JP2002177302A - Dental irradiator for photopolymerization - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dental irradiator for photopolymerization which does not require an optical convergence and transmission means such as a lens or optical fiber and provides luminous intensity and luminous energy enough for polymerization. SOLUTION: The dental irradiator for photopolymerization has a substrate 1 in which at least a pair of conductors 2 and 3 is provided in the vicinity of the tip of a grip member 5, and a plurality of LED pellets 4 emitting light when electricity is conducted to the conductors 2 and 3 is arranged.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization, and more particularly, to a plurality of light emitting elements (for example, LE).
By using D (light emitting diode) pellets and LD (laser diode), high intensity light emission is possible, and it is also a light irradiation device for photochemical reaction with a small configuration that can be easily used in a narrow oral cavity. The present invention relates to a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the field of dental treatment, 400
A dental light irradiator for photopolymerization using a halogen lamp or a xenon lamp containing a wavelength of ５００500 nm is generally used.

[0003] Dental light irradiators for photopolymerization using LEDs or semiconductor lasers are also currently used.

[0004]

However, when a light-emitting element comprising an LED is used, 500 LEDs per LED are required.
Light intensity of only about mW / m ² can be obtained, and the total amount of light is about several times lower than that of a halogen lamp or a xenon lamp which is currently generally used as a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization. There is a problem that is only too much.

Therefore, in order to improve the light efficiency of a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization using LEDs, irradiation light from a plurality of LEDs is condensed by a lens or the like, or an optical fiber for light transmission is shortened. Or even irradiate the affected area directly without using an optical fiber.

[0006] In order to increase the light emission intensity and the amount of light by the LED, a plurality of LEDs are required. However, the LED is usually small and has a diameter of about 6 mm. Has a limit on the number of LEDs that can be used.

Further, the irradiation light from the LED has a much narrower directivity than that of a halogen lamp or a xenon lamp, and irradiates the object to be polymerized (working surface) directly with the irradiation light from a plurality of LEDs. However, when photopolymerization or the like is performed, there is a problem that uneven polymerization occurs.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, eliminates the need for optical condensing or transmitting means such as a lens or an optical fiber for attenuating light, and has a light intensity that can be sufficiently polymerized. An object of the present invention is to provide a photopolymerization dental light irradiator capable of obtaining a light output of a light amount.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization, wherein a substrate provided with at least a pair of conductive paths is disposed near the tip of a hand-held member, and the substrate is provided on the conductive paths. A plurality of light-emitting elements, which are semiconductor elements that emit light when a current flows, are provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization, wherein a substrate provided with at least a pair of conductive paths is arranged near the tip of a hand-held member, and electrodes are connected to the conductive paths. The light-emitting elements are arranged close to each other such that a light flux composed of light having approximately 60% or more of the maximum intensity of the light emitted from the light-emitting elements is at least in contact with or overlaps the object to be polymerized (working surface). It is characterized by the following.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization, wherein a substrate provided with at least a pair of conductive paths is disposed near the tip of a hand-held member, and a plurality of electrodes are electrically connected to the conductive paths. , The spread angle of light having an intensity of about 60% of the maximum intensity of light emitted from the light emitting element is α, and the distance between the light emitting surface of the light emitting element and the object to be polymerized (working surface) is D. , The distance between adjacent light emitting elements is 2Dt
It is characterized by being smaller than anα.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a cathode conductor and an anode conductor forming a pair of conductive paths on the substrate. Are arranged so as to engage with each other with an insulator interposed therebetween.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to any one of the first to third aspects, the light emitting surface of the light emitting element disposed on the substrate provided with at least a pair of conductive paths is provided. It is characterized by being inclined toward the center of the substrate.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to any one of the first to third aspects, at least a first light emitting element group is formed by dividing a pair of conductive paths on the substrate. And the second light emitting element group can be electrically controlled independently.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to any one of the first to third aspects, a plurality of light emitting elements are molded with light transmissive plastic to make the surface flat or , And the light emitted from the light emitting element is a parallel light or a converged light.

The invention according to claim 8 is a photopolymerization dental light irradiator provided with a light emitting element formed using a sapphire substrate layer and a gallium nitride layer, wherein the sapphire substrate layer side of the light emitting element is polymerized. It is characterized by being arranged toward an object.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This dental light irradiator for photopolymerization can be held, for example, with one hand. The disk-shaped substrate 1 is connected to the tip of the arm portion 5a protruding from the round bar-shaped hand-held member 5, and at least one pair of conductive paths, that is, the annular conductor 2 and the disk-shaped Conductor 3
Is formed between the conductors 2 and 3 in the first embodiment.
It is configured by connecting LED pellets 4 as light emitting elements at intervals of 90 degrees. In FIG. 1, the conductor 2,
The conductor 3 and the LED pellet 4 are shown with hatching.

As the substrate 1, a conventionally known printed circuit board is used, and the conductors 2, 3 are formed by ordinary etching.

The method of connecting the LED pellets on the substrate 1 is to arrange a plurality of LED pellets 4 so as to be connected in parallel to a pair of conductors 2 and 3, and to connect the electrodes of the LED pellets 4 to the conductors on the substrate 1. This is done by directly bonding to a few.

The LED pellet 4 is usually 500 μm
Since the diameter of the substrate 1 is 10 mm,
Even if a space for bonding is taken into consideration on this substrate 1, several tens of LED pellets 4 can be easily arranged.

If the substrate 1 is disposed at the tip of the arm 5a of the hand-held member 5, light from the plurality of LED pellets 4 can be superimposed and directly radiated to an affected part (not shown).

The relative intensity of light incident on the affected area based on the light emitted from the LED pellet 4 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the relative intensity of the incident light is strongest on a vertical line substantially at the center of the surface of the LED pellet 4, and becomes weaker as it deviates from the vertical line.

As shown in FIG. 2, the maximum intensity of the incident light from the LED pellet 4 is at least approximately 60%.
The angle at which the above light is generated is α, and as shown in FIG.
If D is the shortest distance from the light emitting surface 7 of each LED pellet 4 to the working surface 6 of the object to be polymerized,
The distance L between the central point 8 and the point 9 where the intensity of the light from is the strongest can be represented by L = 2Dtanα. In other words, if the next LED pellet 4 is arranged at a distance of L = 2D tan α or less from one LED pellet 4, at least two LED pellets 4 are placed on the working surface 6 of the polymerization target. About 6 of the maximum strength of
Incident light having an intensity of 0% or more arrives.

That is, according to the photopolymerization dental light irradiator configured by arranging a plurality of these LED pellets in a plane, both the intensity and the amount of light incident on the diseased part are sufficient for dental photopolymerization. It becomes something.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which several tens of LED pellets 4 are arranged on the substrate 1. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the cathode conductor 11 and the anode conductor 12 are formed on the substrate 1A so as to interdigitate with each other via insulators 13 and 14 so that a total of 51 LED pellets are formed. Four groups are connected to the conductor 11 for the cathode and the conductor 12 for the anode, respectively.
a, 12a, and a high-density configuration.

Here, reference numeral 15 in FIG. 5 denotes a Zener diode for short-circuit prevention, which is connected and arranged on the anode conductor 12 and is also connected to the cathode conductor 11 using the connection wire 15a. The Zener diode 15 is connected to the LED pellet 4.
When a voltage in the opposite direction is applied to the current, a current suddenly starts to flow at a certain voltage, which leads to a short circuit failure. Also, 16a and 16b in FIG. 5 are wiring holes.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 6 shows a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to a second embodiment. The dental light irradiator for photopolymerization comprises a substrate 1, LED pellets 4, A short glass rod 20 is used in consideration of sterility, in addition to the configuration of the lead wire 17 for energization. Alternatively, when a plastic fiber rod is used, a cover made of a transparent material can be used.

According to the configuration of the second embodiment, the light from the LED pellets 4 is guided and emitted toward the working surface 6 by using the light guide member made of the glass rod 20. End surface 20a substantially opposite to working surface 6
Thus, the luminous fluxes from the LED pellets 4 overlap, whereby both the intensity and the amount of light incident on the diseased part are sufficient for photopolymerization for dentistry.

(Embodiment 3) FIGS. 7 and 8 show a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to Embodiment 3 and show a trade-off (averaging) between light attenuation and efficiency. For reference, as shown in FIG.
Dental light irradiator for photopolymerization in which a minute reflecting plate 21 having reflecting surfaces 21a and 21b each inclined with respect to the LED pellet is disposed between the pellets 4, and LE as shown in FIG.
A dental light irradiator for photopolymerization in which a microlens 22 is added on the D pellet 4 can also be used.

According to the dental light irradiator for photopolymerization, it is possible to correct the variation of the spread angle of the light emitted from each LED pellet 4. That is, the reflection plate 2
1 and the light flux after correction by the micro lens 22
, The light beams from the LED pellets 4 overlap and the light intensity is increased, so that the light beams from the individual LED pellets 4 do not need to be separately focused by a lens or the like. be able to.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 9 shows a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. It is arranged so as to be inclined in the arrangement. According to this photopolymerization dental light irradiator, the luminous flux from the group of LED pellets 4 can be concentrated on a vertical line passing through the center of the substrate without causing optical loss, and the intensity of light irradiating the diseased part Can be further increased.

In this case, if the substrate 1 made of a flexible material is used, the LED pellets 4 are bonded in a flat state, and then the peripheral portion on the substrate 1 is utilized by utilizing the flexibility of the substrate material. The direction of the LED pellet 4 can be changed.

(Embodiment 5) FIG.
And the degree of integration of the LED pellets 4 is determined by the horn space at the tip of the bonding machine. That is, the wire bonding from the LED pellets 4 to the conductors on the substrate 1 cannot be performed unless they are arranged at a certain interval.

In this case, a plurality of substrates such as substrates 1a, 1b and 1c are used as in the case of a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization shown in FIG. Conductors 31 and 32 are respectively formed with an insulator 33 interposed therebetween,
The LED pellets 4 are arranged in rows on the substrates 1a, 1b, 1c, and are connected by connection wires 35, respectively.

In this case, an extremely thin insulator 33 is interposed between the substrates 1a, 1b, and 1c, or the substrates 1a, 1b, and 1c are arranged in close contact with each other while opening a minute space. As a whole, the density of the LED pellets 4 can be increased.

(Embodiment 6) FIG.
FIG. 1 shows a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization of the present invention.
And a conductor 4 for the center LED pellet on the center side of the substrate 1.
2a and 42b are formed and the peripheral LED pellet conductor 4
1a, between 41b, the center LED pellet conductor 42a,
A group of LED pellets 4 (not shown in FIG. 11) is connected between the respective 42b, and these are individually controlled to be turned on.

According to this configuration, it is possible to realize the lighting control in which the light intensity is changed stepwise to reduce the polymerization shrinkage of the light without using a power supply device whose output can be adjusted. .

That is, first, the LED pellet group arranged on the peripheral LED pellet conductors 41a, 41b is turned on, and then the central LED pellet conductors 42a, 42b are turned on.
If the LED pellet group arranged in the area is turned on, the light intensity can be adjusted stepwise only by adding a simple switch, and the outside or inside of the filling material is first polymerized depending on the shape of the filling site in the affected part. By doing so, stress applied to the polymerized resin can be reduced, and shrinkage and internal stress can be reduced.

(Embodiment 7) FIGS. 12 to 14 show a photo-curing dental light irradiator according to a seventh embodiment. In this configuration, a plurality of LED pellets 4 are arranged and molded with a light transmitting resin 51.

FIG. 12 shows an example in which each LED pellet 4 is molded to make the radiation surface 50 convex (spherical). In this case, the light emitted from each LED pellet 4 is refracted by the surface molded with the light-transmitting resin 51 and is focused. Therefore, the emitted light from the photopolymerization dental light irradiator is collected.

FIG. 13 shows a case where an LED pellet 4a having a high directivity (small radiation angle) is used. L
When the ED pellet 4a is molded with the light transmissive resin 51 to flatten the surface, the emitted light is emitted vertically (perpendicular to the substrate 1) from the LED pellet 4a,
The light emitted from the photopolymerization dental light irradiator is parallel light.

FIG. 14 shows a case where an LED pellet 4b having a weak directivity (having a large radiation angle) is used.
When the ED pellet 4b is molded with the light transmissive resin 51 to make the surface slightly convex (spherical shape having a smaller degree of convexity than the case shown in FIG. 12), the radiation emitted from the LED pellet 4b is refracted. However, the refraction does not become large as shown in FIG. 12, and the radiation emitted vertically (perpendicular to the substrate 1) and obliquely from the LED pellet 4b is substantially parallel. That is, the radiation light of the photopolymerization dental light irradiator is parallel light as a whole.

In the seventh embodiment, the convex shape of the radiation surface is continuously changed from the center (the uppermost portion of the convex shape) toward the outer periphery to form an aspherical surface, so that the LED pellet 4 is formed. Even with respect to the radiated light from the lateral direction (parallel to the substrate 1), it can be made into parallel light with higher parallelism.

(Eighth Embodiment) FIG. 15 shows a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to an eighth embodiment. This dental light irradiator for photopolymerization usually has a blue LED pellet as shown in FIG.
Gallium nitride layer 62 on a sapphire substrate layer 61 shown in FIG.
Is formed, an active layer is formed, a metal electrode layer (Au, Al, etc.) is formed on the uppermost surface, and light transmitted through the metal electrode layer is used.

Therefore, in order to further increase the light intensity, LE
If the D pellet is disposed on the substrate 1 with the sapphire substrate layer 61 as the substrate facing upward, light is transmitted through the metal electrode layer without being blocked, so that about 20 to 30% of light intensity can be achieved.

At this time, if soldering is performed by using the ball bumps 63, the density of the LED pellets is further increased, and it is possible to use low-brightness LED pellets, thereby reducing the cost. In addition, high brightness LED
If pellets are used, the polymerization can be completed in a shorter time.

Another modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The conductor (conductor for LED pellet) is arranged spirally or provided in the thickness direction of the substrate 1 as shown in FIG. Board 1 using the through hole 71
And a through-hole type configuration for electrically connecting the front and back of the device. In FIG. 16, reference numeral 72 denotes an insulator;
Reference numerals 3 and 74 are connection conductors. Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that, for example, LED pellets can be replaced with LDs.

While the photopolymerization dental light irradiator has been described above, in recent years, the use of a photopolymerization dental light irradiator has been increasing in order to increase the effect of a bleaching agent for bleaching teeth. I have. Since the bleaching has the effect of heat as well as the effect of light, if a part of the LED pellet 4 is replaced by an LED pellet emitting infrared light or infrared light, it can function sufficiently as a light irradiator for bleaching. be able to.

[0050]

According to the present invention, since a large number of light emitting elements are densely arranged, the emitted light is irradiated in an overlapping manner, thereby reducing the unevenness of the irradiated light on the object to be polymerized (working surface). It is possible to provide a photopolymerization dental light irradiator capable of obtaining a light intensity and an amount of light output that can be sufficiently polymerized while being polymerized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a relative intensity of incident light in the photopolymerization dental light irradiator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a relative intensity of incident light by an LED pellet in the photopolymerization dental light irradiation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a relative intensity of incident light by two LED pellets in the photopolymerization dental light irradiation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a substrate portion of a high-density mounting configuration of the photopolymerization dental light irradiation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a substrate and LED pellets of a photopolymerization dental light irradiator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a substrate and LED pellets of another example of the photopolymerization dental light irradiator according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a substrate and LED pellets of a photopolymerization dental light irradiator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing a substrate and LED pellets of a photopolymerization dental light irradiator according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing emitted light of a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing emitted light of a photopolymerization dental light irradiator according to another example of the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing emitted light of a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to still another example of the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic sectional view showing a dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic sectional view of a modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 substrate 1A substrate 1a, 1b, 1c substrate 2 conductor 3 conductor 4 LED pellet 4a LED pellet 4b LED pellet 5 hand-held member 5a arm 6 working surface 7 light emitting surface 8 points 9 points 11 conductor for cathode 12 conductor for anode 14 insulator 15 Zener diode 16a, 16b Hole 17 Lead wire 19 Lead wire cover 20 Glass rod 21 Reflector 22 Micro lens 31 Conductor 32 Conductor 33 Insulator 35 Connection wire 41a, 41b Conductor for peripheral LED pellet 42a, 42b Central LED pellet Conductor 50 Radiating surface 51 Light-transmitting resin 61 Sapphire substrate layer 62 Gallium nitride layer 63 Ball bump 71 Through hole

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A substrate provided with at least a pair of conductive paths is disposed near the tip of a hand-held member, and a plurality of light emitting elements, which are semiconductor elements that emit light when a current flows through the conductive paths, are disposed. Dental light irradiator for photopolymerization. 2. A plurality of light emitting elements having at least a pair of conductive paths provided near the tip of a hand-held member and having electrodes connected to the conductive paths, the maximum intensity of light emitted from the light emitting elements. Wherein the light-emitting element is disposed close to the object to be polymerized (working surface) so that a light flux composed of approximately 60% or more of the light comes into contact with or overlaps at least. 3. A substrate provided with at least a pair of conductive paths is disposed in the vicinity of the tip of the hand-held member, and a plurality of light-emitting elements having electrodes connected to the conductive paths are disposed. The spread angle of light having an intensity of approximately 60% of the maximum intensity is defined as α, and the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element and the object to be polymerized (working surface)
Wherein the distance between adjacent light-emitting elements is smaller than 2Dtanα, where D is the distance to the dental light irradiator for photopolymerization. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a cathode conductor and an anode conductor forming a pair of conductive paths on the substrate are arranged so as to engage with each other with an insulator interposed therebetween. A dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to the above. 5. The light according to claim 1, wherein a light emitting surface of a light emitting element disposed on a substrate provided with at least a pair of conductive paths is inclined toward a central portion of the substrate. Dental light irradiator for polymerization. 6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a pair of conductive paths on the substrate are divided so that at least the first light emitting element group and the second light emitting element group can be controlled electrically independently. 3
A dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to any one of the above. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of light-emitting elements are molded with a light-transmitting plastic to make the surface flat or convex, and light emitted from the light-emitting elements is made into parallel light or converged light. Item 4. A dental light irradiator for photopolymerization according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 8. A photopolymerization dental light irradiator including a sapphire substrate layer and a light emitting element formed using a gallium nitride layer, wherein the sapphire substrate layer side of the light emitting element is arranged to face an object to be polymerized. A dental light irradiator for photopolymerization, characterized in that: