Lightguide projector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026007498-A1
Application number	US-202519259688-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 3, 2025
Priority date	Jul 8, 2024
Publication date	Jan 8, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

An intraoral scanner includes a probe housing disposed at a distal end of an elongate wand. The probe housing forms an interior volume. The intraoral scanner further includes a lightguide projector that includes a light source configured to generate light. The light source is disposed in the interior volume. The lightguide structure is configured to receive the light from the light source. The light is to propagate through the lightguide structure via internal reflections. The lightguide projector is configured to cause the light to exit the lightguide structure to illuminate a mouth of a patient.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An intraoral scanner comprising:
a probe housing disposed at a distal end of an elongate wand, the probe housing forming an interior volume; and a lightguide projector comprising:
a light source configured to generate light, the light source disposed in the interior volume; and
lightguide structure configured to receive the light from the light source, wherein the light is to propagate through the lightguide structure via internal reflections, wherein the lightguide projector is configured to cause the light to exit the lightguide structure to illuminate a mouth of a patient.

2 . The intraoral scanner of claim 1 further comprising an in-coupler structure configured to receive the light, wherein the in-coupler structure is disposed between the light source and the lightguide structure.

3 . The intraoral scanner of claim 2 , wherein the in-coupler structure is one or more of a prism, a diffractive optical element (DOE), or an edge coupler.

4 . The intraoral scanner of claim 2 further comprising a lens disposed between the light source and the in-coupler structure, wherein the lens is to focus the light.

5 . The intraoral scanner of claim 1 further comprising a micro-lens array (MLA) coupled to the lightguide structure, wherein the MLA is to cause the light to be diffracted and split to an array of spots to be provided into the mouth of the patient.

6 . The intraoral scanner of claim 1 , wherein the lightguide structure is made of a material that is transparent to the wavelength of the light, wherein the material has a refractive index higher than surrounding environment.

7 . The intraoral scanner of claim 1 , wherein the lightguide projector comprises a curved mirror that is configured to focus the light substantially perpendicularly to an elongated axis of the lightguide structure and focus the light outside of the lightguide structure.

8 . The intraoral scanner of claim 7 , wherein the curved mirror is a reflective coating disposed on the lightguide structure.

9 . The intraoral scanner of claim 1 , wherein the lightguide projector comprises a partially reflecting curved surface embedded within the lightguide structure, wherein the partially reflecting curved surface is configured to cause the light to exit the lightguide structure to illuminate the mouth of the patient.

10 . The intraoral scanner of claim 1 , wherein:
the lightguide projector comprises a reflecting portion configured to cause the light to exit the lightguide structure to illuminate the mouth of the patient; the reflecting portion is configured to break the internal reflections of the light within the lightguide structure; the reflecting portion is at least one of prism or an angle-dependent geometrical structure; and the reflecting portion is of a different refractive index than the lightguide structure or may be part of the lightguide structure.

11 . The intraoral scanner of claim 1 , wherein the lightguide projector comprises a grating that is a two-dimensional array of structures integrated within the lightguide structure, wherein the grating is configured to cause the light to exit the lightguide structure to illuminate the mouth of the patient.

12 . The intraoral scanner of claim 11 , wherein the grating is formed by E-beam lithography, ultraviolet (UV) lithography, nanoimprint, ion doping, or photo-sensitive polymer.

13 . The intraoral scanner of claim 11 , wherein the grating is a focusing grating coupler (FGC) that is an array of curved and chirped grooves.

14 . The intraoral scanner of claim 1 , wherein the lightguide projector comprises a grating or a metasurface that is configured to focus the light and split the light into a pattern.

15 . The intraoral scanner of claim 11 , wherein the lightguide projector comprises:
a second light source configured to provide second light via the lightguide structure to the mouth of the patient.

16 . An intraoral scanner comprising:
a probe housing disposed at a distal end of an elongate wand, the probe housing forming an interior volume; and a lightguide projector comprising:
a light source configured to generate light, the light source disposed in the interior volume, the light being one or more of white light illumination, coherent light illumination, or near-infrared illumination; and
lightguide structure configured to receive the light from the light source, wherein the light is to propagate through the lightguide structure and is to exit the lightguide structure to illuminate a mouth of a patient.

17 . The intraoral scanner of claim 16 , wherein a reflecting portion of the lightguide projector is configured to focus the light substantially perpendicularly to the elongated axis of the lightguide structure and focus the light outside of the lightguide structure.

18 . An intraoral scanner comprising:
a probe housing disposed at a distal end of an elongate wand, the probe housing forming an interior volume; and a lightguide projector comprising:
a first light source configured to generate first light; and
a second light source configured to generate second light, the first light source and the second light source disposed in the interior volume; and
lightguide structure configured to receive the first light from the first light source and the second light from the second light source, wherein the first light and the second light are to propagate through the lightguide structure via corresponding internal reflections and are to exit the lightguide structure to illuminate a mouth of a patient.

19 . The intraoral scanner of claim 18 , wherein the first light and the second light are different types of light that have one or more of different wavelengths, different angles, or different spatial distributions.

20 . The intraoral scanner of claim 18 , wherein the first light is to exit the lightguide structure at a first portion of the lightguide structure, and wherein the second light is to exit the lightguide structure at a second portion of the lightguide structure that is different from the first portion of the lightguide structure.

21 . The intraoral scanner of claim 18 , wherein a first portion of the first light is to exit the lightguide structure via a first out-coupler of the lightguide projector, and wherein a second portion of the first light is to further propagate through the lightguide structure and exit the lightguide structure via a second out-coupler of the lightguide projector.

22 . The intraoral scanner of claim 21 , wherein:
the first out-coupler is a first grating, a first metasurface, a first reflecting surface, or a first lens array; and the second out-coupler is a second grating, a second metasurface, a second reflecting surface, or a second lens array.

23 . The intraoral scanner of claim 18 , wherein the first light is to exit the lightguide structure at a first portion of the lightguide structure, and wherein the second light is to exit the lightguide structure at the first portion of the lightguide structure.

Assignees

• Align Technology Inc

Inventors

• Fain Nadav
• Nizard Eliahou Franklin

Classifications

• G02B23/2461

  Illumination · CPC title

• A61C9/0053 Primary

  Optical means or methods, e.g. scanning the teeth by a laser or light beam · CPC title