Schick Technologies, Inc.

Micron Technology Incorporated

Sirona Dental, Inc.

David B Schick

Stan Mandelkern

Jonathan Singer

Valeriy Armencha

David B Plass

Daniel A Neugroschl

Aaron Bratslavsky

Eric R Fossum

Daniel A Van Blerkom

Barmak Mansoorian

Anders Andersson

Arkadiy Royzen

Daniel Michaeli

Song Xue

Anthony A Scott

Iouri Kazarov

Leonid Khatutskiy

Noel Lucas

Michael C Stone

Valery Bratslavsky

An x-ray system comprises an x-ray tube, covered by a housing, which emits x-rays therefrom, and a receiver mounted within the x-ray tube housing. An electronic sensor receives the emitted x-rays, converts the received x-rays into electrical image data signals, and transmits the electrical image data signals to the receiver. An image processing unit processes the electrical image data signals received from the receiver.

Installation of a receiver as part of an x-ray tube housing

An electronic imaging sensor, which has an improved immunity to noise caused by unwanted x-rays, images an object by collecting charge carriers produced in the sensor when the object is exposed to x-rays. One or more shielding areas are formed proximate the sensor to capture or sweep away any undesirable charge carriers generated by the unwanted x-rays. The shielding areas extend deeper beneath the surface of the sensor than the depth at which the desired charge carriers corresponding to the object being imaged is collected. The shielding areas capture charge carriers formed by the unwanted x-rays, which penetrate into the sensor to a greater depth than the depth at which the. desired charge carriers are collected. In this way, the undesirable charge carriers are captured near the region where they are generated and before they migrate towards the surface where they can be collected and manifest as noise in the resulting image of the object.

Shielding an imaging array from X-ray noise

An intraoral sensor includes a radiation sensitive sensor array, an event detection circuit, and a transmitter. The radiation sensitive sensor array includes a scintillator which converts x-rays into visible light radiation, and a plurality of pixels sensitive to visible light radiation to capture an image upon the presence of incident radiation. The event detection circuit includes a current sensing device and is configured to generate a triggering signal indicating the presence of radiation incident on the sensor array based upon the amount of electrical current drawn by the sensor array. The transmitter is adapted to transmit via a wireless link signals representing an image captured by the sensor array.

Intraoral image sensor

An automatic frequency tuning (AFT) system which can effect immediate and accurate automatic frequency tuning of the local oscillator (LO) of a receiver, in order to achieve a stable intermediate frequency (IF) signal while reducing the power consumption and the cost of the system. In the automatic frequency tuning (AFT) system, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) converts the intermediate frequency (IF) to a digital value which is sent to a microcontroller. A signal sent from the microcontroller accurately and automatically tunes the local oscillator (LO).

Method for achieving immediate and accurate automatic frequency tuning

A system for capturing multiple intraoral images includes an intraoral sensor. The sensor includes a sensor array, a transmitter and a power source that provides power to the sensor array and the transmitter. The sensor is configured to be inserted inside a patient's oral cavity, capture an image upon the presence of incident radiation and transmit from within the oral cavity via a wireless link electrical signals representing the image. A base station positioned outside the oral cavity is configured to receive the electrical signals transmitted from the sensor. The sensor is capable of capturing transmitting to the base station electrical signals representing multiple intraoral images without requiring that the sensor be removed from the patient's oral cavity.

An image sensor chip is formed with the image sensor abutting up to three edges of the chip. Certain parts of the row logic which are required to be adjacent to each of the rows are placed into the array, in place of certain pixels of the array. Those missing pixels are then interpolated.

Three-sided buttable CMOS image sensor

A method of determining that radiation is incident upon a radiation sensor comprising a plurality of radiation sensitive pixels includes the steps of monitoring an amount of current drawn by the pixels, and generating a signal indicating a presence of incident radiation which the amount of current exceeds a predetermined amount.

Method of event detection for intraoral image sensor

An electronic image sensor includes a first subsystem that has a radiation sensitive sensor array that captures an image upon the presence of incident radiation, a second subsystem that provides signals to control the reading out of data from the sensor array; and a third subsystem that provides electrical power to the first and second subsystems. A fourth subsystem has a controller that provides control signals to the third subsystem, to selectively control the provision of electrical power to the first subsystem and the second subsystem.

Intraoral sensor having power conservation features

A dental camera is provided having multiple lenses. The dental camera has at least a first lens for use in an intra-oral mode, and at least a second lens for use in an extra-oral mode. The dental camera is switchable between the intra-oral mode and the extra-oral mode. Each lens is associated with an image sensor, for example, a CMOS active pixel sensor or a charge-coupled device.

Dental camera utilizing multiple lenses

Intraoral wireless sensor

A dental camera is provided which is capable of operating in a wireless mode and a wired mode. A handpiece includes circuitry for generating a signal representing a video image and a first connector. A wireless adaptor module includes a power supply for supplying power to the handpiece, a transmitter for transmitting the signal representing a video image, and a second connector that mates with the first connector when the dental camera is being operated in the wireless mode. A cable has a third connector that mates with the first connector when the dental camera is being operated in the wired mode. With this system, clinical flexibility is afforded to a dental practitioner.

Wireless dental camera

A circuit having a plurality of circuit blocks formed on a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The circuit blocks are stitched together by appropriately connecting input and output lines of the plurality of circuit blocks. The circuit also includes connecting circuits coupled to the plurality of circuit blocks. The connecting circuits provide low voltage drop across boundaries where the plurality of circuit blocks are stitched together.

Stitched circuits larger than the maximum reticle size in sub-micron process

A filmless dental radiography system includes an intraoral sensor that outputs image data and a computer having a universal serial bus port that receives data. The image data output by the intraoral sensor are input to the computer through the universal serial bus port.

Filmless dental radiography system using universal serial bus port

An x-ray detector includes a scintillator that converts an invisible-radiant-energy image into a visible-light image and a sensor array that converts the visible-light image into an electrical signal. The sensor array comprises a plurality of CMOS active pixel sensors.

Method for reading out data from an x-ray detector

A method and apparatus for producing a X-ray image of a patient's teeth by placing an intra-oral sensor having a plurality of pixels disposed in a linear array inside the patient's mouth, and moving a radiation source around outside of the patient's mouth. The intra-oral sensor detects the radiation that has passed through the patient's teeth and generates corresponding output signals that depend on the amount of radiation arriving at each pixel. The information contained in the output signals is stored and can be used to create an X-ray image of the patient's teeth. The intra-oral sensor can be moved about inside the patient's mouth in coordination with the movement of the radiation source in order to improve the resulting image quality. This method and apparatus can be used to obtain an X-ray image of any number of teeth, including a panoramic image of all of the patient's teeth, in a single, quick, uninterrupted operation.

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Flushing, NY, United States of America

David B Schick