3D intraoral scanner measuring fluorescence
Assignee3Shape A/S
InventorsMike Van Der Poel, Karl-Josef Hollenbeck
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a 3D scanner system for detecting and/or visualizing cariogenic regions in teeth based on fluorescence emitted from the teeth, said 3D scanner system including a data processor configured for mapping a representation of fluorescence emitted from the teeth onto the corresponding portion of a digital 3D representation of the teeth to provide a combined digital 3D representation.
Claims23
A 3D scanner system for detecting and/or visualizing a cariogenic region in teeth based on fluorescence emitted from said teeth, said 3D scanner system comprising:
- an illumination unit capable of providing probe light for illuminating the teeth, where said probe light comprises light at a first wavelength which is capable of exciting a fluorescent material of the teeth;
- an image sensor for recording images of light received from illuminated teeth, where said image sensor is capable of detecting fluorescence emitted from said fluorescent material when said fluorescent material is excited by light at said first wavelength;
- a data processor configured to:
- i. create a digital 3D representation of 3D topography of the teeth based on recorded images comprising probe light reflected from the teeth;
- ii. create a representation of the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent material of the teeth based on recorded images comprising the emitted fluorescence, and
- iii. map the representation of the emitted fluorescence onto a corresponding portion of the digital 3D representation of the teeth to provide a combined digital 3D representation;
- and
- a visual display unit on which the combined digital 3D representation is visualized.
A 3D scanner system for detecting caries in teeth of a patient's intraoral cavity, said 3D scanner system comprising:
- an illumination unit configured for providing light at a first wavelength, where light at said first wavelength can excite fluorescent material of the teeth;
- an image sensor configured for recording fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent material when excited by light at said first wavelength;
- a data processor configured to:
- create a digital 3D representation of the patient's set of teeth;
- analyze the recorded fluorescence to identify a cariogenic region of the teeth;
- create a representation of identified cariogenic region;
- and
- map the representation of identified cariogenic region onto a corresponding portion of the digital 3D representation of the teeth to provide a combined digital 3D representation;
- and
- a visual display unit on which the combined digital 3D representation can be visualized.
A 3D scanner system for detecting and/or visualizing a cariogenic region in teeth based on fluorescence emitted from said teeth, said 3D scanner system comprising:
- an illumination unit capable of providing probe light for illuminating the teeth, where said probe light comprises light at a first wavelength, which is capable of exciting a fluorescent material of the teeth, or light at a second wavelength, where the illumination unit is configured to provide light only at the first wavelength or only at the second wavelength at any time;
- an image sensor for recording images of light received from illuminated teeth, where said image sensor is capable of detecting fluorescence emitted from said fluorescent material when this is excited by light at said first wavelength and of detecting light at said second wavelength;
- a data processor configured to:
- i. create a digital 3D representation of the 3D topography of the teeth based on recorded images comprising probe light reflected from the teeth;
- ii. create a representation of the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent material of the teeth based on recorded images comprising the emitted fluorescence, and
- iii. map the representation of the emitted fluorescence onto a corresponding portion of the digital 3D representation of the teeth to provide a combined digital 3D representation;
- and
- a visual display unit on which the combined digital 3D representation is visualized.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.