JP7637556B2 - Dental Unit - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a dental unit having a patient chair in which a patient sits in a dental setting.

A dental unit is a unit in which various equipment used during dental treatment is provided, and includes a patient chair on which a patient sits. Around the dental unit, there is a doctor unit in which various tools for dental treatment used by the practitioner are arranged, an assistant hanger in which various tools mainly used by assistants are arranged, a water supply unit that supplies mouthwash etc. to the patient, a spitting receptacle for draining the water, a dental light for illuminating the patient's oral cavity, etc. Also, a chair on which the practitioner sits may be placed around the dental unit.
The patient chair is configured to be capable of rising and lowering and also to have a backrest that can be tilted and raised in order to place the patient in a position that is easy for treatment or therapy to be performed.

Because the patient chair can be raised and lowered and tilted and stood up in this way, there is a risk that the doctor unit or assistant hanger may enter the range of movement and cause a collision. Such collisions should of course be avoided. Or, if a collision does occur, it should be detected and the raising and lowering of the patient chair or the tilting and standing up should be stopped immediately.

Patent document 1 discloses a safety device for a dental unit arm that is equipped with a sensor that detects the angle of the arm and at least disables automatic operation when it detects the angle at which the dental unit holder contacts the treatment chair.

JP 2012-80978 A

With conventional safety devices, when moving the doctor unit, moving the assistant hanger, raising and lowering the patient chair, or tilting and standing up, there were cases where the device would mistakenly believe that safety had been compromised and would stop the patient chair from rising and lowering or tilting and standing up, even though there was no actual problem with safety. This is a safer operation and is acceptable, but from the perspective of the efficiency of the entire process of treatment, etc., it is an unnecessary stop and should be avoided. If such unnecessary stoppages occur too frequently, it will result in a significant decrease in efficiency.

In view of the above problems, the present disclosure aims to provide a dental unit that operates safely in the event of a collision, while reducing unnecessary stops and preventing a decrease in work efficiency.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a dental unit comprising: a patient chair with a seat that can be raised and lowered, and a backrest that can rotate with respect to the seat and tilt up; a movable member disposed around the patient chair; a sensor disposed on at least one of the movable member and the patient chair and that detects that the movable member and/or the patient chair has moved in a direction other than its original movable direction; and a calculation means that regulates the raising and lowering and tilting of the seat and backrest based on a signal from the sensor, the calculation means regulating the raising and lowering and tilting of the seat and backrest based on the time at which it is detected by the sensor signal that the movable member and/or the patient chair has moved in a direction other than its original movable direction.

The movable member can be at least one of a doctor unit and an assistant hanger.

The dental unit disclosed herein can reduce unnecessary stops due to collisions and prevent a decrease in work efficiency.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a dental unit 1 . FIG. 2 is a front view of the dental unit 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the dental unit 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of the sensor 30. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of the sensor 30. In FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the collision calculation means 40. As shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a collision calculation and the flow of control of the dental unit 1 according to the collision calculation.

This disclosure will be described based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

1. Configuration of the dental unit Figures 1 to 3 show the appearance of a dental unit 1 according to one embodiment. Figure 1 is a plan view (viewed from above), Figure 2 is a front view (viewed from the direction of arrow II in Figure 1), and Figure 3 is a rear view (viewed from the direction of arrow III in Figure 1).
The dental unit 1 includes a base 2, a patient chair 3, a doctor unit 10, an assistant unit 20, a sensor 30, and a collision calculation means 40. It also includes a dental light (not shown). The dental light may be of a known type, and is configured such that a lighting unit equipped with lighting is held by a plurality of arms connected by joints, and the practitioner can move the lighting unit by holding it.

1.1. Base The base 2 is disposed below the patient chair 3 and serves as the base of the patient chair 3. The base 2 has an outer shell formed by a housing, and various control devices are housed inside the housing. Examples of the control devices included here include a hydraulic circuit for raising and lowering, tilting and standing up the patient chair 3, and a hydraulic control means for controlling the hydraulic circuit. Therefore, a foot switch (not shown) is provided on the back side of the patient chair 3 of the base 2. The practitioner can operate the foot switch or an operation switch on the operation panel 11c of the doctor unit 10 to issue a command to the hydraulic control means and raise and lower the patient chair 3 and tilt and stand it up by controlling the hydraulic circuit.

1.2 Patient Chair In this embodiment, the patient chair 3 includes a seat 3a, a backrest 3b, a headrest 3c, a legrest 3d, and a footrest 3e.

The seat 3a is attached above the base 2 so that it can be raised and lowered. The seat 3a is raised and lowered by the hydraulic circuit housed in the base 2 as described above. Specifically, the practitioner operates the foot switch or the operation panel 11c of the doctor unit 10 (described later), and the hydraulic control means receives the operation command and appropriately operates the hydraulic cylinders built into the hydraulic circuit, thereby raising and lowering the seat 3a. The backrest 3b, headrest 3c, legrest 3d, and footrest 3e rise and lower together with the seat 3a.

The backrest 3b is a member that is rotatable around one end of the seating portion 3a, and supports the patient's torso. The backrest 3b can be tilted and raised so that the patient can sit or lie on his back. The backrest 3b is tilted and raised by a hydraulic circuit connected from within the base 2. Specifically, the practitioner operates the foot switch or the operation panel 11c of the doctor unit 10, and the hydraulic control means that receives the operation command appropriately operates the hydraulic cylinder built into the hydraulic circuit, causing the backrest 3b to tilt and stand up.

The headrest 3c is a member that is placed at the end of the backrest 3b opposite the end where the seating portion 3a is placed, and is a member that supports the patient's head. The headrest 3c is formed to be movable and rotatable so that the patient's head can be positioned in a position convenient for treatment. Such movement of the headrest 3c is performed by a mechanism including a motor built into the backrest 3b. Specifically, the practitioner operates a switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the backrest 3b or the headrest 3c, or an operation panel 11c of the doctor unit 10 (described later), and the headrest 3c moves and rotates when the mechanism receives the operation command and starts to operate.

The leg rest 3d is a member that is rotatable around the end of the seating section 3a opposite the side where the backrest 3b is placed, and supports the patient's legs. The leg rest 3d is rotatable so that it can assume a vertical or horizontal position in accordance with the tilted and standing position of the backrest 3b. Such rotation of the leg rest 3d is performed by a link mechanism that operates in conjunction with the tilting and standing of the backrest 3b. Specifically, when the practitioner operates the foot switch or the operation panel 11c of the doctor unit 10 as described above, the backrest 3b tilts and stands up, and the leg rest 3d rotates in conjunction with this.

The footrest 3e is a member provided in a direction extending from the legrest 3d, and is intended to support the patient's feet. Specifically, when the backrest 3b is in an upright position, i.e., a seated position, the footrest 3e is bent relative to the legrest 3d so as to receive the soles of the patient's feet. On the other hand, when the backrest 3b is reclined and the patient is lying on his back, the footrest 3e becomes roughly flat relative to the legrest 3d so as to receive the patient's heels. Means for moving the footrest 3e in this manner can be hydraulics, a motor, a link mechanism, etc., but are not particularly limited thereto.

1.3 Doctor Unit The doctor unit 10 is provided on the side of the patient chair 3 opposite to the assistant unit 20, and in this embodiment has a work table 11, a first arm 12, and a second arm 13.
The work table 11 is a portion where various tools and switches required by the practitioner are provided. Specifically, the work table 11 has a work surface 11a on its upper surface, and a holder 11b is provided for storing handpieces used by the practitioner during treatment. Although not shown, the holder 11b holds various handpieces. Examples of handpieces include air turbines, micromotors, scalers, and syringes. Almost all handpieces are connected to electric circuits, water circuits, air circuits, and the like via tubes. In addition, an operation panel 11c is provided between the work surface 11a and the holder 11b. The operation panel 11c is provided with various operation switches, for example, for tilting and standing the patient chair 3, lifting and lowering operations, and switching on and off the dental lighting.
In this way, the holder 11b and the operation panel 11c are located on the back side of the patient chair 3 on the work table 11. This provides convenience for the practitioner who performs treatment near the patient's head.

The first arm 12 is a hollow rod-shaped so-called arm member, one end of which is disposed under the base 2 and is rotatable about an axis extending in the vertical direction. Therefore, the first arm 12 can rotate as shown by the arrow Ia in FIG.
The second arm 13 is also a hollow rod-shaped arm member. One end of the second arm 13 is disposed at the other end of the first arm 12, which is the end opposite the base 2. In addition, the workbench 11 is disposed at the other end of the second arm 13. The second arm 13 is connected to the first arm 12 so as to be rotatable about an axis whose axis is in the vertical direction, and can rotate as shown by the arrow Ib in FIG. 1.
The workbench 11 is connected to the second arm 13 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the vertical direction, and can be rotated as shown by the arrow Ic in FIG.

The work table 11 can therefore move and assume a certain position within a range that combines the above-mentioned rotations of the first arm 12, the second arm 13, and the work table 11 itself, improving the convenience of the practitioner. The practitioner can then change the position and position of the work table 11 by grasping a handle or the like of the work table 11 and pushing or pulling it.

1.4 Assistant Unit The assistant unit 20 is provided on the side of the patient chair 3 opposite to the side on which the doctor unit 10 is disposed, and includes an assistant hanger 21 and a water supply and drainage section 29.

The assistant hanger 21 is a section that is equipped with tools that are mainly used by the assistant. The assistant hanger 21 has a hanger section 22, a first arm 23, and a second arm 24.

The hanger section 22 is a holder that stores handpieces (not shown) that the practitioner uses during treatment. Examples of handpieces include a vacuum, a saliva ejector, a syringe, and the like. The vacuum and saliva ejector are connected to a vacuum unit (not shown) via a suction tube.

The first arm 23 is a hollow rod-shaped so-called arm member, one end of which is disposed in the housing of the water supply and drainage means 29 and is rotatable about an axis extending in the vertical direction. Therefore, the first arm 23 can rotate as shown by the arrow Id in FIG.
The second arm 24 is also a hollow rod-shaped arm member. One end of the second arm 24 is disposed at the other end of the first arm 23, which is the opposite end to the housing of the water supply and drainage unit 29. In addition, the hanger unit 22 is disposed at the other end of the second arm 24. The second arm 24 is connected to the first arm 23 so as to be rotatable about an axis whose axis is in the vertical direction, and can rotate as shown by the arrow Ie in FIG. 1.
The hanger portion 22 is connected to a second arm 24 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the vertical direction, and can rotate as shown by the arrow If in FIG.

The hanger section 22 can therefore move and assume a certain position within a range that combines the above-mentioned rotations of the first arm 23, the second arm 24, and the hanger section 22 itself, improving the convenience of the practitioner. The practitioner can then change the position and position of the hanger section 22 by grasping the handle or the like of the hanger section 22 and pushing or pulling the hanger section 22.

The water supply and drainage unit 29 is a part for supplying and draining water so that the patient can gargle and clean the inside of the mouth during and after treatment, and may have a known configuration. For example, the water supply and drainage unit 29 in this embodiment includes a spitting receptacle 29a and a water supply unit 29b. Water supplied from the water supply unit 29b is poured into a cup, the patient gargles with the cup and spits the water into the spitting receptacle 29a. Therefore, the spitting receptacle 29a is bowl-shaped to spit out water in the mouth after gargling. Saliva and water discharged into the spitting receptacle 29a are discharged through a drain trap of the water supply and drainage unit 29. In addition, the spitting receptacle may be movable in consideration of the convenience of the patient's posture. In that case, the spitting receptacle 29a can be moved in front of the patient when the patient gargles.

1.5. Sensor The dental unit 1 is equipped with a sensor 30. In this embodiment, the sensor 30 is disposed on the doctor unit 10 as a movable member and the assistant hanger 21 of the assistant unit 20, and is configured to detect the vertical movement of the doctor unit 10 and the assistant hanger 21 and output the detected movement as an electrical signal.
As described above, in this embodiment, the doctor unit 10 and the assistant hanger 21 are allowed to move horizontally as their original moving direction due to the configuration of each arm, and vertical movement of the doctor unit 10 and the assistant hanger 21 is not allowed (except for slight vertical movement due to play or dimensional errors of the components, etc. The same applies below). Such vertical movement, which is not the original moving direction, is assumed to occur in the case of a malfunction such as a collision with a patient chair, and for this reason, the sensor 30 is configured to be able to detect vertical movement of the doctor unit 10 and the assistant hanger 21.

For the doctor unit 10, such a sensor 30 is preferably disposed at at least one of the connection between the base 2 and the first arm 12, the connection between the first arm 12 and the second arm 13, and the connection between the second arm 13 and the work table 11. On the other hand, for the assistant hanger 21, it is preferably disposed at at least one of the connection between the water supply and drainage section 29 and the first arm 23, the connection between the first arm 23 and the second arm 24, and the connection between the second arm 24 and the hanger section 22. This makes it easier to detect vertical movement (deformation) of the doctor unit 10 and the assistant hanger 21.

The specific form of the sensor 30 is not particularly limited, but examples include a photoelectric sensor and a microswitch. Figure 4 shows a conceptual diagram of detection by a photoelectric sensor 30, and Figure 5 shows a conceptual diagram of detection by a microswitch 30.

As shown in Figure 4 (a), a photoelectric sensor 30 is installed on member A, which is one of two connected members A and B (in this embodiment of the dental unit 1, for example, a member provided on the first arm 12 and a member provided on the second arm 13), and the state in which this photoelectric sensor 30 detects a predetermined location of member B (in this example, the end face of member B) is defined as the reference state.
4(b) and 4(c), when a vertical force F is applied from the outside to member A and/or member B, member A and/or member B deform, and the photoelectric sensor 30 is unable to detect the end face of member B. In this state, the vertical movement (deformation) of members A and B can be detected.
With regard to the doctor unit 10, such a photoelectric sensor 30 is disposed at at least one of the connection between the base 2 and the first arm 12, the connection between the first arm 12 and the second arm 13, and the connection between the second arm 13 and the work table 11, thereby making it possible to detect vertical movement (deformation) of the doctor unit 10. With regard to the assistant hanger 21, such a photoelectric sensor 30 is disposed at at least one of the connection between the water supply and drainage section 29 and the first arm 23, the connection between the first arm 23 and the second arm 24, and the connection between the second arm 24 and the hanger section 22, thereby making it possible to detect vertical movement (deformation) of the assistant hanger 21.

As shown in Figure 5 (a), a microswitch 30 is installed on member A, which is one of two connected members A and B (in this embodiment of the dental unit 1, for example, a member provided on the first arm 12 and a member provided on the second arm 13), and the state in which member B presses this microswitch 30 (ON state) is defined as the reference state.
5B, when a vertical force F is applied to member B from the outside, member B deforms and separates from microswitch 30, thereby releasing the pressure (OFF state). In this state, the vertical movement (deformation) of members A and B can be detected.
With regard to the doctor unit 10, such a microswitch 30 is disposed in at least one of the connection between the base 2 and the first arm 12, the connection between the first arm 12 and the second arm 13, and the connection between the second arm 13 and the work table 11, thereby making it possible to detect vertical movement (deformation) of the doctor unit 10. With regard to the assistant hanger 21, such a microswitch 30 is disposed in at least one of the connection between the water supply and drainage section 29 and the first arm 23, the connection between the first arm 23 and the second arm 24, and the connection between the second arm 24 and the hanger section 22, thereby making it possible to detect vertical movement (deformation) of the assistant hanger 21.

1.6. Collision Calculation Means The collision calculation means 40 receives an electric signal from the sensor 30 to determine whether the doctor unit 10 or the assistant hanger 21 has collided with another part (patient chair 3), and issues a command to stop the elevation and tilting of the patient chair 3 according to the determination. The specific process of the determination will be described later. The configuration of the collision calculation means 40 is conceptually shown in FIG. 6.
As can be seen from FIG. 6, the collision calculation means 40 includes an operator 41 , a RAM 42 , a storage means 43 , a receiving means 44 , and an output means 45 .

The operator 41 is composed of a so-called CPU (central operator) and is connected to each of the above-mentioned components, and is a means capable of controlling them. The calculation means 41 also executes various programs stored in the storage means 43, which functions as a storage medium, and performs calculations based on these programs as a means for generating various data and selecting data.

RAM 42 is a component that functions as a working area for operator 41 and a storage means for temporary data. RAM 42 can be composed of SRAM, DRAM, flash memory, etc., and is similar to known RAM.

The storage means 43 is a member that functions as a storage medium in which programs and data that are the basis for various calculations are stored. The storage means 43 may also be capable of storing various intermediate and final results obtained by executing the programs.

In this embodiment, one of the programs stored in the memory means 43 includes a calculation that determines whether the doctor unit 10 or assistant hanger 21 has collided with another part (patient chair 3) based on a signal from the sensor 30, and issues a command to stop the raising and lowering and tilting and standing of the patient chair 3 based on the time when the signal from the sensor 30 is detected.

Such calculation can be performed, for example, in the following manner: When the sensor 30 detects vertical movement (deformation) of the doctor unit 10 and the assistant hanger 21 during the raising/lowering and tilting/standing of the patient chair 3, measurement of time is started. If the detection of the movement (deformation) is then resolved within a predetermined time and the patient chair 3 returns to the reference state (a state in which no movement is detected), the patient chair 3 is deemed to have been a collision for which safety can be maintained and the raising/lowering and tilting/standing of the patient chair 3 is continued without being stopped. On the other hand, if the sensor 30 continues to detect the movement even after the predetermined time has elapsed, the patient chair 3 is deemed to have been a collision for which safety cannot be maintained and the raising/lowering and tilting/standing of the patient chair 3 is stopped.
Here, the "predetermined time" is a time that will not damage the doctor unit 10 and the assistant hanger 21 even if they are hit. The specific time is appropriately set according to the arrangement of each part. This prevents damage to the doctor unit 10 and the assistant hanger 21 (ensuring safety) and prevents the patient chair from being lifted or lowered and tilted or standing up (improving the efficiency of treatment).

The receiving means 44 is a component that has the function of appropriately incorporating information from the outside into the collision calculation means 40, and is connected to at least the sensor 30 provided on the doctor unit 10 and the assistant hanger 21.

The output means 45 is a component that has the function of appropriately outputting information that should be output from among the obtained results to the outside, and in this embodiment is connected to the hydraulic control means. As a result, when the collision calculation means 40 determines that the doctor unit 10 or assistant hanger 21 has collided with another member or the like and should be stopped, it issues a command to the hydraulic control means to stop the movement and rotation of the patient chair 3.

2. Operation Flow Next, the permission and restriction of the raising and lowering and tilting and standing up of the patient chair 3 by the collision calculation means 40 will be described. The flow is shown in Figure 7. As can be seen from Figure 7, the calculation by the collision calculation means 40 includes steps S11 to S17. Each step will be described below.

In step S11, commands are issued to raise and lower the patient chair 3 and tilt and stand up. Such commands to raise and lower the patient chair 3 and tilt and stand up are issued, for example, by the foot switch or the doctor unit 10 as described above.

In step S12, a signal indicating a collision is received from the sensor 30 (or the signal that was being received is no longer being received).

Step S13 starts measuring the time from when the state of step S12 is reached.

In step S14, it is determined whether the signal indicating the collision from the sensor 30 has been eliminated when the time measured in step S13 reaches a predetermined time.
If the problem has not been resolved, No is selected, and the raising/lowering and tilting/standing of the patient chair 3 are stopped in step S15.
On the other hand, if the problem has been resolved, Yes is selected, the process moves to step S16, and the raising and lowering and tilting and standing (deformation) of the patient chair 3 continues.

In step S17, after the patient chair 3 has been raised and lowered and tilted and stood up (transformed) in step S16, it is determined whether the originally planned transformation has been completed.
If the originally planned transformation is completed, Yes is selected and the process ends.
On the other hand, if the originally planned raising/lowering and tilting/standing (deformation) of the patient chair 3 has not yet been completed, No is selected and the process returns to step S12.

3. Effects, etc. As described above, the dental unit 1 equipped with the sensor 30 and the collision calculation means 40 can prevent damage to movable members such as the doctor unit 10 and the assistant hanger 21 (ensuring safety), and can suppress unintended lifting and lowering of the patient chair and stopping of tilting and standing (improving the efficiency of treatment).

In the above, an example was shown in which a sensor 30 is placed on both the doctor unit 10 and the assistant hanger 21 and the collision calculation means 40 performs calculations for each, but a sensor 30 may be provided on only one of the doctor unit 10 or the assistant hanger 21 to perform the above calculations.

In the above embodiment, the "original direction of movement" of the doctor unit 10 and assistant hanger 21 is the horizontal direction, and the "non-original direction of movement" is the vertical direction, but this is not limited to this, and each component can be configured so that a different direction becomes the original direction of movement and the non-original direction of movement as necessary depending on the configuration of each component.

In addition, although the doctor unit and the assistant hanger have been described as examples of movable members, sensors may be disposed on other movable members provided in the dental unit and similarly controlled by performing calculations using the collision calculation means. Examples of other movable members include the patient chair itself, dental lighting, and the cuspidor of the assistant unit.

1 Dental unit 2 Base 3 Patient chair 10 Doctor unit (movable member)
20 Assistant unit 21 Assistant hanger (movable member)
30 Sensor 40 Collision calculation means

Claims (2)

A patient chair including a seat portion that can be raised and lowered and a backrest that can be rotated with respect to the seat portion to tilt and stand up;
A movable member disposed around the patient chair;
a sensor disposed on at least one of the movable member and the patient chair, the sensor detecting that the movable member and/or the patient chair has moved in a direction other than an original movable direction;
and a computing means for restricting the elevation and tilting of the seating portion and the backrest based on a signal from the sensor,
The calculation means regulates the elevation and lowering and the tilting and standing of the seating portion and the backrest based on the lapse of a predetermined time after detecting that the movable member and/or the patient chair has moved in a direction other than the original movable direction by a signal from the sensor.
Dental unit. The dental unit according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is at least one of a doctor unit and an assistant hanger.

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