Oral Suction Device with Automatic Optical Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dental suction devices with integrated lighting require multiple operations for setup, making it difficult to efficiently prepare and move the suction device within the oral cavity, especially when using a saliva drainage tube with a U-shaped bent shape, which limits flexibility and target area illumination.
Innovation Solution
An oral cavity suction device with a vacuum tip that incorporates a light guiding element, where the hose-side light-outputting end face and tip-side light-receiving end face are positioned to allow for automatic optical connection when the vacuum tip is connected to the hose, simplifying the setup process and enabling flexible movement within the oral cavity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a saliva drainage tube with U-shaped bent shape is used for suction, then the suction function is achieved, but the flexibility and ability to move to target areas in the oral cavity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two main segments: a flexible hose portion and a rigid vacuum tip portion. This segmentation allows the hose to be flexible for movement while the tip maintains its shape for effective suction, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and functional shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The hose portion is designed to be dynamically flexible, allowing it to bend and move freely to reach different target areas in the oral cavity, while the vacuum tip remains relatively static in shape to maintain suction effectiveness.
2Device complexity
If separate operations are required to connect the suction source and light source, then the setup process becomes complex, but the device can be configured flexibly
Solution Approach 1:
The suction source connection and light source connection are merged into a single integrated connection process. When the vacuum tip is connected to the hose, both the suction pathway and the optical pathway are established simultaneously, simplifying the setup while maintaining configuration flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs self-configuration through the connection process itself. Connecting the vacuum tip to the hose automatically establishes both suction and lighting pathways without requiring separate manual configuration steps, reducing complexity while preserving adaptability.
3Ease of operation
If the light source is positioned separately from the suction device, then the lighting can illuminate the oral cavity, but the coordination between suction and lighting is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The optical fiber is nested within or alongside the hose structure, allowing the light source to be positioned at a distance from the suction device while maintaining coordinated operation. The optical fiber acts as the nested element that transports light from the remote source to the treatment area.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical fiber serves as an intermediary element that connects the remotely positioned light source to the suction device and treatment area. This intermediary allows the light source to be positioned separately while maintaining coordination with the suction function.
4Illumination intensity
If conventional shadowless lighting is used, then the oral cavity can be illuminated, but shadows are formed by the cutting handpiece or vacuum tip
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using general shadowless lighting that illuminates the entire oral cavity, the invention provides localized lighting directly at the treatment site through the optical fiber. This local quality approach ensures adequate illumination intensity at the target area while minimizing shadow formation from surgical instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical fiber acts as an intermediary that delivers light directly to the treatment area, bypassing the shadow-casting instruments. This direct light delivery mechanism eliminates shadows by positioning the light source effectively close to the treatment site without interfering with the surgical field.
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
This configuration allows for a single operation to establish the suction and lighting setup, enabling immediate illumination of target areas within the oral cavity without the need for separate operations, enhancing operational efficiency and flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
a light guiding element provided in the vacuum tip, having a tip-side light-receiving end face arranged to face a base end side of the vacuum tip, and capable of guiding light input from the tip-side light-receiving end face and projecting the light
Data Source
AI summary
An oral cavity suction device comprising a vacuum hose and a vacuum tip including a tube body having a base end and a distal end that is a suction opening. The oral cavity suction device includes a hose-side light-outputting end face in the vacuum hose arranged to face the distal end side of the vacuum hose to output light input from a light source. The oral cavity suction device includes a light guiding element in the vacuum tip, with a tip-side light-receiving end face arranged to face the base end side of the vacuum tip to guide light input from the tip-side light-receiving end face and project the light. The hose-side light-outputting end face and the tip-side light-receiving end face allow light to be transmitted in a state in which the vacuum tip is completely connected to the vacuum hose.