Systems, devices, and methods for lowering dental x-ray dosage including feedback sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9730656-B2
Application number	US-201414201386-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2014
Priority date	Mar 7, 2014
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods are described for providing, among other things, an intra-oral x-ray imaging system configured to reduce patient exposure to x-rays, reduce amount of scatter, transmission, or re-radiation during imaging, or improve x-ray image quality. In an embodiment, an intra-oral x-ray imaging system includes an intra-oral x-ray sensor configured to communicate intra-oral x-ray sensor position information or intra-oral x-ray sensor orientation information to a remote x-ray source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An intra-oral x-ray imaging system, comprising:
an intra-oral x-ray sensor configured to acquire intra-oral x-ray image information associated with an oral cavity of a patient, the intra-oral x-ray sensor including an intra-oral radiation shield structure having at least a portion that is flexible or jointed so as to conform to a portion of the oral cavity; and
an x-ray beam limiter assembly including a controllable x-ray collimator module, the controllable x-ray collimator module including an x-ray beam collimation adjustment mechanism responsive to one or more inputs including information associated with a border location of the intra-oral x-ray sensor in a mouth of the patient.

2. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray collimator module is operably coupled to the intra-oral x-ray sensor, and is configured to adjust an x-ray beam field of view responsive to one or more inputs from the intra-oral x-ray sensor indicative of a border position of the intra-oral x-ray sensor.

3. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray collimator module is operably coupled to one or more sensors configured to determine a border position of the intra-oral x-ray sensor.

4. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray beam limiter assembly further comprises one or more shutters; and wherein the x-ray collimator module is configured to vary a shutter aperture associated with at least one of the one or more shutters responsive to the one or more inputs.

5. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray beam limiter assembly further comprises a plurality of selectively actuatable absorber blades configured to form a shutter; and wherein the x-ray collimator module is configured to adjust the x-ray beam field size by actuating one or more of the plurality of selectively actuatable absorber blades responsive to the one or more inputs.

6. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray beam limiter assembly further comprises a variable aperture collimator.

7. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray beam limiter assembly further comprises at least a first-stage shutter and a second-stage shutter.

8. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray beam limiter assembly further comprises one or more shutters formed from high atomic number (high-Z) materials.

9. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray beam limiter assembly further comprises one or more positive beam limitation devices.

10. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more inputs is indicative of a corner position of the intra-oral x-ray sensor.

11. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more inputs is indicative of an edge position of the intra-oral x-ray sensor.

12. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more inputs is indicative of a reference position on the intra-oral x-ray sensor having a specified offset from an edge of the intra-oral x-ray sensor.

13. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more inputs is indicative of an edge orientation of the intra-oral x-ray sensor.

14. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray collimator module is configured to adjust the x-ray beam field of view responsive to one or more inputs from a field of view module indicative of an intra-oral x-ray sensor position and orientation.

15. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray collimator module is configured to generate at least one parameter associated with an x-ray imaging mode responsive to one or more inputs from the intra-oral x-ray sensor.

16. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a field of view module operable to generate one or more parameters associated with a field of view setting responsive to one or more inputs from the x-ray collimator module indicative of an intra-oral x-ray sensor position and orientation.

17. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an intra-oral x-ray sensor module operably coupled to the x-ray image sensor and the x-ray collimator module, the intra-oral x-ray sensor module configured to generate one or more of intra-oral x-ray sensor dimension information, intra-oral x-ray sensor orientation information, or intra-oral x-ray sensor position information responsive to one or more inputs from the x-ray image sensor or the x-ray collimator module.

18. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising a camera configured to acquire at least one of the inputs.

19. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 18 , wherein the intra-oral x-ray sensor comprises at least one beacon; and
wherein the camera is configured to acquire an input associated with a position of the least one beacon.

20. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the intra-oral x-ray sensor comprises a position sensor configured to determine border position data, and a transmitter configured to transmit a signal indicative of the border position data.

21. The intra-oral x-ray imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray collimator module is configured to adjust the x-ray beam field to maximize an amount of the x-ray beam which impacts the intra-oral x-ray sensor.

22. An intra-oral x-ray imaging device, comprising:
circuitry configured to determine a position and an orientation of an intra-oral x-ray sensor;
circuitry configured to receive an x-ray beam characteristic verified by the intra-oral x-ray sensor, the x-ray beam characteristic associated with an x-ray transmitted to the intra-oral x-ray sensor;
circuitry configured to adjust an x-ray beam collimation adjustment mechanism of an x-ray beam limiter assembly responsive to one or more inputs from at least one of the circuitry configured to determine the position and the orientation of the intra-oral x-ray sensor or the circuitry configured to receive an x-ray beam characteristic verified by the intra-oral x-ray sensor; and
circuitry configured to acquire intra-oral x-ray image information associated with a patient.

23. The intra-oral x-ray imaging device of claim 22 , wherein the circuitry configured to determine the position and the orientation of the intra-oral x-ray sensor includes circuitry configured to determine border position information of the intra-oral x-ray sensor.

24. The intra-oral x-ray imaging device of claim 22 , wherein the circuitry configured to determine the position and the orientation of the intra-oral x-ray sensor includes circuitry configured to determine an intra-oral x-ray sensor centroid position.

25. The intra-oral x-ray imaging device of claim 22 , wherein the circuitry configured to determine the position and the orientation of the intra-oral x-ray sensor is operably coupled to an image sensor configured to detect one or more optic devices indicative of an intra-oral x-ray sensor border position, an intra-oral x-ray sensor position, or an intra-oral x-ray sensor orientation.

26. The intra-oral x-ray imaging device of claim 22 , wherein the circuitry configured to determine the position and the orientation of the intra-oral x-ray sensor is operably coupled to an embedded orientatio

Assignees

• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Hyde Roderick A
• Jung Edward K Y
• Kare Jordin T
• Pan Tony S
• Whitmer Charles
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• H01L27/14818

  Electricity · mapped topic

• A61B6/14

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B6/4208

  characterised by using a particular type of detector · CPC title

• G01T1/244

  Auxiliary details, e.g. casings, cooling, damping or insulation against damage by, e.g. heat, pressure or the like · CPC title

• A61B2090/0436

  Shielding · CPC title