Dentistry – Apparatus – Having suction orifice
Patent
1995-09-11
1997-03-25
Smith, Jeffrey A.
Dentistry
Apparatus
Having suction orifice
A61C 1706
Patent
active
056138512
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a separator for separating an air-solids-liquid mixture in a dental suction apparatus, whereby the suction apparatus has a suction pump, a suction nozzle aspirating the mixture from the mouth of a patient, and a suction line extending between the suction nozzle and the suction pump, which suction line is divided into two segments by the separator, with an air separation chamber connectible to the first segment of the suction line and provided with deflection surfaces, which air separation chamber is provided with a clean air outlet connectible to the second segment of the suction line and an outlet for the separated mixture, with a separation device for solid matter assigned to the mixture outlet, which separation device has a removable sedimentation container and a clean liquid outlet, and with a device for feeding the clean liquid into the second segment of the suction line which has an intermediate container connected with the clean liquid outlet.
Separators of this kind are for instance needed in dentist's processing systems when the central suction pump is formed by a liquid seal pump, which requires a feed of liquid for equalizing losses in the water ring, or when the separator is to be integrated into an existing system, the suction pump of which has a suction air-liquid separator connected upstream thereof whose functionality must be retained. A separator which is suitable for this and which may also have a centrifuge for solid matter separation, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,971, whereby the intermediate container collecting the clean liquid and sedimenting possibly remaining solid matter, and the supply device for clean liquid which, in particular, has a Venturi pipe, is shown in the second segment of the suction line essentially schematically at an arbitrary location.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is thus based on the object to form such a separator as a structurally compact, space-saving apparatus, which can be integrated in a known manner in situ.
This is attained, in accordance with the invention, in that the intermediate container is disposed below the air separation chamber and that both are commonly provided laterally adjacent the solid matter separation device, and in that the clean air outlet of the air separation chamber is provided at a tube which is connectible with the second segment of the suction line, which tube extends through the intermediate container and which has a clean liquid admission port. This construction leads to a compact structure which has an air treatment station and a solid matter treatment station next to one another. On the input side of the air treatment station the air is separated off and on the outlet side the liquid is added which has been separated from the solid matter in the solid matter treatment station. The solid matter treatment station can--because it extends above the height of the air separation chamber and the clean liquid supply device--comprise a centrifuge, whereby in this preferred embodiment the sedimentation container is disposed below the solid bowl centrifuge and laterally adjacent the intermediate container and communicates with the mixture outlet of the air separation chamber as well as with the sludge outlet of the centrifuge, and that a device is provided for supplying into the centrifuge the liquid collecting in the sedimentation container and containing residual solid matter.
The mixture outlet of the air separation chamber and/or of the clean liquid inlet of the preferably also removable intermediate container and/or the end of the tube extending through the intermediate container are each preferably provided laterally.
The invention will in the following be described with the aid of the figures of the enclosed drawings, without being limited thereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 and 2 show schematic vertical sections through two different exemplary embodiments of the separator.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMEN
REFERENCES:
patent: 4564374 (1986-01-01), Hoffmann
patent: 5018971 (1991-05-01), Trawoger et al.
patent: 5330641 (1994-07-01), Cattani
Pregenzer Bruno
Trawoger Werner
Greenberg Laurence A.
Lerner Herbert L.
Smith Jeffrey A.
Stemer Werner H.
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