Align Technology, Inc.

Tal Levy

Avi Kopelman

Ofer Saphier

Yossef Atiya

Tal Verker

Nir Makmel

Erez Lampert

Arkady Rudnitsky

Eliran Dafna

Sergei Ozerov

Gal Peleg

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

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

Apparatuses (e.g., systems, devices, etc.) and method for scanning both a subject's intraoral cavity as well as detecting, using the same scanner, e.g., wand, finger gestures and executing command controls based on these detected finger gestures.

Gesture control using an intraoral scanner

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 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

An apparatus for intraoral scanning includes an elongate handheld wand that has a probe. One or more light projectors and two or more cameras are disposed within the probe. The light projectors each has a pattern generating optical element, which may use diffraction or refraction to form a light pattern. Each camera may be configured to focus between 1 mm and 30 mm from a lens that is farthest from the camera sensor. Other applications are also described.

Intraoral 3D scanner employing multiple miniature cameras and multiple miniature pattern projectors

An apparatus for intraoral scanning comprises an elongate handheld wand comprising a probe at a distal end, one or more light projectors, and two or more cameras. Each light projector comprises at least one light source configured to generate light and a pattern generating optical element configured to generate a pattern of light when the light is transmitted through the pattern generating optical element. Each camera comprises a camera sensor and one or more lenses and is configured to capture a plurality of images that depict at least a portion of the projected pattern of light on an intraoral surface, wherein each camera is configured to focus at an object focal plane that is located between about 1 mm and about 30 mm from a lens of the one or more lenses that is farthest from the camera sensor.

Intraoral 3D scanner employing light projectors with pattern generating optical elements

A method for generating a 3D image includes driving structured light projector(s) to project a pattern of light on an intraoral 3D surface, and driving camera(s) to capture images, each image including at least a portion of the projected pattern, each one of the camera(s) comprising an array of pixels. A processor compares a series of images captured by each camera and determines which of the portions of the projected pattern can be tracked across the images. The processor constructs a three-dimensional model of the intraoral three-dimensional surface based at least in part on the comparison of the series of images. Other embodiments are also described.

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Rehovot, Israel

Tal Levy