Coupling device for detachably connecting a medical or dental instrument to a drive unit or a supply hose

Abstract

A coupling device for detachably connecting a medical or dental instrument to a drive unit or a supply hose for transfer of at least one of data, energy, a driving movement and a working medium between the drive unit or the supply hose and the instrument comprises a first coupling element and a second coupling element. One of the coupling elements comprises a coupling recess and the other comprises a coupling protrusion insertible therein. One of the coupling elements comprises a positioning element and the other comprises an indentation into which the positioning element can be inserted to position the coupling elements in a defined angular position about a shared axis. One of the coupling elements comprises a memory unit for storage of data and the other comprises a transfer unit, so that data can be transferred from the memory unit by the transfer unit to the other coupling element.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A coupling device for detachably connecting a medical or dental instrument to a drive unit or a supply hose for transfer of at least one of data, energy, a driving movement and a working medium between the drive unit or the supply hose and the instrument, comprising:
 a first coupling element and a second coupling element, wherein one of the first and second coupling elements comprises a coupling recess and the other of the first and second coupling elements comprises a coupling protrusion insertible into the coupling recess, and wherein   one of the first and second coupling elements comprises a positioning element and the other of the first and second coupling elements comprises an indentation into which the positioning element can be inserted to position the coupling elements in a defined angular position about a shared axis relative to one another, wherein one of the coupling elements comprises a memory unit for storage of data and the other of the coupling elements comprises a transfer unit, so that data can be transferred from the memory unit of the one coupling element to the other coupling element by the transfer unit.   
     
     
         2 . The coupling device according to  claim 1 , wherein the memory unit has at least one electric contact which can be connected to an electric contact of the transfer unit, so that the data can be transferred in a hardwired operation. 
     
     
         3 . The coupling device according to  claim 2 , wherein the electric contact of the memory unit is disposed in an end surface of the positioning element, and the electric contact of the transfer unit is disposed in a base surface of the indentation. 
     
     
         4 . The coupling device according to  claim 1 , wherein the memory unit and the transfer unit each have at least one first coil and at least one second coil for output and/or writing of the data from the memory element. 
     
     
         5 . The coupling device according to  claim 4 , wherein at least the first coil of the memory unit and a memory element of the memory unit are disposed adjacent each other on a shared carrier circuit board in the positioning element. 
     
     
         6 . The coupling device according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one first coil of the memory unit and a memory element are disposed in a shared housing in the positioning element. 
     
     
         7 . The coupling device according to  claim 5 , wherein the at least one first coil of the memory unit and a memory element are disposed in a shared housing in the positioning element. 
     
     
         8 . The coupling device according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one coil of the positioning element is disposed in or on at least one side wall or end surface of the positioning element, so that the coil of the positioning element can be coupled to the at least one coil of the transfer unit. 
     
     
         9 . The coupling device according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one coil of the transfer unit is disposed adjacent the indentation for the positioning element on at least one of the side walls or base surface of the indentation, so that the coil of the transfer unit can be coupled to the at least one coil of the memory unit. 
     
     
         10 . The coupling device according to  claim 4 , wherein the coils of the memory unit and the transfer unit are surrounded by soft magnetic material for conducting and/or aligning the field lines of the magnetic field in the direction of the first or second coil. 
     
     
         11 . The coupling device according to  claim 10 , wherein the soft magnetic material comprises at least one of ferrite, nickel-zinc or manganese-zinc. 
     
     
         12 . The coupling device of  claim 4 , wherein the coils of the memory unit and the transfer unit are surrounded by electrically nonconductive material, in particular, to prevent weakening of the magnetic field due to self-generated and/or received foreign fields. 
     
     
         13 . The coupling device according to  claim 12 , wherein the electrically non-conductive material comprises at least one of plastic, silicone, resin, ceramic, adhesive, lacquer and glass. 
     
     
         14 . The coupling device according to  claim 1 , wherein the positioning element comprises a housing made of a magnetically nonconductive and electrically nonconductive material at least in a region surrounding the memory unit. 
     
     
         15 . The coupling device according to  claim 1 , wherein the positioning element has a spring mount, so that it can be displaced essentially in parallel with the axis of rotation of the coupling device. 
     
     
         16 . The coupling device according to  claim 1 , wherein the positioning element is designed to be releasable from the coupling element of the coupling device. 
     
     
         17 . The coupling device according to  claim 1 , wherein the positioning element and the transfer unit have additional electric contacts and/or reading and/or writing devices for hardwired and/or wireless transfer of data, signals and/or energy from the one coupling element to the other coupling element. 
     
     
         18 . A method of using the coupling device according to  claim 1  for detachably connecting two dental devices. 
     
     
         19 . The method of using the coupling device according to  claim 18 , wherein at least one of the dental devices is designed as a cleaning and/or care device, as a drive unit, a supply hose or as an instrument having a drive device for a tool.