Tooth Cleaning Nozzle and Tablet Rinsing to Prevent Blockage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oral irrigators are complex to produce and handle, and often suffer from blockages and incomplete dissolution of abrasive tooth cleaning tablets, leading to inefficient cleaning and maintenance issues.
Innovation Solution
A tooth cleaning system featuring a tablet-based tooth cleaning mixture with magnesium oxide and cross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone as abrasive components, designed for easy dosing and handling, where the composition allows for uniform release and complete rinsing out, with a rinsing device that ensures all-sided washing and turbulence to prevent blockages and residue accumulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If water-soluble tablets or paste are placed in a mixing chamber with a pot substrate holder, then additives can be mixed into the water, but the tablet or paste is not directly affected by the water flowing past and can only be reached after deflection, leading to incomplete dissolution
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate holder is divided into multiple holding elements arranged in a specific pattern, allowing water to flow through and contact the tooth cleaning mixture from multiple directions. This segmentation enables complete dissolution without requiring complex deflection mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding elements are arranged in a three-dimensional configuration within the mixing chamber, allowing water flow to access the tooth cleaning mixture from multiple spatial dimensions simultaneously, ensuring complete dissolution while maintaining a simple overall structure.
2Reliability
If abrasive material is fed into a liquid medium with a vibrating nozzle, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the system becomes complex to produce and handle
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the kinetic energy of the water flow itself to mix and deliver the abrasive tooth cleaning mixture, eliminating the need for separate vibration mechanisms or complex pumping systems. The water flow performs the mixing and delivery functions automatically.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixing chamber and delivery system are integrated into a single unit where the tooth cleaning mixture is prepared and delivered through the same water flow path, combining multiple functions into one simple system that reduces production and handling complexity.
3Quantity of substance
If a substrate holder is placed laterally on a nozzle element with a through-going recess, then substrate can be accessed by water flow, but the substrate is not held elastically biased, leading to poor contact and incomplete dissolution
Solution Approach 1:
The holding elements are designed to be flexible or movable, allowing them to dynamically adjust their position based on water flow pressure and substrate characteristics, ensuring consistent contact and complete dissolution without requiring precise manual positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides hydraulic feedback where water flow pressure automatically adjusts the contact between the holding elements and the tooth cleaning mixture, ensuring optimal dissolution conditions are maintained throughout the process without manual intervention.
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 system effectively removes biofilms and deposits with gentle abrasives, ensuring complete dissolution of the tooth cleaning mixture and reducing maintenance needs, while preventing blockages and residue accumulation, thus providing a more efficient and hygienic daily cleaning experience.
Implementation Method 1
A flow of liquid which is introduced washes around the tooth cleaning mixture and, in particular, releases its abrasive components. The tooth cleaning mixture is flushed out itself through interaction with the liquid flow.
Implementation Method 2
The geometry of the rinsing chamber can be designed in such a way that the tablet is always rinsed on all sides and the substrate is continuously rinsed out, even if the tablet volume is reduced as a result of the removal of the outer layers.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1e
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The teeth cleaning system (1) comprises a liquid supply line (5), via which liquid is guidable to an operating element, a fluid source (3), a purging device (7) connectable to the fluid source for receiving a teeth cleaning mixture and for irrigation of constituents of the teeth cleaning mixture using the liquid supplied by the fluid source and for mixing of washed up components and liquid, and a stationary nozzle (15) present in fluid communication with the purging device for dispensing the teeth cleaning mixture and liquid. The purging device is located in or on the operating element. The teeth cleaning system (1) comprises a liquid supply line (5), via which liquid is guidable to an operating element, a fluid source (3), a purging device (7) connectable to the fluid source for receiving a teeth cleaning mixture and for irrigation of constituents of the teeth cleaning mixture using the liquid supplied by the fluid source and for mixing of washed up components and liquid, and a stationary nozzle (15) present in fluid communication with the purging device for dispensing the teeth cleaning mixture and liquid. The purging device is located in or on the operating element. The teeth cleaning system comprises the fluid source, or is connected to a separate fluid source. The teeth cleaning mixture is present in the form of a multilayer tablet, and includes a composition comprising a layer of abrasive particles comprising magnesium oxide, crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and binders. A ratio of the particles in the tablet layers is different, where the magnesium oxide (MgO) content of an outer layer gradually decreases to an inner core layer and the PVP content of an inner nuclear layer gradually decreases to the outer layer. The composition of a core layer comprises 40% of MgO and 50% of PVP. The composition of the outer layer comprises 60% of MgO and 30% of PVP. An intermediate layer is formed between the core layer and the outer layer. The composition of the intermediate layer comprises 50% of MgO and 40% of PVP. The composition of each layer comprises 1% of fumed silica for enhanced sliding properties of hydrophobic constituents. The stationary nozzle comprises a pressure chamber, a twisting unit that is arranged in an inner side of the pressure chamber, a nozzle outlet opening, and a compression region arranged between the pressure chamber and the nozzle outlet opening and extending toward the nozzle outlet opening. Independent claims are included for: (1) a teeth cleaning mixture in the form of a multilayer tablet; (2) a receiving structure for the tooth cleaning mixture; (3) a purging device; and (4) a teeth cleaning nozzle.