Patent ID: 9572643
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: A61C,A61N,B29C,G02B,Y10S

Claim:
1. An instrument for curing light-curable compounds which are curable at a work surface in the mouth of a patient, the instrument comprising: a housing including a handle portion and a barrel portion, the barrel portion having a proximal end and a radiating distal end from which light radiates out of the housing to the work surface, at least part of the barrel portion being removably secured with respect to the handle portion; a plurality of solid state, light-emitting semiconductor junction elements forming an array on a substrate, the array of light-emitting elements arranged together on the substrate to collectively emit light generally forwardly of the substrate, the emitted light having wavelengths within a narrow band of wavelengths suitable for curing a compound; the array of light-emitting elements located in the removably secured barrel portion and positioned proximate to the radiating distal end of the barrel portion; an elongated heat-conducting element extending along the barrel portion from the radiating distal end of the barrel portion and back toward the proximal end of the barrel portion and thermally coupled with the array of light-emitting elements for conducting heat away from the array; a generally clear layer extending on the substrate and over the plurality of light-emitting semiconductor junction elements for protecting the array of light-emitting elements while transmitting the generally forwardly emitted light; a non-imaging optical focusing device positioned at the radiating distal end of the barrel portion and positioned forward of the array, the non-imaging optical focusing device operable to collimate the emitted light to present a desirable light power density for being radiated and curing a compound at the work surface.