Dental Prophy Angle Rotor Securing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dental prophylaxis angles are cumbersome to assemble, prone to internal component separation, and experience excessive friction due to large contact surfaces, leading to premature malfunction and discomfort during use.
Innovation Solution
A dental prophylaxis angle with a singular housing featuring a first and second bore, a drive shaft, and a rotor, where the drive shaft and rotor are secured by spherical bearing elements and ribs, reducing displacement and friction through minimal contact areas and secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional prophy angles use a two-piece housing with multiple loose parts, then assembly is cumbersome and components may separate during use, but using a singular integrated housing would improve structural integrity and ease of assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the housing into a single integrated piece that encloses all internal components (drive shaft, driven gear, bearing elements) without requiring assembly of multiple housing parts. This eliminates seams that could separate during use and prevents exposure of internal components, directly resolving the technical contradiction by improving reliability while reducing device complexity.
2Reliability
If the drive shaft and driven gear have large contact surfaces, then engagement is secure, but friction increases causing wear and heat generation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs spherical bearing elements (balls) positioned between the drive shaft and driven gear to support their engagement. The spherical contact surfaces replace large flat contact areas, maintaining secure engagement through point contact while dramatically reducing friction and wear between the rotating components, thus resolving the contradiction between reliable engagement and energy loss.
3Productivity
If the prophy angle operates at higher rotation rates, then productivity increases, but friction and heat generation increase causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical bearing elements enable higher rotation rates by providing low-friction point contact support for the drive shaft and driven gear. This reduces the heat generation that would otherwise occur with larger flat contact surfaces, allowing the device to operate at higher productivity levels without excessive heat buildup that causes discomfort.
4Loss of energy
If spherical bearing elements are used to reduce friction, then energy loss decreases, but the complexity of the internal structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical bearing elements are nested within the singular housing structure, with the bearing elements positioned inside the enclosure to support the drive shaft and driven gear. This nesting approach incorporates the friction-reducing mechanism within the existing housing geometry without adding external complexity, resolving the contradiction by reducing energy loss while maintaining a compact integrated structure.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a dental prophylaxis angle that includes a housing, a drive shaft, and a rotor. The housing may define a first bore and a second bore in communication with the first bore. The drive shaft is positionable in the first bore and may include a distal bearing surface. The rotor is positionable in the second bore and can be driven by the drive shaft. Further, the rotor rotates about a first axis. The second bore can further include a side surface, a plane perpendicular to the first axis that intersects both the side surface and the distal bearing surface. The drive shaft and the side surface of the second bore can operate together, against a common surface of the rotor, to prevent removal of the rotor from the second bore in a direction along the first axis.