US 10,650,517 B2Granted

Aligner image based quality control system

AssigneeAlign Technology, Inc.

InventorsAnatoliy Parpara, Ivan Kharpalev, Stephan Albert Alexandre Dumothier, Andrey Cherkas, Alexey Kalinichenko, Jack Shaw, Israel Velazquez

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Abstract

A method and system for inspecting a customized orthodontic aligner for manufacturing defects are described. The method includes obtaining images of the customized orthodontic aligner, determining a digital file associated with the aligner, the digital file including a digital model of a mold used during manufacture of the customized orthodontic aligner, determining an inspection recipe for the aligner, determining an intended property for the customized orthodontic aligner by digitally manipulating the digital model of the mold, determining an actual property of the customized orthodontic aligner from the images, determining whether there is a manufacturing defect in the customized orthodontic aligner by comparing the intended property with the actual property, and outputting an output associated with the determination of whether there is a manufacturing defect.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method for inspecting a dental appliance for manufacturing defects, the method comprising:

obtaining one or more images of the dental appliance, wherein the dental appliance comprises a customized orthodontic aligner customized for a specific arch of a specific patient and a specific stage of orthodontic treatment;
identifying an identifier of the dental appliance;
determining, from a plurality of digital files, a digital file associated with the dental appliance based on the identified identifier, the digital file associated with the dental appliance including a digital model of an intermediate component used during manufacture of the dental appliance, wherein the intermediate component comprises a positive mold associated with the specific arch of the specific patient and the specific stage of orthodontic treatment;
determining an intended property for the dental appliance by digitally manipulating the digital model of the intermediate component used during manufacture of the dental appliance, wherein the intended property for the customized orthodontic aligner comprises an intended silhouette which approximates an outer surface of the customized orthodontic aligner in a plane;
determining an actual property of the dental appliance from the one or more images of the dental appliance, wherein the actual property of the customized orthodontic aligner comprises an actual silhouette of the outer surface of the customized orthodontic aligner in the plane as captured by one or more images of the customized orthodontic aligner;
determining whether there is a manufacturing defect in the dental appliance by comparing the intended property for the dental appliance with the actual property of the dental appliance, wherein comparing the intended property with the actual property of the customized orthodontic aligner comprises comparing the intended silhouette with the actual silhouette and determining whether differences exceed a threshold value;
and
outputting an output associated with the determination of whether there is a manufacturing defect.

5 more elements

A method for inspecting a dental appliance for manufacturing defects, the dental appliance configured for application to a dental arch of a patient, the method comprising:

obtaining one or more images of the dental appliance, wherein the dental appliance comprises a customized orthodontic aligner customized for a specific arch of a specific patient and a specific stage of orthodontic treatment;
identifying an identifier of the dental appliance;
determining, from a plurality of digital files, a digital file associated with the dental appliance based on the identified identifier, the digital file associated with the dental appliance including a digital model of the dental appliance, the digital model of the dental appliance produced by digitally manipulating a digital model of a staged dental arch of the patient that is associated with the specific stage of orthodontic treatment;
determining an intended property for the dental appliance from the digital model of the dental appliance, wherein the intended property for the customized orthodontic aligner comprises an intended silhouette which approximates an outer surface of the customized orthodontic aligner in a plane;
determining an actual property of the dental appliance from the one or more images, wherein the actual property of the customized orthodontic aligner comprises an actual silhouette of the outer surface of the customized orthodontic aligner in the plane as captured by one or more images of the customized orthodontic aligner;
determining whether there is a manufacturing defect in the dental appliance by comparing the intended property for the dental appliance with the actual property of the dental appliance;
outputting an output associated with the determination of whether there is a manufacturing defect.

4 more elements

A method for inspecting a customized orthodontic aligner for manufacturing defects, the customized orthodontic aligner customized for a specific arch of a specific patient and a specific stage of orthodontic treatment, the method comprising:

obtaining one or more images of the customized orthodontic aligner;
identifying an identifier of the customized orthodontic aligner;
determining, based on the identifier of the customized orthodontic aligner, at least one intended property for the customized orthodontic aligner, wherein the at least one intended property comprises an intended silhouette which approximates an outer surface of the customized orthodontic aligner, the at least one intended property for the customized orthodontic aligner determined by digitally manipulating a digital model of a mold used during manufacture of the customized orthodontic aligner;
determining at least one actual property of the customized orthodontic aligner from the one or more images, wherein the at least one actual property comprises an actual silhouette of the outer surface of the customized orthodontic aligner;
determining whether there is a manufacturing defect in the customized orthodontic aligner by comparing the at least one intended property for the customized orthodontic aligner with the at least one actual property of the customized orthodontic aligner, wherein comparing the at least one intended property with the at least one actual property of the customized orthodontic aligner comprises comparing the intended silhouette with the actual silhouette;
and
outputting an output associated with the determination of whether there is a manufacturing defect.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/435,322Filed 7 Jun 2019 · continuation
Priority: 29 Sep 2017
Published: US 2019/0102880 A126 Sep 2019
Granted: 12 May 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification27 codes

G06T 7/0012
Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection: biomedical image inspection
A61C 7/002
Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by…:…
A61C 7/08
Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by…:…
A61C 13/0004
Making bridge-work, inlays, implants or the like: computer-assisted sizing or machining of dental prostheses

Family

Application62/566,188Us provisional application · filed 29 Sep 2017
Application62/609,723Us provisional application · filed 22 Dec 2017
Application16/145,016Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Sep 2018
US 2019/0295254 A1Pre-grant publication · published 26 Sep 2019
US 10,783,629 B2Related patent
US 2019/0102880 A1Published application
US 10,650,517 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.