Granted Patent B2

US 8,134,719 · App. 12/727,671 · Granted Mar 13, 2012

Abstract

Claims (35)

1. An apparatus for obtaining 3-D surface contour image data of a tooth, comprising:

a double telecentric optical system configured to form an image of a surface of the tooth onto an image detector array;

a focus adjustment mechanism actuable to adjust a position of either or both the double telecentric optical system and the image detector array along an optical axis to each of a sequence of focus positions; and

a control logic processor in control signal communication with the focus adjustment mechanism to adjust focus position, and in image data communication with the image detector array for receiving image data obtained by the image detector array and with a memory for storing the received image data corresponding to each of the sequence of focus positions, wherein the control logic processor is configured to determine, for each of a plurality of pixels in the received image data, a corresponding depth value according to pixel contrast,

wherein the control logic processor is further responsive to stored instructions for computing the 3-D surface contour image data from the stored image data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the detector array is a CMOS or CCD detector.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the focus adjustment mechanism comprises a piezoelectric actuator.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control logic processor is further responsive to stored instructions that detect the relative focus of each of a plurality of pixels in the stored image data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a polychromatic light source for directing illumination toward the tooth.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the light source has an illumination path that is external to the double telecentric optical system.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a polarizer in the path of the illumination.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a pattern generator that is energizable to direct a pattern of illumination onto the surface of the tooth.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the focus adjustment mechanism is actuable to move elements of the double telecentric optical system to positions along the optical axis, but does not move the image detector array.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the focus adjustment mechanism is actuable to move the detector array to positions along the optical axis, but lens elements of the double telecentric optical system remain stationary along the optical axis.

11. A method for obtaining 3-D surface contour image data of a tooth, comprising:

disposing, in the image plane of a double telecentric optical system, an image detector array energizable to form an image;

adjusting the position of either or both the double telecentric optical system and the image detector array along an optical axis to each of a sequence of focus positions;

obtaining image data from the detector array at each focus position in the sequence and storing the image data in an electronic memory;

calculating the focus of each of a plurality of pixels in the obtained image data and determining, for each of the pixels, a corresponding depth value according to pixel contrast;

combining a plurality of the determined depth values to form the 3-D surface contour image; and

displaying the 3-D surface contour image.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising directing a patterned illumination toward the tooth.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein directing a pattern of illumination toward the tooth comprises energizing a solid state light source.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein adjusting the position of either or both the double telecentric optical system and the image detector array comprises energizing a piezoelectric actuator.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein adjusting the position of either or both the double telecentric optical system and the image detector array comprises energizing an actuator to move the detector array.

16. An apparatus for obtaining 3-D surface contour image data of a tooth, comprising:

a pattern generator energizable to direct an illumination pattern on a surface of the tooth;

a detector array energizable to form an image;

a double telecentric optical system disposed to direct light reflected from the surface of the tooth to the detector array;

a focus adjustment mechanism actuable to adjust the position of either or both the double telecentric optical system and the image detector array along an optical axis to each of a sequence of focus positions; and

a control logic processor in image data communication with the detector array and with the pattern generator and responsive to instructions for storing the image data for each of the sequence of focus positions in a memory, for calculating a focus of each of a plurality of pixels in the stored image data, for determining, for each of the pixels, a corresponding depth value according to pixel contrast, and for computing the 3-D surface contour image data from the stored image data.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the detector array is a CMOS or CCD detector.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the focus adjustment mechanism moves elements of the double telecentric optical system to positions along an optical axis.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the focus adjustment mechanism moves the detector array to positions along an optical axis.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the illumination pattern is a checkerboard pattern.

Assignments (14)