Oral Care Attachment Coupling With Deformable Shaft Receptacle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing magnetic couplings for oral care device attachments are expensive due to the use of magnets and magnetizable elements, and there is a need for a less costly solution that maintains a small circumferential gap between the drive shaft and the housing while allowing for efficient vibration transfer.
Innovation Solution
An oral care device attachment with a deformable cylindrical wall element or elastic wall elements that define a receiver receptacle for the drive shaft, optionally combined with a biasing spring and mechanical connectors, to securely couple with the drive shaft without magnets, ensuring minimal gap and efficient vibration transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If magnetic coupling components (magnets and magnetizable elements) are used to couple the drive shaft to the motion transmitter, then the coupling can maintain a small circumferential gap and transfer vibration efficiently, but the manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the magnetic coupling components (magnets and magnetizable elements) from the system, replacing them with a purely mechanical coupling solution using the deformable cylindrical wall element that directly contacts the drive shaft, thereby eliminating the need for expensive magnetic materials while maintaining coupling functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a cost-effective deformable cylindrical wall element made from inexpensive elastomeric or plastic material that can be easily manufactured and replaced, substituting the expensive magnetic coupling components with a disposable-like mechanical element that achieves the same coupling purpose at lower cost
2Strength
If magnetic coupling components are used, then the coupling partners can be kept together with magnetic attraction, but the device complexity and component count increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the coupling function and the motion transmission function into a single integrated deformable cylindrical wall element, eliminating the need for separate magnetic components and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining sufficient coupling force through elastic deformation and direct contact
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the coupling mechanism from magnetic field-based attraction to mechanical contact-based coupling, where the deformable wall element makes direct physical contact with the drive shaft, fundamentally altering the interaction parameter from magnetic force to elastic mechanical force
3Length of stationary object
If a rigid coupling structure is used to maintain small gap, then the circumferential distance is minimized, but the coupling becomes wear-prone and less adaptable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic adaptability to the coupling structure through the deformable cylindrical wall element, which can dynamically adjust its shape and contact pressure based on the drive shaft's position and motion, maintaining the small circumferential gap while avoiding wear through elastic deformation rather than rigid contact
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a flexible deformable cylindrical wall element made from elastomeric or plastic material that acts as a compliant interface between the housing and the drive shaft, allowing the structure to flex and adapt to maintain minimal gap without the wear associated with rigid mechanical contact
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 provides a cost-effective coupling mechanism that maintains a small gap and efficient vibration transfer, reducing material costs and wear while ensuring reliable attachment to the drive shaft.
Implementation Method 1
a coupling unit having a top plate and at least one at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element extending from the top plate or at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements extending from the top plate
Implementation Method 2
wherein a spring is arranged between the outer attachment tube and the motion transmitter so that the motion transmitter is biased into a position towards the coupling end of the outer attachment tube
Data Source
AI summary
An oral care device attachment for being coupled to an oral care device handle having an essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end. The attachment has an outer attachment tube having a coupling end for being detachably secured at a housing of the device handle. A carrier is mounted for driven motion at the outer attachment tube. A motion transmitter is disposed inside the outer attachment tube and has a first end coupled with the carrier and a second end arranged for coupling with the essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end. The second end has a coupling unit having a top plate and at least one at least partly deformable and essentially cylindrical wall element extending from the top plate, or at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements extending from the top plate, respectively. Each of the elastic or deflectable wall elements extends over a portion of a virtual receiver cylinder, so that an essentially cylindrical receiver receptacle is defined by the top plate and the one at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element or by the top plate and the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements.