EP0589086B1 - Dental chair - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a dental patient chair which contains an upper part which is adjustable at least in height, a backrest which can be changed at least in inclination and a headrest part which is adjustable with respect to the backrest, and which also contains adjusting means with controllable drives for adjusting the said chair parts, which furthermore contains a control device with a large number of programs which can be selected by operating elements and which correspond to different chair positions in relation to the adjustable chair parts, the existing programs including a positioning system in which certain machining surfaces on teeth of the upper jaw and lower jaw are assigned to certain chair positions.

Such a patient chair is known, for example, from European patent application 0 491 085. In this document it is pointed out that there are several recommendations, developed by experienced institutes in connection with dentists, regarding the positioning of a patient or the posture of the practitioner in order to enable ergonomically correct work. A well-known and scientifically proven storage system was developed by the Institute of Industrial Science at the Darmstadt University of Technology. With this positioning system, the individual tooth surfaces to be treated are assigned a specific position of the patient and thus also a specific posture of the practitioner. For treatments there would be at least 16 additional programs in the upper and lower jaw. Such an extension of the program would inevitably lead to a setting and programming work that could hardly be managed by the practitioner. Another important factor is the relatively confusing operation, which would result in such a variety of program options.

The invention specified in claim 1 is based on the object to achieve a simplification in particular in the operation.

According to the invention, those treatment positions of a positioning system are advantageously summarized in which the setting of the chair with respect to the inclination of the headrest part and the backrest is the same or approximately the same. The number of treatment or chair positions can thus be reduced to only a few positions which are relatively easy to understand by an operator and thus also easy to operate.

Advantageously, the sections are segments of a set of teeth that are shown or can be displayed on the user interface of an operating unit. The segments can advantageously contain the operating means, for example, as they are designed as control panel keys. A further, advantageously designed control unit contains three key fields arranged one above the other on both sides of the dentition scheme, of which the two upper keys are assigned to the corresponding segments of the upper jaw, the two lower keys are assigned to the corresponding segments of the lower jaw and the two middle keys are assigned to those segments are who have machining surfaces in the upper and lower jaw that can be machined with the same or approximately the same chair position.

• Figur 1 eine Ausführungsform des erfindungsgemäßen Patientenstuhles in stark vereinfachter Darstellung in einer Seitenansicht,
• Figur 2 ein Blockschaltbild einer Steuer- und Recheneinheit,
• Figur 3 eine erste Ausführungsform einer Bedieneinheit mit Bedienfläche,
• Figuren 4 und 5 weitere Varianten einer Bedienoberfläche.

Further advantages result from the following description of exemplary embodiments of the invention. Show it:

• FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the patient chair according to the invention in a greatly simplified illustration in a side view,
• FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a control and computing unit,
• FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of an operating unit with an operating surface,
• Figures 4 and 5 further variants of a user interface.

1 shows, in a greatly simplified form, a dental treatment chair in a side view. The treatment chair contains a stationary base part 1, on which a chair upper part, generally designated 2, is held in a height-adjustable manner. The base part contains a base 1 a and a height-adjustable base part 1 b. The upper part 2 of the chair contains a support 3 which can be adjusted along the upper part 1b, on which a seat 4 and a backrest 5 can be tilted (arrows 9 and 12). On the backrest 5, a head support part 6 is also longitudinally displaceable and tiltable (arrows 10 and 11). Around the top of the chair 2 in height and also in the longitudinal direction to adjust the chair (arrows 7 and 8) corresponding controllable drives A1, A2 are provided. The same applies to the backrest 5 and the headrest part 6, the inclination positions of which can be changed by controllable drives A3, A4 and A5 in the direction of the arrows 9, 10 and 11. After the arrangement of the adjustment drives is known per se, it will not be shown in more detail. It should be noted that both hydraulic and pneumatic, but preferably electrical, drives come into question.

The adjustable chair parts are assigned position sensors G1 to G6, with which the respective actual position of the chair parts can be detected in relation to a horizontal and vertical reference plane. The encoders G1, G2 and G4 are linear position encoders; the encoders G3, G5 and G6 are designed as angle encoders. With the help of the sensors G4, G5, the position of the headrest relative to the backrest can be detected. The adjustment means A4 and A5 can be manually operated adjustment means; it is also conceivable and advantageous to provide electrical adjustment drives here as well. To adjust the headrest 6 in the direction of arrow 10, for example, an adjustment motor can be arranged in the interior of the backrest 5, which adjusts the headrest support (sword) designated by 14 via a toothed rack or the like.

With the help of the position sensor, the position of the chair parts 2 to 6 can be related to an x- / y-coordinate system, its x-axis in a horizontal reference plane, preferably in the plane of the floor, and its y-axis in a vertical reference plane, preferably in the plane of a room wall from which the base part 1 is at a defined distance, can be clearly defined. For example, the position of the backrest 5 can be determined by the coordinates of two points that go through a straight line running along the backrest and / or by the angle of inclination with respect to a reference plane.

M denotes the "mouth point" of a schematically represented "norm patient head" (H), whose position in the coordinate system is determined by the coordinates x _M , y _M. The "mouth point", which is intended to represent a reference point corresponding to the preparation site, can preferably be defined such that it lies on the bisector of the angle between the upper jaw and lower jaw of an open patient's mouth and approximately at half the "mouth depth". From this "mouth point" there is a vertical distance (b) to the aforementioned plane of the backrest 5, which runs through the two points P1 and P2. The "mouth point" M can therefore be based on the dimensions of an empirically determined average patient head (standard patient head). can be clearly determined in an x / y coordinate system.

The "mouth point" M can be changed individually in the y direction, for example brought into the position denoted by y _M1 . Such a change advantageously allows adaptation to the height of the practitioner. If the "mouth point" is changed in the y direction, for example because the practitioner wants to change from a seated to a standing treatment position, the new "mouth point" (y _l ) can be advantageous for all changes in the inclination of the backrest and / or the headrest. remain.

The headrest 6, which can be adjusted along the backrest in accordance with the direction of the arrow 10, makes it possible to adapt the "mouth point" (M) to different patient sizes, by changing the headrest position for a patient with a different body size - here for a smaller patient according to the dashed line shown position (H ') - as described above, the chair upper part is corrected by the dimension Δx and Δy so that the "mouth point" M is maintained, whereby the practitioner does not need to change his working posture and also his associated instruments and devices.

The block diagram in FIG. 2 shows the mode of action and further advantages of the chair according to the invention.

As already explained, the chair in this embodiment has controllable drives A1 to A6, which are advantageously electromotive drives. The drives are controlled by a central processing unit 22 (CPU) via output stages 20 and A / D converters 21. Corresponding sensors G1 to G6, in the form of, for example, potentiometers, are provided between the chair parts, which are adjustable relative to each other, i.e. between the base and the upper part, between the base part and the support, and between the seat and backrest and the headrest deliver the central unit 22. Corresponding to the available controllable drives, switches S1 to S3 are available, with which an individual adjustment of the chair parts, for example a height adjustment or longitudinal displacement of the upper chair part or an inclination of the backrest, can be initiated.

The drives A1 to A6 are controlled via a first, serial interface 23 likewise from the central unit 22.

P1 to P _n denote program selection keys with which various chair programs can be called up from a program memory 24 via the serial interface 23 and the central unit 22. These programs are both individually enterable, changeable programs and factory-defined chair programs from a storage system in which certain dental treatments are assigned to specific dental positions according to an ergonomic scheme. The program memory 24 therefore contains both read-only memory 24a and changeable memory 24b.

25 designates a memory in which the x / y values of the “mouth point” M can be stored as a setpoint. This stored target value can be corrected by an input unit 26 via the serial interface 23 in the central unit 22, as has been described for adapting the height of the practitioner, by changing the y value up or down from a mean value corresponding to an average size . This corrected value is shown on a display 27 and automatically taken into account when a chair program is called up using the program selection buttons P 1 to P _n .

Using the selection buttons 28, 29, the individual programs can optionally be called up appropriately on the one hand for a sitting treatment and on the other hand for a standing treatment. There is therefore a switchover option entire storage system to be provided either for standing or lying treatment. Another option is the two selection buttons 30, 31. When the right button 30 is pressed, a program specified by the manufacturer and read from the read-only memories 24a can be used, while when the left button 31 is pressed, a program individually set by the practitioner can be used .

A third option is given by the three further buttons 32 to 34. These buttons are used to adapt to different practitioners who may work alternately on the same patient chair. The entire storage system is based on the entered values, e.g. Height of the practitioner, adjusted. This can be done by reading out corresponding target or correction values from the read-only memories 24a.

Advantageously, the control program, i.e. in the program memory 24, an antropometric table is taken into account, by means of which a "mouth point" corresponding to the size of the practitioner is specified for a standing or sitting treatment. However, this software specification is not fixed; rather, it can be expediently corrected individually by the practitioner, if desired, according to his personal wishes.

The work program of the central unit 22 is designated 35.

It is advantageous if the manufacturer of the patient chair already has various "mouth points" for certain treatments and sizes of dentists are specified and incorporated into a corresponding program. These values can be changed by the clinician if necessary by overwriting the program.

If the practitioner wants to set the setpoint for a "mouth point" himself, this setting is done as follows:
If the patient has taken a seat in the chair, the practitioner will press the buttons S1 to S6 to bring the chair into a position suitable for the treatment, in which the "mouth point", that is to say the center of the preparation site, is in a working position which is favorable for him is coming. Once this position has been reached, after a corresponding triggering process, the x / y value is entered as a target value into the memory 25 via a memory input key 39. The central unit 22 detects the values determined by the corresponding transmitters G1 to G6, angle values being processed accordingly in the arithmetic unit of the central unit.

If the practitioner changes his working position, e.g. from sitting to standing, or it turns out that a practitioner with a different height is working on the patient chair, he can consciously change the y-value of the "mouth point" through an act of will with the help of the input unit 26. With such a change in the "mouth point", all programs stored in the program memory 24 are then automatically corrected for this "mouth point".

As already mentioned, the position transmitter G4 can then, if the head support part 6 rests on the backrest and can be shifted along this, are formed by suitable pressure-sensitive sensors which, in accordance with the contact pressure which the patient's head exerts on the head support part 6, emit a value corresponding to the position to the central unit.

Position 36 denotes a data processing system which can be connected to the CPU via a further serial interface 37 and via whose keyboard 36a a tooth to be treated can be entered. The information thus obtained is passed on to the CPU of the CPU, which, when compared with stored values from the read-only memory 24a, in which the programs of the positioning system are stored, decides which chair position is required for the treatment of this tooth and which, after receipt, then an activation signal that controls the corresponding program.

A further possibility of selecting certain programs from the stored programs of the storage system arises if, as explained in more detail below, a control panel with a particularly advantageously designed user interface is provided. The control panel, generally designated 40 in FIG. 2, contains a control surface 41, for example in the form of a “touch screen”. This user interface is shown enlarged in FIG. Between two rows of keys, which will be explained in more detail later, with the keys P43 to P48, there is shown a dentition diagram, designated 42, in which the upper jaw (OK) and lower jaw (UK) are divided into several sections (segments) 43 to 48. The subdivision is made with reference to the storage system already mentioned and on the basis of a single-surface cavity preparation on the patient lying down with a direct view of the patient's mouth, with the knowledge that a specific patient position and holder of the practitioner are assigned to the individual tooth surfaces to be treated, this assignment being reduced to such an extent that the operator can easily operate the system.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the two jaw halves are each divided into eight segments, which in turn can be divided into three groups or zones with respect to the processing surfaces, a first with oral processing surfaces, a second with buccal processing surfaces and a third with occlusal ones Processing areas, with all three groups on the right and left in the posterior region, whereas only oral and buccal processing areas are represented in the anterior region. Each segment is assigned a specific chair position, which means that a specific position of the patient and thus the position of the patient chair is assigned to the processing of a specific surface (oral, buccal or occlusal) of a tooth.

It has now been found that certain tooth surfaces can be processed with the same patient positioning. For example, the left and right oral surface and the right buccal surface in the molar region can be processed with the same patient position in the upper jaw. The same applies to the oral surfaces in the anterior region and the occlusal surfaces in the tooth region.

According to the exemplary embodiment, segments with the same patient positioning therefore contain a similar marking or structuring. Corresponding actuation means, for example in the form of the actuation keys P43 to P48, which are arranged on both sides of the dentition diagram 42 as keypads on the user interface, are assigned to these.

With these only six actuating means, six programs of the storage system can be selected. The assignment can advantageously be made by color coding or, if - as shown here - only a black-and-white surface design is possible, by a corresponding design or structuring of the surfaces, as shown in the example of FIGS. 3 and 4 .

In an advantageous modification of the embodiment shown, it is conceivable to integrate the operating means into the segments or to configure them as operating means. This would have a direct assignment of the selectable functions to the button areas, which could improve the clarity even further.

In the version shown in FIG. 4, the dentition scheme designated 52 also contains eight segments per half of the jaw; The assignment - in contrast to the arrangement shown in FIG. 3 with six different structured fields (which can advantageously be highlighted in color) - here only with four black and white structured fields (white field, longitudinally and transversely lined field and cross-hatched field). The two upper buttons P54 and P55 are assigned to the upper jaw, the two lower buttons P57 and P58 to the lower jaw and the two middle buttons P53 and P56 to the respective dentition halves with the same structure.

FIG. 5 shows a further version, in which a bit diagram 62 is provided, which is divided into eight sections in a similar way as described above. The assignment here is given by the fact that selection buttons P63 to 68 are provided directly adjacent to the processing areas (oral, buccal, occlusal), that is to say in spatial association with these areas. The buttons are preferably coupled to corresponding light sources which light up when one of the buttons is pressed, as a result of which the user receives visual feedback about the selected chair program.

Such feedback is also advantageous in the versions described above, in that, for example, the operating means or also the corresponding segments are provided with corresponding illuminants.

In a further advantageous version, which is also within the scope of the invention, it is provided, on the basis of the known numbering scheme for the teeth, to determine the sections formed by means of a tooth or number combination in conjunction with a marking determining the machining surfaces.

Claims (9)

1. Chair for dental patients, comprising

   - an upper chair part (2), at least the height of which is adjustable,

   - a backrest (5), at least the incline of which can be altered,

   - a headrest part (6) which can be adjusted in relation to the backrest,

   - adjusting means with controllable drives (A1 to A6) to adjust the chair parts (2 to 6),

   - a control device (22) with a plurality of programmes selectable by operational controls (P₁ ... P_n), the programmes corresponding to different chair positions in relation to the adjustable chair parts, whereby the existing programmes include bearing systematics in which certain chair positions are associated with certain treatment areas on the teeth of the upper jaw (OK) and lower jaw (UK), characterized by

   - an operating unit (40) with an operating surface (41) on which the rows of teeth of the upper jaw (OK) and the lower jaw (UK) are shown or can be shown as a diagrammatic representation (42, 52, 62), whereby the diagrammatic representation of the tooth is divided into several sections (43 to 48; 53 to 58; 63 to 68), which represent treatment areas of those teeth for the treatment of which the same or approximately the same chair positions are required and whereby the sections on the operating surface (41) can be optically represented and whereby, moreover, operating means (P43 to P48; P53 to P58; P63 to P68) are associated with the sections, upon the actuation of which operating means the adjusting means (A1 to A6) are activated in the sense of an adjustment of the chair parts into the relevant selected chair position, whereby the association of the operating means with the sections is established by their arrangement or by coloured or structural formation.
2. Chair for dental patients according to claim 1, where the sections (43 to 48; 53 to 58; 63 to 68) are segments of a diagrammatic representation of a set of teeth (42, 52, 62).
3. Chair for dental patients according to claim 1, where the sections are formed from a number or figure combination from the numeral diagram of the teeth, known in itself, in connection with a subdivision of the treatment areas into the oral, buccal and occlusal treatment areas.
4. Chair for dental patients according to claim 1, where the sections (43 to 48; 53 to 58; 63 to 68) contain the operating means (P43 to P48; P53 to P58; P63 to P68) or are formed as such.
5. Chair for dental patients according to claim 4, where the sections (43 to 48; 53 to 58; 63 to 68) are designed as operating keyboards.
6. Chair for dental patients according to claim 1, where sections, with which the same or approximately the same chair positions are associated, are characterized by the same colours.
7. Chair for dental patients according to claim 1, where sections, with which the same or approximately the same chair positions are associated, have the same surface formations or structures.
8. Chair for dental patients according to claim 2, where on both sides of the diagrammatic representation of the set of teeth at least three keyboards (P58, P53, P54; P57, P56, P55) are in each case arranged over each other, of which the two upper keys (P54, P55) are associated with the segments of the OK, the two lower keys (P57, P58) with the segments of the UK and the two middle keys (P53, P56) with the segments which in the OK and UK have treatment areas with the same or approximately the same chair position.
9. Chair for dental patients according to claim 1, where the control device is connected to EDP equipment (36), in which, by way of a keyboard (37), the tooth to be treated or a section of the diagrammatic representation of the tooth (42, 52, 62) in which the tooth to be treated is located is entered, whereby this information is relayed to the control device (22), whereby, furthermore, upon initiation of an activation signal, the chair parts are brought into the chair position associated with the relevant tooth or section.

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