GB2047920A

GB2047920A - Dental Treatment Installation

Info

Publication number: GB2047920A
Application number: GB8010007A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Kaltenbach and Voigt GmbH
Current assignee: Kaltenbach and Voigt GmbH
Priority date: 1979-04-06
Filing date: 1980-03-25
Publication date: 1980-12-03
Also published as: SE8002414L; IT1128395B; FR2453450A2; JPS55138449A; DE2914045A1; FR2453450B2; JPS6155385B2; DE2914045C2; CH647404A5; IT8067537A0; GB2047920B; DK140980A

Abstract

A dental treatment installation comprises a plurality of dental treatment instruments (103 to 106), tools (112) mountable in the instruments, and a control device (100) including stores for the operating parameters of the tools. A tool receiving station (111) transmits to the control device a tool address specific to a particular tool upon extraction of the latter from its receiving location. The tool receiving station (111), and other external devices (102, 114, 117, 121, 123, 128, 132, 133, 134, to 137) are connected by a data line (150) to the control device (100). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Dental Treatment Installation In the specification of our British Patent 2035606 Application No. 7933936, there is disclosed a dental treatment installation having one or more treatment instruments adapted to be operated with interchangeable implements having varying operating parameters, having a main control device to which the operating parameters of the particular treatment instrument selected and also, if appropriate further operating parameters are fed and which therefrom calculates the operating point for the drive of the particular treatment instruments selected and also the working data of the particular implement selected. With this arrangement, the main control device comprises stores in which the operating parameters of the implements are stored under corresponding implement addresses, or operating data addresses.The implements are arranged at receiving locations of implement receiving means which, on extraction of an implement, transmits the implement address specific for this implement to the central control device. The tool receiving means concerned is designed as an external device relative to the main control device.

In addition to the above-mentioned external device there are provided also further external devices, what is concerned being actuating and display devices which make it possible to take up or transmit data or control signals. To these further external devices there belong inter alia an implement store, a material store from which data can be supplied with reference to the implement material employed in each particular instance, a selecting device which has material selecting keys, and also key arrangements (or push-button arrangements), a starter and correcting elements.

All these external devices are connected with the main control device via individual connecting lines. This involves a sometimes undesirably high conduction outlay with which is furthermore connected the risk of a corresponding influence of disturbance influences. Accordingly, the present invention is concerned with improving the dental treatment installation according to our application as aforesaid, so as to make it possible to make do with a smaller conduction outlay so as to establish connections between the main control device and all external devices associated therewith.

According to the invention, there is provided a dental treatment installation comprising: at least one dental treatment instrument; a plurality of tools having different operating parameters and replaceably mountable in said instrument; a main control device arranged to be supplied with the operating parameters of a selected instrument and optionally with further operating parameters, and to compute therefrom the operating point for the drive of the selected instrument and also the working data of the selected tool; stores provided in the main control device for storing the operating parameters of said tools under corresponding tool addresses or operating data addresses; a tool receiving station having receiving locations in which the tools are replaceably mounted and forming an external device associated with the main control device;; further external devices associated with the main control device; means for transmitting from said station to said main control device the tool address specific to a particular tool upon extraction of the latter from its receiving location; and at least one data line connecting said external devices to said main control device for transmitting data or control signals to the main control device and/orfor taking-up data or control signals from the main control device, whereby the establishment of a connection between the main control device and a respective one of the external devices takes place with reference to an address prepared by the main control device and disignating the respective external device.

The dental treatment installation acording to the invention provides the advantages that it is possible to make do with an especially small conduction and switching outlay in order to establish the connections required between the external devices and the main control device.

Expediently, the signal elements constituting the data or control signals are adapted to be transferred serieswise in the data line. This involves the advantage that it is possible to make do with an extremely simple data line.

For increasing the operational frequency of the individual external devices and therewith the frequency of the connection of these external devices with the main control device, the signal elements of the data or control signals transferred from or to the individual external devices, may be inserted one within the other, to be transferred in the data line. This means that a time-multiplexwise transfer of the individual signal elements takes place, in which connection there may be firmly associated with the individual external devices time compartments or time slots, within pulse frameworks following cyclically one upon each other. In this case, the fixed association of the appropriate time slots with the external devices fulfils the function of address supply.

Expediently, the addresses designating the exter#nal devices are supplied, following each other with chronological spacing, via the data line, for triggering of all the external devices which, in response to their particular triggering, take up or supply data or control signals. This has the advantage that practically subsequent to a predetermined, fixed scanning louvre (or grid), the individual external devices can to some extent be called-up for data or control signal transfer.

An especially effective and chronologically effective arrangement is achieved if the addresses are transmitted via at least one separate address line or channel. Therefrom there arises the advantage of an especially simple possibility for separation between addresses and data or control signals.

Preferably, external devices transmitting the control signals and external devices taking up the control signals are connected with a separate data line. This involves the advantage of specially effective processing of the control signals.

,Preferably, also external devices supplying the data and external devices taking up the data are connected with a separate data line. This involves the advantage of especially slight circuittechnical outlay for forming the data line.

As electrical line, there is preferably employed a network feed line extending to all the external devices and to the central control device. This has the advantage tha a line which in any case is to be provided, i.e. the network feedline, can simultaneously be employed also as a data line, so that therefore no supplementary line outlay is necessary.

A further possibility for carrying into effect the particular data line consist in that the latter is arranged to transmit a carrier frequency wave adapted to be modulated with the data or control signals. In this case, it is possible to make do in advantageous fashion without a line outlay.

An especially disturbance-reliable data or control signal transfer is achieved in advantageous fashion if the particular data line is constituted by a light-conductor.

Finally, it is also possible to constitute the particular data line by an ultrasonic conductor.

This involves the advantages of specially slight constructional outlay for forming the particular data line.

One embodiment of dental treatment installation according to the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing.

The dental treatment installation assembled according to the invention corresponds in principle to the dental treatment installation which is shown in Fig. 1 of our British Patent Application No. 7933936 Serial No. 2035606, the disclosure in which is hereby to be incorporated herein, and the corresponding individual elements or devices of the present arrangement are given the same reference numerals. In accordance therewith, there is provided as essential element of the dental treatment installation a control device 100 which may be constituted as a central control device by a calculator and in particular by a micro-calculator provided with at least one micro-processor. The control device 100 has, in the present case, only one input; however it may be constituted by a plurality of individual inputs, as will be clear in greater detail hereinbelow.

Connected to the appropriate input of the control device 100 is a data line 150, which may be a multi-core bus line, an individual electrical connecting line, a light-conductor or an ultrasonic conductor.

Connected in radial-line-like fashion with the data line 150 are all the devices which exchange with the control line 100 data signals or control signals. These devices constitute, with reference to the control device 100, external devices. To the said external devices belongs an instrument coder 102 which is associated with all the treatment instruments 103,104,105,106 which, subsequent to their particular extraction out of an instrument receiving device (not shown), are in each particular instance able to close or open an associated switch (107, 108, 109 or 110).Of these treatment instruments, the treatment instrument 103 may for example by a turbine drilling machine; the treatment instrument 104 may be a standard drilling machine; the treatment instrument 105 may be a tartar-removal instrument, and the treatment instrument 106 may be a UV instrument. Opening of the switch 107 may, with this arrangement, indicate that the treatment instrument 103 has been extracted out of its associated receiving device. Thereupon, the instrument coder 102 may prepare as data signal an address characteristic for this switch 107.

As further external device, an implement store 111 is connected by a connection to the data line 150. The implement store 111 has a plurality of receiving locations for tools or implements 11 2.

Associated with each such receiving location is also here a display instrument which may be a photodiode LED (light-emitting diode) or a glowlamp. In this case, it is not necessary that all the receiving locations should be occupied by implements in order to guarantee the ability to function of the implement store 111.

As further external device, there is connected with the data line 150 the output of a further store 114 which may be an implement-material- store having two push buttons 115 and 116. The push button 11 5 should be actuated if an implement having a hard metal cutting head is employed. The push button 116 should be actuated if an implement having a diamond implement head is employed.

As further external device, there is connected with the data line 150 a selecting device 117 having material selection push buttons 118. 119 and 120. Of these pushbuttons, the push button 11 8 is actuated if the material to be processed is hard; on the other hand, the push button 119 is actuated if the material to be processed possesses medium hardness. The push button 120 is actuated on processing soft material.

As further external device, there is connected with the data line 150 a gearing store 121 which may have a series of gear-pieces 122 at corresponding receiving locations. The gearpieces can be employed in connection with a turbine drill or a normal dental drilling machine.

Adjacent each receiving location there may be a display device 140 which may for example be constituted by a photodiode or a glow-lamp.

As a further external device, there is connected with the data line 150 a push button arrangement 123 which may have four push buttons 124, 125, 126 and 127. Of these push buttons, there is to be actuated the push button 124 to provide so called display pre-selection so as, for example, to monitor the number or address of a gear-member 122 (extracted out of the gear-store 121) on a display device 133 which also represents an external device which at the input side is also connected to the data line 150. the push button 125 is then actuated if the store associated with the control device 100 is subjected to so-called primary charging. In the course of such primary charging, there are stored into the particular store operating data which correspond to the experience values of the individual instruments and implements.The push button 126 is then actuated when there are to be retained or stored operating data indicated by the previously mentioned display device 133 and which deviates from the corresponding primary charge data. The push button 127 is finally actuated when, subsequent to extraction of a treatment instrument out of the associated treatment receiving device, also a second treatment instrument is extracted and the data thereof are, so to speak, to be taken-over by the display device 133.

In addition to the previously considered external devices, as a further external device there is provided also a starter 132 which is connected to the data line 1 50. Due to actuation of the said starter 132, the dental treatment instruments can be caused to function subsequent to extraction thereof out of their treatment receiving device.

Additionally, it can, by actuation of the appropriate starter 132, be possible to carry out movements of the dental treatment chair.

Connected with the data line 1 50, as a further external device, there is also a push button field 128 which, in our Patent Application as aforesaid, here has three push buttons 129, 130 and 131.

These three push buttons are actuated in accordance with the particular mode of cooling applied. The push button 129 is actuated in the case of cooling by air; the push button 130 is actuated in the case of cooling by water, and the push button 131 is actuated for cooling by means of a spray, i.e. a mixture of air and water.

As further external devices, finally, there are connected on one side with the data line 150 correcting elements I to IV. These correcting elements are designated 134, 135, 136 and 137.

They are individually associated with the treatment instruments 103 to 106. Due to supplying of corresponding control signals or data signals from the control device 100 to these correcting elements 134 to 137, the associated treatment instruments are operated with the operating values ascertained in each particular instance.

So as to be able to transmit data signals or control signals between the individual external devices shown in the drawing and the central control device 100, it is arranged that there are prepared by the central control device 100 addresses by means of which in each case one of the external devices is designated. If such an address occurs, then the external device designated thereby is able to take up and/or transmit data or control signals. If, by way of example, there occurs an address designating the instrument coder 102, there is then supplied to the said instrument coder 102, as data signal, the address of that switch of the switches 107 to 110 which has just been opened.The occurrence of the address designating the display device 133 will, on the other hand, lead to the fact that the said display device 133 takes up signals relating to the data line 150, which lead to a corresponding display. In contra-distinction.

thereto, the external devices 111 and 121 can, in response to a correspondingly addressed triggering, by way of example both transmit data signals and also take up data signals. The data signals supplied in each particular instance supply a display with regard to the implement or gearingmember extracted in each particular instance lead to a corresponding display in the particular external device 111 or 121.

With regard to the circuit arrangement shown in the drawing, it should be pointed out that the addresses designating the individual external devices, on the data line 150, can be transmitted with a fixed chronological spacing, following one upon the other, from the central control device 100. In this case, there takes place, via the data line 150 operated as bi-directional system, following one upon the other in cyclic fashion, triggering of all the external devices of the circuit arrangement, with which arrangement in each particualr instance data or control signals to be transferred are transferred in connection to the particular address via the data line 150 between the particular external device and the central control device 100.With this arrangement, it should be apparent that each of the external devices will have a corresponding address coder which, on ascertaining the address designating the particular external device will transmit a release signal, on occurrence of which signal take-up and/or signal supply from the appropriate external device is possible.

In deviation from the above-discussed conditions, it is also possible to proceed in such manner that the addresses serving for designating the individual external devices can be transferred via a separate address duct additonally provided to the data line 150 and to which then all external devices are connected with the inputs of their address decoder. Furthermore, instead of the above-discussed serial signal transfer, it is also possible, via the data duct, to effect signal transfer in accordance with the time-multiplex principle. In this case, there may be firmly associated with each of the external devices provided a pre-determined time slot within a predetermined pulse framework.

With this arrangement, the signal elements of the particular signals to be transmitted can be transmitted inserted one within the other in the data line. It is, however, also possible in each particular instance to connect pre-determined groups of the external devices with a data line which is separately associated with them. Thus, the external devices supplying and taking up the control signals can be connected to a separate data line and similarly the external devices applying and taking up data signals can be connected to a separate data line, in which case each of these data lines is adapted to be triggered frdm the central control device 100. The data line provided in each particular instance may, with this system, as already described hereinabove, be constituted by varying transfer media.

Additionally, the data lines employed in each particular instance may-as already stated-be so designed that, in each particular instance, they transfer the signal bits of the signals to be transmitted in each particular instance, parallel between the central control device 100 and the particular peripheral device.

Claims

1. A dental treatment installation comprising: at least one dental treatment instrument; a plurality of tools having different operating parameters and replaceably mountable in said instrument: a main control device arranged to be supplied with the operating parameters of a selected instrument and optionally with further operating parameters, and to compute therefrom the operating point for the drive of the selected instrument and also the working data of the selected tool; stores provided in the main control device for storing the operating parameters of said tools under corresponding tool addresses or operating data addresses; a tool receiving station having receiving locations in which the tools are replaceably mounted and forming an external device associated with the main control device; further external devices associated with the main control device;; means for transmitting from said station to said main control device the tool address specific to a particular tool upon extraction of the latter from its receiving location; and at least one data line connecting said external devices to said main control device for transmitting data or control signals to the main control device and/or for taking-up data or control signals from the main control device, whereby the establishment of a connection between the main control device and a respective one of the external devices takes place with reference to an address prepared by the main control device and designating the respective external device.

2. A dental treatment installation according to claim 1, in which signal elements forming said data or control signals are adapted to be transferred series-wise in said data line.

3. A dental treatment installatIon according to claim 2, in which said signal elements are adapted to be transferred, inserted one within the other, in said data line.

4. A dental treatment installation according to claim 1, in which the addresses designating the external devices are supplied, following each other in chronological spacing, via said data line for triggering all the external devices which in accordance with the particular triggering thereof take up or supply data or control signals.

5. A dental treatment installation according to claim 4, in which the addresses are adapted to be transferred via at least one separate address line.

6. A dental treatment installation according to claim 1, in which external devices supplying the control signals and external devices take-up the control signals are connected to a separate data line.

7. A dental treatment installation according to claim 1, in which external devices supplying the data and external devices taking-up the data are connected to a separate data line.

8. A dental treatment installation according to claim 1, in which said data line is formed by an electrical line.

9. A dental treatment installation according to claim 8, in which said electrical line comprises a network feed line leading to all said external devices and to said main control device.

10. A dental treatment installation according to claim 1, in which said data line is arranged to transmit a carrier frequency wave adapted to be modulated with the data or control signals.

11. A dental treatment installation according to claim 1, in which said data line is constituted by a light conductor.

12. A dental treatment installation according to claim 1, in which said data line is constituted by an ultrasonic conductor.

13. A dental treatment installation according to claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawing.