JP2023162845A - Dental extra-oral suction system and operation control method in dental extra-oral suction system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a dental extraoral suction system that is easy to use. [Solution] A dental extraoral suction system (ST) includes a first switch (161), a second switch (171), a suction port (19) that opens on the distal end surface, and a suction port (19) that is provided inside. A suction arm (1) having a ventilation path that opens, a suction device (3) that is connected to the ventilation path and operates based on the operation of a first switch and sucks from a suction port, and illuminates the orientation direction of the tip of the suction arm. A lighting device (18) that is equipped as shown in FIG. The control unit controls the operation of the suction machine and the lighting device, based only on the operation of the first switch, between an interlock mode and a suction mode in which the lighting device is turned on when the suction machine is in suction operation, and the illumination device is turned off when the suction machine is not suctioning. The operation of the first switch that operates the lighting device is controlled in a non-interlocking mode that does not affect the operation of the lighting device. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a dental extraoral suction system and an operation control method in the dental extraoral suction system.

Patent Document 1 describes a dental extraoral vacuum device (hereinafter referred to as suction arm) in which a plurality of arms are connected in series and relatively rotatable. This suction arm is provided with illumination means on the distal end surface of the distal arm, and the distal arm is equipped with a switch for switching on/off of the illumination means and a switch for switching ON/OFF of the suction operation. .

The suction arm is installed near the treatment chair in the clinic and connected to the suction machine. The suction arm suctions extraoral air from the distal end of the distal arm by operation of the suction machine. A dental extraoral suction system includes a suction arm and a suction machine.

Patent No. 5627095

In a dental extraoral suction system including a conventional suction arm as described in Patent Document 1, switching ON/OFF of the suction operation and switching ON/OFF of the illumination means are performed using separate devices provided on the distal arm. This is done using a switch.
However, in dental treatments and procedures, when air outside the oral cavity is sucked with a suction arm, the oral cavity is often illuminated. Therefore, the operator of the suction arm needs to turn on and off two different switches during treatment and treatment, and conventional dental extraoral suction systems have room for improvement in terms of usability. .

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use dental extraoral suction system and an operation control method in the dental extraoral suction system.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration and procedure.
1) a suction arm having a first switch, a second switch, a suction port opening at a distal end surface, and a ventilation path provided inside and opening to the suction port;
a suction machine connected to the ventilation path and operated based on the operation of the first switch to suck air from the suction port;
a lighting device that is provided to illuminate the direction in which the tip of the suction arm is directed and operates based on the operation of the second switch;
a control unit that controls operations of the suction machine and the lighting device;
Equipped with
The control unit controls the operation of the suction machine and the lighting device,
an interlocking mode in which, based only on the operation of the first switch, the lighting device is turned on when the suction machine is performing a suction operation, and the lighting device is turned off when the suction machine is stopping the suction operation;
a non-interlocking mode in which the operation of the first switch for causing the suction machine to perform a suction operation does not affect the operation of the lighting device;
This is a dental extraoral suction system that is controlled in two modes.
2) The dental extraoral suction system according to 1), wherein the control unit switches between the interlocking mode and the non-interlocking mode by operating the second switch while the suction machine is operating. It is.
3) Operation in a dental extraoral suction system in which outside air can be sucked in by a suction machine through a suction port opened at the tip of a suction arm, and the direction in which the tip is directed can be illuminated by a lighting device provided in the suction arm. A control method,
an interlocking mode in which the lighting device is turned on when the suction machine is performing a suction operation, and the lighting device is turned off when the suction machine is stopping the suction operation, based only on the operation of a first switch;
a non-interlocking mode in which the operation of the lighting device is controlled based only on the operation of the second switch instead of the operation of the first switch;
This is an operation control method for a dental extraoral suction system that is controlled in two modes.
4) In the operation control method in a dental extraoral suction system according to 3), the switching between the interlocking mode and the non-interlocking mode is performed by operating the second switch while the suction machine is operating. be.

According to the present invention, the effect of ease of use can be obtained.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a dental extraoral suction system ST, which is an example of the dental extraoral suction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external view showing the distal end portion of the suction arm 1 included in the dental extraoral suction system ST. FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the dental extraoral suction system ST. FIG. 4A is a first flow diagram for explaining the flow of the operation control method in the dental extraoral suction system ST. FIG. 4B is a second flow diagram for explaining the operation flow. FIG. 4C is a third flow diagram for explaining the operation flow.

The dental extraoral suction system and the operation control method in the dental extraoral suction system according to the embodiment of the present invention are explained by the dental extraoral suction system ST (hereinafter referred to as suction system ST) and its operation control method according to the embodiment. explain.

(Example)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the suction system ST, FIG. 2 is an external view showing the distal end portion of the suction arm 1 included in the suction system ST, and FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the suction system ST. FIG.

The suction system ST includes a suction arm 1, a valve device 4, and a suction machine 3. The suction arm 1 and the valve device 4 are connected by a first ventilation pipe 51, and the valve device 4 and the suction machine 3 are connected by a second ventilation pipe 52.
The suction device 3 is further connected to an exhaust pipe 53 for exhausting the air to the outside space.
The suction arm 1 and the valve device 4 are installed in a dental clinic. The suction machine 3 is usually installed in a machine room or the like separate from the dental clinic, and the second ventilation pipe 52 is laid under the floor FL.

The suction device 3 includes a pump 31 and a control section 32. By the operation of the pump 31, air is sucked through the second ventilation pipe 52, and after removing cutting dust, bacteria, viruses, etc. generated during treatment etc. by a filter (not shown), the air is discharged from the exhaust pipe 53 to the outside space. Ru.
The control unit 32 controls the entire operation of the suction system ST including the pump 31.

The valve device 4 includes a motor 41 and an on-off valve (not shown), and is installed on the floor FL of the medical room in this example. The valve device 4 may be installed under the floor.
The on-off valve opens and closes ventilation between the first ventilation pipe 51 and the second ventilation pipe 52 by the operation of the motor 41. The operation of the motor 41 is controlled by the control section 32.

The suction arm 1 is erected on the floor FL of the medical room, has a so-called vertical multi-joint type, and is capable of changing its posture manually.
The suction arm 1 includes, from the floor FL side, a base 10, a first arm part 11, a second arm part 12, a third arm part 13, a fourth arm part 14, a fifth arm part 15 which is the tip arm part, and a head. It has a section 20.
The pedestal 10 is a seat portion fixed to the floor FL.
The first arm portion 11 is a tubular support that extends vertically upward from the pedestal 10 . The first arm portion 11 may have a lifting function. In this example, the first arm portion 11 is a pole member that does not rotate, but the name “arm” is used for convenience.
A first joint 21 that connects the second arm section 12 is provided at the upper end of the first arm section 11 .

The second arm portion 12 is formed in a straight tube shape and is connected to the first joint 21 so as to be rotatable about a first axis CL21 extending in the horizontal direction with a predetermined torque or more.
A second joint 22 that connects the third arm 13 is provided at the tip of the second arm 12 .

The third arm portion 13 is formed in a straight tube shape, and is connected to the second joint 22 so as to be rotatable about a second axis CL22 extending in the horizontal direction with a predetermined torque or more.
A third joint 23 that connects the fourth arm 14 is provided at the tip of the third arm 13 .

The fourth arm portion 14 is formed in a straight tube shape, and is connected to the third joint 23 so as to be rotatable about a third axis CL23 extending in the horizontal direction with a predetermined torque or more.
The fourth arm portion 14 is provided with an annular switch ring 16 . A part of the switch ring 16 in the circumferential direction is raised outward in the radial direction, and a suction switch 161, which is a first switch, is attached to a surface on the tip side of the raised part.

The suction switch 161 is composed of, for example, a proximity sensor. By placing a hand close to the suction switch 161, a suction signal SG6 (see FIG. 3) is outputted to the control unit 32 each time.
The switch ring 16 can be rotated around the axis with a predetermined resistance of the fourth arm portion 14, thereby allowing the circumferential position of the suction switch 161 to be changed to a position desired by the operator.

The fifth arm portion 15 has a first elbow 15a, a second elbow 15b, and a third elbow 15c connected in series. The first elbow 15a is connected to the distal end of the fourth arm portion 14 via a first link shaft joint 151.
The first elbow 15a is connected to the first link shaft joint 151 so as to rotate around the link shaft CLa1 of the fourth arm portion 14 with a predetermined torque or more.
The first elbow 15a has a first offset joint 152 at its distal end that has a rotation axis about a link axis CLa2 that is inclined at an angle θa with respect to the link axis CLa1.

In this way, in the fifth arm portion 15, the first elbow 15a to the third elbow 15c are connected by the first offset joint 152 and the second offset joint 153, and the third elbow 15c is connected to the third elbow 15c via the second link shaft joint 154. A head portion 20 is connected.
Thereby, the fourth arm part 14 and the fifth arm part 15 can make the head part 20 almost in the posture desired by the operator, and can direct the tip of the head part 20 in the desired direction.

The head portion 20 is formed into a truncated cone shape whose outer diameter increases toward the tip. The axis CL20 of the head portion 20 coincides with the link axis CLa2.
The head portion 20 is provided with a handle 17 and a release button 156. An annular tip ring 155 is removably attached to the tip of the head portion 20.
The tip ring 155 is automatically locked to the head section 20 by pushing it in from the tip side, and is unlocked and can be removed from the head section 20 by pushing the release button 156.
A suction port 19 is opened in the center of the distal end surface of the distal end ring 155 , and an annular lighting device 18 is arranged around the suction port 19 .

The handle 17 is formed in a protruding L-shape so that the operator of the suction arm 1 can grasp it by hand.
A lighting switch 171, which is a second switch, is attached to the tip of the handle 17. The lighting switch 171 is a push button switch, and is pressed by the finger of the hand holding the handle 17 to send out a lighting signal SG7 (see FIG. 3) to the control unit 32.

Inside the suction arm 1, an air passage AK (see FIG. 2) is formed that connects the head portion 20 to the pedestal 10. One end of the ventilation path AK is connected to the suction port 19 and opens to the external space, and the other end is connected to the first ventilation pipe 51.

With this configuration, when the pump 31 operates, the on-off valve of the valve device 4 becomes open, and outside air is sucked from the suction port 19, and the air passage AK, the first ventilation pipe 51, the valve device 4, and the second ventilation pipe 52 It enters the suction machine 3 through the suction machine 3, is cleaned through a filter (not shown) inside the suction machine 3, and is exhausted to the outside from the exhaust pipe 53.
Furthermore, the operator can bring the suction arm 1 into a roughly desired posture by grasping and moving the handle 17 of the head section 20. As a result, air near the oral cavity can be suctioned well during dental treatment and surgery, and droplets such as cutting dust and body fluids that are scattered in the space near the oral cavity during treatment can be effectively removed.

The lighting device 18 includes a plurality of light emitting elements such as LEDs, and is turned on and off under the control of the control unit 32 based on a pressing operation of the lighting switch 171.
Since the illumination device 18 illuminates the direction in which the head section 20 is oriented, it can illuminate the area targeted for dental treatment and treatment, and can perform better dental treatment and treatment.

As described above, in the suction system ST, the control unit 32 controls the suction operation and illumination state suitable for dental treatment and surgery based on the operations of the suction switch 161 and the lighting switch 171. The operation control method in this suction system ST, ie, the operation control method in the dental extraoral suction system, will be described in detail with reference mainly to FIGS. 3 and 4A to 4C.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control section 32 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 321, a suction operation determination section 322, a lighting operation determination section 323, an interlocking flag switching section 324, and a storage section 325.
The control unit 32 controls the lighting operation of turning on/off the lighting device and the suction operation in two modes: an interlocking mode in which both operations are linked, and a non-linking mode in which they are not linked. This control is selectively performed by turning on/off the interlocking flag in response to a command from the control unit 32. That is, in the suction system ST, the interlocking mode is executed when the interlocking flag is ON, and the non-interlocking mode is executed when the interlocking flag is OFF.
A specific example of the operation procedure will be described next with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4A to 4C.

As shown in FIG. 4A, in using the suction system ST, first the power of the suction system is turned on (S1). The power switch is installed at an appropriate location within the treatment room.
The CPU 321 sets the interlocking flag stored in the storage unit 325 as a new interlocking flag (S2).
The interlocking flag ON is stored in the storage unit 325 in the factory-shipped state. Therefore, the first operation after shipment from the factory is performed in the linked mode. For the second and subsequent operations, the interlocking flag (either ON or OFF) stored in the storage unit 325 immediately before the power is turned off is set in (S32).

After executing (S2), the CPU 321 monitors and determines whether there is an input to turn off the power (S3A).
If the determination is NO in (S3A), the CPU 321 monitors and determines whether there is an input to either the suction switch 161 or the lighting switch 171 (S3B).
If the suction switch 161 is operated and it is determined in S3B that the suction switch has been input, the process proceeds to flow 1.
If the lighting switch 171 is operated and it is determined in S3B that there is a lighting switch input, the process proceeds to flow 2.
If there is no switch operation (S3B) and the determination is NO, return to (S3A) and repeat the procedure.
If YES is determined in (S3A), the process moves to (S32).
Next, the operation of flow 1 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4B. When the suction switch 161 is input, the suction signal SG6 (see FIG. 3) enters the control unit 32, and in (S3B) it is determined that the suction switch has been input, and the process proceeds to flow 1.

(Flow 1)
First, the suction operation determination unit 322 determines whether the suction operation state at that time is ON or OFF (S4).
When the suction operation is determined to be ON in (S4), the CPU 321 stops the operation of the pump 31 to stop suction, and operates the motor 41 of the valve device 4 to close the valve (S5).

When the suction operation is determined to be ON in (S4), the illumination operation determination unit 323 determines whether the illumination state at that time is on or off (S7).
If it is determined that the illumination is on, the CPU 321 turns off the illumination (S8) and moves to flow 3.
If it is determined that the lighting is off, the CPU 321 maintains the lighting off (S9) and proceeds to flow 3.

On the other hand, in (S4), if the suction operation determination unit 322 determines that the suction operation is OFF, the CPU 321 operates the pump 31 to start suction, and operates the motor 41 of the valve device 4 to open the valve (S10 ).

Next, the interlocking flag switching unit 324 determines whether the interlocking flag is ON or OFF (S11).
If it is determined that the interlocking flag is OFF, the lighting operation determining unit 323 determines whether the lighting state at that time is on or off (S12).
If it is determined that the lighting is on, the CPU 321 maintains the lighting (S13) and moves to flow 3.
If it is determined that the lighting is off, the CPU 321 maintains the lighting off (S14) and proceeds to flow 3.

If it is determined that the interlocking flag is ON, the illumination operation determination unit 323 determines whether the illumination state at that time is on or off (S15).
If it is determined that the illumination is off, the CPU 321 turns on the illumination (S16), and proceeds to flow 3.
If it is determined that the lighting is on, the CPU 321 keeps the lighting on (S17), and proceeds to flow 3.

In this way, in the suction system ST, when the suction switch 161 is operated in the interlocking mode to start suction, the lighting is automatically turned on without operating the light switch.
Furthermore, in the non-interlocking mode, when the suction switch 161 is operated to start suction, the illumination state is maintained as it is.
Furthermore, in both the interlocking mode and the non-interlocking mode, when the suction switch 161 is operated and suction is stopped, if the illumination is on, it is turned off, and if it is off, it remains off.
When suction is stopped, the light will automatically turn off without operating the light switch.
Next, the operation of flow 2 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4C. When input to the lighting switch 171, the lighting signal SG7 (see FIG. 3) enters the control unit 32, and in (S3B) it is determined that there is an input to the lighting switch, and the process proceeds to flow 2.

(Flow 2)
First, the suction operation determination unit 322 determines whether the current suction operation state is ON or OFF (S18).
When the suction operation is determined to be ON in (S18), the interlocking flag switching unit 324 determines whether the interlocking flag is ON or OFF (S19).

If the interlocking flag is determined to be ON in (S19), the illumination state is always on, the CPU 321 turns off the illumination (S21), the interlocking flag switching unit 324 switches the interlocking flag to OFF (S22), Move to flow 3.

If the interlocking flag is determined to be OFF in (S19), the lighting operation determination unit 323 determines whether the lighting state at that time is on or off (S24).
When the CPU 321 determines that the lighting is on (S24), the CPU 321 turns off the lighting (S25), the interlocking flag switching unit 324 maintains the interlocking flag OFF (S261), and proceeds to flow 3.
If the CPU 321 determines that the light is off in (S24), it turns on the light (S27), the interlocking flag switching unit 324 switches the interlocking flag to ON (S262), and proceeds to flow 3.

On the other hand, if the suction operation is determined to be OFF in (S18), the illumination operation determination unit 323 determines whether the illumination state at that time is on or off (S28).
When the CPU 321 determines that the light is on (S28), the CPU 321 turns off the light (S29), maintains the interlocking flag without switching, and proceeds to flow 3.
If the CPU 321 determines that the light is off in (S28), it turns on the light (S30), maintains the interlocking flag without switching, and proceeds to flow 3.
Next, the operation of flow 3 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4A.

(Flow 3)
The CPU 321 constantly monitors and determines whether there is an input to turn off the power (S31). If there is no input, the process returns to (S3B).
When the CPU 321 determines that there is an input in (S31), the CPU 321 stores the interlocking flag (either ON or OFF) at that time in the storage unit 325 (S32).

Next, the suction operation determination unit 322 determines whether the suction operation is ON or OFF (S33).
If it is determined that the lighting is OFF in (S33), the lighting operation determining unit 323 determines whether the lighting state is on or off (S34).
If determined to be ON in (S33), the CPU 321 stops (turns off) the suction operation (S35), and proceeds to (S34).

If it is determined that the light is off in (S34), the CPU 321 turns off the power (S36) and ends the operation.
If it is determined in (S34) that the light is on, the CPU 321 turns off the light (S37), executes (S36), and ends the operation.

As described above, when the interlocking flag is in the interlocking mode where the interlocking flag is ON, the control unit 32 can turn on and off the suction operation only by inputting the operation of the suction switch 161 without the operator operating the lighting switch 171. OFF and ON and OFF of lighting are linked. That is, in the linked mode, the suction system ST is controlled by operating only the suction switch 161 so that the illumination is always turned on when the suction operation starts, and the illumination is always turned off when the suction operation is stopped. The illumination is kept on while the suction operation is being performed, and the illumination is kept off while the suction operation is stopped.

As a result, the suction system ST automatically switches between the suction operation and the illumination state by operating only one of the suction switches 161, which reduces the burden on the operator and is easy to use. Improves efficiency of treatment.

In addition, when the lighting switch 171 is operated during execution of the suction operation, the lighting is always turned on if the interlocking flag is ON, so the control unit 32 turns off the interlocking flag and turns the interlocking flag OFF. If the light is off, the light is turned on and the interlock flag is turned on.
Therefore, in the suction system ST, the interlocking flag can be switched without independently providing a switch for switching the interlocking flag, thereby suppressing cost increase and improving usability.

Furthermore, in the non-interlocking mode, the suction system ST can independently turn on/off the illumination regardless of whether the suction operation is ON or OFF. In the non-interlocking mode, the operation of the suction switch 161, which is the first switch, for causing the suction device 3 to perform a suction operation does not affect the operation of the lighting device 18.
As a result, the suction system ST can also be used as a lighting device, making it very easy to use.

The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the configuration and procedure described above, and modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

The types of suction switch 161 and lighting switch 171 are not limited to proximity sensors and push button switches.
Flows 1 to 3 are examples, and can be modified to the extent that similar operations can be executed.
The control unit 32 does not need to be included in the suction machine 3. The installation location of the control unit 32 is not limited. For example, the valve device 4 may be provided.

The suction arm 1 is not limited to being installed on the floor FL. For example, it may be installed so as to be suspended from the ceiling of a dental clinic.
In addition, the suction machine 3 is housed in a housing that can be moved within the dental clinic, the suction arm 1 is attached to the upper part of the housing, and the suction machine 3 and the suction arm 1 are connected by an air passage inside the housing. , the suction arm 1 and the suction device 3 may be integrated into a movable system.

1 Suction arm 10 Pedestal 11 First arm part 12 Second arm part 13 Third arm part 14 Fourth arm part 15 Fifth arm part (tip arm part)
15a to 15c 1st elbow to 3rd elbow 151 1st link shaft joint 152 1st offset joint 153 2nd offset joint 154 2nd link shaft joint 155 Tip ring 156 Release button 16 Switch ring 161 Suction switch 17 Handle 171 Lighting switch 18 Lighting device 19 Suction port 20 Head section 21 First joint 22 Second joint 23 Third joint 3 Suction device 31 Pump 32 Control section 321 Central processing unit (CPU)
322 Suction operation determination unit 323 Lighting operation determination unit 324 Interlocking flag switching unit 325 Storage unit 4 Valve device 41 Motor 51 First ventilation pipe 52 Second ventilation pipe 53 Exhaust pipe AK Air passage CLa1, CLa2 Link axis CL20 Axis CL21 to CL23 1st to 3rd axis FL Floor SG6 Suction signal SG7 Lighting signal ST Dental extraoral suction system (suction system)
θa angle

Claims (4)

a suction arm having a first switch, a second switch, a suction port opening on a distal end surface, and a ventilation path provided inside and opening to the suction port;
a suction machine connected to the ventilation path and operated based on the operation of the first switch to suck air from the suction port;
a lighting device that is provided to illuminate the direction in which the tip of the suction arm is directed and operates based on the operation of the second switch;
a control unit that controls operations of the suction machine and the lighting device;
Equipped with
The control unit controls the operation of the suction machine and the lighting device,
an interlocking mode in which, based only on the operation of the first switch, the lighting device is turned on when the suction machine is performing a suction operation, and the lighting device is turned off when the suction machine is stopping the suction operation;
a non-interlocking mode in which the operation of the first switch for causing the suction machine to perform a suction operation does not affect the operation of the lighting device;
Dental extraoral suction system controlled in two modes. The dental extraoral suction system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches between the interlocking mode and the non-interlocking mode by operating the second switch while the suction machine is operating. A method for controlling the operation of a dental extraoral suction system, which is capable of sucking outside air through a suction port opened at the tip of a suction arm by a suction machine, and can illuminate the direction in which the tip is directed by a lighting device provided in the suction arm. And,
an interlocking mode in which the lighting device is turned on when the suction machine is performing a suction operation, and the lighting device is turned off when the suction machine is stopping the suction operation, based only on the operation of a first switch;
a non-interlocking mode in which the operation of the lighting device is controlled based only on the operation of the second switch instead of the operation of the first switch;
A method for controlling the operation of a dental extraoral suction system using two modes. 4. The operation control method in a dental extraoral suction system according to claim 3, wherein switching between the interlocking mode and the non-interlocking mode is performed by operating the second switch while the suction machine is operating.

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