Dental unit

Abstract

To provide a dental unit having a patient chair capable of correcting displacement between a backrest and a patient's back with a simpler mechanism, at least during reclining of the backrest.SOLUTION: A dental unit comprises a patient chair including a seat plate provided to be vertically movable and a backrest that is tiltable and erectable by rotating relative to the seat plate. The backrest is held so as to be movable such that a surface that comes into contact with the patient's back can approach or separate from the seat plate. The dental unit includes a stopper that switches between allowing and restricting movement of the backrest, and a control device that controls switching of the stopper. The control device performs control so as to allow movement by releasing the stopper during reclining movement of the backrest.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dental unit having a patient chair on which a patient sits in a dental clinic. [Background technology]

[0002] A dental unit is a unit that contains various equipment used during dental treatment and includes a patient chair on which the patient sits. Surrounding the dental unit are a doctor's unit in which various instruments used by the practitioner for dental treatment are arranged, an assistant unit in which various instruments mainly used by assistants are arranged, a water supply unit that supplies mouthwash etc. to the patient, a cuspidor for draining the water, a dental light that illuminates the patient's oral cavity, etc. A chair on which the practitioner sits may also be placed around the dental unit. The patient chair is configured to be able to rise and fall and also to have a backrest that can be tilted and raised to allow the patient to assume a position that is easy for treatment or procedure.

[0003] During treatment, the patient rests their upper body against the backrest, with their back in contact with the backrest. However, when the patient chair tilts or stands up, a relative misalignment occurs between the backrest and their back, and the patient may need to move their body to correct this misalignment. In response to this, Patent Document 1 discloses a dental treatment chair equipped with a correction device that corrects the position of the backrest depending on the angular position of the backrest when the backrest is rotated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-164173 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Such conventional techniques require a complex mechanism such as a correction device, which can lead to problems such as increased complexity and an increased thickness of the backrest due to the placement of the necessary equipment.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a dental unit having a patient chair that can reduce the likelihood of misalignment between the backrest and the patient's back using a simpler mechanism, at least when the backrest is tilted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present application discloses a dental unit equipped with a patient chair that includes a seat plate that can be raised and lowered, and a backrest that can rotate relative to the seat plate and tilt up, in which the backrest is held so that it can move so that the surface that comes into contact with the patient's back moves toward and away from the seat plate, and the dental unit has a stopper that switches between allowing and restricting the movement of the backrest, and is equipped with a control device that controls the switching of the stopper, and the control device releases the stopper when the backrest is tilted, allowing it to move freely.

[0008] Furthermore, the control device may be configured to release the stopper when the backrest is raised, thereby allowing the backrest to move freely.

[0009] Furthermore, a headrest is arranged on the side of the backrest opposite to the side where the seat plate is arranged, and the headrest is held so that the surface that comes into contact with the patient's head can move away from and towards the seat plate, and has a headrest stopper that switches between allowing and restricting the movement of the headrest, and is equipped with a control device that controls the switching of the headrest stopper, and the control device may be configured to release the headrest stopper when the backrest is tilted or raised, allowing free movement. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the dental unit of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of misalignment between the backrest of the patient chair and the patient's back at least when the backrest is tilted, thereby reducing the inconvenience to the patient of having to correct their posture, etc. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the dental unit 1. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the dental unit 1. [Figure 3] 1 is a left side view of a patient chair 10 of embodiment 1 having a backrest 20. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a calculation device 24. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a left side view of a patient chair 10 according to a second embodiment, which is provided with a backrest 25. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present disclosure will be described based on the embodiments shown in the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0013] 1. Dental unit configuration Figures 1 and 2 show the appearance of one embodiment of a dental unit 1. Figure 1 is a plan view (viewed from above), and Figure 2 is a front view (viewed from the front, as viewed from the direction indicated by arrow II in Figure 1). Figure 3 shows a left side view (viewed from the direction indicated by arrow III in Figure 1) of a patient chair 10 provided in the dental unit 1. The dental unit 1 includes a patient chair 10, a doctor unit 40, and an assistant unit 50. However, the dental unit 1 may also include other devices as needed. For example, a dental light may be included. The dental light is attached via an arm that can move and rotate freely using a universal joint or the like so that the dental light can accurately illuminate the patient's oral cavity during treatment.

[0014] 1.1. Patient chair In this embodiment, the patient chair 10 comprises a base 16, a seat plate 11, a backrest 20, a headrest 30, a legrest 14, and armrests 15. In this embodiment, the patient chair 10 is also provided with a movement mechanism for each of the backrest 20 and the headrest 30. Each component will be described below with specific examples.

[0015] [Base] The base 16 (see FIG. 3) is disposed at the lower part of the patient chair 10 and serves as the foundation of the patient chair 10. The base 16 has an outer shell formed by a housing, and various control devices are housed inside the housing. Examples of the control devices included here include a hydraulic circuit for raising and lowering the patient chair 10 and tilting and standing up the backrest 20, and a hydraulic control means for controlling the hydraulic circuit. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a foot switch 16a is provided on the back side of the patient chair 10 of the base 16. The practitioner can operate the foot switch 16a or an operation switch on the operation panel 41c of the doctor unit 40 to issue commands to the hydraulic control means, which in turn controls the hydraulic circuit to raise and lower the patient chair 10 and start or stop tilting and standing up.

[0016] Here, when controlling the elevation of the patient chair 10, a linear potentiometer may be provided as a sensor to obtain the height position of the seat plate 11 (height positions of the backrest 20 and headrest 30), which is the seating portion of the patient chair 10. Also, when controlling the tilting and standing of the backrest 20 of the patient chair 10, a rotary potentiometer may be provided as a sensor to obtain the tilt angle of the back plate.

[0017] [Seat board] The seat plate 11 is attached above the base 16 so that it can be raised and lowered. The seat plate 11 is raised and lowered by the hydraulic circuit housed in the base 16, as described above. Specifically, the practitioner operates the foot switch 16a or the operation panel 41c of the doctor unit 40, which will be described later, and the hydraulic control means that receives the operation command appropriately operates the hydraulic cylinders incorporated in the hydraulic circuit, thereby raising and lowering the seat plate 11. The backrest 20, headrest 30, and legrest 14 rise and lower together with the seat plate 11. At this time, the height position of the seat plate 11 is detected by a sensor (seat plate sensor), and the height position is controlled accordingly. The type of sensor used here is not particularly limited, but a linear potentiometer, for example, can be mentioned.

[0018] [Backrest] The backrest 20 is a member that is rotatable about one end, which is the connection point with the seat plate 11, as shown by arrow IIIa in Figure 3, and supports the patient's torso from the back side. The backrest 20 is tiltable and erectable so that the patient can assume a seated position or a supine position. The backrest 20 tilts and erects by a hydraulic circuit connected from within the base 16. Specifically, the practitioner operates the foot switch 16a or the operation panel 41c of the doctor unit 40, and the hydraulic control means that receives the operation command appropriately operates the hydraulic cylinder incorporated in the hydraulic circuit, causing the backrest 20 to begin tilting and erecting. At this time, the tilt of the backrest 20 may be controlled by a sensor (backboard sensor) detecting the tilt angle. The type of sensor used here is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a rotary potentiometer.

[0019] <Backrest shape example 1> The backrest of the patient chair provided in the dental unit of the present disclosure is provided with a movement mechanism, which utilizes the force of the patient pushing the backrest to prevent it from shifting out of position with the patient's back when tilting or standing up. The backrest 20 according to the first embodiment will be described below. As shown in FIG. 3, in the first embodiment, the backrest 20 includes a back plate 21 and a moving mechanism 22.

[0020] In this embodiment, the back plate 21 is a plate-like member that comes into contact with the patient's back. The specific form of such a back plate is not particularly limited, and any known form can be applied.

[0021] The movement mechanism 22 includes a guide 23, a movement member (not shown), a stopper (not shown), a biasing member (not shown), and a control device 24 (see FIG. 4).

[0022] 3, the guide 23 is a rod-shaped member, one end of which extends toward the seat panel 11 and the other end of which faces the headrest 30. The guide 23 can rotate to tilt and stand up in accordance with the tilt and stand up of the backrest 20, but is held so that it cannot move in any other way.

[0023] The movable member (not shown) is fixed to the back plate 21 and moves integrally with the back plate 21. Meanwhile, the movable member is movable while being guided by the guide 23. The specific form of the movable member is not particularly limited, but for example, the movable member is a block fixed to the back plate 21, and the block is provided with a hole through which the guide 23 passes. The back plate 21 is held only via the movable member, and therefore the back plate 21 is freely movable linearly along the guide 23 via the movable member in directions toward and away from the seat plate 11, as shown by arrow IIIb in FIG. 3.

[0024] The stopper (not shown) is a member that restricts the movement of the movable member that is arranged to be movable relative to the guide 23. When the stopper is activated, the movable member cannot move along the guide 23, and when the stopper is released, the movable member is movable along the guide 23. The specific form of the stopper is not particularly limited, but examples include a brake mechanism fixed to the movable member that clamps and releases the guide 23, and a mechanism that has a protrusion that can be protruded and retracted from the movable member, which engages with a hole provided in the guide when the protrusion protrudes from the movable member and disengages from the guide when the protrusion retracts into the movable member.

[0025] The biasing member (not shown) is an elastic member that applies a force that resists the downward movement of the moving member. The specific form of such a biasing member is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include a spring.

[0026] The control device 24 receives signals from the doctor unit 40 (operation panel 41c) instructing the patient to tilt the backrest or stand up, and issues commands to activate and release the stoppers provided on the movement mechanism 22 of the patient chair 10. Figure 4 shows a conceptual diagram of the configuration of the arithmetic device 24. As can be seen from Figure 4, the arithmetic device 24 includes an operator 24a, a RAM 24b, a storage device 24c, a receiving device 24d, and an output device 24e. The operator 24a is configured by a so-called CPU (central processor), and is electrically connected to the doctor unit 40 and the stopper, and is a means for controlling these. The operator 24a also executes various programs stored in the storage device 24c, which functions as a storage medium, and performs calculations as a means for generating various data and selecting data based on the programs. The RAM 24b is a component that functions as a working area for the operator 24a and as a temporary data storage means. The RAM 24b can be configured with an SRAM, a DRAM, a flash memory, or the like, and is similar to a known RAM. The storage device 24c is a component that functions as a storage medium for storing programs and data that are the basis for various calculations. The storage device 24c may also be capable of storing various intermediate and final results obtained by executing the programs. In this embodiment, one of the programs stored in this memory device 24c includes a calculation that acquires a signal from the doctor unit 40 and / or a signal from the foot switch 16a and issues commands to activate and release the stopper based on the signal.

[0027] In the backrest 20 according to the first embodiment, when the stopper is released, the entire back panel 21 is free to move linearly along the guide 23 in the direction toward and away from the seat panel 11. On the other hand, when the stopper is activated, the movement (IIIb) of the back panel 21 is restricted.

[0028] <Backrest shape example 2> Next, a backrest 25 according to the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, a backrest 25 is used instead of the backrest 20 of the first embodiment. An explanatory diagram is shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a view taken from the same perspective as Fig. 3. As shown in FIG. 5, in the second embodiment, the backrest 25 includes a back panel 26 and a movement mechanism 27.

[0029] The back panel 26 is a plate-like member. In this embodiment, the back panel 26 is not a member that comes into direct contact with the patient's back, but supports the patient's weight via a moving member 28, which will be described later. Therefore, in this embodiment, one end of the back panel 26 is fixed to the seat panel 11, and the other end is fixed to the headrest 30. The back panel 26 can rotate to tilt and stand up in accordance with the tilt and stand of the backrest 25, but is held so that it cannot move in any other way.

[0030] The movement mechanism 27 includes a movement member 28, a sliding device (not shown), a stopper (not shown), a biasing member (not shown), and the control device 24.

[0031] In this embodiment, the moving member 28 is a plate-like member arranged to overlap the surface of the back board 26 that faces the back of the patient. The surface 28a of the moving member 28 that faces the opposite side to the back board 26 is the surface that comes into contact with the patient's back. Furthermore, the movable member 28 is held on the back plate 26 via a sliding device (not shown) described below, so that the movable member 28 is free to move linearly relative to the back plate 26 in the direction indicated by arrow V in Figure 5, moving towards and away from the seat plate 11.

[0032] The sliding member (not shown) is a member that holds the moving member 28 so that it can move relative to the back panel 26. This allows the moving member 28 to slide freely relative to the back panel 26 in the direction from the seat panel 11 toward the headrest 30 and in the opposite direction (the direction of arrow V in FIG. 5). The specific form of the sliding member is not particularly limited, but examples include a combination of paired members such as a guide rail fixed to the back panel 26 and a wheel fixed to the moving member 28 and moving along the guide rail.

[0033] The stopper (not shown) is a member that restricts the movement of the movable member 28 that is arranged to be movable relative to the back plate 26. When the stopper is activated, the movable member 28 cannot move along the back plate 26, and when the stopper is released, the movable member 28 is movable relative to the back plate 26. The specific form of the stopper is not particularly limited, but examples include a brake mechanism that prevents the pair of members that make up the sliding member from moving relative to each other, and a mechanism that uses engagement and disengagement of recesses and protrusions.

[0034] The biasing member (not shown) is an elastic member that applies a force resisting the downward movement of the moving member 28. The specific embodiment of such a biasing member is not particularly limited, but a spring or the like can be given as an example.

[0035] The control device 24 can be considered to be the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore the same reference numerals are used and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0036] In the backrest 25 according to the second embodiment, when the stopper is released, the movable member 28 arranged on the surface of the back panel 26 is free to move linearly along the back panel 26 in the direction toward or away from the seat panel 11. On the other hand, when the stopper is activated, the movable member restricts the movement (V) of the back panel 26.

[0037] [Headrest] The headrest 30 is a member that is disposed at the end of the backrest 20 or the backrest 25 opposite the end where the seat panel 11 is disposed, and is a member that supports the patient's head. The headrest 30 is formed to be movable and rotatable so that the patient's head can be positioned in a position convenient for treatment. Such movement of the headrest 30 is performed by a mechanism including a motor incorporated inside the backrest 20 or the backrest 25. Specifically, the practitioner operates a switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the backrest 20, the backrest 25, or the headrest 30, or an operation panel 41c of the doctor unit 40 (described later), and the headrest 30 moves and rotates when the mechanism receives the operation command.

[0038] In addition, the headrest 30 may be provided with a movement mechanism as described above for the backrest 20 and the backrest 25. This allows the headrest 30 to be freely movable in the direction indicated by the arrow IIIc in Fig. 3 when tilting and standing up, just like the backrest 20 and the backrest 25. On the other hand, after the tilting and standing up is completed, this freedom of movement can be restricted by a stopper. The specific form of the moving mechanism is not particularly limited, and can be configured, for example, in accordance with the above-mentioned "Backrest Form Example 1" and "Backrest Form Example 2," and each of the components described in these Form Examples 1 and 2 can be applied to the headrest.

[0039] [Leg rest] The leg rest 14 is a member that is rotatable about an axis at the end of the seat panel 11 opposite the side where the backrest 20 and the backrest 25 are arranged, and supports the legs of the patient. The leg rest 14 is rotatable so that it can be positioned vertically or horizontally in accordance with the tilted or erected positions of the backrest 20 and the backrest 25. Such rotation of the leg rest 14 is performed by a link mechanism that operates in conjunction with the tilting or erection of the backrest 20 and the backrest 25. Specifically, when the practitioner operates the foot switch 16a or the operation panel 41c of the doctor unit 40 as described above, the backrest 20 and the backrest 25 tilt or erect, and the leg rest 14 rotates in conjunction with this.

[0040] As is well known, the armrests 15 are members on which a patient can rest both arms while seated in the patient chair 10. Therefore, the armrests 15 are disposed on both sides of the seat plate 11 in the left and right directions (the left and right directions on the paper as viewed from the viewpoint of FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0041] 1.2.Doctor Unit The doctor unit 40 is provided with various devices on the side of the patient chair 10 opposite the assistant unit 50. In this embodiment, the doctor unit 40 has a work table 41, a first arm 42, and a second arm 43.

[0042] The work table 41 is equipped with various tools, switches, and the like required by the practitioner. Specifically, the work table 41 has a work surface 41a on its upper surface, and a handpiece group 41b used by the practitioner during treatment and a holder for storing these handpieces are provided at the rear end of the patient chair 10. Examples of handpieces included in the handpiece group 41b include air turbines, micromotors, scalers, syringes, and the like. Almost all of the handpieces are connected to electrical circuits, water circuits, air circuits, and the like via tubes. In addition, an operation panel 41c is provided between the work surface 41a and the holder. Various operation switches are provided on the operation panel 41c, such as those for starting and stopping the tilting and standing of the patient chair 10, starting and stopping the elevation, and turning the dental lighting on and off.

[0043] The first arm 42 is a hollow rod-shaped so-called arm member, one end of which is disposed below the base 16 and is rotatable within a horizontal plane. The first arm 42 can rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow Ia in FIG. The second arm 43 is also a hollow rod-shaped arm member. One end of the second arm 43 is disposed at the other end of the first arm 42, opposite the base 16 side. The workbench 41 is disposed at the other end of the second arm 43. The second arm 43 can rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow Ib in FIG. 1.

[0044] 1.3.Assistant unit The assistant unit 50 is installed on the side of the patient chair 10 opposite to the doctor unit 40, and various devices are also provided therein. In this embodiment, the assistant unit 50 includes a main body 51, an assistant hanger 52, a spitting receptacle 54, and a water supply device 55.

[0045] The main body 51 is a member constituting the main body of the assistant unit 50, and has an outer shell formed by a housing, with various members housed inside the housing. The members housed in the main body 51 are not particularly limited, and may include, for example, a water supply pipe to the water supply device 55, a drain pipe from the spitting receptacle 54, a mechanism for moving the spitting receptacle 54, and a device for cleaning the inside of the pipes, etc.

[0046] The assistant hanger 52 is a section equipped with tools mainly used by the assistant. Examples of tools placed on the assistant hanger 52 include handpieces such as a vacuum, a saliva ejector, and a syringe. In this embodiment, the assistant hanger 52 is rotatably connected to the main body 51 by an arm 53.

[0047] The spitting receptacle 54 is used by a patient to gargle and clean the mouth during or after treatment with water supplied from the water supply device 55. Therefore, the spitting receptacle 54 is bowl-shaped to discharge water from the mouth after gargling. The saliva and water discharged into the spitting receptacle 54 are discharged through a drain trap provided in the main body 31.

[0048] In this embodiment, the spitting receptacle 54 is rotatable within a horizontal plane toward and away from the patient, as indicated by arrow Ic in FIG. 1. This allows the spitting receptacle 54 to be positioned in front of the patient when needed, improving patient convenience. Although the cuspidor 54 is configured to rotate in this embodiment, it is not necessarily required and may be configured to move toward and away from the patient. The mechanism for rotating and moving the spitting receptacle 54 is not particularly limited and may be a known mechanism, and the mechanism may be disposed in the main body 51.

[0049] 2. Actions, effects, etc. The dental unit 1 described above operates, for example, as follows. When the patient is seated in the patient chair 10 and the backrest 20 or 25 of the patient chair 10 is tilted from the upright position (the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5), the practitioner operates the operation panel 41c of the doctor unit 40. This causes the backrest 20 or 25 to tilt. At the same time, the control device 24 receives a signal from the operation panel 41c, and the control device 24 releases the stopper. This allows the backrest 20 or 25 to move freely. Here, because there is a slight misalignment between the tilting movement of the backrest 20 or 25 due to the rotation axis and the tilting movement of the patient, the relative position of the surface of the backrest 20 or 25 and the patient's back may change, potentially causing friction. This friction could cause discomfort to the patient or force them to change their posture. In contrast, according to the present disclosure, when the backrest is tilted, the stopper is released by the movement mechanism, allowing the surface of the backrest 20 or 25 to move freely. This means that the backrest 20 or 25 moves together with the patient's back without causing friction at the contact points between the surface of the backrest 20 or 25 and the patient's back. In other words, it is possible to avoid the patient feeling uncomfortable or being forced to change their posture. When the backrest 20 or 25 has been completely tilted, the control device 24 receives a signal to that effect, and the stoppers restrict the movement of the backrest 20 or 25, fixing the position.

[0050] Although the above description has been given using an example of the backrest 20 or 25 being reclined, the same effect can also be achieved when the backrest 20 or 25 is changed from a reclined position to an upright position.

[0051] In addition, since the backrest 20 and the backrest 25 are movable when tilting and standing up, there is a possibility that the backrest 20 and the backrest 25 may suddenly drop significantly if, for example, the patient moves their back away from the backrest 20 and the backrest 25 while tilting and standing up. In contrast, in this embodiment, a biasing member is provided to prevent this from happening.

[0052] Although the backrest 20 and the backrest 25 have been described above, if the headrest 30 is also provided with a movement mechanism, the same effect can be achieved for the head. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1... dental unit, 10... patient chair, 20, 25... backrest, 24... control device, 30... headrest, 40... doctor unit, 50... assistant unit

Claims

1. A dental unit comprising a patient chair having a seat plate that can be raised and lowered, and a backrest that can be rotated relative to the seat plate and tilted upright, The backrest is supported so that a surface that contacts the patient's back can move toward and away from the seat plate; a stopper for switching between the free movement and the restricted movement of the backrest; A control device is provided for controlling the switching of the stopper, The control device releases the stopper when the backrest is tilted, thereby allowing the backrest to move freely. Dental unit.

2. The control device releases the stopper when the backrest is raised, thereby allowing the backrest to move freely. The dental unit of claim 1 .

3. Furthermore, a headrest is disposed on the backrest on the opposite side to the side on which the seat plate is disposed, The headrest is held so that a surface that contacts the patient's head can move away from and toward the seat plate, a headrest stopper that switches between the freedom of movement and the restriction of movement of the headrest; A control device is provided for controlling switching of the headrest stopper, The control device releases the headrest stopper when the backrest is tilted or raised, thereby controlling the movement to be free. A dental unit according to claim 1 or 2.

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