Methods and systems for creating and interacting with three dimensional virtual models

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016171128-A1
Application number	US-201615050673-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 23, 2016
Priority date	Jul 19, 2010
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for modifying a virtual model of a physical structure with additional 3D data obtained from the physical structure to provide a modified virtual model.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for generating a modified virtual model of a physical structure, comprising:
displaying an image of a first virtual model on a display operatively connected to a computer system, wherein the first virtual model is generated from first 3D scan data of the physical structure, and wherein the first virtual model fails to properly represent a first physical part of the physical structure; obtaining a second virtual model of the physical structure with the computer system, the second virtual model generated from second 3D scan data of the physical structure; and modifying the first virtual model with the computer system by replacing at least a portion of the first virtual model with a corresponding portion of the second virtual model, thereby generating the modified virtual model.

2 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least the portion of the first virtual model and the corresponding portion of the second virtual model are each representative of a physical portion of the physical structure, the first virtual model providing a deficient representation of the physical portion and the second virtual model providing an adequate representation of the physical portion.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the physical structure comprises an intra-oral cavity of a patient or a physical dental model representative of said intra-oral cavity.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising manufacturing, based on the modified virtual model, at least one a physical dental model of an intra-oral cavity, a dental aligner, an orthodontic appliance, or a dental prosthesis.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising designing an orthodontic treatment plan based on the modified virtual model.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first virtual model includes a first 3D virtual model representative of the first physical part of the physical structure, and the displaying step comprises receiving the first 3D virtual model at the computer system and displaying on the display a first display image corresponding to the first 3D virtual model.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , further comprising a step of receiving user input identifying on the first display image at least a first display image portion thereof generated by user interaction with the display, wherein the first display image portion identifies at least a portion of the first virtual model representative of a first physical portion of the first physical part, and wherein the at least the portion of the first virtual model replaced in the modifying step corresponds to the identified at least the portion.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the obtaining and modifying steps comprise, subsequent to the receiving step:
causing the computer system to at least one of delete, remove or replace the identified at least the portion of the first virtual model by applying a corresponding function to the first display image portion via interaction with the first display image on the display, to provide a modified first 3D virtual model; obtaining the second virtual model in the form of a second 3D virtual model representative of a second physical part of the physical structure, wherein a spatial disposition of the second physical part with respect to the first physical part is known or determinable; virtually registering the second 3D virtual model with respect to the modified first 3D virtual model to provide the modified virtual model wherein the identified portion of the first virtual model is replaced with a corresponding part of said second 3D virtual model representative of a second physical portion of said second physical part; and outputting the modified virtual model from the computer system.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the first virtual model represents the first physical part of the physical structure, wherein the first virtual model is considered to fail to comply with a predetermined requirement, wherein the predetermined requirement comprises providing high surface definition of a surface of interest in the first physical portion of the first physical part of the physical structure.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein at least a part of the surface of interest in the first physical portion of the first physical part was obscured when the first 3D virtual model was created, and wherein the second physical portion of the second physical part corresponds to the first physical portion of the first physical part wherein the at least a part of the surface of interest is now unobscured.

11 . A system to generate a modified virtual model of a physical structure, comprising:
a display to display images of the modified virtual model; and a computer system operatively connected to the display and comprising a program that, when executed by the computer system, causes the computer system to:
display an image of a first virtual model on the display, wherein the first virtual model is generated from first 3D scan data of the physical structure, and wherein the first virtual model fails to properly represent a first physical part of the physical structure;
obtain a second virtual model of the physical structure with the computer system, the second virtual model generated from second 3D scan data of the physical structure; and
modify the first virtual model with the computer system by replacing at least a portion of the first virtual model with a corresponding portion of the second virtual model, thereby generating the modified virtual model.

12 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the at least the portion of the first virtual model and the corresponding portion of the second virtual model are each representative of a physical portion of the physical structure, the first virtual model providing a deficient representation of the physical portion and the second virtual model providing an adequate representation of the physical portion.

13 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the physical structure comprises an intra-oral cavity of a patient or a physical dental model representative of said intra-oral cavity.

14 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the system is further configured to generate instructions based on the modified virtual model to manufacture at least one a physical dental model of an intra-oral cavity, a dental aligner, an orthodontic appliance, or a dental prosthesis.

15 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the system is further configured to design an orthodontic treatment plan based on the modified virtual model.

16 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the first virtual model includes a first 3D virtual model representative of the first physical part of the physical structure, and displaying the image comprises receiving the first 3D virtual model at the computer system and displaying on the display a first display image corresponding to the first 3D virtual model.

17 . The system according to claim 16 , wherein the computer is further configured to receive user input identifying on the first display image at least a first display image portion thereof generated by user interaction with the display, wherein the first display image portion identifies at least a portion of the first virtual model representative of a first physical portion of the first physical part, and wherein the at least the portion of the first virtual model corresponds to the identified at least the portion.

18 . The system according to claim 17 ,

Assignees

• Align Technology Inc

Inventors

• Kopelman Avi

Classifications

• G06F30/20

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• G06F30/00

  Computer-aided design [CAD] · CPC title

• A61C5/77

  Methods or devices for making crowns · CPC title

• A61C13/0004

  Computer-assisted sizing or machining of dental prostheses · CPC title

• A61B5/0062

  Arrangements for scanning · CPC title