Optical measurement device and related process
First Claim
1. A device for acquiring an image of a tooth comprising:
- sensor means for sensing an image of the tooth, said sensor means having a line of sensing;
a filter that transmits separated tristimulus bandwidths to said sensor means; and
display means for displaying the image, said display means including a line of viewing, said line of viewing substantially the same as said line of sensing, whereby the user views the tooth from a perspective that is the same as the perspective that said sensor means senses the tooth image, said display means substantially aligned behind said sensor means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An instrument and related process for measuring color, shade, gloss, shape and/or translucence of a tooth. First, the instrument uses searchlight illumination to illuminate a tooth with constant irradiance. Second, the instrument uses colorimetric imaging to collect time-separated frames of different wavelengths of light reflected from a tooth and to combine those frames into a color image. Third, the instrument includes a sanitary shield to establish a reference color and a predetermined distance to a target tooth. Fourth, the instrument provides line-of-sight viewing so an operator may simultaneously view a display of the image on the instrument and the object being measured. Fifth, the instrument is impervious to pollutants because it incorporates a sealed measurement window. Sixth, optical measurements of a tooth taken by a dentist are compared to optical measurements of a prosthetic restoration for that tooth to confirm satisfactory matching of optical characteristics of the tooth and restoration.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A device for acquiring an image of a tooth comprising:
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sensor means for sensing an image of the tooth, said sensor means having a line of sensing;
a filter that transmits separated tristimulus bandwidths to said sensor means; and
display means for displaying the image, said display means including a line of viewing, said line of viewing substantially the same as said line of sensing, whereby the user views the tooth from a perspective that is the same as the perspective that said sensor means senses the tooth image, said display means substantially aligned behind said sensor means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A handheld device for measuring the color of a dental object comprising:
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means for imaging the dental object from a first perspective;
means for displaying an image of the dental object so that a viewer perceives the image from a second perspective, said first perspective and said second perspective are aligned in parallel along a common axis, the display means substantially perpendicular to said common axis, and a disposable sanitary shield disposed adjacent said imaging means to establish a pre-selected distance between the imaging means and the dental object.
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5. A system for measuring a dental object comprising:
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a sensor that collects an image of an object along a line of sensing;
means for displaying the image so that a user views the image along a line of viewing, the line of sensing and line of viewing being substantially the same, said sensor and said display means incorporated into a portable, handheld unit; and
a sanitary shield releasably attached to said handheld unit. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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Specification