JPS6220820B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a cleaning device for a dental handpiece.

[Conventional technology]

As this type of device, for example,
As described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 71221 and Japanese Utility Model Application No. 57-95118, a cleaning liquid is sprayed onto a dental handpiece housed in a cleaning tank, and the blade of this dental handpiece is cleaned with a brush or ultrasonic waves. Some devices are known that have a cleaning configuration.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

With this conventional technology, the outer shell of the dental handpiece can be cleaned, but the inside of the dental handpiece cannot be cleaned, and the parts such as ball bearings installed in the dental handpiece cannot be cleaned. There is a problem in that when cleaning water enters the dental handpiece, the cleaning water cannot be removed and rust occurs inside the dental handpiece.

An object of the present invention is to address the above-mentioned problems and to provide a dental handpiece that can clean and dry the inside and outside of the dental handpiece without leaving any cleaning liquid inside the dental handpiece. The company provides cleaning equipment.

[Means for solving problems]

The above-mentioned object includes: a cleaning tank that houses a dental handpiece; a means for flowing a cleaning liquid into the handpiece to clean the inside of the handpiece at a flow rate; and then draining the cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank; an ultrasonic device that performs ultrasonic cleaning of the outer shell of the handpiece when the cleaning liquid reaches a certain water level in the cleaning tank; and a cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank after the cleaning operation by the ultrasonic device is completed. a means for discharging the cleaning liquid by means of the discharging means, a means for suctioning and draining the remaining liquid inside the hand piece after the discharge operation of the cleaning liquid by the discharging means is completed, and a means for sucking and draining the residual liquid inside the hand piece after the suction and draining operation of the residual liquid inside the hand piece is completed. This is achieved by a cleaning device for a dental handpiece, which includes means for blowing air into the cleaning tank to dry the inside and outside of the handpiece.

[Effect]

The cleaning liquid flowing through the dental handpiece and into the cleaning bath removes dirt within the handpiece. Dirt on the outer shell of the handpiece is removed by ultrasonic cleaning using a cleaning liquid that has passed through the handpiece and is stored in a cleaning tank.

After the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank is discharged and the remaining liquid in the handpiece is suctioned and drained, air is sent into the cleaning tank through the inside of the handpiece, thereby ensuring that the inside and outside of the handpiece are dried.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, conveyance wheels 3 are attached to the base 1 on the lower side 2, and a vacuum pump 5 is attached on the upper surface 4 via a rubber seat 6 for cushioning. A chemical solution tank 7, a hot water tank 8, and a surge tank 9 are attached to the upper surface 4 of the base 1.

In the interior 10 of the chemical tank 7, a chemical liquid 11 (for example, a disinfectant with almost no rust-generating properties, such as a 2% glutaraldehyde solution) is injected from a water inlet 13 located at an upper portion 12 and stored in a sealed manner.

As shown in FIG. 3, two types of electromagnetic valves 15, an air filter 16, etc. are installed and piped above the chemical tank 7.

Inside 17 of hot water tank 8, as shown in FIG. (close the electromagnetic valve), a spiral heat exchanger 22 for keeping the tap water at a constant temperature, and the like, and an electromagnetic valve 15 is attached above the heat exchanger 22 and piped thereto.

As shown in FIG. 5, inside 24 of the surge tank 9, a level switch 21 (which turns off the power when a certain amount is reached) is installed, and above it 9', three types of electromagnetic valves 25 are installed. inside 2
4 is always kept in a negative pressure state by the action of the vacuum pump 5 during the process operation until air blowing,
Each is connected to the corresponding port by piping.

Reference numeral 26 denotes an outer frame, and its inner side 27 houses a required number of electromagnetic valves 15 and a control device (including an ultrasonic oscillator) 28 for controlling the electrical system.

29 is a top cover attached to the upper part 26' of the outer frame 26. 36 is an operation panel attached to the rear of the upper surface 29' of the top cover 29.

31 is a switch for turning off the power. 3
2 and 32' are changeover switches used to switch between (A) cleaning only process and (B) cleaning and disinfection process, and 33 is a timer that allows time adjustment from the front side. It is installed like this.

34 is a pilot lamp that shows the progress of the process. Reference numeral 35 denotes a buzzer etc. for notifying the end of a process, and these are attached to the inside and outside of the operation panel 30, respectively.

36 is a cylindrical cleaning tank, and as shown in FIG. 7, a bottom plate 38' having a drain port 38 is attached to the bottom part 36' through a packing 37 with machine screws 39, and a lower surface 38'' of the bottom plate 38' An ultrasonic oscillator 40 is attached to.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a vent/water inlet 43 located above the water level 42 of the cleaning tank 36, which communicates with the inside 44 and the outside 44'.
It is connected to the surge tank 9 via 5.

The upper surface 45 of the cleaning tank 36 has a shallow mortar shape, and has a circular edge 48 except for a part 47 of the outer periphery 46, and the part 47 has hinge parts 49, 4.
9' is formed.

Inclined surface 50 of the mortar-shaped upper surface portion 45 of the cleaning tank 36
is provided in a through hole 52 that vertically communicates with an interior 51 and an exterior 51', and the exterior 51' is connected to a case 54 of a float switch 53. Then, the float switch 53 controls the water level 42 of the cleaning tank 36.
It controls the When this water level 42 reaches a certain level, it serves to activate the ultrasonic device.

Further, the other inclined surface 50 of the mortar-shaped upper surface portion 45 is integrally formed with a required number of hollow joint portions 56 that communicate vertically with the inside 55 and the outside 51''.

A hollow rubber tube 57 is inserted into the outer periphery 56' of the joint part 56, and the joint 5 is inserted into the tip 57'.
8 is integrally provided (there are various types of joints such as screw-in type, rubber cap type, and one-touch type, but they are omitted here).

Reference numeral 69 denotes a hose connected to an external connection, and the cleaning tank 36 equipped with these hoses is fixedly held on the upper surface 29' of the top cover 29.

60 is a circular dome cap made of transparent synthetic resin etc. to make the inside 61 easily visible.
The upper part 62 is semicircular, the lower side 63 is a circular edge part 64, and a groove 65 into which a semicircular packing is inserted is formed. One end 66 is
An arrow 67 is inserted between the hinge parts 47 and 47' of the cleaning tank 36.
It is attached so that it can be opened in the direction of.

68 is a safety valve, 61 inside the dome cap 60.
It opens when internal pressure is applied to it, and conversely, when negative pressure is applied to it, it acts to maintain a sealed state by suction action.

69 is a packing made of an elastic material such as rubber, and by the action of the hook 70, the dome cap 6 is
Press down the edge 64 of 0 and pack 69
is pressed against the upper surface 71 of the circular edge 48 of the cleaning tank 36 to maintain airtightness.

72 is a detergent tank, as shown in FIG.
A liquid detergent 75 is injected and stored in the interior 74 of the detergent tank 72 through a detergent inlet 77 located at an upper portion 76, and each detergent tank 72 is connected by piping to the relevant inlet.

A filter plate 78 holds a compressed air filter 76, a pressure gauge 80, etc., is attached to the rear upper surface 81 of the base 1, and is connected to the respective ports by piping.

Reference numeral 82 denotes a valve plate, which is attached to the rear lower surface 83 of the base 1 and holds a water supply valve 84, a drain valve 85, and a drain electromagnetic valve 86, respectively, and these are also connected to the corresponding ports by piping. has been done.

Reference numeral 87 is a small-capacity electromagnetic pump for pumping the liquid detergent 75, and reference numeral 88 is an adjustment valve for adjusting the flow rate of the liquid detergent, which is attached to the bypass side. The piping is connected to the

Reference numeral 89 denotes a receiving basket, which is made up of a circular frame 90 with a wire mesh 92 integrated into the bottom 91 and a handle 94 integrated into the inside 93, as shown in FIG.
It protects the bottom plate 38' of the.

95 is a dental handpiece (hereinafter referred to as handpiece); 96 is a mirror for observing the back side of the teeth; 97 is a hook bar for removing foreign matter adhering to the teeth; 9
8 is a grinder bar etc. for grinding teeth,
Each is temporarily stored in a receiving basket 89, and after cleaning and disinfection, the handle 94 can be pinched with the fingertips to take out the entire product.

In the above configuration, the operating order and operation for each process will be explained in detail below.

The process includes (A) cleaning for the purpose of cleaning the inside and outside of the handpiece 95, and (B) cleaning for the purpose of cleaning and disinfection.
It is divided into two categories: disinfection.

Prior to operation, a water source is connected to the water supply valve 84 side, an air source branched from the compressor is connected to the compressed air filter 79 side, and the chemical solution 11 and detergent 7 are connected.
5 into each tank 7 and 72, open the water supply valve 85, turn on the changeover switch 32 to the cleaning side, and then turn on the power switch 31.
do.

Below, explanations will be given in the order of (A) cleaning, (B) cleaning, and disinfection.

(A) Cleaning (1) Supply water to the hot water tank 17 (see Figure 16).

When the solenoid valve 15 opens, tap water flows through the water supply valve 84 in the direction shown by the arrow 99 and is supplied to the hot water tank 17. When the water level 18 reaches a certain level, the level switch 21 is activated and the solenoid valve 15 is opened. Close and stop water supply.

(Note 1) Repeat the above at all times during operation, depending on the increase or decrease in the water level.

(Note 2) The water (hot water) 18 supplied to the hot water tank 17 is heated by the action of the heater 19, and is controlled to a hot water state (50 to 60°C) by the thermostat 20.

(Note 3) The vacuum pump 5 is always operated up to the "air blowing inside the handpiece" step, and discharges air in the direction shown by the arrow 100, thereby keeping the inside of the surge tank 24 in a negative pressure state at all times.

(2) Injecting a mixture of detergent and warm water (see Figure 17).

When the solenoid valves 15, 15', and 25 are opened, tap water flows in the direction of arrow 99, and hot water 18
Passing through the spiral heat exchanger 22 submerged inside, the hot water flows in the direction of the arrow 101, joins with the liquid detergent 75 at the confluence point 102, flows into the handpiece 95, and flows out from the tip while performing flow rate cleaning. .

The liquid detergent 75 is pumped in the direction shown by the arrow 103 by the action of the electromagnetic pump 87, but the excess amount is regulated by the regulating valve 88 and returned to the detergent tank 74.

The interior 44 of the cleaning tank 36 opens the three-way electromagnetic valve 25 and air is sucked and discharged in the order of arrows 104 and 100, resulting in a negative pressure state, and the hot water 18 and liquid fed into the hand piece 95 are in a negative pressure state. Promote the flow rate and outflow amount of the detergent 75 mixture,
increase

The water level 42 of the liquid mixture discharged from the hand piece 95 in this manner is controlled by the action of the float switch 72.

(3) Ultrasonic cleaning (see Figure 18).

When the mixed solution of hot water 18 and liquid detergent 75 reaches a certain water level 42 in the cleaning tank 44, the flow of the mixed solution is stopped by the action of the float switch 72 as described above, and at the same time, the ultrasonic oscillator 40 of the ultrasonic device 28 is activated. oscillates, and the preset timer 3
The outer shell of the handpiece 95 is thoroughly cleaned by ultrasonic action for the time period 3.

Air is sucked in the order of arrows 104 and 100.
The water is discharged, and a negative pressure is maintained in the cleaning tank 44, making it easier to dispose of the remaining water in the handpiece 25 in the subsequent process (depending on the structure, but by creating a negative pressure, the remaining water inside will be removed). very few).

(4) Drainage (see Figure 19).

(Drainage is required before entering the next process.) The solenoid valve 15 and the three-way solenoid valve 25 are simultaneously opened, air enters the cleaning tank 44 from the direction of arrow 105, and the drained liquid flows through arrow 106. Inside the surge tank 2, which flows in the direction of and is constantly under negative pressure.
It will be collected on 4th.

(5) Hot water injection (see Figure 17).

Compliant with (2). However, the liquid detergent circuit is "closed".

(6) Ultrasonic cleaning while overflowing (second
(See figure 0).

When the electromagnetic valves 15, 15', and 25 are opened, tap water flows through the water supply valve 84 and the heat exchanger 22.
It becomes hot water through arrows 99 and 101, respectively.
The water flows in the direction of , passes through the handpiece 95 and is discharged from its tip, and when it reaches a certain water level 42, the float switch 72 acts to cause the ultrasonic oscillator 40 to oscillate for a preset time of the timer 33. The interior is flushed with running water, and the exterior is rinsed with ultrasonic waves.

And the overflowing liquid is arrow 107
It flows in the direction shown in , and is collected in the surge tank 24 which is always in a negative pressure state.

(7) Drainage (see Figure 19).

Compliant with (4).

(8) Water absorption and drainage inside the handpiece (see Figure 23).

The inside of the handpiece 95 is complex, and depending on the structure, simply blowing out air is likely to leave liquid behind, and water absorption and drainage is very effective for such items.

The solenoid valve 15 and the three-way solenoid valve 25 are simultaneously opened, and air is sucked in the direction of the arrow 105 from one mouth of the three-way solenoid valve 25.
The remaining liquid in the hand piece 95 is absorbed in the direction of the arrow 108 and collected in the surge tank 24 which is always under negative pressure.

(9) Air blow inside the handpiece (see Figure 24).

The solenoid valve 15 and the three-way solenoid valve 25 are simultaneously opened. Therefore, the air branched from the compressor flows through the compressed air filter 79 in the direction of the arrow 109, is injected into the hand piece 95, and the moisture inside is blown out, and after a certain period of time (approximately 5 to 7 minutes), the air is Allow to dry completely.

Inside the cleaning tank 44, the internal pressure increases as pressurized air is rapidly sent. To prevent this, at the same time the safety valve 68 of the dome cap 60 opens upward, the air inside the cleaning tank is
Direction, ie, discharge to the outside.

(10) Drain liquid into the surge tank (see Figure 25).

The vacuum pump 5 is stopped, and the solenoid valve 15, the three-way solenoid valve 25, and the drainage solenoid valve 8 are removed.
6 is set to "open", air naturally flows into the surge tank 24 from the directions of arrows 111 and 112, and drainage from the drain valve 86 becomes possible.

(B) Cleaning and disinfection (1) Water supply to the hot water tank (compliant with (1) of A cleaning).

(2) Injecting a mixture of detergent and warm water (according to (2) of A cleaning).

(3) Ultrasonic cleaning (based on (3) of A cleaning).

(4) Drainage (based on (4) of A cleaning).

(5) Hot water injection (based on (5) of A cleaning).

(6) Ultrasonic cleaning with overflow (according to (6) of A cleaning).

(7) Drainage (based on (7) of A cleaning).

(8) Chemical injection (see Figure 21).

When the solenoid valve 15 and the three-way solenoid valve 25 are simultaneously opened, the inside of the cleaning tank 44 is connected to the inside of the surge tank 24 which is always in a negative pressure state, so it instantly becomes a negative pressure state, and the chemical solution 11 flows in the direction of the arrow 113. is sucked and flows into the handpiece 95,
It flows out from the tip while disinfecting the inside.

When the inflowing chemical solution 11 reaches a certain water level 42, the float switch 72 acts to cause the ultrasonic oscillator 40 to oscillate, and at the same time, the electromagnetic valve 15 is activated.
close to stop the flow of chemical solution. Air paths are shown by arrows 114, 104.

(9) Ultrasonic cleaning with chemical solution (see Figure 18).

Conforms to (3) of A cleaning.

(10) Chemical solution recovery (see Figure 22).

It is uneconomical to dispose of the chemical solution after each use, so it is collected and used (generally, the disinfecting effect does not change for about a week).

When the electromagnetic valve 15 and the three-way electromagnetic valve 25 are simultaneously opened, the chemical liquid 11 in the cleaning tank 44 flows in the direction of the arrow 115 due to the negative pressure in the chemical liquid tank 10 and the surge tank 24. It will be collected on 10th.

Note that air is sucked in in the directions of arrows 105 and 115 and discharged in the direction of 100.

(11) Hot water injection (see Figure 17).

Conforms to (2) of A cleaning. However, the liquid detergent circuit is "closed".

(12) Ultrasonic cleaning while overflowing (second
(See figure 0).

Conforms to (6) of A cleaning.

(13) Drainage (see Figure 19).

Conforms to (4) of A cleaning.

(14) Water absorption and drainage inside the handpiece (see Figure 23).

Conforms to (8) of A cleaning.

(15) Air blow inside the handpiece (see Figure 24).

Conforms to (9) of A cleaning.

(16) Drain the liquid in the surge tank (see Figure 25).

Conforms to (10) of A cleaning.

A modified application example will be described below.

In FIG. 9, 120 is an example of a modified cleaning tank, which has a rectangular shape. 121a is a basket for the cleaning tank 121, and the handpiece 95,
Not only can the mirror 96, hook bar 97, etc. be cleaned and disinfected while lying down, but the hand piece 95
When setting the rubber tubes 57 in the cleaning tank 44, the rubber tubes 57 can be set without intersecting each other, and the entire cleaning tank 121 can be made shallow, and the receiving basket 1
21 becomes easy to put in and take out.

Reference numeral 122 shown in FIG. 12 shows an example of a screw-in type joint, and shows an example of application in a case where insertion of the rubber tube 57 is impossible due to restrictions specific to the structural system.

Further, in order to dry the hand piece with hot air, a spiral heat exchanger may be attached to the surge tank to change the cold air to warm air, which is then introduced to the hand piece for drying.

Furthermore, although the cleaning tank and the float switch are provided separately, they may be provided integrally with the cleaning tank.

In the above embodiment, an electromagnetic pump is used to pump the detergent, but it may not necessarily be used depending on the configuration.

In the above embodiment, compressed air is used to blow air into the hand piece 95, but the air may be heated to generate hot air. Of course, air may also be blown into the handpiece intermittently.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inside and outside of a dental handpiece can be divided into two processes: one for cleaning, and the other for cleaning and disinfection. If necessary, the latter can be selected and used efficiently, and it is experimentally proven that there is no fear of rust, and it goes without saying that it is excellent in terms of cleaning and disinfection. The cleaning effect makes it possible to clean even the internal rotating parts, which has the effect of extending the life of the handpiece.

In addition, only the initial set-up is required, and everything else is done automatically. Moreover, it has the practicality of being able to run multiple vacuum pumps at the same time, and because one vacuum pump is effectively used for each process, it is structurally simple. It has great features such as being easy to operate and use without any experience.

〔effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning tank in which a dental handpiece is housed, and a cleaning liquid is flowed into the handpiece to clean the inside of the handpiece at a flow rate, and then the cleaning liquid is transferred to the cleaning tank. an ultrasonic device that performs ultrasonic cleaning of the outer shell of the handpiece when the cleaning liquid reaches a certain water level in the cleaning tank by this means; and after the cleaning operation by the ultrasonic device is completed; , a means for discharging the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank; a means for suctioning and draining the residual liquid inside the handpiece after the discharge means finishes discharging the cleaning liquid; and a means for suctioning and draining the residual liquid inside the handpiece. The dental handpiece can be cleaned without any cleaning liquid remaining in the dental handpiece by subsequently supplying air into the cleaning tank through the inside of the handpiece to dry the inside and outside of the handpiece. A dental handpiece cleaning device capable of cleaning and drying the inside and outside of the dental handpiece is provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially vertical cross-sectional front view showing an embodiment of the dental handpiece cleaning and disinfecting device of the present invention, and FIG.
3 is an explanatory diagram of the chemical tank section, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the hot water tank section, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the surge tank section, and FIG. 6 is a top view of the cleaning tank. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cleaning tank, FIG. 8 is a front view of the cleaning tank showing another embodiment, and FIGS. 9 and 10.
The figures are respectively longitudinal cross-sectional views of Fig. 8, and Figs. 11 and 12 are illustrations of rubber tube insertion and insertion, respectively.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the detergent tank section, and FIGS. 14 and 15 are perspective views of the receiving basket. Figure 16 is a water supply system diagram into the hot water tank, Figure 17 is an injection system diagram for the mixture of detergent and hot water, Figure 18 is an ultrasonic cleaning system diagram, Figure 19 is a drainage system diagram, and Figure 19 is a drainage system diagram.
Figure 0 is an overflow ultrasonic cleaning system diagram, No. 21
Figure 22 is a chemical liquid injection system diagram, Figure 22 is a chemical liquid recovery system diagram, Figure 23 is a water absorption and discharge system diagram inside the dental handpiece, Figure 24 is an air blow system diagram inside the dental handpiece, and Figure 25 is a diagram of the air blow system inside the dental handpiece. FIG. 3 is a drainage system diagram of waste liquid in a surge tank. 1... Base, 5... Vacuum pump, 7... Chemical tank, 8... Hot water tank, 9... Surge tank, 15... Solenoid valve, 17... Hot water tank,
24...Surge tank, 36...Cleaning tank, 40...
...Ultrasonic oscillator, 72...Detergent tank, 95...
Dental handpiece.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A cleaning tank housing a dental handpiece, and means for flowing a cleaning liquid into the handpiece to clean the inside of the handpiece at a flow rate, and then draining the cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank. and an ultrasonic device that performs ultrasonic cleaning of the outer shell of the handpiece when the cleaning liquid reaches a certain water level in the cleaning tank by this means; means for discharging the cleaning solution of the
After the cleaning liquid is discharged using this discharge means,
means for suctioning and draining the residual liquid inside the handpiece; and means for drying the inside and outside of the handpiece by sending air through the handpiece into the cleaning tank after the suction and drainage operation of the residual liquid inside the handpiece is completed. A dental handpiece cleaning device comprising: 2. When the cleaning liquid is a mixture of warm water and a detergent, the interior and exterior of the handpiece are rinsed using only warm water after the cleaning operation of the inside and outside of the handpiece with this mixture is completed. A cleaning device for a dental handpiece according to claim 1. 3. A patent claim characterized in that the residual liquid in the handpiece is suctioned and drained from the cleaning liquid inflow side of the handpiece, and air is sent into the handpiece from the cleaning liquid inflow side of the handpiece. A dental handpiece cleaning device according to item 1. 4. When a mixture of warm water and detergent and a chemical solution are used as the cleaning liquid, cleaning the inside and outside of the hand piece with the mixed liquid, rinsing the inside and outside of the hand piece with only warm water, and cleaning the inside and outside of the hand piece with the chemical liquid. 2. The dental handpiece cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning operation is performed in the order of cleaning and cleaning the inside and outside of the handpiece with warm water. 5. Claim 1, characterized in that when cleaning the inside and outside of the handpiece using only hot water, the hot water overflows from the cleaning tank.
A cleaning device for a dental handpiece as described in Section 1. 6. Claims 4 or 5 are characterized in that the chemical liquid is collected after the internal and external cleaning work of the hand piece with the chemical liquid is completed.
A cleaning device for a dental handpiece as described in Section 1.