Heat dissipation structure of wireless intraoral scanner

Abstract

Disclosed is a heat dissipation structure of a wireless intraoral scanner. The heat dissipation structure of the wireless intraoral scanner is for discharging heat generated inside the wireless intraoral scanner to the outside, and may comprise: a housing; a circuit configuration unit including a PCB disposed toward the front end of the inside of the housing; a battery unit disposed toward the rear end of the inside of the housing; and a heat dissipation fan for suctioning heat from both the circuit configuration unit and the battery unit and discharging the heat to one side of the outer circumferential surface of the housing.

Description

Heat dissipation structure of wireless intraoral scanner

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner, and more specifically, to a heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner that improves heat dissipation performance by simultaneously discharging heat generated from both sides of a PCB portion and a battery portion inside an oral scanner to the lower part of a housing by applying a centrifugal fan method, and prevents the dissipated wind from being directed directly at a patient and an oral scanner user, and creates a quiet scanning environment by preventing noise from being directly heard by the user.

[0002] Typically, dental hospitals and other dental clinics perform treatment and care for patients' damaged teeth through an impression taking process that creates a plaster model of the patient's teeth.

[0003] As mentioned above, in the process of taking impressions to create a plaster model, problems such as material consumption and cross-contamination, as well as the possibility of damage to the created model and problems with preservation may arise.

[0004] In particular, when manually taking an impression of a patient's damaged teeth using an impression material, the degree of error in the three-dimensional information of the prosthesis being manufactured cannot be confirmed, so there was a problem that the prosthesis actually manufactured did not match the patient's oral cavity.

[0005] Therefore, recently, 3D oral scanners are widely used to obtain accurate 3D information about damaged teeth without using impression materials, enabling the production of prosthetics with accurate dimensions.

[0006] Meanwhile, oral scanners are devices that allow the user to hold the main body and insert a probe tip extended from the main body into the subject's mouth to scan the oral cavity. To gradually increase usability, development of lightweight and compact products is actively underway.

[0007] These intraoral scanners are equipped with a wide variety of internal electrical components. In particular, the inclusion of projector units and camera units makes it difficult to optimally place these components in a compact intraoral scanner.

[0008] In particular, it is not easy to effectively dissipate the heat generated from the electrical components of a small oral scanner.

[0009] For example, the camera unit processor, which controls the camera unit, requires more effective heat dissipation than other electrical components. Installing a separate heat sink, for example, would inevitably increase the weight of the entire intraoral scanner. Effective heat dissipation is also required for the projector unit processor, as well as the main processor, which controls basic intraoral scanner operations such as power and communication. Furthermore, the battery also generates heat during use, raising the issue of overheating.

[0010] Previously, an oral scanner was proposed that installed a fan inside the oral scanner to allow air to flow in from the outside and cool the internal components through the air that flowed in.

[0011] However, this conventional oral scanner cooling method generates noise when air is drawn in from the outside, has a structure that makes it difficult to discharge the heated air that cools the PCB part inside the oral scanner, and has a problem that the heat generation of the battery is not easily resolved.

[0012] The purpose of the present invention is to solve such problems, and to provide a heat dissipation structure for a wireless oral scanner that improves heat dissipation performance by simultaneously discharging heat generated from both sides of the PCB portion and battery portion inside the oral scanner to the lower part of the housing by applying a centrifugal fan method, prevents the dissipated wind from being directed directly at the patient and the oral scanner user, and creates a quiet scanning environment by preventing noise from being directly heard by the user.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the technical idea of ​​the present invention for achieving the above object, a heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner for discharging heat generated inside the wireless oral scanner to the outside, the wireless oral scanner may include a housing, a circuit component including a PCB arranged on a front side inside the housing, a battery component arranged on a rear side inside the housing, and a heat dissipation fan that sucks in heat from both sides of the circuit component and the battery component and dissipates it to one side of the outer surface of the housing.

[0014] Additionally, the heat dissipation fan may be placed between the circuit component on the front side inside the housing and the battery component on the rear side inside the housing.

[0015] Additionally, the housing may have an opening formed at a lower portion of the outer surface through which air exhausted by a heat dissipation fan is discharged.

[0016] In addition, the heat dissipation fan may be configured to suck in air from both sides of the circuit configuration portion and the battery portion and then discharge the sucked air radially toward the rotation axis.

[0017] In addition, the heat dissipation fan may include a case having suction holes formed on both sides to allow air to be sucked in from both sides and an exhaust port formed on the lower side to discharge the air sucked in through the suction holes; an impeller that is axially coupled to the inside of the case and rotates, sucking in air from both sides of the case and discharging the sucked air through the exhaust port; and a motor that rotates the impeller when powered.

[0018] Additionally, a vapor chamber may be provided to contact the PCB of the circuit component.

[0019] Additionally, a heat sink may be provided to contact the PCB of the circuit component.

[0020] Additionally, a metal plate may be attached to the PCB of the circuit configuration section.

[0021] Additionally, a thermal pad may be attached to the PCB of the above circuit configuration.

[0022] Additionally, a via-hole may be formed in the PCB of the circuit configuration section.

[0023] The heat dissipation structure of the wireless oral scanner according to the present invention improves heat dissipation performance by simultaneously discharging heat generated from both sides of the PCB portion and battery portion inside the oral scanner to the lower part of the housing by applying a centrifugal fan method, and prevents the dissipated wind from directly blowing toward the patient and the oral scanner user, and has the effect of creating a quiet scanning environment by preventing noise from being directly heard by the user.

[0024] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a wireless oral scanner to which a heat dissipation structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a wireless oral scanner to which a heat dissipation structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0026] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the heat dissipation fan.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of a wireless oral scanner to which a heat dissipation structure is applied according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a wireless oral scanner to which a heat dissipation structure is applied according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] In order to fully understand the present invention, its operational advantages, and the objects achieved by the practice of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and the contents described in the drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention.

[0030] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by describing preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings. The same reference numerals in each drawing represent the same components.

[0031] The heat dissipation structure of the wireless oral scanner of the present invention is a heat dissipation structure of the wireless oral scanner that improves heat dissipation performance by simultaneously discharging heat generated from both sides of the PCB portion and the battery portion inside the oral scanner to the lower part of the housing by applying a centrifugal fan method, and prevents the dissipated wind from directly blowing toward the patient and the oral scanner user, and creates a quiet scanning environment by preventing noise from being directly heard by the user.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a wireless oral scanner to which a heat dissipation structure is applied according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a wireless oral scanner to which a heat dissipation structure is applied according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a heat dissipation fan.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner according to one embodiment of the present invention relates to a heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner for discharging heat generated inside the wireless oral scanner to the outside.

[0034] At this time, the wireless oral scanner (1) may include a housing (10), a circuit component (100) including a PCB (130) arranged on the front side inside the housing (10), a battery component (200) arranged on the rear side inside the housing (10), and a heat dissipation fan (300) that sucks in heat from both sides of the circuit component (100) and the battery component (200) and releases it to one side of the outer surface of the housing (10).

[0035] Basically, a wireless oral scanner (1) is inserted into the oral cavity of a dental treatment patient to obtain 3D image information, and is formed of a rod-shaped housing (10) for easy gripping by a user's hand. Various parts for 3D scanning are built into the housing (10), and a button (20) for operating the wireless oral scanner (1) may be provided on one side of the upper portion of the housing (10).

[0036] Meanwhile, a frame (30) for fixing and installing various components is provided inside the housing (10), and an opening (11) may be formed on one side of the housing (10), for example, on the lower side of the housing (10), to discharge the air inside the housing (10) to the outside of the housing through a heat dissipation fan (300) described later.

[0037] At this time, the opening (11) is described as being formed on one side of the lower portion of the housing (10), but in some cases, it may be formed on the side of the housing (10), and is not limited thereto.

[0038] Meanwhile, the circuit configuration unit (100) is a configuration built into the front side of the housing (10) of the wireless oral scanner (1), and may include an optical unit (110) including a lens (not shown) and a sensor (not shown) for capturing an image, a light unit (120) for irradiating light when capturing an image, and a PCB (130) in which a circuit is configured.

[0039] In addition, the PCB (130) may be composed of at least two, and may include, for example, a first PCB (131) provided on one side of the frame (30) inside the housing (10) and a second PCB (132) provided on the other side.

[0040] The above first PCB (131) and the second PCB (132) do not have any specific meaning in terms of direction and position, but are intended to distinguish each when a plurality of PCBs are configured.

[0041] The arrangement and installation structure of the components of the above circuit component (100) are not limited and can be assembled and configured in various structures and methods.

[0042] Meanwhile, the battery unit (200) is configured to be built into the rear side of the housing (10) of the wireless oral scanner (10), and may include a battery (220) that is detachable to supply power to the wireless oral scanner (1) and a connector (210) into which the battery (220) is inserted to connect the battery (220) to the wireless oral scanner (1).

[0043] In this way, a circuit component (100) may be provided on the inner front side of the wireless oral scanner (1) housing (10), and a battery component (200) may be provided on the rear side.

[0044] The circuit component (100) and the battery component (200) above are parts that generate a lot of heat when the wireless oral scanner (1) is operated, and therefore, cooling measures are essential to dissipate or cool the heat generated in the parts to the outside.

[0045] The present invention is characterized by a cooling measure for solving the heat generation problem of the wireless oral scanner (1) described above, comprising a heat dissipation fan (300) and a heat dissipation structure using the heat dissipation fan (300).

[0046] It is preferable that the above-mentioned heat dissipation fan (300) be placed between the circuit component (100) on the front end side inside the housing (10) and the battery component (200) on the rear end side inside the housing (10).

[0047] That is, the heat dissipation fan (300) serves to simultaneously suck in heat from both sides between the circuit component (100) and the battery component (200) and discharge it to the outside of the housing (10).

[0048] To this end, the heat dissipation fan (300) may be configured to suck in air from both sides of the circuit component (100) and the battery component (200) and then discharge the sucked air radially toward the rotation axis.

[0049] That is, the above-mentioned heat dissipation fan (300) may be formed in the form of a centrifugal fan in which air is sucked in from one side or both sides and discharged in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the blower, rather than a conventional side-flow fan (not shown) in which air is blown in one direction in a form parallel to the rotation axis of the blower.

[0050] Through this, it is possible to prevent the heated air generated and discharged inside the housing (10) from being directed directly at the patient and the wireless oral scanner user.

[0051] In addition, by directing the direction of the exhausted wind toward the lower side of the wireless oral scanner (1) at the opening (11), noise caused by the exhausted wind can be prevented from being directly heard by patients and users, thereby creating a quiet scanning environment.

[0052] The above-described heat dissipation fan (300) may include a case (310) having suction holes (312) formed on both sides so that air can be sucked in from both sides, and an exhaust port (313) formed on the lower side so that air sucked in through the suction holes (312) can be discharged, an impeller (320) that is axially coupled to the inside of the case (310) and rotates, sucking air from both sides of the case (310) and discharging the sucked air through the exhaust port (313) by rotation, and a motor (330) that receives power and rotates the impeller (320).

[0053] For example, the case (310) is basically in the shape of a rectangular box, and one of the two sides of the case (310) may be formed as a detachable cover (311). In addition, it is preferable that the direction of the discharge port (313) formed on the lower side of the case (310) is arranged toward the lower side of the housing (10).

[0054] Meanwhile, the impeller (320) may be configured such that each vane (not shown) is positioned at a predetermined angle so as to suck in air from both sides and send the air radially to the rotation axis of the motor (330).

[0055] Meanwhile, a vapor chamber (400) may be provided to contact the PCB (130) of the circuit component (100).

[0056] The above vapor chamber (400) is a metal chamber with a space provided inside, in which a refrigerant is filled in the internal space, and when heat is transferred from the heating side, the refrigerant absorbs the heat of the heating air, cools it, and then releases the cold air.

[0057] Typically, vapor chambers are similar to heat pipes, but unlike them, they have no shape restrictions, have excellent temperature uniformity on a plane, and have excellent heat dissipation effects, so they have the advantage of superior expandability compared to heat pipes.

[0058] The vapor chamber (400) is provided to be in contact with the PCB (130) so as to absorb heat generated from the circuit component (100) and cool it more efficiently. Finally, the air cooled primarily by the vapor chamber (400) is discharged to the outside of the housing (10) through the heat dissipation fan (300).

[0059] The above vapor chamber (400) may be made smaller than the area of ​​the PCB (130), but is not limited thereto.

[0060] Meanwhile, a heat sink (500) may be provided to be in contact with the PCB (130) of the circuit component (100).

[0061] The above heat sink (500) is a type of heat exchanger, preferably made of aluminum, which is effective in conducting and radiating heat. Cooling is achieved by absorbing heat from a heat source, dispersing it throughout the entire body, and then releasing it. To achieve this, the surface may be formed in a protruding, uneven shape to a predetermined height to increase the surface area and increase contact with air.

[0062] The heat sink (500) is provided to be in contact with the PCB (130) so as to absorb heat generated from the circuit component (100) and cool it more efficiently, and finally, the air that has been primarily cooled by the vapor chamber (400) is discharged to the outside of the housing (10) through the heat dissipation fan (300).

[0063] The above heat sink (500) can be formed in various shapes so as to be in contact with both the first PCB (131) and the second PCB (132), and is not limited to any one.

[0064] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 2, a vapor chamber (400) may be provided to contact the PCB (130) of the circuit component (100), and a heat sink (500) may be provided to contact the vapor chamber (400).

[0065] For example, the heat sink (500) may be configured such that the first PCB (131) and vapor chamber (400) are supported on one side, and the second PCB (132) and vapor chamber (400) are supported on the other side.

[0066] The above PCB (130), the vapor chamber (400), and the heat sink (500) can be connected to each other by welding or bolting.

[0067] Meanwhile, the heat sink (500) may be provided to extend to the exhaust port (313) of the heat dissipation fan (300) so that the heat sink (500) can be cooled by air discharged from the heat dissipation fan (300).

[0068] For example, a portion of the heat sink (500) that extends to the exhaust port (313) of the heat dissipation fan (300) may have a plurality of air fins (510) protruding in a bar shape at regular intervals to increase the air contact area, and a through hole may be formed at regular intervals to allow air to pass through, and the air discharged from the heat dissipation fan (300) may contact the air fins (510) of the heat sink (500) and then pass through the through hole, which is the space between the air fins (510), thereby obtaining the effect of cooling the heat sink (500).

[0069] Accordingly, the heat sink (500) provides an installation portion to be in contact with the PCB (130) and the vapor chamber (400), and can serve to cool the PCB (130) and the vapor chamber (400).

[0070] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of a wireless oral scanner to which a heat dissipation structure is applied according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 4, as another embodiment, a metal plate (600) may be attached to the PCB (130) of the circuit component (100).

[0072] The above metal plate (600) is a heat exchange medium having a plate-shaped structure corresponding to the entire area of ​​the PCB (130), with one side being flat and the other side being uneven, so that heat transferred from the PCB (130) can be released through the uneven portion.

[0073] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a wireless oral scanner to which a heat dissipation structure is applied according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 5, as another embodiment, a thermal pad (700) and a metal plate (600) are attached to the PCB (130) of the circuit component (100), and the PCB (130) may be made to come into contact with a heat sink (500).

[0075] The above thermal pad (700) is made of a material with high thermal conductivity and is attached so as to be in direct contact with the PCB (130) and other chipsets of the circuit component (100) to release the generated heat.

[0076] Accordingly, it is preferable that the thermal pad (700), metal plate (600), and heat sink (500) are attached or fastened to the PCB (130) in that order, but the arrangement is not limited to this arrangement and may be arranged in various orders.

[0077] As described above, the PCB (130) may be provided with one or more of a vapor chamber (400), a heat sink (500), a metal plate (600), and a thermal pad (700) that may be in contact with or attached to each other.

[0078] In addition, the vapor chamber (400), heat sink (500), metal plate (600), and thermal pad (700) on the PCB (130) may be arranged in the same order as the various embodiments shown in the drawing, but are not limited thereto, and may be arranged in various orders in addition to the embodiments shown in the drawing.

[0079] Meanwhile, a via-hole (not shown) may be formed in the PCB (130) of the circuit configuration unit (100).

[0080] Typically, a via-hole is a plated through-hole used to connect internal conductors to connect different layers of a PCB without inserting components.

[0081] In the present invention, in addition to the purpose of interlayer connection through via-holes, it was applied to increase heat dissipation performance by obtaining a heat transfer effect through the plated portion.

[0082] Therefore, via-holes may be formed at separate locations as well as at connection locations for circuit configuration.

[0083] The heat dissipation structure of the wireless oral scanner according to the technical idea of ​​the present invention improves heat dissipation performance by simultaneously discharging heat generated from both sides of the PCB section and battery section inside the oral scanner to the lower part of the housing by applying a centrifugal fan method, and prevents the dissipated wind from being directed directly at the patient and the oral scanner user, and has the effect of creating a quiet scanning environment by preventing noise from being directly heard by the user.

[0084] As described above, the best practice embodiments have been disclosed in the drawings and specifications. While specific terms have been used herein, they are used solely for the purpose of describing the present invention and are not intended to limit the meaning or scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. In the heat dissipation structure of the wireless oral scanner to discharge the heat generated inside the wireless oral scanner to the outside, The wireless intraoral scanner is housing; A circuit component including a PCB placed on the front end side inside the housing; A battery section arranged on the rear side inside the housing; and A heat dissipation fan that sucks in heat from both sides of the circuit component and the battery component and releases it to one side of the outer surface of the housing; A heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner characterized by including:

2. In paragraph 1, The above cooling fan, A heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner, characterized in that it is arranged between the circuit component on the front side inside the housing and the battery component on the rear side inside the housing.

3. In paragraph 2, The above housing, A heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner characterized in that an opening is formed at a lower position of the outer surface through which air discharged by a heat dissipation fan is discharged.

4. In paragraph 3, The above cooling fan, A heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner characterized by having a structure that sucks in air from both sides of the circuit component and the battery component and then discharges the sucked air radially toward the rotation axis.

5. In paragraph 4, The above cooling fan, A case having suction holes formed on both sides to allow air to be sucked in from both sides, and an exhaust port formed at the bottom to allow air sucked in through the suction holes to be discharged; An impeller that is coupled to the inside of the case and rotates, sucking in air from both sides of the case by rotation and discharging the sucked air through the outlet; and A heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner, characterized in that it includes a motor that rotates the impeller when power is applied.

6. In paragraph 1, A heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner, characterized in that a vapor chamber is provided so as to be in contact with the PCB of the above circuit configuration unit.

7. In paragraph 1, A heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner, characterized in that a heat sink is provided so as to be in contact with the PCB of the above circuit configuration unit.

8. In paragraph 1, A heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner, characterized in that a metal plate is attached to the PCB of the above circuit configuration part.

9. In paragraph 1, A heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner, characterized in that a thermal pad is attached to the PCB of the above circuit configuration part.

10. In paragraph 1, A heat dissipation structure of a wireless oral scanner characterized in that a via-hole is formed in the PCB of the above circuit configuration part.

Images