1) and to drive it in relative motion in a direction of penetration (1-1), comprising a body (2) with a proximal end and a distal end, a removable head (3) connected to the body's distal end (8) able to hold the drill (1), abutment means (4) fixed on the dental handpiece by fixation means (5) and able to limit the depth (P) of penetration of the drill (1) in the body of a patient. The abutment means (4), protruding from the dental handpiece, are fixed and locked on the dental handpiece by locking means (50), which are actuated by the simple movement of joining the head (3) to the body (2).