Coltene Whaledent, Inc.

Takasago International Corporation

Joseph G Colombo

Igor Y Gofman

Anthony J Leardi

John E Lando

Steven Abdelgader

The present application relates to a liquid-evaporate delivery device which relies on the efficient use of air currents to deliver liquid evaporate to airspace around the device. Efficient air currents may be provided by rotating the air currents around the wick, by providing a helical channel for the air to flow around the wick, and/or by aligning a fan with the longitudinal axis of the wick.

Liquid-evaporate delivery device

A curing lamp apparatus is used for providing electronic voice information to report a number of operating conditions associated with the curing lamp. The apparatus includes a light sensor for sensing output power, voltage and current sensors for sensing input power, a microcontroller for providing a digital number in response to receiving signals from one or more sensors, a programmed voice circuit for retrieving a voice message signal from a memory, address associated with the digital number, and a transducer for receiving and audibly reproducing the voice message signal.

Curing lamp apparatus giving operating conditions with electronic voice

A light for a curing instrument includes a plurality of light sources, each producing an incident light beam. The incident light beams are combined to produce a single output beam, which exhibits a broader spectral width than any of the incident light beams. In one embodiment of the invention, the output beam exhibits an intensity over a spectral range defined by a first characteristic wavelength of a first of the plurality of light sources and a second characteristic wavelength of a second of the plurality of lights sources such that the intensity varies by no more than 25 percent over the range. In another embodiment of the invention including a one or more blue LED light sources among the plurality of light sources, at least one white LED is included in the plurality of light sources in order to generate an output light beam having a component portion that is characterized as green. In a third embodiment of the invention, a plurality of fiber optic bundles receive the incident light beams, and are arranged at a transmitting end so that individual fibers from the plurality of bundles are randomly combined to form a single output surface for transmitting the output beam.

Curing light with engineered spectrum and power compressor guide

A micro-controller adjustably provides a scanning frequency for operating a driver for an ultrasonic device. The frequency is adjusted within a defined range until an acknowledgement signal is provided to the micro-controller to lock a currently selected frequency as the operating frequency. An indicator indicates when a frequency has been selected outside of the defined range. The device is preferably implemented as a complex programmable logic device (CPLD).

Microcontroller unit

A method and apparatus for curing dental material with radiation from a halogen lamp provides for a shifting of a spectrum of the radiation to a shorter wavelength for increased rate of curing by adjusting current flow within a heating element of the lamp. The current is applied over an interval of time for accomplishing the curing. Feedback and feedforward circuitry, operative with a control signal of a regulated power source to reduce voltage applied by the power source to the heating element during an initial portion of the interval of time, prior to obtaining an operating temperature of the heating element, to maintain an upper bound on the magnitude of the current applied to the heating element, thereby to the vivid unnecessary and operations of the heating element for increased operating lifetime of the lamp.

Operation of halogen lamp for curing of material

In a switching voltage power supply, a series regulator circuit interconnects an input voltage section with an output voltage section of the switching power supply. The regulator circuit has an n-channel MOSFET transistor serving as a regulator element. A gating circuit applies a gating voltage to the gate terminal relative to the drain terminal for establishing states of current conduction and current cut-off in the transistor. A biasing circuit interconnects the gating circuit with the drain terminal for establishing an offset potential of the gate terminal relative to the drain terminal during the state of current conduction, the offset potential counteracting a gate-to-source threshold voltage for reduction of a voltage drop between the drain terminal and the source terminal with a corresponding reduction in power dissipation of the regulator element.

Switching power supply

An automatic drive circuit for an ultrasonic probe, such as a dental scaler insert, is operative with a probe which includes a magnetostrictive unit and a vibratory element to be set into vibration by the magnetostrictive unit upon energization of the magnetostrictive unit with an alternating magnetic field. An energizing coil is enclosed within a handle having a compartment for receiving the probe. The coil is located within the handle adjacent to the probe-receiving compartment for applying the alternating magnetic field to the magnetostrictive unit upon insertion of the probe into the handle and upon energizing the coil by the drive circuit. An oscillator of the drive circuit is coupled to the coil for applying an oscillatory current to the coil. The drive circuit includes a frequency sensor for sensing a frequency of the oscillatory current, the sensor outputting a signal designating a magnitude of the frequency. A further component of the drive circuit establishes a value of amplitude of the alternating current in response to the sensed value of the frequency. The circuitry relies on the inductance introduced via the magnetostrictive unit to the coil for automatically establishing the value of oscillation frequency commanded by the probe.

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Hackensack, NJ, United States of America

Joseph G Colombo