Dental scaler and vibratory transducer therefor

A dental scaler having a scaling tool to be vibrated at a high frequency and low amplitude by a fluid under pressure, the dental scaler comprising:

• an outer tubular housing extending along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends;
• a vibratory transducer within the outer tubular housing;
• coupling means for coupling the scaling tool to the vibratory transducer;
• resilient support means for supporting the vibratory transducer within the outer tubular housing;
• the vibratory transducer comprising:
• an inner housing having a chamber including a peripheral wall extending between opposite first and second chamber ends;
• an essentially spherical rotor within the chamber, the rotor having a diameter, a polar axis extending along the diameter between opposite poles, and an equator intermediate the opposite poles;
• a race in the peripheral wall of the chamber, the race being located intermediate the first and second chamber ends and juxtaposed with the equator of the rotor;
• at least two fluid inlets located adjacent the first chamber end and juxtaposed with one of the opposite poles of the rotor for admitting the fluid under pressure into the chamber and directing the fluid toward the rotor adjacent the one of the opposite poles;
• and
• at least one fluid outlet aligned essentially with the polar axis of the rotor for exhausting from the chamber the fluid admitted into the chamber;
• the relative dimensions of the peripheral wall of the chamber and the diameter of the rotor providing a relatively small clearance between the rotor and the peripheral wall of the chamber for enabling relatively high speed rotation of the rotor within the race in the chamber, in response to the passage of the fluid under pressure through the inlets into the chamber and through the outlet out of the chamber, and the concomitant transmission of relatively high frequency, low amplitude vibrational energy from the rotating rotor to the inner housing and to the scaling tool.