Interdental Brush With Hinged Handle For Angle Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional interdental brushes face issues with durability due to frequent bending to achieve optimal angle, increased manufacturing costs, and usability challenges, particularly with handles that require large molds and complex structures.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable interdental brush design featuring a handle with a freely rotating arm and sliding operating portion, allowing for easy angle adjustment without damaging the wire, integrated hinges for stability, and a detachable cap for improved usability and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the base is bent to fit into the gap between teeth to achieve optimal angle, then the cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the wire is damaged easily in a short time
Solution Approach 1:
The brush support member is designed to rotate freely about the hinge, allowing dynamic adjustment of the brush body angle. This enables the brush to adapt to different tooth gap angles without forcing the wire base to bend, thereby maintaining wire durability while achieving optimal cleaning angles through rotational movement rather than deformation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a brush support member with pivotal support is added to enable angle adjustment, then the adaptability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases due to increased number of parts
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge is integrated directly into the handle member, and the brush support member is connected to this integrated hinge structure. This merging of components reduces the total number of separate parts compared to conventional designs with separate pivot mechanisms, thereby lowering manufacturing costs while maintaining the adaptability for angle adjustment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the handle is made with two sub-handles and five rings to enable angle adjustment, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The handle member is segmented into distinct functional portions: a handle, an arm extending from the handle, a brush support member, and a hinge connecting them. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall structure compared to complex multi-ring systems while maintaining angle adjustment capability through the hinge mechanism.
4Ease of manufacture
If a large mold is used to cast the handle with two sub-handles in open position, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the productivity decreases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The arm and brush support member are designed to nest within or alongside the handle structure in a compact arrangement. This nested configuration allows all components to be molded together in a single injection molding process using a standard-sized mold, eliminating the need for large molds while maintaining manufacturing simplicity and improving productivity through efficient use of mold space.
5Ease of operation
If the operating portion slides along the handle to adjust brush angle, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability decreases due to accidental sliding
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge connection between the arm and brush support member provides inherent mechanical stability that prevents accidental sliding. The rotational hinge mechanism maintains the brush at the desired angle through its mechanical design, cushioning against unintended movements while still allowing deliberate angle adjustments by the user.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an interdental brush and a cap, said brush having a good handling property and a low manufacturing cost, said brush being stored with the cap on while adjusting the brush body at any angle. The handle member 3 supporting the brush body 2 includes a handle body 6, an arm 12 extending from one end of the handle body 6, a brush support 13 that holds a base of the brush body 2, a first hinge 14 that connects the tip of the arm 12 and one end of the brush support 13 in a freely rotating manner, an operating portion 15 provided slidably at the other end of the handle member 3, and a second hinge 16 that connects the tip of the operating portion 15 and the other end of the brush support 13 in a freely rotating manner.