THE DENTAL MICRO-MOTOR DEVICE WHICH IS SENSIBLE TO HEAT, WARNS THE USER AS AUDIBLE AND VISUAL AND COOLING OF TOOTH TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention is a dental micro-motor device with vortex tube cooling system which gives audible and visual warnings depending on the difference of — ' heat occurring in the tooth during the treatment in dental treatments. THE PRIOR ART

Dental procedures are based on the experience and manual skill of dentist through today's technology. Due to the sensitive structure of the tooth, the processes to be executed on tooth have an importance in terms of time and the structure of the tooth which encounters processing for over much time is destroyed.

The dental micro-motor devices which enable cleaning on the tooth and the shaping of them are used by the dentists without existence of any automation program. Those devices which provide productivity within the experience of the dentists don't have the features of informing the user about overheating or the damage of the tooth. In addition, application of cold air onto the heating tooth surface is executed through another compressor device, namely, an additional device is needed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is related to the dental micro-motor device which calculates the difference of heat occurring on the surface of tooth taking into account the applied force and the period which this force is applied during tooth treatment; which may give audible or visual warnings in the range of the desired temperature differences and, at the same time, enables the cooling of the temperature level increasing on the surface of the tooth. THE MEANING OF THE FIGURE

Figure 1. The Diagram of the Study

The equivalent of the numbers of the specified parts in Figure 1 is given below:

1. Motor Driver Circuit

2. Sensing Circuit

3. Micro-motor

4. The unit for determining of the temperature difference

5. Motor Control Circuit

6. Graphic LCD Monitor

7. Audible Alarm System

8. Data Interface

9. Visual Alarm System

10. Hand-piece

11. Vortex Tube Cooling

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Dental micro-motor is a medical device which is used by the dentists for removing decays (carious), shaping the tooth, placement of filling and works in high speed. Generally, it has models which function in the speed range between 500 rpm and 40.000 rpm. According to the working to be done, the dental micro-motor devices whose end cap may be changed function on the base of two principles:

1. Dental micro-motors functioning with electricity,

2. Dental micro-motors functioning with air.

In the dental micro-motor devices which function through both systems, it is not possible to determine the temperature difference which is the subject to our invention.

The invention consists of motor driver circuit (1), the sensing circuit (2) which senses current and voltage, micro-motor (3), the unit for the determination of temperature difference (4), motor control unit (5), graphic LCD monitor (6), audible alarm system (7), data interface (8), visual alarm system (9), hand-piece (10), vortex tube cooling (11).

a. Motor Driver Circuit (1): Motor driver circuit provides motor voltage and motor current necessary for obtaining the speed of micro-motor depending on the Vref voltage coming from the pedal. Depending on the warning signal coming from the motor control circuit, it may stop the engine when necessary.

b. Sensing Circuit (2) (Current, Voltage, Force): It provides the measurement of the current (Im) flowing through the micro-motor and the voltage (Vm) occurring at the micro-motor ends (3). It sends those values to the unit for determining of the temperature difference (4).

c. Micro-motor (3): It provides the rotate of diamond bit or the drill to be used during the treatment.

d. The Unit for the Determination of Temperature Difference (4): It provides the calculation of the temperature difference (At) in °C occurring on the tooth during the treatment depending on the Vref voltage coming from the pedal during the functioning along with current (Im) and voltage (Vm) coming from the sensing circuit (2).

e. Motor Control Circuit (5): When the temperature difference on the tooth reaches to an undesired level, it will stop the functioning of micro-motor (3).

f. Graphic LCD Monitor (6): It will display the value of the temperature difference (At) in °C occurring on the tooth during the treatment.

g. Audible Alarm System (7): When the temperature difference on the tooth reaches to an undesired level, it will give an audible alarm. The dentist may turn the audio alarm off when necessary.

h. Data Interface (8): It enables the data obtained during the study is recorded to be used in future evaluations.

i. Visual Alarm System (9): Depending on the increase in the level of temperature difference on the tooth occurs during the treatment, the visual alarm will be provided through turning on the yellow light emitting diodes on the hand-piece for the first warning level and red light emitting diodes on the handpieces for the second warning level. j. Hand-piece (10): The hand-apparatus which contains a visual alarm system and a micro-motor (3).

k. Vortex Tube Cooling (11): The cooling will be provided through obtaining cold air outlet by a vortex tube in order to reduce the temperature occurring on the tooth during the treatment.

When the dentist starts the treatment, he pedals and starts the micromotor (3). According to the position of pedal during the operation, the Vref voltage which applied to motor driver circuit (1) is measured and the reference power value (Pref) is calculated by the unit for determining of the temperature difference (4) using the mathematical modeling of the micro-motor (3) which was determined earlier. This value will be used as the reference value of the algorithm used to determine the temperature difference (At) which occurs during the treatment.

When the dentist starts to work on the tooth, the current values (Im) flowing through the micro-motor (3) and the voltage values (Vm) occurring at its ends depending on the load which affects the micro-motor will change. Those values will be continuously read with the sensing circuit (2) using the sensors of current and voltage. Depending on this current (Im) and voltage (Vm) values, instantaneous power value of the micro-motor will be continuously measured by the unit for determining of the temperature difference (4). The total energy accumulated on the tooth will be found through as long as micro-motor (3) runs, making energy calculation depending on the difference between the reference power value and the instantaneous power value. Depending on the calculated energy value, the difference of temperature that may occur on the tooth from the beginning of operating will be determined and recorded by the unit for the determining of the temperature differences (4).

The changes on the position of pedal that the dentist makes during the treatment will be determined by reading of Vref voltage in very small sampling, intervals. Depending on the Vref voltage read for each measuring interval, the reference power value (Pref) that the micro-motor (3) will spend in the case of unloaded operation will be determined. At the same time, depending on the current (Im) and the voltage (Vm) values measured by the sensing circuit (2), the instantaneous power value (Pm) of the micro-motor (3) in the case of loaded operation will be calculated. Later, the difference between the instantaneous power value (Pm) and reference power value (Pref) will be determined. Depending on this power difference, the input of energy occurring on the tooth will be calculated for the interval which the measurement is made. Afterwards, the temperature difference which this energy may cause on the tooth will be calculated and the level which the temperature of the tooth may increase during this measuring interval will be determined. Performing the above-mentioned processes, also considering the cooling effect of the Vortex Tube, the calculation process of the temperature difference will be performed. Those processes will be continuously repeated for the measuring intervals with same frequencies so long as treatment continue and it will be maintained as a cumulative energy calculation according to the energy value occurring on the tooth for each measuring interval. According to the value obtained as a result of the energy calculation, up to that moment, the temperature difference occurring on tooth will be determined.

During the treatment, when the temperature difference occurring on the tooth depending on the energy input reaches the first warning level determined by the user, yellow visual alarm LED (9) located on the hand-piece (10) will be turned on and warned the dentist. If the treatment continues, in order not to damage the tooth when the temperature difference reaches to the second warning level determined by the user, the micro-motor (3) will be stopped by the motor control circuit (5). At the same time, it will be expressed with the audible alarm system (7) and red visual alarm LED (9) located on the hand-piece (10). The temperature difference which occurs during the treatment will be continuously displayed on the graphic LCD monitor (6).

Thanks to vortex tube cooling (1 1 ) which functions attached to the hand-piece (10) and in accompany with the micro-motor (3), the cold air will be applied to the tooth under the treatment. Thanks to cooling process, the temperature occurring on the tooth will be reduced and the period for the temperature difference reaches to the second warning level determined by the user will be extended. Through cooling process, the treatment will be maintained under the condition of lower temperatures. Thus, the dentist will be able to complete the treatment for a more comfortable period without interrupting treatment and, at the same time, the treatment will be completed in a shorter time.

During all those processes, the temperature differences occurring on tooth will be instantaneously recorded for each patient thanks to data interface (8) module. This data will be used to evaluate the using capabilities of the dental micro-motor device of students studying dentistry, use in the academic studies and assess the treatment performance.