Laser digitizer system for dental applications
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A laser digitizer comprising:
- a light source having collimating optics configured to generate a collimated beam of light;
a scanner optically coupled to the light source and configured to scan the collimated beam along at least two axes towards an object to be imaged to generate a pattern comprising a set of curvilinear segments;
an image capture instrument having an optical axis at an angle θ
with respect to the scanner and configured to detect a reflection of the pattern from the object and to generate data representative of a surface of the object based on the reflection of the pattern; and
a processor coupled to the scanner and the image capture system configured to generate a three-dimensional image of the object based on the data.
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Abstract
A laser digitizer system provides a visual three-dimensional image of a real-world object such as a dental item through a laser digitization. The laser digitizer captures an image of the object by scanning multiple portions of the object in an exposure period.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A laser digitizer comprising:
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a light source having collimating optics configured to generate a collimated beam of light; a scanner optically coupled to the light source and configured to scan the collimated beam along at least two axes towards an object to be imaged to generate a pattern comprising a set of curvilinear segments; an image capture instrument having an optical axis at an angle θ
with respect to the scanner and configured to detect a reflection of the pattern from the object and to generate data representative of a surface of the object based on the reflection of the pattern; anda processor coupled to the scanner and the image capture system configured to generate a three-dimensional image of the object based on the data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method that generates a representation of a physical object comprising:
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generating a multi-axis collimated beam of light; with the physical object in a first position relative to the multi-axis collimated beam of light and during a first exposure period, scanning the multi-axis collimated beam of light towards the physical object, and detecting a reflection of the scanned collimated multi-axis beam of light from the physical object at a given triangulation angle, wherein over the first exposure period the scanned multi-axis collimated beam of light generates a first pattern comprising a plurality of segments and the reflection comprises a modified first pattern; with the physical object in a second position relative to the multi-axis collimated beam of light and during a second exposure period, scanning the multi-axis collimated beam of light towards the physical object, and detecting a reflection of the scanned collimated multi-axis beam of light from the physical object at a given triangulation angle, wherein over the second exposure period the scanned multi-axis collimated beam of light generates a second pattern comprising a plurality of segments and the reflection comprises a modified second pattern; and generating the representation of the physical object from data associated with the first and second modified patterns. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A laser digitizer, comprising:
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a structure in which an object to be imaged is supported; a light source having collimating optics configured to generate a collimated beam of light; a scanner optically coupled to the light source and configured to scan the collimated beam along at least two axes towards the object to be imaged, wherein over a given exposure period the scanned collimated beam of light generates a pattern comprising a plurality of segments, wherein the structure is positionable relative to the scanned collimated beam so that, during first and second exposure periods, first and second patterns are projected onto first and second portions of the object; an image capture instrument configured to detect a reflection of the scanned collimated beam from the object at a given triangulation angle θ
, wherein over the first exposure period the reflection comprises a modified first pattern and over the second exposure period the reflection comprises a modified second pattern; anda processor, under program control, that uses data associated with the modified first and second patterns to generate a representation of the object. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification