Method and apparatus for imaging a three-dimensional structure
AssigneeAlign Technology, Inc.
InventorNoam Babayoff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for determining surface characteristics of an intraoral structure may include illuminating an intraoral structure with light of a first light source passing through focusing optics and capturing depth image data during the illumination with the first light source of light from the intraoral structure passing through the focusing optics. The method may also include illuminating the intraoral structure with a second light source and capturing two-dimensional image data during the illumination with the second light source. Depth data of the intraoral structure may be generated using the depth image data and the two-dimensional image data may be mapped to the depth data.
Claims30
A system for generating a 3D model of an intraoral structure portion, the system comprising:
- a hand-held imaging device comprising a probe, focusing optics configured to scan a focal plane of the hand-held imaging device over a range of depths, an illuminator, and an image sensor configured to capture image data over the range of depths of an intraoral structure portion, wherein light from the illuminator passes through the focusing optics to the intraoral structure portion and light from the intraoral structure portion passes through the focusing optics to the image sensor and wherein the image data includes first image data captured in response to illuminating the intraoral structure portion with light of a first wavelength and second image data captured in response to illuminating the intraoral structure portion with light of a second wavelength;
- and
- one or more processors operably coupled to the hand-held imaging device, the one or more processors configured to cause the system to:
- generate depth data of the intraoral structure portion using the first image data from the hand-held imaging device;
- and
- map the second image data to the depth data.
A method for determining surface characteristics of an intraoral structure, the method comprising:
- illuminating an intraoral structure with light of a first light source passing through focusing optics;
- capturing depth image data during the illumination with the first light source of light from the intraoral structure passing through the focusing optics;
- illuminating the intraoral structure with a second light source;
- capturing two-dimensional image data during the illumination with the second light source;
- generating depth data of the intraoral structure using the depth image data;
- and
- mapping the two-dimensional image data to the depth data.
A system for determining surface characteristics of an intraoral structure portion, the system comprising:
- a hand-held imaging device comprising a probe, focusing optics configured to scan a focal plane of the hand-held imaging device over a range of depths, a first light source, a second light source, and an image sensor configured to capture depth image data over the range of depths in response to illuminating an intraoral structure portion with the first light source and capture two-dimensional image data in response to illuminating the intraoral structure portion with the second light source, wherein light from the first light source passes through the focusing optics to the intraoral structure portion and light from the intraoral structure portion passes through the focusing optics to the image sensor;
- and
- one or more processors operably coupled to the hand-held imaging device, the one or more processors configured to cause the system to:
- receive depth image data comprising light of a first wavelength at a plurality of depths in the range of depths in response to the illuminating the intraoral structure portion with the first light source;
- receive two-dimensional image data comprising light of a second wavelength in response to the illuminating the intraoral structure portion with the second light source;
- generate depth data of the intraoral structure portion using the depth image data;
- generate two-dimensional data of the intraoral structure portion using the two-dimensional image data;
- and
- generate a three-dimensional numerical entity based on the depth data and the two-dimensional data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.