JP2001314425A - Resin hardening equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a resin hardening equipment that can hardens photo- polymerizing resins in a short time (a few seconds) after exposing to light to harden the resin. SOLUTION: A plurality of light emitting devices 13a-13n are arranged in the same direction of traveling of light emitted from each light emitting device. Light from each light emitting device is condensed in a narrower area than on the first curved surface and guided toward a light guide from the second curved surface by a condenser device 12 comprising the first curved surface 12a on which each light emitting device is arranged in contact or in the vicinity, the second curved surface 12b having a narrower light emitting zone compared with the first curved surface and emits the incident light in the first curved surface in the prescribed direction, and an optical refraction part member 12c, which is located between the first curved surface and the second curved surface and in which an optically transparent material for the wave length of the light emitted from each light emitting device is filled between the first curved surface and the second curved surface. Thus a resin hardening equipment with a strong light intensity and capable of hardening the dental resins in a few seconds is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used for a resin curing apparatus for irradiating light of a predetermined wavelength for curing a photo-curable resin, that is, a photo-curable resin, to a curing object, particularly for dental use. The present invention relates to a dental resin hardening device for hardening a resin used for protection and moisture prevention of a cut portion in an oral cavity in a short time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a dental resin curing device, there is known a resin curing device having a power supply device, an LED, an optical fiber, and a light irradiation head as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-30275.

The resin curing device (resin curing light source device) disclosed in the above-mentioned publication uses a plurality of LEDs that emit light of a wavelength of 455 nm as a light source, and the light is transmitted to a light irradiation head via an optical fiber. The light is supplied to irradiate a predetermined position (irradiation target) in the oral cavity with light from the light irradiation head.

According to the above publication, an LED as a light source is composed of two LED chips having a light output of 1200 μW.
There is a description that about 0 are arranged.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-28719 discloses that
There is disclosed a polymerization apparatus which uses a battery as a power source and is integrated with a solid radiation emitter and an optical transmission line to facilitate handling.

[0006]

In the resin curing device, the wavelength of light emitted from the LED chip is blue at 430 to 480 nm due to the curing characteristics of the resin. However, as is well known, the light output of an LED that emits blue light is still several times smaller than, for example, red (wavelength 680 nm) or orange (wavelength 580 nm) at a predetermined position in the oral cavity. It takes several tens of seconds to completely cure the photopolymerizable resin located in the position.

[0007] For this reason, there is a problem that a patient who is visiting for treatment in the oral cavity, in particular, treatment of tooth decay, needs a cramped posture so as not to close the mouth for a relatively long time.

[0008] Similarly, a doctor trying to cure the resin is also kept in the same posture so that light is continuously applied to the portion where the resin is located until the resin is cured. There is a problem that a specific light irradiation posture is required to irradiate light of a predetermined wavelength.

This poses a problem that the working conditions (treatment posture) are severe for doctors, the treatment time is long for patients, and the recognition that dental treatment is difficult is increasing. is there.

An object of the present invention is to provide a resin curing apparatus capable of curing a photopolymerizable resin in a short time (several seconds) after irradiation with resin curing light.

[0011]

The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned problems, and has a plurality of light emitting elements.
A light source that emits light of a predetermined wavelength and the light emitting elements of the light source are arranged in close or close proximity, with the light emitting elements being arranged such that the traveling directions of light emitted by the respective light emitting elements are in the same direction. And a second curved surface having a light emission area narrower than the first curved surface and emitting light incident on the first curved surface in a predetermined direction. A light-emitting element that is filled between the first curved surface and the second curved surface and that is optically transparent to a wavelength of light emitted by each of the light-emitting elements; A light condensing device having a light refraction member for condensing light from the element into a narrower area than the time when the light is incident on the first curved surface and guiding the light to the second curved surface; A guide member for guiding the emitted light to a predetermined position,
The present invention provides a resin curing device characterized by having:

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view for explaining a resin curing apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the resin curing device 1 comprises:
It comprises a device body 2, a light guide connecting portion 3 provided at one end of the device body 2, and a power supply line 4 connected to the device body 2 via a grip 2a of the device body 2. The light guide connecting portion 3 includes a coupler 3a, and a light guide (an optical fiber assembly in which optical fibers are assembled into a predetermined shape) 11 having an arbitrary opening cross-sectional shape is detachably formed. . Thereby, the light guides 11 of different sizes can be arbitrarily exchanged according to the use and the age of the patient.

A power supply device for extracting a predetermined voltage and current from a commercial power supply supplied via a power supply line 4 is provided inside the grip portion 2a of the device main body 2 as described later with reference to FIG. Is housed. Note that a dual switch or two sets of switches for energizing the power supply device and turning on / off the light source are turned on when one is turned on, and the other is turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed. Switches 5a and 5b with a time limit function are provided at arbitrary positions of the grip portion 2a.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the internal configuration of the resin curing device shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the light guide 11
In the vicinity of one end of the LED array 13, the individual LEDs of the LED array 13 are
The light emitted by the elements 13a,.
There is provided a light condensing device 12 for condensing light in an area having a diameter smaller than the diameter defined by the EDs 13a,..., 13n.

Each of the LEDs 13a,.
3n, the power supply circuit 15 transforms the voltage to a predetermined voltage.
An LED drive unit 14 capable of supplying a predetermined LED drive current is connected, and the switches 5a and 5b are turned on, so that a current of a predetermined magnitude is supplied at a predetermined voltage. The power supply circuit 15 and the LED drive unit 14
Is formed in a predetermined shape that can be accommodated in the grip portion 2a of the apparatus main body 2 shown in FIG. 1, for example, and applies an appropriate load to the grip portion 2a to facilitate handling of the device main body 2. The switches 5a and 5b are two-time switches or two sets of switches. When one of the switches is turned on, the other is turned on, and the other is turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed. Then, after a predetermined time, for example, 5 seconds, has elapsed after the switches 5a and 5b have been turned on, the power supply to at least the LED drive unit 14 can be cut off.

The power supply circuit 15 is connected to a DC motor or AC motor fan motor 16 and a cooling fan 17 formed integrally with the fan motor 16. The fan 17 is housed on the side of the exhaust port 2b remote from the fiber connection portion 3 of the apparatus main body 2 shown in FIG. 1, for example. Cooling air is taken in from an intake port 2c provided substantially in the center, and each LED 13a,.
13n and the motor 16 are cooled to generate a cooling air flowing to the exhaust port.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the resin curing apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in which light emitted from each LED element of the LED array is converted into a narrower area than that at the time of incidence, and the light intensity is increased and emitted. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of a light collecting device.

As shown in FIG. 3, the light incident on the portion 12-1 whose incident surface is orthogonal to the incident light (indicated by an arrow) is directly incident on the condensing device 12 in which a plurality of parallel flat plates are connected. Is emitted.

On the other hand, a part 1 formed in a parallelogram so that the incident surface is at a predetermined angle with respect to the incident light.
The light incident on 2-2 and 12-3 is bent at a predetermined angle by the law of refraction at a parallelogram-shaped portion, and becomes parallel to the incident light when emitted from the parallelogram portion. Will be returned. Thereby, the light emitted from the light condensing device 12 is collected in an area smaller than the cross-sectional area at the time of incidence. In addition, even if the light intensity excludes the loss due to the light collector,
It is strengthened compared to the time of incidence.

The degree of light collection by the light collection device 12 is as follows.
It can be set arbitrarily depending on the material and thickness of the light collector 12.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a light-collecting device applied to the resin curing device shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 4, the light condensing device 12
A first curved surface (incident surface) 12a on which individual LEDs 13a,..., 13n of the LED array are arranged in close contact or at a predetermined interval, and a second curved surface from which light incident from the first curved surface is emitted. (Outgoing surface) 12b and each L
A light condensing member (main body) 12c transparent to the wavelength of light emitted by the ED elements 13a,..., 13n. The optical path of light incident on the first curved surface 12a is changed by the main body 12c. Light is condensed on a second curved surface 12b narrower than the first curved surface 12a. The light-collecting member (main body) 12c is made of, for example, optical glass, quartz glass, acrylic, or the like.

The first curved surface 12a, as shown in FIG.
When the LEDs 13a,..., 13n of the LED array 13 are arranged along the first curved surface 12a so that the light emitted from the LEDs 13a,.
Most of the light from 13a,.
A predetermined curvature is provided so as to bend toward the center of 2c.

On the other hand, the second curved surface 12b is
A curvature is provided to function as a condenser lens (convex lens) for efficiently causing the light that has passed through the inside of the main body 12c to enter the light guide 11 (coupling the light that has passed through the condenser device 12 to the light guide 11). ing.

The first curved surface 12a has individual LEs.
An anti-reflection film (anti-reflection coating) (not shown) that reduces reflection of light from D13a,..., 13n on the first curved surface and returns to the outside of the light-collecting device 12,
The light that has passed through the main body 12c is
The anti-reflection films (anti-reflection coatings) are formed to reduce the reflection on the curved surface and return to the main body 12c.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the arrangement of LED elements of an LED array used as a light source in the resin curing device shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 5, the LED array 13
Each of the LED elements 13a,.
The largest part of the cylindrical or tapered outer periphery of the element is in contact with each other, and the individual LED elements 13a,.
The line connecting the centers of 3n is generally triangular (usually equilateral triangle)
Are arranged in a close-packed manner.

Each of the LED elements 13a,.
The area in which n are arranged is defined, for example, in a substantially circular shape. When the diameter of each of the LED elements 13a,..., 13n is, for example, 3 mm, the size (diameter) of the LED array 13 determined by all the LED elements in the arrangement shown in FIG. Become.

The wavelength of the light emitted by each of the LED elements 13a to 13n is, for example, 430 nm to 480 nm.

Thus, the output light intensity is large enough to cure a predetermined amount of light-curable resin to be injected into the oral cavity in a few seconds, for example.
3 is obtained.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of cooling air in the resin curing device shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 6, the fan motor 16 accommodated in the apparatus main body 2, for example, the exhaust port 2b remote from the fiber connection portion 3 of the apparatus main body 2 shown in FIG. 1, is rotated. As a result, the cooling air taken in from the air intake port 2c provided substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus main body 2 becomes L
.., 13n of the ED array 13 and the motor 16 are cooled and become cooling air flowing to the exhaust port 2b. Thus, the device body 2 and the LED array 13 are not heated by the heat generated by the LED array 13 and a stable light emitting operation can be performed.

[0036]

As described above, in the resin curing device of the present invention, a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged so that the light emitted by each light emitting element travels in the same direction.
Light from each light emitting element is incident on the first curved surface having a first curved surface on which each light emitting element is arranged in close contact or close proximity, and a light emission area narrower than the first curved surface. Light
A second curved surface that emits light in a predetermined direction, and a material that is optically transparent to a wavelength of light emitted by each light emitting element is provided between the first curved surface and the second curved surface. The light from each light emitting element is condensed on a narrower area than the time when the light is incident on the first curved surface by the condensing device including the filled light refracting member, and is directed from the second curved surface to the light guide. Therefore, there is provided a resin curing device which has a high light intensity and can cure a dental resin in a few seconds.

According to this resin curing device, the time required to take a light irradiation posture required by a doctor who performs treatment in the oral cavity can be shortened. The time required for posture is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a resin curing device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the resin curing device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the resin curing device shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of a light-collecting device that converts light into a narrower area than at the time of incidence and emits light with increased light intensity.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a light collecting device applied to the resin curing device illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 shows a resin curing device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement of LED elements of an LED array used as a light source.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of cooling air in the resin curing device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Resin hardening device, 2 ... Device main body, 2a ... Handle part, 2b ... Exhaust port, 2c ... Intake port, 3 ... Light guide connection part, 3a ... Coupler 4 power supply device 5a switch 5b switch 11 light guide device 12 light condensing device 12a incident surface (first curved surface) 12b ..Outgoing surface (second curved surface) backup roller, 13 ... LED unit (light source), 13a to 13n ... LED element, 14 ... LED drive unit, 15 ... Power supply circuit, 16 ... -Fan motor, 17 ... cooling fan.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A light source having a plurality of light emitting elements, arranged in such a manner that the light emitted from each light emitting element travels in the same direction, and emitting light of a predetermined wavelength; A first curved surface on which the respective light-emitting elements are arranged in close contact or close proximity to each other, having a light emission area narrower than the first curved surface, and light incident on the first curved surface; A second curved surface that emits light in a predetermined direction, is filled between the first curved surface and the second curved surface, and optically emits light with respect to a wavelength of light emitted by each of the light emitting elements. A light refraction member made of a transparent material, condensing light from the respective light emitting elements of the light source into an area narrower than the time when the light is incident on the first curved surface, and guiding the light to the second curved surface; A light condensing device having a Resin curing apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a guide member, a to. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source, the light collecting device, and the guide member are integrally formed.
The resin curing device according to the above. 3. Each of the light emitting elements of the light source is an LED element that emits light having a wavelength of 430 to 480 nm, and the light source is an LED in which a plurality of the LED elements are arranged.
3. The resin curing device according to claim 1, wherein the resin curing device is an ED array. 4. The light source according to claim 1, wherein the first curved surface of the light condensing device is configured to emit light emitted by the respective light emitting elements of the light source to the first light source.
The resin curing device according to claim 1, wherein the curved surface is directed toward a center of curvature of the curved surface. 5. The resin curing device according to claim 2, wherein a power supply device for driving the light source is further integrated.