Dental imaging device

Abstract

The utility model provides a dental photographic device which comprises a shielding cylinder, a mouth gag, a camera and a control device, the mouth gag and the camera are arranged at two ends of the shielding cylinder, and the control device controls the camera. The camera is arranged in the dental photography device and is configured to send photos shot by the camera to an independent computer connected with the dental photography device in real time, so that the computer can display the photos received by the dental photography device and guidance information of taking the tooth photos meeting the requirements on a display screen of the computer, wherein the guidance information is obtained by calculating based on the photos; and guiding the patient to move the dental photography device and / or adjust the relative position of the upper jaw and the lower jaw so as to shoot and obtain a tooth picture meeting the requirement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present utility model generally relates to a dental photography device. Background Art

[0002] During orthodontic treatment, patients are usually required to visit the clinic regularly. Dental professionals judge whether the orthodontic treatment has achieved the expected effect by observing the patients' teeth. If the actual treatment result deviates greatly from the orthodontic treatment plan, dental professionals may need to adjust the subsequent treatment plan accordingly.

[0003] After the orthodontic treatment is completed, due to specific reasons, the tooth position and / or layout of the patient may change, thus deviating from the tooth position and / or layout achieved by the orthodontic treatment. In order to detect and correct such deviation in a timely manner, dental professionals need to regularly check the patients' teeth.

[0004] In order to reduce the number of patient visits, there has emerged a device for patients to take their own tooth photos. In this way, patients can take their own tooth photos anywhere and at any time for dental professionals to check, which effectively reduces the number of patient visits and brings convenience to patients.

[0005] Please refer to U.S. Patent Publication No. US2018 / 0303579A1, which discloses a dental photography device that includes a shielding cylinder. An opener is provided at one end of the shielding cylinder for retracting the lips and cheeks to expose the teeth, and a device for fixing a smart mobile phone is provided at the other end for taking pictures of the teeth. However, since the smart mobile phone is fixed to the dental photography device during shooting, that is, outside the patient's mouth, it is not easy for the patient to see the guidance for correctly taking tooth photos shown on the smart mobile phone screen, nor is it convenient to perform related operations on the mobile phone screen, which is very inconvenient for the patient to take tooth photos that meet the requirements.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new dental photography device and a method for taking tooth photos. Summary of the Utility Model

[0007] One aspect of the present utility model provides a dental photography device, which includes a shielding cylinder, an opener, a camera, and a control device. The opener and the camera are provided at both ends of the shielding cylinder. The control device controls the camera and is configured to real-time send the photos taken by the camera to an independent computer connected to the dental photography device, so that the computer can display the photos received from the dental photography device and the guidance information for taking tooth photos that meet the requirements calculated based on these photos on its display screen, and guide the patient to move the dental photography device and / or adjust the relative position of the upper and lower jaws to take tooth photos that meet the requirements.

[0008] In some embodiments, the guidance information is obtained by calculation by the computer.

[0009] In some embodiments, the dental photography device also includes a shell, which forms a chamber and a working surface, wherein the working surface is a portion of the surface surrounding the chamber, a first hole is formed on the working surface, and the camera is fixedly installed in the chamber, the shielding tube extends from the edge of the working surface, and the opener extends from the end of the shielding tube. The camera is installed so that it can capture images of the teeth exposed by the opener opening the patient's lips and cheeks through the first hole and the shielding tube.

[0010] In some embodiments, if the opener is closed, the working surface and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity.

[0011] In some embodiments, the chamber is a closed chamber.

[0012] In some embodiments, one section of the shielding tube is formed by integrally extending from the shell toward the opener, and another section of the shielding tube is formed by integrally extending from the opener toward the shell.

[0013] In some embodiments, the shielding tube is formed by the opener extending toward the housing in an integral manner, and the shielding tube is sleeved on the edge of the working surface.

[0014] In some embodiments, a first end of the shielding tube is sleeved on an edge of the working surface, and a second end opposite to the first end is connected to the opener.

[0015] In some embodiments, it also includes N lighting light sources installed in the chamber, and N second holes corresponding to the N lighting light sources are formed on the working surface, so that the N lighting light sources provide lighting for the camera to capture images through the N second holes, and N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

[0016] In some implementations, N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N second holes are evenly distributed around the camera. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The above and other features of the present application will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptions thereof. It should be understood that these drawings only illustrate several exemplary embodiments according to the present application and should not be considered as limiting the scope of protection of the present application. Unless otherwise specified, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and similar reference numerals represent similar components.

[0018] Figure 1 A dental photography device in one embodiment of the present application is schematically shown;

[0019] Figure 2 Schematically shows Figure 1 the main body of the dental photography device shown;

[0020] Figure 3 Schematically shows Figure 1 the mouth opener of the dental photography device shown;

[0021] Figure 4 is Figure 2 the top view of the main body described;

[0022] Figure 5 is Figure 2 the bottom view of the main body shown; and

[0023] Figure 6 Schematically shows the connection relationship of each module of the main body in an embodiment. Detailed implementation manners

[0024] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part of this specification. The illustrative embodiments mentioned in the specification and the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Under the inspiration of the present application, those skilled in the art can understand that many other embodiments can be adopted, and various changes can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the gist and protection scope of the present application. It should be understood that the various aspects of the present application described and illustrated herein can be arranged, replaced, combined, separated, and designed in many different configurations, and these different configurations are all within the protection scope of the present application.

[0025] One aspect of the present application provides a dental photography device and a method for taking dental photos using the same. The dental photography device is controlled by an independent computer with a display screen, enabling the patient to conveniently observe the content displayed on the display screen, take dental photos that meet the requirements according to the guidance, and is very convenient to use.

[0026] Please refer Figure 1 , which schematically shows the dental photography device 100 in an embodiment of the present application. It includes a main body 101 and a mouth opener 103, and the two are connected by socket connection.

[0027] Please refer again Figures 2 - 5 , wherein, Figure 2 schematically shows Figure 1 the main body 101 shown in Figure 3 schematically shows Figure 1 the mouth opener 103 shown in Figure 4 is Figure 1 the top view of the main body 101 shown in Figure 5 isFigure 1 An upward view of the host 101 shown in the figure.

[0028] The outer contour of the host 101 is generally U-shaped, and the cross-sectional contour is an oval that is symmetrical up and down and left and right. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, in addition to the shape in this embodiment, the host 101 can be any other suitable shape.

[0029] The host 101 includes a housing 1010, the lower half of which forms a closed chamber in which corresponding components are installed. One side of the housing 1010 against the opener 103 forms a working surface 1011, which is a part of the surface surrounding the formed chamber. A first hole 1013 is formed on the working surface 1011, so that the camera 1015 fixedly installed in the chamber can collect images through the first hole 1013. The installation position and angle of the camera 1015 are such that it can collect suitable images of the patient's teeth through the opener 103.

[0030] In one embodiment, the working surface 1011 can be a flat surface. In another embodiment, the working surface 1011 can be an arc surface. It can be understood that in addition to the flat surface and the arc surface, the working surface 1011 can be a surface of any suitable form.

[0031] In one embodiment, the first hole 1013 can be closed with a lens (such as a glass lens or a resin lens, etc.), and the camera 1015 installed in the housing can collect images through the lens, and the lens can prevent dust or moisture from entering the housing. In another embodiment, the camera 1015 can slightly protrude from the first hole 1013, and the gap between the outer side wall of the camera 1015 and the first hole 1013 can be sealed with a seal (such as a rubber ring or an adhesive, etc.) to prevent dust or moisture from entering the housing.

[0032] In one embodiment, at least one second hole (not shown in the figure) can be formed at a suitable position on the working surface 1011, so that at least one illumination source or flash installed in the chamber can provide illumination through the at least one second hole to ensure the quality of the images collected by the camera 1015. In one embodiment, a plurality of the second holes can be uniformly arranged around the first hole 1013.

[0033] The housing 1010 integrally extends upward (i.e., toward the opener 103) from the edge of the working surface 1011 to form a cylinder 1017, which surrounds the working surface 1011. A plurality of buckles 1019 are formed at one end of the cylinder 1017 away from the working surface 1011.

[0034] The mouth opener 103 includes a cylinder 1031. A flange 1033 is formed at the first end of the cylinder 1031 away from the main unit 101. A plurality of buckles 1035 are formed at the second end opposite to the first end, and are respectively engaged with a plurality of buckles 1019 at the top of the cylinder 1017 of the housing 1010. The mouth opener 103 and the housing 1010 are connected by sleeving, and the cooperation between the buckles 1035 and 1019 keeps the two relatively fixed. It can be understood that in addition to buckle fixation, any other applicable fixation method can also be adopted between the mouth opener 103 and the housing 1010, for example, interference fit.

[0035] When taking a photo of the teeth, the first end of the mouth opener 103 is placed into the patient's mouth to open the lips and cheeks, so that the teeth are exposed, and thus the camera 1015 can collect images of the teeth through the mouth opener 103. At this time, the patient's lips and cheeks are abutted against the flange 1033, making it difficult for the mouth opener 103 to come out of the patient's mouth.

[0036] The cylinder 1017 of the housing 1010 and the cylinder 1031 of the mouth opener 103 form a shielding cylinder. If the first end of the mouth opener 103 is closed, the working surface 1011 of the housing 1010 and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity to prevent ambient light from affecting the quality of the tooth images collected by the camera 1015.

[0037] Inspired by the present application, it can be understood that the lengths of the cylinders 1017 and 1031 can be changed, and the following are several different configurations.

[0038] In one embodiment, no cylinder is formed on the housing 1010, and the cylinder 1031 of the mouth opener 103 is sleeved on the edge of the working surface 1011 of the housing 1010.

[0039] In another embodiment, the cylinder 1017 of the housing 1010 is longer, and the mouth opener 103 does not form a cylinder.

[0040] In another embodiment, the housing 1010, the shielding cylinder and the mouth opener 103 can be integrally formed.

[0041] In another embodiment, the housing 1010 and the mouth opener 103 are connected by sleeving through an independent adapter cylinder.

[0042] For all the above different embodiments of the shielding cylinder, it can be described that the shielding cylinder is formed by extending from the edge of the working surface 1011. Here, "extending" does not mean that the shielding cylinder and the housing 1010 are integrally formed, and it encompasses the above various different situations.

[0043] A power button 1021 is provided on the side wall of the main unit 101 for turning on and off the dental photography device 100.

[0044] An interface 1023 is provided at the bottom of the main unit 101 for charging / powering the main unit 101 and / or for data exchange with the main unit 101.

[0045] Please refer Figure 6 , which schematically shows the connection relationships of the various modules of the main unit 101 in an embodiment.

[0046] In one embodiment, a battery 1025 and a control device (control circuit module) 1027 are further installed inside the housing of the main unit 101. Among them, the control device 1027 further includes a communication device 1027a. The battery 1025 powers the control device 1027, the camera 1015, and the illumination source (flashlight) 1029. The control device 1027 controls the camera 1015 and the illumination source 1029. The communication device 1027a is connected to an independent computer with a display screen (not shown in the figure) by a wired method (for example, through the interface 1023) or a wireless method (for example, a WiFi network (for example, a 2.4G or 5G WiFi network), Bluetooth, and any other applicable wireless connection method), so that data exchange can be carried out between the dental photography device 100 and the computer.

[0047] In one embodiment, the dental photography device 100 is controlled by the computer to take pictures, that is, the computer sends a signal to the control device 1027 to control the camera 1015 to start or stop taking pictures. The computer can be any applicable computing device, such as a smart phone, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a personal computer, smart glasses, and a smart TV, etc., as long as it has a display screen and can install a computer program for controlling the dental photography device 100.

[0048] In one embodiment, the process of taking dental pictures using the dental photography device 100 is as follows.

[0049] First, the patient operates the power button 1023 to turn on the dental photography device 100 and make it in a standby state.

[0050] Next, the patient controls the computer to run the computer program for controlling the dental photography device 100 and, by operating the computer, makes the computer and the dental photography device 100 in a connected state.

[0051] Then, the mouth opener 103 of the assembled dental photography device 100 is placed in the mouth to hold open the lips and cheeks so that the teeth are facing the camera 1015.

[0052] When the computer is connected to the dental photography device 100, the computer program will display an operation interface.

[0053] After the operation interface appears on the display screen of the computer, the patient can click the "Start Scanning" button in the interface to start taking tooth photos. In one embodiment, after the patient clicks the "Start Scanning" button, the computer sends a control signal to the control device 1027 through the communication device 1027a, and the latter controls the camera 1015 to continuously take photos and send these photos to the computer through the communication device 1027a.

[0054] After receiving the photos sent by the dental photography device 100, the computer will analyze them to determine whether they meet the requirements. For example, whether the shooting angle is correct and whether the corresponding teeth are included. If the computer detects a qualified photo among the multiple tooth photos received, then the computer stores this photo for subsequent analysis by dental professionals. If the photos received by the computer do not meet the requirements, the computer will analyze these photos (for example, using a method based on a deep neural network) and give guidance on taking correct tooth photos on the display screen.

[0055] In one embodiment, the computer can simultaneously display the photos received from the dental photography device 100 and the guidance information on its display screen.

[0056] At this time, the computer program jumps to another interface, which gives the guidance of "Please move the mouth opener in the direction of the arrow".

[0057] In order to comprehensively analyze the patient's teeth, photos of different angles and different parts of the patient's dentition may be required. Therefore, the entire shooting process can include multiple steps, and each step corresponds to a different photo. In one shooting step, when the computer obtains a qualified tooth photo, the current step is completed, and a new interface is displayed on the display screen to prompt the patient to take the next different photo and give the shooting angle. After the patient clicks the "Double-click to Enter the Next Step" button, the next step of shooting starts.

[0058] In one embodiment, the dental photography device 100 can continuously take photos at a predetermined time interval (for example, 1 / 30 second or 1 / 60 second, etc.) and transmit them to the computer in real time. In this way, during the process of the patient adjusting the pose of the mouth opener 103 and / or the relative position of the upper and lower jaws, the dental photography device 100 continuously takes photos. Once the computer detects that one of these photos meets the requirements, it can notify the patient to stop the current shooting step and save the qualified photo. This shooting method can greatly simplify the operation of the patient without the patient intervening in the shooting and detection of each photo.

[0059] In yet another embodiment, during the entire shooting process, the patient does not need to operate the computer. When a shooting step is completed, the computer displays a prompt message on the display screen to start the next shooting step. The patient only needs to adjust the pose and / or the relative position relationship between the upper and lower jaws of the dental photography device 100 according to this prompt message, without performing any operation on the computer. During this process, the dental photography device 100 can continuously take pictures and send them to the computer, and the computer detects each received picture until a picture that meets the requirements of the current shooting step is detected. And so on.

[0060] In one embodiment, when the dental photography device 100 starts taking pictures and when it ends taking pictures can be controlled by the computer.

[0061] When the shooting of all required dental pictures is completed, the patient can control the computer to upload the qualified dental pictures screened by the computer to the corresponding database through the network for dental professionals to analyze.

[0062] Since the computer and the dental photography device 100 are two independent devices, during the process of taking dental pictures, the patient can place it in a position convenient for observation and operation, so that the patient can conveniently observe the content displayed on the display screen of the computer and perform corresponding operations according to the guidance.

[0063] It can be understood that in addition to the dental photography device 100 disclosed in the present application, the method for taking dental pictures of the present application is also applicable to other dental photography devices. For example, the dental photography device disclosed in US Patent Publication No. US2018 / 0303579A1. Install the corresponding computer program on a smart phone used as a camera so that the computer can control the smart phone to take pictures.

[0064] In yet another embodiment, if the dental photography device has corresponding computing capabilities, the guiding information can also be calculated by the dental photography device. The dental photography device sends the taken pictures and the guiding information to the computer, and the computer displays them on its display screen for the patient to observe. In this mode, the computer only serves as a device for displaying the taken pictures and the guiding information to the patient.

[0065] Although multiple aspects and embodiments of the present application are disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments of the present application will be obvious to those skilled in the art inspired by the present application. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes only, not for limiting purposes. The scope of protection and the gist of the present application are only determined by the appended claims.

[0066] Similarly, the various diagrams may illustrate exemplary architectures or other configurations of the disclosed methods and systems, which facilitate understanding of the features and functions that may be included in the disclosed methods and systems. The claimed subject matter is not limited to the illustrated exemplary architectures or configurations, and the desired features may be implemented with various alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, for flowcharts, functional descriptions, and method claims, the order of the blocks given herein should not be limited to the various embodiments that implement the functions in the same order, unless explicitly stated otherwise in the context.

[0067] Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the terms and phrases used herein and their variants should be interpreted as open-ended rather than restrictive. In some instances, the presence of expansive words and phrases such as "one or more," "at least," "but not limited to," or other similar language should not be construed as indicating a narrowing intention or requirement in instances where such expansive language may be absent.

Claims

1. A dental photography device, characterized in that, It includes a shielding cylinder, an opener, a camera and a control device. The opener and the camera are arranged at two ends of the shielding cylinder. The control device controls the camera and is configured to send the photos taken by the camera to an independent computer connected to the dental photography device in real time, so that the computer can display the photos received from the dental photography device and the guiding information for obtaining teeth photos that meet the requirements calculated based on these photos on its display screen, so as to guide the patient to move the dental photography device and / or adjust the relative positions of the upper and lower jaws, thereby obtaining teeth photos that meet the requirements.

2. The dental photography device according to claim 1, wherein The guiding information is calculated by the computer.

3. The dental photography device according to claim 1, wherein, It further includes a housing, which forms a chamber and a working surface. The working surface is a part of the surface surrounding the chamber. A first hole is formed on the working surface. The camera is fixedly installed in the chamber. The shielding cylinder extends from the edge of the working surface. The opener extends from the end of the shielding cylinder. The camera is installed so that it can collect images of the teeth exposed by the opener spreading the patient's lips and cheeks through the first hole and the shielding cylinder.

4. The dental photography device according to claim 3, characterized in that, If the opener is closed, the working surface and the shielding cylinder form a closed chamber.

5. The dental photography device according to claim 3, wherein, The chamber is a closed chamber.

6. The dental photography device according to claim 3, wherein, One section of the shielding cylinder is integrally extended from the housing towards the opener, and the other section of the shielding cylinder is integrally extended from the opener towards the housing.

7. The dental photography device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The shielding cylinder is integrally extended from the opener towards the housing, and the shielding cylinder is sleeved on the edge of the working surface.

8. The dental photography device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first end of the shielding cylinder is sleeved on the edge of the working surface, and the second end opposite to the first end is connected to the opener.

9. The dental photography device according to claim 3, wherein It further includes N lighting sources, which are installed in the chamber. N second holes corresponding to the N lighting sources one by one are formed on the working surface, so that the N lighting sources provide illumination for the camera to collect images through the N second holes. N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

10. The dental photography device according to claim 9, wherein, N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N second holes are evenly distributed around the camera.

Images