Carestream Health, Inc.

Eastman-kodak Company

Carestream Dental Technology Topco Limited

Paul O McLaughlin

Victor C Wong

David Lynn Patton

Michael Alan Marcus

Rongguang Liang

Peter D Burns

Mark E Bridges

Michael K Budinski

John N Border

Joseph R Bietry

Phillip D Bourdage

Andrew Frederick Kurtz

Jean-Marc Inglese

Paul David Ludington

David A Richards

Jayson J Nelson

Michael R McGovern

John C Pulver

Gary M Spinelli

Eugene G Hill

John P Bowen

Jean Marc Inglese

An apparatus for obtaining an image of a tooth having at least one light source providing incident light having a first spectral range for obtaining a reflectance image from the tooth and a second spectral range for exciting a fluorescence image from the tooth. A polarizing beamsplitter in the path of the incident light from both sources directs light having a first polarization state toward the tooth and directs light from the tooth having a second polarization state along a return path toward a sensor, wherein the second polarization state is orthogonal to the first polarization state. A first lens in the return path directs image-bearing light from the tooth toward the sensor, and obtains image data from the portion of the light having the second polarization state. A long-pass filter in the return path attenuates light in the second spectral range.

Apparatus for caries detection

A method for displaying live video of a tooth identifies a tooth tissue region in a viewable image frame obtained from a video stream and processes pixel data within the tooth tissue region to identify a suspected caries site. Intensity values for pixels that correspond to the suspected caries site are modified and a highlighted viewable image frame is formed as a combination of the modified intensity values corresponding to the suspected caries site and other pixel values in the viewable image frame. The highlighted viewable image frame is displayed in video form.

Method for real-time visualization of caries condition

An apparatus for obtaining an image of a tooth having at least one light source providing incident light having a first spectral range for obtaining a reflectance image () from the tooth and a second spectral range for exciting a fluorescence image () from the tooth. A polarizing beamsplitter () in the path of the incident light from both sources directs light having a first polarization state toward the tooth and directs light from the tooth having a second polarization state along a return path toward a sensor (), wherein the second polarization state is orthogonal to the first polarization state. A first lens () in the return path directs image-bearing light from the tooth toward the sensor (), and obtains image data from the portion of the light having the second polarization state. A long-pass filter () in the return path attenuates light in the second spectral range.

An apparatus for imaging a tooth having a light source with a first spectral range and a second spectral range. A polarizing beamsplitter () light having a first polarization state toward the tooth and directs light from the tooth having a second polarization state along a return path toward a sensor (), wherein the first and second polarization states are orthogonal. A first lens () in the return path directs image-bearing light from the tooth, through the polarizing beamsplitter (), toward the sensor (), and obtains image data from the redirected portion of the light having the second polarization state. A long-pass filter () in the return path attenuates light in the second spectral range. Control logic enables the sensor to obtain either the reflectance image or the fluorescence image.

A method for caries detection uses an image capture device () to obtain fluorescence image data from the tooth () by illuminating the tooth to excite fluorescent emission. A first enhanced image of the tooth is then obtained by illuminating the tooth at a first incident angle, obtaining a back-scattered reflectance image data from the tooth tissue, and combining the back-scattered reflectance image data with the fluorescence image data. A second enhanced image of the tooth is then obtained by illuminating the tooth at a second incident angle, obtaining a back-scattered reflectance image data from the tooth tissue, and combining the back-scattered reflectance image data with the fluorescence image data. The first and second enhanced images are then analyzed to select and display the best-contrast image. This method provides high contrast images for carious regions () on all tooth surfaces.

Optical detection of dental caries

A tissue imaging system () for examining the medical condition of tissue () has an illumination optical system (), which comprises a light source (), having one or more light emitters, beam shaping optics, and polarizing optics. An optical beamsplitter () directs illumination light to an imaging sub-system, containing a spatial light modulator array (). An objective lens () images illumination light from the spatial light modulator array to the tissue. An optical detection system () images the spatial light modulator to an optical detector array. A controller () drives the spatial light modulator to provide time variable arrangements of on-state pixels. The objective lens operates in a nominally telecentric manner relative to both the spatial light modulator and the tissue. The polarizing optics are independently and iteratively rotated to define variable polarization states relative to the tissue. The modulator pixels optically function like pinholes relative to the illumination light and the image light.

Tissue imaging system

A method is disclosed for making deep microstructures in photoresist. The method utilizes a pool of photoresist on top of a transparent substrate and the laser is located below the substrate. Structures are created in the photoresist by transmitting the laser light through the substrate up into the photoresist. Since the photoresist does not have to be spin coated onto the substrate, very thick layers of photoresist can be used while the thickness uniformity is determined by the substrate surface. Alternately, a contoured substrate can be used while producing uniform structures.

Technique for making deep microstructures in photoresist

An optical nanocomposite material has a nanoparticulate filler dispersed in a polymeric host photoresist material. According to the method of making the nanocomposite material, a predetermined temperature sensitive optical vector, such as refractive index, of the plastic host material and nanoparticulate filler are directionally opposed resulting in a nanocomposite material having significantly improved stability of the refractive index with respect to temperature.

Photoresist nanocomposite optical plastic article and method of making same

A method for fabricating a mold tool for molding optical elements is taught which comprises heating a mold tool blank made from a vitreous material to a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the vitreous material; generating an axial viscosity gradient in the mold tool blank; pressing a punch into an optical quality mold surface of the mold tool blank, the punch including a pressing surface with a predetermined geometry for forming an optical feature; cooling the mold tool blank to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the material; and removing the punch from the mold tool blank thereby creating the optical feature in the optical quality mold surface. The axial viscosity gradient is achieved by creating an axial thermal gradient. Multiple optical features can be formed in the mold surface of the blank using a single punch such that the pressing, cooling and removing steps are repeated with the punch or the blank being translated to a different position between the last removing step and the next pressing step. In such manner, a high temperature glass mold tool can be formed which can be used to mold glass optical elements either individually or in arrays.

Method for forming a tool for molding microlens arrays

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of making a lens assembly with a plurality of lens arrays having a plurality of lenslets and at least one spacer having a plurality of holes, includes the steps of (i) arranging at least two lens arrays and the spacer, such that the spacer is located between the two lens arrays and the lenslets of one of the two lens arrays overlay the lenslets of another one of the two lens arrays and, the holes of the spaces are located between the corresponding lenslets of the two lens arrays; (ii) fixedly attaching the lens arrays and the spacer to one another to form an array assembly; and (iii) dividing the array assembly to create a plurality of individual lens systems. According to another aspect of the present invention, the optical assembly includes at least two lens arrays and at least one spacer with a plurality of holes. The spacer is located between the two lens arrays and is fixedly attached to the two lens arrays. The spacer has a thickness of 0.05 to 0.5 mm. The lens arrays have a plurality of lenslets of no more than 1 mm in diameter. It is preferred that the lens arrays have a largest dimension of at least 5 mm.

Optical assembly and a method for manufacturing lens systems

A method and apparatus is disclosed for compression molding arrays optical elements which may be later singulated. The apparatus includes first and second mold halves with the second mold half having a central nest and a plurality of predetermined negative optical surface features therein. A glass preform is placed in the central nest and the first and second mold halves and the glass preform are heated to at least the glass transition temperature of the glass preform. The glass preform is then pressed between the first and second mold halves to thereby form an integral array of optical elements with each of the optical elements being a positive of the predetermined negative optical surface features. The integrally formed array of optical elements is then cooled to below the glass transition temperature and removed from the first and second mold halves.

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Rochester, NY, United States of America

Paul O McLaughlin