Mouth scanning instrument with indicating lamp

Abstract

The invention relates to a mouth scanning instrument with an indicating lamp. The mouth scanning instrument comprises the indicating lamp; the shell is provided with a through hole for the indicating lamp to penetrate through; a light emitting member positioned inside the housing such that light emitted from the light emitting member deviates from a through axis of the through hole; and the light guide part is arranged between the light emitting part and the indicating lamp.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an oral scanner with an indicator light, and in particular to a wireless oral digital impression device. The invention belongs to the field of oral scanner structure design. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the long-term development of digitalization in dental laboratories, the application of oral digital impression devices in dental clinics has become more and more common. For small handheld devices such as oral scanners, appropriate human-computer interaction methods can help improve the user experience.

[0003] Display screens can be used for human-computer interaction; however, they are rarely used in medical equipment due to factors such as failure rate and anti-interference.

[0004] LED indicators are relatively suitable for conventional interactions. One or more LED indicators are usually used to remind the user of the status of the device, such as Figure 1A In order to integrate the LED indicator light with the entire oral scanner product, it is necessary to ensure that the intensity of the light emitted by the LED lamp beads through the indicator light element is uniform and within a suitable range, and that there is no light leakage around the indicator light.

[0005] However, conventional wireless oral digital impression devices such as Figure 1B As shown, the LED lamp beads are arranged below the indicator light and close to the housing, where the indicator light is the light guide. Due to the limited distance between the housing and the battery, the LED lamp beads are too close to the housing, which causes the following problems:

[0006] 1) There is not enough optical path inside the indicator light as a light guide for the light to be scattered sufficiently, and the brightness of the outer surface of the indicator light is uneven.

[0007] 2) The LED lamp beads are too close to the shell, and light leakage occurs on the surface of the shell.

[0008] 3) There will be light leakage between the two indicator lights.

[0009] 4) The LED circuit board is too close to the battery components in the wireless oral digital impression device, which requires high dimensional tolerance and increases the difficulty of assembly. It is easy for the circuit board and the battery to be blocked or squeezed in space. Summary of the invention

[0010] In view of the above problems in the prior art, the inventor provides an oral scanner with an indicator light, which has a simple structure and is easy to install. The outer surface brightness of the indicator light is uniform, and the indicator light is not likely to interfere with the battery.

[0011] In the first example of the oral scanner, the oral scanner includes: an indicator light; a shell having a through hole for the indicator light to pass through; a light emitting element positioned inside the shell so that light emitted from the light emitting element deviates from the through axis of the through hole; and a light guide disposed between the light emitting element and the indicator light.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the light emitting element is offset from the indicator light through hole, and a light guide is added therebetween to provide a light path, so that the brightness of the indicator light is uniform and within an appropriate range, and there is no light leakage around the indicator light.

[0013] In the second example of the oral scanner, the first example is optionally included, the light emitting element includes an LED circuit board and an LED lamp bead mounted on the LED circuit board, and the light guide is positioned close to the light emitting element toward the first end of the light emitting element, and the first end of the light guide has a first concave portion, wherein the shape of the first concave portion is designed to at least partially accommodate the LED lamp bead and is positioned to at least partially surround the LED lamp bead on the LED circuit board.

[0014] According to the above-described configuration, the amount of light entering the light guide member from the light emitting element can be increased, and light leakage can be reduced.

[0015] In a third example of the oral scanner, optionally including one or more of the first example and the second example, the light guide is positioned close to the through hole at the second end thereof facing the through hole, and the second end of the light guide has a second concave portion, wherein the second concave portion is positioned at least partially on the through axis of the through hole and facing away from the through hole.

[0016] According to the structure as described above, the amount of light reflected in the light guide member and entering the through hole can be increased, thereby increasing the light output brightness of the indicator light.

[0017] In a fourth example of the oral scanner, optionally including one or more of the first to third examples, the second concave portion has a partial spherical shape.

[0018] According to the above-described configuration, the amount of light that enters the through hole by total reflection from the light guide member can be increased, thereby increasing the amount of light that enters the through hole.

[0019] In a fifth example of the oral scanner, one or more of the first to fourth examples may be optionally included, wherein the lower surface of the light guide has a lower surface flat portion between the first end and the second end, and the oral scanner further includes light-shielding foam, at least a portion of the light-shielding foam is in contact with the lower surface flat portion of the lower surface of the light guide.

[0020] According to the structure as described above, the shading foam absorbs the light emitted downward by the light guide, otherwise the light may be diffusely reflected after being emitted to other parts. The diffusely reflected light will be emitted to the periphery of the through hole or other light guides, causing light leakage and light crossing problems.

[0021] In a sixth example of the oral scanner, optionally including one or more of the first to fifth examples, the housing includes positioning ribs that protrude inwardly and correspondingly surround the light guide.

[0022] According to the above structure, the positioning rib blocks the light emitted from the light guide member to the surroundings, otherwise the light may be emitted to the periphery of the through hole or other light guide members, causing light leakage and light crossing problems.

[0023] In a seventh example of the oral scanner, optionally including one or more of the first to sixth examples, an inner surface of the housing has a first area facing the light guide, and the housing includes a light shielding rib surrounding the first area and protruding inward.

[0024] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the structural strength of the housing at this location can be increased.

[0025] In an eighth example of the oral scanner, one or more of the first to seventh examples may be optionally included, wherein the inner surface of the shell has a first area facing the light guide, and a laser engraving layer is provided on the first area of ​​the shell.

[0026] According to the above structure, the laser engraving layer can not only block the light leakage around the LED indicator light, but also eliminate the mutual light leakage between the LEDs to the greatest extent.

[0027] In a ninth example of the oral scanner, optionally including one or more of the first to eighth examples, the light guide and the indicator light are formed as a single piece.

[0028] According to the above-mentioned structure, processing can be simplified, the number of parts can be reduced, and assembly is convenient.

[0029] The mouth scanner according to the present invention solves the problems of uneven light intensity, light leakage and light crosstalk of the LED indicator light in the mouth scanner. By adopting the LED lamp beads and LED circuit board offset design, a light guide is added between the light emitting element and the indicator light through hole to provide a light path, thereby achieving light path extension and optimizing the light balancing effect, so that the brightness of the indicator light can be uniform and within a suitable range, and there is no light leakage around the indicator light; at the same time, a light shielding layer is formed between the housing and the light guide column by using the laser engraving process, effectively avoiding light leakage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to describe the implementation of the above and other features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be presented with reference to the exemplary embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that these drawings only depict exemplary embodiments of the invention and should not be considered as limiting the scope thereof. The invention will be described and explained through the use of the accompanying drawings and with additional features and details. In the drawings:

[0031] Figure 1A It is a top view of an indicator light on a housing of an oral scanner in the prior art;

[0032] Figure 1B is a cross-sectional view of a prior art oral scanner;

[0033] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an oral scanner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A three-dimensional diagram of an oral scanner, wherein the housing is omitted;

[0035] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A perspective view of an oral scanner, wherein one of the light guides 40 is cut away to show its cross-sectional shape;

[0036] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 A cross-sectional stereogram of the oral scanner;

[0037] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the oral scanner according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from another direction; and

[0038] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A bottom view of the housing of the oral scanner.

[0039] The drawings are roughly drawn to scale, however, the dimensions in the drawings are only schematic and not necessarily drawn strictly to scale, but are intended to provide a clearer description. In other embodiments, other relative dimensions may be used.

[0040] Here and throughout the following, identical features appearing in different figures are denoted by identical or similar reference numerals.

[0041] List of reference numerals:

[0042] 1 Oral Scanner

[0043] 2 Batteries

[0044] 10 Indicator Light

[0045] 20 Housing

[0046] 21 Through Holes

[0047] 22 Positioning ribs

[0048] 23 Light blocking ribs

[0049] 24 laser engraving layer

[0050] 30 Light emitting device

[0051] 31 LED lamp beads

[0052] 32 LED Circuit Board

[0053] 40 Light guide

[0054] 41 first concave portion

[0055] 42 second concave portion

[0056] 43 Flat portion of lower surface

[0057] 50 Light-blocking foam DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] First of all, the present invention mainly relates to oral scanners related to the design and installation of indicator lights in any field. In particular, the present invention relates to the medical field, such as an oral digital impression device used for oral medical treatment in a dental clinic, but is not limited to medical equipment used for oral cavity.

[0059] Directional terms used herein, such as "top", "bottom", "upper", "lower", "inner", "inward", "outer", and "outward", are used to assist in describing the present invention according to the orientation of the embodiments shown in the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, such as "horizontal direction", "direction of gravity", etc., directional terms are not absolute up, down, horizontal, vertical, etc., and should not be interpreted as limiting the present invention to any particular direction.

[0060] As used herein, the terms "comprising," "having," "including," and variations thereof are intended to serve as open-ended transitional phrases, terms or words requiring the presence of specified elements / steps and also allowing for the presence of other elements / steps.

[0061] In the present invention, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, the terms "first", "second", etc. are not intended to indicate any difference in order, position, quantity or importance, but are merely used as labels to distinguish different positions and components, to distinguish one element, component, region and / or position from another element, component, region and / or position.

[0062] In a non-limiting example, the oral scanner 1 of the present invention is a small handheld device, which includes a housing 20 and contains a battery 2 in the housing 20 for powering the oral scanner 1 .

[0063] In a non-limiting example, the oral scanner 1 of the present invention includes an indicator light 10, and a through hole 21 is provided on the housing 20 for the indicator light 10 to pass through. The shape of the through hole 21 corresponds to the shape of the indicator light 10, so that there is no gap between the indicator light 10 and the housing 20.

[0064] In a non-limiting example, the oral scanner 1 of the present invention includes a light emitting element 30 and a light guide 40. The light emitting element 30 is positioned inside the housing 20 so that the light emitted from the light emitting element 30 deviates from the through axis A of the through hole 21, so the light emitted from the light emitting element 30 cannot directly pass through the through hole and exit the housing 20. The light guide 40 is disposed between the light emitting element 30 and the indicator light 10, allowing the light emitted from the light emitting element 30 to exit from the through hole 21, and optimizing the brightness uniformity of the light emitted from the through hole 21 through refraction, reflection and scattering.

[0065] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and drawings. More details are elaborated in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can obviously be implemented in a variety of other ways different from the description herein. Those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations and deductions based on actual application situations without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should not be limited by the content of this specific embodiment.

[0066] A coordinate system is provided in the accompanying drawings for reference, the z-axis may be a vertical axis, the x-axis may be a lateral axis, and the y-axis may be a longitudinal axis. When referring to directions, a positive direction may refer to the direction of the arrows of the y-axis, x-axis, and z-axis, and a negative direction may refer to the opposite direction of the arrows of the y-axis, x-axis, and z-axis. A solid circle may represent an arrow and axis facing toward or positive to the view, and a hollow circle may represent an arrow and axis facing away from or negative to the view.

[0067] Figure 2 The cross-sectional view of the oral scanner 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown. The light guide 40 is disposed between the light emitting element 30 and the indicator light 10, allowing the light emitted from the light emitting element 30 to be emitted from the through hole 21. The light emitting element 30 is positioned at a first distance from the through hole 21, and the first distance is preferably greater than twice the thickness of the housing 20, more preferably greater than three times the thickness of the housing 20, and most preferably greater than four times the thickness of the housing 20, so that the optical path size in the light guide 40 is long enough, and this sufficient optical path allows the light to form sufficient scattering, optimizes the light homogenization effect, and makes the light brightness emitted by the indicator light 10 uniform.

[0068] Figure 3 Schematically shows Figure 2 A three-dimensional view of the oral scanner 1, wherein the housing 20 is omitted. Figure 4 Schematically shows Figure 2 1 is a perspective view of the oral scanner 1, wherein one of the light guides 40 is cut away to show its cross-sectional shape. Figure 5 A cross-sectional perspective view of an oral scanner 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown.

[0069] In a non-limiting embodiment, the light guide 40 of the oral scanner 1 of the present invention has a first end facing the light emitting element 30 positioned close to the light emitting element 30 , and a second end facing the through hole 21 positioned close to the through hole 21 .

[0070] In a non-limiting embodiment, the light emitting element 30 is an LED lamp bead 31 mounted on an LED circuit board 32 , and the first end of the light guide 40 has a first concave portion 41 .

[0071] The first concave portion 41 is shaped and designed to at least partially accommodate the LED lamp bead 31 and is positioned to at least partially surround the LED lamp bead 31 on the LED circuit board 32. Compared with a surface having a flat shape, the concave shape of the first concave portion 41 can surround the LED lamp bead 31 more, increase the amount of incident light entering the first end of the light guide 40, and thus make the light emitted from the LED lamp bead 31 enter the light guide 40 as much as possible.

[0072] In a non-limiting embodiment, the second end of the light guide 40 has a second concave portion 42 , which is positioned to be partially on the through axis A of the through hole 21 and facing away from the through hole 21 , so as to.

[0073] The second concave portion 42 disposed obliquely has a blunt surface. Compared with the reflective surface disposed obliquely with a flat shape, the second concave portion 42 can increase the amount of light reflected from the light guide 40 into the through hole 21, thereby increasing the brightness of the light output from the indicator light 10. This is because light will be reflected when incident on the surface of the light guide at a certain angle, and the amount of reflection will increase sharply or even cause total reflection when the incident angle exceeds a certain range.

[0074] Preferably, if Figure 5 As shown, the second concave portion 42 has a partial spherical shape, such as a hemispherical shape or a quarter spherical shape, which can further increase the amount of light reflected by total reflection. It should be understood that the partial spherical shape is only an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0075] In a non-limiting embodiment, the lower surface of the light guide 40 may have a lower surface flat portion 43 between the first end and the second end of the light guide 40. The lower surface flat portion 43 is preferably parallel to the top flat surface of the battery housed in the oral scanner 1, such as Figure 1A , Figure 2 shown.

[0076] In this example, the oral scanner 1 further includes a light shielding foam 50, which is disposed between the light guide 40 and the battery 2. At least a portion of the light shielding foam 50 is in contact with the lower surface flat portion 43 of the light guide 40. The light shielding foam can absorb the light emitted downward from the light guide 40, which would otherwise be diffusely reflected after hitting other parts. The diffusely reflected light would hit the periphery of the through hole or other light guides, causing light leakage and light channeling problems.

[0077] Figure 6 The exploded perspective view of the oral scanner 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention viewed from another direction is schematically shown. Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A bottom view of the housing 20 of the oral scanner 1.

[0078] In a non-limiting embodiment, the housing 20 includes positioning ribs 22 that protrude inwardly and correspondingly surround the periphery of the light guide 40 to define the position of the light guide 40. The positioning ribs 22 can block the light emitted from the light guide 40 to the periphery, otherwise the light may be emitted to the periphery of the through hole 21 or other light guides 40, causing light leakage and light channeling problems.

[0079] In one embodiment, the light guide 40 has the aforementioned lower surface flat portion 43, and the positioning ribs 22 are flush with the lower surface flat portion 43. Therefore, the positioning ribs 22 fit the light shielding foam 50 to absorb the undesired light emitted from the light guide 40.

[0080] In a non-limiting embodiment, the inner surface of the housing 20 has a first area facing the light guide 40, and the housing 20 is provided with a laser engraving layer 24 on the first area, and the laser engraving layer 24 can partially absorb light, reduce the light spot of the housing and the light leakage at the through hole. Through the laser engraving process, a laser engraving layer is attached to the housing between the light guide column to absorb the light refracted from the light guide, and the area of ​​the laser engraving area can be determined according to needs; by setting appropriate laser engraving energy parameters, height, focal length and laser engraving speed, the laser engraving layer finally formed for shading can not only block the light leakage around the LED indicator light, but also eliminate the mutual light between the LEDs to the greatest extent. Compared with the conventional process of spraying the sunscreen layer, the laser engraving process is more environmentally friendly, has high stability, is simple and easy to operate, and the process station can be integrated with the injection molding station nearby, and the overall production efficiency is high.

[0081] In a non-limiting embodiment, the housing 20 includes a light-blocking rib 23 surrounding the first area and protruding inwardly, blocking light from leaving the first area and also increasing the structural strength of the housing 20 at that location.

[0082] In a non-limiting embodiment, the light guide 40 and the indicator light 10 are formed as a single piece, thereby simplifying the processing, reducing the number of parts, and facilitating assembly.

[0083] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the present invention are clearly and completely described above in conjunction with the specific embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings.

[0084] Although various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all embodiments, and they are presented in an exemplary rather than limiting manner. It is obvious to those skilled in the relevant art that the disclosed subject matter can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit and essential features.

Claims

1. A mouth scanner with an indicator light, characterized in that: The oral scanner (1) comprises: Indicator light (10); A housing (20), wherein the housing (20) is provided with a through hole (21) for the indicator light (10) to pass through; a light emitting element (30), the light emitting element (30) being positioned inside the housing (20) such that light emitted from the light emitting element (30) deviates from a through axis (A) of the through hole (21); and A light guide (40) is arranged between the light emitting element (30) and the indicator light (10).

2. The oral scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light emitting element (30) comprises an LED circuit board (32) and an LED lamp bead (31) mounted on the LED circuit board (32), and The light guide (40) is positioned toward the first end of the light emitting element (30) to be close to the light emitting element (30), and the first end of the light guide (40) has a first concave portion (41), wherein the first concave portion (41) is shaped and designed to at least partially accommodate the LED lamp bead (31) and is positioned to at least partially surround the LED lamp bead (31) on the LED circuit board (32).

3. The oral scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light guide (40) is positioned toward the second end of the through hole (21) to be close to the through hole (21), and the second end of the light guide (40) has a second concave portion (42), wherein the second concave portion (42) is positioned to be at least partially located on the through axis (A) of the through hole (21) and facing away from the through hole (21).

4. The oral scanner according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second concave portion (42) has a part-spherical shape.

5. The oral scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower surface of the light guide (40) has a lower surface flat portion (43), and The oral scanner (1) further comprises a light-shielding foam (50), at least a portion of which is in contact with the lower surface flat portion (43) of the lower surface of the light guide (40).

6. The oral scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing (20) includes positioning ribs (22) protruding inwardly and correspondingly surrounding the light guide (40).

7. The oral scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner surface of the housing (20) has a first area facing the light guide (40), and the housing (20) includes a light shielding rib (23) surrounding the first area and protruding inward.

8. The oral scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner surface of the housing (20) has a first area facing the light guide (40), and the housing (20) is provided with a laser engraving layer (24) on the first area.

9. The oral scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light guide (40) and the indicator light (10) are formed as a single piece.

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