Pump unit and dental apparatus equipped therewith

Abstract

To provide a technique that prevents an internal pressure from becoming greater than a predetermined pressure, and prevents a dental device from failing.SOLUTION: A pump unit comprises a tube pump, and a relief valve 50. The relief valve 50 includes a first connection port 51a, a second connection port 51b, a third connection port 51c, a fourth connection port 51d, a flow pipeline 53, and a switching valve 54. The switching valve 54 is provided in the flow pipeline 53, and is biased to a first position by an elastic body 55a. When a pressure in the flow pipeline 53 becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure, the switching valve 54 moves to a second position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a pump unit and a dental device including the same.

Background Art

[0002] Some dental devices spray cleaning water during treatment. For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-336546) discloses a medical laser treatment device that sprays a mixed fluid of a liquid and a gas in a mist form onto an irradiation site of laser light. By spraying the mixed fluid of the liquid and the gas in a mist form onto the treatment site, this medical laser treatment device not only cools the site irradiated with the laser light and removes foreign substances near the site irradiated with the laser light, but also forms a thin film of water on the site irradiated with the laser light to improve the absorption efficiency of the laser light.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a device that sprays cleaning water onto an affected area, the discharge port of the cleaning water may become clogged due to foreign substances adhering to it when the discharge port touches the affected area, or due to salts contained in the cleaning water precipitating. When the discharge port of the cleaning water becomes clogged, the internal pressure of the tube in the pump increases, so the tube may be damaged and the cleaning water may leak into the device interior. If the interior of the device gets wet with water, it may lead to malfunction of the device. Therefore, even when the discharge port of the cleaning water becomes clogged, it is necessary to prevent the tube from being damaged and the water in the tube from leaking into the device. In this regard, in the medical laser treatment device disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-336546), no measures have been considered for the case where the internal pressure of the tube in the pump increases.

[0005] This disclosure was made to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a technology that prevents the internal pressure of a pump unit in a dental device from exceeding a predetermined pressure, thereby preventing the dental device from malfunctioning. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The pump unit according to this disclosure is provided in a dental apparatus. The pump unit comprises a tube pump including a suction port for drawing in a medium and a discharge port for discharging the medium, and a relief valve connected to the suction port and the discharge port. The relief valve includes a first connection port, a second connection port, a third connection port, a fourth connection port, a flow line, and a switching valve. The first connection port is connected to the suction port. The second connection port is connected to the discharge port. The third connection port is connected to a supply line that supplies medium to the tube pump. The fourth connection port is connected to a discharge line that discharges the medium from the tube pump. The flow line is connected to the first connection port, the second connection port, the third connection port, and the fourth connection port. The switching valve is provided in the flow line and is biased to a first position by an elastic body. The switching valve moves to a second position when the pressure in the flow line exceeds a predetermined pressure. If a switching valve is present in position 1, the medium introduced from the third connection port is drawn in through the first connection port by the tube pump, and the medium introduced from the second connection port is discharged through the fourth connection port. If a switching valve is present in position 2, the introduction of medium from the third connection port is stopped, and the medium introduced from the second connection port is returned to the first connection port. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The pump unit of this disclosure prevents the internal pressure from exceeding a predetermined pressure, thereby preventing the dental device from malfunctioning. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows the external appearance of a laser treatment device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows the external appearance of a laser treatment device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows the external appearance of the pump unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the configuration of a tube pump according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the configuration of the relief valve according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows how the flow path changes depending on the position of the switching valve according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated.

[0010] [Configuration of a laser treatment device] Dental devices that spray cleaning water include laser treatment devices and ultrasonic scalers. The dental devices relating to this disclosure are not limited to the devices described above, but in the description of this embodiment, a laser treatment device that irradiates the affected area with a laser for treatment is used.

[0011] In laser treatment devices, cleaning water is injected into the area being treated with laser light in conjunction with the laser irradiation to cool the affected area, cleanse the area, and improve the absorption efficiency of the laser light. Many laser treatment devices are portable, and in such cases, they are equipped with a tank for storing cleaning water and a tube pump to draw the cleaning water from the tank. The outlet for the cleaning water is located near the part from which the laser light is emitted, and may become clogged with foreign matter that comes into contact with and adheres to the affected area, or with crystals formed from salts contained in the cleaning water.

[0012] If the discharge port becomes clogged, the internal pressure of the tubing inside the pump will increase, which may cause the tubing to rupture. If cleaning water leaks from the ruptured tubing into the device, the device may malfunction. Therefore, it is desirable for the user to stop the pump if the discharge port becomes clogged, but users who are focused on treatment may not notice that the discharge port is clogged. Alternatively, it is conceivable to prevent tubing rupture by installing a sensor to measure the internal pressure of the tubing and a mechanism to stop the pump if the pressure exceeds a predetermined level in the laser treatment device, but sensors are generally expensive, which would increase the manufacturing cost of the laser treatment device.

[0013] Therefore, the pump unit 100 of the laser treatment device 1 according to this embodiment has a relief valve that switches the position of a switching valve when the internal pressure of the tube reaches a set pressure, and returns the cleaning water discharged from the pump to the suction port in order to lower the internal pressure. The relief valve according to this embodiment is not configured to open the valve to discharge the cleaning water to the outside of the relief valve in order to lower the pressure when the internal pressure of the tube reaches a set pressure. The relief valve according to this embodiment prevents the pressure from exceeding the set pressure by utilizing the structure of the tube pump and returning the cleaning water discharged from the pump to the suction port. As a result, the pump unit 100 can prevent the tube from being damaged due to an increase in internal pressure of the tube, and prevent the leaked water from causing the device to malfunction, and there is no need to discharge cleaning water with the relief valve to keep the pressure below the set pressure. In particular, with portable devices, it is not always possible to drain the cleaning water discharged by the relief valve to an external drain port, and there is a problem that the device itself will become larger if a tank is provided to store the discharged cleaning water.

[0014] This embodiment describes a laser treatment device that, when the discharge port of the handpiece becomes clogged and the internal pressure of the pump tube increases, can prevent water leakage into the device by returning the medium discharged from the pump to the suction port of the pump, thereby suppressing the rise in internal pressure of the pump without stopping the pump using a pressure sensor or the like. Specifically, the configuration of the laser treatment device according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

[0015] The main components of the laser treatment device 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The laser treatment device 1 according to the embodiment is used, for example, in dental treatment when treating the teeth in a patient's oral cavity. It should be noted that the laser treatment device 1 according to the embodiment is also applicable to fields other than dentistry, such as orthopedics, otolaryngology, surgery, urology, dermatology, and ophthalmology.

[0016] Figures 1 and 2 show the external appearance of a laser treatment device 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the laser treatment device 1 includes a housing 10. The housing 10 is formed as a rectangular or substantially rectangular parallelepiped including a top surface 10A, a bottom surface 10B, a front surface 10C, a rear surface 10D, a right side surface 10E, and a left side surface 10F, and accommodates the various components of the laser treatment device 1. In the following description, the laser treatment device 1 will be described with the axis along the horizontal direction of the housing 10 (the short side direction of the front surface 10C and the rear surface 10D) set as the X-axis, the axis along the vertical direction of the housing 10 (the short side direction of the right side surface 10E and the left side surface 10F) set as the Y-axis, and the axis along the height direction of the housing 10 (the long side direction of the front surface 10C, the rear surface 10D, the right side surface 10E, and the left side surface 10F) set as the Z-axis, assuming the laser treatment device 1 is installed on a mounting surface.

[0017] The laser treatment device 1 comprises a connection part 11, a waveguide 12, a handpiece 13, a holding part 14, a connection part 15, at least one leg part 17, a handle 18, a display 19, and a tray 20.

[0018] The connection part 11 is provided on the upper surface 10A of the housing 10 and has poles along which the waveguide 12 is arranged. By arranging the flexible waveguide 12 along the poles, the user can move the waveguide 12 to a desired position, and it is configured to change in accordance with the movement of the waveguide 12. The waveguide 12 extends flexibly and transmits the laser light transmitted from inside the housing 10 to the handpiece 13. The handpiece 13 emits the laser light transmitted through the waveguide 12 to the outside.

[0019] The holding part 14 is provided on the upper surface 10A of the housing 10 and is rotatable along the X - Y plane on the upper surface 10A. The holding part 14 fixes the handpiece 13 to the housing 10 by holding the handpiece 13 at its tip.

[0020] The connection part 15 is provided on the upper surface 10A of the housing 10 and is connected to the upper surface 10A of the waveguide 12. The connection part 15 connects the laser device provided inside the housing 10 and the waveguide 12, and also connects a water channel (not shown) provided along the waveguide 12 and a tube pump (see FIG. 3) provided inside the housing 10. The water channel supplies the cleaning water supplied from the tube pump provided inside the housing 10 to the handpiece 13. The handpiece 13 emits the cleaning water supplied through the water channel to the outside.

[0021] At least one leg part 17 is provided on the bottom surface 10B of the housing 10, creating a gap between the bottom surface 10B and the installation surface on which the housing 10 is installed. Specifically, each of the at least one leg part 17 includes at least one wheel 170. The housing 10 is in contact with the installation surface via at least one wheel 170 provided on the bottom surface 10B, and a gap is created between the bottom surface 10B and the installation surface by the at least one wheel 170.

[0022] In the laser treatment device 1 according to this embodiment, four legs 17A, 17B, 17C, and 17D are provided on the bottom surface 10B of the housing 10. Each of the four legs 17A, 17B, 17C, and 17D includes four wheels 170A, 170B, 170C, and 170D. Hereinafter, the four legs 17A, 17B, 17C, and 17D will be collectively referred to simply as "legs 17". The four wheels 170A, 170B, 170C, and 170D will be collectively referred to simply as "wheels 170". By rotating the wheels 170 on the installation surface of the laser treatment device 1, the laser treatment device 1 can be moved on the installation surface. This allows, for example, a user to move the laser treatment device 1 to the location where the patient is when using it, and to move the laser treatment device 1 to its storage location when not using it. Furthermore, at least one leg portion 17 may not include at least one wheel 170, but simply fix the housing 10 to the mounting surface.

[0023] The handle 18 is the part that the user grips when moving the laser treatment device 1. The display 19 displays various information related to the treatment of patients using the laser treatment device 1. The tray 20 holds treatment instruments and other items necessary when the user treats patients using the laser treatment device 1.

[0024] Although not shown in the diagram, the laser treatment apparatus 1 also includes a laser device that includes a resonator (oscillator) for generating laser light. The resonator includes a laser rod and a flash lamp. The laser rod is, for example, a columnar solid laser rod formed from a YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) crystal doped with erbium ions (Er). The laser rod becomes excited when irradiated with excitation light from the flash lamp, and emits laser light by amplifying naturally emitted light.

[0025] Furthermore, the resonator is not limited to an Er:YAG laser; it may also be another type of YAG laser, such as an Nd:YAG laser using a YAG crystal doped with neodymium (Nd) luminescent atoms. Additionally, the resonator is not limited to a YAG laser; it may also be a gas laser such as a CO2 laser, or a liquid laser, or any other type of laser device.

[0026] With the laser treatment device 1 configured as described above, the user can extend the waveguide 12 while holding the handpiece 13 to position the tip of the handpiece 13 near the patient's affected area, and apply the laser light and cleaning water emitted from the tip of the handpiece 13 to the affected area. This allows the user to treat the affected area using the laser light emitted by the laser treatment device 1.

[0027] [Pump Unit Configuration] The main components of the pump unit 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the pump unit 100 according to the embodiment. The pump unit 100 is housed in the housing 10 of the laser treatment device 1 and supplies cleaning water to the handpiece 13. As shown in Figure 3, the pump unit 100 includes a tube pump 40, a relief valve 50, and an air damper 60.

[0028] The tube pump 40 includes a suction port 41a for drawing in the medium and a discharge port 41b for discharging the medium.

[0029] The suction port 41a is connected to the sterile water bottle 30 via a relief valve 50. When the tube pump 40 draws suction, the washing water in the sterile water bottle 30 is drawn up through the supply line 35. The sterile water bottle 30 and the supply line 35 are housed in the housing 10.

[0030] The discharge port 41b discharges the cleaning water pumped up by the suction port 41a. The discharged cleaning water passes through the relief valve 50, the discharge pipe 65, and the solenoid valve 70. The solenoid valve 70 opens at the time the laser beam is irradiated, allowing the cleaning water to pass through. After passing through the solenoid valve 70, the cleaning water passes through a water channel provided along the waveguide 12 and is injected into the patient's oral cavity from the handpiece 13. The discharge pipe 65 and the solenoid valve 70 are housed in the housing 10. The operation of the tube pump 40 and the opening of the solenoid valve 70 are performed at the time the laser beam is irradiated. As a result, the cleaning water is injected in conjunction with the irradiation of the laser beam.

[0031] The relief valve 50 is provided with four connection ports 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d. Connection port 51a is connected to the suction port 41a of the tube pump 40. Connection port 51b is connected to the discharge port 41b of the tube pump 40. Connection port 51c is connected to the supply line 35. Connection port 51d is connected to the discharge line 65.

[0032] The air damper 60 is connected to the relief valve 50 and suppresses the pulsation of the cleaning water discharged from the connection port 51d.

[0033] [Components of a tube pump] The internal configuration of the tube pump 40 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. The tube pump 40 comprises a rotating body 42, a rotating shaft 43, a roller 44, and a tube 45 having a suction port 41a and a discharge port 41b at both ends.

[0034] The rotating body 42 is mounted so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis 43. A roller 44 is attached to the tip of the rotating body 42. The tube 45 is mounted so as to run around the circumference of the rotating body 42. The portion of the tube 45 that is in contact with the roller 44 is squeezed and compressed between the roller 44 and the outer wall.

[0035] When power is supplied, the rotating body 42 rotates counterclockwise around the rotation axis 43. As the roller 44 rotates while compressing the tube 45, a negative pressure is generated when the roller 44 and the tube 45 separate, allowing cleaning water to be drawn in through the suction port 41a. The drawn-in cleaning water is discharged from the discharge port 41b as the roller rotates. Through this series of operations, the tube pump 40 discharges the medium drawn in through the suction port 41a from the discharge port 41b.

[0036] [Relief valve configuration] The internal configuration of the relief valve 50 according to the embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 5.

[0037] The relief valve 50 has four connection ports 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d, as well as a connection port 52, a flow line 53, a switching valve 54, and a fastener 55.

[0038] The connection port 52 is a connection port for connecting the air damper 60 and the flow pipeline 53. The flow pipeline 53 is a pipeline located inside the relief valve 50, and is connected to four connection ports 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d.

[0039] The switching valve 54 moves within the flow pipeline 53 in response to pressure. Inside the switching valve 54, flow paths 54a and 54b are formed. Flow path 54a allows the cleaning water that has flowed into the relief valve 50 from the connection port 51c to flow towards the connection port 51a. Flow path 54b allows the cleaning water that has flowed into the relief valve 50 from the connection port 51b to flow towards the connection port 51a. The position of the switching valve 54 will be described later.

[0040] The fastener 55 has an elastic body 55a inside. The fastener 55 seals one end of the flow pipeline 53. The elastic body 55a biases the switching valve 54 so that it does not move until the flow pipeline 53 reaches a predetermined pressure.

[0041] The air damper 60 is connected to the flow pipeline 53 via the connection port 52. An air chamber is provided inside the air damper 60. The air damper 60 suppresses pulsation. In the tube pump 40, the tube 45 is compressed until just before the roller 44 separates, but as the roller 44 separates, the tube 45 begins to open. As the tube 45 opens, suction occurs, and a force acts on the flushing water being pumped in the opposite direction to the discharge side, causing pulsation. The air damper 60 can suppress pulsation by receiving the force in the opposite direction to the discharge side through the air inside the damper 60.

[0042] [Position of the switching valve] Next, we will explain the two possible positions of the switching valve 54 and the paths through which the cleaning water flows when the switching valve 54 is in each position. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the positions of the switching valve 54 and the paths through which the cleaning water flows.

[0043] When the pressure in the flow pipeline 53 is less than a predetermined pressure, the switching valve 54 is in the first position. Therefore, when there is no blockage at the point where the cleaning water is discharged from the handpiece 13, the cleaning water flows into the relief valve 50 from the connection port 51c as indicated by arrow F1, and passes through the flow path 54a of the switching valve 54. The cleaning water that has passed through the flow path 54a is drawn into the tube pump 40 from the connection port 51a as indicated by arrow F2, and flows into the relief valve 50 from the connection port 51b as indicated by arrow F3. The cleaning water that has flowed in from the connection port 51b is sent to the handpiece 13 from the connection port 51d as indicated by arrow F4. When the switching valve 54 is in the first position, the flow pipeline 53 is blocked by the switching valve 54, so the cleaning water cannot pass through the flow pipeline 53.

[0044] The specified pressure is, for example, the pressure resistance of the tube pump 40. If excessive pressure is applied to the tube pump 40, the tube 45 may burst. Therefore, the pressure applied to the tube pump 40 must be less than the pressure at which the tube 45 will burst. Specifically, the specified pressure is 0.10 MPa to 0.30 MPa.

[0045] If the discharge port for the cleaning water in the handpiece 13 becomes clogged, the cleaning water cannot be discharged from the connection port 51d. As the tube pump 40 continues to pump out the cleaning water, the pressure in the flow pipeline 53 increases. When the pressure in the flow pipeline 53 exceeds a predetermined pressure, the switching valve 54 pushes the elastic body 55a and moves towards the fastener 55. As a result, when the pressure in the flow pipeline 53 exceeds a predetermined pressure, the switching valve 54 moves to the second position. In the second position, the switching valve 54 closes the connection port 51c, preventing cleaning water from flowing in through the connection port 51c. Also, when the switching valve 54 is in the second position, the cleaning water that flows into the flow pipeline 53 from the connection port 51b can pass through the flow path 54b of the switching valve 54, as indicated by arrow F5. The cleaning water that has passed through the flow path 54b flows into the tube pump 40 from the connection port 51a. In other words, when the switching valve 54 is in the second position, the cleaning water discharged from the tube pump 40 passes through the flow pipeline 53 and flows back into the tube pump 40. Therefore, even if the tube pump 40 continues to operate, the pressure in the flow pipeline 53 does not rise.

[0046] Furthermore, when the blockage in the cleaning water outlet of the handpiece 13 is cleared, cleaning water is discharged from the connection port 51d, and the pressure in the flow pipeline 53 decreases. When the pressure in the flow pipeline 53 falls below a predetermined pressure, the switching valve 54 returns to the first position due to the elastic force received from the elastic body 55a. In this way, the change in position of the switching valve 54 is reversible, and the switching valve 54 can move according to the magnitude of the pressure in the flow pipeline 53.

[0047] According to the pump unit 100 of this embodiment, even if the discharge port of the handpiece 13 becomes clogged and the medium can no longer be discharged, the switching valve 54 moves, allowing the tube pump 40 to continue operating while preventing excessive pressure buildup. Since the medium does not leak out of the pump unit 100, the device equipped with the pump unit 100 can be prevented from malfunctioning due to water leakage. Furthermore, the manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced compared to a mechanism that controls the operation of the tube pump 40 using a pressure-sensing sensor.

[0048] In this embodiment, the air damper 60 is connected to the relief valve 50, but it does not have to be directly connected to the relief valve 50 as long as it can suppress the pulsation of the medium discharged from the tube pump 40. For example, it may be provided at the outlet 41b or the discharge pipeline 65. However, by connecting the air damper 60 to the relief valve 50, not only is the pulsation caused by the tube pump 40 suppressed, but for example, when a blockage occurs, it becomes easier for the user to be notified of the problem. Specifically, if the discharge port of the handpiece 13 is not completely blocked by foreign matter, but is partially blocked, a small amount of water will be injected from the discharge port, but the pressure in the flow pipeline 53 will rise. In that case, the cleaning water will compress the air in the air damper 60 before the switching valve 54 moves. As a result, the air damper 60 will no longer be able to suppress the pulsation. Therefore, pulsation will be observed in the cleaning water discharged from the discharge port of the handpiece 13. The user can recognize that the handpiece 13 is partially clogged by the pulsation of the cleaning water discharged from the handpiece 13. Furthermore, by connecting the air damper 60 to the relief valve 50, the number of necessary parts can be reduced compared to other connection configurations, thereby lowering manufacturing costs.

[0049] Furthermore, the air damper 60 can be mounted at any position on the housing of the relief valve 50, as long as it can be connected to the pipeline through which the medium is discharged from the tube pump 40. Note that if the relief valve 50 is rectangular in shape, with connection ports 51a and 51b on the first surface and connection ports 51c and 51d on the second surface facing the first surface, it is preferable that the air damper 60 be mounted on a surface perpendicular to the first and second surfaces. This is because if the mounting position of the air damper 60 is on the first or second surface, tools used to attach the relief valve 50 may come into contact with the connection ports 51a to 51d, making it difficult to attach the air damper 60 to the relief valve 50.

[0050] Furthermore, the internal space of the housing 10 is limited. Therefore, it is preferable that the components within the housing 10 be as compact as possible. The position in which the air damper 60 is connected to the relief valve 50 may be determined in accordance with the positions in which the other components are arranged.

[0051] It is preferable that the piping between the tube pump 40 and the relief valve 50 be short. If the tube 45 of the tube pump 40 and the switching valve 54 are far apart, the tube pressure loss increases with the length of the tube, so the pressure applied to the switching valve 54 may not be the same as the pressure applied to the tube 45. Also, if the tube 45 of the tube pump 40 and the switching valve 54 are far apart, liquid may drip from the tip of the handpiece 13, or cleaning water may backflow into the sterile water bottle 30. Furthermore, by shortening the piping between the tube pump 40 and the relief valve 50 and placing the tube pump 40 and the relief valve 50 closer together, the pump unit 100 can be made more space-saving. Short piping between the tube pump 40 and the relief valve 50 means, for example, that the piping from the relief valve 50 to the tube pump 40 is shorter than the flow piping 53, and that the piping from the suction port 41a to the housing of the tube pump 40, and the piping from the discharge port 41b to the housing of the tube pump 40 are shorter than the flow piping 53.

[0052] The pump unit 100 shown in this embodiment is not limited to laser treatment devices, but can be applied to any device that requires a medium to be delivered by a pump. For example, it can be applied to dental ultrasonic scalers.

[0053] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of this disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope of equivalence to the claims are intended to be included. The configurations illustrated in the embodiments and the configurations illustrated in the variations may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 1 Laser treatment device, 10 Housing, 11, 15 Connection parts, 12 Waveguide, 13 Handpiece, 14 Holding part, 17, 17A, 17B, 17C, 17D Legs, 18 Handle, 19 Display, 20 Tray, 30 Sterilized water bottle, 35 Supply line, 40 Tube pump, 41a Suction port, 41b Discharge port, 42 Rotating body, 43 Rotating shaft, 44 Roller, 45 Tube, 50 Relief valve, 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d, 52 Connection port, 53 Flow line, 54 Switching valve, 54a, 54b Flow path, 55 Fastener, 55a Elastic body, 60 Air damper, 65 Discharge line, 70 Solenoid valve, 100 Pump unit, 170, 170A, 170B, 170C, 170D wheel.

Claims

1. A pump unit provided in a dental device, A tube pump including a suction port for drawing in the medium and an outlet for discharging the medium, The system includes a relief valve connected to the suction port and the discharge port, The aforementioned relief valve is A first connection port connected to the aforementioned suction port, A second connection port connected to the aforementioned discharge port, A third connection port connected to a supply pipeline that supplies a medium to the tube pump, A fourth connection port is connected to a discharge pipeline for discharging the medium from the tube pump, A flow conduit connected to the first connection port, the second connection port, the third connection port, and the fourth connection port, The system includes a switching valve provided within the aforementioned flow pipeline and biased to a first position by an elastic body, The switching valve moves to the second position when the pressure in the flow pipeline exceeds a predetermined pressure. If the switching valve is in the first position, the medium introduced from the third connection port is drawn in by the tube pump from the first connection port, and the medium introduced from the second connection port is discharged from the fourth connection port. If the switching valve is located at the second position, the introduction of the medium from the third connection port is stopped, and the medium introduced from the second connection port is returned to the first connection port. The pump unit further comprises an air damper, The air damper is a pump unit connected to the relief valve.

2. The relief valve has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, The first connection port and the second connection port are provided on the first surface. The third and fourth connection ports are provided on the second surface facing the first surface. The pump unit according to claim 1, wherein the air damper is connected to either the first surface or a surface perpendicular to the second surface.

3. The aforementioned flow pipeline and the aforementioned air damper have an elongated shape, The pump unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the long axis of the flow pipeline and the long axis of the air damper are on the same straight line.

4. The pump unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the pipeline from the relief valve to the tube pump is shorter than the flow pipeline.

5. The aforementioned switching valve has a first conduit and a second conduit, If the switching valve is located at the first position, the medium introduced from the third connection port flows through the first pipeline and is drawn in by the tube pump from the first connection port. The pump unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, if the switching valve is located at the second position, the medium introduced from the second connection port flows through the second pipeline and returns to the first connection port.

6. The pump unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the predetermined pressure is less than or equal to the pressure resistance value of the tube of the tube pump.

7. The pump unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the predetermined pressure is 0.10 to 0.30 MPa.

8. A dental apparatus comprising the pump unit according to claim 1 or claim 2.

9. A pump unit provided in a dental device, A tube pump including a suction port for drawing in the medium and an outlet for discharging the medium, The system includes a relief valve connected to the suction port and the discharge port, The aforementioned relief valve is A first connection port connected to the aforementioned suction port, A second connection port connected to the aforementioned discharge port, A third connection port connected to a supply pipeline that supplies a medium to the tube pump, A fourth connection port is connected to a discharge pipeline for discharging the medium from the tube pump, A flow conduit connected to the first connection port, the second connection port, the third connection port, and the fourth connection port, The system includes a switching valve provided within the aforementioned flow pipeline and biased to a first position by an elastic body, The switching valve moves to the second position when the pressure in the flow pipeline exceeds a predetermined pressure. If the switching valve is in the first position, the medium introduced from the third connection port is drawn in by the tube pump from the first connection port, and the medium introduced from the second connection port is discharged from the fourth connection port. If the switching valve is located at the second position, the introduction of the medium from the third connection port is stopped, and the medium introduced from the second connection port is returned to the first connection port. The aforementioned switching valve has a first conduit and a second conduit, If the switching valve is located at the first position, the medium introduced from the third connection port flows through the first pipeline and is drawn in by the tube pump from the first connection port. In the case where the switching valve is located at the second position, the medium introduced from the second connection port flows through the second pipeline and returns to the first connection port in the pump unit.

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