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Optical probe and method for the three-dimensional surveying of teeth
| Details |
Inventors: Massen, Robert; Gassler, Joachim;
Assignee: Kaltenbach & Voight GmbH & Co. (DE)
Primary Examiner: Mancene; Gene
Assistant Examiner: Smith; Jeffrey A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Scully, Scott, Murphy & Presser
An optical oral or mouth probe which is utilized for the three-dimensional measurement or surveying of teeth possesses a highly-resoluting two-dimensional point-by-point freely-programmable projection unit, which generates a digitalized projection pattern from a computer in accordance with a programmed mathematical or graphical method, deposits the pattern in an image storage and is then brought into display through addressing of an LCD matrix plate, and with the aid of a focusing optic is then projected onto the surface which is to be surveyed or measured. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is directed to an optical three-dimensional measuring probe for the surveying of the three-dimensional geometry of teeth in the oral cavity of a patient.
The measuring probe includes a highly-resoluting two-dimensionally point-by-point freely-programmable projection unit, an image memory for storing a digitalized projection pattern, an image computer having a microprocessor for the pixel-wise control of the projection unit utilizing a digital pixel image stored in the image memory, the digital pixel image being projected through an endoscopic probe onto the tooth surface which is to be surveyed, a charge-coupled image sensor for converting a distorted image reflected off the tooth surface upon which said digital image is projected into a form suitable for processing by said microprocessor, and said microprocessor comprising a program which calculates a topographic representation of the teeth in the oral cavity based upon a comparison between said distorted image and said digital pixel image.
The invention further comprises a video monitor for displaying a topographic representation of the teeth in the oral cavity of a patient.
The foregoing object is inventively achieved in that an optical oral or mouth probe which is utilized for the three-dimensional measurement or surveying of teeth possesses a highly-resoluting, two-dimensional point-by-point freely-programmable projection unit, which generates a freely-programmable light pattern previously computed in a computer, stored as a digitized pixel pattern in a digital image buffer such that the numbers stored at every pixel location in the image buffer directly control the light intensity of associated pixel in the matrix-light source.
This computer generated image is then projected with the aid of a focusing optic onto the surface which is to be surveyed or measured.
Inventively, as the projection unit comprises a video-monitor cathode ray projection tube or spatial light modulators.
The spatial light modulators are available in the form of inexpensive LCD screens or LCD matrix plates which are available in miniature television sets or in lap top computers and allow themselves to be easily integrated into such a mouth probe as an electronically-controllable transparency
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LCD 
