IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,569,319
Granted Patent B2
US 12,569,319 · App. 18/355,300 · Granted Mar 10, 2026

Combined face scanning and intraoral scanning

Inventor: Edi Fridman (Rishon le Zion, IL)
Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
A61C7/002A61C9/0053A61C13/34G06T5/80G06T7/344G06T19/20G16H30/20G16H50/50G06T2200/04G06T2207/30036G06T2210/41G06T2219/2004G06T2219/2021
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,569,319
App. No.
18/355,300
Granted
Mar 10, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system comprises an intraoral scanner, a three-dimensional (3D) image capture device, and a computing device operatively coupled to the intraoral scanner and to the 3D image capture device. The computing device receives intraoral scan data of a dental site of a patient generated by the intraoral scanner during intraoral scanning. The computing device further receives one or more 3D images of a face of the patient generated by the 3D image capture device during the intraoral scanning, wherein the intraoral scanner is captured in the one or more 3D images. The computing device registers the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient to the first intraoral scan data based at least in part on a first position of the intraoral scanner relative to the face of the patient in the one or more 3D images.

Claims (65)

1 . A system comprising:

a three-dimensional (3D) image capture device configured to capture one or more 3D images of a face of a patient;

an intraoral scanner, distinct from the 3D image capture device, comprising a plurality of features on a surface of the intraoral scanner that have a fixed position relative to one another and that enable identification of the intraoral scanner and determination of at least one of a position or an orientation of the intraoral scanner within the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient; and

a computing device operatively coupled to the intraoral scanner and to the 3D image capture device, the computing device to:

receive first intraoral scan data of a dental site of a patient generated by the intraoral scanner during intraoral scanning;

receive the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient generated by the 3D image capture device during the intraoral scanning, wherein at least some of the plurality of features of the intraoral scanner are captured in the one or more 3D images;

identify the intraoral scanner in the one or more 3D images based on the plurality of features captured in the one or more 3D images;

determine a first position of the intraoral scanner relative to the face of the patient in the one or more 3D images at least in part based on representations of the plurality of features of the intraoral scanner in the one or more 3D images; and

register the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient to the first intraoral scan data based at least in part on the first position of the intraoral scanner relative to the face of the patient in the one or more 3D images.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient are registered to the first intraoral scan data based further on a known second position of the intraoral scanner relative to a 3D surface in the first intraoral scan data generated by the intraoral scanner.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient are registered to the first intraoral scan data based further on a first orientation of the intraoral scanner relative to the face of the patient in the one or more 3D images and a known second orientation of the intraoral scanner relative to the 3D surface in the first intraoral scan data generated by the intraoral scanner.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is further to:

generate a 3D model of at least one of the face of the patient or the dental site of the patient using the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient and the first intraoral scan data of the dental site of the patient.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is further to:

receive a first 3D model of an upper dental arch of the patient and a second 3D model of a lower dental arch of the patient;

generate a third 3D model of the face of the patient based on the one or more 3D images; and

register at least one of the first 3D model of the upper dental arch or the second 3D model of the lower dental arch to the third 3D model of the face based at least in part on the first position of the intraoral scanner relative to the face of the patient in the one or more 3D images.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the computing device is further to:

receive second intraoral scan data of the upper dental arch and third intraoral scan data of the lower dental arch;

generate the first 3D model of the upper dental arch based on the second intraoral scan data; and

generate the second 3D model of the lower dental arch based on the third intraoral scan data.

7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the computing device is further to:

receive second intraoral scan data of the dental site of the patient during the intraoral scanning;

receive one or more additional 3D images of the face of the patient during the intraoral scanning, wherein the intraoral scanner is captured in the one or more additional 3D images, and wherein a position of the lower dental arch relative to the upper dental arch is different in the one or more additional 3D images than in the one or more 3D images;

generate a fourth 3D model of the face of the patient based on the one or more additional 3D images; and

register at least one of the first 3D model of the upper dental arch or the second 3D model of the lower dental arch to the fourth 3D model of the face based at least in part on a second position of the intraoral scanner relative to the face of the patient in the one or more additional 3D images.

8 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the computing device is further to:

filter out the intraoral scanner from at least one of the one or more 3D images of the face or the third 3D model of the face.

9 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the computing device is further to:

determine one or more soft tissue distortions caused by the intraoral scanner being inserted into a mouth of the patient; and

modify at least one of the one or more 3D images of the face or the third 3D model of the face to remove the one or more soft tissue distortions.

10 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the computing device is further to:

perform treatment planning to generate a fourth 3D model of the upper dental arch at a future stage of orthodontic or prosthodontic treatment and a fifth 3D model of the lower dental arch at the future stage of orthodontic or prosthodontic treatment; and

generate a sixth 3D model of the face of the patient at the future stage of orthodontic or prosthodontic treatment showing how a smile of the patient will look at the future stage of orthodontic or prosthodontic treatment.

11 . A method comprising:

receiving first intraoral scan data of a dental site of a patient during intraoral scanning by an intraoral scanner;

receiving one or more three-dimensional (3D) images of a face of the patient generated by a 3D image capture device during the intraoral scanning, wherein the intraoral scanner is captured in the one or more 3D images, and wherein the intraoral scanner comprises a plurality of features on a surface of the intraoral scanner that have a fixed position relative to one another and that enable identification of the intraoral scanner and determination of at least one of a position or an orientation of the intraoral scanner within the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient;

identifying the intraoral scanner in the one or more 3D images based on the plurality of features captured in the one or more 3D images;

determining a first position of the intraoral scanner relative to the face of the patient in the one or more 3D images at least in part based on representations of the plurality of features of the intraoral scanner in the one or more 3D images; and

registering the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient to the first intraoral scan data based at least in part on the first position of the intraoral scanner relative to the face of the patient in the one or more 3D images.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient are registered to the first intraoral scan data based further on a known second position of the intraoral scanner relative to a 3D surface in the first intraoral scan data generated by the intraoral scanner.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient are registered to the first intraoral scan data based further on a first orientation of the intraoral scanner relative to the face of the patient in the one or more 3D images and a known second orientation of the intraoral scanner relative to the 3D surface in the first intraoral scan data generated by the intraoral scanner.

14 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

generating a 3D model of at least one of face of the patient or the dental site using the one or more 3D images of the face of the patient and the first intraoral scan data of the dental site of the patient.

15 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

receiving a first 3D model of an upper dental arch of the patient and a second 3D model of a lower dental arch of the patient;

generating a third 3D model of the face of the patient based on the one or more 3D images; and

registering at least one of the first 3D model of the upper dental arch or the second 3D model of the lower dental arch to the third 3D model of the face based at least in part on the first position of the intraoral scanner relative to the face of the patient in the one or more 3D images.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

receiving second intraoral scan data of the upper dental arch and third intraoral scan data of the lower dental arch;

generating the first 3D model of the upper dental arch based on the second intraoral scan data; and

generating the second 3D model of the lower dental arch based on the third intraoral scan data.

17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

receiving second intraoral scan data of the dental site of the patient during the intraoral scanning by the intraoral scanner;

receiving one or more additional 3D images of the face of the patient during the intraoral scanning, wherein the intraoral scanner is captured in the one or more additional 3D images, and wherein a position of the lower dental arch relative to the upper dental arch is different in the one or more additional 3D images than in the one or more 3D images;

generating a fourth 3D model of the face of the patient based on the one or more additional 3D images; and

registering at least one of the first 3D model of the upper dental arch or the second 3D model of the lower dental arch to the fourth 3D model of the face based at least in part on a second position of the intraoral scanner relative to the face of the patient in the one or more additional 3D images.

18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

filtering out the intraoral scanner from at least one of the one or more 3D images of the face or the third 3D model of the face.

19 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

determining one or more soft tissue distortions caused by the intraoral scanner being inserted into a mouth of the patient; and

modifying at least one of the one or more 3D images of the face or the third 3D model of the face to remove the one or more soft tissue distortions.

20 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

performing treatment planning to generate a fourth 3D model of the upper dental arch at a future stage of orthodontic or prosthodontic treatment and a fifth 3D model of the lower dental arch at the future stage of orthodontic or prosthodontic treatment; and

generating a sixth 3D model of the face of the patient at the future stage of orthodontic or prosthodontic treatment showing how a smile of the patient will look at the future stage of orthodontic or prosthodontic treatment.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 10, 2023
From: FRIDMAN, EDI
To: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 064557/0514 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63391654 · Jul 22, 2022
Related Publication 20240024076A1 · Jan 25, 2024
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