1. A measuring instrument, comprising:
illumination for successively illuminating at least one part of a tooth with light of different colors;
at least one monochrome sensor sensitive to intensity of light coming from the tooth part, in response to the illumination, to generate for each different color of illumination, at least one measurement signal;
means for converting the measurement signals corresponding to the tooth part, into coordinates of a measurement point, in a shade space in which reference points are also defined, corresponding to the preset shades of a dental shade guide;
automatic shade search means for automatically searching a shade corresponding to the reference point closest to the measurement point, in the shade space, for the tooth part; and
an illumination head provided with a plurality of light emitting sites linked to the light sources.
2. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is housed in the illumination head and wherein the light emitting sites are arranged around the sensor.
3. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting sites are coupled with light sources by means of optical fibers.
4. The measuring instrument according to claim 3, wherein the light emitting sites are coupled in common to a set of light sources, to emit simultaneously light of the same spectral range, when at least one light source is activated.
5. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of subassemblies of light emitting sites, each subassembly of light emitting sites being coupled respectively to a light source taken among a plurality of light sources of various spectral ranges, so that the light emitting sites of each subassembly simultaneously emit light of the same spectral range, the light emitting sites of each subassembly being distributed substantially regularly around the sensor.
6. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting sites are the free ends of a bundle of optical fibers, coupled to the light sources.
7. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, comprising a grip housing at least one from among: a set of light sources, the signal conversion means, and a data transmission interface, and in which the illumination head is mounted in a removable way on the grip.
8. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, comprising a first shield opaque to the illumination light, held close to the illumination head to be able to insert a tooth between the illumination head and the shield.
9. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, comprising a second shield solid with the illumination head and surrounding the light emitting sites, to prevent ambient light from directly reaching an illuminated tooth part, when the illumination head is applied to a tooth.
10. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, comprising a means for forming an image on the sensor.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A drill assembly comprising:
a support base;
a drill support for supporting a drill; and
a drill column supported by the base, supporting the drill support, and wherein the drill column is formed from a fiber composite material.
2. The drill assembly of claim 1 wherein the composite material of the drill column is formed from a combination of carbon fibers and a resin composition.
3. The drill assembly of claim 2 wherein the composite material further includes fiberglass fibers.
4. The drill assembly of claim 1 wherein the drill column extends longitudinally and includes a first surface and wherein the drill column further includes a plate on the first surface.
5. The drill assembly of claim 4 wherein the plate is a steel plate.
6. The drill assembly of claim 5 wherein the steel plate is bonded to the drill column.
7. The drill assembly of claim 5 wherein the column includes a plurality of sides and wherein more than one surface on the column includes a steel plate.
8. The drill assembly of claim 7 further including an engagement surface on one of the plates.
9. The drill assembly of claim 8 wherein the engagement surface is a rack.
10. The drill assembly of claim 9 further including a second rack on a second plate.
11. The drill assembly of claim 1 wherein the drill column has a rectangular cross-section.
12. The drill assembly of claim 11 wherein the drill column has a square cross-section.
13. The drill assembly of claim 11 further including a steel plate on each side of the drill column.
14. The drill assembly of claim 13 wherein the drill column is formed from a carbon fiber and resin composite and further including a fiber glass material between the steel plate and the carbon fiber.
15. A drill assembly comprising:
a support base;
a drill support for supporting a drill; and
a drill column supported by the base, supporting the drill support, and wherein the drill column is formed from a composite material and wherein the drill column includes a hollow portion and further including at least one insert within the hollow portion and at least a portion of the insert is bonded to the inside of the hollow portion.
16. The drill assembly of claim 15 wherein the drill column hollow portion has a first shape and the at least one insert has an external shape identical to the first shape.
17. The drill assembly of claim 16 wherein the hollow portion is square and the at least one insert outside shape is square.
18. The drill assembly of claim 17 further including four square inserts within the hollow portion.
19. A track for a wall saw, the track comprising a rail formed from a carbon fiber composite extending longitudinally and having first and second bearing surfaces for receiving and supporting respective transport components of a wall saw, having an internal wall defining a hollow portion of the rail and a support structure extending within the hollow portion of the rail and having a first wall portion extending along and contacting the internal wall of the rail.
20. The drill assembly of claim 15 wherein the drill column is formed from a first material and the at least one insert includes the first material.
21. The drill assembly of claim 20 wherein the drill column and the at least one insert all are formed from a composite carbon fiber material.
22. The drill assembly of claim 15 wherein the drill column is formed from first and second materials and the at least one insert does not include the second material.
23. The drill assembly of claim 22 wherein the second material is fiber glass.
24. A drill assembly comprising:
a support base;
a drill support for supporting a drill; and
a drill column supported by the base, supporting the drill support, wherein the drill column is formed from a composite material, wherein the drill column includes a hollow portion and further including at least one insert within the hollow portion wherein the hollow portion has a first shape and the insert has an outside shape different from the first shape.
25. The drill assembly of claim 24 wherein the first shape is square and the outside shape of the insert is round.
26. The drill assembly of claim 15 wherein the hollow portion has a first shape and the insert has an outside shape the same as the first shape and includes corners wherein at least one of the corners contacts an inside surface of the hollow portion.
27. The drill assembly of claim 15 wherein the hollow portion includes a surface and wherein part of the surface remains untouched by any insert.
28. A drill assembly comprising:
a support base;
a drill support for supporting a drill; and
a drill column supported by the base, supporting the drill support, wherein the drill column is formed from a composite material, wherein the drill column includes a hollow portion and further including at least one insert within the hollow portion and further including a bearing plate on an outside surface of the drill column and wherein the insert includes a surface contacting an inside surface of the hollow portion adjacent the bearing plate.
29. A drill assembly comprising:
a support base;
a drill support for supporting a drill; and
a drill column supported by the base, supporting the drill support, wherein the drill column is formed from a composite material, wherein the drill column includes a hollow portion and further including at least one insert within the hollow portion and further including a support plate within the hollow portion supporting the insert.
30. The drill assembly of claim 29 wherein the insert includes a hollow portion having a first shape and wherein the support plate includes a projection extending into the hollow portion of the insert.
31. The drill assembly of claim 30 wherein the drill column includes four inserts and wherein the support plate includes four projections extending into hollow portions of each of the four inserts.
32. The drill assembly of claim 30 further including a support base extending in the hollow portion and supporting the support plate.
33. The drill assembly of claim 32 wherein the support base is bonded to walls of the hollow portion.
34. A drill assembly comprising:
a support base;
a drill support for supporting a drill; and
a drill column supported by the base, supporting the drill support, wherein the drill column is formed from a composite material, wherein the drill column includes a hollow portion and further including at least one insert within the hollow portion and further including a cap portion having at least one wall extending within a hollow portion of the column.
35. The drill assembly of claim 34 further including a bonding layer between the at least one wall and the hollow portion of the column.
36. The drill assembly of claim 34 further including a jack screw threaded into the cap portion.
37. The drill assembly of claim 34 wherein the cap portion includes a lip portion extending over an end portion of the drill column.
38. The drill assembly of claim 34 wherein the cap portion covers a first end of the drill column and further including a support base at a second end of the drill column and wherein the at least one insert extends substantially the distance from the cap portion and the support base.
39. The drill assembly of claim 38 wherein the support base has a shape conforming to the shape of the hollow portion within which the support base extends.
40. A composite support structure comprising:
a first structure extending longitudinally about a straight axis and including an outside surface and an inside surface defining a hollow portion extending at least partly along the structure, wherein the first structure is formed from a fiber reinforced material;
a second structure extending longitudinally within the hollow portion and contacting at least a portion of the inside surface and wherein the second structure is configured in such a way as to contact a portion of the hollow portion inside surface, wherein the second structure is formed from a fiber reinforced material; and
a bearing plate on an outside surface of the first structure on a portion of the outside surface adjacent the second structure where the second structure contacts the portion of the inside surface of the first structure.
41. The composite structure of claim 40 wherein the bearing plate includes a steel plate bonded to the first structure.
42. The composite structure of claim 40 wherein the fiber reinforced material of the first structure is a carbon fiber reinforced material.
43. The composite structure of claim 42 wherein the fiber reinforced material of the second structure is a carbon fiber reinforced material.
44. The composite structure of claim 42 wherein the second structure extends a substantial length of the first structure.
45. The composite structure of claim 40 wherein the fiber reinforced material of the first structure is substantially the same as the fiber reinforced material of the second structure.
46. The composite structure of claim 40 wherein the first structure has a first shape and wherein the second structure has a shape that is substantially the same as the first shape.
47. The composite structure of claim 40 wherein the first structure has a first shape and wherein the second structure has a shape that is substantially different than the first shape.
48. The composite structure of claim 40 wherein substantially all of the inside surface defining the hollow portion is contacted by a surface of one of the second structure and other structures.
49. The composite structure of claim 48 wherein the second structure and the other structures have the same shape.
50. The composite structure of claim 40 wherein the second structure has an outer surface and wherein less than all of the outer surface of the second structure contacts the inside surface of the first structure.
51. The track of claim 19 further including a wear plate bonded to respective ones of the first and second bearing surfaces, wherein the internal wall defining the hollow portion of the rail includes first and second surfaces adjacent the first and second bearing surfaces, respectively, and wherein the first wall portion of the support structure contacts the first surface adjacent the first bearing surface, and a second wall portion of the support structure contacts the second surface adjacent the second bearing surface, and wherein the support structure is formed from a carbon fiber.
52. The track of claim 19 further including a rack bonded to the rail.
53. The track of claim 19 further including at least one wear plate on the first bearing surface.
54. The track of claim 53 wherein the wear plate is bonded to the bearing surface.