Dental ultrasonic cleaning device and method for cleaning teeth or dentures by using ultrasonic waves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9700394-B2
Application number	US-201314404459-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2013
Priority date	May 31, 2012
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a dental ultrasonic cleaning device that efficiently cleans teeth or dentures in an oral cavity using ultrasonic waves. A dental ultrasonic cleaning device 1 emits ultrasonic waves through a cleaning-liquid (W 1 ) to the surface of a cleaning-target 26 , ultrasonically cleaning it. An ultrasonic horn 24 propagates ultrasonic waves being generated by an ultrasonic-wave transducer 23 and emits them from the vibratory surface 25 provided at the tip-end of the horn 24 . A liquid-reserving part 27 is provided, surrounding the vibratory surface 25 of the ultrasonic horn 24 , which temporarily reserves the cleaning-liquid (W 1 ) between the vibratory surface 25 and the cleaning-target 26 . A cap-member 33 is provided at a certain interval opposite the liquid-reserving part 27 . A cleaning-liquid discharge-tube inlet 35 is connected to a vacuum tube 36 within the cap-member 33 , allowing the cleaning-liquid W 1 used during the ultrasonic cleaning to be vacuumed from the oral cavity, into the cap-member 33 , and then discharged through the vacuum tube 36.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dental ultrasonic cleaning device for cleaning teeth or dentures ultrasonically by emitting ultrasonic waves through a cleaning-liquid to a cleaning-target comprising:
an ultrasonic-wave transducer for generating the ultrasonic waves;
an ultrasonic-wave pro propagating unit for propagating the ultrasonic waves to an ultrasonic-wave emitting surface at a tip-end side of the ultrasonic-wave propagating unit;
a liquid-reservoir part for temporarily reserving the cleaning-liquid between a surface of the cleaning-target and the ultrasonic-wave emitting surface in a state of being in contact with the cleaning target, the liquid-reservoir part being provided in such a manner as to surround the ultrasonic-wave emitting surface;
a liquid-supply tube for supplying the cleaning-liquid to the liquid-reservoir part;
a suction tube having a liquid-suction pat and for sucking and draining the cleaning-liquid that had been used during the ultrasonic cleaning through the liquid-suction part, the liquid-suction part being disposed at a predetermined distance from the liquid reservoir part;
a handpiece adapted to be handled by an operator, the handpiece comprising a main-arm unit to house the ultrasonic-wave transducer and the ultrasonic-wave propagating unit, and a secondary-arm unit having a tip-end portion by which the cleaning-target is gripped between the liquid-reservoir part at a tip-end of the main-arm unit and the secondary-arm unit, and a liquid-vacuuming part is provided at a tip-end of the secondary-arm unit;
an ultrasonic-wave oscillator for activating the ultrasonic-save transducer;
a cleaning-liquid supplying device for supplying the cleaning-liquid to the liquid-supply tube;
a cleaning-liquid vacuuming-and-discharging device for vacuuming and discharging the cleaning-liquid through the suction tube;
a sensor for detecting the cleaning-target being gripped by and between the liquid-reservoir part of the main-arm unit and the cleaning-liquid vacuuming part at the tip-end of the secondary-arm unit;
a control device for controlling at least one of the ultrasonic-wave oscillator, the cleaning-liquid supplying device, or the cleaning-liquid vacuuming-and-discharging device, according to the detection by the sensor;
wherein the handpiece has a stapler structure that the base-end of the secondary-arm unit is rotatably connected to the main-arm unit; and
further wherein the sensor detects a rotation-angle of the secondary-arm unit and transmits a detection result to the control device for the control device to activate the ultrasonic-wave oscillator, the cleaning-liquid supplying device, and the cleaning-liquid vacuuming-and-discharging device when the rotation-angle of the secondary-arm unit is below a set value, or to deactivate the ultrasonic-wave oscillator, the cleaning-liquid supplying device, and the cleaning-liquid vacuuming-and-discharging device when the rotation-angle of the secondary-arm unit exceeds the set value.

2. A dental ultrasonic cleaning device according to claim 1 , further comprising a cleaning-liquid discharge-tube inlet being provided within or near the liquid-reservoir part and through which the cleaning-liquid is discharged from the liquid-reservoir part.

3. A dental ultrasonic cleaning device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a cleaning-liquid discharging device for discharging the cleaning-liquid through the cleaning-liquid discharge tube;
a cleaning-liquid supply-measuring device for measuring a volume of cleaning-liquid being supplied per hour through the liquid-supply tube; and
a cleaning-liquid discharge-measuring device for measuring a volume of cleaning-liquid being discharged per hour through the suction tube; and characterized in that the ultrasonic-wave control device reads data of the cleaning-liquid supply-measuring device about the volume of cleaning-liquid being supplied and data of the cleaning-liquid discharge-measuring device about the volume of cleaning-liquid being discharged, which then directs operation of the cleaning-liquid vacuuming-and-discharging device according to a ratio of the volume of cleaning-liquid being supplied to the volume of cleaning-liquid being discharged.

Assignees

• Yamamoto Matsuo
• Takiguchi Takashi
• Sato Masanori
• Inagaki Katsuyuki
• Kubota Kazumasa
• Kozaka Hideo
• Miyamoto Toshiaki
• Univ Showa
• Honda Electronic
• G C Dental Ind Corp

Inventors

• Yamamoto Matsuo
• Takiguchi Takashi
• Sato Masanori
• Inagaki Katsuyuki
• Kubota Kazumasa
• Kozaka Hideo
• Miyamoto Toshiaki

Classifications

• A61C17/0202

  Hand-pieces · CPC title

• A61C17/0208

  combined with means providing suction (A61C17/0211 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61C17/20 Primary

  using ultrasonic waves · CPC title