Method and apparatus for the fabrication of custom-shaped implants
First Claim
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1. A method for facilitating the fabrication of a workpiece to be placed onto a light reflective object having a three dimensional contour thereon to which said workpiece is to be conformed, comprising the steps of:
- noncontact topographic scanning of said contour on said object, including the step of directing a predetermined intensity pattern of light onto said contour so that a corresponding intensity pattern of light will be reflected therefrom, the varying intensity pattern of said reflected light being a measure of said three dimensional contour on said object;
directing said pattern of said reflected light from said object onto a light sensing means;
converting said pattern of light on said light sensing means into a corresponding pattern of electrical data;
selecting a set of said electrical data;
storing said set of said electrical data;
mounting said workpiece onto a machining means which is responsive to electrical data sequentially presented thereto;
sequentially presenting said stored set of electrical data to said machining means; and
machining said workpiece into a three dimensional shape in accordance with said stored set of data.
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Abstract
The surface characteristics of an organ that needs restoration, for example, a tooth which has been prepared for an inlay insertion, are read by means of a noncontact scan-head. The three-dimensional shape parameters of the implant required to restore the tooth in function and appearance are computed on the basis of the recorded contour data. These parameters are then used in a program sequence which controls a milling, cutting or erosive process in order to manufacture the restorative inlay while the patient waits.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for facilitating the fabrication of a workpiece to be placed onto a light reflective object having a three dimensional contour thereon to which said workpiece is to be conformed, comprising the steps of:
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noncontact topographic scanning of said contour on said object, including the step of directing a predetermined intensity pattern of light onto said contour so that a corresponding intensity pattern of light will be reflected therefrom, the varying intensity pattern of said reflected light being a measure of said three dimensional contour on said object; directing said pattern of said reflected light from said object onto a light sensing means; converting said pattern of light on said light sensing means into a corresponding pattern of electrical data; selecting a set of said electrical data; storing said set of said electrical data; mounting said workpiece onto a machining means which is responsive to electrical data sequentially presented thereto; sequentially presenting said stored set of electrical data to said machining means; and machining said workpiece into a three dimensional shape in accordance with said stored set of data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An apparatus for facilitating the fabrication of a workpiece to be placed onto a light reflective object having a three dimensional contour thereon to which said workpiece is to be conformed, comprising:
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housing means; light source means on said housing means and first directing means for directing the light from said light source means toward said contour; optical plate means on said housing means interposed in the path of said light from said light source means for controlling the magnitude of said light so as to facilitate an illumination of said contour with a predefined intensity pattern, said light being reflected in a corresponding intensity pattern indicative of said three dimensional contour on said object; second directing means on said housing means in the path of said reflected light from said contour for directing said reflected light to a desired location within said housing means; light sensing means located at said desired location for converting said intensity pattern of reflected light into a corresponding pattern of electrical data; contour memory means, and means for storing a selected set of said electrical data in said contour memory means; machining means for machining a workpiece in accordance with a set of electrical data sequentially presented thereto; and sequencing means for sequentially presenting said selected set of said electrical data to said machining means to cause a machining of said workpiece to a shape corresponding to said contour to enable the shaped workpiece to be fittingly placed onto said contour. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An apparatus for facilitating the fabrication of a workpiece to be placed onto a light reflective object having a three-dimensional contour thereon to which said workpiece is to be conformed, comprising:
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housing means; light source means on said housing means and first directing means for directing the light from said light source means toward said contour; optical plate means on said housing means interposed in the path of said light from said light source means for controlling the magnitude of said light so as to facilitate an illumination of said contour with a predefined intensity pattern, said light being reflected in a corresponding intensity pattern indicative of said three-dimensional contour on said object; second directing means on said housing means in the path of said reflected light from said contour for directing said reflected light to a desired location within said housing means; light sensing means located at said desired location for converting said intensity pattern of reflected light into a corresponding pattern of electrical data; contour memory means, and means for storing a selected set of said electrical data in said contour memory means; machining means for machining a workpiece in accordance with a set of electrical data sequentially presented thereto; sequencing means for sequentially presenting said selected set of said electrical data to said machining means to cause a machining of said workpiece to a shape corresponding to said contour to enable the shaped workpiece to be fittingly placed onto said contour; an aperture member disposed in the path of said light from said light source and having spaced first and second holes therethrough, said first directing means causing said light from said light source to pass through said first hole and said second directing means causing said light reflected from said contour on said object to pass through said second hole; and means for producing a second predetermined intensity pattern of light and means for causing a selected one of said first-mentioned and second intensity patterns to be directed onto said contour on said object; wherein said means for storing data in said contour memory means includes processing means for accepting from said light sensing means a first set of electrical data corresponding to said first-mentioned intensity pattern and a second set of said electrical data corresponding to said second intensity pattern and for calculating a third set of electrical data from said first and second sets of data, said third set of electrical data being said selected set stored in said contour memory means.
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19. A method for facilitating the fabrication of a workpiece to be placed onto a light reflective object having a three-dimensional contour thereon to which said workpiece is to be conformed, comprising the steps of:
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noncontact topographic scanning of said contour on said object, including the step of directing a predetermined intensity pattern of light onto said contour so that a corresponding intensity pattern of light will be reflected therefrom, the varying intensity pattern of said reflected light being a measure of said three-dimensional contour on said object; directing said pattern of said reflected light from said object onto a light sensing means; converting said pattern of light on said light sensing means into a corresponding pattern of electrical data; selecting a set of said electrical data; storing said set of said electrical data; directing a second predetermined intensity pattern of light onto said contour and directing the intensity pattern of light reflected from said object onto said light sensing means; converting the pattern of light on said light sensing means into a corresponding pattern of electrical data and selecting therefrom a second set of electrical data; calculating a third set of electrical data from said first-mentioned and second sets of electrical data; storing said third set of electrical data in place of said first-mentioned set of electrical data; mounting said workpiece onto a machining means which is responsive to electrical data sequentially presented thereto; sequentially presenting said stored set of electrical data to said machining means; and machining said workpiece into a three-dimensional shape in accordance with said stored set of data.
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20. An apparatus for faciitating the fabrication of a workpiece to be placed onto a light reflective object having a three-dimensional contour thereon to which said workpiece is to be conformed, comprising:
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housing means; light source means on said housing means and first directing means for directing the light from said light source means toward said contour; optical plate means on said housing means interposed in the path of said light from said light source means for controlling the magnitude of said light so as to facilitate an illumination of said contour with a predefined intensity pattern, said light being reflected in a corresponding intensity pattern indicative of said three-dimensional contour on said object; second directing means on said housing means in the path of said reflected light from said contour for directing said reflected light to a desired location within said housing means; light sensing means located at said desired location for converting said intensity pattern of reflected light into a corresponding pattern of electrical data; contour memory means, and means for storing a selected set of said electrical data in said contour memory means; machining means for machining a workpiece in accordance with a set of electrical data sequentially presented thereto; sequencing means for sequentially presenting said selected set of said electrical data to said machining means to cause a machining of said workpiece to a shape corresponding to said contour to enable the shaped workpiece to be fittingly placed onto said contour; an aperture member disposed in the path of said light from said light source and having spaced first and second holes therethrough, said first directing means causing said light from said light source to pass through said first hole and said second directing means causing said light reflected from said contour on said object to pass through said second hole, said optical plate means being located between said light source and said aperture member; and means supporting said optical plate means for movement between first and second positions in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of travel of light therethrough; wherein said means for storing data in said contour memory means includes means for selectively effecting movement of said optical plate means to one of said first and second positions; and wherein said means for storing data in said contour memory means includes processing means for accepting first and second sets of electrical data produced by said light sensing means when said optical plate means is respectively in said first and second positions, and for calculating a third set of electrical data from said first and second sets, said third set of electrical data being said selected data set which is stored in said contour memory means and presented by said sequencing means to said machining means.
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21. An apparatus for facilitating the fabrication of a workpiece to be placed onto a light reflective object having a three-dimensional contour thereon to which said workpiece is to be conformed, comprising:
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means for noncontact topographic scanning of said contour on said object, including means for directing a first predetermined intensity pattern of light onto said contour so that a corresponding intensity pattern of light will be reflected therefrom, the varying intensity pattern of said reflected light being a measure of said three-dimensional contour on said object; directing means for directing said pattern of said reflected light from said object onto light sensing means; conversion means for converting said pattern of light on said light sensing means into a corresponding pattern of electrical data; selection means for selecting a first set of said electrical data; means for storing said first set of said electrical data; means for directing a second predetermined intensity pattern of light onto said contour, said directing means directing the intensity pattern of light reflected from said object onto said light sensing means, said conversion means converting the pattern of light on said light sensing means into a corresponding pattern of electrical data, and said selection means selecting therefrom a second set of electrical data; means for calculating a third set of electrical data from said first and second sets of electrical data; means for storing said third set of electrical data; machining means for machining the workpiece in response to electrical data sequentially presented thereto; and means for sequentially presenting said stored third set of electrical data to said machining means.
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Specification