Neck-Mounted Mercury Air Collection Device with Vortex Suction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dental treatment devices are inadequate in collecting and suctioning mercury-contaminated air from the area around a patient's head during dental procedures, leading to health risks for patients and dental staff due to incomplete removal of mercury vapors and aerosols.
Innovation Solution
A collecting device with an upward-pointing inlet and a neck cutout design that allows it to be positioned around the patient's neck, combined with a suction device featuring a vortex-generating cover and a filter system, effectively captures and extracts mercury-contaminated air by creating a vortex in the airflow and utilizing filters to purify the air.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional collecting devices are used during dental treatment, then the device structure is simple, but the efficiency of collecting and suctioning mercury-contaminated air is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The collecting device employs a substantially conical shape with a wide upper end and narrow lower end, creating curved surfaces that facilitate airflow patterns. The conical geometry naturally guides air flow from the patient's oral cavity through the collection device, improving the efficiency of capturing mercury-contaminated air while maintaining a relatively simple single-piece structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds vertical dimensionality to air collection by creating an upward air flow path from the patient's mouth through the conical device. The asymmetric design with the wide upper end positioned above the patient's head creates a three-dimensional collection zone that captures mercury vapors and aerosols rising from the treatment area, enhancing collection efficiency without proportionally increasing structural complexity.
2Productivity
If the inlet opens upwards to capture rising mercury vapors, then the collection efficiency improves, but the device cannot be properly positioned around the patient's neck
Solution Approach 1:
The collecting device features an asymmetric conical design with a wide upper end and a narrow lower end, creating unequal dimensions that facilitate both upward vapor capture and neck positioning. The asymmetric geometry allows the wide upper portion to effectively capture rising mercury vapors while the narrow lower portion fits comfortably around the patient's neck, resolving the contradiction between collection efficiency and ease of positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the device have specialized functions: the wide upper end is optimized for capturing mercury vapors and aerosols with a large collection surface area, while the narrow lower end is optimized for fitting around the patient's neck. This local differentiation of functional qualities allows the single device to simultaneously achieve both upward vapor capture and proper neck positioning.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a filter system is added to purify air, then the health protection improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter system is integrated into the single-piece conical collecting device, merging the filtration function with the collection structure. The filter elements are incorporated within the device body, eliminating the need for separate filtration components and reducing overall system complexity while still providing effective purification of mercury-contaminated air to protect patient and staff health.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables efficient collection and suction of mercury-contaminated air, significantly reducing health risks for dental staff and patients by ensuring that mercury vapors and aerosols are effectively removed from the treatment area.
Implementation Method 1
the recesses having essentially radially extending side walls relative to the cover, which each connect the inner side wall with the outer side wall of the respective recess, the essentially radially extending side walls each forming an axis of rotational symmetry of the arrangement of the recesses, wherein, viewed from the axis of rotational symmetry of the arrangement of the recesses to the respective essentially radially extending side wall, the essentially radially extending side walls are inclined from below from a first side upwards to the other side in order to create a vortex in the sucked-in air flow
Implementation Method 2
combined with a suction device featuring a vortex-generating cover and a filter system, effectively captures and extracts mercury-contaminated air by creating a vortex in the airflow and utilizing filters to purify the air
Implementation Method 3
a connection connected to the interior of the collecting device for connecting a suction device for sucking the air out of the interior of the collecting device
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~7
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a collection device (1) for collecting and suctioning off mercury-loaded air, in particular mercury-loaded room and respiratory air, from an area surrounding the head of a patient during dental treatment of the patient, wherein the collection device (1) has a collection device interior (2), an inlet (3) connected to the collection device interior (2) for letting air into the collection device interior (2), as well as a connection (4) connected to the collection device interior (2) for connecting a suction device for suctioning the air out of the collection device interior (2). In a working orientation of the collection device (1), the inlet (3) forms an opening pointing upwards, through which air from outside the collection device (1) can descend into the collection device interior (2), wherein the collection device (1) has a cut-out section (5), in particular a neck cut-out section, wherein, in the working orientation of the collection device (1), said cut-out section is located laterally on a side of the collection device referred to a the cut-out side (6) and reaching from an upper side (7) of the collection device (1) to a lower side of the collection device (1), such that the collection device (1) can be arranged around the neck of the patient in the working orientation, such that the neck of the patient is positioned at least partially in the cut-out section (5).