Intra-oral camera for diagnostic and cosmetic imaging

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

E09000250

06-07-2015

DESCRIPTION

Intraoral camera for diagnostic and cosmetic imaging

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates, in general, to methods and apparatus for dental imaging and, more specifically, it relates to an intraoral camera apparatus that includes capabilities for caries detection, as well as for tone adaptation.

Background of the invention

The digital image has been adapted to serve dentistry, both for diagnostic purposes and for use in cosmetics. For example, there have been a number of dental imaging systems developed for the diagnosis of dental caries in their various stages, capable of assisting in this diagnostic task without the use of X-rays or other ionizing radiation. A procedure that has been commercialized uses fluorescence, caused when the teeth are illuminated with high intensity blue light. This technique, called light-induced fluorescence (LIF), works on the principle that sound in healthy dental tissue produces a greater intensity of fluorescence under the excitation of some wavelengths than a demineralized dental tissue that has been damaged. for caries infection. The strong correlation between the loss of minerals and the loss of fluorescence for the excitation of blue light is then used to identify and evaluate the areas of tooth decay. A different relationship has been discovered for red light excitation, a region of the spectrum for which bacteria and bacterial by-products in caries regions absorb and emit fluorescence more sharply than healthy areas do. Using this behavior, US Patent No. 4,290,433 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Detecting the Presence of Caries in Teeth Using Visible Luminescence" by Alfano discloses a method for detecting caries by comparing the excited luminescence in two wavelengths. The use of fluorescence effects for caries detection is also described in US Patent No. 6,231,338 entitled "Method and Apparatus for the Detection of Carious Activity of a Carious Lesion in a Tooth" by Josselin de Jong and cabbage.

The reflectance characteristics of visible light have also been used for the diagnosis of oral caries. For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,479,499 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Detecting the Presence of Caries in Teeth Using Visible Light" by Alfano describes a method for detecting caries by comparing the intensity of scattered light at two different wavelengths . United States patent application publication 2007/0099148, legally transferred, mentioned above, describes an improved caries detection procedure that combines both fluorescence and reflectance effects.

Among the products marketed for diagnostic dental imaging using fluorescence behavior is the QLF Clinical System of Inspektor Research Systems BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, which is described in US Patent 6,231,338. Using a different approach, the Diagnodent Laser Caries Detection Aid from KaVo Dental GmbH, Biberach, Germany, is described in US Patent 6,024,562, detects caries activity by monitoring the fluorescence intensity of the by-products Bacterial under lighting from red light. Other commercial products, such as the DIFOTI system of Electro-Optical Sciences, Irvington, NY, which is described in US Patent 6,672,868, uses the transmission of light through the tooth structure for imaging. diagnosis.

Diagnostic imaging procedures have been developed for use with portable devices. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0003323, entitled "Diagnostic Imaging Apparatus" by Naoki Katsuda et al., Describes a complex portable imaging apparatus suitable for medical or dental applications using imaging. of fluorescence and reflectance. The disclosure 2005/0003323, by Katsuda et al., Shows an apparatus that receives the reflection light of the diagnostic object and / or the fluorescence of the diagnostic object with a different light irradiation. However, with this approach, any unwanted specular reflection produces false positive results in reflectance imaging. On the other hand, with the various embodiments of illumination disclosed, the illumination directed towards a tooth or other diagnostic object is not uniform, since the light source is in close proximity to the diagnostic object.

Cosmetic dentistry has also taken advantage of the ability of digital imaging to some extent, mainly for the adaptation of shades in the restoration or replacement of teeth. There have been numerous proposed solutions to provide some form of automated tone adaptation to help the dentist. A few examples are given in US Patent Nos. 6,132,210 and 6,305,933, both entitled "Tooth Shade Analyzer System and Methods" both of Lehmann; and in United States Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0074718 entitled "Tooth Shade Scan System and Method" by Graham et al. Solutions of an apparatus for cosmetic imaging are summarized, for example, in International Publication No. WO2005 / 080929 entitled "Equipment and Method for Measuring Dental Shade" by Inglese and in US Patent No. 4,881,811, entitled " Remote Color Measurement Device "by O'Brien. Commercialized marketed products aimed at tone adaptation include the ShadeScanTM system from Cynovad, Montreal, CA, which

15

25

35

45

55

E09000250

06-07-2015

it is described in the Cynovad brochure 1019 of February 2002; and the Shade-RiteTM Dental Vision System from X-Rite Inc., Grandville, MI, described in U.S. Patent 7,030,986. In particular, portable tone adaptation systems are not designed to facilitate access to anyone except the front teeth. Conventional tone adaptation techniques may match the tooth color in an acceptable manner, but may not provide sufficient data to provide a substitute tooth that looks real and has a certain amount of translucency. This is largely due to conventional cosmetic imaging systems that are primarily aimed at color matching, but that provide insufficient information on tooth translucency and surface texture. In cosmetic systems that measure translucency, little or no attention is paid to the uniformity of lighting. This results in an uneven distribution of light and reduces the overall accuracy of the system to measure the translucency of the tooth.

Despite the growing range of imaging devices, which is currently available to the dentist for diagnostic and cosmetic purposes, there is still room for improvement. Diagnostic imaging and tone adaptation apparatus systems are still separate pieces of equipment, each system having its own requirements for system optics. To a large extent, this is the result of its different functions, which affect numerous lighting components, light shaping, and imaging subsystems. For example, the lighting requirements for diagnostic imaging, to a large extent using fluorescence effects, differ significantly from those for cosmetic imaging, which largely employ reflective light. Specular reflection may be undesirable, both for diagnostic and cosmetic imaging, but it must be compensated in different ways for each type of imaging. Image detection, the use of polarization and spectral content, and other features further differentiate diagnostic systems from cosmetic ones. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide an intraoral camera that could be used for both diagnostic and cosmetic functions.

In addition, reference is made to WO 2004 012 593 A, which describes dental instruments for the inspection of dental surfaces to detect anomalies such as caries or plaque, which include light emitting diodes mounted on a body of the instrument that has a mirror. for insertion in the mouth of a user. Such instruments also have on-board batteries mounted in cameras on the instrument handle, and a switch to activate and deactivate the LED with the battery. Methods are also described for examining dental surfaces for abnormal plaque indicative conditions that involve illumination of surfaces with radiation at a wavelength in the range of 390-450 nm in which the radiation is effective in causing detectable fluorescence emissions of bacterial metabolites

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus and procedures for dental imaging. With this object in mind, the present invention provides an apparatus for obtaining an image of a tooth as set forth in claim 1. Other embodiments are claimed in the dependent claims. The apparatus comprises at least one image sensor arranged along an optical axis; at least one broadband lighting apparatus for reflectance imaging; a narrow band ultraviolet lighting apparatus for fluorescence imaging; one or more polarization elements arranged along the optical axis to eliminate specular reflection; a filter disposed along the optical axis to block narrow band ultraviolet light; and a switch to select one of the modes of operation of reflectance and fluorescence imaging.

A feature of the present invention is that it uses a common optical system for both diagnostic and cosmetic imaging. An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a unique imaging tool for a range of dental applications.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following detailed description when done in conjunction with the drawings in which an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown and described. .

Brief description of the drawings

Although the specification concludes with the claims that specifically state and clearly claim the object of the present invention, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from the following description when made together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of an image forming apparatus for caries detection and tone adaptation according to one embodiment; Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of an imaging probe for diagnostic and cosmetic imaging; Figures 3a to 3d show exemplary schematic diagrams for the different arrangements of the components suitable for use, as a lighting apparatus in the embodiments of the present invention;

15

25

35

45

55

E09000250

06-07-2015

Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of an imaging probe configured for diagnostic imaging; Figure 5 shows, in a front view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4, an arrangement for the multiple lighting apparatus used in the embodiment shown in Figure 4. Figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the imaging probe that employs a folding mirror to improve access to tooth surfaces; Figure 7 shows another alternative embodiment of the optical path in diagnostic mode using a polarization beam splitter; Figures 8a and 8b show two configurations for a sequential color illumination procedure; Figures 9a and 9b show two embodiments of an accessory to capture the transmitted light; Figure 10 shows an arrangement of the probe 100 with two sensors; Figure 11 shows an arrangement of the probe 100 with three sensors; Figure 12 shows an arrangement of the probe 100 with three detection regions; Figure 13 shows a procedure based on a point to measure the translucency of the tooth; Figure 14 is a logical flow chart showing how the imaging apparatus of the present invention can be operated or in the diagnostic or cosmetic mode; Figure 15 is a logical flow chart showing how the processor logic uses the translucency and color data obtained in the procedure of Figure 14 to provide the adaptation of tones; and Figure 16 shows an alternative arrangement of light sources suitable for use in the apparatus of the invention.

Detailed description of the invention

The method and apparatus of the present invention combine both diagnostic and cosmetic functions to provide a versatile intraoral imaging system for use by dentists. As noted earlier in the background section, there are significant differences in the requirements between diagnostic and cosmetic imaging, which include a different light source and the requirements of the optical system, adequate compensation for specular reflection, and a different imaging process. On the other hand, the cosmetic image itself is complex and may involve more than simply an adaptation of tones. In addition to match the color, precise cosmetic imaging requires that more information on the more subtle characteristics of the teeth, including translucency, surface texture, brightness, and other characteristics, be obtained.

United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0099148, legally transferred, previously mentioned and incorporated herein by reference, describes a diagnostic imaging approach that combines both fluorescence and reflectance effects in order to provide a fluorescence imaging with reflectance enhancement (FIRE). Advantageously, FIRE detection may be accurate at an early stage of caries infection that has been exhibited using existing fluorescence approaches that measure only fluorescence. The apparatus and methods of the present invention are further expanded in the use of FIRE imaging, as described in detail in application No. 2007/0099148, in order to provide the added advantages of cosmetic imaging. when a single intraoral camera is used.

The schematic block diagram of Figure 1 shows the basic components of an imaging apparatus 150, both for the formation of diagnostic and cosmetic intraoral images in one embodiment. An imaging probe 100 is used to obtain images of a tooth 20, or for diagnostic or cosmetic purposes. A control logic processor 140 communicates with the probe 100 to obtain the image data and provides the processed image on a screen 142.

The imaging apparatus 150 may operate in either of two modes: a diagnostic mode or a cosmetic imaging mode. Subsequent embodiments provide examples showing how the operation in either or both modes can be obtained using a suitable configuration of the probe 100 and accordingly adapting the functions of lighting, data collection, image formation processing, and registration. and data visualization.

The schematic diagram of Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the imaging probe 100 that can be used for both diagnostic and cosmetic imaging purposes. The probe 100 has a handle 32 and a probe extension 40. A common optical O-axis is applied both for capturing a diagnostic and cosmetic image. Lighting, for any type of image, is provided from one or more lighting devices 12a, 12b, 12c or 12d, which include light sources and optical beam shaping elements. An optional accessory 30 provides illumination to measure translucency. The probe 100 also includes a switch 36 so that it is used to select any of the modes of operation: diagnostic or cosmetic. An imaging assembly 34 contains the imaging sensor and its optical support components, as described below.

Each of the lighting devices 12a-12d can have both the light source and the beam shaping optics. Each lighting fixture could have its own light source, or a single light source

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

E09000250

06-07-2015

It could be used for multiple lighting devices 12a-12d, for example, provided with a suitable spectral selection filter for each lighting device. The light source could be a solid state light source, such as a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser, or it could be a broadband light source such as a xenon arc lamp or other type of light source.

Figures 3a to 3d show exemplary schematic diagrams for different arrangements of the components that could be used for the lighting apparatus 12a-12d in the embodiments of the present invention. Each of these configurations has a light source 21. Optical beam forming elements 22, such as beam forming components 22a, 22b or 22c condition and shape the light for uniform illumination on the tooth surface. If the beam profile of the light source is sufficiently uniform for illumination on the tooth surface, beam forming optics are not needed. The beam shaping component 22a of Figure 3a is a diffuser. The beam shaping component 22b of Figure 3b is a spherical or aspherical optical element. The beam shaping component 22c of Figure 3c is a light tube. Figure 3d shows a configuration that uses a number of these different components in combination within a lighting apparatus. Other beam shaping components that are part of the lighting apparatus 12a12d may include, for example, light guides or light distribution structures such as an optical fiber or a liquid light guide (not shown). The light level is usually a few milliwatts of intensity, but it can be more or less, depending on the conformation and light detection of the components used.

Each lighting apparatus 12a -12d can be arranged in a number of ways, as shown in detail below. The light source 21 for each lighting apparatus emits light with suitable wavelengths for each different imaging mode. In one embodiment, for example, the light source 21 in the lighting apparatus 12a emits wide visible band light (400 nm -700 nm) for the formation of polarized reflectance images, or a combination of light sources with different spectrum , such as a combination of red, green and blue light emitting diodes (LEDs). The light source 21 in the lighting apparatus 12b emits narrow band ultraviolet (UV) light (375 nm - 425 nm) to excite the fluorescence of the teeth. The light source 21 in the lighting apparatus 12c emits a light near infrared (NIR) to measure translucency. The light source 21 in the lighting apparatus 12d emits blue or ultraviolet light to measure the surface texture of the tooth. The light used in the lighting apparatus 12a can also be obtained from other sources, such as a daylight simulator.

Diagnostic Imaging Mode

The schematic diagrams of Figures 4 and 5 show the probe 100 configured for diagnostic imaging. The probe 100 has a handle 32 and a probe extension 40 that is designed for insertion into the mouth for both imaging modes. The lighting apparatus 12a, with the cooperation of the polarizer 42a, which is placed in front of the lighting apparatus 12a, provides uniform polarized white light illumination on the tooth surface for polarized reflectance imaging. The lighting apparatus directs the UV light towards the tooth 20 through a bandpass filter 46 to excite the fluorescence in the tooth. The bandpass filter 46 is an option and is of great help in improving the spectral purity of the illumination of the light source in the lighting apparatus 12b.

The light reflected from the tooth 20 passes through a central opening between the lighting apparatus and through an analyzer 44. Next, one or more lenses 66 direct the reflected light through a spectral filter 56. The spectral filter 56 has a long step that captures fluorescence data over a range of suitable wavelengths and blocks the excitation light from the light source. In order to obtain a true color reflectance image, the cut-off wavelength of the spectral filter 56 is selected so that it can block the excitation light of the lighting apparatus 12b, but does not block the blue part of the light of the lighting apparatus 12a. The fluorescence image that has been obtained from the teeth 20 can have a broad relative spectral distribution in the visible range, with the light emitted, that is, outside the range of wavelengths of the light used for excitation. The fluorescence emission is normally between about 450 nm and 600 nm, while in general a peak is reached in the green region, more or less from about 510 nm to about 550 nm. A sensor 68 obtains the fluorescence image, usually by means of the green plane. However, other ranges of the visible spectrum could also be used in other embodiments. When the fluorescence image is taken, if necessary the analyzer 44 can be moved outside the optical axis O to increase the fluorescence signal. Referring again to Figure 1, then, this image data can be transmitted back to the control logic processor 140 for processing and display.

Still referring to Figures 4 and 5, polarized reflectance image data is also obtained using many of the same components. A lighting apparatus 12a directs visible light, such as a white light or other broadband light, through a polarizer 42a, and towards the teeth 20. The analyzer 44, whose transmission axis is oriented orthogonally with respect to the transmission axis of the polarizer 42, rejects the light of the specular reflection and transmits light used to form the reflective image on the sensor 68. The filter 56 can be removed outside of the optical O-axis or replaced with another filter element when necessary.

The sensor 68 can be any of a number of types of image detection component, such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or a coupled charge sensing device (CCD). The

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

E09000250

06-07-2015

Light sources used in the lighting apparatus 12a and 12b may be lasers or other solid state sources, such as combinations using one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). Alternatively, a broadband source could be used, such as a xenon lamp that has a supporting color filter to pass the desired wavelengths.

Figure 5 shows an arrangement for a multiple lighting apparatus used in the embodiment shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4, the probe 100 has multiple lighting devices 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d. Lighting devices having the same light spectrum are arranged to be symmetrical to the optical axis of the imaging optics for uniform illumination.

The imaging optics, depicted as the lens 66 in Figure 4, could include any suitable arrangement of optical components, with possible configurations ranging from a single lens component to a multi-element lens. The clear imaging of the tooth surface, which is not flat but may have areas that are both smoothly contoured and highly striated, requires that the imaging optics have sufficient depth of field. Preferably, for optimal resolution, the imaging optics provide an image size that adapts to the aspect ratio of the sensor 68.

The camera controls are adjusted properly to obtain each type of diagnostic image. For example, when the fluorescence image is captured, it is necessary to make the appropriate exposure settings for the gain, shutter speed and aperture, since this image cannot be intense. When sensor 68 is a color sensor, color filtering can be performed by color filter matrices (CFA) on the camera's image sensor. That is, a single exposure can capture both the backscattered reflectance image and the fluorescence image. In one embodiment, the reflectance image is captured in the blue plane; Simultaneously, the fluorescence image is captured in the green plane.

The image processing by the imaging apparatus 150 (Figure 1) combines the reflectance and fluorescence images in order to obtain an enhanced contrast image showing the caries regions, as described in application 2007/0099148 from Wong et al. Various procedures can be used to process, combine and display the images obtained.

Figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the probe 100 which employs a folding mirror 18 to improve access to the surfaces of the teeth 20. This folding mirror is necessary in order to access the molar buccal surface and the occlusal surface. and lingual of all teeth. Figure 7 shows another alternative embodiment of the diagnostic mode optical path using a splitter 38 of the polarization beam. A lighting apparatus 14 provides light from a polarization directed through an optical beam-forming element 14a from a light source 14b, which is reflected from the divider 38 of the polarization beam and is directed towards the tooth 20. The element Optical beam shaping 14a shapes the light from a lighting apparatus 14 to provide uniform illumination on the tooth surface. The light reflected from the opposite polarization state is then transmitted through the divider 38 of the polarization beam towards the sensor 68. This arrangement eliminates the mirror reflected light from another scattered light, so that the return light includes a high proportion of reflectance light from caries sites. Using the arrangement of Figure 7, the lighting apparatus 14 can be selected from a number of configurations, such as a combination of light sources with different wavelengths or a single light source with a spectrum selection filter. . The light source 14b may also be outside the hand probe and the light delivered to the optical beam shaping element 14a through an optical fiber or other light guide, such as a liquid light guide. An advantage of this embodiment is that the lighting apparatus 14 can be easily changed to meet different applications. For example, the lighting apparatus 14 may be changed to provide a daylight simulator for the adaptation of dental tones in the cosmetic imaging mode, as described below.

Cosmetic imaging mode

When changing to cosmetic imaging mode, the probe 100 operates under a different set of requirements. In this mode the lighting sources and the optical path are properly configured for the types of measurements that are of particular interest for cosmetic imaging. This includes the following:

<dl><dt>(i) </dt><dd>color tone measurement; </dd></dl>

<dl><dt>(ii)</dt><dd> translucency measurement; and</dd></dl>

(iii) surface texture or gloss measurement.

In embodiments of the present invention, color tone measurement can be obtained using a number of approaches. In one approach, lighting is provided from polarized Red (R), Green (V) and Blue (A) light sources, sequentially. The resulting R, V, A images are then captured in sequence. The pitch of the tooth can be calculated from the RVA images that are obtained. In an alternative approach, a polarized white light source is used as the lighting source. The color tone of the tooth is calculated at

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

E09000250

06-07-2015

then from the data in the RVA planes of the white light image.

In a conventional procedure, non-polarized light is used in measuring dental tone. One of the problems with non-polarized light illumination refers to specular reflection. The light from the specular reflection has the same spectrum as the illumination light source and does not contain tooth color information. In addition, very little surface information is obtained when specular reflection predominates and the sensor is saturated.

Using polarized light illumination and the elimination of specular reflection, the embodiments of the present invention overcome this limitation and obtain scattered light from enamel and dentin. This scattered light contains the true base color of the tooth.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, when the probe 100 of the present invention is used to measure the color of the tooth, a broadband light source is activated in lighting apparatus 12a. The broadband light of the lighting apparatus 12a passes to the polarizer 42a and illuminates the tooth surface. Of all the reflected light returned by the tooth, only the light that has an orthogonal polarization passes through the analyzer 44 and reaches the sensor 68. The tooth tone information is calculated from the data of the plane of R, V and A of the sensor 68.

Because the sensor and filter performance are imperfect, there is a certain amount of crosstalk between each color plane when broadband lighting is used. An alternative solution for measuring tooth color is to obtain 3 images sequentially separated, each image illuminated separately using red, green and blue spectrum light separately. These images can then be combined to produce more accurate dental tone information. A disadvantage of this procedure is that you may need additional image processing in order to align the three images of different colors, since they are taken at different times.

Figures 8a and 8b show two configurations for a sequential color illumination procedure. The first configuration of Figure 8a comprises three light sources 21, such as the red, green and blue LEDs, and an optical beam-forming element 22, which may be one of the elements 22a, 22b, or 22c for forming the Beam, which have been described above or some combination of these elements. These three light sources can be changed simultaneously or sequentially in order to obtain each of the red, green, blue images composed separately. The second configuration of Figure 3b comprises a broadband light source 21, the spectrum selection filter 23 and the optical beam shaping element 22. During the use of this configuration, the spectrum selection filter 23 is rotated to change the illumination spectrum in order to obtain red, green and blue images. The light source 21 and the spectrum selection filter 23 of this embodiment can be constructed in or provided outside of the probe 100. The illumination of these color sources could be directed to the probe 100 by an optical fiber or a liquid light guide . This type of arrangement allows a wide selection of light sources, without the restrictions imposed by the size and weight limitations of the probe 100.

The translucency of a tooth can be determined by measuring the reflectance of the reflective light returned from the tooth or, alternatively, the light transmitted through the tooth. Translucency can be used as a coordinate of the measurement point in a dimension of the tone space dedicated to this parameter. It can also be used to correct at least one other coordinate of the measurement point in another dimension.

To use reflective light to determine the translucency of the teeth, specular reflection must be removed, or by changing the angle of illumination or using polarized light illumination. An advantage of the embodiments of the present invention that use polarized light illumination refers to the light captured by the sensor and dispersed in the enamel and dentin. If unpolarized light is used, the specular light reflected from the surface of the tooth and the enamel surface layer is much more pronounced than is the light returned from the enamel and dentin. This can lead to inaccurate translucency data.

In theory, with uniform illumination and ideal enamel, the tooth is more translucent if the level of light of the polarized light, reflected from the surface of the tooth, and captured by the sensor 68, is lower. However, there are several factors that can affect the light level of the polarized light captured by the sensor 68. These factors include, for example, the thickness of the enamel, the local tooth defect, the fillings, and the local absorption. Therefore, calibration is an important procedure to measure translucency. Also, in order to determine the translucency of the tooth of the reflected light, calibration is necessary to correct the non-uniform illumination and the tooth shape factor. With calibration, one or more images captured to measure the color tone of the tooth, as discussed in a previous paragraph, can be processed to determine the translucency of the tooth. In a preferred embodiment, near-infrared (NIR) light is used to measure the translucency of the tooth since the dispersion is weaker inside the tooth for light with longer wavelengths. In particular, measurements taken with infrared light can be used to correct a coordinate of the measurement point in a dimension corresponding to the red tones. The lighting apparatus 12c and the polarizer 42c in Figures 4 and 5 provide the NIR light to measure translucency.

When transmitted light is used to determine the translucency of the tooth, the tooth is illuminated from the opposite side of the image sensor. The lighting is not necessarily polarized, since there is no specular reflection in the

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

E09000250

06-07-2015

Transmission Mode. Translucency is determined by the level of light transmitted through the tooth. A higher level of light means that the tooth is more translucent.

Referring to Figures 9a and 9b, two embodiments of an accessory 30 are shown. To any embodiment, the imaging probe 100 may be added in order to capture the transmitted light. In both embodiments, the light of the lighting apparatus 12a or 12c is delivered to a light output window 31 of the accessory 30 by means of a light guide element. The light source, such as LEDs or other solid state light source, can also be placed directly in the light output window 31. In the embodiment of Figure 9a, the light illuminates the tooth at an angle, as indicated by lines 33. In the embodiment of Figure 9b, the light illuminates the tooth directly. In both embodiments, calibration in the illumination is necessary in a uniform manner when the translucency of the transmitted light is calculated.

Another parameter of the tooth capable of being used as a coordinate of the pitch space, or as a correction parameter, is the state of the tooth surface. This parameter is called the roughness, or texture parameter. The roughness parameter can be used to establish a coordinate of the measurement point in a dimension of the tone space dedicated to this parameter. This can be determined by illuminating the tooth with light, and measuring the angular distribution and intensity of the light reflected from the tooth surface. A smooth tooth surface tends to return a greater amount of reflected light in a specular way. Since the scattering effect is stronger in light with a shorter wavelength, the source of blue or ultraviolet light may in general be more advantageous for measuring the texture or surface roughness of the tooth. Since the light reflected by the tooth surface and the enamel surface layer is more relevant to the tooth surface properties, one strategy is to illuminate the tooth surface with polarized light and then capture the light of the same polarization state. It is reflected from the tooth.

With reference again to the illumination architecture of the probe shown, in general, in Figure 4 and more specifically in Figure 5, the lighting apparatus 12d and the polarizer 42d provide polarized light illumination to measure the surface texture. The light source in the lighting apparatus 12d could be any light source in the spectral range of UV to NIR. In a preferred embodiment, UV or blue light is used, since the effect of surface dispersion is stronger. To measure surface roughness, the orientation of polarizer 42d is orthogonal to that of other polarizers 42a and 42c in order to capture the reflected light returned from the tooth surface with the same polarization as the illumination light. The 42d polarizer is not a requirement to measure surface roughness and could be an option. Without the polarizer 42d, the light captured by the sensor is still polarized since there is an analyzer 44 in the imaging path. This polarized light contains both specular and scattered light, since the illumination light is not polarized. The analyzer 44 can move outside the optical axis also when necessary to measure the surface texture.

As described above with reference to Figures 7 and 8, instead of separate light sources, beam shaping elements, and polarizers, a single broadband light source with a spectrum selection filter and an element of Beam shaping can also provide the necessary illumination for color tone, tooth translucency, and surface roughness measurement.

The uniformity of the illumination is useful for determining both the translucency of the tooth and the measurement of surface roughness. Any one of the lighting configurations shown in Figure 3 could generate sufficiently uniform illumination. On the other hand, the shape of the tooth is another factor that has a significant effect on the level of light received by the sensor. For example, even with the same surface quality, the level of reflected light returned by the inclined surface is lower than that of the perpendicular surface with the optical axis. For these reasons, the calibration of both the uniformity of the illumination and the shape of the surface is very important in order to obtain an accurate measurement of the translucency of the tooth and the surface roughness.

Variant Examples

Figures 10, 11, and 12 are variant examples of probe 100 using more than one sensor. There are some benefits with more than one sensor, especially for a device with diagnostic and cosmetic application modes. In Figure 10, there are two sensors, 68a and 68b. A divider 65 of the polarization beam divides the light returned from the tooth into two parts that have different polarizations. Light with orthogonal polarization goes to sensor 68a, while light with the same polarization state goes to sensor 68b. A long-pass filter 56 is placed in front of the sensor 68b to block the excitation light from the lighting apparatus 12b. In diagnostic imaging mode, sensor 68b captures a fluorescence image and sensor 68a captures a polarized white light image. In the cosmetic imaging mode, the sensor data 68b, which has the same polarization state as the illumination beam, can be used to determine the surface roughness. Sensor data 68a is used to calculate color tone and translucency.

The example of the probe 100 in Figure 11 comprises three sensors, one for each color. A beam splitter element 67 separates the beam into three spectral bands: UV for the blue band, the green band and red for the NIR band. One type of beam splitter element 67 that can be used is an x-cube that is configured to direct light to three sensors with different bands of the spectrum. As in Figure 10, a long-pass filter 56 is needed in order to obtain fluorescence images without crosstalk from the excitation light. Since there is training data for

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

E09000250

06-07-2015

Red, green and blue images from three sensors separately, the calculated color tone is more accurate.

Figure 12 is yet another alternate example with three detection regions 69r, 69g and 69b on a sensor 69. A color filter 58 is placed in front of the sensor 69 so that the detection regions 69r, 69g and 69b capture the images. in the red, green and blue regions. Since the detection regions 69r, 69g and 69b are in the same plane, three separate imaging lenses 66a, 66b, and 66c are necessary.

Figure 13 shows another procedure based on a point to measure tooth translucency and surface roughness. As shown in this figure, a number of individual points, shown as A, B, C, D and E, are illuminated with polarized light. The sensor captures the surface image of the tooth formed by the polarized orthogonal light reflected from these points. The procedure illustrated in Figure 13 works as follows: After the illumination light reaches the enamel, it disperses within the tooth randomly and leaves the surface of the tooth through all parts of the tooth surface. Even when the tooth is not illuminated on its entire surface, the sensor can still obtain the image of the tooth with enough scattered light. This image provides an especially good characterization of tooth properties, such as tooth translucency and surface roughness. It should be emphasized that Figure 13 only presents a lighting spot procedure. Other lighting procedures, such as network lighting and line lighting, may apply and may offer similar advantages.

Operation of the imaging apparatus 150

The imaging apparatus 150 is designed to obtain translucency, surface texture, and color tone measurements, as well as to obtain images for the detection of dental caries. Figure 14 is a logical flow chart showing how this apparatus can be operated in any of the modes. Initially, an operation mode selection 70 is made, such as by operating the mode switch 36. In the diagnostic imaging mode, the light source in the lighting apparatus 12a or 12b is activated for the examination of the tooth (step 72). When the operator decides to capture the images and push the shutter (or otherwise enter the order to capture the image), the light sources in the lighting apparatus 12a and 12b will be activated and deactivated sequentially so that the sensor 68 capture the reflectance image and the polarized fluorescence image (step 73). Next, the software procedure that processes the image processes the images and provides the analyzed data (step 76). The appropriate software for this purpose is disclosed in the related United States patent application Serial No. 11 / 623,804, legally transferred, in processing such as this, mentioned above.

With the selection of the cosmetic imaging mode, the light source in the lighting apparatus 12a is activated to determine the teeth suitable for imaging (step 78). To take images of color tone, translucency and texture measurement, the light sources in the lighting apparatus 12a, 12c and 12d (or light source 31) are activated and deactivated sequentially (step 80). The final step 82 is to calculate, using the image analysis techniques known to those skilled in the art, the color tone, the translucency, and the roughness of the tooth from the images obtained in step 80.

The logical flowchart of Figure 15 shows how the processor logic uses the translucency and color data obtained in the procedure of Figure 14 to provide tone adaptation. After the tooth tone, translucency and surface roughness are calculated (step 82), the image processing software shows a simulated tooth to the patient for review (step 84). A patient approval step 86 asks the patient to approve the calculated tone, using a simulation provided on screen 142 (Figure 1). Once approved, the data is sent to a laboratory or other processing center (step 88). If it is not approved, the image processing software will modify the simulated image based on the patient's preference (step 90), and will display the modified image to the patient for approval.

The invention has been described in detail with special reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as described above, and as taken into account in the appended claims, by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, various arrangements of light sources could be used in the lighting apparatus 12a-d with various different embodiments using a camera or other type of image sensor, such as the parallel arrays of the light sources shown in Figure 16. .

Therefore, what is provided is a dental imaging device that provides, in a single unit, diagnostic imaging for caries detection and cosmetic imaging for tone adaptation.

Parts List

12, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d. Lighting fixture

14. Lighting apparatus 14a. Optical beam shaping element 14b. Light source

18. Folding mirror

E09000250

06-07-2015

<dl><dt>20. </dt><dd>Tooth </dd></dl>

<dl><dt>21. </dt><dd>Light source </dd></dl>

<dl><dt>22. </dt><dd>Optical beam shaping element 22a. Diffuser</dd></dl>

5 22b Beam shaping element 22c. Light guide

2. 3. Spectrum selection filter

30 Accessory to measure translucency

31. Light output window 10 32. Handle

<dl><dt>33. </dt><dd>Light lines </dd></dl>

<dl><dt>34. </dt><dd>Imaging set </dd></dl>

36. Mode switch

38. Polarization beam splitter

fifteen 40. Probe extension 42, 42a, 42c, 42d. Polarizing

44. Analyzer

46. Band Pass Filter

56. Long pass space filter 20 58. Color filter

65 Polarization beam splitter 66, 66a, 66b, 66c. Lens

67. Beam splitter 68, 68 bis, 68 ter, 68c. Sensor

25 69. Sensor 69r, 69g, 69b. Sensor regions 70, 72, 73, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90. Procedure steps

100 Imaging probe

140. Control Logic Processor 30 142. Display

150 Imaging apparatus A, B, C, D, E. Lighting points

O. Optical axis