JP4390261B2 - Foot controller device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a foot controller device that can be operated with a foot for the purpose of controlling the output state of a handpiece in medical treatment, particularly dental care.

  In a medical device such as an X-ray device, a dental device, or an ophthalmic device, there is a desire to control the output state of an instrument that performs treatment. Therefore, conventionally, a large number of switches arranged at various positions of a medical device are provided. It was operated by hand or foot and controlled by electrical adjustment means.

  For example, in dentistry, especially in the patient's treatment process, that is, when the operator has the instrument in his hand, the output of the instrument (handpiece) for tooth cutting and calculus removal is driven and adjusted through the operation of the foot. Is required.

  Here, particularly required control objects include the rotational speed of the turbine / micromotor and the power of the scaler. In addition to the above, for example, control of the rotation direction of the turbine / micro motor, control of the injection state of the cooling medium (air, water, spray), adjustment of the light quantity of the light, etc. can be performed by foot operation from the viewpoint of hygiene. Is preferred.

  From such a demand, a device in which a number of switches for various controls are arranged for one foot controller is also known, and a switch that operates in a cross direction is provided on the foot controller. There is also known a device that performs a plurality of controls by a difference in operation direction although it is a single switch.

  Furthermore, as disclosed in JP-A-10-127660, a pedal that is depressed with a foot is provided, and there is also a foot controller that controls the rotation speed and power of the handpiece by the amount of depression of the pedal.

Further, as in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-170074, a first switch that slides in a horizontal direction and a second switch that steps in a vertical downward direction are provided, and the first switch is When the slider slides also in the horizontal direction, the handpiece is driven, and when the second switch is pressed, the rotation speed or power of the handpiece is increased or decreased depending on the direction in which the first switch slides.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-127660 JP 2001-170074 A

  By the way, in the patient's treatment process, the operator is often gazing inside the oral cavity, so in order to see the foot controller, it is necessary to look into the lower side of the patient who is in a supine posture, It will be damaged. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to operate without looking at the foot controller. However, as described above, the structure of a foot controller with many switches is complicated, and it is necessary to visually check the position of the switch before operation. It was.

  In addition, even if there is a foot controller that has multiple control functions in one switch in different operating directions, or a device that includes a sliding operation in the operation, it is still troublesome because it is necessary to visually recognize the switch direction before the operation. The practitioner takes various medical positions in the course of treatment, but it is difficult to operate when the practitioner and the foot controller do not face each other in the upright direction. The coordinate system must be transformed from a self-centered reference frame to an object-centric reference frame.

  The action of correcting the direction called “mental rotation” increases the mental load on the operator and causes an increase in operation burden and errors. In addition, if the direction is too difficult for the practitioner to operate, there is a problem that the direction of the foot controller must be adjusted.

  Furthermore, in the foot controller that controls the rotation speed and power of the handpiece with the above-mentioned stepping amount, it is difficult to keep the stepping amount constant, so it is necessary to keep the handpiece rotation speed and power constant. However, when the treatment is performed in a state where the foot is not fully depressed, there is a problem of feeling tired because the toes remain floating in the air.

  The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to facilitate the operation and adjustment of the handpiece necessary for the treatment process from anywhere without having to visually check the switch. Therefore, it is intended to provide a foot controller device that can easily maintain a constant rotation speed and power of the handpiece.

Foot controller device of the present invention intended to St achieve the object mentioned above, the means of claim 1 comprises a fixed base which is installed on the floor, rotating plate mounted rotatably relative to the fixed base A load applying means for stopping the rotating plate at a position rotated by a desired amount, a rotation amount detecting unit for detecting the rotation amount of the rotating plate as an electric signal, and an output state of the handpiece according to the rotation amount. A control circuit for displaying, a display unit for displaying the output state of the selected handpiece, a pedal located in the vicinity of the rotating plate and attached to the fixed base, and a depression amount for detecting the depression amount of the pedal as an electric signal And a detecting means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the rotating plate is rotated in advance by rotating the reference rotation speed and rotation direction of the micromotor, the injection state of the cooling medium, and the output state of the handpiece that is the reference power of the scaler. The stepping amount detection means can be selected, and the handpiece is driven in the output state selected above by being pressed in the vertical downward direction and located in the vicinity of the rotating plate. To do.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the rotation speed of the micromotor and the power of the scaler are continuously increased as the pressing amount of the stepping amount detecting means is increased in the above-mentioned means of the second aspect. The present invention is characterized in that a reference rotational speed and a reference power selected in advance are realized.

  The foot controller device of the present invention is not provided with a large number of switches for various controls as in the prior art, but with a simple configuration with few switches, it is intuitively easy to understand, It is possible to recognize and operate the switch from the tactile sensation of the foot without visual inspection, enabling quick treatment, and operating methods such as rotating and stepping operation even when a rotating plate and a stepping switch are arranged. Therefore, the risk of malfunction due to not looking at the switch can be avoided.

  In addition, since the rotation operation and the stepping operation performed by the practitioner for the operation of the rotating plate and the stepping switch of the present invention have no direction in the horizontal plane, the practitioner determines whether the foot controller faces in the upright direction. Regardless, the operation can be performed from various medical positions without performing the mental rotation or visual recognition of the switch direction.

Furthermore, in the means of claims 1 and 2 , it is not necessary for the heel or the toes to float in the air while the handpiece is driven, although the operator's desired rotation speed and power can be set. While the handpiece outputs a constant rotation speed and power, it can be weakened and does not feel tired.

Further, in the first to third aspects, in order to select the output state in advance by rotation and realize the output state according to the stepping, a plurality of selection candidates for the output state of the handpiece are set in advance. Thus, the output state can be controlled in various ways despite only two switches.

  The operation plate on which the practitioner puts his foot is a rotating plate, and the speed and strength of the surgical instrument are adjusted by electrically detecting the amount of rotation of this rotating plate and changing the speed and strength of the handpiece. Can be easily performed, and the speed and strength can be kept constant.

A first embodiment of a foot controller according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a fixed base fixed to the floor or the like, 2 denotes a mounting bracket fixed to the rising horizontal portion 1a of the fixed base 1 by a screw 2a, and 3 denotes a potentiometer fixed to the mounting bracket 2, A first pulley 4 is fixed to the operation shaft 3a for changing the angle.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes a U-shaped mounting base screwed to the fixing base 1 with a screw 5 a, 6 a bearing fixed to the mounting base 5 by a bracket 6 a, and 7 a pivotally supported by the bearing 6. The rotating shaft 7 has a disk portion 7a at the head of the rotating shaft 7, and a rotating plate 8 on which a disc-shaped dentist places his feet is fixed.

  9 is a second pulley fixed by a bolt 9a to a small diameter shaft portion 7b protruding downward from the mounting base 5 of the rotating shaft 7, and a belt 10 is interposed between the pulley 9 and the pulley 4 described above. It is wound. Reference numeral 11 is a spring means such as a coil spring, a leaf spring, or a tension spring having one end locked to the mounting base 5 and the other end locked to the second pulley 9, and always has a resistance value of the potentiometer 3. The second pulley 9 is spring-biased in such a direction that becomes “0”.

Next, the operation will be described based on the above-described configuration.
In the initial state, the rotating plate 8 is in the center position of the total amount of rotation by the spring force of the spring means 11, so the second pulley 9 is rotated and connected to the second pulley 9 via the belt 10. A rotational force also acts on the first pulley 4, and the resistance value of the potentiometer 3 is “0”.

  In this state, when the dentist puts his / her foot on the rotating plate 8 and rotates the rotating plate 8 against the spring force of the spring means 11 by twisting the foot, the rotating plate 8 is rotated. Since the second pulley 9 also rotates, the first pulley 4 also rotates via the belt 10 and the operation shaft 3a of the potentiometer 3 rotates to change the resistance value. Therefore, by inputting the output of the potentiometer 3 to a control circuit for controlling the rotational speed of the micromotor and the power of the scaler, the rotational speed of the micromotor and the power of the scaler change according to the amount of rotation of the rotating plate 8. Will be.

  And when the dentist manipulates the amount of rotation of the rotating plate 8, as long as the dentist can grasp the position of the rotating plate 8 through the tactile sensation of the foot, no matter what direction the foot controller according to the present invention is, By simply rotating the rotating plate 8, the resistance value of the potentiometer 3 can be changed (for example, changing in the direction in which the resistance value increases), and therefore the rotational speed and power of the micromotor can be changed. The output of the handpiece can be easily maintained at a predetermined rotational speed and power. Here, the handpiece is a general term for means for performing treatment with a hand, and includes a scaler, a turbine, and a micromotor.

  In the above-described embodiment, the resistance value of the potentiometer 3 gradually changes, so that the rotational speed of the handpiece gradually increases. However, the potentiometer 3 is connected to one side of a resistance bridge circuit (not shown), and the bridge The output from the circuit is input to one side of the comparator, and the other output of the comparator is set to such a value that the ON output is output from the comparator when the resistance value of the potentiometer 3 reaches a predetermined value. Thus, the control circuit drives the handpiece at a rotational speed corresponding to the resistance value of the potentiometer 3 at that time. Therefore, the turbine and the micro motor do not rotate gradually, but from the rotational speed corresponding to the resistance value. It will rotate.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment denote the same members, and a description thereof will be omitted.
In this embodiment, a part of the disk part 7a of the rotating shaft 8 is extended, and the extended part is bent downward to form a disk mounting part 7c. A rotating plate 8 is rotatably attached via a hinge member 12. Further, when the rotating plate 8 is maintained in a horizontal state via the hinge member 12 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), the dentist puts his feet on the rotating plate 8 to be in an inclined state. A tilt amount converter 13 for outputting the tilt of the rotating plate 8 such as a micro switch as an electric signal for determining the case (see FIG. 5) is attached.

  By adopting such a configuration, it can be performed in the same manner as described above when the driving body is rotated from a predetermined rotational speed in the electric circuit described above. That is, the dentist places his / her feet on the rotating plate 8 and temporarily tilts the rotating plate 8 via the hinge member 12 while rotating the rotating plate 8 to a predetermined rotational position while maintaining the horizontal state. As a result, the output is sent from the inclination amount converter 13, so that, for example, the spray, which is a surgical instrument, can be turned on by this output to spray water.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the rotation amount of the rotating plate 8 has been described as being detected by a potentiometer. However, as the rotation amount detection unit that can extract other rotation amounts as electrical signals, For example, a large number of white and black patterns are alternately formed along the circumferential direction of the back surface of the rotating plate 8, or a large number of slits are formed along the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 8. The rotation amount of the rotating plate 8 can be obtained by counting the black and white patterns or slits of the rotating plate 8 by a photo sensor attached to the 1 side.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the micromotor or the like is rotated in one direction, but the resistance value at the half of the total rotation amount of the potentiometer 3 is set as the reference resistance value. Alternatively, by setting a rotation position that is half the total rotation amount of the potentiometer 3 to a zero resistance value, it is possible to distinguish between clockwise rotation and counterclockwise rotation. Due to the difference in resistance value, there is spray when the rotating plate is rotated in the clockwise direction, for example, 10 degrees, and there is no spray when the rotational speed is rotated 10,000 degrees / minute and 10 degrees in the counterclockwise direction. In addition, the handpiece can be controlled on the control circuit side so that the rotation speed is 10,000 times / minute.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the rotating plate 8 is returned to the initial position by the spring means 9, but the rotating means 8 is removed without the spring means 9. When a doctor rotates to a desired rotation position and releases his / her foot, a load applying means is provided for fixing at that position, or fixing with a stepped click feeling, and a pedal-like depression switch is provided on the fixing base 1. The overall structure of an embodiment that protrudes from the rotating plate 8 and is turned on when the pedal switch is depressed will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol as each above-mentioned Example shows the same member, and abbreviate | omits description.

  In this embodiment, instead of the potentiometer, a disk 14 having a large number of slits along the circumferential direction is fixed to the lower end of the rotating shaft 7 and the number of the slits is counted on the fixed base 1. The photo sensor 15 to be attached is attached. Further, a gear 16 having teeth formed on the outer periphery is fixed to the intermediate portion of the rotating shaft 7 and engages with the teeth of the gear 16 (12 in the embodiment of the present invention, that is, 12 steps). A load applying means 17 having a roller 17 b is attached to the fixed plate 8. An anti-slip 8 a is formed on the upper surface of the rotating plate 8.

  The load applying means 17 includes an arm 17a whose one end is pivotally supported by the fixed base 1, a roller 17b that engages with the tooth portion attached to a substantially middle portion of the arm 17a, and the arm 17a that is connected to the roller 17b. It is comprised from the spring 17c for urging | biasing toward a tooth | gear part.

  Reference numeral 18 denotes a pedal having one end attached to the fixed base 1 and is formed of an elastic plate that bends downward when the operator presses the pedal. The pedal 18 is provided with a stepping amount detecting means 18a comprising a strain gauge for detecting the amount of bending of the pedal 18 when pressed. It has been.

Next, the system block diagram of FIG. 10 will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol as the member of above-described structure shows the same member, and abbreviate | omits description.
Reference numeral 20 denotes a control circuit in which a memory and a CPU are incorporated, and performs the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 21 is a handpiece in which a micromotor is incorporated, 22 is a compressor for discharging air, water, and a mixture of water and air from the handpiece 21, and 23 is incorporated in a doctor table or handpiece. 21 is a display board showing the number of rotations 21 and the direction of rotation, as well as the air and water discharged from the handpiece, the type and strength of the spray, and the on / off state of the light incorporated in the handpiece.

  Next, the operation will be described based on the above-described configuration. In this operation, in order to simplify the explanation of the operation, the handpiece 21 is rotated only in one direction, and only spray is discharged as the type of spray from the handpiece 21, and the light on / off control is also performed. It will be described as not being performed. Also, there are five output status options: hand spray 21 with a low spray speed of 5000 rpm, a weak spray with 10,000 rpm, a weak spray with 20000 rpm, a strong spray with 40000 rpm, and no spray with 40000 rpm. Is stored in the memory of the control circuit 20. The values of the respective rotational speeds described above are values that are realized when the pedal depression amount is maximum.

  First, in the case where treatment is performed in a state where a new patient is laid on a treatment chair, the position of the rotary plate 8 in the final state where the previous treatment has been performed is displayed on the display plate 23 (FIG. 12A). And the rotation speed of the handpiece 21 at this position is 20000 rpm and the spray is weak), this display is performed on the display board 23 (step S1).

  In this state, the control circuit 20 is in a state of monitoring whether or not the rotating plate 8 has been rotated (step S2). If it is determined that the rotating plate 8 is not rotated in this monitoring state, it is monitored whether or not the pedal 18 is depressed (step S4). If it is determined that the pedal 18 is not depressed, the process returns to step S1 and is selected. The output state is displayed on the display board 23. In addition, when an output is sent from the stepping amount detection means 18a in step S4, drive control of the handpiece 21 is performed by an operation described later. That is, drive control of the handpiece 21 is performed according to the selected output state.

  When the practitioner places the toe side of the foot on the rotating plate 8 and applies a rotational force in the forward direction (clockwise direction) or the reverse direction (counterclockwise direction) in step S2, the tooth 16 of the gear 16 is engaged. The rotating plate 8 is rotated against the engaging force of the combined roller 17b (spring force of the spring 17c), and the disk 14 is rotated as the rotating plate 8 rotates. Therefore, the photosensor 15 detects the number of slits formed in the circular plate 14, sends the rotation amount of the rotary plate 8 to the control circuit 20 as an electrical signal, and displays the output state at the rotation position of the rotary plate 8 on the display plate. 23 (step S3).

  That is, if the practitioner rotates the rotating plate 8 by one step in the forward direction as shown in FIG. 12B, the display plate 23 displays that the rotation speed of the handpiece 21 is 40000 rpm and the spray is strong. Furthermore, if the display plate 23 is rotated by two steps in the forward direction as shown in FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (c), the rotation speed of the handpiece 21 is 40000 rpm on the display board 23 and there is no spray. As shown in FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (d), if the display is rotated by three steps in the forward direction, the rotation speed of the handpiece 21 on the display plate 23 is 5000 rpm and the spray is weak. As shown in FIGS. 12A to 12E, if the display is rotated by two steps in the reverse direction, the rotation speed of the handpiece 21 is 5000 rp on the display board 23. Spray a display of weakness is performed.

  Then, the practitioner checks the desired rotation speed of the handpiece 21 and the spraying state of the spray by looking at the display on the display board 23 while rotating the rotating plate 8. For example, when the rotation speed of the handpiece 21 is 40000 rpm, there is no spraying. If desired, the rotating plate 8 is rotated by two steps in the positive direction. In this state, the control circuit 20 determines that the upper limit value of the rotation speed is 40000 rpm and that no spray is selected, and then monitors whether or not the pedal 18 has been depressed (step S4).

  Here, when the control circuit 20 determines that the pedal 18 is depressed and the depression amount detection means 18a sends an output, the control circuit 20 sends an output corresponding to the depression amount of the pedal 18 from the depression amount detection means 18a. Therefore, the handpiece 21 is rotated at a rotation speed corresponding to the output (step S5). The selected condition is that the rotation speed is 40000 rpm and there is no spray, so that no spray is ejected, and the rotation speed when the pedal 18 is fully depressed is 40,000 rpm.

  Next, the control circuit 20 is in a state of monitoring whether or not the state where the pedal 18 is depressed is maintained (step S6). When the toe of the foot is released from the pedal 18 and there is no output from the depression amount detecting means 18a. The driving of the handpiece 21 is stopped (step S7).

  In the above description, only the rotation speed and the strength of the spray are examples of control of the output state of the handpiece 21, but by increasing the output state options and storing them in the memory in advance. More diverse control is possible, such as rotating the micromotor in reverse or performing light on / off control. Further, the rotation amount due to the rotation of the rotating plate 8 is displayed on the display plate 23. However, in addition to the display on the display plate 23, the rotating state of the rotating plate 8 may be notified by a buzzer or the like at each step. .

  As described above, the practitioner selects a desired output state such as the rotation speed and rotation direction of the handpiece and the injection state (power) of the cooling medium by rotating the rotating plate 8 and removes the foot from the rotating plate. In the state where the rotational position is fixed by the load applying means, the operation can be performed in the output state selected by the rotary plate 8 by depressing the pedal 18. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the toe side of the foot is put on the rotating plate 8 to rotate is described, but the planar shape of the rotating plate 8 may be formed into a polygon and kicked and rotated.

  Further, in the above description, the rotation speed selected by the rotation of the rotating plate 8 is set as the upper limit value, and the rotation speed of the handpiece 21 is increased or decreased in accordance with the amount of pressing down the pedal 18 within the range. As described above, the handpiece 21 may be controlled to be driven and controlled at the selected rotational speed by depressing the pedal 18 and the depressing amount detecting means 18a sending out an output.

  The object to be selected by the rotation of the rotating plate is not limited to the output state of the handpiece, but for example, the convenience is improved by applying the treatment chair to a predetermined position.

1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a foot controller according to the present invention. It is an AA line sectional view same as the above. It is a side view which shows a 2nd Example. It is sectional drawing same as the above. It is sectional drawing of the state which inclined the rotating plate. It is a perspective view which shows a 3rd Example. It is a top view same as the above. It is a BB line sectional view same as the above. It is a CC sectional view taken on the line. It is a system block diagram in the 3rd example. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation | movement by a system block same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the foot controller apparatus of this invention, a handpiece, and a spray.

Explanation of symbols

1 fixed base 3 potentiometer (rotation amount / electrical signal converter)
8 Rotating plate 11 Coil spring 12 Hinge member 13 Micro switch 14 Disk 15 Photo sensor 17 Load applying means 18 Pedal 18a Depression amount detecting means 20 Control circuit 21 Handpiece (treatment means)
23 Display board

Claims (3)

A fixed base which is installed on a floor surface, a rotating plate mounted rotatably relative to the fixed base, a load applying means for stopping at a position desired amount of rotation of the rotary plate, the rotation amount of the rotating plate A rotation amount detection unit that detects as an electrical signal, a control circuit that selects an output state of the handpiece according to the rotation amount, a display unit that displays the output state of the selected handpiece, and a proximity of the rotation plate A foot controller device comprising: a pedal positioned and mounted on a fixed base; and a depression amount detecting means for detecting the depression amount of the pedal as an electric signal. The rotating plate can previously select the output state of the handpiece that is the reference rotation speed and rotation direction of the micromotor, the injection state of the cooling medium, and the reference power of the scaler by the rotation, and the stepping amount detection means The foot controller device according to claim 1, wherein the handpiece is driven in the output state selected by pressing down in the vertical direction located near the plate.   The rotation speed of the micromotor and the power of the scaler increase continuously as the depression amount of the stepping amount detection means is increased, and the reference rotation speed and the reference power selected in advance are realized when the depression amount is maximum. The foot controller device according to claim 2.

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