Swing Arm Disc Brake Assembly for Wear-Stable Dental Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing dental treatment units with brake arrangements face a reliability issue due to wear, leading to a decrease in the inhibition of swivel movement over time, which affects the stability and precision of the dental instruments.
Innovation Solution
A brake arrangement using a stack of discs made of different materials, such as plastic and metal, alternately arranged to provide a consistent and adjustable braking effect, combined with a brake lever and screw mechanism for adjusting contact pressure, ensures a reliable and uniform inhibition of the swivel movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a screw mechanism is used to regulate braking strength, then the braking force can be adjusted, but the reliability decreases over time due to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The brake arrangement is segmented into multiple individual disc brake elements arranged in series, where each element consists of a friction disc and a counter disc. This segmentation allows the braking function to be distributed across multiple independent elements, reducing the impact of wear on any single element and maintaining reliable braking inhibition over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The disc brake elements use composite material construction with friction discs made of wear-resistant friction material and counter discs made of metal. This combination of materials optimizes both the braking performance and the durability, allowing the friction material to wear gradually without compromising the structural integrity of the metal counter discs.
2Device complexity
If a single brake element is used, then the structure is simple, but the braking effect is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple disc brake elements are merged in series within the brake arrangement, where the braking forces of individual elements accumulate to produce a total braking force that is the sum of all individual elements. This merging approach enables the system to generate sufficient braking force to reliably inhibit swivel movement while maintaining a relatively compact structure.
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 solution provides a robust and adjustable braking mechanism that maintains the stability and precision of the dental treatment unit, ensuring consistent performance over time by utilizing a stack of discs and a brake lever system for effective contact pressure adjustment.
Implementation Method 1
a brake arrangement for inhibiting the swivel movement of the swivel arm about the axis of rotation, in this case having a stack formed by discs, the discs resting against one another under contact pressure
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a dental treatment unit comprising a joint part (1), a pivot arm (2) pivotally arranged about an axis of rotation (D) relative to the joint part (1), and a brake assembly (3) for inhibiting the pivoting movement of the pivot arm (2) about the axis of rotation (D). The brake assembly (3) comprises a stack formed by discs (4, 5), the discs (4, 5) being in contact with one another under pressure. The discs (4, 5) include several first discs (4) made of a first material and several second discs (5) made of a second material, the first discs (4) being rotationally fixed relative to the pivot arm (2) and the second discs (5) being rotationally fixed relative to the joint part (1). The use of discs (4, 5) allows the brake assembly (3) to be designed to be particularly reliable.