Circumferentially Inclined Cleaning Elements for Interproximal Plaque Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric oral hygiene devices struggle to effectively clean hard-to-reach areas such as interproximal spaces and recessed areas of molars, as conventional cleaning elements do not adequately penetrate or loosen debris and plaque.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning section with circumferentially inclined cleaning elements mounted on a star-shaped polygon carrier, where the cleaning elements have alternating properties such as length, cross-sectional shape, or composition, allowing for enhanced penetration and removal of debris and plaque by bending into a more straight position during operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cleaning elements are used, then the cleaning section can be manufactured with simple structure, but the cleaning efficacy in hard-to-reach areas such as interproximal spaces is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning elements are arranged asymmetrically on the carrier surface with different inclination angles relative to the rotation axis. Specifically, cleaning elements at different positions have different inclination angles, creating an asymmetric pattern that enhances penetration into interproximal spaces and recessed areas while maintaining effective cleaning contact with tooth surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the carrier surface have cleaning elements with locally optimized properties. Cleaning elements in specific areas are inclined at different angles to address local cleaning needs - for example, elements positioned to reach interproximal spaces have different orientations compared to those for general surface cleaning, providing localized quality enhancement.
2Length of moving object
If cleaning elements are inclined to penetrate hard-to-reach areas, then deeper penetration is achieved, but the cleaning element structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric inclination arrangement allows cleaning elements to achieve different penetration depths in different directions. By varying the inclination angles asymmetrically, the design maximizes penetration into hard-to-reach areas without requiring uniform complexity across all cleaning elements, thus achieving deep penetration with optimized structural complexity.
3Reliability
If cleaning elements are arranged to clean interproximal spaces, then cleaning efficacy in recessed areas improves, but the arrangement complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric arrangement of cleaning elements with different inclination angles creates optimized pathways for accessing interproximal spaces. This asymmetric pattern allows the cleaning section to effectively reach recessed areas without requiring a fully symmetric complex structure, thereby improving interproximal cleaning with moderate arrangement complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A cleaning section for an electric oral hygiene device is proposed that has at least a first carrier mounted for driven rotation or oscillating rotation around a rotation axis, at least a plurality of first cleaning elements mounted on the first carrier with their bases arranged on the vertices of a first star-shaped polygon around the rotation axis, wherein the bases lie on a mounting surface and the whole interior of the first star-shaped polygon is visible from the point where the rotation axis crosses the mounting surface, wherein all of the first cleaning elements are circumferentially inclined with respect to the rotation axis such that the free end of each of the first cleaning elements is farther away in the circumferential direction than the base of the respective first cleaning element and wherein the circumferential inclination direction of all first cleaning elements is the same, and wherein at least one cleaning element property of adjacent first cleaning elements or adjacent clusters of first cleaning elements discretely alternates between a first configuration and a second configuration.