Tapered Core Interdental Brush with Elastic Anti-Slip Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing interdental brushes face challenges in effectively removing foreign substances from narrow gaps between teeth, as traditional toothpicks can be difficult to maneuver and prone to breakage.
Innovation Solution
An interdental brush design featuring a base part with a handle and a core part that tapers as it extends, combined with a soft part made of an elastic material that includes anti-slip and interdental cleaning parts with multiple projections for effective foreign substance removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a toothpick is used to remove food debris between teeth, then it can reach narrow gaps, but the sharp end may be easily broken and does not fit well in narrow gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The toothpick is transformed into an interdental brush by changing its physical form from a solid rigid structure to a brush with flexible bristles. The bristle diameter is specifically designed to be adaptable to different gap widths, and the flexible nature allows the brush to bend and fit into narrow spaces without breaking.
Solution Approach 2:
The brush portion of the interdental brush uses flexible bristles that can bend and adapt to the contours of teeth and narrow gaps. This flexibility allows the brush to enter and exit narrow gaps easily without breaking, unlike rigid toothpicks.
2Reliability
If an interdental brush with a uniform diameter core is used, then it provides consistent structure, but it is difficult to effectively clean both narrow and wide gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The core of the interdental brush is designed with asymmetric diameter variation along its length. The proximal end has a larger diameter for structural stability and grip, while the distal end has a smaller diameter that can flex and adapt to narrow gaps between teeth, providing both stability and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The brush is divided into distinct functional zones: a proximal grip portion with larger diameter for user control, a transition zone with varying diameter for flexibility, and a distal cleaning portion with smaller diameter for accessing narrow gaps. Each segment serves a specific function.
3Ease of operation
If the handle part is made smooth for easy gripping, then user comfort is improved, but the brush may slip out of hand
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed with different surface qualities in different regions. The main body of the handle has a smooth surface for comfort, while specific grip zones feature protruding projections that increase friction and prevent slipping. This localized variation in surface quality provides both comfort and secure grip.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional injection molding is used for manufacturing, then production is simple, but the brush portion may deform during molding
Solution Approach 1:
A support mold is placed inside the brush portion before injection molding to maintain its shape during the molding process. This preliminary structural support prevents deformation of the brush portion, especially the flexible bristle area, ensuring manufacturing precision while using traditional injection molding methods.
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 interdental brush is easily gripped and effectively removes foreign substances between teeth, while the improved injection moldability enhances manufacturing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the soft part being formed of an elastic material
Data Source
AI summary
An interdental brush of the present disclosure includes a base part including a handle part that is grippable by a user, and a core part extending from the handle part and having a diameter or thickness that decreases as a distance from the handle part increases, and a soft part including an anti-slip part covering at least a part of the handle part, and an interdental cleaning part covering the core part and including a plurality of projections for removing foreign substances between teeth, the soft part being formed of an elastic material. The base part includes a plurality of through holes disposed to be spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction, and the soft part is provided in a space formed by at least one of the plurality of through holes.