Dental unit with programmable functions

• US 8,219,239 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Planmeca Oy
• Original Assignee: Planmeca Oy
• Inventors: Andell, Henri, Pihlajamäki, Tero
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US12/450,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20100092913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 433 27- 29, 433/33, 433/49, 433/52, 433/53, 433/77, 433/79, 433/80, 433/82, 433/84, 433/85, 433/98, 433/101, 700/2, 700/12, 700/17, 700/83, 700/170, 700/282
• US Class Current: 700/170
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/0007 Control devices or systems fluid temperature control in air and water supply systems of dental machines or apparatus A61C1/0069
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/0023 Foot control
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 15/02 Chairs with means to adjust position of patient; Controls therefor

Abstract

Dental unit, which comprises at least one connection for at least one ancillary device, a drive-power and feed system for providing drive power or feed to said at least one ancillary device, and a control system for controlling the drive-power and feed system as well as the at least one ancillary device. For its part, the control system comprises at least one programmed function, which includes at least one predefined control operation directed to at least one ancillary device. In addition, at least one trigger is defined for each programmed function within the control system, in response to which said programmed function is performed. According to the invention, the dental unit comprises configuration means, which are arranged to receive control commands from the user in order to configure at least one programmed function and to configure said at least one programmed function according to control commands received from the user.

Claims

1. A dental unit, comprising

at least one connection for at least one ancillary device,

a drive-power and feed system for providing drive power or feed to said at least one ancillary device,

a control system for controlling the drive-power and feed system as well as said at least one ancillary device, which control system comprises at least one programmed function, which includes at least one predefined control operation directed to at least one ancillary device including at least one parameter, and in which control system at least one trigger is defined for each programmed function, in response to which said programmed function is to be performed,

a means adapted to receive control from a user to change a value of a parameter included in said at least one control operation,

characterized in that the dental unit comprises a configuration means, which is arranged to receive control commands from the user for modifying said at least one programmed function and to modify said at least one programmed function according to the control received from the user, which modification of the programmed function comprises at least one function selected from the group consisting of (i) removal of a control operation from a programmed function, addition of a control operation to a programmed function, (ii) addition of a new programmed function, (iii) creation of a new programmed function by combining previously programmed functions, and (iv) removal of an entire programmed function.

2. The dental unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the configuration means is arranged to add a new programmed function to the control system.

3. The dental unit according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one programmed function includes a condition defined for performing of the function and the control system is arranged to perform said programmed function only if the condition defined for performing the function is met.

4. The dental unit according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one programmed function includes at least one control operation or another programmed function for performing of which a condition has been defined and the control system is arranged to perform, when performing said at least one programmed function, said at least one control operation or another programmed function only if the condition defined for the performance of said control operation or another programmed function is met.

5. The dental unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the configuration means includes a function for linking programmed functions the dental unit contains together to form a combination function.

6. The dental unit according to claim 5, characterized in that the configuration means comprise a function for defining a trigger relating to the combination function and the dental unit is arranged to perform the programmed functions linked to form a combination function in response to the trigger relating to the combination function.

7. The dental unit according to claim 6, characterized in that the dental unit comprises a display on which icons are shown, and the configuration means includes a function for selecting an icon and for defining it to be a trigger relating to a combination function, whereby the dental unit can be guided to perform the combination function through the selected icon.

8. The dental unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the dental unit contains at least one function permanently programmed into the dental unit and the configuration means is arranged to create a new programmed function by using as a base the function preprogrammed at a factory.

9. The dental unit according to claim 8, characterized in that the configuration means is arranged to provide the user with the possibility to remove control operations, add control operations, and/or alter the settings of control operations upon creation of said new programmed function.

10. The dental unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the configuration means is arranged to alter the contents of a programmed function and/or the trigger defined for a function.

11. The dental unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the dental unit contains a set of said programmed functions in such a way that at least one of the programmed functions contains at least two control operations.

12. The dental unit according to claim 11, characterized in that the control system is arranged to perform a programmed function by activating the control operations contained in the function.

13. The dental unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the configuration means is arranged to add to the control system a programmed combination function, which contains a first programmed function and at least one control operation or a second programmed function, and in which the control system is arranged to perform said combination function in such a way that, when performing the combination function, each programmed function or control operation included in the combination function is activated and, when the activated function is a programmed function, the programmed function activated is performed by activating the control operations or programmed functions included therein.

14. The dental unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the ancillary devices include at least one control device.

15. The dental unit according to claim 14, characterized in that at least one control device is a foot control.

16. The dental unit according to claim 14, characterized in that at least one control device is a touch surface arranged in connection with a graphical user interface.

17. The dental unit according to claim 14, characterized in that at least one trigger defined for at least one programmed function is a control command received from a control device.

18. The dental unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the dental unit comprises a display and the control system is arranged to show a view on the display, which view contains icons, numbers, text, and/or other symbols and the control system is arranged to take control commands relating to the symbols from a control device connectable to the dental unit.

19. The dental unit according to claim 18, characterized in that a programmed function, as a trigger of which acts a control command received from the control device, is attached to at least one of said symbols.

20. The dental unit according to claim 18, characterized in that at least one programmed function controls the contents of the view shown on a display.

21. The dental unit according to claim 18, characterized in that the view shown on a display comprises at least one area in which a menu is shown for selecting an operation state, and at least one area in which symbols are shown for giving control commands directed to the ancillary devices.

22. The dental unit according to claim 21, characterized in that a foot control comprising selectors is connectable to the dental unit and a view shown on a display comprises one area for each selector.

23. The dental unit according to claim 18, characterized in that the control system comprises a set of symbols for giving control commands directed to the ancillary devices, and the control system is arranged to select from the set of symbols a sub-set of symbols to be shown on the display.

24. The dental unit according to claim 18, characterized in that the control system comprises a set of menus for selecting the operating state and the control system is arranged to select from the set of menus the menu or menus to be shown on the display at any one time.

25. The dental unit according to claim 18, characterized in that the configuration means is arranged to provide the user of the dental unit with a configuration function, which enables configuring menus and symbols user-specifically.