Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
  • A61C1/00—Dental machines for boring or cutting ; General features of dental machines or apparatus, e.g. hand-piece design
  • A61C1/08—Machine parts specially adapted for dentistry
  • A61C1/16—Protecting caps for hand-pieces or angle-pieces
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B46/00—Surgical drapes
  • A61B46/10—Surgical drapes specially adapted for instruments, e.g. microscopes
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
  • A61C19/00—Dental auxiliary appliances
  • A61C19/003—Apparatus for curing resins by radiation
  • A61C19/004—Hand-held apparatus, e.g. guns
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61N—ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY
  • A61N5/00—Radiation therapy
  • A61N5/06—Radiation therapy using light
  • A61N5/0601—Apparatus for use inside the body
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
  • G02B6/241—Light guide terminations
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B17/00—Surgical instruments, devices or methods, e.g. tourniquets
  • A61B2017/00831—Material properties
  • A61B2017/00902—Material properties transparent or translucent
  • A61B2017/00907—Material properties transparent or translucent for light
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61N—ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY
  • A61N5/00—Radiation therapy
  • A61N5/06—Radiation therapy using light
  • A61N5/0601—Apparatus for use inside the body
  • A61N5/0603—Apparatus for use inside the body for treatment of body cavities
  • A61N2005/0606—Mouth

Definitions

• the invention relates to a protective cover for light guides.
• Light guides are used, inter alia, in conjunction with radiation devices for medical and dental purposes, for transmitting the light emitted by a light source in the device to a treatment site, for the purposes of illuminating or irradiating a defined area, for example also a filling in a tooth, e.g. for curing light-curing composites.
• other applications for illuminating or irradiating body cavities are also known.
• the object of the invention is therefore to provide a protective cover for light guides in connection with such irradiation devices, at least the one with the treatment site (Patient) covers the part coming into contact with the.
• Light emission is only slightly attenuated and is constructed in such a way that it can be manufactured as a disposable item, that is to say very easily and cheaply, or else it can be sterilized.
• a replaceable and sterile or sterilizable protective cover is provided for the light guide on the radiation device, which covers the free end of the light guide in the light exit area, at least insofar as contact with the treatment object is possible.
• at least the area of the protective cover that covers the light exit surface of the light guide is made of a transparent material. The protective cover can be replaced and can thus be removed, sterilized or thrown away after a single use.
• the protective cover according to the invention can preferably be made from a flexible material, so that it can be applied and removed again in a simple manner even with a bent end of the light guide.
• the protective cover can be held in place by the elastic areas after being put on the light guide.
• Protective covers made from a thin-walled elastic material are particularly advantageous, so that the protective cover fits as closely as possible to the light guide and practically does not increase the overall diameter, so that the handling of the device with light guide is not influenced. If the inner diameter of the protective cover that is not pulled open is somewhat smaller than the outer diameter of the light guide, the elasticity of the coating after the pulling on is held on the light guide.
• at least the area of the protective covering covering the light exit surface is made of a material that is resistant to mechanical damage.
• Protective covers of this type are particularly suitable for use in dental devices, since the end face of the light guide with the protective coating located thereon may come into contact with the patient's teeth. With such an embodiment, damage to the protective cover during dental treatment can be effectively avoided.
• An inventive development of the protective cover consists in simultaneously designing the area of the protective cover covering the light exit surface as a filter and / or lens for the emerging light. In this way it is possible to adapt the spectral behavior of the light beam to the respective application.
• the light guide from a dimensionally stable material, e.g. Plastic, to be built up in two or more parts, the individual parts being able to be positively connected to one another, preferably being clipped.
• a dimensionally stable material e.g. Plastic
• the exit disk (lens or filter) to be arranged on the end face in its entirety and to provide a corresponding receiving opening on the other part.
• a perspective view of an irradiation device advises with a light guide
• Fig. 3 schematically a broken side view of a
• the radiation device shown in Fig. 1 consists of a housing 3, in which the electrical devices and the light source are housed.
• the device itself is designed as a hand-held device.
• the light source is switched on and possibly switched off via an electronic toggle switch 4.
• the emitted light is guided to the treatment object via a light guide 1.
• a protective cover (not shown) is pushed or placed on the light guide according to the invention.
• FIG. 2 shows a side view of a light guide unit for a stationary - not shown - treatment device in a design customary for dentistry with a protective cover 5 according to the invention in the other area of the light guide 7.
• the light guide unit consists of the actual light guide 7, a handle part 2 and an end part 8 with a protective cover 5 located above it.
• the end part 8 of the light guide is bent towards its free end by an angle of approx Allow handling.
• the light generated in the irradiation device by a light source is guided via the light guide 7 and emerges from the light guide on the end face of the end part 8 out.
• the protective cover 5 is made of a thin-walled elastic material and is designed in such a way that, after being covered, it fits tightly against the outer shape of the light guide.
• the area 4 of the protective cover 5 covering the light exit surface has a somewhat greater wall thickness than in the rear area and is made of a material which is resistant to mechanical damage. After each treatment, the elastic and resilient protective cover 5 can be stripped from the end part 8 of the optical fiber cable with a simple handle and replaced or sterilized by a new protective cover.
• the protective cover as a whole can also consist of a solid material.
• the protective cover is formed from two parts 9 and 10, which are placed on the light guide 1 of any radiation device and clipped there, for example.
• One half part 9 carries the light exit window 11 at the front, which can be designed as a simple transparent pane but also as a lens or filter.
• This exit window 11 comes to lie in an only indicated groove 12 of the other half part 10 when the two parts are placed on the light guide.
• the two parts are congruently form-fitting at their contact lines, e.g. equipped with tongue and groove, whereby a good liquid-tight connection is achieved by tensioning, undercutting the areas to be joined, etc. in a manner known per se.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Dentistry (AREA)
• Surgery (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Medical Informatics (AREA)
• Pathology (AREA)
• Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
• Radiology & Medical Imaging (AREA)
• Molecular Biology (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Dental Tools And Instruments Or Auxiliary Dental Instruments (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=6808247

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (5)

Citations (3)

• 1987
  • 1987-05-19 DE DE8707202U patent/DE8707202U1/de not_active Expired
• 1988
  • 1988-05-18 EP EP88904466A patent/EP0316386A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1988-05-18 WO PCT/DE1988/000293 patent/WO1988009192A1/de not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1988-05-18 JP JP63504277A patent/JPH02500414A/ja active Pending

Patent Citations (3)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events