Oral Irrigator Pump Assembly with Knurled Steel Sleeve Fixation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oral irrigators face issues with rapid abrasion and poor sealing due to friction between plastic and metal components, leading to reduced durability and service life, and previous solutions like metal sleeves fixed with grooves and protrusions complicate assembly and may cause water leakage.
Innovation Solution
A steel sleeve is integrated into the pump cavity with a knurled rough surface for improved lubrication, fixedly connected using a uniform and rough glue interface, ensuring stable assembly and enhanced durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal sleeve is placed into a pump case made of plastic through secondary injection molding, then the smoothness and impermeability of the pump are improved, but the metal sleeve easily falls off from the pump case and water seepage occurs between them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming protrusions on the metal sleeve and corresponding grooves on the pump case before assembly. These mechanical interlocking features are created in advance during the secondary injection molding process, ensuring that the metal sleeve is securely retained in the pump case without water seepage, while maintaining the smooth inner surface of the metal sleeve for proper piston operation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a metal sleeve is fixed using a groove and protrusion structure, then the connection stability is improved, but the assembly becomes relatively difficult and requires injection molding for fixation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the metal sleeve and pump case into a single integrated component through secondary injection molding. The protrusions and grooves are formed as integral features during the molding process itself, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps or additional fixation operations. This combining of components simplifies manufacturing while ensuring stable connection.
3Reliability
If the pump case and metal sleeve are made of two different materials, then the smoothness and lubrication are improved, but defective products are easily caused during injection molding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using different materials for different functional regions of the pump. The pump case is made of plastic for structural support and sealing, while the metal sleeve provides a smooth, lubricated surface for piston movement. The secondary injection molding process deposits the metal sleeve material only in the specific region where it is needed, maintaining the smooth inner surface while managing the complexity of multi-material manufacturing.
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 steel sleeve with a knurled rough surface enhances lubrication, prolongs the pump's service life, and simplifies assembly while maintaining a secure connection, addressing the durability and sealing issues of previous designs.
Implementation Method 1
a knurled rough surface is disposed on an outer wall of the metal sleeve, a rough surface is disposed on an inner wall of the pump cavity, the rough surface is at least partially overlapped with the knurled rough surface
Implementation Method 2
fixedly connected to a pump housing using a knurled rough surface being uniform and rough with a glue
Data Source
AI summary
A pump assembly for an oral irrigator is provided. The pump assembly for the oral irrigator includes a housing. The housing includes a front housing and a rear housing, the front housing and the rear housing are connected and are covered with each other, an accommodating cavity is defined between the front housing and the rear housing. The accommodating cavity includes a pump body accommodating cavity, a fluted disk accommodating cavity, and a motor accommodating cavity. The pump body accommodating cavity, the fluted disk accommodating cavity, and the motor accommodating cavity are sequentially defined in a vertical direction. The pump body is disposed in the pump body accommodating cavity, an eccentric fluted disk is disposed in the fluted disk accommodating cavity, and a driving motor is disposed in the motor accommodating cavity.