Digital dental x-ray sensor device having a rounded housing including a radio transceiver
View Patent ↗A digital dental x-ray sensor device includes a rounded, three dimensional housing that lacks corners, edges, or other relatively sharp features that are known to cause discomfort when used in a patient's mouth. The rounded three dimensional housing can be spherical, ellipsoid, or any similar regular or irregular rounded shape, and can be formed by ensuring that all curves of a surface of the rounded three dimensional housing have a minimum radius that is sufficient to prevent features that can dig into a soft tissue of the inside of a patient's mouth.
1. A dental x-ray sensor device, comprising:
a rounded housing is configured to fit in a patient's mouth, and the rounded housing is further configured to contain a digital x-ray sensor, wherein the rounded housing comprises a flat face that is circular or elliptical, and corresponds to a plane of the digital x-ray sensor configured to be mounted in the rounded housing;
a radio transceiver disposed in the rounded housing is configured to transmit image data acquired by the digital x-ray sensor; and
at least one attachment slot formed on an outside of the flat face.
2. The dental x-ray sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the rounded housing comprises a first portion and a second portion that are configured to separably couple together, and the first portion and the second portion comprise a sensor bed that is configured to hold the digital x-ray sensor within the rounded housing.
3. The dental x-ray sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the rounded housing is semi-spherically shaped.
4. The dental x-ray sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising a circular digital x-ray sensor contained in the rounded housing, and wherein the circular digital x-ray sensor conforms to an internal cross section of the rounded housing.
5. The dental x-ray sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one attachment slot comprises at least two attachment slots.
6. The dental x-ray sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the rounded housing has an external surface having a minimum radius of five millimeters.
7. The dental x-ray sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the rounded housing comprises an indicia that indicates an orientation of the digital x-ray sensor inside the rounded housing.
8. A digital dental x-ray sensor device, comprising:
a rounded housing having an external surface, the rounded housing being configured to fit within a person's mouth with the person's mouth substantially closed, wherein the rounded housing comprises a flat face that is circular or elliptical, the flat face corresponds to a plane of an image sensor configured to be mounted in the rounded housing;
a digital x-ray sensor disposed within the rounded housing that conforms to an internal cross section of the rounded housing;
a radio transceiver operably connected the digital x-ray sensor; and
a plurality of attachment slots provided on an outside of the flat face.
9. The digital dental x-ray sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the rounded housing is a spherical housing.
10. The digital dental x-ray sensor device of claim 9 , wherein the spherical housing is a sphere having at least one flat portion.
11. The digital dental x-ray sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the rounded housing is an ellipsoid.
12. The digital dental x-ray sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the rounded housing comprises at least one flat spot.
13. The digital dental x-ray sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the digital x-ray sensor has a circular shape.
14. The digital dental x-ray sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the radio transceiver operates according to a wireless networking protocol.