Image-based longitudinal analysis
AssigneeAlign Technology, Inc.
InventorsMaayan MOSHE, Ofer SAPHIER, Shai AYAL, Michael LELLOUCH, Ran KATZ
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatuses (including devices and systems, such as intraoral scanners and software) for analyzing images of a subject's teeth. In some examples these methods may include examining the same teeth or tooth regions across different times and/or different imaging modalities, including but not limited to visible light, infrared, florescent, etc. Also described herein are methods and apparatuses for using a single, master, control for automatically or semi-automatically simultaneously adjusting multiple imaging parameters across multiple images of a region taken with different imaging modalities and/or at different times.
Claims23
An intraoral scanning system, the system comprising:
- a hand-held imaging sensor;
- and
- a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of:
- identifying a region of interest (ROI) on a first three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's teeth derived from a first intraoral scan taken over a first time period;
- generating or selecting a first two-dimensional (2D) representative image that includes the ROI from a plurality of 2D images corresponding to the first intraoral scan;
- mapping the ROI from the first 3D model to a second 3D model of a second set of intraoral scan data;
- generating a second 2D representative image corresponding to the second 3D model, wherein the second representative image corresponds to the same camera angle relative to the second 3D model as the first representative image relative to the first 3D model and includes a region of the second 3D model that corresponds to the ROI;
- and
- displaying the first and second representative images.
An intraoral scanning system, the system comprising:
- an imaging sensor;
- and
- a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of:
- identifying a plurality of points defining a region of interest (ROI) on a first three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's teeth taken over a first time;
- finding correspondence between the first 3D model and a second 3D model of the patient's teeth taken over a second time;
- finding points corresponding to one or more of the plurality of points defining the ROI in each of a plurality of images corresponding to the first 3D model, and generating a first representative image that is two-dimensional (2D), wherein the first representative image includes a maximum of the plurality of points defining the ROI and/or has a corresponding camera angle that is approximately normal to a surface containing the ROI in the 3D model;
- generating a second representative image corresponding to the second 3D model, wherein the second representative image has to the same camera angle as the first representative image relative to the second 3D model as the first representative image and includes a region of the second 3D model that corresponds to the ROI;
- modifying the first and/or second representative images to adjust one or more of:
- perspective, rotation or color equalization so that the first and second representative images match more closely to each other;
- and
- displaying the first and second representative images.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:
- identifying a region of interest (ROI) on a first three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's teeth taken over a first time;
- mapping the ROI in a plurality of images corresponding to the first 3D model of the first set of intraoral scan data;
- generating or selecting a first representative image that is two-dimensional (2D) and that includes the ROI from a plurality of 2D images corresponding to the first intraoral scan;
- generating a second representative image corresponding to a second 3D model, wherein the second representative image is 2D and corresponds to the same camera angle relative to the second 3D model as the first representative image and includes a region of the second 3D model that corresponds to the ROI;
- modifying the first and/or second representative images so that the first and second representative images match more closely to each other;
- and
- displaying the first and second representative images.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.