Dental camera utilizing multiple lenses

• US 6,908,307 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2003
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sirona Dental Systems LLC (Sirona Dental Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Schick Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Schick, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Ralph A.
• Application Number:
  US10/356,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20040152037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 433/29, 600/172, 600/173, 396/322, 396/323, 396/333
• US Class Current: 433/29
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/24 for the mouth, i.e. stomatoscopes, e.g. with tongue depressors tongue depressors per se A61B13/00; Instruments for opening or keeping open the mouth combined with saliva removers A61C17/00; mouth openers for animals A61D15/00

Abstract

A dental camera is provided having multiple lenses. The dental camera has at least a first lens for use in an intra-oral mode, and at least a second lens for use in an extra-oral mode. The dental camera is switchable between the intra-oral mode and the extra-oral mode. Each lens is associated with an image sensor, for example, a CMOS active pixel sensor or a charge-coupled device.

Claims

1. A dental camera having multiple lenses, comprising:

a first image sensor for use in an intra-oral mode;

at least a first lens in an optical path of the first image sensor for use in the intra-oral mode;

a second image sensor for use in an extra-oral mode;

at least a second lens in an optical path of the second image sensor for use in the extra oral mode; and

a controller that selectively enables one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor to switch the dental camera between the intra-oral mode and the extra-oral mode.

2. A dental camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first lens is a fixed-focus lens and the second lens is a variable-focus lens.

3. A dental camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second lenses are fixed-focus lenses.

4. A dental camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first lens is a variable-focus lens and the second lens is a fixed-focus lens.

5. A dental camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second lenses are variable-focus lenses.

6. The dental camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein each lens is associated with a CMOS active pixel sensor.

7. The dental camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein each lens is associated with a charge-coupled device.

8. A dental camera comprising at least two lenses, said dental camera being operable in:

an intra-oral mode which utilizes a first image sensor and a first lens in an optical path of the first image sensor; and

an extra-oral mode which utilizes a second image sensor and a second lens in an optical path of the second image sensor,

wherein the dental camera is switchable between the two modes by selectively enabling one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor, and

wherein a light source is activated during the intra-oral mode.

9. A dental camera as set forth in claim 8, wherein the first lens is a fixed-focus lens and the second lens is a variable-focus lens.

10. A dental camera as set forth in claim 8, wherein the first and second lenses are fixed-focus lenses.

11. A dental camera as set forth in claim 8, wherein the first lens is a variable-focus lens and the second lens is a fixed-focus lens.

12. A dental camera as set forth in claim 8, wherein the first and second lenses are variable-focus lenses.

13. A dental camera as set forth in claim 8, wherein the light source comprises a plurality of white LEDs.

14. The dental camera as set forth in claim 8, wherein each lens is associated with a CMOS active pixel sensor.

15. The dental camera as set forth in claim 8, wherein each lens is associated with a charge-coupled device.

16. A dental camera having multiple lenses, comprising:

a first image sensor having a first lens in its optical path and customized for use in an intra-oral mode, and

a second image sensor having a second lens in its optical path and customized for use in an extra-oral mode, the first lens placed distal to the second lens,

wherein the dental camera is switchable between the intra-oral mode and the extra-oral mode by selectively enabling one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor.

17. A dental camera as set forth in claim 16, wherein the first lens is a fixed-focus lens and the second lens is a variable-focus lens.

18. A dental camera as set forth in claim 16, wherein the first and second lenses are fixed-focus lenses.

19. A dental camera as set forth in claim 16, wherein the first lens is a variable-focus lens and the second lens is a fixed-focus lens.

20. A dental camera as set forth in claim 16, wherein the first and second lenses are variable-focus lenses.

21. The dental camera as set forth in claim 16, further comprising a light source for use in the intra-oral mode.

22. The dental camera as set forth in claim 16, wherein the light source is a plurality of white LEDs.

23. The dental camera as set forth in claim 16, wherein the first and second image sensors are CMOS active pixel sensors.

24. The dental camera as set forth in claim 16, wherein the first and second image sensors are charge-coupled devices.

25. A wireless dental camera system having multiple lenses, comprising:

a first image sensor having a first lens in its optical path and adapted for use in an intra-oral mode;

a second image sensor having a second lens in its optical path and adapted for use in an extra-oral mode;

a light source for use in the intra-oral mode;

a control circuit for processing digital signals representing video images from the image sensors, for controlling switching between the intra-oral mode and the extra-oral mode by selectively enabling one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor, and for controlling power supplied to the lenses;

a power module for supplying power to the control circuit;

a transmitter for transmitting the digital signals;

a receiver for receiving the digital signals; and

a base station for supplying the received digital signals to an image processing unit.

26. A dental camera system as set forth in claim 25, wherein the first lens is a fixed-focus lens and the second lens is a variable-focus lens.

27. A dental camera system as set forth in claim 25, wherein the first lens is a fixed-focus lens and the second lens is a fixed-focus lens.

28. A dental camera system as set forth in claim 25, wherein the first lens is a variable-focus lens and the second lens is a fixed-focus lens.

29. A dental camera system as set forth in claim 25, wherein the first lens is a variable-focus lens and the second lens is a variable-focus lens.

30. The dental camera system as set forth in claim 25, wherein the power module comprises a rechargeable battery.

31. The dental camera system as set forth in claim 25, wherein the light source comprises a plurality of white LEDs.

32. A dental camera system as set forth in claim 25, wherein the base station supplies the received digital signals to the image processing system via a Universal Serial Bus.

33. The dental camera as set forth in claim 25, wherein the first and second image sensors are CMOS active pixel sensors.

34. The dental camera as set forth in claim 25, wherein the first and second image sensors are charge-coupled devices.

35. A dental camera system having multiple lenses, comprising:

a first image sensor having a first lens in its optical path and adapted for use in an intra-oral mode;

a second image sensor having a second lens in its optical path and adapted for use in an extra-oral mode;

a light source for use in the intra-oral mode;

a control circuit for processing digital signals representing video images from the image sensors, for controlling switching between the intra-oral mode and the extra-oral mode by selectively enabling one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor, and for controlling power supplied to the lenses; and

a cable for providing the digital signals to a digital port on an image processing unit, and for providing power from the image processing unit to the dental camera system.

36. A dental camera, comprising:

means for acquiring intra-oral images in an intra-oral mode, including first image sensing means and first lens means in an optical path of the first image sensing means; and

means for acquiring extra-oral images in an extra-oral mode, including second image sensing means and second lens means in an optical path of the second image sensing means,

wherein the dental camera is switchable between the intra-oral mode and the extra-oral mode by selectively enabling one of the first image sensing means and the second image sensing means.