KR20230011811A - Intra oral Scanner having disinfection function - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an oral scanner inserted into the oral cavity of a dental patient to acquire three-dimensional shape information of structures in the oral cavity, wherein the oral scanner is capable of sterilizing or disinfecting the interior and exterior of the oral scanner. The oral scanner comprises: a measurement light source (20) which generates visible light; a shape detection unit (30) which detects reflected light formed when the visible light is reflected from an oral cavity structure, and obtains shape information of the oral cavity structure; a sterilizing light source (40) which generates ultraviolet sterilizing light; an oral scanner body (10) accommodating the measurement light source (20), the shape detection unit (30), and the sterilizing light source (40); and an oral tip (50) coupled to the front end of the oral scanner body (10) and having a reflective mirror (60) mounted therein, wherein the reflective mirror reflects visible light generated from the measurement light source (20) to irradiate the same to the oral cavity structure, and reflects and guides the reflected light reflected from the oral cavity structure to the shape detection unit (30). Here, one or more sterilizing light sources (40) are mounted on the front of the oral scanner body (10). The ultraviolet sterilizing light generated from the sterilizing light sources (40) is irradiated into the inside of the oral tip (50), coupled to the front surface of the oral scanner body (10), to sterilize and disinfect the inside of the oral tip (50).

Description

Dental oral scanner having disinfection function {Intra oral Scanner having disinfection function}

The present invention relates to an intraoral scanner, and more particularly, to an intraoral scanner that is inserted into the oral cavity of a dental patient and acquires three-dimensional shape information of structures in the oral cavity, and which can sterilize or disinfect the inside and outside of the oral scanner. will be.

In general, dental hospitals and the like examine the shape of teeth or tissues in the mouth of a patient, and based on this, diagnose the patient's oral condition, establish a treatment plan, or manufacture a prosthesis. In order to obtain the shape of teeth and tissues in the oral cavity, conventionally, an impression taking method using an impression material such as alginate is used, or radiation such as X-rays is irradiated from the outside of the oral cavity to determine the structure of the oral cavity. A method of obtaining a 2D or 3D image has been used, but these methods have a disadvantage in that it is difficult to obtain an accurate 3D shape of the tooth.

Recently, an optical oral scanner capable of measuring the shape and condition of teeth by scanning/photographing the teeth in the oral cavity of a patient in three dimensions without physical contact by applying optical technology has been used. This intraoral scanner irradiates measurement light to a desired position inside the oral cavity, and includes an oral tip for receiving reflected light generated when the measurement light is reflected from an oral structure. Since the oral tip is used by being inserted into the patient's oral cavity, contamination occurs whenever it is used. Therefore, the conventional oral tip has a detachable structure that can be separated from the oral scanner body, and after each use, the oral tip is separated, sterilized using an autoclave, etc., and then reused. For example, Patent No. 10-1851609 discloses an intraoral scanner disinfection device that disinfects the inside of an intraoral scanner using a cleaning solution, but is not used well in practice because a separate disinfection device must be provided for disinfection of an intraoral scanner. there is.

Meanwhile, in a dental treatment process, dental treatment medical devices such as a handpiece and an impression head are frequently used. These medical devices must also be reused after sterilization each time, and it is recommended that they be sterilized in an autoclave for a long time. For example, Patent Publication No. 10-2006-0002349 discloses a device for sterilizing and disinfecting a dental medical device such as a handpiece using an ultraviolet lamp.

However, many dental hospitals do not have a large number of expensive intraoral scanners and handpieces, and do not have a separate disinfection device for disinfecting these devices. They are often reused after use. However, if only the outside of the oral scanner or oral tip is disinfected and the inside is not disinfected, there is a high possibility of bacterial infection by aerosol flowing inside and outside the oral scanner.

Patent Registration No. 10-1851609 Patent Publication No. 10-2006-0002349

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a dental oral scanner capable of easily sterilizing and disinfecting the inside of an oral tip that is easily contaminated by bacteria by being inserted into the oral cavity of a patient.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dental oral scanner capable of sterilizing and disinfecting the inside of the oral tip without separating the oral tip or using a separate cleaning device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dental oral scanner having additional functions that can conveniently disinfect dental medical devices.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, the measurement light source 20 for generating visible light; a shape detection unit 30 that obtains shape information of the oral cavity structure by detecting reflected light formed by reflection of the visible light from the oral structure; a sterilization light source 40 generating ultraviolet sterilization light; an intraoral scanner body 10 accommodating the measurement light source 20, the shape detection unit 30 and the sterilization light source 40; And a reflection mirror 60 for reflecting the visible light generated from the measurement light source 20 and irradiating it to the intraoral structure, and reflecting the reflected light reflected from the oral cavity structure and leading it to the shape detection unit 30 is mounted therein. It provides an oral scanner including an oral tip 50 coupled to the front end of the oral scanner body 10. Here, one or more sterilization light sources 40 are mounted on the front surface of the oral scanner body 10, and the ultraviolet sterilization light generated from the sterilization light source 40 is an oral tip coupled to the front surface of the oral scanner body 10 ( 50) to sterilize and disinfect the inside of the oral tip 50.

The dental oral scanner according to the present invention not only can easily sterilize and disinfect the inside of the oral tip, which is easily contaminated by bacteria, without separating the oral tip or using a separate cleaning device, It has an additional function that can be easily disinfected.

1 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a dental intraoral scanner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing the traveling path of measurement light and sterilization light in the oral dental scanner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail through exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same numerals are added to the same components as much as possible even though they are displayed on different drawings. In addition, in describing an embodiment of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function hinders understanding of the embodiment of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

And throughout the specification, when a part is said to be “connected” to another part, this includes not only the case of being “directly connected” but also the case of being “electrically connected” with another element interposed therebetween. In addition, when a part "includes" or "includes" a certain component, this means that it may further include or include other components, not excluding other components unless otherwise specified. .

Hereinafter, a dental oral scanner having a disinfection function according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a dental oral scanner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a dental oral scanner according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the traveling path of measurement light and sterilization light. it is a drawing As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the oral scanner according to the present invention detects the reflected light formed by the measurement light source 20 generating visible light and the visible light being reflected from the oral cavity structure to obtain shape information of the oral cavity structure. Obtaining a shape detection unit 30, a sterilization light source 40 generating ultraviolet sterilization light, an intraoral scanner body 10 accommodating the measurement light source 20, the shape detection unit 30 and the sterilization light source 40, and the measurement light source The oral tip equipped with a reflective mirror (60, mirror) that reflects the visible light generated in (20) and irradiates it to the oral cavity internal structure, and reflects the reflected light reflected from the oral cavity internal structure and guides it to the shape detection unit 30 ( 50, tip).

The oral tip 50 is for guiding the visible light generated from the measuring light source 20 to a desired position inside the oral cavity, and as shown in FIG. It has a tube structure. One end of the oral tip 50 is coupled to the front end of the oral scanner body 10, and is detachably attached to the front end of the oral scanner body 10 by a conventional method such as screw coupling or fitting. Combined, visible light generated from the measuring light source 20 is introduced. An oral tip hole 52 is formed at the other end of the oral tip 50, and visible light emitted from the measurement light source 20 is guided into the oral cavity through the oral tip hole 52. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 1, the oral tip hole 52 is an opening formed in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the oral tip 50, and visible light generated from the measurement light source 20 is reflected. It is reflected from the mirror 60 and guided into the oral cavity through the oral tip hole 52 .

The measurement light source 20 radiates visible light, that is, measurement light, to the intraoral structure. The visible light generated by the measurement light source 20 is light in a wavelength region recognizable by the human eye, and allows the patient's oral cavity to be measured to be identified. The visible light irradiated to the oral cavity structure is reflected from the oral cavity structure having a predetermined shape, and the shape of the visible light is changed. That is, since the shape of the reflected light changes according to the shape of the intraoral structure, the shape of the intraoral structure can be detected by detecting and analyzing the shape of the reflected light. The visible light emitted from the measuring light source 20 may be pattern light having a predetermined pattern, and may be, for example, R, G, and B light having red, green, and blue wavelengths. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the measuring light source 20 may be mounted on the front center portion of the intraoral scanner body 10 . An illumination lens 22 may be further mounted at the front end of the measuring light source 20 to adjust the focus of the visible light emitted from the measuring light source 20 to the intraoral structure. In addition, a measurement light source driving switch 24 capable of controlling the operation of the measurement light source 20, for example, on or off, may be mounted on one end of the intraoral scanner body 10 (see FIG. 1). .

The reflective mirror 60 mounted on one end of the oral cavity tip 50 reflects the visible light emitted from the measurement light source 20 and irradiates it to oral structures such as teeth, and the visible light is reflected from the oral cavity structures. It serves to reflect the formed reflected light again and guide it to the intraoral scanner body 10. In the intraoral scanner body 10, an imaging lens 32 for concentrating the reflected light reflected by the reflection mirror 60 and, if necessary, an optical path for changing the path of the reflected light imaged by the imaging lens 32 Modifying means 34 (eg mirrors, prisms, beam splitters, etc.) may be further mounted. The imaging lens 32 may serve to focus the reflected light before the light reflected from the intraoral structures is reflected by the reflection mirror 60 and reaches the light path changing unit 34 . The optical path changing unit 34 serves to guide the reflected light to the shape detection unit 30 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the imaging lens 32 and the optical path changing means 34 may be mounted on the upper and lower surfaces of the front surface of the intraoral scanner body 10, respectively, that is, as a pair of upper and lower portions.

The shape detection unit 30 detects the reflected light transmitted through the reflective mirror 60 and, if necessary, the imaging lens 32 and the optical path changing means 34, and the shape of the oral structure from the image of the detected reflected light. get information The shape detection unit 30 is an image sensor that detects the shape of the reflected light, and may include, for example, a conventional camera device, and may acquire 3D and 2D images. As shown in FIG. 2 , the shape detection unit 30 may be disposed as a pair on both upper and lower side walls of the intraoral scanner body 10 . For example, the shape detection unit 30 may be an image sensor in the form of a PCB board located on both the upper and lower sides of the measuring light source 20 . Accordingly, the reflected light reflected from the pair of light path changing means 34 is detected and analyzed by the image sensor of the shape detection unit 30, so that a 3D shape of the structure inside the oral cavity can be obtained.

In the oral dental scanner according to the present invention, when visible light emitted from the measurement light source 20 is incident into the oral cavity, it may further pass through a DMD device (Digital Micromirror Device, not shown). The DMD element is a chip in which countless mirrors of fine size are disposed on the surface, and one mirror corresponds to one pixel, and is a projection method completely different from the conventional cathode ray tube method, liquid crystal method, or plasma method. That is, since the DMD chip is a reflective device with a very high reflective efficiency, there is little energy remaining in the device itself. In addition, original images and video can be faithfully and accurately reproduced without color bleeding or image distortion due to the influence of a magnetic field. Visible light transmitted through the DMD element is sequentially moved toward the reflection mirror 20 through an optical path changing means (eg, mirror, prism, beam splitter, etc.), and is reflected by the reflection mirror 20 to the inside of the oral cavity. can be entered as

The sterilization light source 40 is a device that generates ultraviolet sterilization light for sterilizing bacteria or disinfecting toxins, and includes one or more, for example, a measuring light source 20 and an illumination lens 22 on the front of the oral scanner body 10. ), respectively, that is, it can be mounted as a left and right pair. The ultraviolet sterilization light generated from the sterilization light source 40 irradiates the inside of the oral tip 50 mounted on the front of the oral scanner body 10 to sterilize and sterilize bacteria and toxins attached to the oral tip 50. Disinfect. In addition, the ultraviolet sterilization light generated from the sterilization light source 40 is reflected from the reflective mirror 60 mounted on one end of the oral tip 50, and passes through the oral tip hole 52 to the oral tip 50. ) can be investigated externally. In this way, the ultraviolet sterilization light irradiated to the outside of the oral tip 50 is irradiated to dental handpieces, dental tools such as handpiece processing burs, and dental treatment medical devices such as impression uppers, thereby providing dental care. It can be used for sterilization and disinfection of instruments.

The sterilizing light source 40 has an ultraviolet (UV) wavelength light, for example, 200 to 280 nm, preferably a UVC light with a wavelength of 260 to 280 nm, particularly having a center wavelength of 265 nm, 273 nm, 280 nm, etc. It may be an ultraviolet light emitting diode (LED) that emits ultraviolet light. At this time, since UVC ultraviolet light in the wavelength range of 260 to 280 nm is harmful to the human body, it is necessary to prevent the sterilization light source 40 from operating inside the oral cavity of the patient, particularly the patient. Therefore, when the sterilization light source 40 generates ultraviolet light in the range of 260 to 280 nm, a separate sterilization light source driving button 42 (see FIG. 1) is mounted so that the user can switch the sterilization light source driving switch 42 It is preferable to operate the germicidal light source 40 only when is pressed. In addition, when the oral tip 50 is inserted into the oral cavity, it is more preferable if a program or safety device that detects it through a sensor or the like and blocks the sterilization light source 40 from operating is provided. On the other hand, the sterilization light source 40 may generate ultraviolet light (Far UV) having a wavelength range of 190 to 230 nm, for example, a 222 nm wavelength as a central wavelength. In this case, the effect of the ultraviolet light in the range of 190 to 230 nm on the human body is small, and the above-described sterilizing light source driving button 42 or safety device may not be provided.

In the dental oral scanner having a disinfection function according to the present invention, the sterilization light source 40 is disposed at the connection between the oral scanner body 10 and the oral tip 50, and the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the sterilization light source 40 The light sterilizes or disinfects the inner surface of the oral tip 50. Therefore, when the intraoral scanner is not used for a patient, the sterilizing light source 40 is driven to sterilize or disinfect the inner surface of the oral tip 50, which is highly likely to be contaminated by aerosol. In addition, the intraoral scanner according to the present invention uses ultraviolet light irradiated to the outside of the oral tip 50 through the reflective mirror 20 disposed inside the oral tip 50, so that dental medical devices such as handpieces can be easily installed. It can be sterilized or disinfected to reduce the possibility of infection.

The embodiments of the present invention described above and shown in the drawings should not be construed as limiting the technical idea of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is limited only by the matters described in the claims, and those skilled in the art can improve and change the technical spirit of the present invention in various forms. Therefore, such improvements and changes will fall within the protection scope of the present invention as long as they are obvious to those skilled in the art.

Claims (4)

a measurement light source 20 generating visible light;
a shape detection unit 30 that obtains shape information of the oral cavity structure by detecting reflected light formed by reflection of the visible light from the oral structure;
a sterilization light source 40 generating ultraviolet sterilization light;
an intraoral scanner body 10 accommodating the measurement light source 20, the shape detection unit 30 and the sterilization light source 40; and
A reflection mirror 60 is installed inside to reflect the visible light generated from the measurement light source 20 and irradiate it to the oral cavity structure, and to reflect the reflected light reflected from the oral cavity structure and guide it to the shape detection unit 30 And, including an oral tip 50 coupled to the front end of the oral scanner body 10,
One or more sterilizing light sources 40 are mounted on the front surface of the oral scanner body 10, and the ultraviolet sterilizing light generated from the sterilizing light source 40 is attached to the oral tip 50 coupled to the front surface of the oral scanner body 10. Is irradiated into the inside of the oral tip 50 to sterilize and disinfect the inside, oral scanner. The method of claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet sterilization light generated from the sterilization light source 40 is reflected from the reflective mirror 60 mounted inside the oral tip 50 and irradiated to the outside of the oral tip 50, An intraoral scanner, which is used for sterilization and disinfection of medical devices for The intraoral scanner according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet sterilizing light is UVC light having a wavelength of 200 to 280 nm. The method of claim 1, wherein the germicidal light source (40) generates ultraviolet light in the range of 260 to 280 nm, and further comprises a germicidal light source drive button (42) for controlling the operation of the germicidal light source (40) , intraoral scanner.

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