Elastomer-Covered Interdental Cleaner for Bend Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional interdental cleaning tools face issues with shaft portions that are either too soft, making it difficult to transmit force during cleaning, or too hard, leading to breakage when bent at various angles between teeth.
Innovation Solution
An interdental cleaning tool with a grip portion made of synthetic resin and a shaft portion covered by an elastomer, where the relationship between maximum torque value (Y) and rotational angle (X) is defined by the equation Y > −0.07X + 3.3, ensuring the tool remains flexible yet hard enough to avoid breakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the shaft portion is made hard to prevent breakage during bending, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in transmitting force during cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the flexural modulus of the shaft portion within the range of 200-1000 MPa. This quantitative parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by finding the optimal balance point where the shaft is hard enough to resist breakage during bending (improving reliability) while remaining soft enough to transmit cleaning forces effectively (maintaining ease of operation).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining the shaft portion made of resin with the cleaning portion made of elastomer. This composite structure allows each component to contribute its optimal properties: the resin shaft provides structural integrity and breakage resistance, while the elastomer cleaning portion provides flexibility and effective force transmission during cleaning operations.
2Ease of operation
If the shaft portion is made soft to improve force transmission during cleaning, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to increased breakage risk when bent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by establishing a minimum flexural modulus threshold of 200 MPa for the shaft portion. This parameter change ensures the shaft maintains sufficient stiffness to transmit cleaning forces effectively (ease of operation) while simultaneously providing adequate breakage resistance (reliability) when bent during use.
3Ease of operation
If the cleaning portion is made of elastomer to enhance flexibility, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the cleaning tool into distinct functional components: the shaft portion and the cleaning portion. This segmentation allows each part to be manufactured using optimized processes for its specific material requirements, with the cleaning portion separately formed from elastomer and then attached to the shaft, thereby managing manufacturing complexity while achieving the desired flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the elastomer cleaning portion with the resin shaft portion to create an integrated cleaning tool. This merging of different materials and components achieves the desired flexibility for ease of operation while using established manufacturing techniques for both materials, balancing flexibility requirements with manufacturing feasibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an interdental cleaning tool that is not too soft and is unlikely to break during use. An interdental cleaning tool according to the present invention includes: a cleaning tool body that is made of a synthetic resin, and includes a grip portion that is capable of being gripped with fingers of a user and a shaft portion that extends in one direction from the grip portion; and a cleaning portion configured to clean between teeth, covering a leading end of the shaft portion, and made of an elastomer, wherein Y>−0.07X+3.3 is satisfied, where Y is a maximum torque value (N·cm) when the grip portion is rotated at a rotational speed of 10 rpm about a position located 15 mm away from a leading end of the cleaning portion, and X is a rotational angle (degrees) when the maximum torque value is measured.