Control device, control method, and program

Abstract

To provide a mechanism capable of further improving efficiency associated with production of a dental prosthesis.SOLUTION: A control device comprises a control unit that selects, on the basis of a production request pertaining to information for requesting production of a dental prosthesis and of information on a plurality of first dental technical factories each operating a first production device that is capable of producing the dental prosthesis, a second production device for producing the dental prosthesis according to the production request, and requests a second dental technical factory operating the second production device, to cause the second production device to produce the dental prosthesis according to the production request. The production request includes information on dental technical instructions. The information of the first dental technical factories includes information indicating production capacity of the first production device. The control unit extracts, on the basis of the production request, the production capacity that the second production device should meet, and selects, among a plurality of the first production devices, a first production device that meets the extracted production capacity as the second production device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the production of dental prostheses has become smarter. For example, it has become common to design and produce dental prostheses using three-dimensional (3D) cameras, CT (Computed Tomography) scanners, CAD / CAM (Computer-Aided Design / Computer-Aided Manufacturing) devices, etc.

[0003] Communication between dental clinics or dental laboratories that place orders for dental prostheses and dental laboratories that receive orders and produce the dental prostheses is also becoming smarter. For example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a web ordering system for dental prostheses. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6441419 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology disclosed in the above Patent Document 1 has only recently been developed, and there is still room for improvement in various respects.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that can further improve the efficiency of producing dental prostheses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a control device is provided that includes a control unit that selects a second production device to produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request based on a production request, which is information requesting the production of a dental prosthesis, and information of a plurality of first dental laboratories that operate a first production device capable of producing a dental prosthesis, and requests the second dental laboratory that operates the second production device to have the second production device produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request, wherein the production request includes information on a dental laboratory instruction form, and the information of the first dental laboratory includes information indicating the production capacity of the first production device, and the control unit extracts the production capacity that the second production device should satisfy based on the production request, and selects the first production device from the plurality of first production devices that satisfies the extracted production capacity as the second production device.

[0008] The production capability of the first production device may include at least one of the production accuracy of the first production device, the type of dental prosthesis that can be produced, or the material that can be used to produce the dental prosthesis.

[0009] The information about the first dental laboratory may include at least one of the operating schedule of the first manufacturing device, the operating cost of the first manufacturing device, attribute information of the first dental laboratory, a history of dental techniques previously manufactured by the first dental laboratory, evaluations of dental techniques previously manufactured by the first dental laboratory, sales of the first dental laboratory, or order status of the first dental laboratory.

[0010] The control unit selects the second production apparatus further based on information of the requester of the production request, and the information of the requester may include at least one of attribute information of the requester, a history of dental techniques that the requester has previously requested to be produced, evaluations that the requester has given to dental techniques that the requester has previously requested to be produced, or conditions that the requester requires of the second dental laboratory.

[0011] The production request selects a second production apparatus further based on one or more production conditions that must be satisfied when producing the dental prosthesis related to the production request, and the production conditions may relate to at least one of delivery time, quality, reliability, or price of the dental prosthesis related to the production request.

[0012] When some of the production conditions are specified, the control unit may generate information indicating other specifiable production conditions and present the information to a requester of the production request.

[0013] The information about the first dental laboratory includes information about a dental technician belonging to the first dental laboratory, and the information about the dental technician may include at least one of the dental technician's ability, the dental technician's aptitude, the dental technician's operating costs, or the dental technician's operating schedule.

[0014] The control unit may select a dental technician who will produce the dental technician related to the production request.

[0015] The control unit may request the second dental laboratory to produce the dental technician related to the production request by cutting a pre-cut material held by the second dental laboratory.

[0016] The control unit may request the second dental laboratory to produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request and one or more other production requests by cutting a single cutting material.

[0017] The production request includes information of the patient related to the production request, and the patient information includes at least one of three-dimensional data of the patient's oral cavity, three-dimensional data of the dental prosthesis related to the production request, or attribute information of the patient, and the control unit may change the content of the production request and / or select the second production apparatus based on the patient information.

[0018] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method executed by a computer, comprising: selecting a second production device that produces the dental prosthesis related to the production request based on a production request, which is information requesting the production of a dental prosthesis, and information of a plurality of first dental laboratories that operate a first production device capable of producing a dental prosthesis, and requesting the second dental laboratory that operates the second production device to have the second production device produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request, wherein the production request includes information on a dental laboratory instruction form and the information of the first dental laboratory includes information indicating the production capacity of the first production device, and selecting the second production device includes extracting a production capacity that the second production device should satisfy based on the production request, and selecting the first production device that satisfies the extracted production capacity from among the plurality of first production devices as the second production device.

[0019] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, a program is provided that causes a computer to function as a control unit that selects a second production device to produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request based on a production request, which is information requesting the production of a dental prosthesis, and information of a plurality of first dental laboratories that operate a first production device capable of producing a dental prosthesis, and requests the second dental laboratory that operates the second production device to have the second production device produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request, wherein the production request includes information on a dental laboratory instruction form, and the information of the first dental laboratory includes information indicating the production capacity of the first production device, and the control unit extracts the production capacity that the second production device should satisfy based on the production request, and selects the first production device from the plurality of first production devices that satisfies the extracted production capacity as the second production device. Effect of the Invention

[0020] As described above, according to the present invention, a mechanism is provided that can further improve the efficiency of producing dental prostheses. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of processing executed by the system according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0023] In addition, in this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished by adding different alphabets after the same reference numeral. For example, multiple elements having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished as necessary, such as terminal devices 10A, 10B, and 10C. However, when there is no particular need to distinguish between multiple elements having substantially the same functional configuration, only the same reference numerals are used. For example, when there is no particular need to distinguish between terminal devices 10A, 10B, and 10C, they are simply referred to as terminal device 10.

[0024] <1. Overview> Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the system 1 includes a plurality of terminal devices 10 (10A to 10C), a control device 20, and a plurality of dental laboratories 30 (30A to 30C). The terminal devices 10 and the control device 20, and the control device 20 and the dental laboratories 30 are connected via a network such as the Internet.

[0025] The terminal device 10 is an information processing device that accepts a user operation to input a production request. A production request is information requesting the production of a dental prosthesis. A user who operates the terminal device 10 is a dentist, or a staff member such as a dental technician or a nurse who works under the supervision of a dentist. The terminal device 10 is placed in a dental clinic. The terminal device 10 displays a UI (User Interface) screen and accepts a user operation to input a production request for a dental prosthesis to be fitted in a patient's oral cavity. The terminal device 10 then transmits the input production request to the control device 20.

[0026] The dental laboratory 30 is a facility that produces dental prostheses. The dental laboratory 30 operates one or more production devices 31. For example, the dental laboratory 30A operates a plurality of production devices 31 (31A and 31B, etc.). Operating the production device 31 may refer to owning the production device 31, renting the production device 31, or outsourcing to a subcontractor that uses the production device 31. The production device 31 is a device that produces dental prostheses. Examples of the production device 31 include a 3D printer and a milling machine. One or more dental technicians belong to the dental laboratory 30, and they operate the production device 31 and perform processing such as polishing on the dental prostheses produced by the production device 31 to produce the final dental prostheses. The production of a dental prosthesis by the production device 31 and the dental technician in collaboration is also referred to as the production device 31 producing the dental prosthesis, the dental technician producing the dental prosthesis, or the dental technician 30 producing the dental prosthesis. The dental technician 30 holds materials for the dental prosthesis. The material here refers to dental material(s). The material refers to an object set in the production device 31 to produce the dental prosthesis, and is an object with a specified manufacturer, shade (i.e., color), size, and the like. The material can be uniquely identified by identification information consisting of a manufacturer, a product name, and the like. The dental technician 30 produces the dental prosthesis based on a production request. The dental technician 30 then sends the produced dental prosthesis to the requester (i.e., the dental clinic where the terminal device 10 is located). The dental prosthesis produced based on a production request is also referred to as the dental prosthesis related to the production request below.

[0027] The control device 20 is an information processing device that controls the entire system 1. The control device 20 transmits the production request input to the terminal device 10 to an arbitrary dental laboratory 30. The transmission of the production request may also serve as ordering the dental prosthesis. In this case, the dental laboratory 30 produces the dental prosthesis based on the received production request and sends it to the requester.

[0028] The control device 20 matches dental clinics and dental laboratories 30 for each production request. In detail, the control device 20 selects a dental laboratory 30 to which the production of the dental prosthesis related to the production request is to be requested, and transmits the production request to the selected dental laboratory 30. With this configuration, it is possible to request the production of the dental prosthesis to the most suitable dental laboratory 30 among the multiple dental laboratories 30.

[0029] In the conventional WEB ordering system for dental prostheses, rigid matching was performed, such as ordering dental prostheses from a specific dental laboratory. Therefore, it was difficult to efficiently utilize the resources of the many dental laboratories that exist. Therefore, in this embodiment, a mechanism is provided that enables more efficient matching between dental clinics and dental laboratories.

[0030] <2. Technical features> (1) Overview of matching The control device 20 performs matching based on various information stored in the control device 20 or acquired from the terminal device 10 or the dental laboratory 30.

[0031] Specifically, the control device 20 selects, from among a plurality of dental laboratories 30, a dental laboratory 30 that will produce the dental laboratory related to the production request. Among the plurality of dental laboratories 30 (corresponding to a first dental laboratory), the dental laboratory 30 that will produce the dental laboratory related to the production request is also referred to as a dental laboratory 30 in charge of production (corresponding to a second dental laboratory). Then, the control device 20 requests the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production to produce the dental laboratory related to the production request. Specifically, the control device 20 transmits a production request to the selected dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. With this configuration, it is possible to have an appropriate dental laboratory 30 produce the dental laboratory related to the production request.

[0032] Selecting the dental laboratory 30 that produces the dental prosthesis related to the production request may include selecting a production device 31 that produces the dental prosthesis related to the production request. That is, the control device 20 may select a production device 31 that produces the dental prosthesis related to the production request. Among the multiple production devices 31 (corresponding to the first production devices), the production device 31 that produces the dental prosthesis related to the production request is also referred to as a production device 31 in charge of production (corresponding to the second production device). When the control device 20 selects the production device 31 in charge of production, it requests the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production that operates the production device 31 in charge of production to produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request. With this configuration, it is possible to have an appropriate production device 31 produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request.

[0033] Furthermore, producing the dental prosthesis related to the production request may include selecting a dental technician who will produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request. That is, the control device 20 may select a dental technician who will produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request. The dental technician who will produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request is also referred to as a dental technician in charge of production. When the control device 20 selects a dental technician in charge of production, the control device 20 requests the dental technician in charge of production to the dental technician in charge of production laboratory 30 to which the dental technician in charge of production belongs, so that the dental technician in charge of production produces the dental prosthesis related to the production request. With this configuration, it is possible to have an appropriate dental technician produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request.

[0034] The production request transmitted by the terminal device 10 to the control device 20 and the production request transmitted by the control device 20 to the dental laboratory 30 may be the same. For example, the control device 20 may transmit the production request received from the terminal device 10 as is to the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. The production request transmitted by the terminal device 10 to the control device 20 and the production request transmitted by the control device 20 to the dental laboratory 30 may be different. As an example, the control device 20 may make changes to the production request received from the terminal device 10, such as deleting the patient's personal information or supplementing missing information, and then transmit the request to the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. As another example, the control device 20 may add information specifying the production device 31 in charge of production and the dental technician in charge of production to the production request and then transmit the request to the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production.

[0035] An example of the flow of processing related to matching will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0036] 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the system 1 according to this embodiment. The terminal device 10, the control device 20, and the dental laboratory 30 are involved in this sequence.

[0037] 2, first, the terminal device 10 accepts an input of a production request (step S102). For example, the terminal device 10 displays a predetermined UI (User Interface) screen and accepts the input of the production request on the displayed UI screen.

[0038] Next, the terminal device 10 transmits the input production request to the control device 20 (step S104).

[0039] When the control device 20 receives the production request, it selects the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production based on the received production request and other various information (step S106). At that time, the control device 20 may select the production device 31 in charge of production and the dental technician in charge of production.

[0040] Next, the control device 20 transmits a production request to the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production (step S108).

[0041] Then, the dental laboratory 30 produces the dental prosthesis according to the production request received (step S110). For example, in the dental laboratory 30, a dental technician in charge of production operates the production device 31 in charge of production to produce the dental prosthesis according to the production request.

[0042] Thereafter, the dental laboratory 30 sends the dental technical product related to the production request to the requester (step S112).

[0043] Then, the terminal device 10 transmits the received evaluation of the dental technique to the control device 20 (step S114). For example, the terminal device 10 receives an input of an evaluation from a dentist and transmits the input evaluation to the control device 20.

[0044] Next, the control device 20 stores the received evaluation (step S116). For example, the control device 20 stores the dentist who provided the evaluation, the information on the evaluated dental prosthesis, and the dental laboratory 30, the production device 31, and the dental technician who produced the dental prosthesis in association with each other.

[0045] An example of the flow of the matching process has been described above. There are various possible specific matching methods. Specific examples of matching methods will be described below.

[0046] (2) Matching based on information in dental laboratory instructions The production request includes information on a dental laboratory instruction. A dental laboratory instruction is a document delivered from a dentist to a dental laboratory, and is a document on which instructions for producing a dental technique are written. The dental laboratory instruction includes the patient's name, the design of the dental technique (including the type of technique of the dental technique), the method for producing the dental technique, the materials to be used for the dental technique, and the name of the dentist who issued the dental laboratory instruction. The information on the dental laboratory instruction may be a dental laboratory instruction generated as electronic data, or may be data obtained by scanning a paper dental laboratory instruction. The information on the dental laboratory instruction may also be information obtained by applying OCR (Optical Character Recognition) or natural language analysis to the dental laboratory instruction.

[0047] The control device 20 selects a dental laboratory 30 capable of producing the dental prosthesis specified in the dental laboratory instruction sheet as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. With this configuration, it becomes possible to appropriately produce and deliver the dental prosthesis desired by the dentist who issued the dental laboratory instruction sheet.

[0048] (3) Matching based on dental laboratory information The control device 20 selects a dental laboratory 30 in charge of production based on information on a plurality of dental laboratories 30 included in the system 1. The information on the dental laboratory 30 may be stored in the control device 20 or may be acquired from the dental laboratory 30. This configuration enables more appropriate matching.

[0049] -Matching based on information from 31 production devices The information of the dental laboratory 30 may include information of one or more manufacturing devices 31 operated by the dental laboratory 30. In particular, the information of the dental laboratory 30 includes information indicating the manufacturing capabilities of each of the one or more manufacturing devices 31 operated by the dental laboratory 30. The manufacturing capabilities of the manufacturing device 31 include at least one of the manufacturing accuracy of the manufacturing device 31, the type of dental prosthesis that can be manufactured, or the material that can be used to manufacture the dental prosthesis. The manufacturing accuracy of the manufacturing device 31 refers to the accuracy of cutting processing if the manufacturing device 31 is a cutting device, and refers to the resolution in the XY direction and the layer pitch in the Z direction if the manufacturing device 31 is a 3D printer, for example. The types of dental prostheses include orthodontics, prosthetics, implants, and dentures (i.e., false teeth). The types of prostheses include crowns, onlays, inlays, and pontics.

[0050] The control device 20 extracts the production capability that the production device 31 in charge of production should satisfy based on the production request. Then, the control device 20 selects a production device 31 that satisfies the extracted production capability from among the multiple production devices 31 as the production device 31 in charge of production. As one example, the control device 20 selects a production device 31 capable of producing a dental prosthesis of the technique type specified in the dental laboratory instruction sheet as the production device 31 in charge of production. As another example, the control device 20 selects a production device 31 that can use the material specified in the dental laboratory instruction sheet as the production device 31 in charge of production. With this configuration, it is possible to select a production device 31 that can appropriately produce a dental prosthesis related to the production request as the production device 31 in charge of production.

[0051] Here, the information indicating the production capacity of the production device 31 may be the manufacturer and model number of the production device 31. In this case, the control device 20 acquires the production capacity of the production device 31 as specifications based on the manufacturer and model number of the production device 31.

[0052] Furthermore, the information indicating the production capacity of the production device 31 may include the operation policy of the production device 31. The production device 31 may be operated in a limited manner within the range of specifications, such as using only some of the available materials, for the purpose of reducing maintenance costs. The operation policy of the production device 31 refers to such a limited operation policy. The control device 20 acquires the actual production capacity of the production device 31 based on the production capacity of the production device 31 as the specifications acquired based on the manufacturer and model number of the production device 31 and the operation policy of the production device 31. Then, the control device 20 selects the production device 31 having the required production capacity indicated by the production request as the production device 31 in charge of production. With this configuration, matching taking into account the operation policy of the production device 31 is possible.

[0053] The information on the manufacturing apparatus 31 may include the operating cost of the manufacturing apparatus 31. The operating cost is the cost consumed per unit time or when manufacturing one dental prosthesis, and is a concept including at least one of the time cost and the monetary cost. For example, the control device 20 may preferentially select a manufacturing apparatus 31 with a lower operating cost as the manufacturing apparatus 31 in charge of manufacturing.

[0054] The information on the production device 31 may include an operation schedule of the production device 31. The operation schedule of the production device 31 includes time periods during which the production device 31 is scheduled to operate, time periods during which the production device 31 is scheduled not to operate, and time periods during which the production device 31 is operable among the time periods during which the production device 31 is scheduled not to operate. For example, the control device 20 may preferentially select a production device 31 with more operable time periods as the production device 31 in charge of production.

[0055] -Informed matching of dental technician information The information on the dental laboratory 30 may include information on the dental technicians belonging to the dental laboratory 30. The control device 20 may select the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production based on the information on the dental technicians. In particular, the control device 20 may select the dental technician in charge of production based on the information on the dental technicians. With this configuration, it is possible to select an appropriate dental technician as the dental technician in charge of production.

[0056] The information on the dental technician may include information indicating the dental technician's ability. The dental technician's ability refers to the degree of proficiency in producing dental prostheses. The control device 20 may estimate the dental technician's ability based on dental technicians produced in the past, production devices 31 used in the past by the dental technician, and evaluations given to dental technicians produced in the past. The dental technician's ability may be estimated for each type of technique and each production device 31. The control device 20 may then preferentially select a dental technician with higher ability in relation to the dental technician related to the production request as the dental technician in charge of production.

[0057] The information on the dental technician may include information indicating the aptitude of the dental technician. Examples of the aptitude of the dental technician include the type of technique that the dental technician is good at, the materials that the dental technician is good at, and the production device 31 that the dental technician is accustomed to handling. The control device 20 may estimate the aptitude of the dental technician based on dental technicians that have been produced in the past, materials that the dental technician has used in the past, the production device 31 that the dental technician has used in the past, and evaluations given to dental technicians that have been produced in the past. The control device 20 may preferentially select a dental technician that is suitable for the dental technicians related to the production request and suitable for the production device 31 that the dental technician is in charge of production, as the dental technician in charge of production.

[0058] The information on the dental technician may include the operating cost of the dental technician. For example, the control device 20 may select a dental technician with a lower operating cost as the dental technician in charge of production.

[0059] The information on the dental technician may include the dental technician's work schedule. The dental technician's work schedule includes time periods when the dental technician is scheduled to work, time periods when the dental technician is not scheduled to work, and time periods when the dental technician is available among the time periods when the dental technician is not scheduled to work. For example, the control device 20 may preferentially select a dental technician who has more available time periods as the dental technician in charge of production.

[0060] -Matching based on other information The information on the dental laboratory 30 may include attribute information on the dental laboratory 30. Examples of the attribute information on the dental laboratory 30 are the address of the dental laboratory 30, the number of production devices 31 operated, the number of dental technicians belonging to the dental laboratory 30, and the number of dental technicians that can be produced per year. As an example, the control device 20 may preferentially select a dental laboratory 30 that is geographically close to the requester as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. As another example, the control device 20 may estimate the production capacity of the dental laboratory 30 based on the number of production devices 31 operated by the dental laboratory 30, the number of dental technicians belonging to the dental laboratory 30, and the number of dental technicians that can be produced per year. Then, the control device 20 may preferentially select a dental laboratory 30 with a larger production capacity as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production.

[0061] The information on the dental laboratory 30 may include the history of dental techniques that the dental laboratory 30 has produced in the past. For example, the number of dental techniques for each technique type that the dental laboratory 30 has produced in the past corresponds to the know-how for each technique type that the dental laboratory 30 has accumulated. Therefore, the control device 20 may preferentially select a dental laboratory 30 that has accumulated know-how for the technique type of the dental technique related to the production request as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. With this configuration, it is possible to improve the satisfaction of the client.

[0062] The information on the dental laboratory 30 may include evaluations of dental laboratories previously produced by the dental laboratory 30. For example, the control device 20 estimates the quality and reliability of dental laboratories to be produced by the dental laboratory 30 based on evaluations of dental laboratories previously produced by the dental laboratory 30. The control device 20 may then preferentially select a dental laboratory 30 that produces dental laboratories with high estimated quality and reliability as the dental laboratory 30 responsible for production. Furthermore, the control device 20 may preferentially select a dental laboratory 30 that produced a dental laboratory that was given a good evaluation by the client as the dental laboratory 30 responsible for production. With this configuration, it is possible to improve the satisfaction of the client.

[0063] Here, the evaluation of a dental technique previously produced by the dental laboratory 30 may be associated with the production device 31 that produced the dental technique. In this case, the control device 20 estimates the quality and reliability of a dental technique to be produced by the production device 31 based on the evaluation of a dental technique previously produced by the production device 31. The control device 20 may then preferentially select a production device 31 that produces a dental technique with high estimated quality and reliability as the production device 31 responsible for production. Furthermore, the control device 20 may preferentially select a production device 31 that produced a dental technique to which a client gave a good evaluation as the production device 31 responsible for production. With this configuration, it is possible to improve the satisfaction of the client.

[0064] Similarly, the evaluation of a dental technique previously produced by the dental laboratory 30 may be associated with the dental technician who produced the dental technique. In this case, the control device 20 estimates the quality and reliability of a dental technique to be produced by the dental technician based on the evaluation of a dental technique previously produced by the dental technician. The control device 20 may then preferentially select a dental technician who produces a dental technique with high estimated quality and reliability as the dental technician in charge of production. Furthermore, the control device 20 may preferentially select a dental technician who produced a dental technique to which a client gave a good evaluation as the dental technician in charge of production. With this configuration, it is possible to improve the satisfaction of the client.

[0065] The information on the dental laboratories 30 may include sales of the dental laboratories 30. For example, the control device 20 may preferentially select dental laboratories 30 with low sales as the dental laboratories 30 in charge of production. With this configuration, it is possible to support dental laboratories 30 that are struggling financially.

[0066] The information on the dental laboratory 30 may include the order status of the dental laboratory 30. For example, the information on the dental laboratory 30 may include the number of orders received by the dental laboratory 30 per month. If the number of orders received by the dental laboratory 30 per month is excessively large, the dental technician's work schedule will be overcrowded, and the quality of the dental prostheses produced may decline. Therefore, the control device 20 may select the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production so that the number of orders received by the dental laboratory 30 per month is leveled. With this configuration, it is possible to maintain a high quality of the dental prostheses produced by the dental laboratory 30.

[0067] (4) Matching based on manufacturing conditions The production request may include one or more production conditions to be satisfied when producing the dental prosthesis related to the production request. The production conditions relate to at least one of the delivery date, quality, reliability, and price of the dental prosthesis related to the production request. The delivery date is, for example, the date and time when the dental prosthesis arrives at the requester. The quality is, for example, the precision and aesthetics of the dental prosthesis. The reliability is, for example, the useful life of the dental prosthesis. The price is, for example, the amount paid by the requester.

[0068] The control device 20 selects the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production based on the production conditions included in the production request. The control device 20 selects a dental laboratory 30 that can satisfy the production conditions as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. With this configuration, it is possible to improve the satisfaction of the requesting party.

[0069] The delivery date of the dental prosthesis can be estimated based on the operation schedule of the production device 31, the operation schedule of the dental technician, and the stock and purchase schedule of materials at the dental laboratory 30. Then, the control device 20 selects, as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production, a dental laboratory 30 whose delivery date of the dental prosthesis estimated based on this information satisfies the delivery date specified as the production conditions.

[0070] The quality and reliability of the dental prosthesis can be estimated from the processing accuracy of the production device 31, which can be obtained based on the information of the production device 31, the finishing accuracy by the dental technician, which can be estimated based on the information of the dental technician, and the materials specified in the dental technician instruction sheet. Therefore, the control device 20 selects a dental laboratory 30 in charge of production, which is a dental laboratory 30 whose quality and reliability of the dental prosthesis estimated based on this information meets the quality and reliability specified as the production conditions.

[0071] The price of the dental prosthesis can be estimated based on the materials specified in the dental prosthesis instruction sheet, the operating cost of the production device 31, and the operating cost of the dental technician. The control device 20 then selects a dental laboratory 30 whose estimated price of the dental prosthesis based on this information satisfies the price specified as the production conditions as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production.

[0072] (5) Matching based on requester information The control device 20 may select the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production based on the information of the requester. The information of the requester may be stored in the control device 20 or may be included in the production request. With this configuration, it is possible to further improve the satisfaction of the requester.

[0073] The requester information may include attribute information of the requester. An example of the attribute information of the requester is the address of the requester. For example, the control device 20 may calculate the delivery date of the dental laboratory 30 related to the production request based on the attribute information of the requester, and preferentially select the dental laboratory 30 with the earliest delivery date as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. With this configuration, it is possible to further improve the satisfaction of the requester.

[0074] The information on the requester may include a history of dental prostheses that the requester has requested to be produced in the past. As an example, the control device 20 may preferentially select a dental laboratory 30 that has a lot of experience in producing dental prostheses requested by the requester in the past as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the communication cost between the requester and the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production.

[0075] The information on the requester may include evaluations given by the requester to dental laboratories that the requester has previously requested to be produced. For example, the control device 20 may preferentially select a dental laboratory 30 that produced a dental laboratories to which the requester gave a good evaluation as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. This configuration makes it possible to improve the satisfaction of the requester.

[0076] The information of the requester may include conditions required by the requester for the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. One example of a condition required by the requester is to avoid privately owned dental laboratories 30. For example, the control device 20 may preferentially select a dental laboratory 30 that satisfies the conditions required by the requester as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. With this configuration, it is possible to improve the satisfaction of the requester.

[0077] (6) Matching based on patient information The control device 20 may select the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production based on information of the patient related to the production request. The patient related to the production request is a patient who is scheduled to have the dental prosthesis related to the production request attached. The patient information may be stored in the control device 20 or may be included in the production request. With this configuration, it is possible to further improve the satisfaction of the patient.

[0078] The patient information may include attribute information of the patient. Examples of the attribute information of the patient are the age and sex of the patient. As an example, the control device 20 may estimate the size of the dental prosthesis related to the production request based on the age and sex of the patient, and select a material of an appropriate size. In terms of block-shaped materials such as hybrid resin blocks, material efficiency can be improved by selecting a material of a size necessary and sufficient for producing the dental prosthesis. As another example, the control device 20 may preferentially select a dental laboratory 30 that has a lot of experience in producing dental prostheses to be fitted to other patients of the same age and sex as the patient as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. With this configuration, it is possible to improve the satisfaction of the patient.

[0079] The patient information may include three-dimensional data of the patient's oral cavity. The patient information may also include three-dimensional data of a dental prosthesis related to a production request. The three-dimensional data may be STL (Stereolithography) data. STL data is data that represents a three-dimensional solid shape as a collection of small triangles also called polygons. The three-dimensional data may be PLY (Polygon File Format) data. PLY data is data that represents a three-dimensional solid shape as a combination of vertices and faces. Unlike STL data, PLY data may include other information such as the color of the solid surface.

[0080] For example, the control device 20 may estimate the size and appropriate shade of the dental prosthesis to be produced based on the PLY data of the patient's oral cavity, and select the appropriate size and material for the shade. With this configuration, it is possible to improve material efficiency and increase patient satisfaction.

[0081] As another example, the control device 20 may extract the production capability that the production device 31 in charge of production should satisfy based on the three-dimensional data of the patient's oral cavity or the three-dimensional data of the dental prosthesis related to the production request, and select the production device 31 that satisfies the extracted production capability as the production device 31 in charge of production. The quality and reliability required for the dental prosthesis may change depending on the position where the dental prosthesis is attached (i.e., front teeth, back teeth, etc.), the shade of the dental prosthesis, the size of the dental prosthesis, and the aesthetics of the dental prosthesis. In this regard, such a configuration makes it possible to improve material efficiency and improve patient satisfaction.

[0082] As another example, a production request may include three-dimensional data of the patient's oral cavity but may not include three-dimensional data of the dental prosthesis to be produced. In this case, the control device 20 may select a dental laboratory 30 that provides a service of generating three-dimensional data of the dental prosthesis to be produced based on the three-dimensional data of the patient's oral cavity as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. With this configuration, even a dental clinic that has difficulty in preparing three-dimensional data of the dental prosthesis to be produced can order the dental prosthesis.

[0083] (7) Changes to production requests As described above, the control device 20 may modify the production request received from the terminal device 10 and then transmit the modified production request to the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. An example of a method for modifying the production request will be described below.

[0084] For example, the control device 20 may change the information in the dental laboratory instruction based on the manufacturing conditions. It may be difficult for the material specified in the dental laboratory instruction to meet the quality specified in the manufacturing conditions. In such a case, the control device 20 may change the material specified in the dental laboratory instruction to a material that can meet the quality specified in the manufacturing conditions.

[0085] For example, the control device 20 may change the content of the production request based on the patient's information. As an example, the control device 20 may estimate the size of the dental prosthesis related to the production request based on the patient's information, and change the material specified in the production request so as to use materials that are neither too large nor too small for the estimated size. Such a configuration makes it possible to improve material efficiency. As another example, the control device 20 may change the material specified in the dental prosthesis instruction sheet to a material whose shade matches the shade of the patient's other teeth acquired based on the PLY data in the patient's oral cavity. Such a configuration makes it possible to improve the efficiency of production of dental prostheses, for example by preventing the use of materials that are too large and preventing the remaking of dental prostheses due to a mismatch in shade between an existing tooth and a dental prosthesis.

[0086] Here, the control device 20 may obtain consent from the requester regarding the change of the production request. Then, the control device 20 may change the production request only when the requester consents. For example, the requester may specify some production conditions and not other production conditions. In that case, the control device 20 may generate information indicating other production conditions that can be specified and present it to the requester. Then, the control device 20 may perform matching based on the production conditions agreed to by the requester. For example, when the requester specifies a delivery date and a price, the control device 20 extracts candidates of achievable quality and reliability while satisfying the delivery date and price specified by the requester, and presents them to the requester. Such extraction of candidates of specifiable production conditions can be realized by an expert model or reinforcement learning. According to this configuration, the requester can flexibly request, for example, explicitly specifying high-priority production conditions, while selecting acceptable candidates from the presented candidates for low-priority production conditions.

[0087] <3. Hardware configuration example> Hereinafter, the hardware configuration of the information processing device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device according to this embodiment. The information processing device 900 shown in Fig. 3 may be, for example, an information processing device arranged in the terminal device 10, the control device 20, or the dental laboratory 30 shown in Fig. 1 and communicating with the control device 20. Information processing by the information processing device arranged in the terminal device 10, the control device 20, or the dental laboratory 30 according to this embodiment is realized by cooperation between software and hardware described below.

[0088] 3, the information processing device 900 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 902, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 903, and a host bus 904a. The information processing device 900 also includes a bridge 904, an external bus 904b, an interface 905, an input device 906, an output device 907, a storage device 908, and a communication device 909.

[0089] The CPU 901 functions as an arithmetic processing device and a control device, and controls the overall operation of the information processing device 900 according to various programs. The information processing device 900 may have an electric circuit such as a microprocessor, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) instead of or in addition to the CPU 901. The ROM 902 stores programs and arithmetic parameters used by the CPU 901. The RAM 903 temporarily stores parameters that change as appropriate when the CPU 901 executes a program. The CPU 901 may constitute, for example, a control unit that controls the overall operation of the terminal device 10. The CPU 901 may also constitute, for example, a control unit that controls the overall operation of the control device 20. The CPU 901 may also constitute, for example, a control unit that controls the overall operation of the information processing device disposed in the dental laboratory 30.

[0090] The CPU 901, ROM 902, and RAM 903 are connected to one another by a host bus 904a including a CPU bus, etc. The host bus 904a is connected to an external bus 904b such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect / Interface) bus via a bridge 904. Note that the host bus 904a, bridge 904, and external bus 904b do not necessarily need to be configured separately, and these functions may be implemented on a single bus.

[0091] The input device 906 is a device into which information is input by a user. Examples of such devices include a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a button, a switch, and a lever. The input device 906 may also include a microphone that accepts voice input or a camera that accepts gesture input. A user of the information processing device 900 can input various data to the information processing device 900 or instruct the information processing device 900 to execute processing by operating the input device 906. The input device 906 accepts input of a user operation in the terminal device 10, for example.

[0092] The output device 907 is a device that outputs information to a user. Examples of such devices include devices that output visual information such as a display and a projector, devices that output auditory information such as a speaker, and devices that output tactile information such as an eccentric motor. The output device 907 outputs, for example, results obtained by various processes performed by the information processing device 900. The output device 907 displays, for example, a UI screen for inputting a production request on the terminal device 10.

[0093] The storage device 908 is a device that stores data. Examples of such devices include a magnetic storage device such as an HDD, a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device, and a magneto-optical storage device. The storage device 908 may include a storage medium, a recording device that records data in the storage medium, a reading device that reads data from the storage medium, and a deleting device that deletes data recorded in the storage medium. The storage device 908 stores various information for matching in the control device 20, for example.

[0094] The communication device 909 is a device that communicates with other devices in a wired or wireless manner. The communication device 909 performs communication in compliance with any communication standard, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), or USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0095] An example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the functions of the information processing device 900 according to this embodiment has been described above. Each of the above components may be realized using general-purpose components, or may be realized by hardware specialized for the function of each component. Therefore, the hardware configuration to be used can be changed as appropriate depending on the technical level at the time of implementing this embodiment.

[0096] <4. Supplementary Information> Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such an example. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0097] (1) First Modification In some cases, multiple dental prostheses can be produced from one material. Such materials include disk-shaped materials such as zirconia disks and hybrid resin disks. Materials that have been cut and leave a margin for cutting other dental prostheses can be held as material inventory.

[0098] The information on the dental laboratory 30 may include information on the cut material held by the dental laboratory 30. For example, the information on the cut material held by the dental laboratory 30 includes identification information of the cut material and information indicating the shape and size of the margin in the cut material that can be used to cut other dental prostheses. The control device 20 may then request the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production to cut the cut material held by the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production to produce the dental prosthesis related to the production request. As an example, after selecting the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production, the control device 20 determines whether the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production holds a cut material having a margin that can be used to cut the dental prosthesis related to the production request. If the control device 20 determines that the material is held, the control device 20 may add information to the production request that instructs the use of the cut material. As another example, the control device 20 may preferentially select a dental laboratory 30 that holds a material having a margin that can be used to cut the dental prosthesis related to the production request as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. This configuration allows for efficient use of materials.

[0099] The control device 20 may request the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production to cut the dental prosthesis related to the production request and the dental prosthesis related to one or more other production requests by cutting one material for cutting. As an example, the control device 20 estimates the shape and size of the area required for production in the material for cutting for each of the dental prostheses related to the production requests that arrive at a close time. Next, the control device 20 judges whether the area required for production estimated for the dental prostheses related to the production requests can be arranged in one material for cutting. Then, the control device 20 may add information to the production request instructing to cut one material for cutting for the dental prostheses related to the production requests that are determined to be able to be arranged in the material for cutting. Furthermore, the control device 20 may add information indicating how the area required for production of the dental prostheses related to the production requests should be arranged in the material for cutting. With this configuration, the material can be used efficiently.

[0100] (2) Second modified example Each of the multiple matching methods described above may be used alone, or any two or more matching methods may be used in combination. Matching may be regarded as solving an optimization problem. An example of a constraint condition in an optimization problem is the items described in a dental laboratory instruction sheet. An example of an objective function in an optimization problem is delivery date, quality, reliability, or price. That is, the control device 20 may select a dental laboratory 30 that has a short delivery date, high quality, high reliability, or low price as the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. In a production request, the priority order of delivery date, quality, reliability, and price may be specified, and the control device 20 may set an objective function according to the specified priority order and search for an optimal solution. In addition, the control device 20 may set the objective function based on information of the patient or information of the requester. For example, if the requester tends to place importance on the delivery date, the control device 20 may set an objective function weighted on the delivery date.

[0101] The control device 20 may also use AI (artificial intelligence) to select the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. For example, the control device 20 may select the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production using a neural network that receives information on the dental laboratory instruction sheet, production conditions, information on the client, information on the patient, and information on the dental laboratory 30 as inputs and outputs information indicating the dental laboratory 30 in charge of production. Of course, the control device 20 may use these input and output data as learning data for the next learning.

[0102] (3)Other In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the control device 20 orders a dental technique by transmitting a production request to the dental laboratory 30. Ordering a dental technique may mean starting production of the dental technique. That is, production of the dental technique by the production device 31 may be started based on an operation by a dental technician at the dental laboratory 30, or may be started based on receiving a signal from the control device 20.

[0103] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which a dental clinic orders a dental laboratory to produce a dental prosthesis, but a dental laboratory may order a dental prosthesis from another dental laboratory. That is, the terminal device 10 may be disposed in the dental laboratory.

[0104] At least some of the dental laboratories 30 described in the above embodiment may be managed by the same parent company. Dental laboratories 30 managed by the same parent company are also treated as separate laboratories if they are located in different locations. In addition, the parent company that operates the control device 20 may operate one or more dental laboratories 30.

[0105] The series of processes by each device described in this specification may be realized using any of software, hardware, and a combination of software and hardware. The programs constituting the software are stored in advance, for example, in a recording medium (more specifically, a non-transient storage medium readable by a computer) provided inside or outside each device. Then, each program is read into a RAM when executed by a computer that controls each device described in this specification, and executed by a processing circuit such as a CPU. The recording medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a flash memory, etc. In addition, the above computer program may be distributed, for example, via a network without using a recording medium. In addition, the above computer may be an application-specific integrated circuit such as an ASIC, a general-purpose processor that executes a function by reading a software program, or a computer on a server used for cloud computing. In addition, the series of processes by each device described in this specification may be distributed and processed by multiple computers.

[0106] In addition, the processes described in this specification using flowcharts and sequence diagrams do not necessarily have to be performed in the order shown in the drawings. Some processing steps may be performed in parallel. In addition, additional processing steps may be employed, and some processing steps may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 1 System 10 Terminal Equipment 20 Control device 30 Dental Laboratory 31 Manufacturing equipment

Claims

1. Based on a production request which is information for requesting the production of dental laboratory workpieces, and information on a plurality of first dental laboratories operating a first production device capable of producing dental laboratory workpieces, select a second production device for producing the dental laboratory workpieces related to the production request, request a second dental laboratory that operates the second production device to produce the dental laboratory workpieces related to the production request, comprising a control unit, the production request includes information in a dental laboratory work order, the information on the first dental laboratory includes information indicating the production capacity of the first production device, the control unit extracts the production capacity that the second production device should meet based on the dental laboratory work order included in the production request, select, as the second production device, the first production device among the plurality of first production devices that meets the extracted production capacity, and transmit the production request to the second dental laboratory that operates the selected second production device, a control device.

2. The production capacity of the first production device includes at least any one of the production accuracy of the first production device, the type of dental laboratory work that can be produced, the materials that can be used for the production of dental laboratory workpieces, or the operation policy. The control device according to claim 1.

3. The information on the first dental laboratory includes at least any one of the operation schedule of the first production device, the operation cost of the first production device, the attribute information of the first dental laboratory, the history of dental laboratory workpieces produced by the first dental laboratory in the past, the evaluation received by the dental laboratory workpieces produced by the first dental laboratory in the past, the sales of the first dental laboratory, or the order status of the first dental laboratory. The control device according to claim 1.

4. The control unit selects the second production device further based on information on the requester of the production request, the information on the requester includes at least any one of the attribute information of the requester, the history of dental laboratory workpieces requested for production by the requester in the past, the evaluation given to the dental laboratory workpieces requested for production by the requester in the past, or the conditions required by the requester for the second dental laboratory. The control device according to claim 1.

5. The production request selects a second production device further based on one or more production conditions to be met when producing the dental laboratory workpieces related to the production request, the production conditions relate to at least any one of the delivery date, quality, reliability, or price of the dental laboratory workpieces related to the production request. The control device according to claim 1.

6. When some of the manufacturing conditions are specified, the control unit generates information indicating other manufacturing conditions that can be specified and presents it to the source of the manufacturing request. The control device according to claim 5.

7. The information of the first dental laboratory includes the information of the dental technicians belonging to the first dental laboratory. The information of the dental technician includes at least one of the ability of the dental technician, the suitability of the dental technician, the operating cost of the dental technician, or the operating schedule of the dental technician. The control device according to claim 1.

8. The control unit selects a dental technician who manufactures the dental prosthetic work related to the manufacturing request. The control device according to claim 7.

9. The control unit selects the first dental laboratory that holds the cut material having a margin that can be cut for the dental prosthetic work related to the manufacturing request as the second dental laboratory, and requests the second dental laboratory to manufacture the dental prosthetic work related to the manufacturing request by cutting the cut material held by the second dental laboratory. The control device according to claim 1.

10. The control unit determines whether the areas required for manufacturing for the dental prosthetic work related to the manufacturing request and the dental prosthetic work related to one or more other manufacturing requests can be arranged in one cutting material, and if it is determined that they can be arranged, requests the second dental laboratory to cut one cutting material and manufacture. The control device according to claim 1.

11. The manufacturing request includes information on the patient related to the manufacturing request. The patient information includes at least one of three-dimensional data of the patient's oral cavity, three-dimensional data of the dental prosthetic work related to the manufacturing request, or the patient's attribute information. Based on the patient information, the control unit extracts the manufacturing capabilities that the second manufacturing device should satisfy, changes the content of the manufacturing request, and / or selects the second manufacturing device. The control device according to claim 1.

12. Selecting a second manufacturing device that manufactures the dental prosthetic work related to the manufacturing request based on the manufacturing request, which is information for requesting the manufacture of dental prosthetic work, and the information of a plurality of first dental laboratories that operate a first manufacturing device capable of manufacturing dental prosthetic work. Requesting a second dental laboratory that operates the second manufacturing device to manufacture the dental prosthetic work related to the manufacturing request by the second manufacturing device. Including The manufacturing request includes information on a dental technician's instruction sheet. The information of the first dental laboratory includes information indicating the manufacturing ability of the first manufacturing device. Selecting the second manufacturing device includes extracting the manufacturing ability that the second manufacturing device should satisfy based on the dental laboratory instruction included in the manufacturing request, selecting, as the second manufacturing device, the first manufacturing device that satisfies the extracted manufacturing ability among the plurality of first manufacturing devices, and transmitting the manufacturing request to the second dental laboratory that operates the selected second manufacturing device. A control method executed by a computer.

13. A computer is caused to function as a control unit to select a second manufacturing device for manufacturing a dental laboratory product related to the manufacturing request based on a manufacturing request, which is information for requesting the manufacturing of a dental laboratory product, and information of a plurality of first dental laboratories that operate a first manufacturing device capable of manufacturing the dental laboratory product. request the second dental laboratory that operates the second manufacturing device to manufacture the dental laboratory product related to the manufacturing request using the second manufacturing device. function as a control unit, The manufacturing request includes information of a dental laboratory instruction. The information of the first dental laboratory includes information indicating the manufacturing ability of the first manufacturing device. The control unit extracts the manufacturing ability that the second manufacturing device should satisfy based on the dental laboratory instruction included in the manufacturing request. selects, as the second manufacturing device, the first manufacturing device that satisfies the extracted manufacturing ability among the plurality of first manufacturing devices, and transmits the manufacturing request to the second dental laboratory that operates the selected second manufacturing device. A program.

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