Align Technology, Inc.

Cadent, Inc.

Alighn Technology, Inc.

Nir Makmel

Tal Verker

Yossef Atiya

Rami Boltanski

Ofer Saphier

Avi Kopelman

Tal Levy

Eran Ishay

Roee Gorfinkel

Erez Lampert

Amit Barak

Ariel Shalev

Arye Krasavets

Arkady Rudnitsky

Benny Gordon

David Altit

Adi Levin

Michael Sabina

Sergei Ozerov

Eliran Dafna

Eddy Pincu

Gal Peleg

Arad Zulti

Arthur Hsieh

Osnat Zac

Zakhar Ginzburg

Raphael Levy

Matthew Durban

Eran Green

Mike Sabina

Leon Rasovsky

Intraoral scanner wand

Apparatuses, including sleeves, intraoral scanning systems to use these sleeves, and methods of using the sleeve.

Intraoral scanner sleeve

Protective sleeve for an intraoral scanner

A dental scanning system comprises an intraoral scanner and one or more processors. The intraoral scanner comprises one or more light projectors configured to project a pattern (comprising a plurality of pattern features) on a surface of a dental object, and two or more cameras configured to acquire one or more sets of images, wherein each set of images comprises at least one image from each camera, and wherein each image includes at least a portion of the projected pattern. The processors are configured to determine one or more image features within each set of images, solve a correspondence problem within each set of images such that points in 3D space are determined based on the image features, wherein said points form a solution to the correspondence problem, and wherein the correspondence problem is solved for groups of pattern features, and generate a digital 3D representation of the dental object using the solution to the correspondence problem.

Intraoral 3D scanning system using structured light projection

An intraoral scanning system comprises an elongate handheld wand with a probe at a distal end, a structured light projector configured to project a uniform structured light pattern onto an object, a plurality of cameras configured to capture points of the uniform structured light pattern projected onto the object by the structured light projector, and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to determine a correspondence between projected points in the uniform structured light pattern generated by the structured light projector and captured points of the uniform structured light pattern captured by the plurality of cameras viewing the uniform structured light pattern projected onto the object, and to use triangulation and the determined correspondence to determine three-dimensional points in space associated with the captured points of the uniform structured light pattern captured by the plurality of cameras.

Intraoral 3D scanning system using uniform structured light projection

An intraoral scanner comprises a housing, a light source for generating light, an optics system for focusing the light, a detector for detecting returning light reflected off an intraoral object, and a focus shifting mechanism configured to shift a focal plane of the optics system. The optics system is configured such that, after having passed through the optics system, an outermost chief ray of the light with respect to an optical axis of the optics system is divergent to the optical axis and an outermost marginal ray of the light with respect to the optical axis is parallel or divergent to the optical axis.

Compact intraoral scanner

Apparatuses, including sleeves, intraoral scanning systems to use these sleeves, and methods of using the sleeve, that authenticate the sleeve for use with an intraoral scanning system. Authentication may include verifying that the sleeve is new (unused) and/or verifying that the sleeve is appropriate and/or intended for use with the intraoral scanning system. Once authenticated, operation parameters of the intraoral scanning system can be automatically set based on information from a scanned identifier on the sleeve.

Intraoral scanner sleeve authentication and identification

Removable barrier devices for covering an intraoral scanner. The barrier device includes a cover that is adapted to fit over a probe of the scanner. The cover includes a distal portion having walls defining an internal cavity for accommodating a distal end of the probe and formed of a first material, wherein at least one of the walls includes at least one window for allowing transmission of an optical signal between the probe and an external environment. The cover also includes a proximal portion coupled to the distal portion. The barrier device also includes a flexible sleeve adapted to cover a handle of the scanner, the flexible sleeve coupled to the proximal portion of the cover at an interface region configured to prevent fluid from passing through the barrier device between the cover and the sleeve.

Full-scanner barrier for an intra-oral device

A dental scanning system comprises an intraoral scanner and one or more processors. The intraoral scanner comprises one or more light projectors configured to project a pattern (comprising a plurality of pattern features) on a dental object, and two or more cameras configured to acquire sets of images, each comprising at least one image from each camera. The processor(s) are configured to determine a correspondence between pattern features in the pattern of light and image features in each set of images by determining intersections of projector rays corresponding to one or more of the plurality of pattern features and camera rays corresponding to the one or more image features in three-dimensional (3D) space based on calibration data that associates the camera rays corresponding to pixels on the camera sensor of each of the two or more cameras to the projector rays.

Dental scanning system with structured light projection

A dental articulator includes a first arm hingedly joined to a second arm about a pivot axis, where each one of the first arm and the second arm are configured to mount a dental model comprising at least one measurement element, and an inspection tool capable of checking the at least one measurable element against allowable tolerances. Each arm includes a mounting bracket having a distal portion adapted to mount the respective dental model and having a proximal portion. Each arm further has a base member having a distal portion adapted to hingedly join the first arm and the second arm about the pivot axis. The inspection tool comprises a first measurement device and a second measurement device. The first measurement device is coupled to the first arm or second arm and the second measurement device is coupled to the first arm or second arm.

Dental articulator with quality control features

An intraoral scanner comprises one or more structured light projectors and two or more cameras, where each structured light projector projects a pattern of light onto an intraoral three-dimensional (3D) surface and the two or more cameras capture one or more sets of images, wherein each image includes at least a portion of the projected pattern of light. A processor solves a correspondence problem within a set of images of the one or more sets of images such that points in 3D space are determined based on correspondence of captured features in the set of images to projected features of at least the portion of the projected pattern, wherein said points in 3D space form a solution to the correspondence problem. The processor calibrates the intraoral scanner by performing an adjustment to stored calibration data associated with the intraoral scanner based on the solution to the correspondence problem.

Automatic calibration of intraoral 3D scanner

An intraoral scanner comprises a light source for generating light, an optics system for focusing the light, and a light-guiding part having an entrance and an exit. The light source, the optics system and the light-guiding part are arranged such that the light passes through the optics system, enters the light-guiding part via the entrance, and exits the light-guiding part via the exit. The optics system is configured such that, upon entering the light-guiding part, an outermost chief ray of the light with respect to an optical axis of the optics system is divergent to the optical axis and an outermost marginal ray of the light with respect to the optical axis is parallel or divergent to the optical axis.

Intraoral scanner with improved ray footprint

An intraoral scanning system comprises and intraoral scanner and a processor. The intraoral scanner comprises one or more cameras and one or more structured light projectors, the intraoral scanner to generate a series of images using the one or more cameras, each image including at least a portion of a pattern projected by the one or more structured light projectors onto an intraoral three-dimensional surface. The processor runs a correspondence algorithm to compute respective three-dimensional positions of a plurality of features of the pattern on the intraoral three-dimensional surface, as captured in the series of images. The processor identifies the computed three-dimensional position of a detected feature of the pattern as corresponding to a particular projector ray r, in at least a subset of the series of images. The processor tracks the particular projector ray r across one or more additional images of the series of images.

Ray tracking for intraoral 3D scanner

Growing community of inventors

Tel Aviv, Israel

Nir Makmel