Optical Waveguide Cleaning Elements for Tooth-Gum Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oral care devices, such as toothbrushes and mouthpiece-style dental brushes, face issues with poor alignment between cleaning elements and the user's teeth, affecting long-term cleaning effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating optical waveguides within cleaning elements to receive and analyze light reflected from the oral cavity, determining whether the elements are positioned at tooth surfaces or gum tissue based on spectral analysis of reflected light, and providing real-time feedback to improve alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional cleaning elements are used without optical feedback, then the device structure remains simple, but the positioning accuracy between cleaning elements and tooth surfaces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning elements are designed to serve dual functions: mechanical cleaning of teeth and optical sensing for positioning detection. This integration allows the same component to perform both cleaning and measurement tasks, improving positioning accuracy without proportionally increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Optical waveguides are introduced as intermediary components that transmit reflected light from the oral cavity to sensors. These waveguides enable precise positioning detection by mediating between the cleaning elements and the detection system, allowing accurate measurement without direct mechanical contact
2Productivity
If real-time positioning feedback is implemented, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The optical feedback system operates periodically rather than continuously, with the light source and sensors activated at specific intervals during the brushing cycle. This periodic operation provides necessary positioning feedback for effective cleaning while significantly reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the existing reflected light from the oral cavity and teeth surfaces as its detection source, rather than requiring additional high-energy illumination. The optical waveguides efficiently capture and transmit this ambient reflected light, enabling positioning detection with minimal energy input
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
Enhances cleaning effectiveness by ensuring proper positioning of cleaning elements, reducing gum tissue damage, and facilitating improved dental care through user guidance and apparatus control.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of cleaning elements for engagement with dental tissue of the user, wherein the plurality of cleaning elements comprises a first optical waveguide configured, in use, to receive light reflected from a surface of the oral cavity illuminated by the light source and to transmit the received light to the light sensor unit
Implementation Method 2
a light source configured to illuminate the oral cavity of the user with light
Implementation Method 3
a light sensor unit configured to detect light
Implementation Method 4
a light analysis unit configured to analyze detected light transmitted to the light sensor unit via the first optical waveguide to obtain an analysis result
Data Source
AI summary
Proposed are schemes, solutions, concepts, designs, methods and systems pertaining to aiding and/or improving oral care apparatus having cleaning elements that are adapted, in use, to engage dental tissue of the user. Embodiments propose that, based on light reflected from a surface of the oral cavity during use, an indication of positioning with respect to a tooth surface or gum tissue of the user may be determined. That is, it may be determined whether a cleaning element is positioned at a tooth surface or gum tissue of the user by analyzing light reflected from a surface of the oral cavity.