Teledentistry Imaging System with Real-Time Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Teledentistry systems face inefficiencies due to the challenge of capturing high-quality oral images without assistance, often resulting in unusable images due to improper capture of target teeth, poor clarity, lighting, or angles, which can delay treatment and increase costs.
Innovation Solution
An imaging system that uses an imager and processor to extract features from images, determining if they meet a predetermined threshold, and provides feedback to the user for physical adjustments to improve image quality, ensuring high-quality images are captured and transmitted to dental professionals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an individual captures oral images without assistance using a smartphone or imaging device, then accessibility and convenience are improved, but image quality and reliability deteriorate due to inability to visualize screen while capturing
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback to the user during image capture by analyzing the captured image and providing guidance on how to improve image quality. The processor extracts features from the captured image and generates feedback instructions that are displayed to the user, enabling them to adjust their capture technique to achieve diagnostic-quality images without professional assistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables individuals to perform their own oral health imaging and assessment without requiring a dental professional's direct assistance. Through automated feature extraction, quality assessment, and feedback mechanisms, the system allows users to independently capture and evaluate their own oral images, making the service accessible and convenient while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If multiple trial and error shots are taken to capture sufficient quality images, then image quality may be improved, but time consumption and productivity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of relying on multiple trial and error attempts, the system provides immediate feedback after each capture attempt, guiding the user on specific adjustments needed. This feedback mechanism reduces the number of attempts required by informing users of precise improvements needed, thereby maintaining image quality while significantly reducing time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of the captured image immediately upon capture, extracting features and determining quality metrics before the user needs to retake the image. This preliminary assessment allows the system to provide targeted feedback that prevents future capture errors, reducing the need for multiple attempts and improving overall efficiency.
3Productivity
If inferior images are used for analysis or additional images are requested, then the system can continue to operate, but treatment delays and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary quality assessment and feature extraction on captured images before they are used for diagnostic analysis. By evaluating image quality metrics and extracting relevant features in advance, the system ensures that only sufficient-quality images proceed to analysis, preventing treatment delays that would occur if inadequate images were submitted for review.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to users about image quality deficiencies and guides them to capture improved images before submission. This feedback loop prevents inferior images from reaching the analysis stage, ensuring continuous productive operation without treatment delays caused by requesting additional images or re analyzing poor-quality submissions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method (300) for obtaining images using an imaging device (100), comprising: obtaining (320), using an imager (10), an oral image (90); determining (330), by a sensor (70), an orientation of the imaging device; extracting (340), by a controller (30), one or more features (90') from the obtained image comprising at least an image quality feature and an object recognition feature; determining (350), by the controller, whether the extracted features satisfy a predetermined feature threshold; calculating (360), by the controller if the extracted features do not satisfy the predetermined feature threshold, a physical adjustment of the imaging device required to satisfy the predetermined feature threshold, based on the extracted features and the determined orientation of the imaging device; and providing (370), via a user interface (60), feedback to a user regarding the obtained image, wherein the feedback comprises instructions to implement the calculated physical adjustment required to satisfy the predetermined feature threshold.