# US 12,178,684 B2 · Method and system for three-dimensional imaging > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,178,684 B2 - Document ID: US12178684B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/427,334 - Filed: 2020-01-22 - Published: 2022-05-05 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2019-01-30 - Assignees: DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc. - Applicants: DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc. - Inventors: Ronny Kucharczyk; Björn Voss - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12178684B2 ## CPC - A61C 9/006: {projecting one or more stripes or patterns on the teeth} - A61B 1/00055: {for alerting the user} - A61B 1/00172: {with means for scanning} - A61B 1/00194: {adapted for three-dimensional imaging} - A61B 1/24: for the mouth, i.e. stomatoscopes, e.g. with tongue depressors; Instruments for opening or keeping open the mouth - A61B 5/0088: {for oral or dental tissue} - A61C 9/0053: {Optical means or methods, e.g. scanning the teeth by a laser or light beam} - G06T 7/0002: {Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection} - A61B 1/05: characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion - G06T 2207/10028: Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds - G06T 2207/30036: Dental; Teeth - G06V 10/17: {using hand-held instruments} - G06V 10/757: {Matching configurations of points or features} - G06V 2201/03: Recognition of patterns in medical or anatomical images - G06V 2201/121: using special illumination - A61C: DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE (non-driven toothbrushes A46B; {tongue scrapers A61B17/24;} preparations for dentistry A61K6/00; preparations for cleaning the teeth or mouth A61K8/00, A61Q11/00) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract A method and system for dynamically providing visual feedback about a quality of data collected during intra-oral scanning Images or light patterns are projected onto an object such as teeth for 3D measurement and for relaying feedback about a quality of the 3D measurement to a user. In this way unsuccessful registrations surface areas of the teeth that have not been acquired yet may be corrected by informing the user to repeat scans at corresponding locations in the intra-oral cavity. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of controlling a system for dynamically providing visual feedback about scan data collected during intra-oral scanning, said visual feedback provided at or near an intra-oral scanning site, the system comprising: at least one processor; at least one projector and at least one image sensor in communication with the processor, the method comprising: providing a plurality of individual optical 3D measurements of a plurality of measurement surfaces of an intra-oral cavity; determining if at least one of the plurality of individual optical 3D measurements and/or an accumulated plurality of optical 3D measurements meet predetermined recording criteria; and projecting said visual feedback onto surfaces of the intraoral cavity corresponding to the individual optical 3D measurements based on the determining wherein the predetermined recording criteria is selected from the group consisting of (i) an adequate size of the overlapping area, (ii) an adequate waviness of an object surface in the overlapping area, (iii) an adequate roughness of the object surface in the overlapping area, (iv) an adequate number of characteristic geometries in the overlapping area, and (v) an adequate 3D point density in the overlapping area and/or regions of the intra-oral cavity not contained in an accumulated data set. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said visual feedback is projected as part of a projection image which includes a first region corresponding to projection rays for 3D measurement and a second region corresponding to the visual feedback. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the first region corresponding to projection rays for 3D measurement and the second region corresponding to the visual feedback overlap at least partially. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein said visual feedback is projected using an illumination beam which produces the first region as an inner region of the projection image from inner rays of the illumination beam and which produces the second region as an outer region of the projection image using outer rays of the illumination beam and vice versa. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, further comprising alternating the illumination beam between the inner rays and the outer rays. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing said visual feedback in real-time. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising extracting 3D coordinates of each of the plurality of individual optical 3D measurements to determine if corresponding regions of the intra-oral cavity have been previously scanned. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of individual optical 3D measurements overlaps with another individual optical 3D measurement to form an overlapping area. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the visual feedback includes feedback about a successful registration, feedback about a non-successful registration, a feedback about unscanned areas of the intra-oral cavity, feedback about a user workflow, a feedback about a temperature of the intra-oral camera, or a feedback about a warning. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A system for dynamically providing visual feedback about scan data collected during intra-oral scanning, said visual feedback provided at or near an intra-oral scanning site, the system comprising: at least one processor configured to execute the method according to claim 1; at least one projector; and at least one image sensor in communication with the processor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the projector is housed inside an intra-oral camera. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system according to claim 10, wherein the projector is separate from an intra-oral camera having the at least one image sensor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system according to claim 10, wherein the projector is selected from the group consisting of a Digital Light Processing projector, a Light Emitting Diode projector, a Laser projector, a Liquid Crystal on Silicon projector, and a Liquid Crystal Display projector.