Compact intraoral scanner with improved axial magnification

Abstract

An intraoral scanner comprises a light source to emit light, a spatial pattern to output patterned light, a beam splitter, an optical system to focus the patterned light, and a hollow front tip comprising a mirror to redirect the patterned light out of a side exit of the intraoral scanner. The intraoral scanner further comprises an image sensor to receive returning patterned light that has reflected off of the teeth and been redirected to the image sensor by the beam splitter. The intraoral scanner further comprises a depth scanning module to axially translate one or more lenses of the optics system in an optical axis to change a focus setting of the optics system. The depth scanning module is configured to axially translate the one or more lenses by 0.1-5 mm to achieve a depth scanning range of 5-40 mm at a scan speed of about 5-50 scans per second.