Oral diagnostic device using optical board

Abstract

To provide an oral diagnostic device that can easily and accurately diagnose states of teeth, interdental spaces and gums.SOLUTION: An oral diagnostic device includes: a device main body including an optical transmitting and receiving module; and a probe that is detachably coupled to the device main body, radiates light received from the optical transmitting and receiving module into an oral cavity, receives reflected light from the oral cavity, and transmits the received reflected light to the optical transmitting and receiving device. The optical transmitting and receiving module includes an optical element module including a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, a single first optical fiber that transmits the light generated by the light-emitting element to the probe, and a plurality of second optical fibers that transmits the reflected light received from the probe to the light-receiving element. The single first optical fiber and the plurality of second optical fibers are coupled to each other at the other sides thereof to form an optical fiber coupling part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical-based oral cavity diagnostic device that uses light to diagnose the current state of the oral cavity, including the teeth, interdental spaces, gums, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] Ingestion of food is one of the most important factors for humans, and in order to ingest food efficiently, teeth and gums must be kept healthy. In order to maintain a healthy oral cavity, one must brush one's teeth properly and use dental floss. In other words, if a person does not brush his / her teeth properly or does not use dental floss after eating, food residues remain on the teeth, which causes bacteria to grow and can lead to infectious diseases such as tooth decay. At the same time, various inorganic substances can be deposited on the teeth, causing tartar, plaque, and gingival inflammation. In particular, in the case of children, the health of their teeth is often poor due to immature brushing and non-use of dental floss.

[0003] In order to prevent oral diseases and maintain healthy teeth, the condition of the user's oral cavity must be periodically measured. Therefore, there is a demand for a device that can simply and easily check the condition of the oral cavity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-344262 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an oral cavity diagnostic device that can easily and accurately diagnose the current state of the oral cavity including teeth, spaces between teeth, gums, etc. The object of the present invention is not limited to the object mentioned above, and other objects and advantages of the present invention not mentioned will be understood from the following description. Also, they will be more clearly understood from the embodiments of the present invention. Also, the object and advantages of the present invention will be understood by the means and combinations thereof shown in the claims. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an oral cavity diagnosis device includes a device body including an optical transceiver module, and a probe detachably connected to the device body, for irradiating an irradiating light transmitted from the optical transceiver module to an oral cavity, receiving a reflected light of the irradiating light reflected from the oral cavity, and transmitting the reflected light to the optical transceiver module. The optical transceiver module includes an optical element module having a light emitting element and a light receiving element, a single first optical fiber transmitting the irradiating light generated by the light emitting element to the probe, and a plurality of second optical fibers transmitting the reflected light received from the probe to the light receiving element, and the other end of the single first optical fiber and the other end of the plurality of second optical fibers are coupled to each other to form an optical fiber coupling portion. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily and accurately diagnose the current state of the oral cavity, including the teeth, spaces between the teeth, gums, etc. Furthermore, the effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, but include all effects that can be inferred from the configuration of the invention described in the detailed description of the present invention or the claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an oral cavity diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a front view of an oral cavity diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3]1 is an exploded perspective view of an oral cavity diagnosis apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a situation in which an oral cavity diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention is used; [Diagram 5] 2 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of a device body according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view of an optical transceiver module according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an optical transceiver module according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 2 is a plan view showing an optical transceiver module installed in a main body case according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] 1 is a perspective view of a probe according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration in which an optical transceiver module and a probe are combined according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The present invention can be modified in various ways and can be embodied in various ways, but a specific embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific embodiment, and all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are included. The same reference numerals are used for similar components in each drawing.

[0010] Terms such as "first", "second", etc. are used to describe various elements. The elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. The term "and / or" includes a combination of two or more associated listed items or any one of two or more associated listed items.

[0011] When an element is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another element, it should be understood that the element may be directly coupled or connected to the other element, but that there may be other elements in between. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

[0012] The terms used in this specification are merely used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. A singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "include" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and do not preclude the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0013] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Generally, dictionary-defined terms are to be interpreted as meanings consistent with the meanings they have in the context of the relevant art, and are not to be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined in this application.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an oral cavity diagnostic device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an oral diagnostic device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view of the oral diagnostic device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the oral diagnostic device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a view showing an example of a situation in which the oral diagnostic device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the oral diagnostic device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a portable or mobile diagnostic device and includes a device body 10 and a probe 20.

[0016] The device body 10 is a main component of the oral cavity diagnosis device 1 and can perform the function of generating light and analyzing the light reflected by the oral cavity including teeth, gums, etc. to diagnose the condition of the oral cavity. As described below, the oral cavity diagnosis device 1 can include an optical transceiver module (12, Figs. 5 to 8 and 10) to generate and receive light. The probe 20 may be detachably coupled to the device body 10 and can irradiate the oral cavity with irradiated light generated and transmitted by the optical transceiver module 12, receive reflected light that is reflected by the oral cavity, and transmit the received light to the optical transceiver module 12. By being detachably coupled to the device body 10, the probe 20 is replaceable.

[0017] 4, a user can hold the device body 10 by hand and place the probe 20 in contact with or adjacent to the teeth or gums, allowing the oral diagnostic device 10 to diagnose or measure the condition of the oral cavity, such as the condition of the teeth or gums.

[0018] The detailed configuration of the device body 10 and the probe 20 will be described in more detail below. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the device body 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 5, the device body 10 includes a body case 11, an optical transceiver module 12, a PCB module 13, and a battery module 14. The body case 11 forms the overall appearance of the device body 10. The body case 11 has an internal space, and the optical transceiver module 12, the PCB module 13, and the battery module 14 are installed or housed in the internal space of the body case 11.

[0019] The main body case 11 includes a first portion 11a, a second portion 11b, and a third portion 11c. The first portion 11a of the main body case 11 is held by the user's hand. The main body case 11 corresponding to the first portion 11a of the main body case 11 accommodates a part of the PCB module 13 and the battery module 14 in the internal space. The second portion 11b of the main body case 11 is coupled to the probe 20 so as to be detachable. The third portion 11c of the main body case 11 connects the first portion 11a and the second portion 11b of the main body case 11. The main body case 11 corresponding to the second portion 11b and the third portion 11c of the main body case 11 accommodates the optical transceiver module 12 and the remaining part of the PCB module 13 in the internal space.

[0020] The second portion 11b of the main body case 11 is formed to protrude from the first portion 11a of the main body case 11 via the third portion 11c of the main body case 11. As shown in FIG. 8 described later, an opening 102 is formed in the upper surface (one side surface) of the second portion 11b of the main body case 11. The first portion 11c of the main body case 11 has an overall triangular prism shape. The third portion 11c of the main body case 11 has an overall truncated pyramid shape. In other words, the corners constituting the outer surface of the third portion 11c of the main body case 11 are formed to be inclined at a specific angle.

[0021] The optical transceiver module 12 generates and transmits irradiated light to the probe 20, detects reflected light received from the probe 20, and transmits the light to the PCB module 13. A specific shape of the optical transceiver module 12 will be described later. The PCB module 13 controls the optical transceiver module 12. In particular, the PCB module 13 analyzes the reflected light to diagnose or measure the oral cavity condition. The PCB module 13 includes a processor, a communication unit, and the like. Through the communication unit, the PCB module 13 transmits the diagnosed oral cavity condition to a user's terminal device, for example, a smart device.

[0022] The battery module 14 supplies driving power to the optical transceiver module 12 and the PCB module 13. The battery module 14 may be configured to include a dry cell and a dry cell housing, or may be a battery that can be charged using commercial power. The optical transceiver module 12 will be described in more detail below.

[0023] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an optical transceiver module 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the optical transceiver module 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 8 is a plan view of the optical transceiver module 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention installed in a main body case 11. Meanwhile, for ease of explanation, some components included in the optical transceiver module 12 are omitted in Fig. 6.

[0024] 6 and 8, the optical transceiver module 12 includes a module case 121, a light emitting element 122, a light receiving element 123, a first lens 124, a second lens 125, a single first optical fiber 126, a plurality of second optical fibers 127, and an optical fiber tube 128. The light emitting element 122 and the light receiving element 123 can constitute optical element modules 122, 123, and the optical fiber is called an optical cable.

[0025] The module case 121 constitutes the exterior of the optical transmitting and receiving module 12. The module case 121 has an internal space, in which optical element modules 122, 123, a lens 124, an optical filter 125, a single first optical fiber 126, a plurality of second optical fibers 127, and an optical fiber tube 128 are installed or housed. The module case 121 includes a first portion 121a, a second portion 121b, and a third portion 121c.

[0026] In the first portion 121a of the module case 121, the optical element modules 122, 123, one side of the single first optical fiber 126, and one side of the multiple second optical fibers 127 are arranged. The first portion 121a of the module case 121 has both convex curved side surfaces. As shown in Fig. 5, the first portion 121a of the module case 121 is accommodated in the third portion 11c of the main body case 11. In particular, since the third portion 11c of the main body case 11 has a truncated pyramid shape, the first portion 121a of the module case 121 having both convex curved side surfaces can be easily accommodated therein.

[0027] The second portion 121b of the module case 121 may be a portion of the module case 121 that is coupled to the probe 20, and may include the other side of the single first optical fiber 126 and the other sides of the multiple second optical fibers 127. As shown in Fig. 8, the other side of the single first optical fiber 126 and the other sides of the multiple second optical fibers 127 are coupled to each other with an adhesive or the like to form an optical fiber coupling portion 1267. The optical fiber coupling portion 1267 is accommodated in the second portion 121b of the module case 121. The second portion 121b of the module case 121 may be cylindrical.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 8, the second part 121b of the module case 121 is accommodated in the second part 11b of the main body case 11. In particular, the upper surface of the second part 121b of the module case 121 is disposed directly below the opening 102 formed in the second part 11b of the main body case 11. The third part 121c of the module case 121 connects the first part 121a and the second part 121b of the module case 121. The middle side of the single first optical fiber 126 and the middle sides of the multiple second optical fibers 127 are disposed in the third part 121c of the module case 121. The third part 121c of the module case 121 may be cylindrical. The second part 121b of the module case 121 is formed to protrude from the first part 121a of the module case 121 via the third part 121c of the module case 121.

[0029] The light emitting element 122 generates irradiating light. The light emitting element 122 is disposed along a first side surface of the first portion 121a of the module case 121. As an example, the light emitting element may be a laser diode that converts an electrical signal into light.

[0030] The light receiving element 123 detects the reflected light. The light receiving element 123 is disposed along the second side surface of the first portion 121a of the module case 121. As an example, the light receiving element 123 may be a photodiode that converts light into an electrical signal.

[0031] The lens 124 focuses the irradiation light generated from the light emitting element 122. The lens 124 is disposed along a first side surface of the first part 121a of the module case 121. The optical filter 125 is an element that selectively transmits or blocks a certain wavelength band from the incident reflected light. The optical filter 125 is disposed along a second side surface of the first part 121a of the module case 121.

[0032] The single first optical fiber 126 transmits the irradiation light generated by the light emitting element 122 to the probe 20. One side of the single first optical fiber 126 is disposed on the light emitting element 122 side, and the other side of the single first optical fiber 126 is disposed on the probe 20 side. One side of the single first optical fiber 126 is disposed along a first side surface of the first part 121a of the module case 121. One side and the other side of the single first optical fiber 126 are respectively housed in a first optical fiber tube 1281 and a third optical fiber tube 1283, thereby preventing breakage and the like.

[0033] The second optical fibers 127 transmit the reflected light received from the probe 20 to the light receiving element 123. As an example, the number of the second optical fibers 127 is eight. One side of the second optical fibers 127 may be disposed on the light receiving element 123 side, and the other side of the second optical fibers 127 may be disposed on the probe 20 side. One side of the second optical fibers 127 is disposed along the second side surface of the first part 121a of the module case 121. One side and the other side of the second optical fibers 127 may be accommodated in a second optical fiber tube 1282 and a third optical fiber tube 1283, respectively, thereby preventing breakage.

[0034] According to an embodiment, the cross-sections of the single first optical fiber 126 and the plurality of second optical fibers 127 may be circular, and the size (i.e., diameter) of the single first optical fiber 126 is greater than the size of each of the plurality of second optical fibers 127. As an example, the size of the single first optical fiber 126 may be 0.5 phi, and the size of each of the plurality of second optical fibers 127 may be 0.25 phi.

[0035] According to the embodiment, one side of the single first optical fiber 126 and one side of the plurality of second optical fibers 127 are arranged in a curved shape along both side surfaces of the first part 121a of the module case 121. By arranging one side of the single first optical fiber 126 and one side of the plurality of second optical fibers 127 in a curved shape, transmission loss of irradiated light and reflected light is minimized. Meanwhile, in order to easily arrange one side of the single first optical fiber 126 and one side of the plurality of second optical fibers 127 in a curved shape inside the optical transceiver module 12, the first part 121a of the module case 121 is formed to have both side surfaces in a convex curved shape.

[0036] As described above, referring to FIG. 8, within the third fiber optic tube 1283 , the other side of the single first optical fiber 126 and the other sides of the plurality of second optical fibers 127 are coupled to each other to form the optical fiber coupling portion 1267 . According to the embodiment, the optical fiber coupling portion 1267 is composed of a central region and an end region. A single first optical fiber 126 is disposed in the central region of the optical fiber coupling portion 1267, and a plurality of second optical fibers 127 are disposed in the end regions of the optical fiber coupling portion 1267. In particular, the plurality of second optical fibers 127 are disposed to surround the single first optical fiber 126.

[0037] The probe 20 will be described in more detail below. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the probe 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a view showing a shape in which the optical transceiver module 12 and the probe 20 are combined according to an embodiment of the present invention. Meanwhile, for convenience of explanation, the shape of the main body case 11 is omitted in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 9, the probe 20 includes a probe case 21, a single third optical fiber 22, and a covering member 23. The probe case 21 constitutes the exterior of the probe 20. The probe case 21 has an internal space, and the single third optical fiber 22 is accommodated in the internal space of the probe case 21. The single third optical fiber 22 can irradiate the irradiation light transmitted from the optical transceiver module 12 to the oral cavity and can receive reflected light that is emitted when the irradiation light is reflected by the oral cavity.

[0038] According to the embodiment, the cross section of the single third optical fiber 22 may be circular, and the size (i.e., diameter) of the single third optical fiber 22 may be larger than the size of the single first optical fiber 126 and the size of each of the plurality of second optical fibers 127. As an example, the size of the single third optical fiber 22 may be 1.0 phi. Meanwhile, the probe case 21 includes a first portion 21a and a second portion 21b. The first portion 21a of the probe case 21 accommodates an inner side of the single third optical fiber 22. The second portion 21b of the probe case 21 accommodates one side of the single third optical fiber 22. Here, one side of the single third optical fiber 22 is disposed protruding from a part of the internal space of the second portion 21b of the probe case 21. As shown in FIG. 10, one side of the single third optical fiber 22 is disposed adjacent to the optical fiber coupling portion 1256.

[0039] The other side of the single third optical fiber 22 is disposed protruding outward from the first part 21a of the probe case 21. The other side of the single third optical fiber 22 irradiates irradiation light into the oral cavity and receives light reflected by the oral cavity. The covering member 23 is formed to cover one side and an inner side of the single third optical fiber 22, and can protect the one side and an inner side of the single third optical fiber 22.

[0040] 10, the second part 21b of the probe case 21 has an internal space corresponding to the shape of the second part 11b of the main case 11. Thus, the inner surface of the second part 21b of the probe case 21 is engaged with the outer surface of the second part 11b of the main case 11 in a mating shape, so that the probe 20 is coupled to the main case 11.

[0041] 10, when the probe 20 is not coupled to the second part 11b of the body case 11, one side of the single third optical fiber 22 is disposed to protrude from the internal space of the second part 21b of the probe case 21. Alternatively, when the probe 20 is coupled to the second part 11b of the body case 11, one side of the single third optical fiber 22 is disposed to pass through the opening 102 and adjacent to the optical fiber coupling part 1256 inside the second part 11b of the body case 11.

[0042] In summary, the oral cavity diagnosis device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention can diagnose the oral cavity condition by transmitting and receiving light, for example, a laser, to the oral cavity. In this case, an optical fiber coupling part 1267 is formed so that a single first optical fiber 126 transmitting the irradiated light is disposed at the center and a plurality of second optical fibers 127 transmitting the reflected light are disposed at the end. As an example, the plurality of second optical fibers 127 are disposed in a circle centered on the single first optical fiber 126. Also, the size of each of the plurality of second optical fibers 127 is formed smaller than the size of the single first optical fiber 126. As a result, the reflected light reflected from the diagnosis target (teeth, gums) can be received without omission, and ultimately, the oral cavity condition of the diagnosis target can be accurately diagnosed without fail.

[0043] As described above, the present invention has been described using specific components, limited embodiments, and drawings, but this is for the purpose of aiding understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made from these descriptions. Therefore, the concept of the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and includes not only the claims that will be described later, but also all modifications equivalent to the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 Oral diagnostic equipment 10. Device body 11 Main unit case 11a Part 1 11b Part 2 11c Part 3 12 Optical Transmitter / Receiver Module 13 PCB Module 14 Battery Module 20 Probe 21 Probe case 21a Part 1 21b Part 2 22 Single third optical fiber 23 Covering materials 102 Opening 121 Module Case 121a Part 1 121b Part 2 121c Part 3 122 Light emitting element 123 Photodetector 124 Lens 125 Optical Filters 126 Single Primary Optical Fiber 127 Multiple Second Optical Fibers 128 Fiber Optic Tube 1267 Optical fiber connection part 1281 No. 1 Fiber Optic Tube 1282 2nd Fiber Optic Tube 1283 3rd Fiber Optic Tube

Claims

1. A device body including an optical transmission and reception module, and a probe detachably connected to the device body, irradiating the oral cavity with irradiation light transmitted from the optical transceiver module, receiving reflected light from the oral cavity when the irradiation light is reflected, and transmitting the reflected light to the optical transceiver module; the optical transceiver module includes an optical element module having a light emitting element and a light receiving element, a single first optical fiber for transmitting the irradiated light generated by the light emitting element to the probe, and a plurality of second optical fibers for transmitting the reflected light received from the probe to the light receiving element; The other side of the single first optical fiber and the other sides of the plurality of second optical fibers are coupled to each other to form an optical fiber coupling portion.

2. one side of the single first optical fiber is disposed on the light emitting device side, and one side of each of the plurality of second optical fibers is disposed on the light receiving device side, The oral diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the probe includes a single third optical fiber, one side of the single third optical fiber being positioned adjacent to the optical fiber coupling portion, and the other side of the single third optical fiber irradiating the irradiation light and receiving the reflected light.

3. The oral cavity diagnostic device according to claim 2 , wherein the optical fiber coupling portion is composed of a central region in which the single first optical fiber is arranged and end regions in which the plurality of second optical fibers are arranged.

4. a size of each of the plurality of second optical fibers is smaller than a size of the single first optical fiber; The oral cavity diagnostic device according to claim 3 , wherein the diameter of the single third optical fiber is larger than the diameter of the single first optical fiber and the diameters of the plurality of second optical fibers.

5. each of the single first optical fiber, the plurality of second optical fibers, and the single third optical fiber has a circular cross-section; the diameter of said single first optical fiber is 0.5 phi; each of said plurality of second optical fibers has a diameter of 0.25 phi; The oral diagnostic device of claim 4, wherein the diameter of the single third optical fiber is 1.0 phi.

6. the optical transceiver module further includes a module case that accommodates the optical element module, the single first optical fiber, and the plurality of second optical fibers; the module case includes a first portion in which the optical element module, one side of the single first optical fiber, and one side of the plurality of second optical fibers are disposed, the first portion having both side surfaces with a convex curved shape; The oral cavity diagnostic device according to claim 2 , wherein one side of the single first optical fiber and one side of the plurality of second optical fibers are arranged in a curved shape along both side surfaces of the first portion of the module case.

7. the device body further includes a body case that houses the optical transceiver module; the main body case includes a first portion of the main body case that is held by a user, and a second portion of the main body case that is formed to protrude from the first portion of the main body case, the module case further includes a second module case portion in which the optical fiber coupling portion is disposed; the first portion of the module case is disposed inside the first portion of the main body case, The oral cavity diagnostic device of claim 6, wherein the second part of the module case is disposed inside the second part of the main body case, and the probe is coupled to an outer surface of the second part of the main body case.

8. the probe further includes a probe case housing the single third optical fiber; the probe case includes a first portion of the probe case accommodating an inner side of the single third optical fiber, and a second portion of the probe case accommodating one side of the single third optical fiber and having an internal space corresponding to a shape of the second portion of the main body case, the other side of the single third optical fiber is disposed protruding from the first portion of the probe case; The oral cavity diagnostic device according to claim 7 , wherein the second portion of the probe case is coupled to the second portion of the main body case in a mating manner.

9. An opening is formed in one side of the second portion of the main body case, When the probe is not coupled to the second part of the main body case, one side of the single third optical fiber is disposed to protrude from an internal space of the second part of the probe case, The oral diagnostic device of claim 8, wherein when the probe is coupled to the second part of the main body case, one side of the single third optical fiber passes through the opening and is positioned adjacent to the optical fiber coupling portion inside the second part of the main body case.

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