Light source for dental and medical procedures

• US 20060285328A1
• Filed: 05/18/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philip J. Syribeys
• Original Assignee: Philip J. Syribeys
• Inventors: Syribeys, Philip J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,490,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/257
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0088 for oral or dental tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/004 Hand-held apparatus, e.g. guns
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/202 for dentistry

Abstract

A light source specially adapted for use in dental procedures is described. The light source includes multiple solid state sources such as LEDs. The light sources emit light of a color temperature of about 5500° K. or more, which enables a dentist using the light source to detect caries in a patient'"'"'s oral cavity more easily and reliably. Each of the sources is preferably butt-coupled to one end of a single optical fiber. The sources are also thermally coupled to a cooling system, which may include fans or other active cooling elements. The sources are arranged spatially inside a housing to facilitate bundling them into a flexible optical cable. The optical cable transmits the light emitted by the sources to a conventional dental lighting handpiece.

Claims

1. A light source adapted for use in dental procedures, comprising:

A. a housing;

B. a plurality of solid state light sources that are mounted to the housing;

C. a flexible optical cable defining a first cable end and a second cable end, comprising;

i. a plurality of optical fibers in which each of the plurality of optical fibers;

a. defines a first end and a second end and

b. is optically coupled at its first end to one of the plurality of solid state light sources; and

ii. a sheath that maintains the plurality of optical fibers in a predetermined spatial relationship to each other along their respective lengths such that the second ends of the plurality of optical fibers lie substantially in a single plane; and

D. a cooling system that is thermally coupled to the plurality of solid state light sources.

2. The light source of claim 1, in which the plurality of solid state light sources comprises at least six light sources.

3. The light source of claim 2, in which each of the plurality of light sources is butt-coupled to one of the plurality of solid state light sources.

4. The light source of claim 3, in which:

A. the cooling system comprises;

i. a first heat sink having a first mounting surface located in the interior of the housing and

ii. a second heat sink having a second mounting surface located in the interior of the housing;

B. at least three of the plurality of light sources are thermally coupled to the first mounting surface and at least three of the plurality of light sources are thermally coupled to the second mounting surface.

5. The light source of claim 4, in which:

A. the at least three of the plurality of light sources that are thermally coupled to the first mounting surface are arranged in a pattern substantially corresponding to the vertices of an equilateral triangle; and

B. the at least three of the plurality of light sources that are thermally coupled to the second mounting surface are arranged in a pattern substantially corresponding to the vertices of an equilateral triangle.

6. The light source of claim 5, in which:

A. one of the plurality of optical fibers is a central optical fiber and

B. at least five optical fibers inside the sheath are peripheral optical fibers that are;

i. positioned substantially parallel to the central fiber and

ii. distributed evenly around the periphery of the central fiber.

7. The light source of claim 6, in which:

A. the first mounting surface is substantially planar,

B. the second mounting surface is substantially planar, and

C. the first mounting surface is oriented substantially perpendicular to the second mounting surface.

8. The light source of claim 7, in which:

A. the first heat sink has a first cooling fins located substantially outside the housing and

B. the second heat sink has a second cooling fins located substantially outside the housing.

9. The light source of claim 8, in which the cooling system further comprises:

A. a first fan that directs air across the first cooling fins, and

B. a second fan that directs air across the second cooling fins.

10. The light source of claim 3, in which:

A. one of the plurality of optical fibers is a central optical fiber and

B. at least five optical fibers inside the sheath are peripheral optical fibers that are;

i. positioned substantially parallel to the central fiber and

ii. distributed evenly around the periphery of the central fiber.

11. The light source of claim 10, in which each of the peripheral optical fibers is in contact along substantially its entire length inside the sheath with two other peripheral optical fibers and the central optical fiber.

12. The light source of claim 11, comprising at least seven light sources and at least six peripheral optical fibers.