Fluid-Driven Oral Hygiene Nozzle for Wider Cleaning Angles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oral hygiene products, such as oral irrigators and brush-jet combination toothbrushes, have limited cleaning efficacy due to narrow cleaning lines and shallow impact angles of the cleaning fluid, which fail to effectively clean interdental spaces and subgingival areas.
Innovation Solution
A head component for oral hygiene products that includes a nozzle configured to move during the emission of cleaning fluid, allowing it to rotate and change angles, thereby increasing the cleaning footprint and directing fluid across a range of directions, including steep angles to cover full interdental spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If a small jet of cleaning fluid is used to limit total fluid use, then fluid consumption is reduced, but the cleaning line becomes narrow and cleaning efficacy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically change its orientation and position during operation. This enables a single small jet to cover a wider area by sweeping across the cleaning surface, resolving the contradiction between using a small jet (to save fluid) and achieving effective cleaning coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds temporal and spatial dimensions to the cleaning action by moving the nozzle in multiple directions (up-down, left-right, in-out). This transforms a static narrow cleaning line into a dynamic two-dimensional cleaning area, allowing a small jet to achieve broader coverage without increasing fluid consumption.
2Ease of operation
If the jet of cleaning fluid is directed at shallow impact angles, then the nozzle can reach interproximal surfaces, but cleaning efficacy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle orientation is made dynamic, allowing it to adjust between shallow angles (for reaching interproximal surfaces) and steeper angles (for effective cleaning). This resolves the contradiction by enabling the system to have both positional accessibility and cleaning effectiveness at different moments during operation.
3Productivity
If the nozzle is made movable to increase cleaning coverage, then cleaning footprint is increased, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle movement is achieved through self-service mechanisms where the fluid flow itself or simple elastic properties of the nozzle structure generate the motion. This avoids complex external actuators and control systems, resolving the contradiction between achieving broad cleaning coverage and maintaining simple device structure.
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 nozzle movement enhances cleaning efficacy by increasing the width of the cleaning line, ensuring thorough coverage of interproximal surfaces and improving cleaning performance, even with small diameter jets.
Implementation Method 1
the first nozzle is configured to be moveable by emitting the burst of cleaning fluid to rotate the first fluid outlet from a first resting position to a first cleaning position
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Proposed is a head component for an oral hygiene product for cleaning teeth by emitting a cleaning fluid. The head component comprises a nozzle configured, in use, to emit a burst of cleaning fluid to the teeth of user via a fluid outlet located at the end of the first nozzle. The nozzle is configured to be moveable by emitting the burst of cleaning fluid to rotate the fluid outlet from a resting position to a different, cleaning position.