JP5947077B2 - Light irradiation system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a light irradiation system that does not require a power source and that can effectively use the powerful light of operative field illumination and brighten the operative field and target region through an instrument. The preferable utilization aspect of this invention is related with the system which can harden the photocurable resin used as object with such a light irradiation system.

  In JP 2012-11145 A (Patent Document 1), an optical member that refracts excitation light from an excitation light source into an effective illumination light beam, a phosphor that is irradiated with excitation light and emits fluorescence, and irradiated A medical device having a fluorescent carrier having a waveguide for transmitting excitation light is disclosed.

  This medical device has a waveguide for propagating light, but requires an excitation light source integrated with the medical device.

JP2012-11145A

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a light irradiation system that does not require a battery or a power cord in the instrument body by effectively using the powerful light of the surgical field illumination.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that can brighten the field of view without impairing the original function of the instrument.

  Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a system that can selectively cure a photo-curable resin at an appropriate site while brightening a site that is difficult for ambient light to reach.

  The present invention effectively utilizes a powerful light source such as operative field illumination to transmit light to the operative field and target site through the instrument, so that the proof to the operative field can be obtained even if the instrument does not have a battery or power cord. In particular, it is based on the knowledge that the shadow area can be brightened by the lips, teeth or appliances. At least one of the above problems is solved by the following invention.

  The first aspect of the present invention relates to a light irradiation system 1 having an external light source 11 and an instrument 22 having a light guide 21. The light guide 21 includes a light source side end 23 existing on the external light source 11 side, a light guide body 24 through which light received by the light source side end 23 propagates, and a side opposite to the light source side end 23. And an output end 25 that is a portion from which light propagated through the light guide body 24 is output. The instrument 22 can irradiate the object or the target area with the light output from the output end 25. One specific application of this system is to cure the photocurable resin 31 by irradiating the photocurable resin 31 with light output from the output end portion 25.

  The second aspect of the present invention relates to a method for curing a photocurable resin. This method is a method for curing a photocurable resin using an external light source and an instrument having a light guide. Then, by irradiating the light curable resin with light from an external light source through the light guide, the shape of the light curable resin is adjusted using an instrument, so that the target portion of the light curable resin can be easily seen. While curing the photocurable resin. According to this method, for example, light can be irradiated from a direction that cannot be illuminated by a conventional irradiator such as a side surface of a target part. For this reason, if this method is used, the polymerization reaction of photocurable resin can be started also from the side surface and bottom surface of the target part.

  The present invention provides a light irradiation system that does not require a battery or a power cord in the instrument body because the target region is irradiated with light from a powerful medical or dental light source for surgical field illumination. be able to. Use of equipment that requires batteries or a power source increases the possibility of an accident due to electric shock or damage. In addition, the presence of a power cord may interfere with treatment and work. Since the present invention does not require a battery or a power cord in the instrument body, such an accident can be prevented.

  In addition, since the present invention can provide a light guide separately from the instrument body, for example, a system that can brighten the field of view without impairing the original function of the instrument can be provided.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, for example, two or more waveguides are provided, and the effect on each light is made different, so that a portion where it is difficult for ambient light to reach is brightened by one waveguide, and more appropriate for another waveguide. It is possible to selectively cure the photo-curable resin at any part.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the instrument of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an instrument having a waveguide, which is an example of the instrument in the present invention. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an instrument having a portion that emits light upon receiving light, which is an example of the instrument according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a view for explaining an example of the instrument of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of the light guide according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a photograph replacing a drawing showing the resin used for measurement in Example 1. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing the state of the measurement system in the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of the fiber illumination system for a stereomicroscope in the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing the state of the measurement system and measurement results in Example 4. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an instrument used for measurement in Example 5. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a measurement system in the fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a photograph replacing a drawing showing a state when tweezers is used as the instrument in Example 6. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a state in which tweezers are used as the instrument according to the sixth embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the system of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the system according to the first aspect of the present invention is a light irradiation system 1 having an external light source 11 and an instrument 22 having a light guide 21. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the instrument of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the light guide 21 includes a light source side end 23 existing on the external light source 11 side, a light guide body 24 through which light received at the light source side end 23 propagates, and a light source side end. 23 has an output end portion 25 which is an end portion on the opposite side to 23 and is a portion from which light propagated through the light guide body 24 is output. The instrument 22 can irradiate the object or the target area with the light output from the output end 25. One specific application of this system is to cure the photocurable resin 31 by irradiating the photocurable resin 31 with light output from the output end portion 25. Depending on the orientation of the instrument 22, the light source side end 23 may naturally not be on the external light source 11 side. On the other hand, when irradiating the target part using this instrument 22, it faces the opposite side to the target part, and is named the light source side end part 23 in order to distinguish it from the output end part 25. It is synonymous with an end portion different from the portion 25. Further, this system can be used not only as a dental lighting system or a medical lighting system but also widely used as an industrial lighting system.

  An example of the external light source 11 is a light source for surgical field illumination for dental or medical use. For example, a light source for dental surgical field illumination has a light intensity of 30,000 lux to 35,000 lux. The light intensity of the illumination that provides the brightness necessary for normal reading is about 500 lux to 1000 lux. When such a powerful surgical field illumination light source is used, brightness of, for example, about 28,000 lux to 32,000 lux can be achieved in the vicinity of the oral cavity. On the other hand, for example, a portion where direct light is blocked by bones or the like, such as the back side of a tooth, is not sufficiently bright. Examples of surgical field light sources are xenon light sources, halogen light sources, and tungsten light sources.

  The present invention makes it possible to use a dental or medical surgical field illumination light source that achieves the above-mentioned strong light intensity but may not be able to supply sufficient light intensity to an actual work site. preferable. The light source may be an LED (light emitting diode). The present invention also provides an instrument that can receive light from such an external light source 11 and effectively brighten the surgical field and the like.

  The light guide 21 only needs to be able to propagate received light. An example of the light guide 21 is made of a transparent polymer. For example, a transparent plastic may be used for the light guide 21. The light guide 21 includes a light source side end 23 existing on the external light source 11 side, a light guide body 24 through which light received by the light source side end 23 propagates, and an end opposite to the light source side end 23. And an output end 25 that is a portion from which light propagated through the light guide body 24 is output. The light source side end portion 23 is usually provided at an end portion on the opposite side to the target object or target region. The light source side end portion 23 may be an end portion of the light guide body 24, or may be a portion provided at an end of the light guide body 24 and having a larger diameter than the light guide body 24. The shape of the output end portion 25 may be the same as that of the light guide body 24 or may include a polygonal portion. Further, the output end portion 25 may have a shape that becomes narrower toward the tip end. The output end 25 may have a taper shape that becomes narrower as it goes to the tip.

  FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an instrument having a waveguide, which is an example of the instrument in the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the light guide 21 may include a waveguide 26 having a refractive index different from that of the light guide body. For example, the waveguide 26 is provided inside the light guide body 24 or on the surface of the light guide body 24. In this case, the ratio of the light propagating through the waveguide to the outside when propagating through the light guide 21 can be kept low. The number of waveguides 26 may be one, or two or more waveguides 26 may be provided. When two or more waveguides 26 are provided, the first waveguide 26 is for curing the photocurable resin, and the second waveguide 26 is for, for example, brightening the field of view. Also good. In this case, for example, the first waveguide 26 and the second waveguide 26 have separate output ends 25, and the width of the output end 25 of the second waveguide 26 is the same as that of the first waveguide. The width of the output end 25 of 26 is preferably 1.2 times to 5 times (or 1.5 times to 4 times). On the other hand, the thickness of the portion other than the output end portion 25 (for example, the portion other than both end portions) may be the same in the first waveguide 26 and the second waveguide 26. Then, it is possible to irradiate light on a weak and wide area by the second waveguide 26 while irradiating strong light on the strong and narrow area by the first waveguide 26. Note that the second waveguide 26 may be a portion other than the waveguide of the light guide 21. Such an example is an optical fiber. In this case, the refractive indexes of the first waveguide and the second waveguide are different.

As an example of the light guide 21, a Ti diffusion lithium niobate waveguide may be formed on an LN substrate, or a silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ) waveguide 26 may be formed on a silicon (Si) substrate. good. As the light guide 21, an optical semiconductor waveguide in which an InGaAsP waveguide or a GaAlAs waveguide is formed on an InP or GaAs substrate may be formed.

  An example of the instrument 22 is an instrument that is operated by a practitioner gripped by hand. Examples of such instruments are tweezers, scalpels, probes, drug application bars, escalators, and mirrors. The instrument 22 itself may be a light guide. That is, the instrument 22 may be manufactured from a transparent material that can be a light guide.

  FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an instrument having a portion that emits light upon receiving light, which is an example of the instrument according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the instrument 22 further includes a photovoltaic cell 41 and an internal light source 42 that emits light from the photovoltaic cell 41. The photovoltaic cell 41 is a battery that receives light to generate electricity. That is, the photovoltaic cell 41 generates power upon receiving light from the external light source 42. The internal light source 42 is a light source attached to the instrument. The intensity of the internal light source 42 may be significantly weaker than that of the external light source 11. The light from the internal light source 42 may be output from the output end 25 through the light guide. Further, the internal light source 42 may be provided at the tip of the instrument, and the light from the internal light source 42 may directly irradiate the surgical field or the like.

  Light emitted from the internal light source also propagates through the light guide body and is irradiated from the output end to the photocurable resin. In this case, for example, the light from the external light source may be used to cure the photocurable resin, and may be used to brighten the peripheral portion that cures the light from the internal light source. That is, the light emitted from the internal light source also propagates through the light guide body and is output from the output end, and irradiates a region different from the light derived from the external light source.

  As described above, by using the system of the present invention, for example, light from a surgical field illumination light source that emits powerful light can be effectively used to illuminate a target region. If the system of the present invention is used, it is not necessary to brighten the target area using a separate light source, and the target area can be brightened even if a commonly used instrument is used normally. In addition, since it is the preferable use of this invention to harden curable resin using the system of this invention, a photocurable resin is demonstrated below.

  An example of the photocurable resin is a dental or medical photocurable resin. Moreover, this invention can harden photocurable resin for the use in a general industry. Since the photocurable resin is already known, a known product can be used. An example of the use of the photocurable resin is used when a part of bone in a dental filling or a bone model is manufactured. Examples of the photocurable resin include a photopolymerizable oligomer (including a monomer), a reactive diluent, and a photopolymerization initiator. Photocurable resin compositions can be broadly classified into two types depending on the reaction mechanism of curing. One is a type that cures by radical polymerization reaction, and the other is a type that cures by cationic polymerization reaction. In the former, an acryloyl group and a vinyl group are functional groups, and in the latter, an epoxy group and a vinyl ether group are functional groups.

  Monomers are organic materials that polymerize to form plastics. An oligomer is a product obtained by reacting several monomers in advance, and polymerizes like a monomer to form a plastic. Monomers and oligomers do not easily initiate polymerization. Then, a photoinitiator is added and it becomes a photocurable resin composition. Monomers include acrylate, methyl methacrylate (MMA), dimethacrylate, urethane substitution of dimethacrylate, aliphatic substitution of dimethacrylate, aromatic substitution of dimethacrylate, and mixtures of two or more thereof. Is mentioned.

  FIG. 5 is a view for explaining an example of the instrument of the present invention. The instrument 22 is configured such that the light guide 21 can be removed. And this instrument 22 has the light guide insertion part 51 for inserting the light guide 21. The shape of the light guide insertion part 51 may be a hole for accommodating the light guide 21. In this case, the light guide body 24 of the light guide 21 preferably has a cylindrical shape. In this case, another instrument has a light guide insert 51 having the same shape as the instrument 22. For this reason, the light guide 21 can be reused with a plurality of instruments.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of the light guide according to the present invention. Reference numeral 52 in the figure indicates light. As shown in FIG. 6, it is preferable that the light source side end portion 23 of the light guide 21 of the present invention has a shape that can collect light 52 from the light source. For example, the light source side end portion 23 may have a spherical lens shape or an aspheric lens shape. Further, the light source side end portion 23 may have a convex lens-shaped outer shape. When the light guide 21 is cylindrical, light from the light source travels substantially straight. On the other hand, when the light guide shown in FIG. 6 is used, the light source side end 23 has a shape capable of concentrating the light 52 from the light source. Can be brightened. A preferred example of the light guide body 24 through which the light received at the light source side end 23 propagates becomes thinner as it approaches the output end 25 as shown in FIG. Thus, by using the light guide that becomes thinner from the light source side end portion 23 toward the output end portion 25, the light incident on the light source side end portion 23 can be effectively guided to the output end portion 25. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the output end portion 25 of the light guide 21 is preferably in a shape that can collect the light propagated through the light guide body 24. For example, the output end 25 may have a spherical lens shape or an aspheric lens shape. Further, the output end 25 may have a convex lens-shaped outer shape. Thus, since the output end portion 25 has a shape capable of collecting the light propagated through the light guide body 24, it is possible to collect the light and effectively brighten the portion to be brightened.

  The second aspect of the present invention relates to a method for curing a photocurable resin. This method is a method for curing a photocurable resin using an external light source and an instrument having a light guide. Then, by irradiating the light curable resin with light from an external light source through the light guide, the shape of the light curable resin is adjusted using an instrument, so that the target portion of the light curable resin can be easily seen. While curing the photocurable resin.

  When the present invention is used as a method for producing a dental filling, it may be produced as follows. First, the paste containing the photocurable resin is taken out and inserted into the cavity (or tooth cavity). At that time, for example, the tweezers are provided with a light guide that extends in the longitudinal direction at the center thereof. Alternatively, the tweezer main body may be a light guide. Light emitted from the surgical field light source propagates through the waveguide and is irradiated onto the photocurable resin. At this time, the instrument is used, for example, to adjust the shape of the photocurable resin or to suppress teeth. Light from the light guide is irradiated onto the photocurable resin. In this way, for example, a dental filling can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples.

Utilization of dental unit illumination with plastic instruments Using the illumination of the dental unit from the tail of various transparent resins (approx. 20cm), 30000 lux of light near the oral cavity is emitted by the fiber illumination system for stereo microscopes (NIKON) The amount of light at the tip when illuminated was measured. The measurement was performed in a dark room. As the incident light, normal light (30.0 klx) and a light source for light curing resin (400 klx or more) were used.

  The resin used for measurement in Example 1 is shown in FIG. The measurement results are shown in Table 1.

Utilization of lighting of dental unit by optical fiber Attached with acrylic optical fiber (Mitsubishi Chemical, Escar Φ1.5mm) to dental tweezers, the light of 28000-32000 lux, which is the brightness of the oral unit lighting of the dental unit from the tail, is actual The amount of light from the optical fiber at the tip of the tweezers was measured when illuminated with a microscope fiber illumination system (NIKON). The measurement was performed in a dark room.

  The state of the measurement system in Example 2 is shown in FIG. The measurement results are shown in Table 2.

  As a power source, a card type computer (GS-402S, Daiso) was disassembled, and two solar cells were connected in series for use. As the LEDs connected to the solar cell, 3 mm round white LED (UW3804X) was connected as LED-1 and 5 mm round white LED (NSPW500GS-K1, Nichia Corporation) was connected separately as LED-2. Using a fiber illuminator (C-FI115, Nikon) as a light source, measure and set the intensity of each light with an illuminance meter (LX2, Sanwa). (lux) was measured

  FIG. 9 shows a state of the fiber illumination system for a stereomicroscope in the third embodiment. Table 3 shows the measurement results.

Utilization of Dental Unit Lighting with Resin Tools-Examination of Materials-
The amount of light at the tip was measured when the illumination of the dental unit was illuminated with 30000 lux, which is the brightness of the vicinity of the oral cavity, using the fiber illumination system (NIKON) for stereomicroscopes from the tail of the same type of polycarbonate and PMMA plate as tweezers . The measurement was performed in a dark room.

  The state of the measurement system and the measurement results in Example 4 are shown in Table 4 and FIG.

Utilization of dental unit lighting with plastic appliances -Examination of form-
When the dental unit was illuminated from the tail of a polycarbonate of the same type as the tweezers with light of 30000 lux, which is the brightness near the oral cavity, was measured with the fiber illumination system (NIKON) for stereomicroscopes. The measurement was performed in a dark room.

  The instrument used for the measurement in Example 5 is shown in FIG. Moreover, the measurement system in Example 5 is shown in FIG.

Utilization of light of photopolymerization resin irradiator by optical fiber From the optical fiber at the tip of tweezers when the light of photopolymerization resin irradiator (LIGHTEL-II, Morita) is illuminated from the tail of the same type of polycarbonate and PMMA plate as tweezers Whether or not the photopolymerization resin (3M, Z100, Rrestorative A3) is cured was measured by measuring the amount of light. The experiment was conducted in a dark room.

  The state of the measurement system in Example 6 is shown in FIG. Table 4 shows the measurement results.

  FIG. 13 shows a situation when tweezers is used as the instrument in the sixth embodiment. The measurement results are shown in Table 5. FIG. 14 shows a state in which tweezers are used as the instrument in Example 6. The measurement results are shown in Table 6.

  The present invention can be used in the field of lighting equipment and medical equipment. In other words, the above description has focused on the light illumination system in dentistry. However, the present invention can be used not only in medical lighting but also in the field of industrial lighting.

1 light irradiation system;
11 External light source;
21 light guide; 22 fixture; 23 light source side end; 24 light guide body; 25 output end;
31 photocurable resin;
41 Photocell; 42 Internal light source;
51 light guide insert; 52 light

Claims (6)

An external light source (11), a light guide (21), and a tweezer-type instrument (22);
The light guide (21)
A light source side end (23) existing on the external light source (11) side;
A light guide body (24) through which light received at the light source side end (23) propagates;
An output end (25) that is an end opposite to the light source side end (23) and that is a portion from which light propagated through the light guide body (24) is output;
The appliance (22)
A light guide insertion part (51) for inserting the light guide (21) extending in the longitudinal direction at the center of the tweezers-type instrument ;
A photovoltaic cell (41) for generating light by receiving light from the external light source (11);
An internal light source (42) that emits light from the photocell (41);
Light emitted from the internal light source (42) propagates through the light guide body (24), is output from the output end (25), and irradiates a region different from the light derived from the external light source (11). And
The external light source (11) irradiates the photocurable resin (31) with the light output from the output end (25) via the instrument (22), so that the photocurable resin (31) is irradiated. It emits light with a curing wavelength,
The light emitted from the internal light source (42) has a lower intensity than the light emitted from the external light source (11), and is used to lighten the periphery of the photocurable resin (31) (1 ). The external light source (11) is a surgical or illumination light source for dental or medical use.
The light irradiation system (1) according to claim 1 . The light guide (21) has a waveguide provided in the light guide body (24) or on the surface of the light guide body (24).
The light irradiation system (1) according to claim 1 or 2 . A light irradiation system (1) according to claim 3 ,
The light guide (21) includes a first waveguide and a second waveguide provided in the light guide body (24) or on the surface of the light guide body (24). The thickness of the output end (25) of the waveguide is greater than the thickness of the output end (25) of the second waveguide.
Light irradiation system (1). Either or both of the light source side end (23) and the output end (25) have a shape that aggregates light,
The light irradiation system (1) according to claim 4 . The photocurable resin (31) is a dental or medical photocurable resin (31).
The light irradiation system (1) according to claim 1 .

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