Movable Supply Device for Sequential Medical Instrument Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning or care devices for medical instruments, particularly dental instruments, become complex and bulky with multiple connections, requiring separate supply devices and actuators for each connection, leading to increased volume and space consumption.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning or care device with a movable supply device and connections that allow only one connection to be supplied with cleaning agents at a time, using a single interface and distributor system, reducing the need for multiple supply lines and actuators, and incorporating a detector unit for precise instrument positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple connections are provided for multiple instruments to be cleaned simultaneously, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases due to separate supply devices for each connection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a movable base element that can be positioned to connect different connections to the supply device sequentially. This dynamic positioning mechanism allows a single supply device to serve multiple connections over time, resolving the contradiction between handling multiple instruments and maintaining simple supply device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to the supply connection by enabling sequential access to multiple connections through movement of the base element. Instead of providing simultaneous supply to all connections (spatial parallelism), the system uses time-multiplexed supply (temporal sequence), effectively adding a time dimension to resolve the contradiction.
2Productivity
If multiple connections are provided for multiple instruments, then productivity is improved, but volume of the device increases due to multiple supply lines and actuators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple potential supply lines into a single supply device that services all connections sequentially. By combining the supply function into one unit rather than having separate supply lines for each connection, the overall device volume is reduced while still enabling multiple instruments to be cleaned in a single cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable base element enables the system to dynamically reconfigure which connection receives supply at any given time. This dynamic capability allows the physical supply infrastructure to be minimized (single supply device) while maintaining the functional capability to service multiple connections, thereby reducing device volume without sacrificing productivity.
3Device complexity
If a single supply device is used for multiple connections, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision is required to ensure correct positioning and connection supply
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a detector unit that monitors the position of the movable base element and provides feedback to the control system. This feedback mechanism ensures that the base element is correctly positioned to connect the intended connection to the supply device, maintaining measurement precision while using a simplified single supply device architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning or care device for the cleaning or care of medical or dental instruments, having a cleaning or care chamber in which at least two connections for the instruments to be cleaned are provided, and a supply device for supplying the at least two connections with a cleaning or care agent. The at least two connections and the supply device can be moved relative to one another in such a way that one of the connections can be connected to the supply device and supplied with a cleaning or care agent, while another of the connections is not connected to the supply device and cannot be supplied with a cleaning or care agent. A corresponding method for the cleaning or care of medical or dental instruments with such a cleaning or care device is also described.