Manual Oral Care Connector with Off-Center Geometry for Anti-Twist Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manual toothbrushes with exchangeable heads suffer from complex and difficult-to-clean connectors, inadequate anti-twist protection, and poor maneuverability, leading to insufficient cleaning of hard-to-reach oral areas.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring off-center cylindrical sections and a snap-fit mechanism with a spring-loaded ball element provides a robust, easy-to-clean, and anti-twist-protected attachment for the brush head, ensuring precise fitting and stable connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a complex anchor/engaging mechanism with recesses is used to provide strong connection between head and handle, then connection strength is improved, but ease of cleaning deteriorates due to accumulation of toothpaste and slurry in recesses
Solution Approach 1:
The connector employs an asymmetric design with a conically shaped section that tapers from a larger first cylindrical section to a smaller second cylindrical section. This asymmetric geometry eliminates recesses and crevices where debris can accumulate, while the conical shape provides mechanical engagement through friction and geometric interlocking, resolving the contradiction between connection strength and ease of cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the complex anchor/engaging mechanism with multiple recesses from the connector design. By removing these problematic features, the design achieves both strong connection through the conical friction fit and ease of cleaning through the smooth, recess-free surface geometry.
2Ease of manufacture
If a conventional connector design is used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but anti-twist protection is insufficient allowing brush head to rotate during brushing
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric conical geometry inherently provides anti-twist protection through its tapered shape. The conical section creates mechanical interference that prevents rotational movement of the brush head relative to the handle, while still being manufacturable through conventional injection molding processes as a single integrated piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The conical curvature of the connector provides both the anti-twist protection and the friction-based connection strength. The curved conical surface creates a wedge effect that resists rotational forces while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a single molded geometry without complex mechanical elements.
3Ease of operation
If the connector geometry is simplified for easy cleaning, then ease of cleaning is improved, but connection strength and anti-twist protection may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The conical curvature serves dual purposes: the smooth tapered surface provides ease of cleaning by eliminating recesses, while the same conical geometry provides connection strength through friction and mechanical interference. The curvature angle and dimensions are optimized to simultaneously achieve both cleaning ease and connection strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The asymmetric conical shape provides both the smooth surface for easy cleaning and the mechanical engagement features for strong connection. The tapering geometry creates a friction fit that is both easy to clean and strong in connection, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
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 connector allows for easy attachment and detachment of the head, provides anti-twist protection, and ensures effective cleaning of all oral areas, promoting better oral hygiene and sustainability by reducing waste.
Implementation Method 1
a snap-fit mechanism with a spring-loaded ball element provides a robust, easy-to-clean, and anti-twist-protected attachment
Data Source
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AI summary
A connector for repeatedly attaching and detaching a head to and from a handle of a manual oral care implement comprises a first substantially cylindrical section, a second substantially cylindrical section, and an at least partially conically shaped section connecting the first and the second cylindrical sections. The first and the second substantially cylindrical sections and the at least partially conically section define a longitudinal length extension of the connector, wherein the first substantially cylindrical section and the second substantially cylindrical section are placed off-center with respect to the longitudinal length extension.