DENTAL INSTRUMENT HANGER

• US 20190070055A1
• Filed: 04/24/2017
• Published: 03/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Yoshida Dental Mfg. Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: The Yoshida Dental Mfg. Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: SATO, Takafumi, GOTANI, Yoshiki, KUDO, Keiichi
• Granted Patent: US 11,219,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/0015 Electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/00 Dental auxiliary appliances dental chairs or accessories therefor, working stands whether or not combined with chairs A61G15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 2204/005 using chip tag or any electronic identification mean, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 15/16 Storage, holding or carrying means for dental handpieces or the like

Abstract

A dental instrument hanger has the body of a reader/writer, or an antenna connected to the body, arranged in a hanger unit so as to read identification information from a wireless tag, in a state that an instrument having the wireless tag preliminarily attached thereto is placed in the hanger unit. The hanger includes: an identification information storage that stores the read identification information in a database; a reading history detector that, in response to a driving instruction having been inputted, detects the latest reading history and a reading history read before the instrument displaced from the hanger unit has been displaced with reference to said storage; an identification information specifier that determines a difference between the two reading histories to specify a wireless tag attached to the instrument which has been instructed to drive; and a usage information generator that generates usage information of the instrument.

Claims

1. A dental instrument hanger comprising:

a hanger unit that displaceably houses instruments for dental use;

a reading means that has its body, or an antenna connected to the body, arranged in the hanger unit to read identification information from a wireless tag, in a state that an instrument having the wireless tag preliminarily attached thereto is placed in the hanger unit;

an identification information storage that stores in a database, for each reading history, the identification information of every wireless tag in the hanger unit, which is read by the reading means;

a reading history detector that, in response to a driving instruction being inputted from outside for driving an instrument displaced from the hanger unit, detects with reference to the identification information storage the latest reading history and a reading history which had been read before the instrument displaced from the hanger unit has been displaced, for the identification information of every wireless tag;

an identification information specifier that determines a difference between the two reading histories detected by the reading history detector to specify the difference as identification information of a wireless tag attached to the instrument which has been instructed to drive; and

a usage information generator that generates usage information to specify that an instrument, to which the wireless tag identified by the specified identification information is attached, is used.

2. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 1, wherein the usage information generator extracts from a driving circuit, which drives the instrument, driving information of the instrument to which the wireless tag identified by the specified identification information is attached, to generate the cumulative usage time of the instrument from the extracted driving information.

3. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 1, wherein the hanger unit includes:

holders that individually house the instruments; and

hanger sensors that detect, for the respective holders, the instruments being displaced or placed,

wherein the reading means reads the identification information from the wireless tag every time the hanger sensor detecting the instrument being displaced or placed.

4. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 1, wherein the hanger unit includes holders that individually house the instruments,

wherein the reading means periodically reads the identification information from the wireless tags attached to the instruments which are placed in the holders.

5. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 3, wherein the antenna of the reading means has a monitoring area to cover all the holders.

6. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 4, wherein the antenna of the reading means has a monitoring area to cover all the holders.

7. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 6, further comprising:

a position detection sensor that detects positions of the wireless tags attached to the instruments which are placed in the holders.

8. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 3, wherein the reading means or the antennas therefor are arranged for the respective holders.

9. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 4, wherein the reading means or the antennas therefor are arranged for the respective holders.

10. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 9, wherein the reading means or the antennas therefor each read the identification information from the wireless tag attached to a handpiece of the instrument which is placed in the holder, and also each read the identification information from a second wireless tag attached to either an end of a hose connected to the handpiece via a connector or the connector.

11. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 1, wherein one or more said reading means or antennas therefor each read the identification information from the wireless tag attached to a tool for shaving or grinding a tooth, which is detachably mounted on a handpiece of the instrument which is placed in the hanger unit.

12. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 1, wherein one or more said reading means or antenna therefor each read the identification information from the wireless tag attached to a cartridge stored within the head of a dental turbine handpiece of the instrument which is placed in the hanger unit.

13. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 1, wherein the reading means writes the usage information in the wireless tag attached to the instrument for which the usage information is generated.

14. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communicator that transmits and receives information inclusive of the usage information to and from an information processing device via a communication network.

15. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 2, wherein the hanger unit includes:

holders that individually house the instruments; and

hanger sensors that detect, for the respective holders, the instruments being displaced or placed,

wherein the reading means reads the identification information from the wireless tag every time the hanger sensor detecting the instrument being displaced or placed.

16. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 2, wherein the hanger unit includes holders that individually house the instruments,

wherein the reading means periodically reads the identification information from the wireless tags attached to the instruments which are placed in the holders.

17. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 2, wherein one or more said reading means or antennas therefor each read the identification information from the wireless tag attached to a tool for shaving or grinding a tooth, which is detachably mounted on a handpiece of the instrument which is placed in the hanger unit.

18. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 2, wherein one or more said reading means or antenna therefor each read the identification information from the wireless tag attached to a cartridge stored within the head of a dental turbine handpiece of the instrument which is placed in the hanger unit.

19. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 2, wherein the reading means writes the usage information in the wireless tag attached to the instrument for which the usage information is generated.

20. The dental instrument hanger according to claim 2, further comprising:

a communicator that transmits and receives information inclusive of the usage information to and from an information processing device via a communication network.