US 12,446,760 B2
Reflection suppression for intraoral scanner
Arkady Rudnitsky, Rehovot (IL); Eliahou Franklin Nizard, Jerusalem (IL); and Shlomi Buganim, Beer Sheva (IL)
Assigned to Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 20, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/749,498.
Application 18/749,498 is a continuation of application No. 17/074,439, filed on Oct. 19, 2020, granted, now 12,042,124.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/925,323, filed on Oct. 24, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0335097 A1, Oct. 10, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 1/00 (2006.01); A61B 1/04 (2006.01); A61B 1/06 (2006.01); A61B 1/24 (2006.01); A61C 9/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 1/00142 (2013.01) [A61B 1/00009 (2013.01); A61B 1/00059 (2013.01); A61B 1/00096 (2013.01); A61B 1/00105 (2013.01); A61B 1/00108 (2013.01); A61B 1/00135 (2013.01); A61B 1/00194 (2022.02); A61B 1/043 (2013.01); A61B 1/063 (2013.01); A61B 1/0684 (2013.01); A61B 1/24 (2013.01); A61C 9/0053 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for intraoral scanning, the apparatus comprising:
an elongate wand comprising a probe at a distal end of the elongate wand;
one or more structured light projectors coupled to the elongate wand, the one or more structured light projectors configured to project a light pattern comprising a plurality of structured light features;
one or more cameras coupled to the elongate wand, each camera (a) comprising a camera sensor and objective optics comprising one or more lenses, and (b) configured to focus at an object focal plane that is located between 1 mm and 30 mm from a lens of the one or more lenses that is farthest from the camera sensor;
a window through which light exits and enters the probe, wherein the window reflects structured light features of the projected light pattern responsive to exposure of the window to the projected light pattern; and
a processor configured to:
detect the reflected structured light features; and
run a three-dimensional image reconstruction algorithm based on the projected light pattern and a reflected light pattern returning from an object exposed to the projected light pattern to generate a three-dimensional surface of the object, wherein the reflected structured light features that have been reflected off of the window are excluded from the three-dimensional image reconstruction algorithm.