Compact intraoral scanner
AssigneeAlign Technology, Inc.
InventorsYossef Atiya, Tal Verker, Nir Makmel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An intraoral scanner comprises a housing, a light source for generating light, an optics system for focusing the light, a detector for detecting returning light reflected off an intraoral object, and a focus shifting mechanism configured to shift a focal plane of the optics system. The optics system is configured such that, after having passed through the optics system, an outermost chief ray of the light with respect to an optical axis of the optics system is divergent to the optical axis and an outermost marginal ray of the light with respect to the optical axis is parallel or divergent to the optical axis.
Claims20
An apparatus for intraoral imaging, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a light source, disposed within the housing, for generating light;
- an optics system, disposed within the housing, for focusing the light, wherein the optics system is configured such that, after having passed through the optics system, an outermost chief ray of the light with respect to an optical axis of the optics system is divergent to the optical axis and an outermost marginal ray of the light with respect to the optical axis is parallel or divergent to the optical axis;
- a detector for detecting returning light reflected off of an intraoral object, wherein the detector comprises an array of detector elements;
- and
- a focus shifting mechanism configured to shift a focal plane of the optics system, wherein the focus shifting mechanism comprises a motor configured to shift one or more moveable lenses of the optics system along the optical axis to shift the focal plane of the optics system.
An apparatus for intraoral imaging, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a probe head;
- a light source, disposed within the housing, for generating light comprising a plurality of beams;
- an optics system, disposed within the housing, for focusing the light, wherein the optics system is configured such that, after having passed through the optics system, an outermost chief ray of the light with respect to an optical axis of the optics system is divergent to the optical axis, and wherein the light source, the optics system and the probe head are arranged such that the light passes through the optics system, passes through the probe head, and exits the probe head, wherein chief rays of the plurality of light beams diverge from each other between the probe head and focal points on an intraoral object, inhibiting a spread of outermost marginal rays of the plurality of light beams;
- a detector for detecting returning light reflected off of the intraoral object, wherein the detector comprises an array of detector elements;
- and
- a focus shifting mechanism configured to shift a focal plane of the optics system, wherein the focus shifting mechanism comprises a motor configured to shift one or more moveable lenses of the optics system along the optical axis to shift the focal plane of the optics system.
An apparatus for intraoral imaging, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a probe head;
- a light source, disposed within the housing, for generating light comprising a plurality of beams;
- an optics system, disposed within the housing, for focusing the light, wherein the optics system is configured such that, after having passed through the optics system, an outermost marginal ray of the light with respect to an optical axis of the optics system is divergent to the optical axis, wherein a divergence angle between the outermost marginal ray and the optical axis is at most 10°;
- a detector for detecting returning light reflected off of an intraoral object, wherein the detector comprises an array of detector elements;
- and
- a focus shifting mechanism configured to shift a focal plane of the optics system, wherein the focus shifting mechanism comprises a motor configured to shift one or more moveable lenses of the optics system along the optical axis to shift the focal plane of the optics system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.