Surface mapping using an intraoral scanner with penetrating capabilities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11006835-B2
Application number	US-201816626988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2018
Priority date	Jun 30, 2017
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

An exemplary optical apparatus has an OCT imaging apparatus with a first light source for low coherence light of wavelengths above a threshold wavelength and a signal detector that obtains an interference signal between low coherence light from the sample and low coherence light reflected from a reference. A surface contour imaging apparatus has a second light source that emits one or more wavelengths of surface illumination below the threshold wavelength, a camera to acquire images from illumination reflected from the sample. The exemplary optical apparatus and/or exemplary methods for using the same can provide reduced errors in generating a dental 3D surface mesh.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for imaging an intraoral sample comprising:
a) obtaining optical coherence tomography imaging content with steps of:
(i) generating low coherence light of wavelengths above a threshold wavelength;
(ii) obtaining an interference signal between a first portion of the low coherence light scattered from the intraoral sample and a second portion of the low coherence light reflected from a reference;

b) obtaining surface contour imaging content of the intraoral sample;
c) simultaneously to step b) obtaining first depth imaging content associated to the obtained surface contour imaging content;
d) segmenting among the first depth imaging content a non deformable imaging content; and
e) providing second depth imaging content of the intraoral sample from an extraoral depth imaging apparatus;
f) registering the surface contour imaging content to the second depth imaging content of the intraoral sample using the non deformable imaging content;
wherein optical coherence tomography imaging and surface contour imaging content are obtained and mapped to the same coordinate system using the non deformable content.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the non deformable content comprises hard tissues.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second depth imaging content is a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) Scan 3D image, the method further comprises:
registering the non deformable content with the CBCT Scan 3D image.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the method further comprises
rescaling the CBCT Scan 3D image of the sample.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising rigidly or non rigidly rectifying the surface contour imaging content based on the registered second depth imaging content.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the intraoral sample is an edentulous arch.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the extraoral depth imaging apparatus is a 3D extraoral x-ray imaging system.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the optical coherence tomography imaging content and the surface contour imaging content is acquired simultaneously or near-simultaneously in a single imaging operation.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the interference signal is obtained from a Michelson or Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the intraoral sample is an intraoral feature.

Assignees

• Carestream Dental Tech Topco Ltd

Inventors

• Inglese Jean-Marc
• Glinec Yannick
• Boyle Eamonn
• Vermelle Eric
• Belcari Marianne
• Capri Arnaud
• Wong Victor C

Classifications

• G01B11/25

  by projecting a pattern, e.g. {one or more lines,} moiré fringes on the object (G01B11/255 takes precedence {; image analysis for depth or shape recovery G06T7/50}) · CPC title

• G01B9/02091 Primary

  Tomographic interferometers, e.g. based on optical coherence · CPC title

• G01B9/0203

  With imaging systems · CPC title

• G01B9/02004

  using frequency scans · CPC title

• A61B2562/0233

  Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00 · CPC title