Laser-type handpiece

• US 4,849,859 A
• Filed: 04/21/1987
• Issued: 07/18/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Morita Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Morita Seisakusho
• Inventors: Nagasawa, Akinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwadron, Martin P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Flanigan, Allen J.
• Application Number:
  US07/040,923
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 362/32, 362/282, 362/284, 362/322, 362/324, 350/96.1, 350/96.24, 350/96.25, 350/96.26, 128/4-7, 128/303.1, 128/395-398, 433/114, 353/DIG. 3
• US Class Current: 362/573
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/22 the beam being directed along or through a flexible conduit, e.g. an optical fibre; Couplings or hand-pieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/202 Laser enclosed in a hand-piece
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2272 with reflective or refractive surfaces for deflecting the beam A61B2018/2261, A61B2018/2266 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/0046 Dental lasers surgical lasers A61B18/20; working by laser beam in general B23K26/00; lasers per se H01S3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0279 Cannula; Nozzles; Tips; their connection means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0601 Apparatus for use inside the body

Abstract

A laser-type handpiece including a reflector pivotably connected inside a head section and a control sleeve which is connected to the reflector and fitted over the external circumference of the handpiece body so that the sleeve can move back-and-forth along the axis of the handpiece body, whereby the reflector can be adjusted to any desired angle by the back-and-forth movement of the sleeve. When this handpiece is used for dental treatment, the head section of the handpiece can be smoothly inserted into and taken out from a narrow oral region and the angle of laser beam can be changed easily.

Claims

1. A laser-type handpiece wherein a laser beam transmitted from a laser source to a handpiece body is refracted at a head section, said laser-type handpiece is characterized in that said handpiece comprises a reflector holding member and an applicator holding member pivotally connected to said head section via a pivot shaft, a control sleeve fitted over the external circumference of said body so that said sleeve can be moved back and forth along the axis of said body, and a slide member which is connected to an upper section of said reflector holding member and an upper section of said applicator holding member via connection points and is provided in said body so that said slide member can slide along the axis of said body, and is interlocked with the back-and-forth movement of said sleeve, whereby said reflector holding member and said applicator holding member are turned around said pivot shaft by sliding said slide member interlocked with the back-and-forth movement of said sleeve and the change of angle of said applicator holding member is approximately twice as large as that of said reflector holding member.

2. A laser-type handpiece according to claim 1, wherein an optical fiber for laser beam transmission is built in said handpiece body and the end of said optical fiber faces said reflector.

3. A laser-type handpiece according to claim 1, wherein pins are fixed to said upper sections of said reflector holding member and said applicator holding member respectively, a shaft hole or slot is provided at the front end of said slide member, and pins are fitted into said shaft hole or slot and the distance from said pin to said pivot shaft is twice as large as that from said pin to said pivot shaft.

4. A laser-type handpiece according to claim 1, wherein a pivot shaft is fixed to said head section, a pin is also fixed to said upper section of said applicator holding member, links having an identical length, are provided between said pin and said pivot shaft and connected to each other via a connection pin so that the angle between said links can be changed, said pin is fitted into said shaft hole or slot formed at said front end of said slide member, and said connection pin is slidably fitted into a slot provided along the axis of said reflector member.

5. A laser-type handpiece according to claim 1, wherein an optical fiber for laser beam transmission is built in said handpiece body and the end of said optical fiber faces said reflector holding member.