Dynamic Virtual Articulator for Realistic Dental Occlusion Simulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual articulators lack the ability to simulate dynamic occlusion realistically, as they allow teeth to penetrate each other during collisions, which is not physiologically accurate, and do not allow for the simulation of complex jaw movements and restorations in real-time.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic virtual articulator is implemented, which provides a virtual three-dimensional model of the upper and lower jaws that can move relative to each other, simulating occlusion by blocking teeth from penetrating each other's surfaces, allowing for realistic collision simulations and enabling the design of dental restorations that account for jaw movements and occlusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If virtual articulators allow teeth to penetrate each other during collisions, then computational simplicity is maintained, but physiological accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the simple penetrable virtual model with a complex collision detection and response system that calculates contact points, normal vectors, and penetration depths between teeth surfaces, substituting mechanical penetration behavior with computational physics-based collision resolution to achieve physiological accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes multiple parameters during collision simulation including contact point coordinates, normal vectors, penetration depth, and collision force magnitudes, adjusting these parameters in real-time to accurately represent physiological tooth interactions while maintaining computational feasibility through optimized algorithms
2Manufacturing precision
If complex jaw movements are simulated in real-time, then functional accuracy of dental restorations is improved, but computational time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary preparation by pre-processing tooth surface geometry into suitable data structures, pre-calculating potential collision zones, and setting up constraint systems before actual movement simulation, enabling faster real-time computation of complex jaw movements while maintaining functional accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic simulation that adapts computational effort based on movement complexity, using real-time collision detection algorithms that adjust their precision and sampling rate according to the specific jaw movement being simulated, allowing functional accuracy to be maintained while optimizing computational time
3Reliability
If teeth are blocked from penetrating each other's surfaces, then occlusion simulation realism is improved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces simple non-penetration constraints with a comprehensive collision response system that calculates and applies collision forces, contact points, and normal vectors, substituting basic geometric constraints with physics-based mechanical interaction models to achieve realistic occlusion simulation
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts only the essential collision-related geometric information (contact points, normal vectors, penetration depths) from complex tooth surface geometries, separating the critical collision data from the full surface detail to reduce computational complexity while maintaining occlusion simulation realism
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a computer-implemented method of using a dynamic virtual articulator for simulating occlusion of teeth, when performing computer-aided designing of one or more dental restorations for a patient, where the method includes the steps of: providing the virtual articulator including a virtual three-dimensional model of the upper jaw and a virtual three-dimensional model of the lower jaw resembling the upper jaw and lower jaw, respectively, of the patient's mouth; providing movement of the virtual upper jaw and the virtual lower jaw relative to each other for simulating dynamic occlusion, whereby collisions between teeth in the virtual upper and virtual lower jaw occur; wherein the method further includes: providing that the teeth in the virtual upper jaw and virtual lower jaw are blocked from penetrating each other's virtual surfaces in the collisions.