WO2016185068A1

WO2016185068A1 - Device and kit for interdental cleaning

Info

Publication number: WO2016185068A1
Application number: PCT/ES2016/070364
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio LAMARCA RODRIGUEZ; Juan Carlos Del Castillo Nieto; Francisco Pubill Coy
Original assignee: Lacer, S.A.
Priority date: 2015-05-15
Filing date: 2016-05-13
Publication date: 2016-11-24
Also published as: ES2589832B1; ES2589832A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for interdental cleaning, comprising a system for generating a gaseous current, configured to circulate a gaseous current in a channel, a system for generating drops of fluid comprising at least one fluid reservoir provided with outlets to a zone of the channel that is separated from the reservoir by one or more permeable elements provided in a manner corresponding to the outlets. The system for generating drops of fluid comprises one or more devices for generating drops via ultrasound, configured such that, when they are activated at a determined frequency, drops of fluid are generated that cross the permeable element from the reservoir towards the zone of the channel, said drops being carried by the gaseous current, thereby producing a current of drops in a gaseous medium towards an outlet of the channel.

Description

DEVICE AND KIT FOR INTERDENTAL CLEANING

The present description refers to a device for interdental cleaning. STATE OF THE PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE

At present, various methods and equipment are known whose objective is to eliminate dental plaque. Most of these methods are based on a mechanical effect: the plaque is removed by drag or friction by the system used on the dental surface. The most widespread method of removing dental plaque is the toothbrush. Conventional toothbrushes are generally effective for removing plaque in those places that can be accessed by brush bristles. However, there are areas of the oral cavity in which the access of the bristles of the toothbrushes is not easy, the interdental areas for example, where the removal of the plaque is generally more problematic, because the bristles cannot Contact the board physically. In these areas, the effect of the toothbrush is combined with other cleaning systems such as dental floss or interdental brushes. The previous systems have limitations in that they can access very small spaces. Additionally, they can cause gum injury and bleeding if excessive force is applied.

Other alternative systems for dental cleaning especially indicated for interdental cleaning or for hard-to-reach areas of toothbrushes are so-called mouth irrigators, whose operation is based on the application of a water jet at a certain pressure. As a variant of these systems, there are devices that combine the jets of water under pressure with air, so that the water jet reaches the oral cavity with microbubbles or nanobubbles to increase the efficiency of irrigation. On the other hand, in the state of the art, systems that make use of microdroplets of liquid within a gaseous stream are also known. In most of these devices, a high-speed fluid or gas stream is used to generate liquid droplets by bringing the liquid into contact with the gas stream. Among these devices, you can find some that work at high pressure, using pressurized gas cartridges to generate microdroplets of fluid that are accelerated later through a series of ducts and nozzles until reaching the oral cavity. These devices have certain drawbacks related to the safety in the use by private users or the supply and withdrawal of spent cartridges.

Additionally, other types of devices that make use of low pressure gas streams for the generation of fluid droplets are also known. For example, document EP726743 describes a plate removal device comprising a spray nozzle connected to an electric compressor configured to pressurize a liquid contained in a reservoir and expel it towards the nozzle.

WO2005070324 describes a system for cleaning dental plaque based on the generation of drops of fluid that are accelerated in a gaseous stream to the desired speed and conducted into the oral cavity through a mouthpiece. The dispersion of drops occurs as a spray. In this type of devices, the droplet size ranges between 5 and 200 microns. In these systems, when the impulse of the drops becomes very large it is possible to damage the soft tissue existing inside the oral cavity.

The purpose of the present disclosure is to solve some of the inconveniences detected in other dental cleaning devices known in the state of the art and to provide an improved alternative device. EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect an interdental cleaning device is provided comprising a body that extends longitudinally from a proximal end to a distal end. The body comprises a system for generating a gaseous stream configured to circulate a gaseous stream through a channel that partially extends along the body. The body further comprises a fluid droplet generation system comprising at least one fluid reservoir provided with one or more outlets towards a channel mixing zone. The channel mixing zone is separated from the reservoir by one or more permeable elements provided in correspondence with the reservoir outlets. The fluid drop generation system further comprises one or more devices for generation of ultrasound droplets configured so that when activated at a certain frequency, drops of fluid are generated that pass through the permeable element from the fluid reservoir to the mixing zone, the droplets being in turn carried by the gas stream, producing in this way a stream of drops in gaseous medium towards an outlet of the mixing zone, the outlet being provided at the distal end of the body.

According to this aspect, thanks to the presence of one or more ultrasonic drop generating devices, the drops are generated and moved by ultrasonic vibration. This vibration guarantees the generation of drops of fluid of controlled and homogeneous size. And this improves the control over the drop population, that is to say, it allows to work with smaller drop sizes, at least in the area in which they are generated. This, in turn, allows you to better control the size of the drops at the end of your journey, that is to say, it allows you to better control the size of the drops that reach the interdental area to be cleaned. The size of the drops at the end of their journey may also depend on the condensations and / or shocks (and subsequent union) between drops that may occur during their movement within the gas stream. In some examples, the drops that reach the area to be cleaned may have an average size between about 50 and about 90 microns. In this way, they guarantee an adequate size to drag the plate and allow access to relatively small interdental areas. The droplet size that reaches the area to be cleaned can be controlled according to the circumstances by modifying, for example, the velocity of the gaseous stream, the pore size of the permeable element, the length of the flow of the droplet stream in the gaseous medium and / or a combination of one or more of these parameters.

Likewise, the presence of ultrasonic vibrations, at least during the use of the device, contributes to decrease, at least partially, the formation of obstructions in the microperforations, for example due to the presence of lime particles in the water.

According to some examples, the ultrasonic droplet generating device may comprise an ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer. In some From these examples, the ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer can be my perforated ero, the microperforations forming the permeable element.

According to some examples, the permeable element may have a pore size between about 3 and about 15 microns. This pore size favors the generation of micro-droplets of adequate size, in addition to contributing to the creation of drops of substantially homogeneous size. The drops generated in this way, that is to say, with a relatively controlled and homogeneous size, guarantee an adequate drop size at the end of its path, that is, when the drops have already been mixed (grouped or collided) with each other and / or have condensed into its transit in the gaseous stream into the oral cavity. It is thus possible to improve the average droplet size in the oral cavity so that it is suitable for dragging the plaque and, in turn, allowing access to relatively small interdental areas.

In some cases, the pore size may be between 8 and 15 microns. In more examples, the pore size can be between 2 and 25 microns and even more examples between 1 and 50 microns. Depending on the combination of parameters described above (gas stream velocity, pore size, etc ...) it is possible to control the droplet size at the outlet, ie the droplet size in the oral cavity.

According to some examples, the device may further comprise a control system configured to activate the fluid drop generation system and to activate the gas flow generation system. The control system allows to regulate the operation of all the elements (or subsystems) present in the device. In some cases, the control system may comprise a button or any other element, with which a user can operate the device. Its drive can generate a signal that is transmitted to, for example, electronic activation elements of the ultrasonic droplet generation system. On the other hand, said signal can also be transmitted to electronic elements of the gas flow generation system.

In some of these examples, the control system may comprise a programmable control configured to delay the activation of the gas flow generation system with respect to the activation time of the generation system. drops of fluid This makes it possible to modify the volume of drops generated in an operating cycle by allowing a longer operating time of the fluid droplet generation system before generating the gaseous stream, that is, it allows the creation of a stream of drops in a gaseous medium. with greater concentration of drops.

In some of these cases, the programmed delay may be between about 1 and about 4 seconds. In more examples, the programmed delay can be between 2 and 3 seconds.

According to some examples, the gas current generation system may comprise a motor that drives a piston which, in its displacement, compresses a spring so that when the piston stops operating, the spring recovers its decompressed initial state, thus generating the gas stream . In some of these examples, the gas stream can circulate at a velocity around 10 m / s. In more examples, this speed can be between about 1 and about 100 m / s.

The velocity of the gas stream may in turn be related to the size of the droplet entering the mixing zone. In addition, it can also depend on the length of the channel that runs through the gaseous stream until it reaches the mixing zone and / or on the length of the duct (head) that the droplet stream must travel through in a gaseous medium until it reaches the oral cavity. In some cases, it may also depend on the volume ratio that is desired to have between the gas stream and the drops generated so that a final droplet size is obtained in the oral cavity suitable for removing the plaque and for accessing small interdental areas in the oral cavity.

According to some examples, the ratio (ratio) in volume between the gas stream (arrow A) and the drops generated by the ultrasonic droplet generation device may be around 100: 1 in volume. In some of these examples, the ratio between the gas stream and the drops generated may be 10: 1 while in other examples it may be 300: 1. According to more examples, the ultrasonic droplet generating device can operate at a frequency of between about 100 to about 150 kHz. According to some examples, the device may comprise a power supply system configured to receive the proximal end of the body.

According to another aspect, an interdental cleaning kit is provided comprising a device substantially as described and a conductive head that can be coupled at its end proximal to the outlet of the mixing zone of the interdental cleaning device. The conduction head can be configured to circulate the drop stream in gaseous medium from the mixing zone of the interdental cleaning device. In more examples, the conduction head may be formed by a conduit whose outlet can comprise at least one nozzle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some non-limiting examples will be described below, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective of a kit according to an example;

Figure 2 shows a section of a kit according to another example;

Figure 3 shows a detail of a fluid drop generation system according to an example;

Figure 4 shows an example of a mixing zone;

Figure 5 shows a partial cross section of a fluid drop generation system and a mixing zone according to an example;

In these figures reference is made to the following elements:

1. base for power supply system

2. power supply system

3. fluid drop generation system

4. gas stream generation system

5. driving head

6. proximal end of the driving head 7. driving head outlet

8. control system for device drive

9. fluid reservoir

10. fluid reservoir outlet

1 1. ultrasonic droplet generation device

12. fluid drop entry into the mixing zone

13. channel

14. Leaving the mixing zone (stream of drops in gaseous medium)

15. mixing zone of drops of fluid and gas stream

16. body

17. proximal end of the body

18. distal end of the body

19. permeable element

20. kit

DETAILED EXHIBITION OF REALIZATION MODES

Figure 1 shows a perspective of a kit 20 and the main elements that compose it according to an example. The kit 20 may comprise a conduction head 5 attachable to an interdental cleaning device. The device may be formed by a body 16 that extends longitudinally from a distal end 18 to a proximal end 17.

Throughout the present description and claims it should be understood as the proximal end of the body that in use will be attached to the hand (and therefore to the body) of the user of the device, the distal end being its opposite, that is to say the one in use will be further from the user's hand or body.

A proximal end 6 of the head 5 may be attached to the distal end 18 of the body 16. In turn, a proximal end 17 of the body 16 may be configured to be coupled (and uncoupled) to a base 1 that houses a power supply system of energy 2. The power supply system 2 can be any known system as long as it allows the different elements that make up the device to be activated. In some examples, the power supply system 2 may be of the electromagnetic induction type and may comprise the base 1 connected to the electric current that allows the charging of batteries capable of being housed in a lower (proximal) part of the body 16 of the device. This type of power supply system provides autonomy to the device and allows its use without direct connection to the electric current.

Figure 2 shows a view in a longitudinal section of a kit according to another example. According to this example, the body 16 of the device can accommodate a gas current generation system 4 in an area near the proximal end 17. In this example the gas current generation system 4 may comprise a motor (not visible) that drives a piston 41 which in its displacement can compress a spring 42 in such a way that, when the piston stops operating, the spring recovers its decompressed initial state, thereby generating the gas stream. Other alternatives for the generation of the gas stream can also be provided.

In the example of figure 2, a sectional view of the power supply system 2 which can be of the electromagnetic induction type is also shown, which allows to provide autonomy to the device since it allows its use without direct connection to the electric current substantially as described.

In the example of figure 3 a detail of a fluid drop generation system 3 also provided within the body 16 of the device is shown. In this example, the fluid droplet generation system 3 may comprise a fluid reservoir 9 and two microperforated ultrasonic piezoelectric transducers 1 1 in direct contact with the reservoir fluid 9. Microperforations present in the microperforated ultrasonic transducer 11 may be arranged in correspondence with an outlet 10 (see figure 5) of the reservoir 9. In some examples, the fluid may be water, or any other liquid commonly used for dental hygiene such as a mouthwash or mouthwash that in turn may or may not include in its formulation some active with antiseptic and / or bactericidal properties.

In other examples, the fluid drop generation system may comprise another amount of microperforated ultrasonic piezoelectric transducers, or even a single ultrasonic transducer. Alternatively, the fluid drop generation system may comprise more reservoirs and another number of ultrasonic transducers. In more alternatives, one or more fluid drop generation systems may comprise one or more ultrasonic piezoelectric transducers without microperforations, in these cases a permeable element may be arranged in correspondence with the outlet (s) of the reservoir (s) ( s) of fluid. In more variants, a single tank may comprise more than one outlet, for example two, according to the example of Figure 3 or more than two in other examples. In these cases, each output may be in contact with a microperforated or non-ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer and / or with a permeable element disposed at each output, in cases where the ultrasonic transducer is not microperforated.

For actuation of the device by a user, a control system 8 that drives the ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer (s) (microperforated or not) can be provided in the body 16 producing its stimulation at a frequency working, for example between approximately 100 and approximately 150 kHz. The vibration produced at this working frequency can modify the forces of attraction between the particles that make up the fluid (water in this example) provided in the tank, generating drops of fluid that, due to pressure differences, will be transferred from the fluid tank 9 to a mixing zone 15 through the microperforations if the transducer is microperforated (or through a permeable element 19 in other examples).

The pore size of the permeable element or of the microperforations and the vibration frequency of the piezoelectric transducer contribute to defining the size of the droplets generated that reach the mixing zone 15. The inventors have found that pore sizes between about 3 and approximately 15 microns operating at frequencies between approximately 100 and approximately 150 kHz give good results. In particular, pore sizes between 8 and 15 microns. In more examples, pore sizes between 2 and 25 microns or between 1 and 50 microns may also be acceptable.

The drops of fluid through the microperforations of the ultrasonic transducer (or permeable element 19) can reach the mixing zone 15 at the outlet 10 of the fluid reservoir 9. These drops can be carried by a gas stream (arrow A) generated by the gas current generation system 4 disposed at a proximal end of a channel 13 provided inside the body 16 of the device. A stream of drops in a gaseous medium (arrow B) can thus pass through an outlet 14 of the mixing zone 15 provided at the distal end 18 of the body 16 of the device. An example of mixing zone 15 is shown in Figure 4. Mixing zone 15 may comprise an inlet for the gas stream (arrow A) generated by the gas stream generation system 4, two inlets 12 of fluid droplets ( only one visible) to the mixing zone 15 where the drops are mixed with the gaseous stream (arrow A) generating the drop stream in gaseous medium (arrow B) that can exit through an outlet 14 arranged at the distal end 18 of the body 16, towards head 5. In this example there are two inlets 12 of fluid drops, one for each piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer unit 11 (microperforated or not). In other examples, there may be one input for each ultrasonic transducer unit provided, there may even be a single input.

The stream of drops in gaseous medium (arrow B) can be directed towards the oral cavity of a user through a conduit that can be formed by the head (5) and can exit through a nozzle arranged at an outlet 7 of said conduit . In one example, the action on the control system can generate a signal that allows a cycle of operation of the device of a determined duration and which may consist of: the generation of fluid drops and their transmission to the mixing zone; the generation of a gas stream and its transmission to the mixing zone; and the transmission of streams of fluid droplets into a gaseous stream through the conduction head into the oral cavity. With each action by the user on the control system, a stream of fluid droplet current can be generated within a gaseous stream that can be directed towards the oral cavity through the conduction channel. In some examples, the control system 8 may further comprise a programmable control composed of an electronic circuit with a programmed time delay with respect to the activation moment of the electronic activation elements of the fluid drop generation system. In some examples, this delay may be between 1 and 4 seconds and directly influences the volume of fluid drops that are provided in the mixing zone and, therefore, in the cleaning results. In more examples, the delay can be between 2 and 3 seconds.

Although only some particular embodiments and examples of the invention have been described herein, the person skilled in the art will understand that other alternative embodiments and / or uses of the invention are possible, as well as obvious modifications and equivalent elements. In addition, the present invention encompasses all possible combinations of the specific embodiments that have been described. The numerical signs relating to the drawings and placed in parentheses in a claim are only intended to increase the understanding of the claim, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claim's protection. The scope of the present invention should not be limited to specific embodiments, but should be determined only by an appropriate reading of the appended claims.

Claims

Device for interdental cleaning characterized by the fact that it comprises: a body (16) extending longitudinally from a proximal end (17) to a distal end (18), in which the body (16) comprises:

or a gaseous current generation system (4) configured to circulate a gaseous current (arrow A) through a channel (13) that extends partially along the body (16),

or a fluid drop generation system (3) comprising at least one fluid reservoir (9) provided with one or more outlets (10) towards a mixing zone (15) of the channel (13), the zone being mixture (15) separated from the tank by means of one or more permeable elements (19) provided in correspondence with the outlets (10), in which the fluid drop generation system (3) further comprises one or more devices Ultrasonic drop generation (1 1) configured so that when activated at a certain frequency drops of fluid are generated that pass through the permeable element (19) from the fluid reservoir (9) to the mixing zone (15) , the drops being in turn drawn by the gas stream (arrow A), thereby producing a stream of drops in a gaseous medium (arrow B) towards an outlet (14) of the mixing zone (15), the outlet being (14) provided at the distal end (18) of the body (16).

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic droplet generating device (11) comprises at least one ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer.

3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer is microperforated, the microperforations forming the permeable element (19).

Device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the permeable element (19) has a pore size between 3 and 15 microns.

5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a control system (8) configured to activate the control system. generation of fluid drops (3) and to activate the gas flow generation system (4).

Device according to claim 5, wherein the control system (8) comprises a programmable control configured to delay the activation of the gas flow generation system (4) with respect to the moment of activation of the fluid drop generation system (3).

7. Device according to claim 6, wherein the delay is between 1 and 4 sec.

Device according to any one of claims 1-7, in which the gas current generation system (4) comprises a motor that drives a piston that in its displacement compresses a spring so that when the piston stops operating The spring recovers its initial decompressed state, thus generating the gas stream (arrow A).

9. Device according to claim 8, wherein the gas stream (arrow A) circulates at a speed of 10 m / s.

10. Device according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the volume ratio between the gas stream (arrow A) and the drops generated by the ultrasonic droplet generation device (1 1) is 100: 1 in volume

1 Device according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the ultrasonic droplet generating device (1 1) operates at a frequency between 100 to 150 kHz.

12. Device according to any one of claims 1-1 1, comprising a power supply system (2) configured to receive the proximal end (17) of the body (16).

13. Kit for interdental cleaning comprising a device according to any one of claims 1-12 and a conduction head (5) attachable by its proximal end (6) to the outlet (14) of the mixing zone (15) of the device, being the conduction head (5) configured to circulate the flow of drops in a gaseous medium (arrow B) from the mixing zone (15).

14. Kit according to claim 13, wherein the conduction head (5) is formed by a conduit whose outlet (7) comprises at least one nozzle.