Miniaturized RFID Dental Tool Tracking for CNC Milling Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dental CNC milling/grinding machines face issues with inadequate dental tools leading to low-quality restorations, tool breakage, and reduced user satisfaction due to improper tool selection and usage.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a miniaturized RFID tag on dental tools to store specific information, enabling the dental CNC milling/grinding machine to identify and manage tool information, ensuring proper tool usage and preventing low-quality restorations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dental tools are used without RFID tags for identification, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of machining quality and tool usage safety deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The RFID tag is integrated into the dental tool shaft by nesting it within a housing that is itself mounted on the shaft. The tag is positioned inside a protective housing structure, creating a nested arrangement where the RFID component is contained within the tool structure without protruding externally, thus adding identification functionality while maintaining a compact form factor
Solution Approach 2:
The RFID tag acts as an intermediary between the dental tool and the transceiver unit. It stores and transmits tool-specific information (service life, material, geometry) wirelessly, enabling the control unit to identify and manage the tool without physical contact or manual input, thereby improving reliability while keeping the tool structure relatively simple
2Reliability
If a miniaturized RFID tag is integrated into the dental tool shaft, then the reliability of tool identification and machining quality improves, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The RFID tag is nested within a protective housing that is mounted on the dental tool shaft. This nested structure protects the sensitive RFID components during manufacturing and assembly while maintaining a compact form factor, facilitating integration without significantly complicating the manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The RFID tag stores a digital copy of the tool's identification information and service life data, replacing the need for manual tracking or physical labels. This information copying approach simplifies the overall system by enabling automatic tool identification and management through wireless communication with the transceiver unit
3Ease of operation
If the RFID tag is positioned away from the back end of the shaft, then the ease of reading by transceiver unit improves, but the risk of tool breakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The RFID tag is nested within a protective housing mounted on the shaft, positioning it away from the critical cutting end of the tool where stresses are highest. This nested arrangement provides structural protection while maintaining adequate distance from the back end to ensure reliable RFID communication with the transceiver unit
Solution Approach 2:
The protective housing surrounding the RFID tag acts as a protective shell that shields the sensitive electronic components from mechanical stresses and potential breakage. This shell structure allows the RFID tag to be positioned optimally for reading while protecting it from the harsh machining environment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures safe and user-friendly operation by preventing low-quality restorations and tool breakage through accurate tool identification and management, allowing re-use of tools with sufficient service life.
Implementation Method 1
a miniaturized RFID tag which is arranged in front of the back end of the shaft
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
The present invention relates to a dental tool (1) for use in a dental CNC milling/grinding machine for machining a dental restoration from a workpiece (6), the dental tool (1) comprising: a shaft (2); characterized by further comprising: a miniaturized RFID tag (3) which is arranged in front of the back end (2a) of the shaft (2). The present invention also relates to a dental CNC milling/grinding machine (5) characterized by comprising: a machine compartment (5a) including one or more carriage units (5b) each adapted to exchangeably receive and drive one or more dental tools (1) for machining a dental restoration from a workpiece (6); one or more transceiver units (5c) each adapted to read and/or write the miniaturized RFID tag (3) of a dental tool (1); and a control unit adapted to control the transceiver units (5c), and the carriage units (5b) based on the information read from the miniaturized RFID tags (3).