Mandible Splint Joint Pin Collar Yielding Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mandibular protrusion splints for treating obstructive sleep apnea suffer from high mechanical loads at the limits of their range of movement, leading to potential damage and injury due to their inability to accommodate the full anatomical range of mandible movement, resulting in limited wearing comfort and increased risk of breakage.
Innovation Solution
The mandibular protrusion splint incorporates joint pins with a shoulder, head, and neck configuration, along with flexible collars on the joint rods, allowing for a yielding movement and reversible decoupling to prevent overload, thereby reducing the risk of damage and injury by allowing the joint rod to disengage from the joint pin without destruction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the mandibular protrusion splint allows a limited range of movement defined by the joint rod geometry, then the therapy position is maintained, but high mechanical loads arise at the limits of movement that can damage the splint and injure the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The collar is designed with changeable geometric parameters - specifically, its cross-sectional dimensions are larger than the neck but smaller than the head, and it includes designed-in flexibility. This allows the collar to deform elastically under excessive lateral forces, enabling the joint rod to yield and disengage from the joint pin without breaking, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining reliability and allowing adequate range of movement
Solution Approach 2:
The joint rod-c collar-joint pin assembly is designed to transition from a rigid constrained state to a dynamic yielding state under excessive load. The designed-in flexibility of the collar and head allows the system to adapt dynamically to forces beyond the defined range of movement, enabling safe disengagement rather than catastrophic failure
2Strength
If the joint rod is rigidly constrained between the shoulder and head of the joint pin, then mechanical strength is improved, but the risk of breakage and injury increases under excessive lateral forces
Solution Approach 1:
The designed-in flexibility of the collar and head converts the harmful effect of excessive lateral forces into a beneficial yielding mechanism. Instead of rigidly transmitting damaging forces that could break the splint and injure the patient, the flexible collar deforms elastically, allowing the joint rod to safely disengage from the joint pin, thus transforming potential harm into a protective mechanism
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 design enhances breakage resistance and wearing comfort by allowing a greater range of movement while reducing mechanical loads, preventing damage to the splint and injury to the patient by enabling a reversible and non-destructive disengagement of the joint rod from the joint pin under excessive lateral forces.
Implementation Method 1
At least one of the collars of the joint rods and the head of the joint pins comprise a designed-in flexibility which, upon an excessive application of a laterally directed force exerted via one of the joint rods, initially allows a yielding movement of the joint rod
Data Source
AI summary
A mandibular protrusion splint includes a maxillary splint part and a mandibular splint part, each of which have a laterally attached joint pin, and joint rods which couple the splint parts together in a movable manner. Each joint pin comprises a shoulder facing the splint part, a head facing away from the splint part, and a neck arranged between the shoulder and the head. The shoulder and head cross sections are larger than a neck cross section. Each joint pin holds a joint rod. The joint rods have a collar at each end. Each collar surrounds the neck in a mounted state. The collar(s) and/or the head(s) have a flexibility which, upon an excessive application of a laterally directed force exerted via a joint rod, allows a yielding movement of the joint rod and then allows the collar to slip over the head of the joint pin without being destroyed.