JP2021090689A - Tip mounting screw of ultrasonic handpiece - Google Patents

Abstract

To address such a problem that, since attachment/detachment of a tip is repeated, sometimes a screw for connecting the tip and a transducer horn may be worn down.SOLUTION: A transducer side of mechanically connecting a tip and the transducer is configured to be exchangeable. Specifically, an ultrasonic treatment apparatus (1) comprising an ultrasonic transducer (41), and a horn (8) for transmitting oscillation of the ultrasonic transducer (41), is configured. Herein, the horn (8) includes a horn body (8a) and a tip attachment/detachment member (7) for connecting the horn body (8a) and the tip (4). The tip attachment/detachment member (7) is configured to be attachable/detachable with respect to the horn body (8a).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic device including an instrument vibrating at a frequency in the ultrasonic range, for example, an ultrasonic therapy device including an ultrasonic handpiece.

Conventionally, ultrasonic therapy equipment including an ultrasonic handpiece is generally known. In this type of ultrasonic therapy equipment, a vibrating tool called a "chip" or "ultrasonic chip" is mechanically coupled to the ultrasonic handpiece, and the chip is vibrated by a vibrator inside the ultrasonic handpiece. .. A general ultrasonic handpiece is connected to an ultrasonic generator called a unit or the like.

In generally known ultrasonic therapy equipment, a chip (ultrasonic chip) is a replaceable component having various shapes according to a desired treatment. The ultrasonic handpiece to which the ultrasonic tip is attached is provided with a handpiece screw portion for attaching the ultrasonic tip (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The ultrasonic tip was screwed to the threaded portion of the handpiece with a constant torque to maintain the tightening to withstand the ultrasonic vibration transmitted from the ultrasonic generator.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-502398 WO 2005/10204

Repeated attachment and detachment of the tip may cause wear to progress on the screw for connecting the tip and the oscillator horn. As the wear progresses, it becomes difficult to properly attach the tip. Handpieces that cannot be fitted with tips cannot be used for treatment and such handpieces must be discontinued.
In addition, for some reason, the screw for connecting the chip and the oscillator horn may have a problem. In such a handpiece, ultrasonic vibration may cause a problem that the tip loosens during treatment. In such a case, the use of the handpiece must be stopped immediately, and in some cases, the handpiece body must be replaced with another one.

The means for solving the above problems will be described below. In the following description, the reference symbols attached to the drawings are attached in parentheses to the elements constituting the solution. This reference numeral is intended to assist the understanding of the configuration and operation of the solution, and does not limit the technical scope of the present application.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an ultrasonic therapy device (1) including an ultrasonic vibrator (41) and a horn (8) for transmitting the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibrator (41) is configured. Here, the horn (8) is configured to include a horn body (8a) and a chip attachment / detachment member (7) that connects the horn body (8a) and the chip (4). The chip attachment / detachment member (7) is detachably attached to the horn body (8a).

In the ultrasonic therapy device (1), the tip attachment / detachment member (7) includes a tip side screw (9) connected to the tip (4) and a replacement screw (10) connected to the horn body (8a). The horn body (8a) is preferably configured to include a housing portion for receiving the replacement screw (10).

In the ultrasonic therapy device (1) described above, the tip attachment / detachment member (7) is further provided with a wrench receiving portion (11) arranged between the tip side screw (9) and the replacement screw (10). It may be. In this configuration, the wrench receiving portion (11) preferably receives torque supplied via an external wrench when the replacement screw (10) is attached to or detached from the accommodating portion.
As described above, the present invention is configured to include a member capable of exchanging the structure on the vibrator side that mechanically connects the chip and the vibrator.

In the present invention, when the chip and the vibrator are screw-coupled, the vibrator screw portion and the vibrator horn are separated from each other, and the vibrator is provided with a member in which the screw portion can be replaced. The handpiece body had to be replaced, but by replacing only the screw part, the replacement cost can be reduced.

Further, the screw portion of the vibrator, which is a separate body, is made of a material different from that of the vibrator and the tip, or is subjected to surface treatment to prevent adhesion due to the same material. Further, the threaded portion has a material and hardness that can withstand corrosion and deformation against a load generated by ultrasonic vibration and repeated temperatures of 130 ° C. due to sterilization.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic therapy device system of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the external configuration of the ultrasonic handpiece. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the mounting location of the ultrasonic handpiece and the chip. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a horn to which the chip inside the ultrasonic handpiece is mounted. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration when the horn and the chip are connected. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of the present embodiment.

[Constitution]
Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram showing a configuration of a system 31 of the ultrasonic therapy device of the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the ultrasonic therapy device system 31 includes an ultrasonic therapy device 1, a handpiece cord 2, an ultrasonic handpiece 3, and a chip (ultrasonic tip) 4.
The ultrasonic therapy device 1 is an output device that outputs a power signal for vibrating the chip 4. The ultrasonic handpiece 3 is a hand-held device for performing dental treatment such as removal (scaling) of plaque and tartar, for example.
The tip 4 is a component that comes into direct contact with a treatment target site such as a tooth in the oral cavity. The chip 4 vibrates with a predetermined amplitude, and the energy of the mechanical vibration is used to remove tartar (scaling) and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, a handpiece cord 2 is connected to the ultrasonic therapy device 1. Further, the ultrasonic handpiece 3 is connected to the ultrasonic therapy device 1 via the handpiece cord 2. Further, the tip 4 is connected to the tip of the ultrasonic handpiece 3. The electric power signal (voltage) output from the ultrasonic therapy device 1 is supplied to the vibrator (not shown) of the ultrasonic handpiece 3 via the handpiece cord 2. The vibrator vibrates by ultrasonic vibration (mechanical vibration at a frequency in the ultrasonic range) in response to a power signal (voltage) supplied from the ultrasonic therapy device 1. The vibration of the vibrator travels through the horn of the vibrator and vibrates the chip 4 attached to the horn. A user such as a dentist uses a vibrating ultrasonic handpiece to perform treatment according to the purpose of use.

FIG. 2 is an external view showing the external configuration of the ultrasonic handpiece 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic handpiece 3 of the present embodiment includes a horn 8 and a vibrator (ultrasonic vibrator) 41. The horn 8 is a member that efficiently transmits vibration energy. The horn 8 is configured to be connectable to the chip 4. The vibrator 41 is a member that generates ultrasonic vibration. In the following, the case where the vibrator 41 of the present embodiment is a vibrator using a piezo element (piezoelectric element) that expands and contracts when a voltage is applied and covers the outer shell of the ultrasonic handpiece 3. Illustrate.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the mounting location of the ultrasonic handpiece 3 and the chip. As described above, the ultrasonic handpiece 3 of the present embodiment can be equipped with a plurality of different types of chips 4. Inside the ultrasonic handpiece 3, one assembly of the vibrator 41 and the horn 8 is provided. A plurality of chips 4 are attached to the assembly according to the site to be treated and the purpose of treatment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the horn 8 of the present embodiment. Note that FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the horn 8 and the chip 4 are separated from each other. Referring to FIG. 4, the horn 8 is composed of a horn body 8a and a chip mounting screw component 7.
The horn body 8a is connected to a vibrator 41 (not shown), and the ultrasonic vibration from the vibrator 41 is propagated to the chip mounting screw component 7. The chip mounting screw component 7 is a member that connects the horn body 8a and the chip 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the chip mounting screw component 7 includes a chip-side screw portion 9 and a horn-side screw portion 10. The chip-side screw portion 9 of the chip mounting screw component 7 is a region connected to the chip 4. The horn-side screw portion 10 of the chip mounting screw component 7 is a region connected to the horn body 8a.
The horn 8 in the normal state is always provided with a screw component 7 for mounting a tip. When the tip 4 is mounted on the horn 8, the tip 4 is mounted on the tip-side screw portion 9 of the tip mounting screw component 7 by applying a certain torque or more. Since the chip mounting screw component 7 is connected to the horn body 8a via the horn-side screw portion 10, the chip 4 and the horn 8 can be connected to each other.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration when the horn 8 and the chip 4 are connected. As shown in FIG. 5, in the ultrasonic handpiece 3 in a state where treatment can be performed, the tip 4 and the tip mounting screw component 7 are connected via the tip side screw portion 9, and the tip is also connected. The mounting screw component 7 and the horn body 8a are connected via the horn-side screw portion 10. The ultrasonic vibration generated by the vibrator 41 is transmitted from the horn body 8a of the horn 8 to the chip 4 via the chip mounting screw component 7.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration when the chip mounting screw component 7 is separated from the horn 8. As shown in FIG. 6, the tip mounting screw component 7 and the horn 8 can be mechanically separated / coupled, and when a defect occurs in the tip mounting screw component 7, a new tip is used. The problem can be solved by preparing the mounting screw component 7.

The chip mounting screw component 7 for mounting the chip 4 has a structure of being integrated as the horn 8 by mechanically coupling with the horn body 8a connected from the vibrator. In other words, the horn body 8a and the chip mounting screw component 7 have a structure in which they are integrated by screw connection via the horn side screw portion 10. The horn 8 of the present embodiment has a structure in which the screw component 7 for mounting the tip and the horn body 8a are separably connected by using the screw portion 10 on the horn side, and the tip of the screw component 7 for mounting the tip is provided by this structure. When it becomes difficult to mount the tip 4 due to wear or deformation of the side screw portion 9, the tip mounting screw component 7 can be replaced.

As shown in FIG. 6, the chip mounting screw component 7 of the present embodiment includes a flat surface 11. When replacing the tip mounting screw component 7, the flat surface 11 and the flat surface similarly formed on the opposite side of the flat surface 11 are used, and the horn 8 and the chip mounting screw component 7 are used with a tool such as a spanner. Loosen the screw. As a result, the chip mounting screw component 7 that makes it difficult to mount the chip 4 can be easily removed. Further, when the chip mounting screw component 7 is attached to the horn 8, the tip mounting screw component 7 can be easily replaced by tightening the chip mounting screw component 7 to the horn 8 in the same manner as described above.

In the mechanical connection with the horn 8, the chip mounting screw component 7 is loosened or dropped due to the load applied to the screw fastening portion due to ultrasonic vibration and the repeated temperature of 130 ° C. or higher due to sterilization. It has a structure of fastening by using a sealing material or an adhesive material in a composite manner so as to prevent the occurrence of.
Further, the threaded rod component 7 for mounting a chip has a material and hardness that can withstand corrosion and deformation against a load generated by ultrasonic vibration and repeated temperatures of 130 ° C. or higher due to sterilization.
Further, the chip mounting screw component 7 is fastened from the horn 8 so that the mechanical coupling does not loosen or fall off even if a constant torque is repeatedly applied when the chip 4 is attached or detached.

1 ... Ultrasonic therapy equipment 2 ... Handpiece cord 3 ... Ultrasonic handpiece 4 ... Chip 7 ... Tip mounting screw part 8 ... Horn 8a ... Horn body 9 ... Chip side screw part 10 ... Horn side screw part 11 ... Flat surface 31 … Ultrasonic therapy equipment system 41… oscillator

Claims (3)

Ultrasonic oscillator and
A horn for transmitting the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibrator is provided.
The horn
With the horn body
A tip attachment / detachment member for connecting the horn body and the tip is provided.
The tip attachment / detachment member is
An ultrasonic therapy device that can be attached to and detached from the horn body. In the ultrasonic therapy device according to claim 1,
The tip attachment / detachment member is
The tip side screw connected to the tip and
With a replacement screw to connect to the horn body,
The horn body
An ultrasonic therapy device including a housing for receiving the replacement screw. In the ultrasonic therapy device according to claim 2.
The tip attachment / detachment member further
A wrench receiving portion arranged between the tip side screw and the replacement screw is provided.
The wrench receiving part is
An ultrasonic therapy device that receives torque supplied via an external wrench when the replacement screw is attached to or detached from the accommodating portion.

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