Universal Dental Sensor Holder with Flexible Cable Protector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dental intraoral digital sensor holders are not designed to accommodate the physical differences between traditional X-ray film and digital sensors, leading to patient discomfort and high costs due to cable damage from biting.
Innovation Solution
A universal dental digital sensor holder with a flexible design, including a bite block and elongate support structure with a connector for rotational movement, and a cable protector to minimize pressure on sensitive tissues and protect the sensor cable from biting forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a traditional rigid X-ray film holder design is used for digital sensors, then the holder can maintain structural strength, but it causes patient discomfort due to pressure on sensitive tissues and increases cable damage from biting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a flexible coating layer over the rigid holder structure to create a composite design. This flexible shell contacts the patient's tissues and cable, providing cushioning that reduces pressure on sensitive areas and protects the cable from biting forces, while the underlying rigid structure maintains the necessary structural strength for holding the sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder is constructed as a composite structure combining rigid materials (for structural strength) and flexible materials (for patient comfort and cable protection). This composite approach allows different parts of the holder to have different mechanical properties, simultaneously achieving structural integrity and harm reduction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a thin flexible design is used for the holder, then patient comfort is improved, but the holder cannot provide sufficient structural support for the thicker rigid digital sensor
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible coating layer provides patient comfort by cushioning against sensitive tissues, while the thicker rigid core structure provides the necessary support for the digital sensor. The flexible shell is designed to be thin enough not to compromise sensor support but thick enough to provide adequate cushioning.
3Reliability
If the holder is designed to securely hold the sensor, then sensor stability is improved, but the cable becomes vulnerable to damage from patient biting
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible coating layer extends over the cable portion that is susceptible to biting, providing a protective cushion that prevents direct contact between the patient's teeth and the cable. This protects the cable from damage while maintaining sensor holding stability through the rigid core structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible coating acts as an intermediary protective layer between the rigid holder/cable and the patient's teeth. This intermediate layer absorbs the biting forces and prevents direct damage to the cable and sensor components.
Data Source
AI summary
A universal dental digital sensor holder has a bite block connected to a rod that has a connector which is used to flexibly attach a sensor holder so as to allow rotational movement of the sensor relative to the bite block and multiple sensor holders are removably connected to the connector so that they can be used to obtain different radiographic projection views due to their differing configurations for holding the intraoral sensor in the patient's mouth. The bite block can have an opening formed in it fitted with a sleeve to allow access to a tooth located beneath the opening in the patient's mouth. A cable protector can be formed in the rod adjacent an anterior bite surface so that an intraoral sensor cable can be held adjacent the rod and at least partially protected from one or more teeth biting the anterior bite surface.