Toothbrush Non-Circular Suction Cup Design to Prevent Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oral hygiene products face challenges in achieving safe, hygienic, and cost-effective storage solutions with existing suction cup designs, which often result in deformation and damage during storage and transportation.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a suction cup with a cross section other than a circle, featuring a disk-shaped support element that prevents deformation and allows for high fastening force, combined with a handle unit and application unit for secure attachment and easy release, enabling cost-effective production through single injection molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional circular suction cup is used, then the manufacturing is simple, but the suction cup deforms during storage and transport, reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The suction cup is designed with a non-circular cross-section (oval, rectangular, or triangular) instead of the conventional circular shape. This asymmetric geometry provides structural rigidity that prevents deformation during storage and transport, while the support element further stabilizes the chosen geometric form, resolving the contradiction between reliability and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The support element is pre-integrated into the fastening unit structure via injection molding, creating a predetermined geometric configuration before the suction cup is put into service. This preliminary structural preparation ensures the suction cup maintains its shape and prevents deformation, achieving reliability without requiring complex assembly steps.
2Force
If the suction cup is made larger to increase holding force, then the fastening force improves, but the handle design becomes less compact
Solution Approach 1:
The non-circular cross-section of the suction cup (oval, rectangular, or triangular) increases the surface area and perimeter relative to a circular cup of equivalent footprint, thereby enhancing the holding force through greater contact area and adhesion, while maintaining a compact overall volume that fits within the handle structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction cup's non-circular geometry optimizes the distribution of material in the planar dimension, maximizing the contact surface area and perimeter for enhanced adhesion and holding force, while the vertical dimension remains constrained to maintain compact handle volume, effectively resolving the contradiction through dimensional optimization.
3Reliability
If the suction cup is made more robust to prevent deformation, then the reliability improves, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support element and suction cup are merged into a single integrated component manufactured through one-shot injection molding. This combination provides the structural support needed to prevent deformation and enhance reliability, while the single-step manufacturing process avoids the cost increase that would result from assembling multiple separate parts, thus resolving the contradiction between durability and production cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening unit utilizes a composite structure where a rigid support element (first material) provides structural stability and a flexible suction cup (second material) provides sealing and adhesion. This material composite approach ensures deformation prevention and reliability while maintaining cost-effectiveness through the efficiency of single-process injection molding of multi-material components.
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
This design ensures a high fastening force for secure attachment, prevents deformation, and allows for easy handling and storage, while maintaining a compact and cost-effective manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
a suction cup (18a), which is intended for at least temporary attachment to surfaces
Implementation Method 2
suction cup... for at least temporary attachment to surfaces
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
The invention relates to an oral hygiene product, in particular a toothbrush, comprising at least one application unit (12a-d), at least one handle unit (14a-d), and at least one attachment unit (16a-d) which has at least one suction cup (18a-d) and is designed for at least temporary attachment to surfaces. It is proposed that the suction cup (18a-d) has a cross-section other than a circle.