Shear Thickening Fluid Power Toothbrush Biofilm Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power toothbrushes often cause abrasion and tissue damage due to the need for user pressure to clean teeth effectively, and sonic-type toothbrushes take time to achieve optimal cleansing without abrasion.
Innovation Solution
A power toothbrush combined with an oral fluid that changes viscosity in response to operation, using a driving assembly and shear thickening fluid to produce a high shear rate for effective biofilm removal without scrubbing, utilizing a flexible membrane actuator and shear thickening fluid to increase viscosity and create a shearing effect on teeth surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional power toothbrushes use bristles with scrubbing action, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but tissue abrasion and damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical scrubbing action of bristles with an acoustic drive system that generates fluid movement. The acoustic waves create shear forces in the oral fluid to remove biofilm, eliminating the need for direct mechanical contact and pressure application that causes tissue damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses acoustic waves to generate fluid dynamics and shear forces in the oral fluid. The acoustic drive system creates pressure variations and fluid movement that produce cleansing action without mechanical scrubbing, leveraging hydraulic principles to achieve cleaning effectiveness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If sonic frequency toothbrushes operate in oral fluid to produce shear action, then biofilm removal is improved, but cleaning time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a shear thickening fluid that changes its viscosity parameter in response to acoustic wave intensity. At low acoustic intensity, the fluid remains low-viscosity for easy flow and penetration. At high acoustic intensity, the fluid becomes high-viscosity to generate strong shear forces for rapid biofilm removal, achieving effective cleaning in shorter time.
Solution Approach 2:
The acoustic drive system operates in periodic cycles, alternating between low-intensity phases that allow fluid flow and penetration into dental spaces, and high-intensity phases that generate shear thickening for biofilm removal. This periodic action optimizes both penetration and cleaning efficiency.
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 combination effectively removes biofilm from teeth surfaces, including interproximal and gum line areas, without causing tissue damage, achieving quick and thorough cleaning with minimal abrasion.
Implementation Method 1
an oral fluid having the characteristic of changing viscosity upon an increase in velocity of operation of a power toothbrush workpiece element
Data Source
AI summary
The combination of a power toothbrush and an oral fluid, in which the oral fluid has the characteristic of changing viscosity, depending upon the action of a workpiece element portion, such as a flexible membrane, of the power toothbrush. The power toothbrush has two operating conditions. In one condition, the membrane moves toward and away from the teeth at a speed such that the fluid is liquid and flows easily to and around the teeth, including the interproximal regions. In the second condition, the membrane is moved at a significantly higher speed, in response to which the viscosity of the fluid increases substantially, having a shear rate at least as great as necessary to remove biofilm from the teeth.