Intraoral camera for taking images of a row of teeth

Abstract

Intraoral camera (1) for taking images of a row of teeth, comprising: - a housing (2) with a holding element (6) for holding the intraoral camera (1), - a mouthpiece (10) which replicates the course of a row of teeth, - a guide rail (30) arranged in the mouthpiece (10), - a camera carrier (40) with at least one camera element (54a, 54b, 54c) for recording said images, and - Drive means for moving the camera carrier (40) along the guide rail (30) through the mouthpiece (10), wherein the camera carrier (40) has a circuit board (44) as a supporting base element (42) on which the at least one camera element (54a, 54b, 54c) is arranged.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an intraoral camera for recording images of a row of teeth, comprising: a housing with a holding element for holding the intraoral camera, a mouthpiece which simulates the course of a row of teeth, and a camera carrier with at least one camera element for recording said images.

[0002] Digitalization in various areas of medicine is opening up new possibilities for treatment. Data acquisition and, in particular, imaging can be partially outsourced to the patient if they are provided with the appropriate tools (such as special cameras or similar). In the field of dentistry, where a dentist's precise examination of individual teeth is currently an indispensable prerequisite for almost every treatment, digitalization can be used, for example, in the form of the patient themselves capturing images of individual teeth using an appropriate intraoral camera. Such an intraoral camera is designed and set up to take images of a row of teeth. The patient can pick up the intraoral camera from the reception of their treating dentist's practice and return it there after use, or they can have it delivered by courier or email.Have it sent by post (and picked up again after use).

[0003] This creates the opportunity for the patient and dentist to hold virtual consultations based on images taken by such an intraoral camera and to discuss treatment, for example. A particular advantage here is that an on-site appointment with the dentist can be saved if this appointment only involves capturing images as a prerequisite for the above-mentioned treatment consultation or treatment planning by the dentist. Using the finished images, the dentist (or dental specialist) can plan the actual treatment appointment in advance, for example by identifying damage such as caries or similar on a specific tooth, so that the appropriately prepared treatment (e.g. placing a filling, possibly involving removal of tooth material) can be carried out on site much more quickly. An intraoral camera can also be used to record and document the healing process, which can also reduce treatment appointments if necessary.could be saved.

[0004] Imaging or image acquisition is a standardizable process, especially for teeth, not least because the row of teeth itself provides a spatial reference, which can be used for the correct, consistent positioning of a camera element used in the intraoral camera across different patients.

[0005] For this purpose, for example, a camera element to be used can be moved through a corresponding mouthpiece, which simulates the course of the row of teeth, so that the positioning of the camera element relative to the edges of the mouthpiece or similar results in the correct distances to the teeth to be imaged and in the correct image angles.

[0006] One challenge, however, is the limited space in the oral cavity. For example, a camera element should ideally be positioned a certain minimum distance from a tooth for image capture in order to capture a sufficiently large image area. However, this distance is limited in the mouth by the lip on the outside of the tooth, by the opposing jaw on the chewing surface, and by the tongue on the inside of the tooth. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that a camera element must be moved along the row of teeth on a camera carrier or similar device, which means that the camera carrier itself and its drive mechanism require additional space in the oral cavity.

[0007] The invention is therefore based on the object of providing an intraoral camera for taking images of a row of teeth, which uses the space available in the oral cavity as optimally as possible for the necessary components.

[0008] The stated object is achieved according to the invention by an intraoral camera for recording images of a row of teeth, comprising a housing with a holding element for holding the intraoral camera, a mouthpiece that simulates the course of a row of teeth, a guide rail arranged in the mouthpiece, a camera carrier with at least one camera element for recording said images, and drive means for moving the camera carrier along the guide rail through the mouthpiece, wherein the camera carrier has a printed circuit board as a supporting base element, on which the at least one camera element is arranged and, in particular, mounted. Advantageous and, in part, inventive embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims and the following description.

[0009] An intraoral camera generally encompasses any device configured and designed to capture a number of images in the mouth of a test subject (i.e., in particular, a patient). In particular, the term "intraoral camera" encompasses the entire device (i.e., including holding and / or support elements, etc.), and not just an element arranged within the device for image generation.

[0010] An intraoral camera for capturing images of a row of teeth is an intraoral camera (i.e., a device in the above sense) which, by its design, i.e., in particular by its structural configuration, is configured to capture images of a row of teeth using at least one image-generating element. The images can be captured by the at least one camera element, in particular sequentially, i.e., one after the other. In particular, the intraoral camera can be configured, by its design, to capture a plurality of images of a complete row of teeth (i.e., all teeth of the upper jaw or all teeth of the lower jaw) of the test subject, wherein the plurality of images can be captured at least partially sequentially.

[0011] A holding element is understood to mean, in particular, any element of the intraoral camera that is suitable for holding the intraoral camera, in particular by hand, while a part of the intraoral camera, in particular the mouthpiece, is inserted into the mouth of the test subject to generate the images. The holding element can preferably be formed by a handle or similar, or can comprise such a handle. The handle can preferably be rod-shaped so that it can be grasped by a closed hand. However, the holding element can also have another ergonomically advantageous shape that is suitable for holding the intraoral camera.

[0012] A mouthpiece of an intraoral camera includes, in particular, a part designed to be inserted into the subject's mouth to capture images. The mouthpiece has, in particular, an arched shape that replicates the contours of a complete row of teeth.

[0013] The mouthpiece can preferably comprise a base surface which has an arcuate region which covers the area of ​​an average row of teeth and which forms a projection surface in both directions (i.e. inwards towards the tongue and outwards towards the lips). Adjoining the base surface, the mouthpiece can have an inner side wall and / or an outer side wall which delimit the mouthpiece inwards towards the oral cavity (i.e. towards the tongue) or outwards (i.e. towards the lips) and which preferably follow the course of the row of teeth at a distance. The inner or outer side wall preferably has a height of 1 cm to 3 cm, particularly preferably a height of 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm. In particular, the said side walls are designed and constructed toTo protect the camera carrier in the guide rail from mechanical pressure and thus potential damage caused by the tongue and / or lips of the test subject.

[0014] A camera carrier particularly includes a device that carries at least one camera element that actually generates the image, and optionally further direct or indirect elements for generating the image, such as additional camera elements and / or lighting for illuminating the area of ​​the row of teeth. The camera carrier is designed to be moved along the guide rail by the mouthpiece. In particular, the camera carrier has a guide element (for example in the form of a pin or a runner or similar), which is preferably mounted in the guide rail and by which the movement of the camera carrier along the guide rail is kept "on track."

[0015] A camera element is understood here, in particular, to be an imaging or image-generating electronic component configured to convert a solid angle section into an "image" (i.e., a data set of image data in a corresponding data format), and which for this purpose comprises, in particular, an image sensor or similar. The electronic component can also comprise (light) optical components such as one or more lenses or similar.

[0016] Drive means refers to all means designed to apply a mechanical drive force to the camera carrier and move it along the guide rail through the mouthpiece. The drive means may include a motor (particularly an electric motor) for generating the drive force, as well as transmission means for transmitting this drive force to the camera carrier. The transmission means may include a chain and / or a belt and / or balls or similar elements for transmitting the drive force, as well as corresponding elements for redirecting the drive force during transmission, such as gears and / or pulleys and / or a recirculating ball bearing guide, etc.

[0017] The drive means can, in particular, be partially arranged in the housing. The housing preferably extends into the aforementioned base area of ​​the mouthpiece and / or encompasses or covers it, so that the drive means are at least partially arranged in that region of the housing which encompasses or covers the base area of ​​the mouthpiece (for example, between a corresponding housing plate and the base area of ​​the mouthpiece, on which the guide rail is arranged).

[0018] According to the invention, the camera carrier has a printed circuit board as a supporting base element, on which the at least one camera element is arranged. This particularly includes the camera carrier itself having no further encapsulation or the like around said printed circuit board (i.e., the printed circuit board is not arranged on a further carrier element and is not enclosed by a housing element or the like, but rather lies "free" in the guide rail). A printed circuit board is understood to mean any planar form of a carrier, in particular an insulating one, which is provided with conductor tracks for electrically contacting electronic components and which is intended and configured for the mechanical mounting and simultaneous electrical connection of said electronic components, i.e., in particular, a so-called "printed circuit board" (PCB).A circuit board can also be manufactured specifically for the intraoral camera, for example through a 3D printing process and subsequent attachment of the aforementioned conductor tracks.

[0019] The circuit board or its main surface area (in the case of a spatially angled circuit board) is preferably arranged parallel or substantially parallel to the above-mentioned base area of ​​the mouthpiece (i.e., with an inclination of preferably a maximum of 15°, particularly preferably a maximum of 10° relative to the base area). The circuit board as a basic element of the camera carrier particularly encompasses the fact that the above-mentioned guide element (such as a pin or a runner) is attached to the circuit board (preferably perpendicular to it), and the circuit board is thereby configured to be moved along the guide rail, and / or that the circuit board forms a base for the arrangement of the camera element and, if appropriate, further (direct or indirect) elements for image generation, which is (or is) preferably arranged in the direction opposite to the guide element.

[0020] The camera element (or the additional camera elements and, if applicable, lighting means) can preferably be arranged directly on the circuit board, i.e., the camera element is mounted and secured directly on the circuit board and correspondingly contacted with a conductor track. The camera element (or the additional camera elements and, if applicable, lighting means) can, in particular, also be mounted on a socket, which in turn is secured to the circuit board and correspondingly contacted. In particular, if there are multiple camera elements and, if applicable, lighting means, one or some can be mounted directly on the circuit board, and one or some can be arranged indirectly on the circuit board via such a socket.

[0021] In particular, the circuit board can be spatially angled (i.e., "bent"), so that the circuit board forms a main surface portion (essentially) parallel to the base surface of the mouthpiece (to which, in particular, the guide element is attached), which preferably comprises the relatively largest portion of the circuit board's surface area, and one or two side surfaces, so that the circuit board has an L-shaped or Π-shaped cross-section. In particular, one or several camera elements and / or lighting means can be arranged on (respectively) one of the side surfaces.

[0022] By using a circuit board as the basic element of the camera carrier that carries the image-generating components, an additional carrier housing (i.e., an additional plastic cover or sleeve, etc.) for the camera carrier that encloses the circuit board is eliminated. An important insight for the invention is that the mechanical protection of the circuit board from potential damage caused by movement of the tongue or lips of the test subject (i.e., the patient) is already provided by the mouthpiece and its corresponding components, which are required anyway to "keep" the path of travel along the row of teeth clear for the camera carrier, and without which this path could potentially be mechanically blocked simply by the tongue and / or lips.

[0023] Advantageously, the drive means comprise a plurality of balls arranged in a corresponding recirculating ball bearing guide. Such balls can be provided with a diameter of just a few mm. Such a recirculating ball bearing guide can thus be integrated into a housing plate that encompasses or covers the base of the mouthpiece without significantly increasing the overall thickness of the mouthpiece and said housing plate.

[0024] Preferably, at least some of the balls are configured for inductive position determination. This can be achieved, for example, by making all of the balls, with a few exceptions, from a metallic material (e.g., a ferromagnetic material or a paramagnetic material such as stainless steel), and the remaining balls from a non-metallic material (e.g., a diamagnetic material such as glass or ceramic). A magnetic sensor (e.g., an inductive sensor or similar) positioned at a specific location on the recirculating ball guide can detect the varying magnetic permeability as the balls pass through, and, depending on the specific arrangement pattern of the "exceptions" and the guide element relative to these, determine the absolute position of the guide element in the recirculating ball guide.

[0025] Advantageously, the camera carrier is mechanically, in particular rigidly, connected to a guide element protruding into the recirculating ball guide, which is designed to translate the advance of the balls in the recirculating ball guide into a movement of the camera carrier. In this case, the said stop forms the aforementioned guide element or part thereof. This means that the balls are preferably arranged loosely and in particular without any mechanical connection to one another in the recirculating ball guide, and are moved by thrust. The feed can then be achieved, for example, by a gear (with a tooth spacing corresponding to the ball size), which is arranged on the base plate of the housing, preferably in the region of the holding element. The movement of the balls by thrust in the recirculating ball guide makes it possible to dispense with further gears or similar (apart from the above-mentioned one for the advance), thus enabling a particularly compact design.

[0026] In an alternative embodiment, the camera support is mechanically, in particular rigidly, connected to a pull hook, wherein the plurality of balls are interconnected to form a ball chain connected to the pull hook, and wherein the pull hook is configured to translate a movement of the ball chain into a movement of the camera support. In this case, the pull hook forms part of the guide element. The use of a ball chain allows for greater play in the manufacture of the recirculating ball guide.

[0027] The housing expediently comprises a gear which is designed to move the balls in the recirculating ball guide, in particular in the manner described, and in particular to transmit a feed to them.

[0028] It is further advantageous if the camera carrier comprises at least one light source for illuminating a tooth to be imaged by the at least one camera element. This ensures, in particular, uniform illumination of the teeth to be imaged across the entire dental arch. Without a light source, molars, for example, would experience different illumination than incisors. The at least one light source must be electrically connected and mechanically fixed to the camera carrier, but the advantage of uniform illumination clearly outweighs this additional design effort.

[0029] Ideally, the camera mount includes a white LED as the first light source and an infrared LED as the second light source. LEDs are available in many different designs, especially very compact ones. A white LED has the advantage that a camera image illuminated by it most closely reproduces the visual impression a dentist would get of the imaged tooth during an on-site examination. Illumination with an infrared LED also allows for the detection of caries due to the translucency of the tooth.

[0030] The camera carrier preferably has a first camera element for capturing images of the chewing surface of a tooth, a second camera element for capturing images of the (labial) outer side of a tooth, and a third camera element for capturing images of the (lingual) inner side of a tooth. This ensures the most complete possible image capture of a row of teeth. In particular, the second and third camera elements are arranged opposite each other (with regard to the image angle) and perpendicular to the first camera element.

[0031] In an advantageous embodiment, the white LED and the infrared LED are each arranged between two of the camera elements and configured for diagonal illumination of a tooth. This includes, in particular, that in a cross-sectional view of the camera carrier, the first camera element is mounted on the circuit board, and the second and third camera elements are arranged on the side walls of the camera carrier (which can in particular be formed by the circuit board itself, each angled at 90°), while the white LED is arranged in one "corner" of the circuit board and one side wall (or in the "bend"), and the infrared LED is arranged in the other "corner" of the circuit board and the other side wall (or in the other "bend"). This ensures optimal use of the available space.

[0032] It proves to be further advantageous if the intraoral camera further comprises an evaluation unit arranged in the housing, in particular in the holding element, which is designed and configured to process and / or evaluate images of the at least one camera element, and / or an interface and / or transmission unit arranged in the housing, in particular in the holding element, which is designed and configured to output or transmit images of the at least one camera element, and / or a storage medium arranged in the housing, in particular in the holding element, for storing said images. The images captured with the intraoral camera must in any case be made available to a dentist. This can be done via a direct output, e.g. a USB port or similar, or via a removable data carrier such as a USB stick. The transmission unit can, for example, be an LTE-capable modem or an internet stick or similar.To establish an internet connection (possibly via mobile networks) as well as appropriate electronics for coding and transmission. It is now advantageous to have an interface or a

[0033] A transmission unit for output or transmission or a storage medium can be arranged in the housing, especially in the holder, in order to utilize the available space there. Furthermore, preprocessing of the image data (such as compression or similar) can also be performed in the intraoral camera, for which the available space in the holder can also be used to accommodate the appropriate electronics.

[0034] The intraoral camera is preferably designed to be connected to an external control unit. This particularly includes parts of the control of the drive means for moving the camera carrier taking place in the external control unit, such as controlling a gear or the like. A power supply for the drive means and / or the camera carrier (and thus for the at least one camera element and, if applicable, the lighting means) can also be outsourced to said external control unit, or the external control unit can provide a power supply in order to dispense with the need for separate space for batteries in the housing of the intraoral camera, or can provide an emergency power supply if, for example, a battery in the intraoral camera no longer has sufficient charge capacity. Image transmission to said external control unit can also take place (in a similar way to that described with regard to the interface orthe transmission unit described), so that further processing and / or forwarding of the images of the row of teeth takes place from or by the external control unit. With regard to the connection of the external control unit to the intraoral camera, the above statements regarding the aforementioned interface apply in particular. In particular, the image data can be transmitted to a dentist's office computer or similar via an internet connection established via the external control unit, which is equipped with appropriate communication means for this purpose and is thus set up for transmission. The image data from the intraoral camera is preferably transmitted to the external control unit via the aforementioned interface.

[0035] The circuit board preferably has a cable connection to the evaluation unit and / or the interface and / or the transmission unit and / or the storage medium for transmitting the images generated by the at least one camera element to the evaluation unit or to the interface or to the transmission unit or to the storage medium. Even if wireless data transmission of the generated image data is possible, the camera carrier must be connected to a power cable anyway to ensure a reliable power supply, since pure battery operation could lead to potentially unfavorable interruptions in operation. Thus, a cable connection to the camera carrier is already present, so that a cable connection for transmitting the image data to the housing (to the evaluation unit, the interface, the transmission unit and / or the storage medium) can also be implemented without additional effort.

[0036] Advantageously, a reset device is arranged in the housing, which is designed to maintain tension in the cable connection. As the camera carrier moves in the mouthpiece, its distance from a reference point on the housing (such as a possible connection point for the cable connection) varies. To prevent the cable connection from interfering with the camera carrier when moving along the guide rail, it is preferably kept as tight as possible, which is particularly easy to achieve with the reset device.

[0037] The return device advantageously comprises a leg spring with a cable pull, which is mechanically connected to the cable connection and acts on it. This design of the return device, in particular, eliminates the need to "wind" the cable connection's calf onto a reel or spool, thus preventing possible twisting or similar during winding. Furthermore, leg springs usually achieve significantly greater spring travel than tension springs of comparable size.

[0038] The invention further mentions an intraoral camera for recording images of a row of teeth, comprising a housing with a holding element for holding the intraoral camera, a mouthpiece which simulates the course of a row of teeth, a guide rail arranged in the mouthpiece, a camera carrier with at least one camera element for recording said images, and drive means for moving the camera carrier along the guide rail through the mouthpiece, wherein the drive means comprise a plurality of balls which are lined up in a corresponding recirculating ball guide, and wherein the camera carrier is mechanically (in particular rigidly) connected to a guide element which projects into the recirculating ball guide and is designed to translate a feed of the balls in the recirculating ball guide into a movement of the camera carrier.

[0039] The advantages and advantageous combinations of features and configurations mentioned for the intraoral camera described at the beginning, in which the circuit board forms the supporting basic element of the camera carrier, can be transferred analogously to the present intraoral camera, in which a movement of the camera carrier is achieved by advancing the balls in the recirculating ball guide.

[0040] For the special advantages of a movement of the camera carrier by the aforementioned advancement of the balls, in particular with regard to a compact design, the above statements regarding the corresponding design of the intraoral camera with the circuit board as the basic element of the camera carrier apply.

[0041] An embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, each of which shows schematically: Fig. 1 in a lower oblique view an intraoral camera, Fig. 2 in an oblique view a bite splint of a mouthpiece of the intraoral camera according to Fig. 1, Fig. 3 in an oblique view the mouthpiece of the intraoral camera Fig. 1 and a drive mechanism for a camera carrier, Fig. 4 shows an oblique view of a camera carrier for the intraoral camera according to Fig. 1.

[0042] Corresponding parts and sizes are provided with the same reference numerals in all figures.

[0043] In Fig. Figure 1 schematically shows an intraoral camera 1 in a lower oblique view. The intraoral camera 1 has a housing 2, which includes a holding element 6 designed as a handle 4 and a base plate 8. The base plate 8 extends over a mouthpiece 10, which is configured and designed for insertion into a patient's mouth and in which components for image generation are arranged in a manner to be described below. The mouthpiece 10 roughly replicates the shape of a row of teeth.

[0044] The mouthpiece 10 has an outer side wall 12 and an inner side wall 14, which are designed to protect the imaging elements of the intraoral camera 1 from mechanical pressure exerted by the patient's tongue (inner side wall 14) and / or lips (outer side wall 12). For this purpose, the inner and outer side walls 14, 12, like the base plate 8, are preferably made of a hard plastic. Furthermore, the mouthpiece has a bite splint 16, which is arranged between the inner and outer side walls 14, 12 and has a recess 18 for a row of teeth.

[0045] The bite splint 16 is shown schematically in Fig. 2 is shown in detail in an oblique view. To take pictures of a row of teeth, a patient inserts the respective (upper or lower) row of teeth into the corresponding recess 18 (as "deep" or completely as possible), and in a Fig. In the interior of the bite splint 16 (not shown in FIG. 2), a camera carrier with camera elements is moved along a guide rail along the row of teeth, whereby the individual images of the teeth are successively created. The bite splint is made for this purpose from a transparent, preferably softer plastic, and serves to further protect the image-generating components arranged on said camera carrier (to be described later), in particular against accidental displacement of the mouthpiece against the row of teeth, which could damage the camera carrier and / or the image-generating components. However, the bite splint can be dispensed with if the distance between the camera carrier and the row of teeth can be ensured in another way, e.g. via corresponding return elements on the mouthpiece.

[0046] In Fig. 2 and in Fig. 1 shows that the bite splint 16 (and correspondingly also the mouthpiece 10) is open at the rear end 21, i.e., the recess 18 extends directly into the open space without being closed off by another side wall. This design provides greater comfort for the patient, since a bite splint 16 (or a correspondingly closed mouthpiece 10) closed at the rear end 21 could exert pressure on the back of the palate or mouth area, which could potentially lead to an unpleasant sensation or even a gagging reflex in some people (similar to the gagging reflex when pressure is applied to the back of the tongue).

[0047] In Fig. 3 is a schematic oblique view of an upper part 22 of the housing 2 with a top side of the mouthpiece 10 of the intraoral camera 1 according to Fig. 1, with the base plate 8 removed for clarity. The upper part 22 of the housing 2 is constructed such that, on the one hand, it merges into the handle 4, or rather forms its upper part, and, on the other hand, merges into the mouthpiece 10.

[0048] In the upper part 22 of the housing 2, directly below the Fig. 3, a recirculating ball guide 24 is embedded in the base plate 8, not shown, and concealed by the base plate 8 when the intraoral camera 1 is mounted. The recirculating ball guide 24 runs from a round recess 26 on the part assigned to the handle 4, on both sides of the web-like connecting element 28 to the mouthpiece 10, where the recirculating ball guide 24 also simulates the course of a row of teeth, and a guide rail 30 is formed for a camera carrier to be described later.

[0049] A large number of balls (not shown) are embedded in the recirculating ball guide 24 for the operation of the intraoral camera 1. These balls lie tightly in the recirculating ball guide 24 except for a slight movement play, so that the balls can be moved by thrust. The feed required for this is provided by a Fig. 3, which is not shown, is inserted into the round recess 26, and whose tooth spacing is matched to the ball diameter. An electric motor for the gear is located in the upper part 22 of the housing 2 (in the part associated with the handle 4).

[0050] A movement of the said camera carrier can be achieved in that the recirculating ball guide 24 forms a gap 31 for a guide element (for example a pin projecting through the gap 31) in the area of ​​the guide rail 30 in the direction facing away from the image plane (i.e., in the mounted state, opposite the base plate 8), wherein the camera carrier is rigidly connected to the guide element, and the guide element forms a ball head at the other end the size of the balls in the recirculating ball guide 24, so that the ball head is moved with these (and by these) in the recirculating ball guide 24 and can transmit the movement to the camera carrier via the pin.

[0051] For better guidance, the outer edge 32 of the guide rail can also be used by guiding another guide element of the camera carrier along it, thus better restricting the movement of the camera carrier.

[0052] In Fig. 4 is a schematic oblique view of a camera carrier 40 for the intraoral camera 1 according to Fig. 1. The camera carrier 40 has a supporting base element 42, on which all electronic components required for image generation are arranged directly or indirectly, i.e., they are attached directly there or are mechanically connected to the supporting base element 42 via sockets or the like. The supporting base element 42 of the camera carrier 40 is formed by a PCB 44 (i.e., a printed circuit board).

[0053] At each of the two outer ends of the PCB 44, a lateral mount 46b, 46c is attached, i.e., mechanically fixed to the PCB 44, and correspondingly electronically contacted with its conductor tracks. The camera carrier 40 thus has a Π-shaped cross-section and is intended and configured to extend through the interior 20 of the bite splint 16 Fig. 2 in the manner described above. For this purpose, the camera carrier 40 has, among other things, a guide element 48, which is provided and designed to be guided along the outer edge 32 of the guide rail 30 Fig. 3 and be guided along there.

[0054] The camera carrier 40 also has two pin-like guide elements 49 (in Fig. 4, only one of these guide elements is shown separately from the camera carrier 40), which are attached to one of the two side ends of the PCB 44 opposite each other (i.e., the short side of the PCB 44 is located between them) (by means of a retaining pin 50 of the guide element 49). The guide elements 49 have a ball head 52, which adjusts the size of the balls in the ball bearing guide 24 according to Fig. 3, so that the ball head 52 can be moved together with said balls through the ball bearing guide 24.

[0055] The camera carrier 40 has on the underside of the PCB 44 (with respect to the viewing direction of the Fig. 4) a first camera element 54a, and in the lateral sockets 46b, 46c a second and a third camera element 54b, 54c.

[0056] The image angle 56a of the first camera element 54a is directed downwards from the camera carrier 40, i.e. in the direction of a chewing surface of a tooth.

[0057] The viewing angles 56b, 56c of the second and third camera elements 54b, 54c are directed laterally towards the (labial) outer side and the (lingual) inner side of the tooth, respectively.

[0058] To illuminate the image area, i.e. the areas of a tooth to be imaged, the camera carrier 40 has two light sources 58 in the form of a white LED 58b as a first light source 58 and an infrared LED 58c as a second light source 58, which are arranged in the corners of the PCB 44 with the lateral sockets 46b, 46c and radiate diagonally towards the center of the space surrounded by the camera carrier 40.

[0059] Because no additional encapsulation or a separate housing for the supporting base element 42 is required for the arrangement of the lighting means 58 and the camera elements 54a, 54b, 54c (especially for the first camera element 54a) on the camera carrier, but rather the PCB 44 is used directly, a significant space saving can be achieved in the mouthpiece. The advancement of the camera carrier 40 via the aforementioned recirculating ball bearing guide further improves the required space savings.

[0060] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail by the preferred embodiment, the invention is not limited to the disclosed examples and other variations may be derived therefrom by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. List of reference symbols 1 intraoral camera 2 housings 4 Grab handle 6 Holding element 8 Base plate 10 Mouthpiece 12 outer side wall 14 inner side wall 16 Bite splint 18 recess 21 rear end (of the bite splint) 22 upper part (of the housing) 24 recirculating ball bearing guide 26 recess 28 (web-like) connecting element 30 guide rail 31 space 32 outer edge (of the guide rail) 40 camera carriers 42 supporting basic element 44 PCB 46b / c side frame 48 Guide element 49 Guide element 50 retaining pin 52 ball head 54a / b / c first / second / third camera element 56a / b / c angle of view 58 light sources 58b white LED 58c infrared LED

Claims

[1] Intraoral camera (1) for taking images of a row of teeth, comprising: - a housing (2) with a holding element (6) for holding the intraoral camera (1), - a mouthpiece (10) which simulates the course of a row of teeth, - a guide rail (30) arranged in the mouthpiece (10), - a camera carrier (40) with at least one camera element (54a, 54b, 54c) for recording said images, and - Drive means for moving the camera carrier (40) along the guide rail (30) through the mouthpiece (10), wherein the camera carrier (40) has a printed circuit board (44) as a supporting base element (42), on which the at least one camera element (54a, 54b, 54c) is arranged. [2] Intraoral camera (1) according to claim 1, wherein the drive means comprise a plurality of balls which are arranged in a corresponding ball guide (24). [3] Intraoral camera (1) according to claim 2, wherein at least some of the balls are arranged for magnetic position determination. [4] Intraoral camera (1) according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the camera carrier (40) is mechanically connected to a guide element (49) projecting into the ball bearing guide (24) and configured to translate a feed of the balls in the ball bearing guide (24) into a movement of the camera carrier (40). [5] Intraoral camera (1) according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the camera carrier (40) is mechanically connected to a towing hook, wherein the plurality of balls are connected to one another to form a ball chain which is connected to the pulling hook, and wherein the pulling hook is configured to translate a movement of the ball chain into a movement of the camera carrier (40). [6] Intraoral camera (1) according to one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the housing (2) comprises a gear which is adapted to move the balls in the ball guide (24). [7] Intraoral camera (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the camera carrier (40) comprises at least one light means (58) for illuminating a tooth to be imaged by the at least one camera element (54a, 54b, 54c). [8] Intraoral camera (1) according to claim 7, wherein the camera carrier (40) comprises a white LED (58b) as a first light source and an infrared LED (58c) as a second light source. [9] Intraoral camera (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the camera carrier (40) - a first camera element (54a) for taking images of a chewing surface of a tooth, - a second camera element (54b) for taking images of an outer side of a tooth and - a third camera element (54c) for taking images of an inner side of a tooth. [10] Intraoral camera (1) according to claim 8 in conjunction with claim 9, wherein the white LED (58b) and the infrared LED (58c) are each arranged between two of the camera elements (54a, 54b, 54c) and are arranged for diagonal illumination of a tooth. [11] Intraoral camera (1) according to one of the preceding claims, which further - an evaluation unit arranged in the housing (2) for processing and / or evaluating, and / or - a storage medium arranged in the housing (2) for storing, and / or - an interface arranged in the housing (2) for output and / or - a transmission unit arranged in the housing (2) for transmitting images of the at least one camera element (54a, 54b, 54c). [12] Intraoral camera (1) according to one of the preceding claims, which is arranged to be connected to an external control unit. [13] Intraoral camera (1) according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the circuit board (44) has a cable connection to the evaluation unit and / or the interface and / or the storage medium and / or the transmission unit for transmitting the images generated by the at least one camera element (54a, 54b, 54c) to the evaluation unit or to the interface or to the storage medium or to the transmission unit. [14] Intraoral camera (1) according to claim 13, wherein a reset device is arranged in the housing (2), which is designed to maintain a tensile stress of the cable connection. [15] Intraoral camera (1) according to claim 14, wherein the return device comprises a leg spring with a cable pull, which is mechanically connected to the cable connection and acts on it. [16] Intraoral camera (1) for taking images of a row of teeth, comprising: - a housing (2) with a holding element (6) for holding the intraoral camera (1), - a mouthpiece (10) which simulates the course of a row of teeth, - a guide rail (30) arranged in the mouthpiece (10), - a camera carrier (40) with at least one camera element (54a, 54b, 54c) for recording said images, and - drive means for moving the camera carrier (24) along the guide rail (30) through the mouthpiece (10), wherein the drive means comprise a plurality of balls arranged in a corresponding ball guide (24), and wherein the camera carrier is mechanically connected to a guide element (49) projecting into the ball bearing guide (24) and configured to translate a feed of the balls in the ball bearing guide (24) into a movement of the camera carrier (40).

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