Oral Care Measurement Elements with Interproximal Positioning Ridges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oral care devices face challenges in accurately positioning and orienting sensing elements within the oral cavity for detecting gingivitis, particularly in the interproximal regions between teeth, due to variations in tooth size, shape, and spacing, leading to potential misalignment and reduced sensing performance.
Innovation Solution
The development of a measurement element with an elongate ridge element designed to engage the interproximal region, featuring sensing regions at specific locations and protrusions for stable positioning, allowing intuitive alignment without direct visual confirmation, and optionally incorporating cleaning elements for enhanced functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the sensing portion is positioned in contact with the gingival surface, then sensing performance is improved, but physiological parameters are altered due to blood expulsion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a positioning element with a ridge that engages with the tooth structure to mediate between the sensing portion and the gingival surface. This intermediary mechanism allows the sensor to be positioned close to the gingiva for accurate measurement without direct contact that would cause physiological changes, resolving the contradiction between sensing performance and harmful effects.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a gap exists between the sensor and gingival tissue, then physiological parameters are preserved, but sensing performance is reduced due to reflections and light spreading
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning element with its ridge structure performs preliminary positioning action to establish the optimal gap distance between the sensor and gingival tissue before measurement begins. This pre-positioning ensures that the gap is small enough to maintain sensing performance (minimizing reflections and light spreading) while being large enough to avoid direct contact and physiological alterations.
3Ease of operation
If the device is designed for easy positioning, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision may be compromised due to potential misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning element is designed to be self-positioning through its ridge structure that automatically engages with the tooth anatomy. The user simply needs to insert the element into the interproximal space, and the ridge geometry self-aligns the sensing portion with the gingival surface, eliminating the need for complex manual positioning while ensuring measurement precision.
4Area of stationary object
If the sensing portion is made larger to cover more area, then measurement coverage is improved, but positioning difficulty increases due to variations in tooth geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensing portion into a compact sensing element that can be precisely positioned using the positioning element's ridge structure. Rather than making the entire sensing area large, the design uses a small, precisely-positioned sensor that can accurately measure the gingival tissue, maintaining measurement coverage while reducing positioning difficulty through the segmented approach.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention discloses a measurement element (100, 500, 600, 700) for an oral care device. The measurement element comprises at least one elongate ridge element (102) for engaging an interproximal region or adjacent teeth within an oral cavity, and at least a first sensing region (104) for acquiring data from gingival tissue within the oral cavity. The invention also discloses an oral care device (10), an attachment (1000) for an oral care device.