Illumination apparatus for dental handpiece

Abstract

The present invention relates to a surgical drilling system having a light source for illuminating the treatment area during surgery. The light source is detachably connected to a light guide assembly which is mounted on the handpiece of a surgical drilling system. Light from a lens-end subminiature incandescent bulb is focused on an optical fiber bundle in the light guide assembly. The incandescent bulb generates less heat and has a greater rated life than a halogen bulb with comparable light intensity at the operation site. In one embodiment the light source controller utilizes a switching power regulator with pulse width modulation. The light source controller converts a pulse width modulation signal into a DC voltage. The duty cycle of the signal increases from a minimum to a maximum, thereby providing a soft start for the lamp. In normal operation, the duty cycle creates an average lamp drive voltage which is less than the maximum lamp drive voltage. The soft start and average lamp power extend the useful life of the bulb by reducing the stress on the filament caused by sudden increases in the drive voltage.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.