KR102493201B1 - Laser handpiece combined with resonator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a handpiece gripped and operated by an operator in a laser treatment machine used for medical purposes, and more particularly, a body containing a laser resonator generating a laser beam and a body provided with an irradiation tip are concentric and directly connected. The present invention relates to a laser resonator-coupled handpiece that is inserted into and coupled to the body in a sliding manner, is easily detachable, can be rotated in a coupled state, and is convenient to use.
A laser resonator-coupled handpiece according to the present invention includes a body incorporating a laser resonator; In the laser resonator-coupled handpiece including a body provided with an irradiation tip for irradiating the laser beam output from the laser resonator to the affected part, the body is inserted and coupled to the body in a sliding manner, and coupled to the body. The body is rotatable, and the rod of the laser resonator is arranged concentrically with the body.

Description

Laser handpiece combined with resonator}

The present invention relates to a handpiece gripped and operated by an operator in a laser treatment machine used for medical purposes, and more particularly, a body containing a laser resonator generating a laser beam and a body provided with an irradiation tip are concentric and directly connected. The present invention relates to a laser resonator-coupled handpiece that is inserted into and coupled to the body in a sliding manner, is easily detachable, can be rotated in a coupled state, and is convenient to use.

Types of laser surgical instruments used in dentistry include those using diode lasers of 808 nm and 980 nm, those using Nd:YAG laser wavelengths such as 1064 nm and 1320 nm, and those using 2940 nm Er:YAG laser wavelengths.

Diode laser or Nd:YAG series cannot remove teeth, and due to the characteristics of diode lasers, it is difficult to generate sufficient energy with pulse driving of several hundred usec, so the range of use is limited and it does not meet the original purpose of laser surgery as a replacement for dental drills. .

The recently used 2940nm Er:YAG laser is rapidly emerging as a dental laser surgical device. This is a wavelength with the highest water absorption according to the wavelength of 2940nm. It is a laser capable of removing teeth mechanically, not heat, by irradiating the laser at the same time and instantly exploding water particles due to the moisture absorption effect of the laser.

If heat is generated on the teeth, the pulp necrosis, so other laser wavelengths using heat other than the 2940nm band cannot be used on the teeth.

The general structure of a dental laser consists of a laser resonator, an optical fiber for laser transmission, and a handpiece. The handpiece should be small and similar in shape to the existing drill-type handpiece so that there is little inconvenience in holding and using it.

The size of the handpiece has a significant effect on the procedure because a sophisticated procedure is required in a narrow oral cavity.

In addition, unlike the skin beauty laser, an optical fiber, not a joint cancer method, must be used as a transmission medium so that the operation is smooth during use.

That is, a handpiece that is flexible and comfortable to hold must be accommodated in the final stage of the dental laser due to operational problems.

As mentioned above, the current Er:YAG dental laser structure transmits the laser from the laser resonator to the handpiece through the optical fiber.

The handpiece is made of sapphire and has a tip similar to a drill made of a material that transmits a wavelength of 2940 nm well.

And along with the optical fiber, air and water are transmitted to the handpiece through the tube and sprayed from the tip of the handpiece to the tip, reacting with the laser irradiated from the tip of the tip, and the water particles explode. It becomes possible.

Therefore, the handpiece is also made somewhat complicated, including a structure for water injection as well as laser transmission.

However, in the case of the 2940nm laser with the above structure, the material is currently limited to fluoride oxide and sapphire optical fiber, unlike optical fibers used in other wavelength lasers. There is a problem that the laser input/output terminal is easily damaged. Therefore, due to expensive raw material costs and poor maintenance, the spread of dental lasers has not been achieved significantly.

Therefore, a technology to miniaturize the laser resonator and connect it directly to the handpiece appeared, and a 2940nm laser for dentistry without optical fiber was developed, but the size and weight of the laser resonator were not as small as the existing handpiece.

Therefore, a method of securing a degree of freedom by using a reflector and a joint between the laser resonator and the handpiece and a method of directly connecting the laser resonator by giving a certain angle to the handpiece are used.

In the case of using a reflector and a joint, the degree of freedom is improved, but a precise alignment structure is required for the laser path from the laser resonator to the handpiece, and a very complex structure is required to embed the water and air transmission unit into the joint, which makes cost and maintenance equally difficult. there is

Even in the structure where the handpiece and the resonator are directly connected at a certain angle, there is a problem in that it is inconvenient to use with the weight of the laser resonator because it requires alignment and the handpiece is fixed without a joint structure.

Due to the characteristics of dental instruments, user's operability is very important even in laser machines. The degree of freedom in operation does not affect the results of the procedure because the skin beauty laser procedure does not require elaborate manipulation such as gripping from the outside of the treatment position and inserting instruments into the skin.

However, dental procedures in narrow areas such as the oral cavity require very sophisticated manipulations. Since long-term use can also cause fatigue, the flexibility of the control unit is a very important factor.

Conventional dental lasers using optical fibers only have optical components for laser delivery and focusing embedded in the handpiece, so operation is no different from conventional drill handpieces.

However, if the laser resonator is directly connected to the handpiece, the size and weight increase, and the feeling of operation is significantly reduced, resulting in inconvenience in the procedure.

Therefore, the center of gravity of the handpiece coupled with the laser resonator should be considered as important for maneuverability.

In the structure in which the handpiece and laser resonator are connected with the existing joint structure, the center of gravity is applied to the wrist, so you cannot feel the inconvenience of maneuverability during the procedure. Due to the complex structure that had to be done, the increase in cost was added, and it did not give more effect than removing the optical fiber.

In addition, the direct connection method between the resonator and the handpiece of the prior art "dental laser device (1020150072115) in which the resonator is directly connected to the handpiece" reduces the alignment part as much as possible by removing the joint and simplifies the structure, but the structure and the gripping part are directly connected without joints and the laser resonator Due to gripping the handpiece, the center of gravity was formed in the rear part of the laser resonator, and the user complained of discomfort. In addition, in order to reduce the laser resonator, the laser output unit has an eccentric structure that is biased to one side rather than the center, and is combined with the handpiece at a certain angle.

For reference, prior art related to a handpiece with a built-in laser resonator includes Registered Patent No. 1338241 "Laser resonator-coupled handpiece device", Registered Patent No. 10-1550414 "Dental laser device with resonator directly connected to handpiece", etc. there is

The present invention is an invention made to solve the problems of the laser resonator-coupled handpiece according to the prior art,

Since the body with the irradiation tip and the body with the built-in laser resonator are concentric and directly connected, there are no optical parts that require alignment, and optical parts such as reflectors are not needed because they are not combined with joints or angles. It is simple, the body can rotate independently from the body, the handpiece is lightweight and compact, and the center of gravity is located at the part held by the operator, so the operation is convenient and efficient with excellent maneuverability. The body slides on the body It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser resonator-coupled handpiece that is easily and quickly detachable.

The laser resonator-coupled handpiece according to the present invention for achieving the above object is

A body incorporating a laser resonator;

In the laser resonator-coupled handpiece comprising a body provided with an irradiation tip for irradiating the laser beam output from the laser resonator to the affected part,

The laser resonator includes a reflector having a circular or elliptical appearance, a flash lamp built into the reflector to emit light, and a rod built into the reflector to resonate incident light emitted from the flash lamp to generate a laser beam. Including, but the rod is located in the center of the body and has a concentricity with the body,

The body is inserted and coupled to the body in a sliding manner,

The body coupled to the body is characterized in that rotation is possible.

And as a coupling contact between the body, a clamp groove is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the body, and a ball bearing is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the body to be seated and caught in the clamp groove,

The body is characterized in that a clip ring for separating the ball bearing from the clamp groove and a knob for operating the clip ring are provided,

A cover covering the outer surface of the front side of the body is provided at the rear of the body,

The center of gravity of the handpiece to which the body is coupled is characterized in that it is located on the cover,

the body

A main body incorporating the laser resonator;

A coupling portion provided at the front of the body and coupled to the rear of the body;

It is connected to the front of the coupling part and includes an insertion part inserted into the body,

A focusing lens for focusing a laser beam emitted from a rod of the laser resonator is provided at a front end of the insertion part,

The irradiation tip of the body irradiates the laser beam at an angle between 45 degrees and 90 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction,

A reflector for reflecting the laser beam incident from the focusing lens to the irradiation tip is provided inside the body.

In the laser resonator-coupled handpiece according to the present invention, the body with the built-in laser resonator and the body with the irradiation tip are concentrically connected in a straight line to give operation friendliness, and the removal of the alignment part is advantageous for maintenance. Manufacturing cost is reduced by reducing raw material cost due to simplification, has a diameter and weight that is easy to grip, and the body equipped with an irradiation tip rotates in the body with a built-in laser resonator, making the procedure convenient and efficient, and the body slides on the body It is a product that is easily combined in a simple way, firmly fixed by the combination of ball bearings and clamp grooves, and can be easily separated by operating a knob, and is a very useful invention for industrial development.

1 is a view showing a body and a body in a laser resonator-coupled handpiece according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a view of the body and the coupling portion of the body according to the present invention as a main part.
Figure 3 is a view of the laser resonator built into the body in the present invention as a main part.
4 is a view showing the arrangement of a focusing lens, a reflector, and an irradiation tip and transmission of a laser beam in the present invention.

Hereinafter, a laser resonator-coupled handpiece according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Prior to a more detailed description of the laser resonator-coupled handpiece according to the present invention,

Since the present invention can have various changes and various forms, the implementation examples (or embodiments) will be described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific form disclosed, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In each drawing, the same reference numeral, in particular, the same number of tens and ones digits, or the same reference numerals having the same tens digit, ones digit, and alphabet indicate members having the same or similar functions, and unless otherwise specified, each of the drawings Members indicated by reference numerals may be understood as members conforming to these standards.

In addition, the components in each drawing are expressed in exaggeratedly large (or thick) small (or thin) or simplified expressions in size or thickness in consideration of convenience of understanding, etc., but the scope of protection of the present invention is thereby limited. It shouldn't be.

Terms used in this specification are only used to describe a specific embodiment (aspect, aspect, aspect) (or embodiment), and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as ~comprising~ or ~consisting of are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and unless explicitly defined in the present application, they should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning. don't

As shown in the drawing, the laser resonator-coupled handpiece according to the present invention includes a body 10, a body 20, a laser resonator 30 built into the body 10, and an irradiation tip 40 provided in the body 20. ), including

1 and 3, the body 10 includes a main body 11 in which the laser resonator 30 is embedded, a front side of the main body 11 and coupled to a rear side of the body 20. It consists of a coupling part 12 and an insertion part 13 connected to the front of the coupling part 12 and inserted into the inside of the body 20.

A focusing lens 14 for focusing a laser beam emitted from a rod of the laser resonator 30 is provided at a front end of the insertion part 13 .

Referring to FIG. 1, the body 20 includes a cover 21 covering a stepped portion 111 formed in the front of the body 11 of the body 10, and a coupling portion 12 of the body 10 A corresponding coupling part 22 coupled to, a guide part 23 into which the insertion part 13 is inserted and coupled in a sliding manner, provided at the front end of the guide part 23, and a reflector 41 and an irradiation tip ( 40) is composed of a head 24.

The head 24 has an angle between 45 degrees and 90 degrees with respect to the guide part 23 . That is, the irradiation tip 40 embedded in the head 24 has an angle between 45 degrees and 90 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction. This is an angle that makes it easy to irradiate the laser beam to the upper and lower jaws of the patient, and the direction of the irradiation tip 40 can be easily changed because the body 20 can rotate in the body 10 according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the coupling portion 12 and the insertion portion 13 of the body 10 are provided with two O-rings 15 and 16, respectively, so that the corresponding coupling portion 22 and It is closely adhered to the guide part, preventing foreign matter such as external fine dust from penetrating into the inside, and preventing leakage of water and air discharged in the irradiation direction of the laser beam.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, in order for the body 20 coupled in a sliding manner to be rotatably and firmly fixedly coupled to the body 10, and to be easily separated, the coupling portion 12 of the body 10 A clamp groove 17 is formed on the outer periphery, and a ball bearing 27 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the corresponding coupling portion 22 of the body 20 to be seated and caught in the clamp groove 17, and the corresponding coupling portion 22 ) The outer surface is provided with a knob 28 that the user presses and operates, and a clip ring that separates the ball bearing 27 from the clamp groove 17 by operating the knob 28 inside the corresponding coupling part 22 (not shown) is provided.

When the body 20 is inserted and coupled to the body 10 in a sliding manner, the ball bearing 27 contacts the coupling part 12 and retreats outward, then returns to the inside in the clamp groove 17. It is seated to firmly fix the body 20 to the body 10. At this time, the ball bearing 27 can rotate freely so that the body 20 can rotate in the body 10.

When the user presses the knob 28, the clip ring retracts the ball bearing 27 outward to separate it from the clamp groove 17, and in this state, when the body 20 is pulled, it is easily separated from the body 10.

Referring to FIG. 3, the laser resonator 30 embedded in the body 10 includes a reflector 31 having a circular or elliptical appearance, a flash lamp 32 embedded in the reflector 31 and emitting light, and , When embedded in the reflector 31, it includes a rod 33 that resonates the light emitted from the flash lamp 32 and turns it into a laser beam.

Inside the cylindrical reflector 31, the flash lamp 32 and the Er;YAG laser rod 33 are mounted in parallel. The reflector 31 may have an elliptical shape. In the case of the elliptical shape, the light emitted from the flash lamp 32 forms a more reliable focusing on the rod 33, thereby improving efficiency. In addition, the discharge pipe 34 is positioned parallel to the reflector 31 . Both the front and rear surfaces of the reflector 31 are assembled with parts for sealing for cooling water circulation. The rear surface has a tube connection connector for cooling water inflow and the front surface has a structure in which a discharge pipe 34 is inserted, and both flash lamps 32 and Both ends of the rod 33 have a structure in which they are sealed while being exposed to the outside.

Cooling water flows into the reflector 31 to cool the rod 33 and the flash lamp 32, and the cooling water is discharged through the discharge pipe 34.

If the reflector 31 is cylindrical, the distance between the rod 33 and the flash lamp 32 is arranged to maintain at least 1 mm for cooling water circulation. Position (32).

The diameter of the laser resonator 30 is determined based on the diameter of the rod 33 since the rod 33 is located in the center. It became. Based on this structure, the diameter of the laser resonator 30 can be miniaturized to about 20 mm. In addition, a water and air transmission pipe for spraying should be built into the laser resonator 30. Although a small pipe having an outer diameter of about 2 mm to 3 mm, it takes up a considerable space considering the diameter of the laser resonator 30. Two transmission pipes are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the cooling water discharge pipe 34 to increase space utilization.

The (-) pole of the flash lamp 32 polarity is placed at the front end of the laser resonator 30 and electrically connected to the body 10 so that the flash lamp 32 connection cable is not at the front end of the laser resonator 30 but at the rear end It is connected at , secures space at the front end according to cable removal, and distributes heat generated from the (-) electrode to the body 10 to serve as a heat sink to lower the temperature of the laser resonator 30 . Since the part that the user grips is the front end of the laser resonator 30, the heat generated here causes a serious problem. Therefore, when the (-) electrode is connected to the body 10, the (-) cable does not have to be extended to the front end, so it does not take up space, and the heat generated from the electrode can be dispersed to remove the user's feeling of heat. In addition, an instantaneous voltage generated at the (-) pole when triggering to light the flash lamp 32 is several KV. It does not affect the human body because it is a short time of several times and a small energy of several mJ, but it is enough to feel a shock when the user directly touches it. Therefore, since the body 10 in contact with the (-) pole must be insulated from the outside, the portion connected to the handpiece was electrically insulated using a plastic-based material.

The material of the reflector 31 is transparent and strong against heat, such as quartz, so that the glare of the lamp is directly transmitted to the rod 33, and the outside is coated with a material suitable for the wavelength of the laser such as silver, gold, barium oxide, The flash of the lamp 32 is reflected and focused on the rod 33.

The rod 33 is coated so that the rear surface is totally reflected at the corresponding laser wavelength and the front surface has a certain amount of reflectance. The reflectance to be coated varies from 50% to 90% in consideration of physical characteristics for each wavelength.

Referring to FIG. 4, the laser beam emitted from the laser resonator 30 is focused by the focusing lens 14 and is incident to the reflector 41, and the reflector 41 reflects the incident laser beam to form an irradiation tip 40. ) to enter. The irradiation tip 40 irradiates the incident laser beam to the affected area.

Here, the laser beam focused in the focusing lens 14 is defocused and is incident on the reflector 41 .

The focusing lens 14 functions to protect the coating surface of the rod 33 from being damaged when external dust or moisture enters the inside of the laser resonator 30 and is deposited on the rod 33, thereby significantly reducing laser generation. .

The irradiation tip 40 is a part to which a laser beam is irradiated for tissue incision or tooth removal in contact with the treatment site. Tips can be installed.

In the above description of the present invention, a laser resonator-coupled handpiece having a specific shape and structure has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is capable of various modifications and changes by those skilled in the art, and these modifications and changes are subject to the present invention. It should be construed as belonging to the protection scope of the invention.

10: body 11: body
12: coupling part 13: insertion part
14: focusing lens 15, 16: O-ring
17: clamp home
20: body 21: cover
22: corresponding coupling part 23: guide part
24: head 27: ball bearing
28: Knob
30: laser resonator 31: reflector
32: flash lamp 33: load
34: discharge pipe
40: irradiation tip 41: reflector

Claims (4)

A body incorporating a laser resonator;
In the laser resonator-coupled handpiece comprising a body provided with an irradiation tip for irradiating the laser beam output from the laser resonator to the affected part,

The laser resonator includes a reflector having a circular or elliptical appearance, a flash lamp built into the reflector to emit light, and a rod built into the reflector to resonate incident light emitted from the flash lamp to generate a laser beam. Including, but the rod is located in the center of the body and has a concentricity with the body,
The body is inserted and coupled to the body in a sliding manner,
The body coupled to the body is rotatable,
As a coupling contact portion between the body and the body, a clamp groove is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the body, and a ball bearing seated and caught in the clamp groove is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the body,
The laser resonator-coupled handpiece, characterized in that the body is provided with a clip ring for separating the ball bearing from the clamp groove, and a knob for operating the clip ring. delete According to claim 1,
A cover covering the outer surface of the front side of the body is provided at the rear of the body,
A laser resonator-coupled handpiece, characterized in that the center of gravity of the body and the body-coupled handpiece is located on the cover. According to claim 1 or 3,
the body
A main body incorporating the laser resonator;
A coupling portion provided at the front of the body and coupled to the rear of the body;
It is connected to the front of the coupling part and includes an insertion part inserted into the body,
A focusing lens for focusing a laser beam emitted from a rod of the laser resonator is provided at a front end of the insertion part,
The irradiation tip of the body irradiates the laser beam at an angle between 45 degrees and 90 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction,
The laser resonator-coupled handpiece, characterized in that the inside of the body is provided with a reflector for reflecting the laser beam incident from the focusing lens to the irradiation tip.

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