Powder reservoir for a dental abrasive sprayer

• US 6,884,070 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2002
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ferton Holding SA
• Original Assignee: Ferton Holding SA
• Inventors: Cevey, Julien, Beerstecher, Lutz
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, John J
• Application Number:
  US10/104,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20020137005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 433/88, 451/90, 451/79, 451/100, 239/142, 239/311, 406/75
• US Class Current: 433/88
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/0084 Supply units, e.g. reservoir arrangements, specially adapted pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 3/025 Instruments acting like a sandblast machine, e.g. for cleaning, polishing or cutting teeth

Abstract

A powder reservoir for a dental abrasive blasting apparatus is provided with a discharge valve having a closure body that comprises associated driving means for moving a closure body with a pulsed frequency alternately between a closing position and an opening position of an associated discharge opening of the powder reservoir for discharging the powder into a mixing chamber which is passed by a supply line for compressed air for supplying a handpiece with a mixture of compressed air and abrasive powder particles.

Claims

1. A powder reservoir for a dental abrasive blasting apparatus which is connected with a handpiece having a nozzle arrangement at a tip portion for discharging a jet stream of a mixture of compressed air and abrasive powder particles which is supplied from a mixing chamber that is arranged below a discharge opening of the powder reservoir, comprising:

a discharge valve having a closure body which is biased towards a closing position of the discharge opening of the powder reservoir for blocking discharge of powder particles into the mixing chamber, and

driving means associated with the closure body of the discharge valve for moving the closure body into a pulsed opening position alternately with respect to its closing position in which the powder particles are discharged from the powder reservoir for being mixed with a stream of compressed air which is passed through the mixing chamber at a position underneath of the discharge opening whereby a pulse frequency of the driving means which is associated with the closure body of the discharge valve is chosen such as to determine a desired dosage for the mixture of the powder particles with the compressed air,

wherein the pulse frequency of the driving means is controlled in a range between 0.5 and 100 Hz at pulse width between 0 and 100%.

2. The powder reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the closure body of the discharge valve is formed as a substantially needle-shaped closure member which projects towards the discharge opening of the powder reservoir for closing and opening the same when being relatively moved.

3. The powder reservoir according to claim 2, wherein the needle-shaped closure member is arranged on a diaphragm serving as a pressure multiplier.

4. The powder reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the closure body of the discharge valve is formed with a disk-shaped diaphragm.

5. The powder reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the driving means associated with the closure body of the discharge valve comprises a lifting magnet of an electromagnetic drive.

6. The powder reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the driving means associated with the closure body of the discharge valve comprises a pneumatic drive.

7. The powder reservoir according to claim 6, wherein the pneumatic drive comprises a piston which is driveably connected to the closure body of the discharge valve.

8. The powder reservoir according to claim 6, wherein the closure body of the discharge valve is arranged for being driven intermittently by pressure pulses of the pneumatic drive.

9. The powder reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the mixing chamber is provided by an attach unit which is arranged for being connected to the powder reservoir together with the discharge valve and its driving means.

10. The powder reservoir according to claim 9, wherein the attach unit has a screwtype connection with a lower neck portion of the powder reservoir.

11. The powder reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the closure body of the discharge valve is biased by a compression spring towards its closing position on the discharge opening of the powder reservoir.

12. The powder reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the closure body of the discharge valve is biased by a pneumatic pressure compensation towards its closing position on the discharge opening of the powder reservoir whereby the pneumatic pressure compensation is obtained by a branch line of the stream of compressed air which in the mixing chamber is passed over the upper surface of the closure body for its mixture with the powder particles, the branch line connecting to a pressure compensation chamber which is provided beneath the closure body of the discharge valve.

13. The fluid reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the discharge valve comprises a rubber-elastic member which has a primary cup-shaped chamber for a slip-on fixation of the rubber-elastic member on a lower neck portion of the powder reservoir, and a secondary chamber which is interconnected with the primary chamber via a passage opening that is aligned with the discharge opening of the powder reservoir, the secondary chamber forming the mixing chamber and being provided with a unitary passage line for the compressed air whereby an undercut wall portion of the passage line for the compressed air is biased as a closure body of the discharge valve towards a closing position of the passage opening.

14. The powder reservoir according to claim 13, wherein the undercut wall portion of the unitary passage line for compressed air of the mixing chamber is arranged for forming by itself a diaphragm as a closure body of the discharge valve.

15. The powder reservoir according to claim 13, wherein the undercut wall portion of the unitary passage line for compressed air of the mixture chamber is formed with an integrated needle-shaped projection as a closure body of the discharge valve and projecting via the oppositely arranged passage opening into the discharge opening of the powder reservoir.

16. The powder reservoir according to claim 13, wherein the branch line connects to the undercut wall portion of the unitary passage line for compressed air of the mixing chamber.

17. The powder reservoir according to claim 13, wherein the intermittently activated pressure pulses are arranged for acting on the undercut wall portion of the unitary passage line for compressed air of the mixing chamber.

18. A powder reservoir for a dental abrasive blasting apparatus which is connected with a handpiece having a nozzle arrangement at a tip portion for discharging a jet stream of a mixture of compressed air and abrasive powder particles which is supplied from a mixing chamber that is arranged below a discharge opening of the powder reservoir, comprising:

a discharge valve having a closure body which is biased towards a closing position of the discharge opening of the powder reservoir for blocking discharge of powder particles into the mixing chamber, and

driving means associated with the closure body of the discharge valve for moving the closure body with a pulse frequency into a pulsed opening position alternately with respect to its closing position so that the powder particles are discharged from the powder reservoir in a pulsed sequence for being mixed with a stream of compressed air which is passed through the mixing chamber at a position underneath of the discharge opening,

said closure body of the discharge valve being moved with said pulse frequency so as to determine a desired dosage for the mixture of the powder particles with the compressed air while said air is passed through said mixing chamber.

19. A powder reservoir according to claim 18, wherein the pulse frequency of the driving means is controlled in a range between 0.5 and 100 Hz at pulse width between 0 and 100%.