Moisture trapping device for dental therapy unit

Abstract

To feed as clean dry air as possible to an injector referred to as 'a three way syringe', in an air dryer system for a dental therapy.SOLUTION: A moisture trapping device for a dental therapy unit is intervened, in a connection state, between first supply piping connected to a compressed air supply source and second supply piping of the dental therapy unit installed in a therapy room and comprises: a container having an air intake port and an air exhaust port part that exhausts air having gas and liquid separated therefrom; one connecting member that is connected to the air intake port part and the first supply piping; the other connecting member that is connected to the second supply piping and the air exhaust port part; and any of a plurality of partitioning-plate like moisture trapping members which are provided in an internal space of the container, allow air to flow from the air intake port part toward the air exhaust port part and are arranged with a predetermined interval at least in the internal space to trap moisture in air, and a gas-liquid separating member fixed to the internal space and comprising a plurality of integrally assembled partitioning components.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THEINVENTION This invention relates to a moisture capture device, and more particularly to a moisture capture device for a dental treatment unit used to deliver clean, dry air to the jets of a dental treatment unit located in a dental treatment room. [Background technology]

[0002] First, claim 1 of Patent Document 1 states that the objective of the invention is to "provide an air dryer for dental care that can be installed in a space-saving manner and is easy to maintain", and describes as a means for solving the objective, "an air dryer for dental care comprising an air inlet, a dehumidification section which dehumidifies air supplied from the air inlet, an air output port which outputs dry air dehumidified by the dehumidification section, and a housing which covers the air inlet, the dehumidification section, and the air output port, the housing having a first cover disposed on one side in one direction and a detachable second cover disposed on the other side, the dehumidification section being covered by the first cover, and the air inlet and the air output port being covered by the second cover" (e.g. claim 1, paragraph 0009, Figure 4, etc.).

[0003] On the left side of Figure 1, an air compressor 22a and the dental medical air dryer 51 are installed on the floor of the machine room R2 of the building, and dry air supplied from the dental medical air dryer is sent directly to the dental treatment unit 21 in the dental treatment room R1 on the right side of the drawing via air piping 23 arranged horizontally under the floor of the building (symbols are those in Patent Document 1).

[0004] The problem with Patent Document 1 is that because the dental medical air dryer 51 is installed in the machine room R2 of the building, the longer the length of the air piping 23 connecting the dental medical air dryer 51 and the dental treatment unit 21 in the dental treatment room R1, the more likely it is that hydration will occur on the inner wall of the air piping 23. As a result, there is a risk that moisture and germs will become mixed into the compressed air flowing through the air piping 23, and the compressed air containing the moisture and germs will be sent to the turbine motor and three-way syringe on the dental treatment unit 21 side.

[0005] Speaking of "bacteria's preferred growth environment," it is known that many bacteria grow actively in hot and humid environments. For example, it is known that many bacteria grow slowly at temperatures below 10°C and stop growing at temperatures below -15°C. Therefore, in dental air dryer systems, it is desirable to avoid as much as possible the temperature of the dry air flowing through the air piping 23 becoming too high.

[0006] However, a compressed air supply source for dental care requires an air compressor and an air dryer (freeze dryer) as heat exchange means for dehumidifying the compressed air sent out from the air compressor and sending it out as dry air. When using the air compressor, the condensation temperature naturally rises due to the pressure. According to the knowledge of the present inventor, regarding the "change in condensation temperature of water vapor contained in the atmosphere and compressed air", for example, when the air temperature is 35°C and the humidity is 60%, the condensation temperature is 26.1°C, and when compressed to 0.3 Mpa under atmospheric pressure (0.1 Mpa), the condensation temperature is 45.9°C. Also, when compressed to 0.6 Mpa, the condensation temperature is 60.1°C.

[0007] The air pipe 23 is generally made of a corrosion-resistant synthetic resin material, but since pipes of any material come into contact with the outside air, it is assumed that the temperature is close to the outside air temperature. As mentioned above, condensation occurs at an outside air temperature of 35°C, that is, under atmospheric pressure. The outside air temperature can be high depending on the climate, region, location, etc., and the underfloor area of ​​a building can be considered a special place, even if it is, for example, 25°C to 26.1°C. Although water vapor contained in the heated air released from the air compressor is generally prone to condensation, the water vapor is cooled by the pipe wall of the air pipe 23 only when it comes into contact with the pipe wall, so although the remaining water vapor goes to the end of the pipe, it is not well known in the industry that moisture condensation occurs in proportion to the pipe distance at an unclear timing when it is cooled by the pipe wall.

[0008] The inventor, after many years of research, recognized that an "environment without elevated temperature" and a "moisture-free environment" are necessary for air piping as well, but discovered that bacteria and viruses may be mixed into the dry air flowing through a relatively long air piping. In addition, dental medical units contain small turbine devices, which are rotary tools for removing cavities and tartar, and the moisture contained in the compressed air may cause bacteria to grow inside the turbine motor.

[0009] Therefore, in dental air dryer systems, clean dry compressed air that does not contain water is required to prevent adhesive failure when capping a tooth. Next, the ultraviolet irradiation air sterilization device in Patent Document 2 was proposed to your office by the applicant, and the problem of the invention is to "satisfy the problem of having a simple structure, while at the same time ensuring that the air that has entered the container remains inside the container for the required time (preferably a long time of 30 seconds or more) to sterilize the air reliably."

[0010] The solution to the above problem is "an ultraviolet irradiation air sterilization device which is disposed in the internal space of a duct and which sterilizes air flowing from one opening end of the duct to the other opening end thereof by ultraviolet irradiation means, the inside of the duct being provided with a group of partition plates which are connected to the inner wall surface of the duct in a substantially perpendicular state and which are arranged at a required interval from the one opening end to the other opening end, and which guide the air flowing inside the duct in a serpentine manner, and a number of ultraviolet irradiation means which are disposed in all or part of the space between the group of partition plates so as to sterilize the air." The above-mentioned Patent Document 2 describes an ultraviolet irradiation air sterilization device that prevents the air supplied to the interior space of a building from containing germs, but does not disclose its use in an air dryer system for dental care, as in the present invention.

[0011] Next, Patent Document 3 describes "an air purifying device including a plurality of gas-liquid separating members for capturing germs in the air flowing through an internal space in a housing having an air intake port and an exhaust port for discharging purified air, and a plurality of ultraviolet irradiating members for irradiating ultraviolet rays toward the gas-liquid separating members." However, like Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3 is also an air purifying device that prevents germs from being contained in the air supplied to the internal space inside a building, and does not describe its use as being applied to a dental medical air dryer system.

[0012] Finally, Patent Documents 4 to 7 are gas-liquid separation devices proposed by the inventor. These gas-liquid separation devices use gas-liquid separation means that separates moisture from the air passing through a container to send dry air to an air blowing means such as an air spray gun or an air motor. Patent Documents 4 to 7 are in the same technical field as Patent Documents 4 to 7, and include Japanese Patent No. 4789963, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-269524, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-5535. As is clear from these patent documents, it can be said that "the gas-liquid separation device is provided with a cylindrical container having a suction port for sucking in compressed air and an exhaust port for discharging gas after gas-liquid separation, and a gas-liquid separation member fixed to the internal space of the container and consisting of an integral combination of a plurality of partition parts" is a publicly known or well-known technology.

[0013] However, Patent Documents 4 to 7, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent No. 4,789,963 and the like make no mention whatsoever of their application to air dryer systems for dental care. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0014] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7018189 [Patent Document 2] JP 2022-161071 A [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 7012814 [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 5070356 [Patent Document 5] Patent No. 5216148 [Patent Document 6] Patent No. 5467180 [Patent Document 7] Patent No. 6718620 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0015] In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention is directed to a dental medical air dryer system that sends at least dry air to an injection device called a "three-way syringe." In addition, it is premised that if the moisture contained in the air can be separated by a gas-liquid separating means and dry air can be sent, germs will not enter the mouth of the patient (person being treated). especially The purpose of this invention is to place a "moisture capture device" around the base of the patient treatment table that constitutes the dental treatment unit, to effectively utilize the space and electrical outlets in the treatment room, and to improve the quality of the air used in dental treatment. In addition, it is possible to realize gas-liquid separation as close to the dental treatment unit as possible, and to ensure that the placement of the moisture capture device does not get in the way of the practitioner (dentist). In addition, depending on the embodiment, it is possible to capture germs that have become mixed in the air.

[0016] The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0017] However, the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0018] The moisture capture device for a dental treatment unit of the present invention is connected to a compressed air source. Installed under the floor together with A moisture capture device for a dental treatment unit, which is connected between a first supply pipe and a second supply pipe of a dental treatment unit installed in a treatment room and supplies air to the second supply pipe, The moisture capture devicea container having an air intake port and an exhaust port for discharging air after gas-liquid separation; one connecting member connecting the air intake port and the first supply pipe; and the other connecting member connecting the second supply pipe and the exhaust port. The container has an internal space, and allows air to flow from the air intake port side to the exhaust port side. The container has a plurality of partition-shaped moisture capture members disposed at least in the internal space at predetermined intervals and capture moisture in the air. The moisture capture members are either fixed to the internal space and made of an integral combination of a plurality of partition parts. Furthermore, the moisture capture device is disposed around the base of the patient treatment table of the dental treatment unit, and a protruding connection portion that constitutes the first supply piping and penetrates the floor inside the treatment room is connected to the one connection member. It is characterized by:

[0019] In the above configuration, the first supply pipe is connected to a compressed air supply source including an air compressor and a heat exchange means installed either inside or outside the room or under the floor inside the room, and is characterized in that it comprises a horizontal main pipe arranged under the floor inside the room, a plurality of branch pipes branching off from the main pipe, and a protruding connection part for the one of the connection members extending upward from the tip of these branch pipes, penetrating the floor inside the treatment room, and protruding around the base of the patient's treatment couch. Here, "around the base of the treatment couch" refers to either the vicinity of the treatment device main body constituting the dental treatment unit, or the space below the patient's treatment couch, or the vicinity of the patient's treatment couch.

[0020] The connecting member is removably fixed to the container. Preferably, the gas-liquid separating member is capable of capturing germs that have become mixed in the air. Effect of the Invention

[0021] As is clear from the above description, the present invention provides the following effects. (1) In the invention described in claim 1, the dental medical air dryer system can send as much dry air as possible to an injection device called a "three-way syringe." In addition, since completely dry air can be sent, it is possible to prevent germs from entering the patient's mouth. In addition, the moisture capture device is disposed around the base of the patient's treatment table of the dental treatment unit, and constitutes a first supply pipe disposed under the floor, and a protruding connection portion that penetrates the floor of the treatment room is connected to one of the connection members of the moisture capture device,This enables the space in the treatment room to be utilized effectively while improving the quality of the air used in dental treatment (by removing moisture and germs that have formed on the inner wall of the first supply pipe). In addition, the installation of the moisture capture device can be prevented from interfering with the treatment (dentist). In embodiments having a power cord plug, the power cord may be plugged into a suitable outlet located on the dental treatment unit. (2) In the invention described in claim 2, the connecting member is removably fixed to the container, so that maintenance can be performed. (3) In the invention described in claim 3, unwanted bacteria can also be captured. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] 1 to 8 are explanatory views showing a moisture capture device X according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 9 to 12 are explanatory views showing a moisture capture device X1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of an air dryer system Y in which a moisture capture device X of the present invention is used as part of the configuration of the air dryer system Y. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a moisture capture device X interposed between a second supply pipe 2 for a spray instrument 1c constituting a dental treatment unit 1 and a first supply pipe 13 connected to a compressed air supply source 10. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a first supply pipe 13 connected to a compressed air supply source. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of the moisture capture device X of the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged explanatory view of a main part in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an arrangement of a plurality of gas-liquid separating members and a plurality of ultraviolet ray irradiation members. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram showing the air flow inside the container (capturing germs and inactivating viruses). [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the moisture capture device X. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a moisture capture device X1 according to a second embodiment as seen from the front (with a front wall partly cut away). [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the gas-liquid separation device shown in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the main part (gas-liquid separation plate and cylindrical support body separated). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an entire dental treatment unit in which a moisture capture device X of the present invention is used as part of the configuration of an air dryer system Y for dental care. Fig. 1 shows a moisture capture device X of air dryer system Y type, but the specific feature of the present invention is said moisture capture device X. Therefore, not only the air dryer system Y but also the unauthorized use of only the moisture capture device X may constitute an infringement of a patent right.

[0024] 1 to 8 show a moisture capture device X of a first embodiment. This moisture capture device X is provided in the internal space of a container 22, and is characterized in that it allows at least air flow from the air intake port side to the air exhaust port side, and is provided with a plurality of partition-shaped moisture capture members 25 (hereinafter referred to as "moisture capture members 25") that are arranged at predetermined intervals in the internal space and capture moisture in the air, and that the moisture capture device X with the moisture capture members 25 installed therein is installed around the base of a patient examination couch 1b of a dental treatment unit 1.

[0025] First, in Fig. 1, R1 on the right side of the drawing is a dental treatment room of a building, and a dental treatment unit 1 is installed on the floor F1 of this dental treatment room R1. As is well known, the dental treatment unit 1 is composed of a box-shaped support base 1a having a flat base part installed on the floor, a patient treatment table (chair for the person being treated) 1b installed above the box-shaped support base 1a, and a treatment device main body 1d including a three-way syringe 1c (see Fig. 2), an air turbine, a foot controller, a cuspidor (bowl-shaped mouthwash device), a support, a movable arm, a shadowless light installed at the tip of the movable arm, a tray table, etc.

[0026] Reference numeral 2 denotes a second supply pipe (shown by a phantom line) 2 arranged, for example, on either the housing of the treatment device main body 1d or the box-shaped support stand 1a, and a downstream connection part 2a of this second supply pipe 2 is appropriately connected to an injection device 1c called a "three-way syringe" as shown in Fig. 2. Although not particularly shown, the second supply pipe 2 has an air supply pipe, a cleaning water supply pipe, a vacuum system pipe, etc.

[0027] Returning to FIG. 1, on the other hand, R2 on the left side of the drawing is a machine room, and on the surface of the floor F2 of this machine room R2, a plurality of devices constituting an air supply system as a compressed air supply source 10 are installed. This compressed air supply source 10 includes an air compressor 11 and an air dryer (freeze dryer) as a heat exchange means 12 that dehumidifies the compressed air sent out from the air compressor and sends it out as dry air. The compressed air supply source 10 of the embodiment is installed, for example, on the surface of the floor F2 of the machine room R2, but it can be installed in an appropriate location inside or outside the building. Here, the floor of the building including the floor F1 of the treatment room R1 and the floor F2 of the machine room R2 is designated by the symbol "F".

[0028] Next, reference numeral 13 denotes a first supply pipe which is connected to the air dryer (freeze dryer) 12 on the compressed air supply source side and the second supply pipe 2 on the dental treatment unit side. In this embodiment, the upstream base end of the first supply pipe 13 is connected to the heat exchange means 12 of the compressed air supply source 10, while the downstream protruding other end 16 is connected to one connecting member 23 of the moisture capture device X.

[0029] 3, the first supply piping 13 comprises a long horizontal main pipe 14 arranged at least under the floor F of the room (including the floor F2 of the machine room R2 and the floor F1 of the treatment room R1), a plurality of short branch pipes 15 branching off from this long main pipe, and a protruding connection portion 16 extending upward from the tip of these branch pipes, penetrating the floor F1 of the treatment room, and protruding either in the vicinity of the treatment device main body 1d constituting the dental treatment unit 1, or in the space below the patient's examination couch 1b, or in the vicinity of the patient's examination couch 1a.Furthermore, the first supply piping 13 preferably has a separate dry air supply on the downstream side. doIt has an air return pipe 17 that flows to the silencer 18. The number of branch pipes 16 corresponds to that of the dental treatment unit 1. 2 is a schematic diagram of a moisture capture device X interposed between a second supply pipe 2 for a spray tool 1c constituting a dental treatment unit 1 and a first supply pipe 13 connected to a compressed air supply source 10. The three-way syringe serving as the spray tool 1c has a pipe-shaped gripping portion 3a, a nozzle 3b provided at the tip of the gripping portion, a lever 3c provided on the tip side of the gripping portion, etc., and the gripping portion 3a and the second supply pipe 2 on the dental treatment unit 1 side are connected via a flexible tube 4. An air circuit and a water circuit are provided within the gripping portion 3a of the spray tool 1c.

[0030] Here, the spraying device 1c will be briefly explained. The spraying device 1c has a function of spraying wind or mist water into the mouth of the person to be treated. In addition, the spraying device 1c can clean the oral cavity by mist (spray) or dry the oral cavity with air, and can be used in three ways: "water only", "air only", and "air + water", and is therefore called a three-way device. Therefore, it is desired that the air supplied to the spraying device 1c does not contain germs or viruses as much as possible. Thus, the downstream connection part 2a of the second supply pipe 2 is connected to the rear end of the flexible tube 4 of the spraying device 1c, while the upstream connection part 2b of the second supply pipe 2 is connected to the other connection member 24 via a hose (pipe) 19 to the exhaust port part of the moisture capture device X. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of the moisture capture device X of the first embodiment. As described above, the moisture capture device X is interposed in a connected state between the first supply pipe 13 connected to the compressed air supply source 10 and the second supply pipe 2 of the dental treatment unit 1 installed in the treatment room R1, and supplies clean air to the second supply pipe.

[0031] The moisture capture device X comprises a square tubular or cylindrical container 22 having an air intake 20 and an exhaust 21 for discharging air after gas-liquid separation, one connecting member 23 connecting the air intake 20 to the first supply pipe 13, the other connecting member 24 connecting the second supply pipe 2 to the exhaust 21 via a flexible hose 19, and a plurality of moisture capture members 25 provided at predetermined intervals in the internal space of the container 22 for capturing at least moisture in the air flowing through the internal space, and a plurality of ultraviolet ray irradiation members 26 for irradiating ultraviolet rays to the gas-liquid separation member in order to inactivate viruses in the air.

[0032] The moisture capture member 25 of the first embodiment has both (a) the function of capturing moisture in the air flowing through the internal space and (b) the function of capturing germs mixed into the air flowing through the internal space, but it is assumed that the effect of (b) can be expected as long as it has at least the function of (a). Therefore, since it is sufficient for the multiple moisture capture members 25 to be able to remove at least the moisture contained in the compressed air flowing in a predetermined direction through the internal space of the container 22, the shape of the multiple moisture capture members can be changed to any shape, such as a corrugated shape, a curved shape, or a thick plate having multiple gas control holes.

[0033] Now, the multiple moisture capture members 25 are arranged at least five pieces in the direction of air flow with a predetermined interval between them, and the air flowing in a predetermined direction through the cylindrical container flows in a serpentine shape (for example, 5 bends, 6 bends, 7 bends, 8 bends, etc.) from one connecting member 23 to the other connecting member 24.

[0034] 6, and preferably contains granular or fine titanium oxide throughout. Therefore, moisture capture member 25 not only has the function of capturing moisture in the air flowing through the internal space, but also the function of capturing germs contained in the air flowing through the internal space of container 22 in an adsorbed state. In a preferred embodiment, a virus gas-liquid separating member (e.g., a HEPA filter) made of a photocatalytic material and an excitation light irradiating member (e.g., an LED) that irradiates the virus gas-liquid separating member with excitation light are installed inside the cylindrical container 22. Therefore, viruses in the air can be inactivated.

[0035] The one connecting member 23 (on the right side in FIG. 4) is composed of one lid 23a that fits on one end of the container 22 so as to close the air inlet 20 of the rectangular cylindrical container 22, and an elbow-type connecting pipe 23b whose base end is attached to a connecting hole provided in the approximate center of the lid. On the other hand, the other connecting member 24 (on the left side in FIG. 4) is composed of the other lid 24a that fits on the other end of the container 22 so as to close the air outlet 21 of the rectangular cylindrical container 22, and a horizontal connecting pipe 24b whose base end is attached to a connecting hole provided in the approximate center of the lid. In the embodiment, a conductive sheet (not shown) is integrally provided on the inner peripheral surface of the container 22, and the base end of a power cord 27 is connected to the conductive sheet, and a plug 28 is attached to the free end of the power cord. The plug 28 is preferably inserted into a socket provided in the treatment device main body 1d. In place of the conductive sheet, wiring for a plurality of ultraviolet ray irradiation members 26 may be provided.

[0036] Here, the arrangement of the above-mentioned plurality of moisture capture members 25 and the plurality of ultraviolet ray irradiation members 26 for irradiating the gas-liquid separating members with ultraviolet rays will be described. For example, as shown in Fig. 4 (water discharge pipe and support stand omitted), Fig. 5 (water discharge pipe and support stand shown), Fig. 6 (water discharge pipe and support stand omitted), Fig. 7 (water discharge pipe and support stand omitted), etc., inside the container 22, there are provided a group of partition plate-like moisture capture members 25 that are connected to the inner wall surface of the container in a substantially perpendicular state and are arranged at a required interval from one end opening to the other end opening, and that guide the air flowing inside the container 22 in a serpentine manner, and a large number of ultraviolet ray irradiation means 26 that are arranged all over between the group of cut plate-like gas-liquid separating members so as to sterilize the air.

[0037] Between the moisture capture members 25 on the bottom wall of the container 22, there is provided a water discharge means for discharging the water captured by the moisture capture members 25 to the outside of the container 22. The water discharge means comprises, for example, a plurality of drop holes 6 formed in the bottom wall between the moisture capture members 25, a plurality of discharge branch pipes 7 inserted into these drop holes, respectively, and one or more main discharge pipes 8 connected to these branch discharge pipes 7, and preferably the bottom wall of the container 22 is provided with a support base 9 of any shape having a recess or a horizontal fitting groove for receiving the main discharge pipe 8 therein.

[0038] The group of partition-shaped moisture capture members 25 has one end connected to the inner wall surface of one side wall of the container 22, and the other end separated from all or part of the inner wall surface of the other wall of the container 22, thereby forming an air passage between the other end and the inner wall surface of the other wall. The group is made up of a first group of partition-shaped gas-liquid separating members 25a, 25a... and a second group of partition-shaped moisture capture members 25b, 25b..., whose other ends are connected to the inner wall surface of the other wall of the container 22, and whose one end is separated from all or part of the inner wall surface of the one side wall of the container 22, thereby forming an air passage between the one end and the inner wall surface of the one side wall.

[0039] <Modifications of the multiple moisture capture members 25> Various modified examples of the multiple moisture capture members 25 are described in Patent Document 2 proposed by the applicant. Just to be clear, the group of partition-shaped gas-liquid separating members may be composed of a first group of partition-shaped gas-liquid separating members that are connected to the inner wall surface of the container without any gaps and have a first through hole at one end that forms an air passage, and two groups of partition-shaped gas-liquid separating members that are similarly connected to the inner wall surface of the container without any gaps and have a second through hole at the other end opposite to the one end that forms an air passage.

[0040] It may also be that "the first group of partition-shaped gas-liquid separating members and the second group of partition-shaped gas-liquid separating members are alternately arranged from one end opening toward the other end opening, and fluorescent lamp-type ultraviolet irradiation means (e.g., ultraviolet LEDs), including, for example, a total of four units, are arranged at least between the first group of partition-shaped gas-liquid separating members and the second group of partition-shaped gas-liquid separating members." The shape of the moisture capture member 25 can be arbitrarily changed to suit the shape of the container, for example, a rectangular, square, circular, elliptical, trapezoidal, or kamaboko-shaped shape. The container is preferably compact and has a simple structure. Furthermore, the connecting members 23 and 24 having lids that close both the left and right ends of the container are preferably removable for easy maintenance.

[0041] Second embodiment of the present invention The second embodiment of the present invention utilizes the technical ideas of the gas-liquid separation devices (e.g., Patent Document 4, Patent Document 5, Patent Document 6, and Patent Document 7) that the inventor proposed to your office. The moisture capture device X1 of this second embodiment applies "publicly known or well-known technology in which the moisture capture device X1 comprises a cylindrical container having an intake port for sucking in compressed air and an exhaust port for discharging gas after gas-liquid separation, and a gas-liquid separation member fixed to the internal space of the cylindrical container and consisting of an integrated combination of multiple partition parts."

[0042] Therefore, the moisture capture device X1 of the second embodiment is "connected between a first supply piping 13 connected to a compressed air supply source 10 and a second supply piping 2 of a dental treatment unit 1 installed in a treatment room R1 (FIGS. 1 and 2 are referenced)" and, as shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 10, etc. described below, "is a moisture capture device for a dental treatment unit 1 that supplies air to the second supply piping 2, and comprises a container 22A having an air intake port portion 20 and an exhaust port portion 21 for discharging air after gas-liquid separation, one connecting member 23A connecting the air intake port portion to the first supply piping, the other connecting member 24A connecting the second supply piping to the exhaust port portion, and a gas-liquid separation member 25A provided in the internal space of the container and capturing at least moisture in the air circulating through the internal space, the gas-liquid separation member 25A consisting of an integrated combination of multiple parts."

[0043] The gas-liquid separating member 25A of the moisture capture device X1 of the second embodiment also captures moisture in the air flowing in a predetermined direction inside the container 22A, similar to the moisture capture member 25 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the gas-liquid separating member 25A of the second embodiment has a moisture removal function similar to that of the moisture capture member 25 of the first embodiment.

[0044] The configuration of the moisture capture device X1 of the second embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 9 to 12. Note that the same or similar reference numerals are used for components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment. Figures 1 and 2 are used to illustrate the overall system and the layout of the components. Furthermore, since the main parts of the second embodiment are publicly known or well-known technologies, detailed reference numerals will be omitted. First, the main differences between the moisture trapping device X1 of the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be listed.

[0045] (A) The container 22A is a vertically long cylindrical container. The long cylindrical container 22A is composed of a vertically long container body 22a with an open top, a lid body 22b that is integrally connected to the container body, and an annular fastener 22c that fastens the lid body to the container body in a detachable manner. Therefore, in this embodiment, one tubular connecting member 23A is attached to an intake port 20 formed on a peripheral wall of the lid body 22b, while the other tubular connecting member 24A is attached to an exhaust port 21 formed on a peripheral wall of the lid body 22b. The intake port 20 can also be formed on the peripheral wall of the upper end of the container body 22a depending on the design.

[0046] 9, the peripheral wall surface on the bottom side of the container body 22a is detachably supported by a support stand 9A having a concave cross section, and a container-shaped drain 8A shown by an imaginary line is removably disposed within the support stand 9A. The lower end of the container body 22a is a bottom wall portion formed in a cone shape, and a drop opening 6A is formed in the center of this bottom wall portion.

[0047] (C) Gas-liquid separating member 25A corresponding to moisture capture member 25 is composed of a plurality of partition parts, which are integrally incorporated into the internal space of container 22A. Referring to Figures 11 and 12, gas-liquid separating member 25A is composed of a pot-shaped first partition body 25a with an open bottom, and a gas-liquid separating plate 25c as a second partition body which is integrally attached via a plurality of fasteners to the bottom opening of a cylindrical support body 25b which is screwed into the top opening of first partition body 25a, and which has a plurality of small gas flow rate control holes formed therein.

[0048] In the above configuration, because of the presence of the pot-shaped first partition body 25a, the gas that has flowed into the downstream gas chamber passes through a narrow vent hole 31 formed in the approximate center of the lower end, and is released into the downstream gas chamber 32. Thus, the gas flowing along the inner circumferential surface of the first partition body 25a flows slower than the gas flowing upward just above the vent hole 31, and the gas on the curved surface side of the first partition body 25a is turbulent in a vortex-like manner, so that gas-liquid separation can be promoted.

[0049] The gas-liquid separation plate 25c as the second partition has a plurality of gas collision projections provided on the lower surface. Although not shown in the figure, the gas collision projections are formed in a short pin shape, column shape, plate shape, block shape, shape with a curved surface, shape with an inclined surface, wave shape, saw shape, or similar shape to promote gas-liquid separation. The shape of the pot-shaped first partition 25a can be modified to an umbrella shape, tube shape, or the like. In this embodiment, the gas flow is a known or well-known technology, so it will not be described here.

[0050] Here, an example of the second embodiment applying the publicly known technology of Patent Document 4 has been described. However, of course, the same object of the invention as in the second embodiment can be achieved even when a gas-liquid separator having a gas-liquid separating means described in Patent Document 5, Patent Document 6, Patent Document 7, Japanese Patent No. 4789963, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-269524, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-5535, etc. is applied to a dental air dryer system.

[0051] Patent Document 5 comprises the long cylindrical container of Patent Document 4 and a gas-liquid separation means fixedly provided in the internal space of the long cylindrical container, and the gas-liquid separation means is based on a pot-shaped first partition body and a plate-shaped second partition body integrally provided with the first partition body, and has a number of gas collision protrusions formed on the underside of the second partition body.

[0052] Similarly to Patent Document 4, Patent Document 6 also comprises a long cylindrical container and a gas-liquid separation means fixedly provided in the internal space of the long cylindrical container, the gas-liquid separation means comprising a first partition body that is long in the vertical direction and a second partition body that is integrally provided with the first partition body and has flange-shaped portions fixed side by side and spaced apart in the vertical direction.

[0053] Like Patent Document 4, Patent Document 7 also comprises a long cylindrical container and a gas-liquid separation means fixedly provided in the internal space of the long cylindrical container, and the gas-liquid separation means comprises a long cylindrical partition plate (first partition body), an upper short cylindrical partition plate (upper second partition body), a lower short cylindrical partition plate (lower second partition body), a short cylindrical gas-liquid separation plate fixedly supported on the upper short cylindrical partition plate, and a bottomed cylindrical gas-liquid separation plate fixedly provided on the lower short cylindrical partition plate.

[0054] Furthermore, for example, the invention described in the aforementioned Patent No. 4789963, like Patent Document 4, comprises a long cylindrical container and a gas-liquid separation means fixedly provided in the internal space of the long cylindrical container, and the gas-liquid separation means comprises a vertically elongated partition plate (tubular first partition body) and a plurality of convex gas-liquid separation disks, each having a mountain-shaped cross section, which are integrally incorporated into the vertically elongated partition plate via a cylindrical air guide.

[0055] As described above, all of the moisture capture devices for dental treatment units, which are fixed to the internal space of a cylindrical or square cylindrical container and have an air-liquid separation member consisting of an integrated combination of multiple partition parts, can be installed near a dental treatment unit installed on the floor F1 of a dental treatment room R1 at a dental care site, and connected to the first supply pipe 13 on the compressed air supply source side (upstream side) and the second supply pipe 2 on the air turbine router device side (downstream side or supply side) via one connecting member (23, 23A) and the other connecting member (24, 24A), respectively, to be implemented as a dental care air dryer system Y.

[0056] <Note> The containers 22, 22A are illustrated as having a rectangular or long cylindrical shape, but are not limited to these shapes. The shape of the containers 22, 22A can be modified in various ways, for example, into an arc-shaped tube, a doughnut tube, or a fish-shaped tube, considering that they will be installed near the dental treatment unit. In addition, the gas-liquid separating member can be replaced with a filter that can remove moisture and germs. Furthermore, the shape of the connecting members 23, 23A, 24, 24A can also be selected appropriately. [Industrial Applicability]

[0057] The present invention is applicable to the dental field, particularly to the dental profession. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] X, X1...moisture capture device, Y: Dental air dryer system, R1: Dental treatment room, R2…machine room, F: Floor of building, F1…Dental treatment room floor, F2: Machine room floor, 1...Dental treatment unit, 1a...Box-shaped support stand, 1b...patient treatment table (chair for treated person), 1c…Injection device (three-way syringe), 1d…Treatment device body, 2...Second supply piping, 3a...grip part, 3b…Nozzle, 4...Flexible tube, 6, 6A…drop-off hole, 8...Discharge main, 8A: Container-type drain, 9, 9A...Support stand, 10...Compressed air supply source, 11…Air compressor, 12...Heat exchange means (freeze dryer), 13: first supply pipe; 16: protruding connection portion; 19…Hose, 20: Intake port portion, 21: Exhaust port portion, 22, 22A...container, 22a...container body, 22b...lid body, 22c...annular fastener, 23, 23A... one connecting member (23a... cover body and 23b... connecting tube), 24, 24A... the other connection member (24a... the cover body and 24b... the connection tube), 25...Moisture capture member, 25A…gas-liquid separation member, 25a: a first group of partition-shaped gas-liquid separating members (in the second embodiment, 25a is a first partition body); 25b: a second group of partition-shaped gas-liquid separation members (in the second embodiment, 25b is a cylindrical support integrally having a gas-liquid separation plate 25c), 26...Ultraviolet ray irradiation member, 27...power cord, 28...plug. 31...Narrow ventilation hole.

Claims

1. 1. A moisture capture device for a dental treatment unit, the moisture capture device being interposed in a connected state between a first supply pipe connected to a compressed air source and a second supply pipe of a dental treatment unit installed in a treatment room, and supplying air to the second supply pipe, comprising: a container having an air intake port and an air exhaust port for discharging air after gas-liquid separation; One connecting member that connects the intake port portion and the first supply pipe; Another connection member that connects the second supply pipe and the exhaust port portion; A moisture capture device for a dental treatment unit, which is provided in the internal space of the container, allows air to flow from the intake port side to the exhaust port side, and is equipped with either a plurality of partition-shaped moisture capture members arranged at least in the internal space at a predetermined interval and capture moisture in the air, or an air-liquid separation member fixed to the internal space and consisting of an integrated combination of a plurality of partition parts.

2. 2. A moisture capture device for a dental treatment unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first supply piping is connected to a compressed air supply source including an air compressor and a heat exchange means installed either inside or outside the room or under the floor inside the room, and comprises a horizontal main pipe arranged under the floor inside the room, a plurality of branch pipes branching off from this main pipe, and a protruding connection portion for one of the connecting members extending upward from the ends of these branch pipes, penetrating the floor of the treatment room, and protruding around the base of the patient treatment table of the dental treatment unit.

3. 2. The moisture capture device for a dental treatment unit according to claim 1, wherein said connecting member is removably secured to said container.

4. 2. The moisture capture device for a dental treatment unit according to claim 1, wherein said gas-liquid separating member is further capable of capturing germs contained in the air.

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