Toothbrush Cleaning Head Motion Phasing for Gumline and Interproximal Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current powered personal care devices, such as toothbrushes, are not optimized for all target areas in the mouth, leading to non-optimal performance in areas like interproximal, gumline, and molar surfaces, and are heavily dependent on user handling and toothbrush design.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a personal care device with a drivetrain assembly that generates both sweeping and tapping motions, where the sweeping motion is tangential to the cleaning unit and the tapping motion is perpendicular, operated at different frequencies and phase shifts, to improve cleaning performance across various mouth areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single sweeping motion is used for cleaning, then the device structure is simple, but the cleaning performance is non-optimal at certain areas of interest
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two distinct cleaning motions (sweeping motion and tapping motion) into a single drivetrain system. The sweeping motion provides broad surface coverage while the tapping motion delivers focused cleaning force, allowing the device to achieve optimal cleaning performance across multiple target areas including interproximal, gumline, and molar surfaces without requiring multiple separate devices
Solution Approach 2:
The drivetrain assembly dynamically switches between sweeping and tapping motions based on the cleaning needs of different oral areas. The system can transition from continuous sweeping to intermittent tapping cycles, adjusting the motion pattern to match the specific requirements of various tooth surfaces and gumlines, thereby maintaining consistent cleaning effectiveness across diverse target areas
2Reliability
If different types of toothbrushes are used for different target areas, then the cleaning performance at each area is optimized, but the device complexity and user convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal toothbrush device that can effectively clean all target areas in the mouth (interproximal areas, gumline areas, incisor surfaces, molar surfaces, and overall surface areas) using a single drivetrain assembly. The system achieves multi-functionality by integrating both sweeping and tapping motions, eliminating the need for consumers to use multiple specialized toothbrushes while maintaining optimal cleaning performance across all oral regions
3Device complexity
If the cleaning elements are moved only in a tangential direction, then the sweeping motion is simple, but the cleaning effectiveness at gumline and interproximal areas is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a second dimension of motion to the traditional sweeping movement by introducing tapping motion in the normal direction to the cleaning unit platen. This dimensional addition allows cleaning elements to penetrate deeper into gum pockets and interproximal spaces, significantly improving cleaning effectiveness at gumline and hard-to-reach areas while maintaining a relatively simple drivetrain implementation
Data Source
AI summary
A personal care device including a body portion; a cleaning unit having a set of cleaning elements, the set of cleaning elements extending in an axis of alignment; a controller and an actuator assembly arranged to be driven by the controller. The actuator assembly includes an actuator configured to generate first and second periodic movements, wherein the first and second periodic movements operate at different frequencies or out-of-phase with each other. The first periodic movement causes the cleaning elements to move in a first direction about a central axis of the personal care device or along a line that is tangential to a platen of the cleaning unit. The second periodic movement causes the cleaning elements to move in a second direction that is different than the first direction, wherein the second direction is normal to the platen of the cleaning unit.