Dental photography device and method for taking photographs of teeth

Abstract

One aspect of the present application provides a method for taking photographs of teeth, the method including: a patient establishing a connection between a dental imaging device and a computer, allowing the computer to receive photographs taken by the dental imaging device in real time, the dental imaging device and the computer being two separate devices, the dental imaging device including a camera and a mouth opener arranged at opposite ends of a shielding cylinder, and the computer including a display; a patient placing the mouth opener of the dental imaging device into the patient's mouth; and a patient moving the dental imaging device based on the photographs taken by the dental imaging device and guidance information displayed on the display of the computer until the dental imaging device takes photographs of the teeth that satisfy a requirement, the guidance information being calculated based on photographs of the patient's teeth previously taken by the dental imaging device.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DENTAL IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TAKING PHOTOS OF TEETH FIELD OF THE DENTAL IMAGING SYSTEM This application relates generally to dental imaging devices and methods for taking photographs of teeth. [Background technology]

[0002] During orthodontic treatment, patients usually need to visit the clinic regularly, and dental professionals can judge whether the orthodontic treatment has achieved the intended effect by observing the patient's teeth. If the actual treatment results deviate significantly from the orthodontic treatment plan, dental professionals may need to adjust the subsequent treatment plan accordingly.

[0003] After orthodontic treatment is completed, the position and / or arrangement of the patient's teeth may change due to certain reasons and may deviate from the position and / or arrangement of the teeth achieved by orthodontic treatment. In order to detect and correct such deviations in a timely manner, dental professionals need to regularly examine the patient's teeth.

[0004] In order to reduce the number of times patients need to visit the dentist, devices that allow patients to take photos of their own teeth have been introduced. In this way, patients can take photos of their own teeth at any place and time for examination by a dental professional, which effectively reduces the number of times patients need to visit the dentist and provides convenience to patients.

[0005] Referring to US Patent Publication US2018 / 0303579A1, a dental photographing device including a shielding cylinder is disclosed, and the shielding cylinder is provided with a mouth retractor at one end for pulling lips and cheeks to expose teeth, and a device for fixing a smartphone for photographing teeth at the other end. However, during photographing, the smartphone is fixed to the dental photographing device, that is, outside the patient's mouth, so that it is difficult for the patient to see the guidance displayed on the smartphone screen for correctly photographing teeth, and it is also not convenient to perform related operations on the mobile phone screen, so that it is very inconvenient for the patient to photograph teeth that meet the requirements.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need to provide a new dental imaging device and method for taking photographs of teeth. Summary of the Invention

[0007] One aspect of the present application provides a method for taking photographs of teeth, the method including: a patient establishing a connection between a dental imaging device and a computer, allowing the computer to receive photographs taken by the dental imaging device in real time, the dental imaging device and the computer being two separate devices, the dental imaging device including a camera and a mouth opener arranged at opposite ends of a shielding cylinder, and the computer including a display; a patient placing the mouth opener of the dental imaging device into the patient's mouth; and a patient moving the dental imaging device based on the photographs taken by the dental imaging device and guidance information displayed on the display of the computer until the dental imaging device takes photographs of the teeth that satisfy a requirement, the guidance information being calculated based on photographs of the patient's teeth previously taken by the dental imaging device.

[0008] In some embodiments, the dental imaging equipment and the computer are connected via a WiFi network or Bluetooth.

[0009] In some embodiments, the computer is positioned to allow the patient to easily observe what is displayed on the display while the dental photographs are being taken.

[0010] In some embodiments, the guidance information is calculated by the computer.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method for taking a photograph of the teeth further includes a step in which the patient adjusts the position of the mouth opener and / or the relative position of the upper and lower jaws based on prompt information for starting taking the first photograph generated by the computer and displayed on the display, and a step in which the patient operates the computer to notify the computer to start taking the first photograph.

[0012] In some embodiments, the computer is one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, a portable computer, a personal computer, smart glasses, and a smart television.

[0013] In some embodiments, the dental imaging apparatus includes a housing, the housing defining a chamber and a work surface, the work surface being a portion of a surface formed to surround the chamber, a first hole formed in the work surface, the camera fixedly mounted within the chamber, the shielding cylinder extending from an edge of the work surface, and the mouth opener extending from an end of the shielding cylinder.

[0014] In some embodiments, when the mouth opening device is closed, the working surface and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity.

[0015] In some embodiments, the chamber is a closed chamber.

[0016] In some embodiments, the dental imaging apparatus further includes N illumination light sources mounted within the chamber, and N second holes are formed on the work surface in one-to-one correspondence with the N illumination light sources, such that the N illumination light sources provide illumination for image capture by the camera through the N second holes, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

[0017] In some embodiments, N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N second holes are uniformly distributed around the camera.

[0018] In some embodiments, a controller for controlling the camera of the dental imaging device is mounted within the chamber and configured to transmit pictures taken by the camera to the computer in real time.

[0019] A further aspect of the present application provides a dental imaging device including a shielding cylinder, a mouth opener, a camera and a control device, the mouth opener and the camera being disposed on both ends of the shielding cylinder, and the control device being configured to control the camera and transmit photos taken by the camera to a separate computer connected to the dental imaging device in real time, so that the computer can display on its display the photos received from the dental imaging device and guidance information for taking photos of teeth that satisfy requirements calculated based on these photos, and can move the dental imaging device and / or adjust the relative position of the upper and lower jaws to guide a patient to take photos of teeth that satisfy the requirements.

[0020] In some embodiments, the guidance information is calculated by the computer.

[0021] In some embodiments, the dental imaging apparatus further includes a housing, the housing defining a chamber and a working surface, the working surface being a portion of a surface formed to surround the chamber, a first hole formed in the working surface, the camera fixedly mounted within the chamber, the masking cylinder extending from an edge of the working surface, the mouth retractor extending from an end of the masking cylinder, and the camera mounted such that the mouth retractor can be used to spread a patient's lips and cheeks apart to capture images of the exposed teeth through the first hole and the masking cylinder.

[0022] In some embodiments, when the mouth opening device is closed, the working surface and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity.

[0023] In some embodiments, the chamber is a closed chamber.

[0024] In some embodiments, a portion of the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the housing toward the opening device, and another portion of the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the opening device toward the housing.

[0025] In some embodiments, the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the opening device towards the housing, and the shielding cylinder is fitted to an edge of the work surface.

[0026] In some embodiments, a first end of the shielding cylinder fits over an edge of the work surface and a second end opposite the first end is connected to the opener.

[0027] In some embodiments, the dental imaging apparatus further includes N illumination light sources mounted within the chamber, and N second holes are formed on the work surface in one-to-one correspondence with the N illumination light sources, such that the N illumination light sources provide illumination for image capture by the camera through the N second holes, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

[0028] In some embodiments, N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N second holes are uniformly distributed around the camera. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] The above-mentioned and other features of the present application are further explained below with reference to the drawings and their detailed description. It should be understood that these drawings only illustrate a number of exemplary embodiments according to the present application and should not be considered as limiting the scope of protection of the present application. Unless otherwise specified, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and like reference numerals in the drawings refer to like parts. [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a dental imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 2]2 is a schematic diagram showing the main body of the dental imaging apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a mouth mouth device of the dental photographing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a top view of the main body shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the main body shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 3 shows a schematic diagram of the connection relationships of each module of the main body in one embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of one interface of a computer program that controls a dental imaging device in one embodiment. [Figure 8] 3 shows a schematic representation of another interface of the computer program; [Figure 9] 3 shows a schematic representation of another interface of the computer program; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The following detailed description refers to the drawings, which form a part of this specification. The exemplary embodiments described in the specification and drawings are merely for illustration purposes and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Based on the teachings of this application, those skilled in the art can understand that other various embodiments can be adopted and various modifications can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the spirit and protection scope of the present application. It should be understood that each aspect of the present application described and illustrated in this specification can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated and designed in various different configurations, and all of these different configurations are within the protection scope of the present application.

[0031] One aspect of the present application provides a dental imaging device and a method for taking teeth photographs using the same, the dental imaging device is controlled by a separate computer having a display, and a patient can easily observe the contents displayed on the display and follow the guidance to take teeth photographs that meet the requirements, which is very easy to use.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, which is a schematic diagram of a dental imaging device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application, the dental imaging device 100 includes a body 101 and a mouth opener 103 which are connected by fitting.

[0033] 2 to 5, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the main body 101 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the mouth opening device 103 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a top view of the main body 101 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the main body 101 shown in FIG. 1.

[0034] The outer profile of the main body 101 is generally U-shaped, and the cross-sectional profile is an oval shape with vertical and horizontal symmetry. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the main body 101 may have any other suitable shape in addition to the shape of the embodiment.

[0035] The main body 101 includes a housing 1010, the lower half of which forms a closed chamber in which corresponding components are attached. On the side of the housing 1010 close to the mouth opener 103, a working surface 1011 is formed, which is a part of the surface formed to surround the chamber. A first hole 1013 is formed in the working surface 1011, so that a camera 1015 fixedly mounted within the chamber can capture images through the first hole 1013. The camera 1015 is mounted at a position and angle such that it can capture suitable images of the patient's teeth through the mouth opener 103.

[0036] In one embodiment, the work surface 1011 may be a flat surface. In a further embodiment, the work surface 1011 may be a curved surface. It is understood that the work surface 1011 may be a surface of any suitable form in addition to flat and curved surfaces.

[0037] In one embodiment, the first hole 1013 can be closed by a lens (e.g., a glass plate or a resin lens, etc.), and a camera 1015 mounted in the housing can capture an image through the lens, and the lens can prevent dust and moisture from entering the housing. In a further embodiment, the camera 1015 can slightly protrude from the first hole 1013, and a seal (e.g., a rubber ring, adhesive, etc.) closes the gap between the outer wall of the camera 1015 and the first hole 1013 to prevent dust and moisture from entering the housing.

[0038] In one embodiment, at least one second hole (not shown) may be formed at an appropriate location on the work surface 1011 so that at least one illumination source or flash mounted within the chamber can provide illumination through the at least one second hole to ensure the quality of images captured by the camera 1015. In one embodiment, a plurality of the second holes may be uniformly disposed around the first hole 1013.

[0039] The housing 1010 forms a cylinder 1017 that extends integrally above the edge of the work surface 1011 (i.e., toward the mouth opening device 103) and captures the work surface 1011. A number of buckles 1019 are formed on one end of the cylinder 1017 away from the work surface 1011.

[0040] The mouth opener 103 includes a cylinder 1031, a first end of which remote from the body 101 forms a flange 1033, and a second end opposite the first end is formed with a number of buckles 1035 which respectively engage with a number of buckles 1019 on the top of the cylinder 1017 of the housing 1010. The mouth opener 103 and the housing 1010 are connected by fitting, and the engagement of the buckles 1035 and 1019 keeps them relatively fixed. It is understood that in addition to the buckle fixing, any other suitable fixing manner, such as an interference fit, can be used between the mouth opener 103 and the housing 1010.

[0041] When taking a photograph of the teeth, a first end of the mouth opener 103 is placed into the patient's mouth and the lips and cheeks are spread apart to expose the teeth, so that the camera 1015 can capture an image of the teeth through the mouth opener 103, and at this time, the patient's lips and cheeks come into contact with the flange 1033, which prevents the mouth opener 103 from falling out of the patient's mouth.

[0042] The cylinder 1017 of the housing 1010 and the cylinder 1031 of the mouth opener 103 form a shielding cylinder, and when the first end of the mouth opener 103 is closed, the working surface 1011 of the housing 1010 and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity to prevent ambient light from affecting the quality of the tooth image captured by the camera 1015.

[0043] It will be appreciated that the length of cylinders 1017 and 1031 may vary within the teachings of this application, and several different configurations are shown below.

[0044] In one embodiment, the housing 1010 does not have a cylinder formed therein, and the cylinder 1031 of the mouth opener 103 fits over the edge of the working surface 1011 of the housing 1010 .

[0045] In a further embodiment, the cylinder 1017 of the housing 1010 is long and the mouth opener 103 does not have a cylinder formed therein.

[0046] In a further embodiment, the housing 1010, the shielding cylinder and the opening device 103 may be integrally molded.

[0047] In a further embodiment, the connection between the housing 1010 and the mouth opener 103 is by fit via a separate adapter cylinder.

[0048] All of the various embodiments of the shielding cylinder described above can be described as extending from the edge of the work surface 1011 to form the shielding cylinder, where "extending" does not mean that the shielding cylinder and the housing 1010 are integrally molded, but rather encompasses all of the different embodiments described above.

[0049] A power button 1021 for turning the dental imaging apparatus 100 on and off is provided on the side wall of the main body 101 .

[0050] An interface 1023 is provided at the bottom of the main body 101 for charging / powering the main body 101 and / or exchanging data with the main body 101 .

[0051] Please refer to FIG. 6 which shows a schematic diagram of the connections of the modules of the main body 101 in one embodiment.

[0052] In one embodiment, a battery 1025 and a control device (control circuit module) 1027 are further mounted within the housing of the main body 101, the control device 1027 further including a communication device 1027a. The battery 1025 provides power to the control device 1027, the camera 1015 and the illumination source (flash) 1029. The control device 1027 controls the camera 1015 and the illumination source 1029. The communication device 1027a is connected to a separate computer (not shown) having a display in a wired manner (e.g., via the interface 1023) or wireless manner (e.g., a WiFi network (e.g., 2.4G or 5G WiFi network), Bluetooth® and any other applicable wireless connection method) to enable data exchange between the dental imaging apparatus 100 and said computer.

[0053] In one embodiment, the dental imaging apparatus 100 is controlled by the computer to take pictures, i.e., the computer sends a signal to the control device 1027 to control the camera 1015 to start or stop taking pictures. The computer may be any applicable computing device, such as, for example, a smartphone, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a personal computer, smart glasses, and a smart TV, that has a display and can install a computer program for controlling the dental imaging apparatus 100.

[0054] In one embodiment, the steps for taking photographs of teeth using dental imaging device 100 are as follows.

[0055] First, the patient operates the power button 1021 to turn on the dental imaging apparatus 100 and set it to a standby state.

[0056] Next, the patient controls the computer to execute the computer program that controls the dental imaging apparatus 100, and operates the computer to bring the computer and the dental imaging apparatus 100 into a connected state.

[0057] Next, the mouth opener 103 of the assembled dental imaging device 100 is placed in the mouth to spread the lips and cheeks apart so that the teeth face the camera 1015 .

[0058] Referring to FIG. 7, which is a schematic diagram showing an interface of a computer program for controlling the dental imaging device 100 in an embodiment of the present application, after the computer and the dental imaging device 100 are connected, the computer program displays the interface.

[0059] After the interface shown in Figure 7 appears on the computer display, the patient can click on the "Start Scan" button on the interface to start taking photos of the teeth. In one embodiment, after the patient clicks on the "Start Scan" button, the computer sends a control signal to the control device 1027 via the communication device 1027a, and the control device 1027 controls the camera 1015 to take photos continuously and transmits these photos to the computer via the communication device 1027a.

[0060] After receiving the photos sent from the dental imaging device 100, the computer analyzes the photos to determine whether they meet the requirements, for example, whether the shooting angle is correct, whether the corresponding teeth are included, etc. If the computer finds a photo that meets the requirements from the multiple received tooth photos, the computer stores the photo for later analysis by a dental professional. If the photos received by the computer do not meet the requirements, the computer analyzes these photos (e.g., using a method based on deep neural networks) and displays guidance on the display for taking the tooth photos correctly.

[0061] In one embodiment, the computer can simultaneously display on its display the photographs and guidance information received from the dental imaging device 100 .

[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 8, which is a schematic diagram showing one interface of the computer program, a guidance message is displayed saying, "Please move the mouth opener according to the direction of the arrow."

[0063] To fully analyze the patient's teeth, photos of different angles and different parts of the patient's dentition may be required. Therefore, the entire photographing process may include multiple steps, and each step corresponds to one different photo. In one photographing step, when the computer obtains one acceptable tooth photo, the current step is completed, and a new interface is displayed on the display to prompt the patient to take the next different photo.

[0064] The patient is then instructed to take a picture of the upper teeth and the angles of the shot are provided, as depicted in Figure 9, which shows a schematic of one interface of the computer program, and the next shot is started when the patient clicks on the "Double Click to Go to Next Step" button.

[0065] In one embodiment, the dental imaging device 100 can continuously take photos at a predetermined time interval (for example, 1 / 30 seconds or 1 / 60 seconds, etc.) and transmit them to the computer in real time. In this way, while the patient adjusts the position and orientation of the mouth opener 103 and / or the relative positions of the upper and lower jaws, the dental imaging device 100 can continuously take photos, and when the computer detects a photo that meets the requirements from these photos, it can notify the patient to stop the current shooting step and save the photo that meets the requirements. This shooting method can greatly simplify the patient's operation, and does not require the patient to intervene and operate each photo to be taken and examined.

[0066] In a further embodiment, the patient does not need to operate the computer throughout the entire photographing process. After one photographing step is completed, the computer will display prompt information for the start of the next photographing step on the display, and the patient only needs to adjust the position of the dental photographing device 100 and / or the relative position relationship between the upper and lower jaws based on the prompt information, and does not need to perform any operation on the computer. During this process, the dental photographing device 100 can continuously take and send photos to the computer, and the computer will detect each received photo until it detects a photo that meets the requirements of the current photographing step, and so on.

[0067] In one embodiment, when dental imaging device 100 begins taking pictures and when it stops taking pictures may be controlled by the computer.

[0068] Once all requested tooth photographs have been taken, the patient can control the computer to upload the acceptable tooth photographs selected by the computer to a corresponding database via a network for analysis by a dental professional.

[0069] Since the computer and the dental photography device 100 are two separate devices, the patient can place them in a convenient position for observation and operation while taking the dental photos, so that the patient can easily observe the contents displayed on the computer display and perform corresponding operations according to the guidance.

[0070] It is understood that the method for taking a tooth photograph of the present application can be applied to other dental photographing devices, such as the dental photographing device disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. US2018 / 0303579A1, in addition to the dental photographing device 100 disclosed in the present application. A computer program corresponding to the smartphone used as a camera may be installed so that the computer can control the photographing by the smartphone.

[0071] In a further embodiment, if the dental imaging device has corresponding computing capabilities, the guidance information may be calculated by the dental imaging device, which transmits the captured pictures and the guidance information to the computer, which displays them on a display for easy viewing by the patient. In this mode, the computer functions only as a device for displaying the captured pictures and the guidance information to the patient.

[0072] Various aspects and embodiments of the present application have been disclosed herein, and other aspects and embodiments of the present application will be apparent to those skilled in the art under the teachings of the present application. Each aspect and embodiment disclosed herein is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. The scope and spirit of the present application are determined solely by the appended claims.

[0073] Similarly, the diagrams may depict example architectures or other configurations of the disclosed methods and systems, which are made to aid in understanding the features and functionality that may be included in the disclosed methods and systems. The subject matter for which protection is sought is not limited to the example architectures or configurations shown, and various alternative architectures and configurations may be used to achieve the desired features. Furthermore, with respect to flow charts, functional descriptions, and method claims, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the order of blocks depicted herein should not be limited to being performed in the same order to implement various embodiments of the described functionality.

[0074] Unless expressly indicated otherwise, all terms and phrases used herein and variations thereof should be construed as open ended rather than limiting. In some instances, the presence of open-ended words and phrases such as, for example, "one or more," "at least," "including but not limited to," or other similar terms should not be construed to imply that a narrower context is intended or required in instances where such open-ended terms may not be present.

Claims

1. a patient establishing a connection between a dental imaging device and a computer, allowing the computer to receive in real time pictures taken by the dental imaging device, the dental imaging device and the computer being two separate pieces of equipment, the dental imaging device including a camera and a mouth opener located at either end of a shielding cylinder, and the computer including a display; the patient placing a mouth retractor of the dental imaging apparatus into the mouth; the patient moves the dental imaging device based on the photos taken by the dental imaging device and guidance information displayed on the computer display until the dental imaging device takes a photo of the teeth that satisfies the requirements, the guidance information being calculated based on photos of the patient's teeth previously taken by the dental imaging device; How to take a photograph of teeth, including:

2. The method for taking photographs of teeth according to claim 1, characterized in that the dental imaging device and the computer are connected via a WiFi network or Bluetooth.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer is positioned so that the patient can easily observe the content displayed on the display while the dental photographs are being taken.

4. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the guidance information is calculated by the computer.

5. The patient adjusts the position and / or posture of the mouth opening device and / or the relative position of the upper and lower jaws based on the prompt information for starting taking the first photograph generated by the computer and displayed on the display; the patient operating the computer to signal the computer to begin taking the first photograph; 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

6. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer is one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, a portable computer, a personal computer, smart glasses, and a smart television.

7. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dental imaging device includes a housing, the housing defining a chamber and a working surface, the working surface being a portion of a surface formed to surround the chamber, a first hole being formed in the working surface, the camera being fixedly mounted within the chamber, the shielding cylinder extending from an edge of the working surface, and the mouth opening extending from an end of the shielding cylinder.

8. 8. A method for taking dental photographs according to claim 7, characterized in that when the mouth opener is closed, the working surface and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity.

9. 8. A method for taking dental photographs according to claim 7, characterized in that the chamber is a closed chamber.

10. 8. The method for taking photographs of teeth according to claim 7, wherein the dental imaging device further comprises N illumination light sources mounted in the chamber, and N second holes are formed on the working surface in one-to-one correspondence with the N illumination light sources, so that the N illumination light sources provide illumination for image capture by the camera through the N second holes, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

11. The method for taking dental photographs according to claim 10, wherein N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N second holes are uniformly distributed around the camera.

12. 8. The method for photographing teeth according to claim 7, characterized in that a control device for controlling the camera of the dental photographing device is mounted in the chamber and configured to transmit the photographs taken by the camera to the computer in real time.

13. 1. A dental imaging device comprising: a shielding cylinder, a mouth opener, a camera, and a control device, the mouth opener and the camera being disposed on both ends of the shielding cylinder, and the control device being configured to control the camera and transmit in real time photographs taken by the camera to a separate computer connected to the dental imaging device, so that the computer can display on its display the photographs received from the dental imaging device and guidance information for taking photographs of the teeth that satisfy requirements calculated based on these photographs, and can move the dental imaging device and / or adjust the relative position of the upper and lower jaws to guide a patient to take photographs of the teeth that satisfy the requirements.

14. 14. The dental imaging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the guidance information is calculated by the computer.

15. 14. The dental imaging apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a housing, the housing defining a chamber and a working surface, the working surface being a portion of a surface formed to surround the chamber, a first hole being formed in the working surface, the camera being fixedly mounted within the chamber, the shielding cylinder extending from an edge of the working surface, the mouth opener extending from an end of the shielding cylinder, and the camera being mounted such that the mouth opener can be used to spread a patient's lips and cheeks apart to capture images of the exposed teeth through the first hole and the shielding cylinder.

16. 16. The dental imaging apparatus of claim 15, wherein when the mouth opener is closed, the working surface and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity.

17. 16. The dental imaging apparatus of claim 15, wherein the chamber is a closed chamber.

18. 16. The dental imaging apparatus of claim 15, wherein a portion of the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the housing toward the mouth opening device, and another portion of the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the mouth opening device toward the housing.

19. 16. The dental imaging apparatus of claim 15, wherein the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the mouth opening device toward the housing, and the shielding cylinder is fitted to an edge of the working surface.

20. 16. The dental imaging apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a first end of the shielding cylinder is fitted to an edge of the working surface, and a second end opposite to the first end is connected to the mouth opener.

21. The dental imaging device of claim 15, further comprising N illumination light sources mounted within the chamber, and N second holes formed on the working surface in one-to-one correspondence with the N illumination light sources, such that the N illumination light sources provide illumination for image capture by the camera through the N second holes, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

22. 22. The dental imaging apparatus of claim 21, wherein N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N second holes are uniformly distributed around the camera.

Images