JP2587001B2 - Dental handpiece maintenance device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a maintenance device for a dental handpiece, and more particularly to a maintenance device capable of cleaning the inside of a dental handpiece and lubricating it into a bearing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The durability of a dental handpiece is greatly affected by the maintenance work on a regular basis. In this work, a hose connected to a supply unit that supplies compressed air and the like to the dental handpiece is withdrawn from the base end of the handpiece, and lubricating oil is injected into the handpiece from an air supply pipe or the like that appears here. , Ball bearings, etc.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned conventional maintenance work involves manually transferring lubricating oil from a container accommodating them to the interior of each dental handpiece via a nozzle or the like. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time and the fingers become dirty. In particular, since this work is usually performed during a busy and troublesome cleaning-up period after the end of the day's medical treatment, the current situation is that people tend to be shunned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a dental handpiece maintenance device which facilitates maintenance work of a dental handpiece. .

[0005]

The gist of the present invention, which is a means for achieving this object, is as follows.
H) in the maintenance device for dental handpieces, each component requirement is described below.

A) Cleaning liquid storage section for storing a cleaning liquid Here, the cleaning liquid is a liquid such as alcohol or distilled water for cleaning the inside of the dental handpiece.

(A) Lubricating oil storing section for storing lubricating oil Lubricating oil is oil used for lubricating ball bearings and the like inside the handpiece.

[0008] The washing liquid storage section and the lubricating oil storage section are
These are containers and spaces that can maintain a sealed state, respectively, and can be released from the sealed state and a washing liquid and a lubricating oil can be appropriately added.

C) a fluid jet port which communicates with the cleaning liquid storage section and the lubricating oil storage section via a cleaning liquid passage and a lubricating oil path, respectively, which jets a cleaning liquid, a lubricating oil, and air; It is a part for sending these fluids into the dental handpiece. The number of the fluid outlets is not particularly limited. In the case of a plurality of fluid outlets, each fluid outlet communicates with the cleaning liquid passage and the lubricating oil passage, respectively. After the cleaning liquid passage and the lubricating oil passage merge near the fluid outlet, they may communicate with the fluid outlet.

D) A first compressed air passage for communicating the cleaning liquid storage section with a compressed air source. The compressed air source is an air compressor or the like which can generate compressed air by operation. It can be integrated into a maintenance device (hereinafter, this device), or can be used separately from this device.

E) a second compressed air passage for communicating the fluid ejection port with the compressed air source f) a third compressed air passage for communicating the lubricating oil accommodating portion with the compressed air source The fluid outlet has three fluid passages: a first compressed air passage and a washing liquid passage, and a second passage.
And a third compressed air passage and a lubricating oil passage. In addition, after these join in the vicinity of the fluid ejection port, they may communicate with the fluid ejection port.

G) passage opening / closing means for passing compressed air from the compressed air source through one of the first, second, and third compressed air passages; The compressed air generated in the compressed air source does not flow simultaneously through the first, second and third compressed air passages,
This is a mechanism that can selectively pass through any one of the compressed air passages. There are various such mechanisms,
A specific example is an on-off valve interposed in each compressed air passage. In this case, it is particularly desirable that the on-off valve is a solenoid valve whose opening time can be set in advance by a timer.

H) Handpiece holding means capable of holding the dental handpiece in such a manner that the fluid ejection port communicates with the fluid pipe emerging from the base end of the dental handpiece, and emerges from the dental handpiece base end. The fluid pipe is a supply / exhaust pipe, a tip air pipe, a water supply pipe, etc., which are provided in the dental handpiece. When the handpiece is used, the fluid pipe communicates with an external fluid supply unit via a hose, and the hose is removed. Then, those ends emerge from the base end of the handpiece. It is not necessary to inject the cleaning liquid or lubricating oil from all the fluid pipes that appear at the base end of the handpiece, and it is possible to select and inject a fluid pipe suitable for lubricating a ball bearing or the like.

[0014] The handpiece holding means is for detachably holding the dental handpiece in such a manner that the cleaning liquid, the lubricating oil and the air can be injected into the interior of the dental handpiece from the fluid outlet. Means.

[0015] The handpiece holding means comprises a dental hand.
Adapter to be interposed between the fluid pipe of the dope
Putter and dental handpiece via this adapter
And a detachable handpiece holder.
The handpiece holder is used to fix the adapter.
Front part with a plurality of round holes for
-Left and right that bend perpendicularly to the front part with an L-shaped cross section
It is a plate-shaped member having both sides.

In this case, the handpiece holder can be used independently of the present apparatus as a holder for a dental handpiece to be used for dental treatment, autoclave and the like.

[0017]

The shape of the base end of the dental handpiece differs depending on the type of the handpiece. Thus, it is possible to design the device to accommodate a variety of different types of dental handpieces, but by creating individual adapters for each type of dental handpiece, the device can be adapted to any handpiece. Can correspond.

In the case where there are a plurality of fluid ejection ports,
When the number of dental handpieces to be maintained by this device is smaller than the number of fluid ejection ports, in order to prevent ejection of fluid from fluid ejection ports that do not communicate with the handpiece,
Means for closing the fluid jet may be provided.

[0020]

In the maintenance apparatus for a dental handpiece according to the present invention, first, a compressed air source is operated, and compressed air from the compressed air source is supplied to the first, second and third compressed air passages by passage opening / closing means. The cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning liquid storage unit through the first opened compressed air passage. The cleaning liquid is pressurized in the cleaning liquid storage unit by the compressed air, and the cleaning liquid is directed to the fluid ejection port via the cleaning liquid passage. The cleaning liquid that has reached the fluid outlet is
The fluid flows into the interior of the dental handpiece held by the handpiece holding means from the fluid pipe of the handpiece, and the inside of the handpiece is washed and cleaned.

Next, the first compressed air passage is shut off by the passage opening / closing means to stop the flow of the cleaning liquid, and the second compressed air passage is opened. The compressed air from the compressed air source flows into the dental handpiece from the second compressed air passage via the fluid outlet through the same fluid pipe as the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid slightly remaining inside the dental handpiece is quickly discharged to the outside. Let it drain.

Next, the second compressed air passage is closed by the passage opening / closing means, and the third compressed air passage is opened. The compressed air from the compressed air source pressurizes the inside of the lubricating oil storage section from the third compressed air passage. As a result, the lubricating oil flows through the lubricating oil passage into the interior of the dental handpiece in the same manner as the cleaning liquid, and lubricates and lubricates the ball bearings and the like inside the handpiece.

[0023]

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

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an apparatus main body I in a maintenance apparatus for a dental handpiece according to the present invention. The apparatus main body I includes lids 1 ′,
The cleaning liquid 2 and the lubricating oil can be accommodated therein by detaching the cleaning liquid 2 'and the cleaning liquid accommodating part 1 and the lubricating oil accommodating part 2 which are sealed when the lids 1' and 2 'are closed.
And a housing section 10 that contains a small air compressor 3 as a compressed air source (each end is indicated by a broken line). The front surface 12 of the housing portion 10 is bent rearward in the shape of a cross section across the left and right sides substantially at the center, and the bent front surface 20 facing obliquely downward by this bending is attached to a handpiece holder body II (described later). The dental handpiece 80 is held obliquely downward via the adapter III (FIG. 4) and the adapter III (FIG. 4) (FIG. 8).

The left and right side walls 13, 14 of the housing part 10
Protrudes forward from the housing front surface 12 while gradually reducing it until the wall height becomes about 1/2. The left and right side walls 13 and 14 and the forefront wall 15 connecting these foremost ends
And a bottom surface extending forward from the front surface 12 of the housing, a box frame portion 16 whose inclined upper surface is open is formed in front of the housing portion 10. The upper surface of the box frame 16 can be freely opened and closed by a transparent lid plate 17 which is hinged about the front end 11 ′ of the housing unit upper surface 11 as a central axis. A detachable bat 18 (FIG. 8) is installed near the bottom of the box frame portion 16.

Further, an operation lamp 4 for notifying the operation of the compressor 3 is provided in front of the center of the upper surface 11 of the housing part, and a main switch 5 of the compressor 3 of the apparatus main body is operated on the left side of the forefront wall 15. An automatic return operation switch 6 for operating the compressor 3 and the like is provided on the left side of the lamp 4. In addition, a power cord connected to the compressor 3 is illustrated.

On the inclined front surface 20 of the housing part 10, clamps 21 are respectively installed near both right and left ends (only the right clamp is shown), and a holder fitting hole which is vertically long and pierced in a rectangular parallelepiped shape is provided inside. 22 is provided. A region indicated by reference numeral 60 between the fitting holes 22 is a substantially horizontal rectangular parallelepiped fluid ejection region 60 removably fitted into the apparatus main body I, and is flush with the inclined front surface 20. As an example, five fluid jets 61 appear on the surface 60 '.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the passage of the fluid between the fluid ejection area 60 and the air compressor 3, that is, the cleaning liquid, the lubricating oil, and the air inside the housing section 10. A compressed air passage 70 'connected to the compressor 3 branches into passages 70'a, 70'b and 70'c, which are first, second and third compressed air passages. Air solenoid valve 7 serving as a passage opening / closing means
The second compressed air passage communicates with the air passage 73 which forms the second compressed air passage together with the passage 70'b through the intermediation of the passage 4b. This air passage 73
Is connected to a fluid passage 70 branched into five and connected to the fluid ejection region 60 via a check valve 76b.

The compressed air passage 70'a is a passage 70'a ', 70' which forms a first compressed air passage together with the passage 70'a via a cleaning liquid solenoid valve 74a as a passage opening / closing means.
a ", and the compressed air passage 70'a 'is connected to a throttle valve 77a.
The compressed air passage 70'a "is received in the cleaning liquid storage unit 1. The cleaning liquid storage unit 1 and the cleaning liquid spray nozzle 75a are connected to each other by the cleaning liquid passage 71. The cleaning liquid spray nozzle 75a is connected to the cleaning liquid passage 7 via a check valve 76a.
1 'communicates with the fluid passage 70.

The compressed air passage 70'c is connected to a passage 70'c ', 7 which forms a third compressed air passage together with the passage 70' via a lubricating oil solenoid valve 74c as a passage opening / closing means.
The former 70'c 'is connected to the lubricating oil spray nozzle 75c via a throttle valve 77c, and the latter 70'c "is connected to the lubricating oil storage unit 2. Further, the lubricating oil container 2 and the lubricating oil spray nozzle 75c are connected by a lubricating oil passage 72, and the lubricating oil spray nozzle 75c communicates with the fluid passage 70 from a lubricating oil passage 72 'via a check valve 76c.

Further, in order to adjust the pressure of the compressed air from the air compressor 2, a filter regulator can be provided in the compressed air passage 70 ', and a separate throttle valve can be provided at an appropriate position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the handpiece holder body II. The holder body II includes a holder front part 31 having five round holes 33 and left and right side parts 32 which are bent perpendicularly to the front part 31 in an L-shaped cross section.
Are made from a plate-like member.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the adapter III. Adapter III is a dental handpiece 80
Handpiece base end portion 8 that varies depending on the type (FIG. 3)
The adapter body 40 whose front end 41 (upper side in the figure) is individually formed so as to correspond to the shape appearing in FIG. 1 and the various adapter bodies 40 are releasably received from the reduced rear end 42 thereof. Adapter holder 50 to hold
Consists of Although not shown, the adapter III has
There is a fluid passage path through which the fluid can pass.

The adapter body 40 in the figure is connected to a dental handpiece of a type in which a supply pipe and an exhaust pipe (not shown) for compressed air slightly protrude from the base end 81 of the handpiece. The front surface 41 'has, as an example, two connection holes 42 for receiving the above-described supply and exhaust pipes. The adapter holder 50 includes a cap nut portion 51 that receives the rear end portion 42 of the adapter body 40 by crimping or screwing from the front to the rear (from the upper side to the lower side in the figure). And a tubular pipe portion 53 provided with a number of cross holes 53 'penetrating from the outer peripheral surface to the inside.

As shown in FIG. 3, the adapter III has the male screw part 52 of the adapter body 50 passed through the round hole 33 of the handpiece holder body II and the holder front part 3 as shown in FIG.
It is fixed to the handpiece holder II by being screwed with the fixing screw 54 from before and after.

FIG. 5 shows a connection state of the apparatus main body I, the handpiece holder main body II, and the adapter III by a cross section of the fluid ejection region 60 along the AA direction of FIG.

The handpiece holder II has three sides 3
2 is inserted into the holder insertion hole 22 of the inclined front surface 20 of the apparatus main body I, and the holder front portion 31 is
1 and is fixed on the fluid ejection area 60 of the inclined front surface 20. At this time, each round hole 33 and each fluid ejection port 61 are located at the same concentric position, and there is some space between the holder surface portion 31 and the surface 60 ′ of the fluid ejection area 60. The handpiece holder body
II, adapter III, clamp 21 and the like constitute a handpiece holding means.

The fluid ejection area 60 has a space 62 having a substantially cylindrical shape at the back of each fluid ejection port 61. In this space 62, a coil-shaped spring 63 is provided concentrically with the ejection port 61. The spring 63 has a rear end 63 ″ at the fluid ejection region 6.
0, and a rubber seal ring 65 having a diameter larger than the diameter of the ejection port 61 is fixed to the front end 63 'via a small disk 64. These springs 63,
The small disk 64 and the seal ring 65 constitute a valve mechanism as means for closing the fluid ejection port 61.

Further, in the adapter III, the pipe 53 at the rear end enters the space 62 from the fluid outlet 61 and pushes the small disk 64 down against the bias of the spring 63. FIG. 6 shows a cross section along the BB direction in this state. Each space 62 has a fluid ejection area 60 from the lower front.
And has a joint hole 66 penetrating to the outside. This joint hole 66
And a fluid passage 70 shown with a rear section cut away (see FIG. 2).
The joint 71 at the tip of the connector is detachably fitted. In this figure, the spring 63 contracts through the small disk 64 by pushing down the pipe portion 53 of the adapter III, and the seal ring 65 is separated from the fluid ejection port 61. Therefore, the fluid sent from the fluid passage 70 can flow into the inside of the adapter III from the cross hole 53 ′ of the pipe portion 53. When the space 62 does not receive the pipe portion 53, the seal ring 65 on the small disk 64 always closes the fluid ejection port 61 by the bias of the spring 63.

FIG. 7 is a schematic wiring diagram showing communication of electric current among the cleaning liquid solenoid valve 74a, the air solenoid valve 74b, the lubricating oil solenoid valve 74c, and the air compressor 3. The usage of the dental handpiece maintenance device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, one to five dental handpieces 80 to be maintained are held by the apparatus main body I via the adapter III and the handpiece holder main body II (FIG. 8), and the power cord is connected to a power supply. Connect and turn main switch 5 ON. Next, when the auto return operation switch 6 is turned ON once, the relay switch 7 is turned ON.
And the switch 6 is automatically turned off. Further, the operation lamp 4 is turned on by operating the air compressor 3 and the cleaning liquid solenoid valve 74a is opened. Accordingly, the compressed air from the compressor 3 flows from the compressed air passages 70 ', 70'a shown in FIG. 2 to the washing liquid spray nozzle 75a through the passage 70'a', and is also washed through the passage 70'a ". The inside of the liquid storage unit 1 is pressurized.
The cleaning liquid in the container 1 flows from the cleaning liquid passage 71 to the nozzle 75a. The throttle valve 77a adjusts the amount of the compressed air passing through the passage 70'a 'to pressurize the cleaning liquid storage unit 1 with the compressed air passing through the passage 70'a ", and pressurize the cleaning liquid by the nozzle 75a. Atomization and make each effective.

The cleaning liquid sprayed by the nozzle 75a is received from the cleaning liquid passage 71 'and the fluid passage 70 in the fluid ejection region 60 through the pipe portion 53 of the adapter III from the fluid ejection port 61 to form a valve mechanism (63). , 6
4, 65) enters the open space 62 (FIG. 6). After that, the washing liquid is supplied to the cross hole 5 of the pipe portion 53.
Dental handpiece 80 from 3 'via adapter III
Flows into the interior of.

In this embodiment, the washing solution is an adapter
After being injected into the dental handpiece 80 from the connection hole 42 of III (see FIG. 4) through the air supply pipe emerging at the base end portion 81 of the handpiece connected thereto, the inside of the handpiece 80 is washed, It flows out of the handpiece 80 from the head portion or the like of the handpiece 80. The cleaning liquid leaked from the handpiece 80 is received by the vat 18 (FIG. 8).

Referring again to FIG. 7, when the time set in the timer T1 elapses, the limit switch L1 is switched by the magnetic force of the coil M1 magnetized by the on-delay, so that the cleaning liquid solenoid valve 74a is closed and the cleaning liquid is closed. Is completed, and the air solenoid valve 74b is opened.

At this time, the compressed air from the air compressor 3 follows the same path as the cleaning liquid from the compression passages 70 ', 70'b, the air passage 73, and the fluid passage 70 (FIG. 2).
The washing liquid remaining in the dental handpiece 80 is discharged to the outside. Next, when the set time of the timer T2 (FIG. 7) elapses and the coil M2 is magnetized, the limit switch L
2 is switched, the air solenoid valve 74b is closed, the supply of air is stopped, and the lubricant oil solenoid valve 74c is opened.

The compressed air from the compressor 3 passes through the passages 70 ′ and 70 ′ c, one of which passes through the passage 70 ′ c ′,
The pressure is reduced by the throttle valve 77c and the lubricant spray nozzle 75c
And the other through the passage 70'c "
Press. By this pressurization, the lubricating oil flows from the storage section 2 to the nozzle 75c through the lubricating oil passage 72. continue,
The lubricating oil is atomized by the nozzle 75c, passes through the lubricating oil passage 72 'and the fluid passage 70, and then enters the inside of the dental handpiece 80 from the same path as the cleaning liquid, and the ball in the handpiece 80 Lubricate bearings. Note that the discharged lubricating oil is also collected in the vat 18 as in the case of the cleaning liquid. The bat 18 can be easily removed and washed.

When the set time of the timer T3 elapses from this state, the limit switches L3 and L4 are switched by the magnetization of the coil M3, the lubricating oil solenoid valve 74c is closed, and the operation lamp 4 is turned off. Due to the magnetization of the coil M3, the relay switch 7 is also turned off, although it is shown separately in FIG. In addition, each timer T
The set time of 1, T2 and T3 can be set as desired. The check valves 76a, 76b, 76c prevent the fluid from flowing backward.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing an apparatus main body I in which the cleaning liquid storage section 91 and the lubricating oil storage section 92 are externally installed on the upper surface 11 of the housing section 10, and switches and clamps are omitted. I have.

The lubricating oil container 92 is provided with a removable lid 9.
2 'includes fluid pipes 93, 94 and positioning pins 95 projecting from the upper surface (the lower side in the figure), and has a plurality of bayonets 96 on the side of the lid. Also, the device main body I
Has a protruding region 78 protruding from the upper surface 10 in a substantially cylindrical shape, and an end hole of the compressed air passage 70′c ″ (see FIG. 2) and an end hole of the lubricating oil passage 72 appear on the upper surface. Positioning hole 95 'for receiving positioning pin 95
Is drilled in the center. In addition, around the side surface of the region 78,
A notch 96 'is provided for engaging a bayonet 96 whose tip is biased inward by a spring (not shown). Therefore, the housing portion 92 has the positioning pins 95 aligned with the holes 95 ′, the fluid pipes 93 and 94 are fitted into the end holes of the compressed air passage 70 ′ c ″ and the lubricating oil passage 72, respectively, and the tip of the bayonet 96 is fixed. By engaging the notch 96 ',
It is fixed on the protruding region 78. Note that the cleaning liquid storage unit 91
The description is omitted because it is the same. Also, reference numeral 97 is
It is a cover for preventing the housing portions 91 and 92 from sliding.

As described above, if the cleaning liquid storage section 91 and the lubricating oil storage section 92 are outside the apparatus main body I, the apparatus main body I can be made compact. Further, in the above embodiment, the air compressor 3 is installed integrally with the inside of the apparatus main body I. However, the compressed air source can be obtained outside the apparatus main body I as being separate from the apparatus main body I. This also realizes a reduction in the size and weight of the apparatus main body I.

In the maintenance apparatus for a dental handpiece according to the present invention, a plurality of handpieces can be maintained at one time by design, and the maintenance of the handpiece from the apparatus main body I to the handpiece holder main body II besides the maintenance work described above. And the adapter II are made independent, and this can be used as a handpiece holder in dental treatment or in an autoclave or the like.

The maintenance device for a dental handpiece of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design changes are possible.

[0053]

As described above, the dental handpiece maintenance device of the present invention utilizes compressed air from a compressed air source inside the dental handpiece held by the handpiece holding means. Since the cleaning liquid, the air, and the lubricating oil can be sequentially fed, the maintenance work of the dental handpiece is greatly simplified as compared with the conventional manual work.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an apparatus main body of a maintenance apparatus for a dental handpiece according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing paths through which a cleaning liquid, a lubricating oil, and air pass.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a handpiece holder main body.

4A is a perspective view showing an adapter, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a separated state of the adapter.

FIG. 5 is a partially broken cross-sectional view showing a connection state of the apparatus main body, the handpiece holder main body, and the adapter III by a cross section of the fluid ejection region along the AA direction in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway sectional view along the line BB in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic wiring diagram showing communication of a current between a cleaning liquid solenoid valve, an air solenoid valve, a lubricant oil solenoid valve, and an air compressor.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing a state where a dental handpiece is held.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the apparatus main body.

[Explanation of symbols]

I Device Main Body II Handpiece Holder Main Body III Adapter 1,91 Cleaning Liquid Storage Unit 2,92 Lubricant Storage Unit 3 Air Compressor 4 Operation Lamp 5 Main Switch 6 Auto Return Operation Switch 18 Butt 20 Inclined Front 21 Clamp 22 Holder Insertion Hole 60 Fluid ejection area 61 Fluid ejection port 70 Fluid passage 70 ', 70'a, 70'b, 70'c, 70'a'7
0'a ", 70'c ', 70c" Compressed air passage 71, 71' Cleaning liquid passage 72, 72 'Lubricating oil passage 73 Air passage 74a Cleaning liquid solenoid valve 74b Air solenoid valve 74c Lubricating oil solenoid valve 75a Cleaning liquid spray Nozzle 75c Lubricating oil

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cleaning liquid storage section for storing a cleaning liquid, a lubricating oil storage section for storing lubricating oil, and a cleaning liquid passage and a lubricating oil passage respectively connected to the cleaning liquid storage section and the lubricating oil storage section. A fluid ejection port that communicates with the cleaning fluid container, and a first compressed air passage that communicates the cleaning liquid container with a compressed air source;
A second compressed air passage that communicates the fluid ejection port with the compressed air source, a third compressed air passage that communicates the lubricating oil storage unit with the compressed air source, and the first and second compressed air sources. A passage opening / closing means for allowing compressed air to pass through any one of the second and third compressed air passages, and one or more dental handpieces emerge from a proximal end thereof. A handpiece holding means capable of holding the fluid jet in communication with a fluid pipe .
The handpiece holding means includes a fluid pipe and the fluid jet.
Adapter to be interposed between the outlet and this adapter
Removable to hold the dental handpiece through
A handpiece holder;
The holder has several round holes for fixing the adapter.
Holder front section and cross section to this holder front section
A plate having left and right sides which are bent vertically in an L-shape
A maintenance device for a dental handpiece, wherein the maintenance device is shaped like a letter .