Lingual oral camera and oral modeling system

Abstract

The application discloses a lingual oral cavity shooting device and an oral cavity modeling system, wherein the lingual oral cavity shooting device comprises a movable assembled holder and a tongue depressor, the holder is arranged close to a lip and is used for mutual positioning with oral cavity tissue, and the holder is provided with a positioning ball socket; the tongue depressor comprises a tongue depressing section, an imaging component is arranged on the tongue depressing section, the tongue depressing section extends to a lingual side of a tooth and is used for driving a tongue away from the tooth to provide a shooting space; a control section extends to outside of the oral cavity and is used for controlling movement of the tongue depressing section relative to the holder; a connecting section connects the tongue depressing section and the control section, a universal ball is slidingly matched on the connecting section, and the universal ball is rotationally matched in the positioning ball socket. The imaging component is integrated on the tongue depressor, the tongue depressing section is used for driving the tongue away from the tooth to provide the shooting space through the action of the tongue depressing section on the tongue, and the mutual positioning of the holder and the oral cavity tissue provides a control basis for the operation of the tongue depressing section, so that the learning difficulty is reduced, and the use experience is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of dental imaging equipment, and in particular to a lingual oral imaging device and an oral modeling system. Background Technology

[0002] With advancements in technology, acquiring patients' oral images to improve the treatment experience is becoming increasingly accepted. For example, in general dental checkups and periodontal treatment, clear oral images allow patients to understand their oral health and perform daily monitoring, facilitating self-management and doctor-patient communication. Furthermore, in orthodontics, readily available oral images enable remote orthodontic follow-up appointments, reducing the cost of in-person visits for patients and lessening the workload for doctors at the chairside.

[0003] Taking orthodontic scenarios as an example, in practice, doctors ask patients to use their mobile phones or other remote devices to take several independent two-dimensional photos and send them to the doctor for evaluation. Due to the large size of mobile phones and the inability to observe in real time during the shooting process, this method can only obtain relatively local two-dimensional images with a fixed perspective. It may not necessarily allow doctors to obtain accurate three-dimensional information about occlusion or face, which seriously affects the doctor's judgment on the current tooth movement effect and decision-making on the next step of the plan.

[0004] More importantly, extraoral imaging devices can only acquire image data of the labial / buccal sides of the teeth, and cannot capture images of the lingual sides of the teeth due to the size of the device. Even with a smaller size, the lingual sides of the teeth are still difficult to image accurately due to space constraints and the tongue's obstruction, often requiring assistance from others and the use of tongue depressors to capture the images.

[0005] Therefore, how to reduce the learning cost and enable patients to easily obtain clear, stable, multi-view comprehensive information about the oral cavity, especially information about the lingual side of the teeth, is a concern for those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application discloses a lingual oral imaging device for imaging teeth in the oral cavity, including a movable retainer and a tongue depressor. The retainer is located near the lips and is used for mutual positioning with oral tissues. The retainer is provided with a positioning ball socket. The tongue depressor includes The tongue depressor is equipped with an imaging component. The tongue depressor extends to the lingual side of the teeth and is used to drive the tongue away from the teeth to provide imaging space. A control segment extends outside the oral cavity to control the movement of the tongue depressor relative to the retainer; A connecting section connects the tongue-pressing section and the control section. A universal ball is slidably fitted on the connecting section, and the universal ball is rotatably fitted into the positioning ball socket.

[0007] Several alternative methods are provided below, but they are not intended as additional limitations on the overall solution above. They are merely further additions or optimizations. Provided there are no technical or logical contradictions, each alternative method can be combined individually with respect to the overall solution above, or multiple alternative methods can be combined with each other.

[0008] In one embodiment, the positioning ball socket is open, and the connecting segment passes through the positioning ball socket.

[0009] In one embodiment, the connecting segment is provided with a sliding groove, and the universal ball includes a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere that interlock with each other, and a guide post disposed between the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere. The first hemisphere and the second hemisphere are wrapped around the connecting segment to achieve a sliding fit, and the guide post passes through the sliding groove.

[0010] In one embodiment, the connecting segment is reduced in diameter compared to the tongue depressor segment and the control segment, and the outer diameter of the connecting segment is uniformly distributed.

[0011] In one embodiment, the retainer includes an upper base and a lower base that interlock with each other. The opposite end faces of the upper base and the lower base are provided with occlusal grooves that conform to the shape of teeth, and the opposing end faces are concave to form the positioning ball socket.

[0012] In one embodiment, a friction-reducing sleeve is provided between the positioning ball socket and the universal ball. The friction-reducing sleeve is spherical and wrapped around the universal ball. The friction-reducing sleeve is made of a self-lubricating material.

[0013] In one embodiment, the cage is covered with a cushioning sleeve, which is made of a flexible material and is an integral structure.

[0014] In one embodiment, a saliva-absorbing sleeve is fitted onto the tongue depressor, and the saliva-absorbing sleeve has an imaging hole that avoids the imaging component and a drainage filament extending into the imaging hole.

[0015] In one embodiment, the imaging component includes a first camera and a second camera facing different directions; The angle between the orientation of the first camera and the plane where the tongue depressor is located is the first viewing angle, which ranges from 5 degrees to 45 degrees. The angle between the orientation of the second camera and the plane where the tongue depressor is located is the second viewing angle, which ranges from 45 degrees to 135 degrees.

[0016] One embodiment of this application also discloses an oral cavity modeling system, including: The imaging device is the lingual oral cavity imaging device as described in the above technical solution; The host computer is connected to the lingual oral imaging device and calculates a three-dimensional model of the dental tissues in the oral cavity based on the image obtained by the imaging component.

[0017] The technical solution disclosed in this application integrates the imaging component onto the tongue depressor. The tongue depressor acts on the tongue to drive it away from the teeth to provide imaging space. At the same time, the retainer and the oral tissue are mutually positioned to provide the control basis for the operation of the tongue depressor. This reduces the learning difficulty and allows even patients without professional training to easily obtain clear, stable, multi-view comprehensive information about the inside of the oral cavity, especially information about the lingual side of the teeth, thus improving the user experience.

[0018] The specific beneficial technical effects will be further explained in the specific implementation methods in conjunction with specific structures or steps. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the lingual oral imaging device in use in one embodiment of this application; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the lingual oral imaging device in the image; Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the assembly of the components of the lingual oral imaging device. Figure 4 for Figure 1 A top-view diagram of the lingual oral imaging device; Figure 5 for Figure 4 A magnified schematic diagram of the lingual oral imaging device in the AA-direction cross-sectional view; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the drainage filament in one embodiment of this application; Figure 7 and Figure 8 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the tongue depressor and different parts of the tongue in the tongue-side oral imaging device.

[0020] The annotations in the figure are explained as follows: 100. Cage; 101. Positioning ball socket; 102. Friction-reducing sleeve; 110. Upper base; 120. Lower base; 130. Engagement groove; 140. Buffer sleeve; 141. Clearance opening; 200. Tongue depressor; 210. Tongue depressor segment; 211. Saliva suction sleeve; 212. Drainage filament; 220. Control segment; 221. Data interface; 230. Connecting segment; 231. Omnidirectional ball; 2311. First hemisphere; 2312. Second hemisphere; 2313. Guide post; 232. Sliding groove; 240. Imaging component; 241. First camera; 242. Second camera; 901. Teeth; 902. Tongue. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0022] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or it can be connected to a component in between. When a component is said to be "set on" another component, it can be directly set on the other component or it may be set to a component in between.

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the application. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0024] To provide a convenient and controllable shooting experience, please refer to the attached document. Figure 1 Appendix Figure 2 Appendix Figure 7 and appendix Figure 8As shown, this application discloses a lingual oral imaging device for imaging teeth 901 within the oral cavity. The lingual oral imaging device includes a movable retainer 100 and a tongue depressor 200. The retainer 100 is positioned near the lips (not shown, but its location can be determined from the position of the teeth 901) and is used for mutual positioning with oral tissues. The retainer 100 provides the control basis for controlling the tongue depressor 200. The tongue depressor 200 includes an interconnected tongue depressor section 210, a connecting section 230, and a control section 220. The tongue depressor section 210 extends to the lingual side of the teeth 901 and is used to drive the tongue 902 away from the teeth 901 to provide imaging space. Correspondingly, an imaging component 240 is provided on the tongue depressor section 210. The control section 220 extends outside the oral cavity to control the movement of the tongue depressor section 210 relative to the retainer 100. Connecting section 230 connects tongue depressor section 210 and control section 220. A universal ball joint 231 is slidably fitted onto connecting section 230. Cage 100 is provided with positioning ball socket 101, and the universal ball joint 231 rotatably engages with positioning ball socket 101. (See attached document) Figure 7 The direction of motion indicated by the thin solid arrow indicates that the mass point on the control segment 220 can move arbitrarily in three-dimensional space, thereby enabling the tongue depressor 200 to swing and / or slide and / or rotate relative to the retainer 100 in three-dimensional space, and thus enabling the tongue depressor segment 210 to flexibly control the tongue 902 and the imaging component 240 (e.g., attached). Figure 7 and attached Figure 8 (As indicated by the thick dashed arrow). The technical solution disclosed in this application integrates the imaging component 240 onto the tongue depressor 200. The tongue depressor 200 acts on the tongue 902 to drive the tongue 902 away from the teeth 901 to provide imaging space. At the same time, the retainer 100 and the oral tissues are mutually positioned to provide the control basis for the operation of the tongue depressor 200. This reduces the learning difficulty and allows even patients without professional training to easily obtain clear, stable, multi-view comprehensive information about the inside of the oral cavity, especially the information about the lingual side of the teeth 901, thus improving the user experience.

[0025] The retainer 100 can be configured in the form of common oral positioning structures, such as a mouth opener that engages with the lips, or an occlusal pad that engages with the teeth. See also the appendix. Figure 3In the illustrated embodiment, the retainer 100 includes an upper base 110 and a lower base 120 that interlock. The opposite end faces of the upper base 110 and lower base 120 are provided with occlusal grooves 130 that mate with the shape of teeth 901, and the opposing end faces are concave to form positioning ball sockets 101. The upper base 110 and lower base 120 have a symmetrical structure. The upper base 110 and lower base 120 can be detachably connected by one or more methods such as fasteners, connectors, snaps, magnetic attraction, or Velcro to facilitate the assembly of the retainer 100 and the tongue depressor 200. Furthermore, the retainer 100 is covered with a buffer sleeve 140, which is made of flexible material and is an integral structure. The buffer sleeve 140 is elastically attached to the retainer 100. The buffer sleeve 140 has an opening 141 for the positioning ball socket 101 to allow the tongue depressor 200 to engage with the positioning ball socket 101. The buffer sleeve 140 is used to improve the feel of the fit between the retainer 100 and the teeth 901, making it easier for the user to bite stably on the buffer sleeve 140. In other embodiments, the buffer sleeve 140 can also extend in the extending direction of the tongue depressor 200 to cover the mating parts of the retainer 100 and the tongue depressor 200, preventing foreign objects (such as saliva in the mouth) from entering the mating gap between the two and reducing maintenance difficulty. Independent of the above, a friction-reducing component can also be provided between the retainer 100 and the tongue depressor 200 to improve the control feel of the tongue depressor 200. Specifically, a friction-reducing sleeve 102 is provided between the positioning ball socket 101 and the universal ball 231. The friction-reducing sleeve 102 is a spherical shape that wraps around the universal ball 231, and the friction-reducing sleeve 102 is made of a self-lubricating material. The friction-reducing sleeve 102 can be an integral structure that wraps around the positioning ball through its own elasticity, or refer to the attached diagram. Figure 3 and attached Figure 5 As shown, the friction-reducing sleeve 102 consists of two independent hemispheres, respectively fitted into the hemispherical sockets of the upper base 110 and the lower base 120. The friction-reducing sleeve 102 is made of a polymer material and provides lubrication through its material properties; for example, it may be made of self-lubricating polymers such as oil-impregnated nylon or tetrafluoroethylene. The self-lubrication of the friction-reducing sleeve 102 can improve the control feel of the tongue depressor 200 without the need for a lubricating medium, avoiding the risk of oral contamination from lubricating medium leakage.

[0026] For details regarding the structure of the tongue depressor 200, please refer to the attached document. Figure 3 To be continued Figure 5In the embodiment shown, the connecting segment 230 extends through the retainer 100. The connecting segment 230 is narrower than the tongue depressor segment 210 and the control segment 220, and its outer diameter is uniformly distributed. The dimensions of the tongue depressor segment 210 and the control segment 220 limit the travel of the connecting segment 230 (and thus the tongue depressor 200 as a whole) relative to the retainer 100, preventing the tongue depressor 200 from penetrating too deeply into the pharynx and preventing it from detaching from the retainer 100. To ensure comprehensive acquisition of lingual images of teeth 901 at different locations, refer to the attached diagram. Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, the imaging component 240 includes a first camera 241 and a second camera 242 with different orientations. The angle between the orientation of the first camera 241 and the plane where the tongue depressor 210 is located is a first viewing angle, A1 ranging from 5 degrees to 45 degrees. The angle between the orientation of the second camera 242 and the plane where the tongue depressor 210 is located is a second viewing angle, ranging from 45 degrees to 135 degrees. Each camera is a wide-angle camera with a field of view ranging from 120 degrees to 180 degrees. The first camera 241 is located on the side of the tongue depressor 210 away from the connecting section 230, and the second camera 242 is located on the side of the tongue depressor 210 closer to the connecting section 230. To avoid the influence of saliva in the oral cavity on the imaging component 240, a saliva-absorbing sleeve 211 is fitted onto the tongue depressor 210, and the saliva-absorbing sleeve 211 has a shooting hole to avoid the imaging component 240. The saliva-absorbing sleeve 211 is made of a porous material with pores to achieve saliva absorption. The saliva suction sleeve 211 is an elastic structure that elastically covers the tongue depressor section 210. The tongue depressor section 210 is plate-shaped, tapering at both ends axially. The saliva suction sleeve 211 is elastically positioned on the outer circumferential surface of the tongue depressor section 210. Furthermore, the saliva suction sleeve 211 also includes a drainage filament 212 extending into the imaging aperture. The drainage filament 212 guides fluid (such as saliva mentioned above) within the imaging aperture to the saliva suction sleeve 211 via capillary action, thereby ensuring the stable operation of the imaging component 240. Correspondingly, a heating wire can also be installed within the imaging aperture to prevent water vapor atomization on the imaging component 240; the function of the heating wire can be achieved by the drainage filament 212.

[0027] For specific details regarding the compatibility of the retainer 100 and the tongue depressor 200, please refer to the attached document. Figure 3In the illustrated embodiment, the positioning ball socket 101 is open, and the connecting section 230 penetrates through the positioning ball socket 101. The connecting section 230 is provided with a sliding groove 232. The universal ball 231 includes a first hemisphere 2311 and a second hemisphere 2312 that engage with each other, and a guide post 2313 disposed between the first hemisphere 2311 and the second hemisphere 2312. The first hemisphere 2311 and the second hemisphere 2312 are wrapped around the connecting section 230 to achieve a sliding fit, and the guide post 2313 penetrates through the sliding groove 232. The guide post 2313 can provide mutual connection between the first hemisphere 2311 and the second hemisphere 2312 while simultaneously achieving a sliding fit between the universal ball 231 and the connecting section 230, thereby enabling the depressor bar 200 to be pulled out relative to the retainer 100.

[0028] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1 Appendix Figure 7 and attached Figure 8 The working process of the lingual oral imaging device in this application is illustrated by example: The user uses the incisor bite positioning retainer 100, the positioning ball socket 101 of the retainer 100 provides a channel connecting the lingual and labial sides of the teeth 901, and the tongue depressor 200 is engaged with the positioning ball socket 101 through the channel via the universal ball 231; The user can control the control end located outside the oral cavity to move in three-dimensional space to control the movement of the tongue depressor 210 inside the oral cavity, thereby driving the tongue 902 to obtain the shooting space. During this process, the imaging component 240 located on the tongue depressor 210 can image the lingual side of the teeth 901 to obtain image data.

[0029] In conjunction with the above, the lingual oral imaging device of this application can clearly and stably acquire images or image sequences of dental tissues within the oral cavity from multiple perspectives. Compared to existing technologies that can only acquire and transmit relatively localized and fixed-viewpoint two-dimensional images, the images or image sequences of this application can be combined with existing three-dimensional modeling models to obtain a three-dimensional model of dental tissues within the oral cavity, thereby further improving the convenience and accuracy of data acquisition for patients, doctors, and processors. Common existing technologies for obtaining three-dimensional modeling based on images or image sequences include Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) models and 3D Gaussian Splatting models. The specific details and applications of these models can be implemented in conjunction with existing technologies. For example, the input to a NeRF model is images and camera parameters from multiple perspectives, and the output is a continuous three-dimensional radiation field. Specifically, the input is a set of two-dimensional images and corresponding camera parameters (including camera position and orientation), and the output is a function representing the color and density of each point in the three-dimensional scene.

[0030] Therefore, one embodiment of this application also discloses an oral cavity modeling system based on the above-mentioned lingual oral cavity imaging device, comprising: The imaging device is the lingual oral cavity imaging device according to the above technical solution; The host computer is connected to the oral cavity imaging device on the lingual side and calculates a three-dimensional model of the dental tissue in the oral cavity based on the image obtained by the imaging component 240.

[0031] The host computer can be a computer installed inside the tongue depressor 200, or a computer connected to the imaging component 240 via the data interface 221 on the control section 220 of the tongue depressor 200. The host computer can communicate directly with the imaging component 240 through the data interface 221, or indirectly through a storage device. The calculation process of the host computer can be implemented using existing technology, which will not be elaborated here. The oral modeling system in this embodiment obtains complete and accurate intraoral images of the patient through a lingual oral imaging device and presents them as three-dimensional data, which can be read, processed, and used by patients, doctors, and processors in different usage scenarios. For example, patients can use the above three-dimensional data to understand their own oral condition and monitor it over a long period of time; doctors can use the above three-dimensional data to assess the patient's oral condition to monitor the treatment effect and adjust the treatment plan; and processors can use the above three-dimensional data to obtain and design the processing parameters of dentures and orthodontic appliances. It can be seen that the oral modeling system in this application can effectively promote the linkage between patients, doctors, and technicians and optimize the treatment process while improving the patient's user experience.

[0032] The technical features of the embodiments described above can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as the combination of these technical features does not contradict each other, it should be considered to be within the scope of this specification. When technical features of different embodiments are embodied in the same drawing, it can be regarded as the drawing also disclosing examples of combinations of the various embodiments involved.

[0033] The embodiments described above are merely examples of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A lingual oral imaging device for imaging teeth within the oral cavity, characterized in that, Includes a movable retainer and a tongue depressor, the retainer being positioned near the lips and for mutual positioning with oral tissues, the retainer having a positioning ball socket; The tongue depressor includes The tongue depressor is equipped with an imaging component. The tongue depressor extends to the lingual side of the teeth and is used to drive the tongue away from the teeth to provide imaging space. A control segment extends outside the oral cavity to control the movement of the tongue depressor relative to the retainer; A connecting section connects the tongue-pressing section and the control section. A universal ball is slidably fitted on the connecting section, and the universal ball is rotatably fitted into the positioning ball socket. The imaging component includes a first camera and a second camera with different orientations; The angle between the orientation of the first camera and the plane where the tongue depressor is located is the first viewing angle, which ranges from 5 degrees to 45 degrees. The angle between the orientation of the second camera and the plane where the tongue depressor is located is the second viewing angle, which ranges from 45 degrees to 135 degrees.

2. The lingual oral imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning ball socket is open, and the connecting segment passes through the positioning ball socket.

3. The lingual oral imaging device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The connecting section is provided with a sliding groove, and the universal ball includes a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere that interlock with each other, and a guide post disposed between the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere. The first hemisphere and the second hemisphere are wrapped around the connecting section to achieve a sliding fit, and the guide post passes through the sliding groove.

4. The lingual oral imaging device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The connecting section is narrower than the tongue-pressing section and the control section, and its outer diameter is uniformly distributed.

5. The lingual oral imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The retainer includes an upper base and a lower base that interlock with each other. The opposite end faces of the upper base and the lower base are provided with occlusal grooves that conform to the shape of teeth, and the opposite end faces are concave to form the positioning ball socket.

6. The lingual oral imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A friction-reducing sleeve is provided between the positioning ball socket and the universal ball. The friction-reducing sleeve is a spherical shape that wraps around the universal ball and is made of a self-lubricating material.

7. The lingual oral imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cage is covered with a cushioning sleeve, which is made of flexible material and is an integral structure.

8. The lingual oral imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tongue depressor is fitted with a saliva suction sleeve, which has a shooting hole to avoid the imaging component and a drainage filament extending into the shooting hole.

9. A dental modeling system, characterized in that, include: The imaging device is the lingual oral imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8; The host computer is connected to the lingual oral imaging device and calculates a three-dimensional model of the dental tissues in the oral cavity based on the image obtained by the imaging component.

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