Surface mapping using an intraoral scanner with penetrating capabilities
Inventors
Inglese, Jean-Marc • Glinec, Yannick • Boyle, Eamonn • Vermelle, Eric • BELCARI, Marianne • Capri, Arnaud • Wong, Victor C.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11006835-B2
Publication Date
2021-05-18
Expiration Date
Abstract
An exemplary optical apparatus has an OCT imaging apparatus with a first light source for low coherence light of wavelengths above a threshold wavelength and a signal detector that obtains an interference signal between low coherence light from the sample and low coherence light reflected from a reference. A surface contour imaging apparatus has a second light source that emits one or more wavelengths of surface illumination below the threshold wavelength, a camera to acquire images from illumination reflected from the sample. The exemplary optical apparatus and/or exemplary methods for using the same can provide reduced errors in generating a dental 3D surface mesh.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to imaging an intraoral sample by obtaining optical coherence tomography imaging content and surface contour imaging content and mapping both to the same coordinate system. Optical coherence tomography imaging content is obtained by generating low coherence light with wavelengths above a threshold wavelength and obtaining an interference signal between a first portion scattered from the intraoral sample and a second portion reflected from a reference. Surface contour imaging content is obtained for the intraoral sample to support reflectance-based 3D surface mapping.
Depth imaging and registration are unified through segmentation of non deformable imaging content from the first depth imaging content associated to the surface contour imaging content. The non deformable imaging content is used to provide second depth imaging content from an extraoral depth imaging apparatus and to register the surface contour imaging content to the second depth imaging content using the non deformable imaging content. OCT imaging and surface contour imaging content are obtained and mapped to the same coordinate system using the non deformable content.
Spectrally separated light bands are used, with OCT low-coherence BNIR above the wavelength threshold and surface illumination below the wavelength threshold, sharing raster scanning to register OCT-derived surface contours to surface contour data in a common coordinate system. The OCT processing segments non deformable tissue content for mapping and registration, and the second depth imaging content can be an extraoral 3D scan such as CBCT to reduce full-arch mesh distortion and accumulated angular error.
Claims Coverage
The disclosed claim set centers on one primary imaging method with dependent refinements, totaling one independent claim as the core scope. The inventive features focus on spectral-threshold OCT generation and interference acquisition, simultaneous depth and contour acquisition, segmentation of non deformable content for registration, and mapping both OCT and surface contour content to a common coordinate system using extraoral depth imaging.
Coherent OCT imaging content mapped using non deformable content
Generating low coherence light of wavelengths above a threshold wavelength; obtaining an interference signal between a first portion scattered from the intraoral sample and a second portion reflected from a reference; segmenting among the first depth imaging content a non deformable imaging content; and using the non deformable content such that OCT imaging and surface contour imaging content are obtained and mapped to the same coordinate system.
Surface contour imaging content registered to extraoral depth imaging using non deformable content
Obtaining surface contour imaging content of the intraoral sample; simultaneously to obtaining surface contour imaging content, obtaining first depth imaging content associated to the obtained surface contour imaging content; providing second depth imaging content of the intraoral sample from an extraoral depth imaging apparatus; and registering the surface contour imaging content to the second depth imaging content using the non deformable imaging content.
Simultaneous or near-simultaneous acquisition of OCT and surface contour imaging content
The method where OCT imaging and surface contour imaging content are obtained simultaneously to near-simultaneously in a single imaging operation.
CBCT 3D second depth imaging and registration to non deformable content
Where the second depth imaging content is a CBCT 3D scan image, further including registering the non deformable content with the CBCT scan 3D image.
CBCT rescaling for depth processing
Rescaling a CBCT scan 3D image of the sample.
Rectification of surface contour imaging using registered second depth imaging content
Rectifying surface contour imaging content, either rigidly or non-rigidly, using registered second depth imaging content.
Michelson or Mach-Zehnder interferometer for OCT interference signal
Obtaining the interference signal using a Michelson or Mach-Zehnder interferometer.
Across the independent claim and its refinements, the core coverage requires obtaining OCT imaging content and surface contour imaging content, segmenting non deformable imaging content from first depth content, acquiring extraoral second depth imaging content, and registering surface contour imaging to the extraoral depth using the non deformable content so that both modalities are mapped to the same coordinate system. Dependent refinements specify simultaneous acquisition, CBCT as the extraoral depth source with registration and optional rescaling, contour rectification modes, and interferometer types for the OCT interference signal.
Stated Advantages
Documented Applications
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