Dental treatment apparatus

Abstract

To easily prevent a heated head part of a dental instrument from touching the skin of a patient without increasing the size of the head part.SOLUTION: The dental treatment device includes a thermocamera which detects the infrared energy distribution of a target range including the oral cavity of a patient in a non-contact manner, an air turbine handpiece which is operated when the teeth of the patient are treated and comes into contact with the teeth of the patient, and a control device. The control device calculates a temperature distribution of the target range based on a detection result of the thermocamera, and performs an operation suppression process for suppressing an operation of the air turbine handpiece when the calculated temperature distribution of the target range includes an overheated part having a temperature higher than a temperature of the air turbine handpiece at the time of stopping by a predetermined value or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to dental treatment devices. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of dental treatment, dental instruments are typically held by the practitioner and used to contact the patient's teeth. Dental instruments include handpieces. Handpieces feature a cutting tool attached to a head that rotates at high speed while the tip of the cutting tool contacts the patient's tooth, thereby grinding and removing the affected area. The drive mechanism for rotating the tool holder, which holds the internal treatment tool, generates heat due to friction during rotation, which can cause the head to become hot. This abnormal heat buildup is particularly likely to occur if the handpiece is not properly maintained, such as by sterilization, cleaning, or lubrication. Therefore, if the handpiece head becomes hot, it is desirable to prevent the handpiece head from coming into direct contact with the patient.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent No. 6541817 (Patent Document 1) describes a dental handpiece in which a resin head cover is attached to the top surface of a metal head portion of the handpiece. The head cover is configured to form a gap between the head portion and the head cover when attached to the top surface of the head portion. This prevents the top surface of the metal head portion, which becomes hot, from coming into direct contact with the patient and ensures a cooling space that allows the head portion to dissipate heat from its surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6541817 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It is desirable to make the head portion of a dental handpiece as small as possible so that the surgeon can easily visually identify the affected area on the patient. However, in the handpiece described in Japanese Patent No. 6541817 (Patent Document 1), a head cover is attached to the top surface of the head portion, which increases the size of the head portion, raising concerns that it may become difficult for the surgeon to visually identify the affected area on the patient.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to make it easier to prevent a hot head portion of a dental instrument from coming into contact with the patient's skin, without increasing the size of the head portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The dental treatment device according to the present disclosure includes a thermo camera that detects infrared energy distribution in a target area including a patient's oral cavity in a non-contact manner, instruments that are activated and contact the patient's teeth during treatment, and a control device that controls the instruments. The control device calculates the temperature distribution in the target area based on the detection results of the thermo camera, and performs an operation suppression process to suppress operation of the instruments if the calculated temperature distribution in the target area includes an overheated portion whose temperature is higher by a predetermined value or more than the temperature when the instruments were stopped. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to easily prevent the head portion of a dental instrument that has become hot from coming into contact with the patient's skin, without increasing the size of the head portion of the dental instrument. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram (part 1) schematically illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a treatment device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram schematically illustrating a control configuration of a control device. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional view of a head portion of a handpiece. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the control device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detection range of a thermal camera. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the emissivity of a detection object. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram (part 1) showing an example of an image captured by an extraoral camera. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the control device. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing an example of an image captured by an extraoral camera. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart (part 3) illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the control device. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the treatment device. [Figure 12] FIG. 3 is a diagram (part 3) showing a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the treatment device. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a diagram (part 4) showing a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the treatment device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0011] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an example of the overall configuration of a treatment apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The treatment apparatus 1 is a dental treatment apparatus used to treat the teeth of a patient 2.

[0012] The treatment device 1 includes a chair unit 3, a control unit 4, a support shaft 5, an arm 6, a thermographic camera 10, an air turbine handpiece 20 which is a dental instrument, and a control device 100 arranged inside the control unit 4.

[0013] The patient 2 receives medical treatment from the surgeon on the seat 3a of the chair unit 3. The surgeon can change the posture of the seat 3a to a position appropriate for treating the patient by stepping on a foot controller (not shown). Note that Fig. 1 shows an example in which the cushion and back of the seat 3a are in a nearly horizontal position.

[0014] The arm 6 is rotatably attached to the support shaft 5. The arm 6 may also be attached to a pole extending from the ceiling or wall.

[0015] A thermographic camera 10 (hereinafter also referred to as "thermo camera 10") is attached to the tip of an arm 6. The position of the thermo camera 10 is adjusted by the operator so that the detection range of the thermo camera 10 is at a "detection position" that is a target range including the patient's oral cavity. When the thermo camera 10 is adjusted to the "detection position," the thermo camera 10 detects the infrared energy distribution in the target range including the patient's oral cavity (i.e., the detection range of the thermo camera 10) without contact. The detection results of the thermo camera 10 are transmitted to the control device 100 via wired or wireless communication.

[0016] The air turbine handpiece 20 (hereinafter simply referred to as "handpiece 20") is a dental instrument held by a practitioner and used to grind a patient's teeth. A cutting tool that rotates at high speed using air (compressed air) is located in the head of the handpiece 20. The configuration of the head of the handpiece 20 will be described later.

[0017] The control device 100 includes hardware components such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), an input interface, and a communication interface (none of which are shown). The control device 100 controls each device in the treatment device 1. The control device 100 has a function of controlling the handpiece 20 based on the detection results of the thermo camera 10.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram that schematically shows the control configuration of the control device 100. As shown in FIG.

[0019] In addition to the air turbine handpiece 20, dental instruments controlled by the control device 100 include a micromotor handpiece 30 and an ultrasonic scaler 40. Like the air turbine handpiece 20, the micromotor handpiece 30 is a dental instrument held by the practitioner and used to grind a patient's teeth. The head of the micromotor handpiece 30 is equipped with a cutting tool that rotates at high speed by the driving force of the micromotor. The ultrasonic scaler 40 is a dental instrument held by the practitioner and uses ultrasonic vibrations to break down tartar adhering to a patient's teeth.

[0020] Furthermore, the devices controlled by the control device 100 include peripheral devices such as an operating light 11, a microscope 12, an extraoral camera 13, a display 14, and a speaker 15 in addition to the dental instruments described above. The operating light 11 is a tool that illuminates the patient's oral cavity. The microscope 12 is a dental microscope that can expand the field of view by several tens of times compared to the naked eye. The extraoral camera 13 is a digital camera that photographs the patient's oral cavity from outside the patient's oral cavity. The display 14 is a device that displays images photographed by the extraoral camera 13, warning messages, etc. The speaker 15 is a device that outputs confirmation sounds, warning sounds, etc.

[0021] The control device 100 includes an acquisition unit 110, an instrument control unit 120, an air supply control unit 130, a motor rotation control unit 140, an ultrasonic oscillation control unit 150, and a peripheral equipment control unit 160 as functions for controlling the above-mentioned dental instruments and peripheral equipment.

[0022] The acquisition unit 110 acquires the detection results of the thermal camera 10. The instrument control unit 120 recognizes the dental instrument held by the practitioner, generates a control command for the recognized dental instrument, and transmits the generated control signal to the control unit (one of the air supply control unit 130, motor rotation control unit 140, and ultrasonic oscillation control unit 150) corresponding to the dental instrument held by the practitioner. The air supply control unit 130 controls the air (compressed air) for rotating the cutting tool in the air turbine handpiece 20 based on the control signal from the instrument control unit 120. The motor rotation control unit 140 controls the rotation speed of the micromotor for rotating the cutting tool in the micromotor handpiece 30 based on the control signal from the instrument control unit 120. The ultrasonic oscillation control unit 150 controls the ultrasonic vibration of the ultrasonic scaler 40 based on the control signal from the instrument control unit 120. The peripheral device control unit 160 controls the peripheral devices mentioned above.

[0023] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional view of the head portion of the air turbine handpiece 20. The head portion of the air turbine handpiece 20 includes a cutting tool 21, two bearings 23 each of which rotatably supports the cutting tool 21, and a metal cap 28 that covers the top of the head portion.

[0024] A tip portion 21a of the cutting tool 21 protrudes from the head portion. Two bearings 23 support the cutting tool 21 near the center and near the rear end, respectively. Each bearing 23 has an inner ring 24, an outer ring 25, a plurality of balls (rolling elements) 26 arranged between the inner ring 24 and the outer ring 25, and a retainer 27. The retainer 27 holds the plurality of balls 26 so that the plurality of balls 26 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction around the cutting tool 21.

[0025] Cutting tool 21 rotates at a high speed of about several hundred thousand revolutions per minute by supplying air (compressed air) to the body portion controlled by air supply control unit 130. When cutting tool 21 is rotating at high speed, tip portion 21a of cutting tool 21 comes into contact with the patient's tooth, thereby grinding the patient's tooth.

[0026] When the cutting tool 21 of the handpiece 20 is rotated at high speed, abnormal heat is generated, and the head portion of the handpiece 20 may become very hot.

[0027] One possible means for preventing the heated head portion from coming into contact with the patient's skin is to attach a resin cover to the upper surface of the metal head portion of handpiece 20, as described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent No. 6541817 (Patent Document 1). However, while it is desirable to make the head portion of handpiece 20 as small as possible to make it easier for the surgeon to visually identify the affected area on the patient, attaching a resin cover to the upper surface of the head portion increases the size of the head portion, which raises concerns that it may become more difficult for the surgeon to visually identify the affected area on the patient.

[0028] In consideration of the above, the treatment device 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a thermo camera 10 that detects the infrared energy distribution in a target area including the patient's oral cavity in a non-contact manner. The control device 100 according to this embodiment calculates the temperature distribution in the detection area of ​​the thermo camera 10 based on the detection results of the thermo camera 10, and if the calculated temperature distribution includes an overheated area, performs an operation suppression process to suppress the operation of the handpiece 20. This makes it easier to prevent the hot head portion of the handpiece 20 from coming into contact with the patient's skin without increasing the size of the head portion.

[0029] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the control device 100 according to this embodiment. This flowchart starts when it is detected that the handpiece 20 has been removed from the base (i.e., the operator has picked up the handpiece 20 in his / her hand).

[0030] First, the control device 100 acquires the detection result of the thermal camera 10, that is, the infrared energy distribution in the detection range of the thermal camera 10 (step S10).

[0031] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the detection range of the thermal camera 10. The detection range of the thermal camera 10 is adjusted by the surgeon so that it includes the entire oral cavity of the patient. As a result, no matter where the handpiece 20 is located in the oral cavity of the patient, the handpiece 20 is included in the detection range of the thermal camera 10, and the temperature of the handpiece 20 can be detected without omission.

[0032] Returning to FIG. 4, after obtaining the detection results of the thermal camera 10 in step S10, the control device 100 sets the emissivity of the head portion of the handpiece 20 (step S20). The infrared energy distribution detected by the thermal camera 10 is converted to a temperature distribution in step S30, which will be described later, and this conversion requires "emissivity." Emissivity is an index that represents the ease with which an object radiates heat, and is expressed as a number between 0 and 1.0. The higher the number, the higher the emissivity. Since emissivity varies depending on the material of the object, in order to accurately detect temperatures with the thermal camera 10, it is desirable to set the emissivity to match the material of the object to be detected.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the emissivity of a detection object. As shown in FIG. 6, the emissivity varies depending on the material of the detection object. The emissivity of human skin is 0.98, the emissivity of soft rubber is 0.95, the emissivity of stainless steel with a matte surface is 0.70, and the emissivity of stainless steel with a polished surface is 0.16. For example, if the head portion (metal cap 28, etc.) of handpiece 20, which is the detection object, is made of stainless steel with a matte surface, control device 100 sets the emissivity of the head portion of handpiece 20 to "0.70" in step S20. This allows the temperature of the head portion of handpiece 20 to be calculated appropriately.

[0034] Returning to FIG. 4, after setting the emissivity of the head portion in step S20, the control device 100 calculates the temperature distribution in the detection range of the thermal camera 10 using the infrared energy distribution in the detection range of the thermal camera 10 acquired in step S10 and the emissivity of the head portion set in step S20 (step S30).

[0035] Next, the control device 100 determines whether or not the temperature distribution in the detection range of the thermal camera 10 calculated in step S30 includes any overheated areas (step S40). Here, an overheated area is an area that is higher than the reference temperature by a predetermined value (for example, a value of about 10 to 30°C), where the reference temperature is the temperature when the handpiece 20 is stopped. Note that the reference temperature (the temperature when the handpiece 20 is stopped) may be a predetermined fixed value or a measured value (variable value), but is generally set to a temperature close to the ambient temperature of the treatment location.

[0036] If the temperature distribution in the detection range of the thermal camera 10 does not include any overheated areas (NO in step S40), the control device 100 skips the subsequent processing and ends the processing.

[0037] On the other hand, if the temperature distribution in the detection range of the thermo camera 10 includes an overheated portion (YES in step S40), the control device 100 determines whether the image captured by the extraoral camera 13 includes a portion that matches the shape of the head portion of the handpiece 20 (step S50). The processing of step S50 is intended to confirm, from the image captured by the extraoral camera 13, that the handpiece 20 is present near the patient's oral cavity. Note that shape data of the head portion of the handpiece 20 is registered in advance.

[0038] 7 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured by the extraoral camera 13. The control device 100 determines by image processing whether the image captured by the extraoral camera 13 includes a portion that matches the shape data of the head portion of the handpiece 20.

[0039] Returning to FIG. 4, if the image captured by the extraoral camera 13 does not include a portion that matches the shape of the head portion of the handpiece 20 (NO in step S50), the control device 100 skips the subsequent processing and terminates the processing.

[0040] On the other hand, if the image captured by the extraoral camera 13 includes a portion that matches the shape of the head portion of the handpiece 20 (YES in step S50), the control device 100 performs an operation suppression process (steps S60 and S70) to suppress the operation of the handpiece 20. Specifically, the control device 100 notifies the surgeon using the display 14 or speaker 15 that an overheating abnormality has occurred in the handpiece 20 (step S60), and stops the operation of the handpiece 20 (step S70).

[0041] As described above, the control device 100 according to this embodiment calculates the temperature distribution in the detection range of the thermal camera 10 based on the detection results of the thermal camera 10, and if the calculated temperature distribution includes an overheated area, performs an operation suppression process to suppress the operation of the handpiece 20. This makes it easier to prevent the hot head portion of the handpiece 20 from coming into contact with the patient's skin without increasing the size of the head portion.

[0042] <Variation 1> 4, the process of step S50 may be omitted. That is, when the temperature distribution in the detection range of the thermo camera 10 includes an overheated portion (YES in step S40), an operation inhibition process for inhibiting the operation of the handpiece 20 may be performed (steps S60 and S70) without checking the image captured by the extraoral camera 13.

[0043] 4, the operation inhibition process does not necessarily have to include both steps S60 and S70, but may include only one of the steps. That is, the operation inhibition process may simply notify the surgeon that an overheating abnormality has occurred (step S60), or may simply stop the operation of the handpiece 20 (step S70).

[0044] <Variation 2> Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the control device 100 according to the present modified example 2. The flowchart in Fig. 8 is obtained by adding step S51 to the flowchart in Fig. 4 described above.

[0045] If the temperature distribution in the detection range of the thermal camera 10 includes an overheated portion (YES in step S40) and if the image captured by the extraoral camera 13 includes a portion that matches the shape of the head portion (YES in step S50), the control device 100 determines whether the position of the overheated portion detected by the thermal camera 10 matches the position of the head portion captured by the extraoral camera 13 (step S51).

[0046] Then, if the position of the overheated part detected by the thermal camera 10 matches the position of the head part photographed by the extraoral camera 13 (YES in step S51), the control device 100 performs an operation suppression process to suppress the operation of the handpiece 20 (steps S60, S70).

[0047] In this way, when an overheated portion is detected by the thermo camera 10 and the position of the overheated portion detected by the thermo camera 10 coincides with the position of the head portion photographed by the extraoral camera 13, an operation inhibiting process may be performed to inhibit the operation of the handpiece 20. This allows the operation inhibiting process to be performed based on the results of accurately determining the presence or absence of abnormal heat using both the thermo camera 10 and the extraoral camera 13.

[0048] <Variation 3> The temperature distribution of the head portion detected by the thermo camera 10 may be superimposed on the image captured by the extraoral camera 13 displayed on the screen of the display 14.

[0049] 9 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured by the extraoral camera 13 and displayed on the display 14. As shown in Fig. 9, the temperature distribution detected by the thermal camera 10 may be superimposed on the entire head portion of the handpiece 20 in the image captured by the extraoral camera 13. By displaying it in this manner, the surgeon looking at the display 14 can visually recognize abnormal overheating of the handpiece 20.

[0050] <Variation 4> 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the control device 100 according to Modification 4. The flowchart in FIG. 10 is obtained by adding step S52 to the flowchart in FIG.

[0051] If the temperature distribution in the detection range of the thermal camera 10 includes an overheated area (YES in step S40) and if the image captured by the extraoral camera 13 includes an area that matches the shape of the head portion (YES in step S50), the control device 100 determines whether the handpiece 20 is rotating (step S52).

[0052] If the handpiece 20 is in rotational operation (YES in step S52), the control device 100 performs an operation suppression process to suppress the operation of the handpiece 20 (steps S60, S70).

[0053] In this way, when an overheated portion is detected by the thermal camera 10 and the handpiece 20 is in rotational operation, an operation inhibiting process may be performed to inhibit the operation of the handpiece 20. This makes it possible to prevent the operation inhibiting process from being performed unnecessarily even when the handpiece 20 is stopped.

[0054] <Variation 5> The thermal camera 10 may be supported integrally with peripheral devices by a support shaft 5.

[0055] 11 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of a treatment device 1A, which is an example of Modification 5. In treatment device 1A, a thermo camera 10 and an operating light 11 are integrally supported on a support shaft 5 via an arm 6A.

[0056] 12 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a treatment device 1B, which is another example of Modified Example 5. In treatment device 1B, a thermo camera 10 and a microscope 12 are integrally supported on a support shaft 5 via an arm 6B.

[0057] 13 is a diagram schematically illustrating the overall configuration of a treatment device 1C, which is another example of Modified Example 5. In treatment device 1C, a thermo-camera 10 and an extraoral camera 13 are integrally supported on a support shaft 5 via an arm 6C.

[0058] In this way, the thermal camera 10 may be supported integrally with the peripheral equipment by the support shaft 5.

[0059] <Variation 6> In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which an operation suppression process is performed to suppress the operation of the air turbine handpiece 20 when the temperature distribution in the detection range of the thermal camera 10 includes an overheated portion.

[0060] However, the target on which the action suppression process is performed is not necessarily limited to the air turbine handpiece 20, as long as it is a dental instrument that is activated and comes into contact with the patient's teeth during treatment of the patient's teeth. For example, the target on which the action suppression process is performed may be the micromotor handpiece 30.

[0061] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. Note that the configurations exemplified in the present embodiment and the configurations exemplified in the modified examples can be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1 treatment device, 2 patient, 3 chair unit, 3a seat, 4 control unit, 5 spindle, 6, 6A, 6B, 6C arms, 10 thermography camera, 11 operating light, 12 microscope, 13 extraoral camera, 14 display, 15 speaker, 20 air turbine handpiece, 21 cutting tool, 21a tip portion, 23 bearing, 24 inner ring, 25 outer ring, 26 ball, 27 retainer, 28 metal cap, 30 micromotor handpiece, 40 ultrasonic scaler, 100 control device, 110 acquisition unit, 120 instrument control unit, 130 air supply control unit, 140 motor rotation control unit, 150 ultrasonic oscillation control unit, 160 peripheral device control unit.

Claims

1. A dental treatment device used for dental treatment, a thermal camera that detects infrared energy distribution in a target area including the patient's oral cavity without contact; an instrument that is activated to contact the patient's teeth during treatment of the patient's teeth; a control device that controls the instrument, The control device Calculating a temperature distribution in the target area based on the detection results of the thermal camera; A dental treatment device that performs an operation suppression process to suppress the operation of the instrument when the calculated temperature distribution in the target range includes an overheated portion having a temperature that is higher than the temperature when the instrument is stopped by a predetermined value or more.

2. 2. The dental treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the control device calculates the temperature distribution of the target area by converting the infrared energy distribution of the target area detected by the thermal camera into an emissivity that matches the material of the instrument.

3. Further provided is a digital camera for photographing the patient's oral cavity, The control device Acquiring an image of the oral cavity taken with the digital camera; The dental treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the operation suppression process is performed when the target range includes the overheated portion and the image of the oral cavity includes an image that matches the shape of the instrument.

4. The dental treatment device according to claim 3, wherein the control device performs the operation suppression processing when the overheated portion is included in the temperature distribution of the target range and the position of the overheated portion coincides with the position of the instrument.

5. The dental treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device performs the operation suppression process when the overheated portion is included in the temperature distribution of the target range and the instrument is in operation.

6. The apparatus further includes a peripheral device supported by the support shaft, The dental treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the thermo-camera is supported integrally with the peripheral device by the support shaft.

7. The dental treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the operation suppression process includes at least one of a process of stopping the operation of the instrument and a process of notifying an operator performing treatment that the instrument is overheating.

8. The dental treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instrument is an air turbine handpiece for cutting the patient's teeth.

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