Stereoscopic Scanning with Integrated Light for Plaque Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional oral scanners lack the ability to simultaneously detect tooth surface outlines and identify dental plaque or caries, and suffer from poor projection efficiency due to the separation of green and red light sources from the blue light source, leading to interference and reduced effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A stereoscopic scanning device with a projection module and imaging module, utilizing a color filter aperture with distinct penetration regions for structured and invisible light beams, allowing simultaneous detection of tooth structure and plaque/decay using blue, green, and red light sources, and near-ultraviolet light for plaque detection, with the optical sensor receiving multiple wavelength patterns to combine structural and lesion information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a conventional oral scanner uses separate green and red light sources distant from the blue light source, then the device can perform color reconstruction, but the projection efficiency deteriorates due to poor alignment and interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the blue light source, green light source, and red light source into a single integrated light emitting unit positioned adjacent to the structured light generator. This merging eliminates the interference problems caused by separate distant light sources and improves projection efficiency by ensuring all light sources are properly aligned with the structured light pattern projection path.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated light emitting unit serves multiple functions by simultaneously providing blue light for structured light pattern generation, green light for color reconstruction, and red light for enhanced color reproduction. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate light source arrangements and improves overall system efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional oral scanner only detects tooth surface outline, then the device structure remains simple, but the ability to detect dental plaque and caries is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enhances the detection system by integrating multiple detection capabilities into a single unified system. The optical sensor array can detect tooth surface outlines, identify dental plaque through fluorescence characteristics, and detect caries lesions, making the device universally applicable to multiple dental detection tasks without requiring separate systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes color and fluorescence changes to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy tooth structures. By analyzing the fluorescence characteristics and color variations of the tooth surface under multiple light wavelengths, the system can identify dental plaque and caries lesions in addition to the traditional tooth surface outline detection.
3Illumination intensity
If the wavelength range of red and green light is longer than blue light, then color reconstruction is achieved, but the projection efficiency deteriorates due to greater distance from the structured light generator
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges all light sources (blue, green, and red) into a single integrated unit positioned adjacent to the structured light generator. This eliminates the problem of longer wavelength light sources being positioned at greater distances, as all light sources are now co-located, ensuring optimal projection efficiency for all wavelengths.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device provides a plaque detection function, offering a colorful tooth model with preferred depth of field and projection efficiency, capable of distinguishing decayed or structurally defective teeth by combining structural and lesion information effectively.
Implementation Method 1
The visible light source is adapted to emit visible beams of multiple wavelengths to the structural light generator. The visible beam of a first wavelength is emitted towards the structural light generator to generate the structured light pattern.
Implementation Method 2
The color filter aperture has a first penetration region and a second penetration region. The structured light pattern passes through the first penetration region to reach the target object, and the visible beam of a second wavelength passes through the second penetration region to reach the target object.
Implementation Method 3
The imaging module includes an optical sensor adapted to receive the structure light pattern reflected from the target object.
Implementation Method 4
The optical sensor is adapted to receive the structure light pattern reflected from the target object for acquiring structure information of the target object.
Implementation Method 5
utilizing an invisible light source to emit an invisible beam passing through the first penetration region and the second penetration region of the color filter to reach the target object. utilizing the optical sensor to receive at least one excitation beam generated by the target object for acquiring lesion information
Data Source
AI summary
A stereoscopic scanning device is applied by a stereoscopic scanning method and includes a projection module and an imaging module. The projection module includes a structural light generator, a color filter aperture and a visible light source. The structural light generator creates a structured light pattern. The color filter aperture has a first penetration region and a second penetration region, and the first penetration region is smaller than the second penetration region. The visible light source emits a visible beam to the structural light generator, and the structured light pattern passes through the first penetration region to project onto a target object, and the visible beam that does not belong to the structured light pattern passes through the second penetration region to project onto the target object. The imaging module includes an optical sensor used to receive the structure light pattern reflected from the target object.