Method and System for Tracking Jaw Motion
OwnerMark D. Laureninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods are provided to record and utilize jaw motion data using low-angle photogrammetric techniques. A method is described based on using an extraoral imaging apparatus to capture images of texture placed on tooth or soft tissue surfaces. Upper and lower textural surface regions of the oral cavity are imaged simultaneously, and their surfaces derived as a function of time to produce 4d data. The clinically derived surface data may be directly registered to the 3d anatomy of an individual, providing the ability to animate the relative motion of the mandible. An imaging apparatus suitable for capture of low-angle image groups is disclosed.
Claims16
A method of tracking jaw motion, the jaw having an upper arch and a lower arch, the method comprising the steps of:
- applying a texture to one or more surface regions of the upper arch and one or more surface regions of the lower arch;
- obtaining a set of at least two image groups of the applied texture using an extraoral imaging device, wherein the images of each image group are obtained simultaneously and each image of each image group is obtained along an optical axis which is less than 30° with respect to an optical axis used to obtain another image of the same image group, and wherein each image group is obtained at a different time during jaw motion;
- and
- using image-based registration to produce a time-based set of at least two 3-dimensional point meshes of the applied texture, wherein each point mesh is produced using one image group of the set of image groups.
An apparatus for obtaining two or more low angle image groups of a portion of a jaw, comprising:
- a frame;
- a first electronic imaging device attached to the frame at a first frame location, the first image sensor having an optical filter and oriented to obtain an image along a first optical axis;
- a second electronic imaging device attached to the frame at a second location, the second image sensor having a second optical filter and oriented to obtain an image along a second optical axis;
- wherein the first frame location and the second frame location are at a fixed distance from each other and the imaging devices are configured such that the first optical axis and the second optical axis are at an angle of less than 30° with respect to each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.