EP1462906A1

EP1462906A1 - Foot regulator, especially for dental equipment

Info

Publication number: EP1462906A1
Application number: EP04388022A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thomas Steen c/o Heka Dental ApS Nielsen
Original assignee: Heka Dental ApS
Current assignee: Heka Dental ApS
Priority date: 2003-03-24
Filing date: 2004-03-18
Publication date: 2004-09-29
Also published as: DK176363B1; DK200301470A

Abstract

A foot regulator (1), especially for dental equipment, said foot regulator (1) comprising a base part (2) relative to which a regulating part (3, 4, 5, 6) of the foot regulator (1) may be rotated and/or displaced in a radial direction, as well as means for detecting rotation and/or displacement, said foot regulator (1) comprising means for detecting (10) the instantaneous position of the regulator (1), means for detecting (10) relative movement relative to this position as well as detectable reference means (8) for determining position and/or movement, said detectable reference means (8) for determining position and/or movement being formed by a pattern, diagram or elevations having a form of lattice structure, as well as a method of regulating e.g. dental equipment, wherein the regulation is performed on the basis of a reading or detection of the instantaneous position of the regulator (1) relative to a given zero point, said regulation taking place by rotation and/or radial displacement of one or more regulating rings (3, 4, 5).

Description

The invention relates to a foot regulator, especially for dental equipment, said foot regulator comprising a base part relative to which a regulating part of the foot regulator may be rotated and/or displaced, as well as means for detecting rotation and/or displacement.
The invention also relates to a method of regulating especially dental equipment by means of the above-mentioned foot regulator.
It is expedient that dental equipment is foot-operated. The reason is that the dentist hereby has both hands free for servicing the patient.
Commercially available is a pedal which is provided with a protruding arm having several functions. The arm may be displaced to both sides and hereby control various instruments. If the arm is pushed down, another switch is activated, which is used e.g. for summoning assistance.
The pedal is moreover connected to a small computer so that it is automatically caused to control the instrument which the dentist lifts out of the holder.
Further, e.g. DE Offenlegungsschrift 2 023 118, US Patent Specification 2 200 621 and GB Patent Specification 1 492 993 disclose operating pedals having a rotationally symmetrical operating means. The means is rotatable in a horizontal plane, and the rotational position may be detected for control of the number of revolutions of a motor. These pedals may be operated by the operator from all sides.
These known structures have the drawback that at the rest position the speed is zero and thus has to be adjusted to the operational speed prior to the work. It is also a drawback that the same switch function is used for start and for speed control. This makes it impossible e.g. to use different voltages for one or more functions alone or simultaneously. Finally, the known structures use various forms of potentiometers which are subject to wear and dirt and consequently malfunction.
Danish Patent No. 150 414 discloses another foot regulator, in particular for use in dental equipment, from which it is known to have a foot regulator, where an operating means or an operating ring is displaceable in a radial direction and may be rotated. This foot regulator, however, just provides the option of regulating an apparatus and of performing a simple on/off function.
Accordingly, the object of the invention is to provide a foot regulator wherein the activation and regulation circuits are electrically separated, and where detection may take place either by rotation or lateral displacement, or both, of several mutually independent operating rings at the same time, and wherein, if desired, the regulator when activated will be able to start the motor at a predetermined speed.
This is achieved according to the invention in that the foot regulator comprises means for detecting the instantaneous position of the regulator, means for detecting relative movement relative to this position, as well as detectable reference means for determining position and/or movement, said reference means being formed by a pattern, diagram or elevations having a form of lattice structure.
If the operating means is caused to perform a rotating movement and/or a lateral displacement, the foot regulator will record this, which is a signal to start an instrument. As the parts of the rotating means may be rotated and be laterally displaced singly or at the same time, the operating speed of the instrument may be increased or decreased. These functions may be electrically separated without problems, so that e.g. activation may take place at another voltage than the regulation. The regulator may moreover be made very compact and operationally reliable without many moving parts. The signals from the foot regulator may be passed on to a control unit, of course. The structure moreover ensures that the operator's foot is properly pressed against the means, as, otherwise, the instrument will be disconnected.
If the operating means is spring-loaded against the rest position, a simple and expedient embodiment of the regulator is achieved.
The centering means may be formed by spring elements which are arranged horizontally in openings and/or applied to one or more pins in the operating means, thereby providing a floating central axis. This provides several functions, as pressing and/or rotating movement together or separately gives a compact, flexible and reliable regulator.
It is expedient that the means for detecting the displacement are exclusively adapted to record when the operating means has left the rest position. This ensures the simplest possible detection and thereby an effective regulator.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the operating means may rotate both ways and be laterally displaced at the same time. This provides further regulation options.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the foot regulator may be characterized in that the operating means has a circular disc which is provided either on the upper side or the lower side, or on both sides at the same time, with a circle pattern and/or a rib pattern for detecting rotation and/or lateral displacement, said movement being detected by means of units for information transferred electronically and/or by light and/over mechanically.
When the operating means is rotated and/or laterally displaced, units will record the movements which are converted into one or more functions alone or separately.
If the regulator is constructed such that a lateral displacement and/or a rotating movement, simultaneously or separately, will activate or deactivate e.g. a motor in a drilling apparatus, and that lateral displacement and a rotation, simultaneously or separately, will increase the speed, while lateral displacement and a rotation, simultaneously or separately, in the other direction will reduce the speed, an effective control of the movements to be controlled/regulated by the foot regulator is achieved.
Finally, it is expedient if the foot regulator according to the invention is provided with at least a further pressure-sensitive switch arranged at the upper side of the foot regulator, as such a switch may be used for other work situations, e.g. selection of spray and after-blowing.
According to claim 1, a foot regulator is achieved where the instantaneous position of the regulator may be detected, relative movement relative to this position may be detected, and detectable reference means are provided for determining position and/or movement, and the detectable reference means are formed by a pattern, diagram or elevations having a form of lattice structure.
It appears from claims 2-4 that the detection means may be formed by optical, electrical/electronic or mechanical means, respectively.
It appears from claim 5 that the regulator may be constructed with several regulating rings.
It appears from claim 6 that the regulator may be provided with one or more on/off switches at the top.
Claim 7 defines a method of regulating e.g. dental equipment, wherein a regulator as described in the above-mentioned claims is used.
Claim 8 defines an embodiment of the method wherein controllable parameters may be set prior to the connection of the apparatus which is to be controlled by the regulator, and wherein controllable parameters may be set after the connection of the apparatus which is to be controlled by the regulator.
The invention will be explained more fully below with reference to the drawings, in which

fig. 1: shows an embodiment of a foot regulator according to the invention,
fig. 2: shows a section seen in the direction of the arrows along the line A-A in fig. 1,
fig. 3: shows a configuration, seen from above,
fig. 4: shows an exploded view of the invention, seen from the side,
fig. 5: shows an exploded view of the invention, seen obliquely from below,
fig. 6: shows an embodiment of the invention, seen in section,
fig. 7: shows the foot regulator, seen from above, where concealed parts are indicated in dashed line, and
fig. 8: shows the foot regulator, seen in perspective section.

Preferred embodiments of a foot regulator 1 will be described below. A foot regulator 1 according to the invention is constructed on a foot part or a base part 2, said base part 2 being intended to rest on a floor at a distance from the instrument or instruments or machines to be regulated or activated by the foot regulator. As the base part 2 has a certain weight and/or that the lower side of the base part 2 is provided with a material giving a suitable friction relative to the surface or the floor on which the base part 2 rests, it is ensured that the base part 2 does not move relative to the floor when the regulator 1 is affected by operation of it by a foot.
The foot regulator 1 is provided with several operating rings 3, 4, 5 for activation and/or regulation of one or more apparatuses independently of each other. In a preferred embodiment, see figures 1 - 5 as well as figure 8, the foot regulator is configured as a hemisphere composed of several, preferably three operating rings 3, 4, 5, said operating rings 3, 4, 5 being arranged concentrically and rotatable about a central axis through the base part 2. A form of switch 6 is arranged on the uppermost operating ring.
An element or an intermediate ring 7 provides for mounting of spring elements and is particularly advantageous, because the intermediate ring 7 also keeps the operating ring 3 floating, but nevertheless assembled relative to the base part 2. A detectable reference means 8 in the form of a reference face is unique in being an object which is used for detecting one or more simultaneous movements. An element or intermediate ring 9 is a possible element for the mounting of one or more detecting means or units 10. The mode of operation is such that when the foot regulator 1 is displaced laterally and/or rotated in one or more different directions, the detecting units 10 will record the movements and pass on signals to a microcomputer. Signal may then be used for controlling the function of one or more instruments. An element 11 is unique in keeping the objects 3, 4, 5, 6 assembled and in ensuring at the same time that the operating ring 3 may rotate independently, while allowing the objects 3, 4, 5, 6 to have a lateral displacement and to maintain the same floating axis.
In an alternative embodiment, the foot regulator may be composed of one or two rotatable operating rings 3, 4 as well as a plurality of non-rotatable switches 5, 6. These non-rotatable switches may be simple on/off switches or switches which are activated by a radial displacement, where the radial displacement signals start/stop, but may also give a regulation independently of how great a radial movement is applied to the operating switch or ring relative to the reference face 8.
Figure 6 shows a possible solution for the positioning of spring elements at a first 7 and a second 9 element or intermediate disc with associated attachment elements 12, 13 between which spring elements (not shown) are arranged as well as a recording or detecting unit 10. Lateral displacement is shown at the points x, x' and x" and is possible in all directions 360 degrees around the operating means.
Figure 7 shows a possible solution for the positioning of spring elements at the points c, c', d, d' and e, e'. An expedient embodiment of the reference face 8 may be in the form of an essentially circular object or print 8 with a lattice structure, where the foot regulator 1 is at rest position 14. This lattice structure may be generated by simple graphics, electrically conducting material, magnetic material, physical elevations, depressions or the like, so as to enable optical, electrical, mechanical or another form of detection of the current position and movement, which detected signal is used for determining the regulation/activation degree. Detection takes place by rotating movement and/or by lateral displacements. The number of detecting units may vary from at least one unit to several units.
This means that a regulation may be performed both by lateral displacement of an operating ring and by rotation of an operating ring. The individual operating rings may be mutually rotatable, with a mutually limited movement possibility, mutually secured or a combination thereof.
The lattice structure is preferably provided as two or more concentric lattice rings with a circle or ring therebetween, which is not coated with the lattice structure. This blank/clean area is thus used for detecting a "zero value" or rest position.
When an apparatus or an instrument is activated, the foot regulator must be caused to assume an activation position. This means that one or more of the rings of the foot regulator are moved in a radial direction. When this has happened, the apparatus or instrument to be activated and/or regulated by the operating ring or rings concerned has been activated. It is then possible to regulate e.g. the number of revolutions of a motor, the light intensity of a lamp up or down, as needed. A pressure switch 6 for a simple on/off function is positioned at the top of the regulator.
It is also possible first to make an adjustment of the desired number of revolutions or the desired intensity, and then to activate the apparatus or instrument concerned.
To ensure that the operating rings are not activated unintentionally, e.g. by an unintentional push on the regulator by the foot, a ball, which may be spring-loaded, may be arranged in connection with the central axis, so that when affecting one or more operating rings, the force required to press the ball up and away from its rest position in the central part of the operating rings must be overcome first. Further, the operating rings are held in their respective positions by a plurality of springs arranged between pins on a first intermediate ring and pins on a second intermediate ring.
In a further embodiment of the foot regulator, it may be configured as a form of truncated cone so that the operating rings have a greater radial extent in the part of the foot regulator closest to the floor, and a smaller radial extent in the part of the foot regulator most remote from the floor. This ensures that the person who is to operate the foot regulator has a better overview of the regulator and will be less likely to operate it incorrectly.
The foot regulator is provided with a cable (not shown) for the transfer of signals to control instruments or machines. The transfer may optionally take place wirelessly.
It may be expedient that the user, if necessary, has the option of reading the set speed, intensity, etc. on a display adapted for the purpose, which display will preferably be positioned in connection with the apparatuses or instruments which are operated.
It is clear to a person skilled in the art that a foot regulator according to the invention may be constructed in many other ways than shown here. Detection of rotation and lateral displacement may also take place in another manner. Completely optical scanning, e.g., may be contemplated.
The foot regulator may be made of metal and/or plastics, as desired. The electronic components are all commercially available.
An advantage of the foot regulator is that it may be operated in a rotating and/or laterally displaceable manner from all sides, alone or simultaneously. It will therefore provide a significant relief in the daily work for dentists, but may generally be used for many other control tasks. An example of this is operation of sewing machines, etc.

Claims

A foot regulator, especially for dental equipment, said foot regulator comprising a base part relative to which a regulating part of the foot regulator may be rotated and/or displaced in a radial direction, as well as means for detecting rotation and/or displacement, characterized in that the foot regulator (1) comprises means for detecting (10) the instantaneous position of the regulator (1), means for detecting (10) relative movement relative to this position as well as detectable reference means (8) for determining position and/or movement, said reference means (8) being formed by a pattern, diagram or elevations having a form of lattice structure.
A foot regulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for detecting (10) the instantaneous position of the regulator (1) and/or for detecting relative movement relative to this position are formed by optical means.
A foot regulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for detecting (10) the instantaneous position of the regulator (1) and/or detecting relative movement relative to this position are formed by electrical or electronic means.
A foot regulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for detecting (10) the instantaneous position of the regulator (1) and/or for detecting relative movement relative to this position are formed by mechanical means.
A foot regulator according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the regulator (1) comprises several operating rings (3, 4, 5) which may be regulated and/or activated independently of each other.
A foot regulator according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that one or more on/off switches (6) for connecting and disconnecting an apparatus are arranged on the uppermost operating ring (5).
A method of regulating e.g. dental equipment, characterized in that the regulation is performed on the basis of a reading or detection of the instantaneous position of the regulator (1) relative to a given zero point, said regulation taking place by rotation and/or radial displacement of one or more regulating rings (3, 4, 5).
A method according to claim 7, characterized in that the speed, intensity or another parameter controllable by the regulator (1) is set at the desired value, following which one or more regulating rings (3, 4, 5) on the regulating unit (1) are affected to connect the apparatus which is to be controlled by the regulator (1), and that speed, intensity or another parameter controllable by the regulator (1) may be set after one or more regulating rings (3, 4, 5) on the regulating unit (1) have been affected to connect the apparatus which is to be controlled by the regulator (1).