Miniaturized system and method for measuring optical characteristics

• US 7,528,956 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vita Zahnfabrik H. Rauter GMBH & Co.. KG (Rauter Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH)
• Original Assignee: Vita Zahnfabrik H. Rauter GMBH & Co.. KG (Rauter Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH)
• Inventors: Jung, Russell W., Loudermilk, Alan R., Sloan, Walter W., Jung, Wayne D.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAUCHMAN, LAYLA G
• Application Number:
  US11/863,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20080018889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 356/402, 356/405, 356/425, 356/73
• US Class Current: 356/402
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/04 Measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C5/44 takes precedence; testing vitality of teeth A61B5/0534; radiation diagnosis specially adapted for dentistry A61B6/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0271 Housings; Attachments or accessories for photometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/466 Coded colour; Recognition of predetermined colour; Determining proximity to predetermined colour
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0218 using optical fibers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0256 Compact construction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0264 Electrical interface; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0272 Handheld
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0278 Control or determination of height or angle information for sensors or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0291 Housings; Spectrometer accessories; Spatial arrangement of elements, e.g. folded path arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0294 Multi-channel spectroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/36 Investigating two or more bands of a spectrum by separate detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/46 Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters measuring colour temperature G01J5/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/462 Computing operations in or between colour spaces; Colour management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/463 Colour matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/508 measuring the colour of teeth
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/51 using colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/513 having fixed filter-detector pairs
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/524 Calibration of colorimeters
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/25 Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/57 : Measuring gloss

Abstract

A miniaturized spectrometer/spectrophotometer system and methods are disclosed. A probe tip including one or more light sources and a plurality of light receivers is provided. A first spectrometer system receives light from a first set of the plurality of light receivers. A second spectrometer system receives light from a second set of the plurality of light receivers. A processor, wherein the processor receives data generated by the first spectrometer system and the second spectrometer system, wherein an optical measurement of a sample under test is produced based on the data generated by the first and second spectrometer systems.

Claims

1. A method for determining optical characteristics of an object comprising:

storing a plurality of optical property parameters for each of a plurality of shades, each optical property parameter including a minimum value and a maximum value;

storing a weight factor for each of the stored plurality of optical property parameters;

measuring optical properties of the object with an instrument;

converting the measured optical properties of the object to a plurality of measured optical property parameters;

comparing the measured optical property parameters to the minimum and maximum values of the stored optical property parameters for each shade;

determining one or more shade match candidates according to the comparing and the stored weight factors; and

displaying the one or more shade match candidates.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an indication of which of the displayed one or more shade match candidates is a best match.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical property parameters comprise color tristimulus values.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical property parameters comprise tristimulus values of L, a and b.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical property parameters comprise an integral intensity of a calculated spectrum.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical property parameters comprise three values representing color information for the object and an integral intensity of a calculated spectrum.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical property parameters comprise three values representing color information for the object and a degree of curvature of a calculated spectrum.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of optical property parameters further includes a preferred value, and wherein comparing the measured optical property parameters further comprises summing differences between the measured plurality of optical property parameters and the preferred values for the stored plurality of optical property parameters.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring is performed in a plurality of regions of the object, and wherein the one or more shade match candidates are determined for each of the plurality of regions of the object.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying additional color information according to measuring optical properties of the object.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the displayed information includes a difference in value of the optical property parameters for the one or more shade match candidates and the stored optical property parameters for each of the plurality of shades.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the displayed information includes differences in value and chroma of the optical property parameters for the one or more shade match candidates and the stored optical property parameters for each of the plurality of shades.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the displayed information includes differences in value, chroma and hue of the optical property parameters for the one or more shade match candidates and the stored optical property parameters for each of the plurality of shades.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a confidence indicator for each of the one or more shade match candidates.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a tooth.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a restoration.

17. A system for determining optical characteristics of an object comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of optical property parameters for each of a plurality of shades, each optical property parameter including a minimum value and a maximum value, and for storing a weight factor for each of the stored plurality of optical property parameters;

a spectrometer for measuring optical properties of the object;

a processor for converting the measured optical properties of the object to a plurality of measured optical property parameters, for comparing the measured optical property parameters to the minimum and maximum values of the stored optical property parameters for each shade, and for determining one or more shade match candidates according to the comparing and the stored weight factors; and

a display for displaying the one or more shade match candidates.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the display further displays an indication of which of the displayed one or more shade match candidates is a best match.

19. A method for calibrating a shade/color matching system, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of known optical property parameters for a known object;

measuring optical property parameters of the known object;

determining a first calibration data based on the stored optical property parameters and the measured optical property parameters;

storing the first calibration data;

secondly measuring optical property parameters of the object;

determining a second calibration data based on the stored first calibration data and the secondly measured optical property parameters; and

calibrating the shade/color matching system according to the second calibration data.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

measuring optical properties of a tooth; and

determining one or more shade match candidates for the tooth according to the calibrated shade/color matching system.