FR2478994A1 - DEVICE FOR THE RIGID COUPLING OF A COOLANT FLUID SUPPLY TUBE TO A DENTISTRY HANDPIECE - Google Patents

Abstract

DEVICE FOR THE RIGID COUPLING OF A COOLING FLUID SUPPLY TUBE TO A DUCT DELIVERING THE SAID FLUID TO THE HEAD OF A DENTISTRY HANDPIECE, THE SUCH HANDPIECE HANGING TO A DRIVE MOTOR, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT IT CONSISTS OF TWO HOLLOW METAL PIECES EACH INCLUDING AN INTERNAL DUCTING, ONE OF THE METAL PIECES IS SOLIDARITY OF THE HANDPIECE 1 AND RECEIVING THE COOLING FLUID DELIVERY DUCT TO THE HEAD 4 OF THE LADITE HANDPIECE, THE OTHER METAL PART IS SOLIDARITY OF THE DRIVE MOTOR 5 AND RECEIVING THE COOLING FLUID SUPPLY DUCT, ONE OF THE TWO METAL PARTS EQUIPPED WITH A TUBE 7 THREADING INTO A TIP 9 WHICH IS EQUIPPED WITH THE OTHER PART. APPLICATION: SUPPLY OF A DENTISTRY HANDPIECE WITH COOLING FLUID.

Description

The subject of the invention is a device for

  coupling a dental handpiece to an engine, and more particularly to a device for ensuring the fitting of the cooling spray line, generally an air-water mixture at this level. The problem to be solved is as follows, When operating a handpiece, the rotational speeds of

  the tool carried by the head of the handpiece is very high.

  It follows, in combination with the friction forces on the treated tooth, a considerable release of heat. It is therefore necessary to provide cooling at the head of the handpiece. Now it must be taken into account first of all that a handpiece removably mates with a drive motor, and that it is therefore necessary to interrupt at a given moment the driving of spray, and on the other hand that the spray supply tube must not interfere with the work of the dentist

at the level of the handpiece.

  Known devices for interlocking

  of the two portions of the spray tube are currently two

  According to a first family, the spray supply pipe from the source is external to the engine, under the

  form of a flexible tube, and comes to fit on a metal tube-

  If the handpiece is removed from the handpiece for change or cleaning, the user must remove the tube from the metal tube before changing the handpiece. new handpiece,

  in addition to replacing the flexible tube on the metal tube

  This is impractical from the point of view of manipulation.

  In addition, the tube may remain stuck on the metal tube. From the metal tip the supply of cooling spray to the head of the handpiece can operate in two modes in themselves known and independent of the connection mode; - from outside the room to the tube

  hose of spray coming to fit on the tip of a metal tube-

  welded, to ensure optimal heat exchange at the head of the handpiece - either through an internal pipe to the handpiece.

  A second family of devices has already been proposed.

  the above-mentioned drawbacks, in which the coolant supply line from the supply source opens at the level of the clutch.

  between the engine and the handpiece, in an

  nulaire, to extend through a pipe at least partially inside the handpiece to the head of said handpiece, Such an embodiment is the subject of French Patent No. 2,235,670, This embodiment However, it presents a number of disadvantages that are unique to it, while providing a solution to the problems of the prior art. First of all, this embodiment requires many relatively complex machining operations for the production of inclined bores. On the other hand, it is necessary for the sealing at the connection to use joints that are necessarily small diameter

  given the standardization at the level of

  said of the handpiece on the engine.

  The purpose of the Inyention is to remedy the

  both families of systems,

  In accordance with the invention, a device

  tif for the rigid coupling of a cooling fluid supply tube to a conduit for supplying said fluid to the head of a dental handpiece, said handpiece being attached to a drive motor, characterized in that

  device consists of two hollow metal parts

  both an inner pipe, one of the metal parts

  being attached to the handpiece and receiving the conduct of

  conducted cooling fluid at the head of said piece to

  hand, the other metal part being integral with the motor of

  flow and receiving the cooling fluid supply pipe, one of the two parts being further provided with a hollow metal tube threaded into a metal tip which

is equipped with the other room.

  According to a preferred embodiment, at least one of the metal parts will be rotatable relative to the axis of the motor and the handpiece, advantageously, it is the integral part of the engine of workout that will be mobile

in rotation.

  The parts are secured in accordance with the

  respectively to the handpiece and the drive motor.

  However, it is conceivable that the fixed metal part is connected to its support, handpiece or motor, by any other means, for example welding, screwing, etc. The transmission of the fluid of cooling from the metal part integral with the handpiece can be performed externally thereto, by a flexible tube,

either internally.

  This embodiment has many advantages - it is very simple in design, does not require sophisticated technology for its mass production in the factory; placement is easy, because it is sufficient to place the metal tube in front of the corresponding orifice of the nozzle - it avoids the disadvantages of the seals used in the device of FR 2 235 670, it will better understand the invention to the help from

  description below of an embodiment with reference to

  attached drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic view of a form of the prior art, illustrating in particular an inner spray supply line to the handpiece; FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view in partial section of a connecting device according to the invention; FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view in partial section of a variant of a device according to the invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an advantageous embodiment variant, showing the separate handpiece of the drive motor; - Figure 5 shows in detail an embodiment of the metal part support having the receiving tip; FIG. 6 is a partial section along A-A

of Figure 5.

  With reference to FIG. 1, which represents a

  of the prior art (a flexible spray tube (2) is connected

  to a handpiece (1) by coming on a metal tube

  that (3), from this metal tube the spray can be brought

4 2478994

  at the head (4) of the handpiece either internally (Figure 1) or, alternatively, externally (see Figure 3). These two types of supply of the spray fluid to the head of the handpiece are in themselves well known to the specialist and will not

  the object of particular description,

  FIG. 2 shows a first variation

  the schematic execution of a rigid coupling device

  The handpiece (1) is mounted on a motor (5) in itself.

  well known and will not be described more precisely.

  The coupling between the motor and the handpiece is technically

  in themselves known and for the most part standardized, which

  are also well known to the specialist. In accordance with the

  vention, one of the two elements of the assembly, here the handpiece, comprises a hollow metal piece (6) extending by a metal tube (7) beyond the coupling zone (8)

  the handpiece and the motor and incorporating a sensing part

  parallel to the motor axis, according to the invention,

  this metal tube (7) fits into a metal end piece

  that (9) also hollow supported by the other element (24) of the assembly, in this case the motor (5). Preferably,

  in order to allow the handpiece to slide

  on the nose of the engine, particularly in the case where the

  motor cord would be somewhat rigid and would impede the posi-

  tioning of the direction of the tool carried by the head of the handpiece, the metal tip (9) is fixed on a more or less wide collar (10) which encloses completely (FIGS. 2 and 3) or partially (FIG. 4) the motor and which can slide in rotation around it,

  Advantageously, the collar (10) will be

  fished to move in translation either by stops or guides

  specific, not shown in Figure 2, as in the former

  the example of Figure 4 by providing that the collar (11) is sufficient

  santly wide to abut against a shoulder (12) that include some engines used in dentistry. In that case

  there is no need to use specific

plementary,

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in sectional section

  However, the metal end piece (9) is of excessively simple structure. It is of hollow inner conformation-and is equipped with pn or

  several O-rings (13, 14) themselves known. This em-

  end is provided with one or more tubes such as (15, 16) which are cooling fluid inlets, the nozzle (9) may comprise, without departing from the scope of the present invention; either a single arrival of an air-water mixture - two arrivals, one of air, the other of water, which mix in the inner chamber of the mouthpiece,

  It is also possible to provide two separate end pieces.

  placed side by side and two tubes such as (7) slipping into the-

  said tips, in the case where it is desired that the air and water of the coolant are mixed only near the head of the handpiece, o they are brought by separate pipes, The tube metal (7) thus receives the cooling fluid which is brought to the head of the handpiece: - either pax an inner pipe (17), as shown schematically in Figure 2; m by an outer spray tube (18) such as

shown in Figure 3.

  In the case of the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the metal part (6) is simply attached to the handpiece (1) and can consist in its simplest design, a single single tube.se prolonging through the body of the workpiece (6) for producing both the tube (7) and the tube (19) on which the flexible spray tube (18) fits, With reference to FIG. implementation very avangageux, we will not describe the elements that are common to this representation and that of Figures 2 and 3, for which the same references were used. We see clearly here that the device d! the invention comprises two distinct parts (6) and (24). To set up the handpiece on the nose (20) of the motor, simply place the tube (7) in front of the nozzle (9) and hang the handpiece in a conventional manner. Thus, there is no longer any tube to be nested separately. FIG. 5 shows in perspective and in detail the support (11) in the form of a collar which partially encloses the body of the motor (5). This support collar has a certain elasticity allowing at the same time a blockage on the engine, but with a possibility of rotation around the axis

of the motor.

  Figure 6 illustrates an embodiment of the tip (9), metal and hollow. which is similar to the tips

  already used in dentistry for other applications. This em-

  end (9) has an inner chamber (21) into which the cooling fluid supply tube (15) is released. This tube (15) is fixed in a conventional manner to the body (22) of

the tip (9).

  The chamber (21) is open on the outside by its other face, intended to receive the metal tube (7), and

  it includes to ensure at this level the watertightness during the ac-

  coupling one or more annular seals, type "0.Ring" seals, placed in the chamber where they are held by a tightening nut, and adjustment (23)

Claims (12)

  1. Device for the rigid coupling of a tube   supplying cooling fluid to a pipe of   conducted said fluid to the head of a dental handpiece, said handpiece being attached to a drive motor, characterized in that it consists of two hollow metal parts each having an inner pipe, the one of the   metal parts being secured to the handpiece (1) and   cevant the supply line (17, 18) of the cooling fluid to the head (4) of said handpiece, the other metal part   being secured to the drive motor (5) and receiving the   cooling fluid supply pipe, one of the two metal parts being provided with a tube (7) slipping in a   9) which is the other room.   2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the metal part (6) integral with the handpiece is fixed relative thereto, 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the metal part (6) comprises a metal tube - (7) extending above the connection zone (8) between the   handpiece and motor and that the terminal part is sensi-   parallel to the motor axis,   4. Device according to any one of the claims   2 and 3, characterized in that from the metal part   lique (6), the coolant is supplied to the head of the handpiece by an outer flexible pipe (18),   5. Device according to any one of the claims   2 and 3, characterized in that from the metal piece   lique (6), the cooling fluid is fed to the head of the handpiece through an inner pipe (17), 6. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the metal part (6) consists essentially of a single tube providing both the connecting tube (7) and   the tube (19) on which fits the flexible tube (18).   7. Device according to any one of the claims   1 to 6, characterized in that the metal part (24) is   The motor shaft is rotatable about the axis of the motor.   Device according to any one of the claims 8. 8 2478994   1 to 7, characterized in that the metal part (24) com-   carries a hollow end (9) internally provided with at least one O-ring seal (13),   9. Device according to any one of the claims   1 to 8, characterized in that the tip (9) is supported by   a clamp (10) enclosing the entire body of the body (5),   10. Device according to any one of the claims   1 to 8, characterized in that the end piece (9) is supported by a collar (11) partially enclosing the body of the motor (5) and coming, to prevent any translational movement of the piece (24), abutting against a shoulder (12) of the motor,   11. Device according to any one of the claims   1 to 10, characterized in that the tip (9) has several   sieurs tubes (15, 16) separate air intake and water.   12. Device according to any one of the claims   1 to 11, characterized in that it comprises two endpieces (9) and two corresponding tubes (7), the mixture of air and cooling water only occurring at the level of the head (4) of the handpiece (1)