Dental Cleaning Appliance with Sensor-Actuated Fluid Burst Nozzle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric toothbrushes lack an effective mechanism for delivering fluid bursts to interproximal gaps for enhanced cleaning, often relying on manual operation or simple fluid delivery systems that do not adapt to the tooth's contours.
Innovation Solution
A dental cleaning appliance with a moveable nozzle and fluid conduit system that uses sensors and a control circuit to actuate fluid delivery based on the nozzle's position relative to the teeth, ensuring precise bursts of fluid are delivered to interproximal gaps, utilizing a resilient nozzle and flexible conduit for optimal engagement with the teeth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a manual fluid delivery system is used in conventional electric toothbrushes, then the device structure remains simple, but the cleaning effectiveness in interproximal gaps is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors to automatically detect when the nozzle is positioned in an interproximal gap and triggers fluid delivery without user intervention. The control circuit autonomously manages the pumping mechanism based on sensor feedback, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring manual operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that provide real-time feedback about nozzle position and contact with teeth. This feedback is processed by a control circuit that adjusts fluid delivery timing and intensity, creating a closed-loop control system that optimizes cleaning effectiveness while adapting to actual usage conditions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed nozzle is used, then the device structure is simple, but the adaptability to different tooth contours is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is made moveable relative to the handle, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and orientation in response to sensor feedback about tooth contours and interproximal gap locations. This dynamic positioning capability enables the nozzle to adapt to varying dental anatomy while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure.
3Productivity
If continuous fluid delivery is used, then the fluid continuously cleans the teeth, but the fluid consumption increases and manual control is required
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous fluid delivery, the system employs periodic bursts of fluid that are automatically triggered by sensor detection of interproximal gap engagement. The control circuit manages these periodic deliveries based on actual cleaning needs, significantly reducing overall fluid consumption while maintaining or improving cleaning efficiency through targeted application.
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(c)
Figure 2(a)~2(b)
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A dental cleaning appliance (10) includes a handle, a fluid reservoir (34) for storing a working fluid, a fluid delivery system for receiving working fluid from the fluid reservoir (34), and for delivering a burst of working fluid to the teeth of a user, and an external collar (124) comprising a fluid port (122), the collar (124) being moveable relative to the handle between a first position in which the fluid port (122) is exposed to allow the fluid reservoir (34) to be replenished, and a second position in which the fluid port (122) is occluded.