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US 12,729,141 B2Granted
Ultrasonic scaler having an ozonated water system
AssigneeDENTSPLY SIRONA Inc.
InventorsKenneth R. Guaragno, Miles Hember, Roger Millington, Carl Hewett, Samuel Whittome
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A handpiece (108) of an ultrasonic scaler equipped with a closed system water delivery and an integrated in-line divided electrolytic cell (106) for generating ozone, one or more gas separators (116a, 116b), in-line dissolved gas monitoring and closed loop control over ozone concentration using one or more ultraviolet sensors (110).
Claims18
A method of providing ozonated water to an ultrasonic scaler handpiece comprising:
- delivering water from a water supply to an electrolytic cell of an aqueous ozone ultrasonic scaler system;
- delivering current to the electrolytic cell to generate ozone gas in the water delivered to the electrolytic cell;
- providing one or more recirculation loops in a fluid pathway to move the water and the generated ozone gas through the electrolytic cell and one or more gas separators that are disposed in a corresponding recirculation loop;
- separating gaseous ozone from a flow of the ozonated water that is to be delivered to the ultrasonic scaler handpiece using the one or more gas separators;
- measuring with one or more ultraviolet sensors the ozone concentration in the water through an amount of ultraviolet light absorbed by dissolved ozone in the water passing through a water column, wherein the one or more ultraviolet sensors are disposed in the recirculation loop of the fluid pathway, and wherein the aqueous ozone travels from the electrolytic cell into the gas separators and then from the gas separators into the ultraviolet sensor;
- controlling, in closed loop with the measurement, a level of the generated ozone gas concentration in the water delivered to the electrolytic cell through an amount of the current delivered to the electrolytic cell in order to generate ozonated water having a defined concentration of dissolved ozone;
- wherein a proton-conductive membrane is used in the electrolytic cell and the method further comprises switching an electrical polarity of the electrolytic cell after a defined period of operation time and after verifying that ozone gas in the water has decaved below a threshold level, such that a side of the aqueous ozone ultrasonic scaler system that was a cathode side in a previous operation becomes an anode side in a current operation and another side of the aqueous ozone ultrasonic scaler system that was the anode side in the previous operation becomes the cathode side in the current operation, in order to distribute a membrane degradation, that occurs from an interaction of ozone gas and other oxidative species from the electrolytic cell, over both sides of the electrolytic cell to extend a shelf life of the membrane of the electrolytic cell and eliminate stagnant water and microbial contamination;
- and
- delivering the ozonated water to the ultrasonic scaler handpiece.
6 more elements
An apparatus for providing ozonated water to an ultrasonic scaler handpiece comprising:
- an ultrasonic scaler handpiece;
- an electrolytic cell having a proton-conductive membrane;
- a water supply for delivering water to the electrolytic cell, wherein the electrolytic cell is in connection with the water supply through a fluid pathway and is adapted to receive current to generate ozone gas in the water in order to form ozonated water;
- one or more gas separators, wherein each gas separator is disposed in a corresponding recirculation loop of the fluid pathway that also contains the electrolytic cell, said each gas separator is configured to separate gaseous ozone from a flow of ozonated water that is to be delivered to the ultrasonic scaler handpiece;
- one or more ultraviolet sensors disposed in said recirculation loop of the fluid pathway, so that the aqueous ozone travels from the electrolytic cell into the gas separators and then from the gas separators into the ultraviolet sensor, and wherein the one or more ultraviolet sensors are adapted to measure dissolved ozone concentration in the water through an amount of ultraviolet light absorbed by dissolved ozone in the water passing through a water column;
- and
- a controller configured to switch an electrical polarity of the electrolytic cell after a defined period of operation time and after verifying that ozone gas in the water has decayed below a threshold level, such that a side of the apparatus that was a cathode side in a previous operation becomes an anode side in a current operation and another side of the apparatus that was the anode side in the previous operation becomes the cathode side in the current operation, in order to distribute a membrane degradation, that occurs from an interaction of ozone gas and other oxidative species from the electrolytic cell, over both sides of the electrolytic cell to extend a shelf life of the membrane of the electrolytic cell and eliminate stagnant water and microbial contamination.
4 more elements
A computer system for providing ozonated water to an ultrasonic scaler handpiece comprising a processor configured to perform the steps of:
- delivering water from a water supply to an electrolytic cell of an aqueous ozone ultrasonic scaler system;
- delivering current to the electrolytic cell to generate ozone gas in the water delivered to the electrolytic cell;
- providing one or more recirculation loops in a fluid pathway to move the water and the generated ozone gas through the electrolytic cell and one or more gas separators that are disposed in a corresponding recirculation loop;
- separating gaseous ozone from a flow of the ozonated water that is to be delivered to the ultrasonic scaler handpiece using the one or more gas separators;
- measuring with one or more ultraviolet sensors the ozone concentration in the water through an amount of ultraviolet light absorbed by dissolved ozone in the water passing through a water column, wherein the one or more ultraviolet sensors are disposed in the recirculation loop of the fluid pathway, and wherein the aqueous ozone travels from the electrolytic cell into the gas separators and then from the gas separators into the ultraviolet sensor;
- controlling, in closed loop with the measurement, a level of the generated ozone gas concentration in the water delivered to the electrolytic cell through an amount of the current delivered to the electrolytic cell in order to generate ozonated water having a defined concentration of dissolved ozone;
- switching an electrical polarity of the electrolytic cell after a defined period of operation time and after verifying that ozone gas in the water has decayed below a threshold level, such that a side of the aqueous ozone ultrasonic scaler system that was a cathode side in a previous operation becomes an anode side in a current operation and another side of the aqueous ozone ultrasonic scaler system that was the anode side in the previous operation becomes the cathode side in the current operation, in order to distribute a membrane degradation, that occurs from an interaction of ozone gas and other oxidative species from the electrolytic cell, over both sides of the electrolytic cell to extend a shelf life of the membrane of the electrolytic cell and eliminate stagnant water and microbial contamination;
- and
- delivering the ozonated water to the ultrasonic scaler handpiece.
6 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program which, when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to perform a procedure comprising:
- delivering water from a water supply to an electrolytic cell of an aqueous ozone ultrasonic scaler system, wherein a proton-conductive membrane is used in the electrolytic cell;
- delivering current to the electrolytic cell to generate ozone gas in the water delivered to the electrolytic cell;
- providing one or more recirculation loops in a fluid pathway to move the water and the generated ozone gas through the electrolytic cell and one or more gas separators that are disposed in a corresponding recirculation loop;
- separating gaseous ozone from a flow of the ozonated water that is to be delivered to the ultrasonic scaler handpiece using the one or more gas separators;
- measuring with one or more ultraviolet sensors the ozone concentration in the water through an amount of ultraviolet light absorbed by dissolved ozone in the water passing through a water column, wherein the one or more ultraviolet sensors are disposed in the recirculation loop of the fluid pathway, and wherein the aqueous ozone travels from the electrolytic cell into the gas separators and then from the gas separators into the ultraviolet sensor;
- controlling, in closed loop with the measurement, a level of the generated ozone gas concentration in the water delivered to the electrolytic cell through an amount of the current delivered to the electrolytic cell in order to generate ozonated water having a defined concentration of dissolved ozone;
- switching an electrical polarity of the electrolytic cell after a defined period of operation time and after verifying that ozone gas in the water has decayed below a threshold level, such that a side of the aqueous ozone ultrasonic scaler system that was a cathode side in a previous operation becomes an anode side in a current operation and another side of the aqueous ozone ultrasonic scaler system that was the anode side in the previous operation becomes the cathode side in the current operation, in order to distribute a membrane degradation, that occurs from an interaction of ozone gas and other oxidative species from the electrolytic cell, over both sides of the electrolytic cell to extend a shelf life of the membrane of the electrolytic cell and eliminate stagnant water and microbial contamination, and
- delivering the ozonated water to the ultrasonic scaler handpiece.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.