Electric Toothbrush Brush Head with Central Depression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric toothbrush designs fail to effectively clean interproximal spaces while maintaining optimal cleaning of tooth flanks, often resulting in a prodding sensation due to inadequate bristle configuration and excessive contact pressures.
Innovation Solution
A brush head with a bristle support featuring outer bristle tufts of greater height than inner tufts, forming a central depression with a continuous curvature, allowing deep penetration into interproximal areas while maintaining gentle cleaning of tooth flanks and self-centering effect, achieved through a step-shaped jump in height and optimized bristle arrangement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If outer bristle tufts are extended to penetrate interproximal spaces, then cleaning of interproximal spaces is improved, but cleaning of tooth flank sections becomes suboptimal and produces a prodding sensation
Solution Approach 1:
The bristled section is designed with locally differentiated tuft heights: outer circumferential tufts are extended to penetrate interproximal spaces, while inner tufts are shorter to maintain optimal contact with tooth flanks. This local differentiation allows each region to perform its specific cleaning function without interfering with other areas, resolving the contradiction between interproximal penetration and flank cleaning quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The bristled section is segmented into distinct functional zones with different tuft height characteristics. The outer circumferential region contains extended tufts for interproximal access, while the inner region contains shorter tufts for gentle flank cleaning. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each zone's performance.
2Quantity of substance
If a groove-shaped depression extends transversely across the entire bristled section, then dentifrice holding is improved, but cleaning performance in interproximal spaces suffers and excessive contact pressure is required
Solution Approach 1:
The groove-shaped depression is positioned locally in the central region of the bristled section rather than extending across the entire width. This localized depression optimally holds dentifrice while leaving the outer circumferential region free to extend into interproximal spaces without excessive bending, thus maintaining cleaning effectiveness in both regions.
3Productivity
If outer bristle tufts are made longer for interproximal penetration, then interproximal cleaning is improved, but rounding of outer bristles becomes difficult and gum injury risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bristled section employs locally differentiated tuft heights where only the outer circumferential tufts are extended for interproximal penetration. The inner tufts remain shorter and can be more easily rounded. This local differentiation reduces the overall rounding difficulty while maintaining the interproximal cleaning capability of the outer tufts.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention is directed generally to an electric toothbrush and particularly to a brush head for such an electric toothbrush. The brush head comprises bristle support including mounting means for the movable mounting of the bristle support, said bristle support carrying several outer bristle tufts and several inner bristle tufts, said outer bristle tufts having a greater height than said inner bristle tufts, such that in the working surface defined by the free ends of the inner and outer bristle tufts there is formed a central depression which has a groove-shaped concave bottom continuously curved in one direction and extending substantially straight in the direction vertical thereto. According to the invention, a step-shaped jump in height is provided between the central depression and said outer bristle tufts with the greater height.