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US 2013/0157218 A1Published application
Device for detecting movements of a lower jaw
AssigneeZebris Medical GmbH
InventorsWolfgang Brunner, Bernd Kordass
Life of this patent
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AssigneeZebris Medical GmbH
InventorsWolfgang Brunner, Bernd Kordass
Estimating the term…
Apparatus for detecting motions of a lower jaw relative to the upper jaw of a vertebrate, comprising a first holder (30) to be fixed to the head of a vertebrate with a fixed assignment relative to the upper jaw for accommodating transmitter or receiver units of a position determining system (1) for the detection of motion, a second holder (40A) to be fixed to the lower jaw on the left side for accommodating corresponding left-sided receiver and transmitter units of the position determining system, a third holder (40B) to be fixed to the lower jaw on the right side for accommodating corresponding right-sided receiver and transmitter units of the position determining system, and a first evaluation unit (13) for processing signals from the receiver units so as to generate a differentiated dynamic image of the motions of the left and right sides of the lower jaw from relative positional changes of the transmitter units (11) which are associated with the motions of the lower jaw and are detected by the receiver units.
Apparatus for detecting motions of a lower jaw relative to the upper jaw of a vertebrate, comprising:
Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the position determining system comprises coding means for differentiating between transmitted signals of left-sided transmitter units and those of right-sided transmitter units, or between signals of left-sided receiver units and those of right-sided receiver units.
Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first holder (30) comprises a set of left-sided transmitter or receiver units which are configured to communicate with the left-sided receiver and transmitter units on the second holder (40A), and a set of right-sided transmitter or receiver units which are configured to communicate with the right-sided receiver and transmitter units on the third holder (40B).
Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second and third holder (40A, 40B) are each configured for the detachable mounting on the lower jaw, in particular for the realization of a plurality of different placement sites for the second and third holder.
Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a mounting aid for the precise placement of the second and third holder (40A, 40B) on the left side and right side of the lower jaw is provided, which temporarily couples in particular the second and third holder rigidly to one another and can be detached after the mounting on the lower jaw so as to release the second and third holder for independent motions.
Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first evaluation unit (13) is configured for the sequential and associated evaluation of several sets of signals from the receiver units, each being assigned to a specified placement of the second and third holder (40A, 40B).
Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first holder (30) is configured to be detachably fixed to the upper jaw of the vertebrate, especially by detachable adhesion.
Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first holder is configured to be placed away from the head of the vertebrate and the apparatus further comprises correcting means to identify and arithmetically consider motions of the head in the evaluation of the signals from the receiver units which are generated by a motion of the lower jaw.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.