Apparatus and method for curing materials with light radiation
First Claim
1. An instrument for curing light-curable compounds which are curable in the mouth of a patient, the instrument comprising:
- a housing;
a plurality of solid state, light-emitting elements, the elements comprising semiconductor junctions and being mounted on a substrate supported by the housing to form a collective array on said substrate, the array of elements operable for collectively emitting light having wavelengths within a narrow band of wavelengths;
a generally clear layer simultaneously covering all of the plurality of light-emitting elements for protecting the array of semiconductor junctions;
an optically reflective element coupled to surround the plurality of light-emitting elements to capture the collective light from an array of light-emitting elements and direct it forwardly away from the collective array an ultimately to a compound for curing.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An instrument and method for curing light-curable compounds in the mouth of a patient, the instrument comprising a housing and a plurality of solid state, light-emitting elements on a substrate supported by the housing. The elements form a collective array on the substrate operable for collectively emitting light having wavelengths within a narrow band of wavelengths. An optical focusing device is positioned to intercept the light emitted by the array of elements and includes a non-imaging optical device which is operable for collimating the light from the array into a beam to be directed onto a compound for curing the compound. A disposable sleeve covers the housing and array and may incorporate the optical focusing device. The sleeve is removed and discarded after use to eliminate the need to autoclave the instrument.
156 Citations
12 Claims
-
1. An instrument for curing light-curable compounds which are curable in the mouth of a patient, the instrument comprising:
-
a housing;
a plurality of solid state, light-emitting elements, the elements comprising semiconductor junctions and being mounted on a substrate supported by the housing to form a collective array on said substrate, the array of elements operable for collectively emitting light having wavelengths within a narrow band of wavelengths;
a generally clear layer simultaneously covering all of the plurality of light-emitting elements for protecting the array of semiconductor junctions;
an optically reflective element coupled to surround the plurality of light-emitting elements to capture the collective light from an array of light-emitting elements and direct it forwardly away from the collective array an ultimately to a compound for curing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
Specification