U.S. patent application number 13/318861 was filed with the patent office on 2012-04-12 for motor-driven handpiece.
This patent application is currently assigned to Kaltenbach & Voigt GmbH. Invention is credited to Bernd Gugel, Hans Heckenberger, Bernhard Kuhn, Johannes Sauter.
Application Number | 20120085561 13/318861 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42543379 |
Filed Date | 2012-04-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120085561 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sauter; Johannes ; et
al. |
April 12, 2012 |
Motor-driven Handpiece
Abstract
A motor-driven handpiece, which has a grip sleeve with a head
area for mounting a tool, in particular for the preparation of
tooth substance and/or bone substance, in which the head area is at
least partially surrounded or encapsulated by a thermoplastic
material which, compared to the material of the rest of the grip
sleeve, has a lower thermal conduction value.
Inventors: |
Sauter; Johannes;
(Mittelbuch, DE) ; Heckenberger; Hans;
(Assmannshardt, DE) ; Gugel; Bernd; (Ulm, DE)
; Kuhn; Bernhard; (Biberach, DE) |
Assignee: |
Kaltenbach & Voigt GmbH
Biberach
DE
|
Family ID: |
42543379 |
Appl. No.: |
13/318861 |
Filed: |
May 7, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
May 7, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP10/56245 |
371 Date: |
December 28, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
173/213 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 2090/0436 20160201;
A61C 1/16 20130101; A61C 1/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
173/213 |
International
Class: |
E21B 3/00 20060101
E21B003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 11, 2009 |
DE |
10 2009 020 814.3 |
Claims
1. Motor-driven handpiece comprising a grip sleeve with a head
region for mounting a tool, wherein the head region is at least
partially surrounded or sheathed with a thermoplastic material
which, compared to the material of the rest of the grip sleeve, has
a lower thermal conduction value.
2. Motor-driven handpiece according to claim 1, wherein the head
region is completely surrounded or sheathed with the thermoplastic
material.
3. Motor-driven handpiece according to claim 1, wherein the
thermoplastic material is injection-molded around the head
region.
4. Motor-driven handpiece according to claim 1, wherein the
thermoplastic material is fastened to the head region in the form
of a detachable cap.
5. Motor-driven handpiece according to claim 1, wherein the
thermoplastic material is at least partially provided with
elevations or projections.
6. Motor-driven handpiece according to claim 1, wherein the outward
appearance of the thermoplastic material is
temperature-dependent.
7. Motor-driven handpiece according to claim 1, wherein the
thermoplastic material has a lower thermal conduction value than
metal.
8. Cap for use with a motor-driven handpiece, the handpiece
comprising a grip sleeve with a head region for mounting a tool,
wherein the cap is adapted to be detachably fastened to the head
region and is formed from a thermoplastic material which has a
lower thermal conduction value than metal.
9. Cap according to claim 8, wherein a surface of the cap is
provided, at least in part, with elevations or projections.
10. Cap according to claim 8, wherein the outward appearance of the
thermoplastic material is temperature-dependent.
11. Motor-driven handpiece according to claim 1, wherein the tool
is a tool for the preparation of at least one of a tooth substance
and a bone substance.
12. Motor-driven handpiece according to claim 6, wherein the color
of the thermoplastic material is temperature-dependent.
13. Cap according to claim 8, wherein the tool is a tool for the
preparation of at least one of a tooth substance and a bone
substance.
14. Cap according to claim 10, wherein the color of the
thermoplastic material is temperature-dependent.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a motor-driven handpiece
according to the pre-characterizing clause of claim 1, which has a
grip sleeve with a head region for mounting a tool, in particular
for the preparation of tooth substance and/or bone substance.
[0002] In dental medicine, therapeutic measures are primarily
carried out, now as before, with the aid of dental handpieces which
comprise and drive a tool for machining teeth in a
material-detaching manner. In this connection, use is customarily
made of so-called "drilling handpieces" which comprise, at their
front end region, a rotatably mounted tool in the form of a drill,
with the aid of which the tooth substance is machined in a
material-ablating manner. Whereas turbine drives have predominantly
been used in the past, increased use has recently been made of
dental handpieces in which an electric motor that drives the drill
is provided as the driving unit.
[0003] While the treatment is being carried out, the head region of
the dental handpiece is usually located, with the drill, inside the
patient's oral cavity, or at least in the vicinity thereof. This
area of the patient is relatively sensitive to pain, and care
should therefore be taken to avoid harm to the patient as far as
possible.
[0004] Now the present invention is concerned with the problem
that, for example, prolonged use of the drive, but particularly any
malfunctions in the drive or its drive train, might lead to
overheating of the handpiece, which could ultimately cause burns to
the patient. The underlying object of the present invention is to
reduce the risk of such burns for the patient.
[0005] This object is achieved by means of a motor-driven handpiece
having the features in claim 1, and also by means of a cap, in
accordance with claim 8, for use in a corresponding motor-driven
handpiece. Advantageous further developments of the invention form
the subject of the dependent claims.
[0006] The solution according to the invention is based on the idea
of surrounding or sheathing the head region of the handpiece, at
least partially, with a material with the aid of which thermal
insulation is achieved.
[0007] According to the present invention, therefore, a
motor-driven handpiece is proposed which has a grip sleeve with a
head region for mounting a tool, in particular for the preparation
of tooth substance and/or bone substance, wherein, according to the
invention, the head region is at least partially surrounded or
sheathed with a thermoplastic material which, compared to the
material of the rest of the grip sleeve of the handpiece, has a
lower thermal conduction value. In this connection, the thermal
conduction value of the thermoplastic material is, in particular,
lower than that of metals.
[0008] The head region may be completely surrounded or sheathed
with the thermoplastic material, in which case it might conceivably
be possible, for example, to injection-mould the thermoplastic
material around the head region. As an alternative to this,
however, it might also be conceivably possible to fit the
thermoplastic material to the head region in the form of a
detachable cap. This cap can then be slipped over the head region
in a simple manner, but can also be removed from the handpiece
again for cleaning and/or sterilization purposes.
[0009] The thermoplastic material may be provided, in part, with
elevations or projections so that, ultimately, burns can be avoided
to a very great extent because of the reduced area of contact with
the patient.
[0010] According to one advantageous further development of the
invention, provision may also be made for the outward appearance of
the thermoplastic material to be temperature-dependent. In
particular, a material might be chosen whose color changes with the
temperature, so that not only is the transfer of heat prevented but
at the same time an indication is also given if, for example
because of a malfunction in the handpiece, the temperature is
rising to an undesirably great extent. This therefore makes it
possible once again to improve the operating safety of the
handpiece.
[0011] Also proposed according to the invention is a cap for use
with a motor-driven handpiece which has a grip sleeve with a head
region for mounting a tool, in particular for the preparation of
tooth substance and/or bone substance, wherein the cap is designed
to be detachably fastened to the head region and is formed from a
thermoplastic material which has a lower thermal conduction value
than metal.
[0012] The invention will be explained in greater detail below with
the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0013] FIGS. 1 and 2 show views of a motor-driven handpiece
configured in accordance with the invention;
[0014] FIGS. 3 and 4 show views of the front end region of the
handpiece according to the invention; and
[0015] FIGS. 5 to 8 show views of a variant of a cap according to
the invention for use in a dental handpiece.
[0016] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a dental drilling handpiece which is
provided, as a whole, with the reference numeral 1 and has an
elongated grip sleeve 2 which is slightly angled in the central
region. Constructed at the rearward end of the grip sleeve 2 is a
coupling region 3 via which the handpiece 1 can be connected to a
supply hose--of which no further details are represented--belonging
to a dental treatment station. The handpiece 1 is fed via this
supply hose with, on the one hand, electrical energy and also, on
the other hand, treatment media such as air and/or water which are
used, for example, for cleaning and/or cooling the site to be
machined. In this connection, the coupling region 3 is preferably
configured in such a way that the handpiece 1 is freely rotatable
in relation to the supply hose.
[0017] A head region 5, which comprises, in particular, means for
receiving and mounting a dental drill, is constructed at the front
end of the grip sleeve 2. In particular, a plug-in aperture 6 (see
FIG. 3), into which the shaft of the drill can be introduced, is
constructed at the lower end of the head region. By means of a
special clamping mechanism inside the head region 5, the drill is
then held in a reliable and rotatable manner in such a way that it
is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis
of the grip sleeve 2. A push-button 7 for releasing the clamping
mechanism is arranged at the opposite end of the plug-in aperture
6.
[0018] The grip sleeve 2 also serves to receive a driving unit
which may, in particular, be an electric motor. Electric motors of
this kind have been employed to an increasing extent recently,
since they open up improved possibilities as regards control,
compared to the turbine drives which have been predominantly used
hitherto. Thus it is possible, in particular, to set the rotational
speed and torque of the drill in a better and more precise manner.
The electric motor is then coupled to the drill receptacle in the
head region 5 via suitable couplings and drive shafts, so that the
rotation of the motor shaft can be transmitted to the drill.
[0019] Now if the motor is operated in a sustained manner, or there
is a malfunction in the motor or in the means for transmitting the
rotation to the drill, there is a danger that the handpiece 1, in
particular its head region 5, will warm up. In this case, excessive
warming-up can lead to painful burns in the patient's oral region,
which are to be avoided. For this purpose, a special cap 10, which
will be described in greater detail below, is provided in a manner
corresponding to the exemplified embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 4.
[0020] The cap 10 constitutes a protective cap, with the aid of
which thermal insulation is to be achieved in the event of
excessive heating-up of the handpiece 1 or of the head region 5.
For this purpose, the cap 10 consists of a thermoplastic material
which has a low thermal conduction value compared to the material
of the rest of the grip sleeve 2. The thermal conduction value of
the material of the cap 10 should lie, in particular, below the
conduction value of metal, in particular of steel. In this
connection, the cap 10 is shaped in such a way that it can be
slipped, in a simple manner, onto the front end region of the grip
sleeve 2 with the head region 5. For this purpose, it has a front
annular region 11 which, in the attached state, almost completely
encloses the head region 5 of the handpiece 1. Extending sideways
from this annular region 11 is a supporting region 12 which, in a
manner corresponding to the representations in FIGS. 1 to 4,
surrounds the upper half of the front end of the grip sleeve 2. The
material of the cap is thermoplastic and accordingly has a certain
flexibility. Now the dimensions of the cap 10 are such that the cap
10 can be snapped onto the front end region of the grip sleeve 2 of
the handpiece 1 and is seated securely and reliably at that point.
At the same time, however, the possibility also exists, with this
solution, of removing the cap 10 again in order, for example, to
clean the handpiece 1 or to clean or sterilize the cap 10. For this
purpose, the material of the cap 10 is preferably such that
repeated cleaning or sterilizing operations are possible. As an
alternative to this, however, it would also be conceivably possible
to bond the cap 10 to the handpiece 1.
[0021] The use of the protective cap 10 with the low thermal
conduction value (preferably<5 W/mK) leads, then, to the fact
that no heat is transmitted to the outside by the cap 10, even if
the head region 5 of the handpiece is heated up to a fairly great
extent. As a result of this, the risk, or at least the severity, of
burns in the patient's oral cavity in the event of malfunctions in
the handpiece can be markedly reduced.
[0022] FIGS. 5 to 8 show an alternative form of embodiment of a cap
10, which is basically the same, in its make-up, as the cap in
FIGS. 1 to 4. The special feature now lies in the fact that the
outer face, in particular of the annular region 11, is provided
with a structure 13 which has elevations or projections arranged in
a regular pattern. As a result of this measure, the contact area
when touching, in particular, soft parts within the patient's oral
cavity is further reduced, resulting in additional safety.
[0023] As an alternative to the exemplified embodiments
represented, in which detachable caps are attached to the front end
region of the handpiece, it would also be conceivably possible to
provide the handpiece with a suitable coating, for example a coat
of lacquer or the like. In this respect, suitable lacquers or
materials, in particular Rilsan.RTM., are known, which could be
used in order to coat, or injection-mould around, the head region
completely, or at least partially. The unlocking button 7 could
also be coated in the process.
[0024] Provision could also be made for the material of the cap, or
the thermal insulating material applied directly to the handpiece,
to be configured in such a way that its outward appearance is
dependent upon the temperature. In particular, use could be made of
a material which changes color when a rise in temperature occurs,
as a result of which a user of the handpiece would be able to
detect, relatively quickly, the occurrence of a malfunction which
is leading to an unwanted rise in temperature. The operating safety
could therefore be additionally increased as a result of this
measure.
[0025] All in all, therefore, it is possible, by means of the
measures according to the invention, to avoid, or at least greatly
mitigate, burns in a patient's oral region.
* * * * *