Dental apparatus with a number of dental instruments connected to a common control circuit and a common operator unit

A dental apparatus comprising an instrument carrier with a number of dental instruments arranged removably in individual positions in said carrier, instrument removal signal generators individually associated with each of said instrument positions, a control circuit common to said dental instruments, an instrument selector device incorporated in said control circuit and connected to said removal signal generators, an instrument energizing and control device in said control circuit for energizing and controlling only one instrument at a time when selected by said selector device, an operator unit common to said instruments for controlling the energization and control of said selected instrument by said energizing and control means, said operator unit comprising a control member which is movable out of a home position to perform an instrument energizing movement, means in said control circuit for sensing said instrument energizing movement and actuating said energizing and control means in response thereto, selectively actuable function energizing devices for actuating auxiliary functions related to the operation of said dentral instruments, at least one such function energizing device being incorporated in said control circuit, an input control unit incorporated in said control circuit and connected with said instrument energizing and control means as well as said operator unit to sense said instrument energizing movement as well as a movement of said control member different from said instrument energizing movement, said at least one function energizing device being connected to said input control unit to be actuated therefrom in response to said different movement of the control member, a timing device connected to said input control unit for measuring the duration of said instrument energizing movement of the control member, said input control unit being constructed to actuate said instrument energizing and control means for instrument energization and control only in response to a duration of said movement exceeding a prescribed minimum duration and to actuate said function energizing device in response to a shorter duration of said movement.

A dental apparatus comprising an instrument carrier with a number of dental instruments arranged removably in individual positions in said carrier, instrument removal signal generator individually associated with each of said instrument positions, a control circuit common to said dental instruments, an instrument selector device incorporated in said control circuit and connected to said removal signal generator, an instrument energizing and control device in said control circuit for energizing and controlling only one instrument at a time when selected by said selector device, an operator unit common to said instruments for controlling the energization and control of said selected instrument by said energizing and control means, said operator unit comprising a control member which is movable out of a home position to perform an instrument energizing movement, means in said control circuit for sensing said instrument energizing movement and actuating said energizing and control means in response thereto, selectively actuable first and second function energizing devices for actuating a first and a second auxiliary function related to the operation of said dental instruments being incorporated in said control circuit, an input control unit incorporated in said control circuit and connected with said instrument energizing and control means and said first and second function energizing devices as well as said operator unit, the control member of said operator unit being disposed for planar movement in opposite directions out of said home position for operation of said dental instruments and being further movable in said home position in at least one direction perpendicular to said planar movement, said operator unit being constructed to transmit a number of different energizing signals to said input control unit corresponding to the number of movement directions of the control member out of the home position, a timing device being connected to said input control unit for measuring the duration of said planar movement of the control member, said input control unit being constructed to actuate said first function energizing device in response to the energizing signal transmited by said operator unit by said perpendicular movement of the control movement and to actuate said instrument energizing and control means and said second function energizing device in response to a duration of said planar movement of the control member exceeding or being shorter, respectively, than a prescribed minimum duration.