Intraoral scanner with integrated viewfinder

A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing unit of a system for scanning intraoral cavities, causes the processing unit to perform operations comprising:

• receiving intraoral scan data and viewfinder images of an intraoral object from an intraoral scanner;
• generating a three-dimensional (3D) digital model of the intraoral object using the intraoral scan data;
• outputting the 3D digital model to a display;
• outputting the viewfinder images to the display;
• determining which portions of the intraoral object have been scanned based on at least one of the intraoral scan data or the viewfinder images;
• determining a current field of view of the intraoral scanner based on at least one of most recent intraoral scan data from the intraoral scan data or a most recent viewfinder image from the viewfinder images;
• determining, based on the current field of view and the determined portions of the intraoral object that have been scanned, a visual indicator that provides guidance for positioning and orienting the field of view of the intraoral scanner;
• and
• outputting the visual indicator to the display.

An intraoral scanner comprising:

• a first illumination unit configured to generate first light for generating intraoral scan data, wherein the first illumination unit comprises one or more lasers, and wherein the first light is monochromatic light;
• a second illumination unit configured to generate second light for generating viewfinder images, wherein the second light comprises a plurality of wavelengths;
• an optical system comprising a plurality of optical components, the optical system having aligned scanner optics and viewfinder optics, wherein:
• the scanner optics have a first optical path, the viewfinder optics have a second optical path, and at least a portion of the second optical path overlaps with the first optical path;
• and
• at least some of the plurality of optical components are shared between the scanner optics and the viewfinder optics;
• wherein the optical system is to alternately direct the first light and the second light onto an intraoral object, alternately receive returning first light and returning second light that reflects off of the intraoral object, and direct the returning first light and the returning second light onto a detector unit;
• and
• the detector unit, configured to receive the returning first light and generate the intraoral scan data therefrom and to receive the returning second light and generate the viewfinder images therefrom.