WO2000026847A1 - System and methods for analyzing tooth shades - Google Patents
System and methods for analyzing tooth shades Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2000026847A1 WO2000026847A1 PCT/US1999/022858 US9922858W WO0026847A1 WO 2000026847 A1 WO2000026847 A1 WO 2000026847A1 US 9922858 W US9922858 W US 9922858W WO 0026847 A1 WO0026847 A1 WO 0026847A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- tooth
- pixels
- pseudo
- image
- images
- Prior art date
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 183
- 238000005286 illumination Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 claims description 25
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 18
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000012935 Averaging Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 230000000007 visual effect Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- JSDXOWVAHXDYCU-VXSYNFHWSA-N cefminox Chemical compound S([C@@H]1[C@@](C(N1C=1C(O)=O)=O)(NC(=O)CSC[C@@H](N)C(O)=O)OC)CC=1CSC1=NN=NN1C JSDXOWVAHXDYCU-VXSYNFHWSA-N 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000000523 sample Substances 0.000 description 24
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 description 20
- 239000013074 reference sample Substances 0.000 description 20
- 230000000875 corresponding effect Effects 0.000 description 19
- 238000004458 analytical method Methods 0.000 description 18
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 13
- PMHURSZHKKJGBM-UHFFFAOYSA-N isoxaben Chemical compound O1N=C(C(C)(CC)CC)C=C1NC(=O)C1=C(OC)C=CC=C1OC PMHURSZHKKJGBM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 12
- 229910052573 porcelain Inorganic materials 0.000 description 12
- 239000013598 vector Substances 0.000 description 12
- 229940102872 bluemax Drugs 0.000 description 10
- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 description 10
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 7
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000011159 matrix material Substances 0.000 description 6
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 5
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 description 5
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000006872 improvement Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 description 5
- 238000002955 isolation Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000003086 colorant Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000002596 correlated effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000002537 cosmetic Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000002950 deficient Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 3
- 210000004283 incisor Anatomy 0.000 description 3
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000003491 array Methods 0.000 description 2
- 210000004763 bicuspid Anatomy 0.000 description 2
- 210000005252 bulbus oculi Anatomy 0.000 description 2
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000003973 paint Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 230000035945 sensitivity Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000011282 treatment Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910000497 Amalgam Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 241000282465 Canis Species 0.000 description 1
- 229920000742 Cotton Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 241000870659 Crassula perfoliata var. minor Species 0.000 description 1
- KRHYYFGTRYWZRS-UHFFFAOYSA-M Fluoride anion Chemical compound [F-] KRHYYFGTRYWZRS-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 description 1
- 0 OC1*CCCC1 Chemical compound OC1*CCCC1 0.000 description 1
- AMFGWXWBFGVCKG-UHFFFAOYSA-N Panavia opaque Chemical compound C1=CC(OCC(O)COC(=O)C(=C)C)=CC=C1C(C)(C)C1=CC=C(OCC(O)COC(=O)C(C)=C)C=C1 AMFGWXWBFGVCKG-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000005856 abnormality Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002253 acid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002547 anomalous effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009412 basement excavation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010923 batch production Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000008280 blood Substances 0.000 description 1
- 210000004369 blood Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 238000004364 calculation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012512 characterization method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001055 chewing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001010 compromised effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005314 correlation function Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000013481 data capture Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007547 defect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 208000002925 dental caries Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 239000013070 direct material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005553 drilling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011156 evaluation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 210000001508 eye Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001939 inductive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001788 irregular Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000014759 maintenance of location Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013507 mapping Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000013307 optical fiber Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008520 organization Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000002265 prevention Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003672 processing method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011002 quantification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 210000003296 saliva Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 239000000565 sealant Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000011218 segmentation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052709 silver Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000004332 silver Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004575 stone Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000001356 surgical procedure Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01J—MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY
- G01J3/00—Spectrometry; Spectrophotometry; Monochromators; Measuring colours
- G01J3/46—Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
- A61C19/00—Dental auxiliary appliances
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
- A61C19/00—Dental auxiliary appliances
- A61C19/10—Supports for artificial teeth for transport or for comparison of the colour
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01J—MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY
- G01J3/00—Spectrometry; Spectrophotometry; Monochromators; Measuring colours
- G01J3/46—Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters
- G01J3/462—Computing operations in or between colour spaces; Colour management systems
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01J—MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY
- G01J3/00—Spectrometry; Spectrophotometry; Monochromators; Measuring colours
- G01J3/46—Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters
- G01J3/463—Colour matching
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01J—MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY
- G01J3/00—Spectrometry; Spectrophotometry; Monochromators; Measuring colours
- G01J3/46—Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters
- G01J3/50—Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters using electric radiation detectors
- G01J3/508—Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters using electric radiation detectors measuring the colour of teeth
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/25—Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F18/00—Pattern recognition
- G06F18/20—Analysing
- G06F18/28—Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. by averaging or distorting; Generating dictionaries
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06T7/00—Image analysis
- G06T7/90—Determination of colour characteristics
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06V—IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G06V10/00—Arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding
- G06V10/40—Extraction of image or video features
- G06V10/56—Extraction of image or video features relating to colour
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06V—IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G06V10/00—Arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding
- G06V10/70—Arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding using pattern recognition or machine learning
- G06V10/74—Image or video pattern matching; Proximity measures in feature spaces
- G06V10/75—Organisation of the matching processes, e.g. simultaneous or sequential comparisons of image or video features; Coarse-fine approaches, e.g. multi-scale approaches; using context analysis; Selection of dictionaries
- G06V10/751—Comparing pixel values or logical combinations thereof, or feature values having positional relevance, e.g. template matching
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06V—IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G06V10/00—Arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding
- G06V10/70—Arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding using pattern recognition or machine learning
- G06V10/77—Processing image or video features in feature spaces; using data integration or data reduction, e.g. principal component analysis [PCA] or independent component analysis [ICA] or self-organising maps [SOM]; Blind source separation
- G06V10/772—Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. averaging or distorting patterns; Generating dictionaries
Definitions
- the invention is directed to methods and devices for tooth shade determination using digital signal processing. More specifically, the invention is directed to computer- based system and methods for analyzing color images of one or more teeth and comparing them to known tooth shades for use in certain clinical or cosmetic procedures.
- shade of an existing tooth. Such a determination is useful, for example, to patients seeking a whiter, brighter smile, who frequently want a record of their existing tooth color so they can make a before and after comparison. Shade determination is even more important when reconstructive work is done, since one goal of the process is to achieve a natural appearance. To this end, it is necessary to know the existing tooth shade so that it can be accurately matched with the new restoration.
- shade guides created by companies which manufacture reconstructive materials.
- One well-known shade guide is the VITATM shade guide, which includes sixteen different shades.
- Other, shade guides used in practice include the guides provided by BIOFORMTM and SR-VIVADENTTM.
- the existing shade guides are still utilized in a rudimentary fashion.
- the guide itself is a plastic plate with a plurality of removable color tabs that are shaped like a tooth, e.g., the front tooth.
- a dentist removes one or more of the colored tabs and holds them up to the patient's tooth to "eyeball" the closest match. Understandably, this approach sometimes fails, in part because of the need for a subjective assessment by the dentist, who may not be sufficiently qualified for the task.
- the process for selecting the porcelain for a particular tooth shade illustrates the difficulty in assessing and manufacturing the correct color match.
- porcelain is built by hand with a paint brush onto a model of the tooth to be restored.
- the porcelain is built in layers on the model to achieve translucency and natural appearance. Each layer has a particular color and intensity associated with it.
- the technician follows a "recipe" that is given by the manufacturer VIDENTTM, requiring a different shade for each layer of porcelain applied. If a doctor asks for a shade that is not a VITATM standard shade, the technician typically seeks to achieve that shade by combining different porcelain shade combinations together, to increase or decrease the chroma, hue and value of the shade.
- PCT Application WO97/01308 and U.S. Patent No. 5,766,006 addresses many problems associated with the prior art.
- the '006 patent discloses camera that connects to an electronic shade analyzer system. The camera captures a digital color image of a tooth and compares that image to a stored plurality of tooth shades. Once a match is determined, the matching tooth shade is communicated to a user of the system, so that the desired tooth can be constructed.
- the methodology disclosed in the patent also includes the specification of fractional tooth shades. It will be appreciated that the approach discussed in the '006 patent is a substantial improvement over the prior art at least in terms of removing several levels of subjectivity.
- the invention relates to methods and system for determining a patient's tooth shade using digital signal processing of an image of the tooth.
- a digital camera connects to a tooth shade analyzer, e.g., a digital video processor.
- the camera captures digital color images of the tooth, which are processed to form pseudo- pixels corresponding to areas of the tooth surface, and then compared to images of tooth shades relating to reference shade guides.
- the comparison is done over a set of pseudo-pixels, each corresponding to a group of pixels in an high- resolution camera. Once a match is found, it is communicated to a user of the system.
- the camera is equipped with a sleeve and illumination subsystems that help reduce the variations in the color of digital images due to external factors.
- the invention is a method for associating a tooth shade relative to a tooth, comprising: providing a digital image of the tooth, the digital image having pixels; processing the digital image to generate a REAL IMAGE formed of pseudo-pixels, at least one of said pseudo-pixels comprising two or more pixels of the digital image; correlating the generated REAL IMAGE with two or more REFERENCE IMAGES representing tooth shades to determine which tooth shade most closely matches visual characteristics of the tooth.
- the method of this invention further is comprises the steps of capturing digital images of two or more tooth shades, and processing the captured digital images to form said two or more REFERENCE IMAGES, which can be color images.
- the step of processing the digital image of the tooth comprises dividing the digital image into segments forming said pseudo-pixels, which can be based on the shape of the tooth, and need not be contiguous.
- the step of processing the digital image comprises determining pixels, the values for which are outside a pre-determined range compared with values of adjacent pixels, and excluding such pixels from further processing.
- the step of correlating comprises computing a closeness measure.
- the invention is a method for determining color characteristics a patient's tooth, comprising: providing a digital image of the tooth, the digital image having pixels; dividing the digital image into segments, each segment forming a pseudo-pixel comprising one or more pixels of the digital image; computing color characteristics of each pseudo-pixel based on the corresponding one or more pixels of the original image; and storing the computed color characteristics in a computer memory.
- the invention is a system for associating a tooth shade relative to a tooth, comprising: a digital camera for capturing digital images of human teeth, the digital images having pixels; a processor for converting digital images captured by the camera to REAL IMAGES formed of pseudo-pixels, at least one of said pseudo-pixels comprising two or more pixels of the digital image; and means for correlating the generated REAL IMAGE with two or more REFERENCE IMAGES representing tooth shades to determine which tooth shade most closely matches visual characteristics of the tooth.
- the system further comprising means for illuminating the tooth when capturing a digital image, and a sleeve for shielding a tooth from light not generated by said means for illuminating.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a shade analyzer system for capturing images in accord with a specific embodiment of this invention
- FIG. 2 shows a representative image captured by the system of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 shows a representative image made up of pixels as captured by detector elements of the system in accord with the invention
- FIG. 4 illustrates processing of the image of FIG. 3 using pseudo-pixels, in accord with one preferred embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 5 shows an end piece constructed for use with the system in FIG. 1, for simultaneous processing of an actual tooth image and various reference tooth shades;
- FIG. 6 illustrates a compression sleeve constructed according with a specific embodiment of the invention for capturing high-quality tooth images
- FIG. 7 illustrates a source-to-tooth illumination, for improved image capturing in accord with one embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 8 illustrates baffling and stray- light rejection within a sleeve in a specific embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 9 illustrates different pseudo-pixel imaging mechanisms, optionally dependent upon tooth shape characteristics, used in accord with the invention.
- FIG. 10 illustrates a non-contact tooth imaging system, with stray light rejection, constructed according to a specific embodiment the invention
- FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of a non-contact tooth imaging system in accordance with the present invention
- FIG. 12 illustrates a digital image of a tooth
- FIG. 13 illustrates a system for reimaging a tooth
- FIG. 14 illustrates various tooth decay patterns and restorations that can be addressed in accordance with the present invention.
- a solid state camera 12 e.g., a CCD camera coupled to a PC board, or an intra-oral camera
- a solid state camera 12 is utilized to capture one or more images of each known conventional tooth shade. Tooth shades used to this end may correspond, for example, to the VITATM Shade guide, or a shade guide corresponding to a porcelain by another dental products manufacturer.
- a first series of images taken in accordance with the invention corresponds to sequential images of the Al shade by Vita
- a second series of images corresponds to sequential images of the A2 shade by Vita
- captured image series of the known 7 tooth shade guides are properly labeled and then stored onto the hard disk of the computer, or other suitable storage device for further analysis.
- FIG. 2 illustrates a representative digital image 30 captured by the camera 12.
- each digital image has a plurality of picture elements, i.e., "pixels", corresponding to the elements of the solid state camera and representing the light intensity and color properties of a given spatial location on the tooth.
- the distance between adjacent pixels in the image is determined by the spatial resolution of the camera.
- an image of a tooth shade (or a human tooth) can be made up of 300 pixels in width across the tooth and 350 pixels in height. In human teeth, any given tooth is approximately the same size, give or take a couple of millimeters, for all people.
- a single digital image can be captured for each tooth shade or actual tooth.
- Those skilled in the art will appreciate, however, that taking a series of images per shade is preferable, since it reduces the risk of image anomalies, as explained in further detail below.
- each image or each image in a series is processed into a "pseudo" reference image (hereinafter PSEUDO IMAGE) made up of pseudo-pixels.
- pseudo-pixels correspond to groups of pixels covering specific areas (i.e., rectangular or square) of the image plane.
- FIG. 3 shows a blow up image of the pixels 42 (only representative pixels 42 are shown) which make up the tooth image 40 of FIG. 2.
- these pixels are transformed into pseudo-pixels 44, as shown in FIG. 4.
- each pseudo-pixel 44 is made up of all real pixels within the area of the associated pseudo-pixel.
- Pseudo-pixels 44b shown in the figure illustrate, for example, how a pseudo-pixel can be generated from nine real pixels 42.
- FIG. 4 also illustrates that an image can be made from either a real tooth 40 (resulting in a REAL IMAGE) or a reference shade 40 (resulting in a REFERENCE IMAGE).
- FIG. 9 shows how pseudo-pixels can be arranged in a preferred embodiment in different patterns, automatically, depending upon which tooth is imaged.
- an incisor 200 can have an arrangement of pseudo-pixels 202, as shown in the left-hand example, while a molar 204 can have an arrangement of pseudo-pixels 206, as shown in the right-hand example.
- such arrangements can be made automatically in the system of this invention by informing the computer 14, and hence the software 50, to apply pseudo-pixels in the appropriate pattern.
- Such arrangements assist in overall processing by ensuring appropriate pseudo-pixel placement.
- pseudo-pixels need not be contiguous, or aligned, such as shown by the arrangement of pseudo-pixels 206.
- the intensity and color associated with a pseudo-pixel are computed or otherwise formed as an average (or other statistical measure) of the actual pixels forming the pseudo-pixel.
- an actual image taken in the first step of the method corresponds to a rectangular tooth that is digitized at 300W by 35 OH resolution, i.e., having a total of 300x350 elements
- pseudo-pixels are generated by data derived from the actual pixels located within the pseudo-pixel. For example, in a specific embodiment one can average the red, green and blue (RGB) components for each of the 2500 pixels within each pseudo-pixel to determine a reference RGB for that pseudo-pixel.
- RGB red, green and blue
- Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other statistical measures or characteristics can be used, such as the mean "hue" measure of the pixels within a pseudo-pixel, or others.
- Hue - Cos "1 ( (0.5* ((R -G) + (R-B))) / ((R -B) * (G - B)) °' 5 ) If S 0, Hue is meaningless
- R, G and B emanating from one corner along three perpendicular edges.
- the origin corner (0,0,0) is black, and the opposite corner (1,1,1) is white. All points along this line from corner to corner are shades of grey.
- the HSI color space is this same cube stood on the origin corner, with the Black White line being vertical.
- the black - white line is the intensity axis, the hue is given by an angle from the intensity axis and the saturation is the distance from the intensity axis to the color point (i.e., the radius).
- the new VITAPAN 3D- Master Shade system uses an L*a*b* Color Sphere to determine tooth shades based on Value, Chroma and Hue. It is possible to convert the RGB values to this color system, if necessary or desired.
- PSEUDO IMAGES corresponding to series of images are processed then into a "REFERENCE IMAGE".
- the REFERENCE IMAGE is generated as an average (or other statistical measure) of the PSEUDO IMAGE series of images of the VITATM A2 shade guide.
- the measure in this example is obtained by averaging the R, G, B components for each pseudo-pixel of the A2 PSEUDO IMAGE series to determine an average RGB value for a pseudo-pixel of the REFERENCE IMAGE.
- the corresponding average values can also be determined for each pseudo-pixel of the PSEUDO IMAGE series; and, for example, an average hue (or other statistical measure of hue) can also be associated with each pseudo-pixel in the REFERENCE IMAGE.
- an average hue or other statistical measure of hue
- other color characteristics can be used alternatively or in conjunction with the measure of RGB and/or hue. It will be appreciated that if only one PSEUDO IMAGE is made per shade, than that PSEUDO IMAGE defaults as the REFERENCE IMAGE since no other statistical combination is available.
- pseudo-pixels are used in a preferred embodiment because they may reduce the processing load of the system, minimize storage requirements and also because they can simplify the task of aligning corresponding pixels from different images. Proper pixel alignment is important in order to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the statistical averages used in the formation of REFERENCE IMAGES. In this regard it will be appreciated that it is generally difficult to precisely align all pixels in several images taken from the shades of the same shade guide, unless there is extremely good control utilized in the image capture sequence. Using pseudo-pixels in accordance with the preferred embodiment reduces the total number of pixels per image and thus simplifies the task of aligning different images accurately.
- Pseudo-pixels are even more important in later steps of the processing method of this invention. That is, although one has complete freedom to set up the optics and the camera, which together determine the magnification of a captured tooth shade (or tooth) image, when trying to "match" a REFERENCE IMAGE to an actual digital image of a patient's tooth, the actual image (hereinafter referred to as a SNAPSHOT) may be quite different in shape and size (either real size or apparent size due to magnification differences in the optics or camera CCD element size). As such, a "one-to-one" comparison between the SNAPSHOT and the REFERENCE IMAGE is difficult.
- Pseudo-pixels help in this respect because the SNAPSHOT can be scaled to approximate the REFERENCE IMAGE size, or vice versa; and the SNAPSHOT can also be processed into pseudo-pixels.
- the scaled and pseudo-pixel version of the SNAPSHOT image is denoted as the "REAL IMAGE" hereinafter.
- Pseudo-pixels used in a preferred embodiment thus permit a convenient mechanism for comparing a REFERENCE IMAGE to a REAL IMAGE.
- each REFERENCE IMAGE preferably includes a "bad pixel" routine where each pseudo-pixel in the PSEUDO IMAGE series is analyzed for bad pixels.
- a "bad pixel” means any real pixel corresponding to a defective CCD element or corresponding to an area with an unwanted artifact, e.g., reflection, in the digital image, or an area that contains "background” imagery (e.g., any pixel image not corresponding to the tooth or tooth shade).
- Any pseudo-pixel in the PSEUDO IMAGE which contains a bad pixel is preferably not utilized in the generation of the REFERENCE IMAGE.
- a REFERENCE IMAGE is made up as an average of three PSEUDO IMAGES, and yet one pseudo-pixel in one of the PSEUDO IMAGES contains a bad pixel, then in a specific embodiment the resulting pseudo-pixel of the REFERENCE IMAGE is either discarded, or computed only as an average of the other two associated pseudo-pixels of the PSEUDO IMAGES.
- FIG. 4 illustrates bad pseudo- pixels 44a that contain pixels 42a, which are not part of the tooth image 40.
- Bad pixel routines used in accordance with a preferred embodiment to detect such pixels and disqualify them from further processing. For example, if 5% or more of the pixels within a pseudo-pixel are "bad" (e.g., containing reflections or other unwanted data), then such pseudo-pixels are disqualified. Though not shown, other pseudo-pixels might be disqualified if for example reflections from the light ports cause unwanted reflections in the other pseudo-pixels image 40. In a preferred embodiment, such pseudo-pixels are deleted from inclusion in the REFERENCE IMAGE.
- the bad pixel routine need only be implemented when capturing and generating REAL IMAGES. In that process, conditions such as lighting and other variables can create unwanted artifacts that should be eliminated from processing. In addition, when cameras are used in the field, one pixel might become defective over time; and REAL IMAGES later generated from the defective camera should be adjusted so that the pseudo-pixel which contains the bad pixel is not counted or utilized.
- areas of the tooth for which the color is to be evaluated are predefined, allowing the analyzer program operating in accordance with this invention to batch-process the images.
- a sample image can be loaded into an Area Selection Editor program module, where adjustments can be made to user-selected (or predefined) areas of the tooth image. These defined areas are then applied to each image in turn, and the pixel colors within each area are analyzed.
- the method of this invention proceeds to automatically select the area(s) of the sample for analysis, for example, by applying a general rule to locate the edges of the tooth in the image, and apply a predefined segmentation of the remaining area for analysis.
- the user is allowed to manually select an area of interest in the image, for example, using a computer mouse, as known in the art.
- the selected area is divided by using, for example a grid overlay, as shown in Fig. 9.
- a grid overlay As known, each shade has a varying color content from top to bottom. Therefore, in accordance with this embodiment a more accurate analysis of the entire surface of interest can be made if color determination and matching is applied to the individual cells of the grid, as compared with corresponding area cells of the stored color reference model for each shade guide.
- various filtering operations can be applied to the image, as known in the art. For example, filtering is applied to eliminate abnormalities such as lamp reflections or dark spots.
- maximum, minimum and average values for the R, G and B components can be determined over the area of interest and used to, for example, limit the variation from the average value to halfway to the maximum and minimum values.
- This simple filtering operation has shown satisfactory results in actual testing, although alternative or additional filtering operations can be applied, as known in the art in order to obtain a standard image.
- a SNAPSHOT of a patient's tooth is taken by the camera.
- the digital image of the SNAPSHOT is scaled, if necessary, to approximate the size of the corresponding REFERENCE IMAGE.
- SNAPSHOT pixels are next processed into pseudo-pixels resulting in a REAL IMAGE containing pseudo-pixels, which substantially correspond to REFERENCE IMAGE pseudo-pixels.
- a bad pixel routine preferably processes the REAL IMAGE to delete REAL IMAGE pseudo-pixels containing a bad pixel.
- the bad pixel routine is particularly important at the edges of the tooth image within the SNAPSHOT, where some pixels will certainly contain background (unless the camera and optics are arranged to capture only the tooth; however this is not efficient since effective matching between the REAL IMAGE and the REFERENCE IMAGE occurs when a larger area of the tooth is used in the comparison algorithms, which are defined in further detail below.
- the REAL IMAGE is compared (i.e., correlated) to each
- each pseudo- pixel of the REAL IMAGE is compared to each pseudo-pixel of the REFERENCE IMAGE; and a composite match number (“CMN") is created indicating how well the REAL IMAGE matches to that REFERENCE IMAGE.
- CMS composite match number
- the composite match numbers are compared to one another and one of the REFERENCE IMAGES is selected as the "best fit" match to the REAL IMAGE.
- the number of pseudo-pixels for that comparison are used as a ratio for comparison to other correlation.
- This aspect of the invention is described in more detail below.
- the averaging technique discussed above is used only when, for example, more than 20-25% of the pseudo-pixels are disqualified for all comparisons. Accordingly, so long as there is a sufficient number of remaining pseudo- pixels for comparison, a direct comparison of these pixels can be made without resorting to averages. In a specific embodiment, a sufficient number is deemed to be about 75-80% of the total number of pseudo-pixels available for comparison. Other ratios can be used in alternate embodiments.
- Bad pixel routines are generally known in the art and thus need not be described in much detail. It is sufficient to note that in accordance with this invention a pixel is determined to be “bad” if its light intensity or color values deviate by more than a certain predefined percentage from adjacent pixels known to be “good”. For example, if a pixel deviates by more than 30% from the light intensity of the neighboring 8 pixels, there is a good likelihood that this deviation is anomalous, i.e., due to a bad camera element or corresponding to an image border, and has to be discarded.
- a pseudo-pixel is validated only when it contains less than a certain percentage, i.e., about 5%, bad pixels of the total pixels making up the pseudo-pixel.
- bad pixels are also not used in the statistical characterization (e.g., RGB) of the pseudo-pixel. Accordingly, in this embodiment if more than about 5% bad pixels exist for a pseudo-pixel, the pseudo-pixel is not used in further processing.
- each REFERENCE IMAGE is actually a matrix of vectors, each vector corresponding to a pseudo-pixel.
- the REFERENCE IMAGE corresponding to the Al Vita Shade can be assigned as vector Z A] .
- the remaining fifteen shades for example each have a REFERENCE IMAGE too, e.g., Z ⁇ , Z ⁇ , etc.
- Each REFERENCE IMAGE vector "Z" - corresponding to shade guide or porcelain "X" - thus has data similar to the following matrix:
- each of the pseudo-pixels "PP" has three values for each of R, G and B values of the pseudo-pixel (actually, the RGB values are the statistically computed (e.g., averaged) composition of the images in the series for that REFERENCE IMAGE, if available).
- the subscript "x” refers to the appropriate shade, e.g., "Al”.
- Subscripts 1-n define separate pseudo-pixels in the REFERENCE IMAGE.
- each REFERENCE IMAGE might have 20x20 pseudo-pixels which define the REFERENCE IMAGE. Therefore, "n" in the above matrix is 400.
- each pseudo-pixel "PI" of the REAL IMAGE being a vector of RGB form (or, like above, containing other or additional factors such as hue):
- the Correlation Algorithm used in accordance with the present invention computes a measure of closeness, i.e., a composite match number
- CMN X the tooth shade or porcelain "X" is identified for the lowest associated value of CMN.
- - pseudo-pixel is not used in the valuation of CMN.
- CMN without the q-th pseudo-pixel; however, every other concurrent q-th pseudo-pixel valuation of CMN X in identifying the composite match number is also discarded, so that CMNs for all tooth shades can be compared correctly.
- ⁇ f the Correlation Algorithm of the embodiment illustrated above preferably uses a bad pixel routine to disqualify bad pseudo-pixels. It was noted already that this can create problems in certain situations. Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention the following alternative algorithm can instead be used:
- CMN Pcount x corresponds to the number of common pseudo-pixels found between the REAL IMAGE and the vector Z x .
- 30 Pcount x can be different for each CMN correlation. For example, if the REAL IMAGE has 400 pseudo-pixels, all good, and REFERENCE IMAGE for Al has 399 pseudo-pixels (e.g., one bad pseudo-pixel identified in the bad pixel routine), then Pcount A] is 399. If however the REFERENCE IMAGE for B4 has 256 pseudo-pixels, then Pcount B4 is 256. If in the same example the REAL IMAGE has 256 valid pseudo-pixels - and in the unlikely event
- Pcount B4 is still 256; however Pcount A1 is also 256 (assuming that the one bad pixel of REFERENCE IMAGE Al corresponds to one of the disqualified pseudo-pixels in the REAL IMAGE. If the one bad pseudo-pixel in REFERENCE IMAGE Al does not correspond to coordinates of one of the disqualified pseudo-pixels of the REAL IMAGE, a more likely event, then Pcount A1 is also 255.
- isolating the measure of closeness CMN in one of the above equations can also be determined without the square root operation - as a minimum composite match number will still be identified for the same functional conditions and/or data.
- the process of determining Pcount x can be made at any point. In a preferred embodiment, this process is initiated only after a certain percentage of pseudo-pixels are disqualified.
- colorimetric "laser-diode” measurements can be used to generate a reflection trace for each pseudo-pixel.
- a laser diode is "scanned" in wavelength so that a laser beam, scanned through a range of wavelengths, reflects off of each pseudo-pixel.
- This spectrophotometric-like trace information (for example containing reflectance per wavelength) can be collated with other such traces for other pseudo-pixels to generate a vector of such information.
- correlation between real and reference vectors is used to determine a best- fit color match.
- the camera used for capturing images has a focal plane array with fewer detector elements as compared to typical high resolution arrays (for example those arrays with 640x480 elements, or megapixel digital cameras).
- an array has a relatively small number of detectors, i.e., 20x20, 60x40 or others.
- Such a camera can alleviate the need for pseudo-pixels, as defined above, since each real pixel generated from each detector covers a relatively large area of the tooth image. In effect, such a camera generates "pseudo-pixels" in each digital frame image. Since fewer detector elements are used in this embodiment, it will be appreciated that the camera's overall cost can be reduced.
- magnification optics that only utilizes a small portion of the camera's array in obtaining the image; however such an approach wastes pixel information which has already been collected.
- the shape of the grid of pseudo- pixels defining each tooth is selected in a manner dependent upon how the tooth is positioned in the mouth. For example, an incisor tooth very nearly maps to a shade guide; however, with reference to Fig. 14, a posterior tooth does not, particularly relative to the image capture position of the camera. Further, it will be appreciated that for purposes of improving the appearance of a smile, anterior teeth are considerably more important than those in the posterior of the mouth. Thus, in a preferred embodiment it is desirable to provide more close matches, and correspondingly more dense and accurate grid patterns for the anterior teeth.
- grid shapes and correlation algorithms can depend upon tooth orientation within the mouth and/or upon generalized tooth shape.
- anterior teeth will have a (proportionately) larger number of pseudo-pixels than teeth in the back of the mouth for the same surface area.
- an image of a tooth or tooth shade may be analyzed by a flood fill algorithm to find the edges of the target tooth or tooth shade.
- a flood fill algorithm to find the edges of the target tooth or tooth shade.
- adjacent pixels are considered only if that pixel is in a valid color range.
- the maximum extent is then recorded for the search in the X and Y directions, forming the outer limits of the grid.
- contrast changes in groups of pixels can be considered and used to determine the extent; but a black border is easy to find.
- tooth shades are not used per se in defining a patient's tooth color. Rather, in a specific embodiment, a grid of pseudo-pixels is generated for the patient's tooth; and these (pseudo-)pixels define the porcelain for respective regions of the tooth. Pseudo-pixels are not actually required; and actual pixels can also be used in this manner to define porcelain characteristics for each spatial location in the mouth. Reconstructive tooth material is then specified per pixel or pseudo-pixel. A data file generated from the SNAPSHOT or REAL IMAGE is then processed to specify reconstructive materials with spatial precision, as defined by pixels or pseudo-pixels.
- RGB values can be used to tolerance both the measurement and materials specification. For example, by associating error bars with each measure - e.g., R +/- ⁇ R, G +/- ⁇ G, B +/- ⁇ B, where the ⁇ quantities are defined within certain practical tolerance limits - reasonable tolerances can be achieved. Tooth shades operate similarly in that each shade results in a quantized color difference from every other shade; and thus the aforementioned tolerancing technique provides similar accuracy to the above-described correlation algorithm.
- Cameras of the type required for use with this invention are generally known in the art and include, for example: INSIGHTTM, manufactured in San Carlos, California; CYGNASCOPETM offered by Cygnus Instruments, Inc., Goleta, California; VISTACAMTM and others.
- the system of this invention uses a Welch- Allyn brand camera.
- camera systems offering full- color imagery, which are capable of capturing a range of sizes, i.e., from the size of a typical patient's tooth preferably to images of the patient's whole smile.
- the camera it is advantageous for the camera to supply a minimum 640 x 480 pixel image to the PC software 24 bits per pixel (i.e., 8 bits for each of the red, green and blue (RGB) components), or preferably 30 bits per pixel.
- the system of this invention uses ALARIS QUICK VIDEO TRANSPORT frame grabber, providing digitized images with at least 24 bits resolution.
- the software can use a Twain protocol interface, as known in the art, which allows other cameras and frame grabbers to be tested without the need for a change of software.
- images captured by the camera are displayed on a monitor screen to provide instantaneous feedback to the system operator.
- the resolution of the camera is specified in terms of the Minimum Resolvable Color Difference that the complete system is able to achieve. This can be specified, for example, as the two RGB values of the two closest shades the system is required to differentiate. For example, the Chromoscop Shades 430 and 440 can be used to this end. In general, it is envisioned that the system should be able to differentiate between about 80 or more different shades. Another requirement is that the system should be able to produce repeatable images. That is to say that images of the same tooth taken at the same session should not have a ⁇ i of not more than 0J, which is the amount needed for the eye to perceive a difference.
- the camera used in the system of this invention is a CMOS imager.
- a stand-alone camera containing its own light source can be used, as explained below.
- the camera can be battery powered.
- the camera can sits on a holder containing an inductive battery charger when it is not in use.
- the camera when mounted on the charger the camera can be coupled via an isolation sleeve (to be explained below) to a calibration target, for example, made of porcelain.
- the output of the camera is supplied to a digitizer (such as a Sony digitizer) enabling convenient digital storage of the image.
- the output of the camera can also be supplied to a frame grabber in a PC. Both options can be used in a specific embodiment.
- the output of the camera can be supplied directly to a monitor (preferably positioned close to a surgery chair) and provide a digital output to a PC, which then need not be close to the patient.
- the output could be USB-type, or IEEE 1394.
- the digital output of the camera also provides the opportunity to control the camera from a PC.
- FIG. 1 shows a system 10 constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
- a solid state (or intra-oral) camera 12 connects to a computer 14 via a PC card 16 to capture images through a wand 18.
- the solid state camera 12 includes a detector array 12a including an array of detector elements 12b, which generate pixels in the digital images (e.g., SNAPSHOTS) captured by the camera 12.
- internal optics within the wand 18 and/or camera 12 permit the capture of an image of a target object 20 (for purposes of illustration, target object 20 is shown grossly over-sized as compared to other elements in FIG. 1) by the array 12a.
- relay optics 18a within the wand relays an image to the array 12a.
- a protection sleeve 22, discussed in further detail below (also grossly oversized for purposes of illustration), preferably extends from the wand 18.
- the optics provide an optical conjugate between the array 12a and the target object 20 through well-known imaging techniques.
- Light captured from the target object 20 enters the wand 18 for transfer to the camera 12 through an entrance aperture window 26.
- the wand 18 generates light 19 to illuminate the target object 20 through light ports
- a sleeve 22 Preferably, light from the outside 30 of a sleeve 22 is not permitted to illuminate the object 20 so that control is maintained; and thus the sleeve 22 shields the target area 20 from illumination by outside sources 30 (e.g., ambient room lighting).
- outside sources 30 e.g., ambient room lighting
- An aperture 32 within the center of the end piece 34 of the sleeve 22 is where the tooth or tooth shade are placed so that a SNAPSHOT (i.e., a digital image of the tooth or tooth shade) can be made.
- SNAPSHOTS are processed to form REAL IMAGES (from real teeth) or REFERENCE IMAGES (from tooth shades or porcelains, etc.).
- a black border 36 around the aperture 23 provides a good reference around which the tooth or tooth shade are discernible within the digital image of the target area 20.
- the remaining area 38 about the border 36 and within the end piece 34 is preferably a white reference sample, equally reflecting all light 19 from the light ports 28.
- digital images from the camera 12 are sent to the computer 14; and processing software 50 within the computer 14 processes these images to generate, i.e., a CMN for each REAL IMAGE relative to the REFERENCE IMAGES.
- the software 50 processes the CMNs to locate the lowest value CMN, indicating a match; and communicates the associated shade of that lowest CMN to the user via signal line 52.
- other processing algorithms can be developed to determine a best-fit match without departing from the scope of the invention.
- a representative digital image 30 captured by the camera 12 is illustrated in FIG. 2, showing an image 36' of the border 36, an image 38' of the reference sample 38, and a tooth image 40.
- FIG. 2 also illustrates obvious regions 41 of the image 30 that would generate bad pixels since such regions do not contain tooth imagery but rather other background imagery (e.g., the patient's gum).
- FIG. 3 shows a blow up image of the pixels 42 (only representative pixels 42 are shown), which make up the tooth image 40 of FIG. 2. In accord with the invention, these pixels are transformed into pseudo-pixels 44 of FIG. 4. Each pseudo-pixel 44 is made up of all real pixels within the area of the associated pseudo-pixel 44. Two pseudo-pixels 44b illustrate, for example, how a pseudo-pixel can be generated from nine real pixels 42.
- FIG. 3 shows a blow up image of the pixels 42 (only representative pixels 42 are shown), which make up the tooth image 40 of FIG. 2.
- pseudo-pixels 44 of FIG. 4 Each pseudo-pixel 44 is made up of all real pixels within the area of the associated pseudo-pixel 44.
- Two pseudo-pixels 44b illustrate, for example, how a pseudo-pixel can be generated from nine real pixels 42.
- REAL IMAGES and REFERENCE IMAGES are correlated to find the composite match number (CMN) as described above.
- FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of an end piece 98 used in accordance with a specific embodiment, that mounts to, or is made integrally with, the end of the sleeve (e.g., the sleeve 22, FIG. 1) and which has a series of tooth shades 100 disposed in the end plate 98, so that for each target 102 (e.g., the tooth or tooth shade), all relevant manufacturing shades are provided in the same digital image, thereby preventing color contamination or other anomalies caused by time delay.
- each shade 100 is processed as a REFERENCE IMAGE and the tooth 102 is processed as a REAL IMAGE relative to those REFERENCE IMAGES to find a CMN.
- a black border 104 surrounds the tooth aperture 106 and tooth 102.
- the remaining area 106 about the border 104 and in the end piece 98 is a reference area.
- the reference area 106 is a white reflecting region with can be sampled by detectors that image that region 106. Further examples of the use of reference area are discussed below.
- the system of the invention has an isolation sleeve serving to reduce variations in the images captured and processed by the system, and in particular to eliminate light contamination from external sources.
- the isolation sleeve preferably keeps the reference shade and the actual tooth at a set distance from the illumination source and the camera optics.
- the sleeve also preferably sets the angle of illumination between the source and the tooth so as to reduce reflections. More particularly, the REFERENCE IMAGES and the REAL IMAGE are preferably taken at the same illumination intensities, at approximately the same distance, and without substantial specular reflections from the source.
- the sleeve shields the camera detector from imaging outside light and instead utilizes internally generated light (i.e., internal to the camera, for example, or associated with an intra-oral wand attached to the camera) that can be controlled.
- the sides (or side) of the sleeve are coated in a specific embodiment with a black material (e.g., a paint or a black mat paper, or black felt), which reduces reflections along the sleeve to the tooth or reference shade.
- a black material e.g., a paint or a black mat paper, or black felt
- target area refers to the image gathering location that the system of the invention (i.e., that region captured by the camera's detectors), including the REAL or REFERENCE IMAGE, as defined above.
- FIG. 6 shows one end of wand 130 and a sleeve 132 constructed according to a specific embodiment of the invention.
- the wand 103 connects to a solid state camera (not shown, for purposes of illustration) to collect digital images of the target region 134 at the end of the sleeve 132.
- the target region 134 includes an aperture (not shown) for imaging a tooth therein.
- Light 135 from the camera or wand 130 exits the wand 130 at optical aperture 136 to illuminate the target region 134.
- the sleeve 132 used in the camera system of the present invention includes an accordion-like exterior, which permits soft placement of the end of the sleeve onto the patient's tooth.
- a sleeve is not entirely rigid so that the sleeve 132 can make contact without concerns about damaging the tooth.
- the outer portion of the sleeve 132 in this embodiment thus acts similar to a spring, and an inner structural member within the sleeve sets the final source-to-tooth distance once the outer sleeve/spring compresses to the desired location.
- the accordion- like sleeve 132 compresses between the target region 134 and the wand 130, as shown by compression arrow 138.
- a user of the wand/sleeve 130/132 pushes the sleeve 132 to the patient's tooth, and the sleeve 132 compresses to provide comfortable (i.e., non-rigid contact).
- the sleeve 132 is spring-like to provide some force opposing to compression.
- This force increases until there is an interaction between the sleeve 132, and/or the end piece of the sleeve 132 (i.e., the part of the sleeve at the target region 134), and the rigid structural member 140 within the sleeve 132.
- the member 140 stops compression at a fixed location so that a set distance is achieved from the aperture 136 and the target region 140; and so that a repeatable image size is attained.
- the camera system of this invention includes a light source that illuminates the target area.
- the sleeve 132 can be made to rotate so that images are gathered from difficult locations in the mouth.
- the light source is tied to fiber optics which rotate with the sleeve so that regardless of sleeve position the source-to-target area remains approximately fixed.
- the camera includes optics, such as image collection optics and/or an entrance window. In system embodiment including this feature, the camera optics is tied to fiber optics, so that images are captured effectively regardless of the position of the sleeve.
- the sleeve used with the dental camera system of the present invention incorporates imaging optics which relay the tooth image through a Lyot stop, to prevent passage of unwanted light energy to the camera detectors.
- the sleeve incorporates baffling - such as "two-bounce" optical stray light baffling - to reduce or substantially eliminate stray light from external sources to the desired tooth image area.
- FIG. 7 shows illumination arrangement in a preferred embodiment of the system of the invention.
- the source 150 of the illuminating wand 152 (connected to the solid state camera, not shown) is angled from the target area 154.
- the sleeve 156 connected to the wand 152 is arranged adjacent to a patient's tooth 158, so that digital images can be taken of the tooth 158 (according to the practices discussed herein) through the wand's optical entrance aperture 160.
- FIG. 7 also shows how light 162 emitting from the source 150 travels in a generally specular direction 164, reflecting off the tooth 158 into a direction 166 that is away from the aperture 160.
- optics e.g., fibers and/or relay lenses
- FIG. 7 also shows how light 162 emitting from the source 150 travels in a generally specular direction 164, reflecting off the tooth 158 into a direction 166 that is away from the aperture 160.
- optics e.g., fibers and/or relay lenses
- FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of a sleeve 168 constructed according to the invention to reduce passage of light 171 into the wand's entrance aperture 169 from sources 170 away from the target object (e.g., the tooth 172).
- the sleeve 168 is especially useful in imaging the tooth 172 without adjacent proximity to the sleeve 168, as illustrated in FIG. 8.
- the sleeve 168 includes baffles 168a known in the art, which require at least one "bounce” and preferably two bounces of the light 171 prior to gaining access to the entrance aperture 169, thereby significantly attenuating "out of field" sources 170 (i.e., those unwanted sources which might influence the color measure, e.g., room lighting).
- baffles 168a can be placed within other sleeves shown herein to improve out-of-field stray light rejection.
- the sleeve used in the dental camera system of this invention includes a reference sample disposed at the end of the sleeve, near the target area, so that: (a) color comparison information can be obtained; and/or (b) the camera has sufficient reflective surfaces from which to effectively trigger the camera's auto-brightness and/or auto-color features.
- certain cameras available on the market include electronics and software which automatically adjust brightness and/or color in a digital image. Preferably, in this embodiment such features are disabled.
- the reference sample is sized so that a sufficient reflection area is generated at the end of the sleeve, whereby the camera can operate to capture good color images.
- the sample should be sized so that RGB values vary in a controlled or calibrated manner throughout the reasonable tooth shade reflections (e.g., throughout all Vita Shades).
- one preferred embodiment of the invention utilizes the reference sample to obtain a color reference used to reduce variations in the digital image.
- Color is based on “reflection” - that is, what the camera sees at the target area is based on reflection of whatever source illuminates the target.
- the source is limited to the camera's illuminating source, thereby eliminating other sources and color variations that are not controllable (e.g., the ambient lighting in a building). It is well known that a black body absorbs visible light; and a white reflects the light.
- the reference sample is as white as possible so that it exhibits very little color (and particularly, the sample reflects light equally in the visible light range from between about 400nm to 800nm).
- the following process occurs:
- this REAL IMAGE has quite a bit more color difference (compared to the REF IMAGE, which is the important quantity) than, e.g., a REAL IMAGE with -.05, .2, J.
- the square of the RSS destroys the sign importance.
- the reference sample compensation algorithm described above is used in a specific embodiment to compensate for certain variations.
- the auto-brightness feature of certain cameras changes the color of the light emitted from the camera (this is sometimes referred to in the art as the color temperature).
- the reference sample compensation thus also compensates for image acquisition changes which occur over time.
- the source may emit more or less light, over time, even over several minutes or hours; and it would be desirable to eliminate such variations to increase the sensitivity to color comparisons.
- the passage of time during an image acquisition sequence only adds to the variability in the measurement: the source color temperature may change, the detector sensitivity or gain may change, etc.
- the white reference is integrated to find REF RGB, per frame.
- REF RGB is then subtracted from each pixel RGB in the image (or the other way, i.e., image RGB subtracted from REF RGB, as long as consistent throughout every measurement).
- REF RGB is subtracted from pseudo-pixels; but preferably REF RGB is subtracted from real pixel RGBs.
- the sleeve used with the dental camera system of the present invention is formed in the following way.
- a central aperture exists preferably in the middle of the target area (e.g., an object such as a tooth or shade is placed at the aperture).
- Surrounding the central aperture is a black border, to provide high contrast at the edges of the target object.
- a target object such as a tooth is thus readily defined and discerned within the black border.
- the aperture also fixes the size of the image for the tooth or tooth shade.
- the amount of white reference sample in the target area can be chosen experimentally.
- the average mid point in the auto-brightness (if operating) is obtained so that on average REF RGB changes little.
- the size of the white sample in the target area is adjusted in area until REF RGB is minimized for all shade values, e.g., A1-A4, B1-B4 and so on.
- the auto brightness control on the camera adjusts to higher gain to 'balance' the intensity of the image, causing the reference and sample parts to saturate in the red and green.
- the walls of the sleeve are selected mat black to eliminate reflections, but the facing plate containing the target area is bright to force the camera gain downwards, out of non-linear color operability.
- the camera's auto features are turned off (and at least any white balance is set to manual).
- the reference sample is made of a light colored felt material.
- the sleeve walls are made of a felt material.
- the felt material has elements which extend away from the material producing more of a lambertian surface. Such surfaces are preferred as they reduce unwanted specular reflections.
- the sample reference produces an excellent image when it is not specular.
- a black velour paper can be used in the sleeve, such as by JL Hammett Co.
- FIG. 10 illustrates a non-contact re-imaging system 250 used in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention to image a target tooth 252 without contact between the tooth 252 and a sleeve 254.
- Optics 255 reimage the tooth 252 internal to the sleeve 254, at internal image 256, and a Lyot stop 258 is used to reduce unwanted stray light entering the aperture 260 to the camera (not shown).
- FIG. 11 illustrates a non-contact re-imaging system 300 used to image a target tooth 302 to a digital camera 304, and without contact between the tooth 302 and the system 300 or camera 304.
- this reimaging system 300 can be made in several forms, in one embodiment the system 300 includes a sleeve 306 that permits hand-held manipulation into a patient's mouth to capture the digital image of the tooth 302.
- optics 308 reimage the tooth 302 internal to the sleeve 306, at internal image 310, and a stop 312 is used for color referencing in analyzing the tooth color. Stop 312 forms an aperture defined by edge 312a.
- Region 322 defines that region inside the patient's mouth that is not the patient's tooth 310.
- Region 324 consists of a color reference which is used as described herein to relate and compare to color pixels of the digital image of the tooth image 310, so as to better define tooth color.
- system 350 of FIG. 13 shows one system of the invention to reimage a tooth 352 to an internal image 354 for reimaging into a digital camera 356.
- camera 356 takes SNAPSHOTS of the tooth 352, for color analysis.
- Optical element 358 images the tooth into optical fiber bundle 360, which relays the image from one side 360a to the other side 360b of the bundle 360, as known in the art.
- Optical elements 362 provide for reimaging to form the internal image 354 at the stop 364.
- the stop 364 has a reference color disposed thereon, facing camera 356, so that a reference color image is attained such as in FIG. 12.
- Fiber optic bundle 366 relays the image 354 from side 366a to 366b, and exit optics 368 provides for relaying the tooth image to the camera 356.
- One convenient feature of system 350 is that fibers 366, 360 can be flexible; and a sleeve 370 can support these elements to provide a hand-held wand that can be inserted into a patient's mouth to acquire the image.
- Camera 356 can provide its own light source 356a which generates light 356b back along the optical path taken by tooth image 354.
- source 356a can be carefully selected for its color characteristics to facilitate tooth color detection; and further light 356b can illuminate stop 364 inside the sleeve or wand 370 so that the camera 356 can detect and compare its color to the tooth's color image 354.
- FIG. 14 shows certain tooth restorations and decays, which illustrations can help understand more fully aspects of the invention discussed above.
- a healthy tooth, free from any decay with no current restoration (“restoration” is any part of a tooth that is replaced with a material that allows the tooth to remain in the mouth as a functioning and whole structure) is referred to as a "virgin” tooth.
- restoration is any part of a tooth that is replaced with a material that allows the tooth to remain in the mouth as a functioning and whole structure
- a healthy tooth free from any decay with no current restoration
- restoration is any part of a tooth that is replaced with a material that allows the tooth to remain in the mouth as a functioning and whole structure
- occlusal decay decay in the top, or biting surface
- Typical progression of decay in a tooth is as follows: Following C.V. Black's classifications, a tooth can require a restoration in the following positions:
- CLASS 1 - occlusal area that is, within only the top or biting surface of the tooth, usually beginning in the groove or crevice. This term is used only for posterior (back) teeth, i.e., molars and premolars.
- CLASS 2 - area made up of occlusal and one or more sides of the tooth, either mesial (wall towards front) and/or distal (wall towards back) and or buccal(wall towards cheek) and or lingual(wall towards tongue) so that a class 2 restoration may be termed "MO” (mesial-occlusal), "MOD”, "OB”, etc.
- CLASS 3 area of an anterior, or front, tooth involving only an interproximal wall, that is mesial or distal, areas that face neighboring teeth.
- CLASS 5 area of any tooth on only the buccal or lingual wall
- CLASS 6 area of a tooth involving the cusp tip ( cusp being the highest point of the tooth , like the mountain peak; this would apply to canines, premolars, and molars)
- the decayed portion of the tooth needs to be removed. This is achieved through the use of a handpiece (drill). Once excavation of decay is complete, the remaining tooth structure is evaluated for restoration possibilities. A "filling" is placed if 50% or more of the tooth remains, with the stress-bearing areas of the tooth remaining intact (such as cusps and walls of the tooth which are active in biting and chewing process). If these areas of the tooth are compromised, a laboratory-processed restoration is required.
- the tooth surface is etched with a cleanser (typically 37% hydrophosphuric acid), rinsed, and treated with an adhesive, which is bonded to the tooth by use of a curing light - a light with a wand attachment that is about 11 - 13 cm in width and emits a light in the range of 400-500 nanometers.
- the material is then placed into the cavity by hand instruments or via dispensing through a carpule/cartridge system in a syringe. The material is somewhat condensed into place at 2-3 mm intervals, and light cured in between.
- the restoration is polished and contoured using finishing burs (tips) on the handpiece (drill).
- the tooth requires a lab fabricated restoration, such as an inlay, onlay or crown, further steps need to be taken (Inlay being a Class 2 restoration NOT including cusps, onlay being a Class 2 restoration including cusps, crown being full, or total coverage of the tooth).
- the tooth is shaped to make the final shape not have any undercuts, with walls as parallel as possible for retention purposes.
- an impression, or mold is taken of the tooth, which is in a material that remains accurate despite temperature changes, moisture, pouring stone into the mold and removing it several times.
- An impression of the opposite arch of teeth, or opposing arch is taken also so that the technician can articulate, or put together the two arches and simulate the patient's mouth or bite.
- a registration of such a bite can be taken also and sent with the case. So that the things sent to the lab for such a case are: impression of the tooth to be restored and adjacent teeth, model or impression of opposing teeth, and possibly a bite registration.
- FIG. 14 Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the invention to determine the appropriate color shades of the tooth as illustrated in FIG. 14 can be accomplished by the methods herein, and/or by systems disclosed in the several figures. Using a wand of the invention, furthermore, various teeth (as in FIG. 14) can be acquired for digital evaluation. In accord with the invention, digital files of patients' teeth can be stored in memory of computer 14, FIG. 1, for a permanent record. A patient can then be evaluated over time for color changes.
- VITATM Shade guide is often discussed herein, it should be apparent that other shade guides and porcelains can be stored as REFERENCE IMAGES and compared to REAL IMAGES in alternative embodiments of this invention.
- Computer memory can store a large number of images, even from different manufacturers, so as to provide the optimum color fit to a patient's tooth.
- IVOCLAR has one suitable shade guide, as well as various materials of porcelains, ceromers, polymers, and others.
- a database can store REFERENCE IMAGES for match correlation to REAL IMAGES.
- the invention performs a conversion to other manufacturer shades and or porcelains so that alternative laboratories can be used without undue concern for manufacturer alliance.
- a conversion between known shade guides is provided for increased lab selectivity. It will be appreciated that the conversion of digital images involves mapping from one set of color coordinates to another, which procedure is well known in the art and need not be considered in further detail.
- one major problem due to auto brightness is that if there is not enough light material in the image, the auto brightness turns the gain up too high, and the R and G values saturate in the sample.
- the reference can saturate in places. This can be compensated some by using an end plate at the end of the sleeve that will be all white but with the black border round the sample aperture.
- a reference color area can be included in one corner so that the camera adjusts brightness for the constant white area leaving the reference and sample somewhere in the middle of the operable RGB ranges.
- an average of the reference sample is used. Specifically, over the range of images taken, an average REF RGB (denoted "AVE REF RGB”) is determined for the reference sample. For each individual image, the difference is calculated between the REF RGB and the AVE REF RGB. This delta RGB is then added to the image RGB to correct for any compensation in the camera. Thus if the image is brighter than the average image, the difference is subtracted from the sample values and vice versa.
- REF RGB denoted "AVE REF RGB”
- the reference sleeve has an end plate which contains all tooth shades for a given manufacturer (so that one sleeve is used for a particular manufacturer). Any image therefore acquires the sample tooth as well as all the tooth shades; and image processing commences on the one digital image. This is advantageous in that camera color drift is compensated for since all images are taken at the same time.
- APPENDIX A contains, for disclosure purposes, non-limiting source code for use with certain aspects of the invention.
- interface uses Windows, Classes, Graphics, Forms, Controls, StdCtrls, Buttons, ExtCtrls; type
- OKButton TButton
- AboutBox TAboutBox; implementation ⁇ $R +.DFM ⁇ end.
- Tfr lmageDisplay class (TForm) pnllmage: TPanel; pmilmage: TPMultilmage; procedure FormCreate (Sender : TObject); procedure pmilmagePaint (Sender : TObject); private
- DisplayGrid boolean; procedure DrawGrid (Area TRect; Rows, Columns : integer); procedure DrawGrids; public
- RefRo s integer
- RefCols integer
- Bottor Round (Area. Bottor * ScaleY);
- RefRows integer
- RefCols integer
- RefA RefArea
- RefR RefRows
- ImageDisplay - page 3 unit RefDisplay; interface uses
- TfrmReferenceDisplay class (TForm)
- Panell TPanel; sgAnalysis: TStringGrid;
- Panel2 TPanel; edGridCol: TEdit; udGridCol: TUpDown; edGridRow: TEdit; udGridRow: TUpDown;
- Label1 TLabel
- Label2 TLabel
- Label3 TLabel; procedure FormCreate (Sender : TObject); procedure InsertShadeData (Shade : TShadeColours) ; procedure edGridColChange (Sender : TObject); procedure LoadShades (Shades : TShadeReferences); procedure edGridRowChange (Sender : TObject); private
- Rowlnsertlndex integer
- Rowlnsertlndex : TitleRow + 1; sgAnalysis.
- Cells [NameColumn, TitleRow] : 'Shade'; sgAnalysis.
- Cells [RedColumn, TitleRow] : 'Red'; sgAnalysis.
- Cells [GreenColumn, TitleRow] : 'Green'; sgAnalysis.
- Cells [BlueColumn, TitleRow] : 'Blue'; sgAnalysis.
- Cells [VariationColumn, TitleRow] : 'Variation'; sgAnalysis.
- IDisplayRow integer
- TfrmSampleLocator class (TForm) Panel1: TPanel; pmilmage: TPMultilmage; OpenDialog: TOpenDialog; btnLoadSample: TButton; edXPos: TEdit; Labell: TLabel; edYPos: TEdit; Label2: TLabel; rgLocation: TRadioGroup; Panel2: TPanel; Label3: TLabel; Label : TLabel; edRefX: TEdit; Label5: TLabel; edRefY: TEdit; Label6: TLabel; edSa pleX: TEdit; Label7: TLabel; edSampleY: TEdit; Label8: TLabel; btnSave: TButton; btnCancel: TButton; procedure pmilmageMouseMove (Sender: TObject; Shift: TShiftS
- SampleLocation Point(300, 160); if FileExists (frmShadeAnalyzer .DiskDrive + 'AnalyseX' + IniFileName) then begin try
- IniFile : TIniFile .Create (frmShadeAnalyzer .DiskDrive + 'AnalyseX' + IniFileName) ; with ReferenceLocation do begin
- X StrToInt (IniFile . ReadString (IniSampleSection, IniSampleX, 'ERROR' ) ) ;
- ReferenceLocation point (StrToInt (edRefX. Text) , StrToInt (edRefY. Text) ) ;
- SampleLocation point (StrToInt (edSampleX. Text) , StrToInt (edSampleY . Text) ) ; if FileExists ( frmShadeAnalyzer . DiskDrive + 'AnalyseX ' + IniFileName) then begin try
- IniFile TIniFile . Create ( frmShadeAnalyzer . DiskDrive + ' AnalyseX ' + IniFileName) ; with ReferenceLocation do
- OpenDialog.Options [ofPathMustExist, ofFileMustExist] ; if OpenDialog. Execute then begin pmilmage . Picture . LoadFromFile (OpenDialog . Filename) ; end; end; procedure TfrmSampleLocator.pmilmageClic (Sender: TObject); begin
- SampleLocator - page 4 unit Sdimain; interface uses Windows , Classes , Graphics , Forms , Controls, Menus , Dialogs , StdCtrls, Buttons , ExtCtrls , ComCtrls, ShadeData; const
- TfrmShadeAnalyzer class (TForm) SDIAppMenu: TMainMenu; FileMenu: TMenuItem; Exitltem: TMenuItem; Nl : TMenuItem; OpenDialog: TOpenDialog; Helpl: TMenuItem; About1: TMenuItem; StatusBar: TStatusBar; Calibrate: TMenuItem; Optionsl: TMenuItem; Showlmagel: TMenuItem; ShowReferencel: TMenuItem; SetSampleLocl : TMenuItem; Analysel: TMenuItem; gbShadeSet: TGroupBox; btnLoad: TButton; btnSave: TButton; edShadeSetName: TEdit; gbSampleAnalysis: TGroupBox; btnMatch: TB
- Shades TShadeReferences; function Analyselmage (FileName : string; ShadeName : string) : TShadeColours; function FindNearestShade (Sample : tShadeColours) : string; procedure LoadShadeSet (Filename : string); public
- DiskDrive string;
- NewCalibration boolean; end; var frmShadeAnalyzer : TfrmShadeAnalyzer; implementation uses
- IniFile TIniFile . Create (DiskDrive + 'AnalyseX' + IniFilename) ;
- Tooth TTooth
- Tooth : TTooth. Create;
- RefArea Tooth. FillSearchSampleLimits (frmSampleLocator .ReferenceLocation) ; frmlmageDisplay. DefineGrids (RefArea, RefRows, RefColumns, Rect (0, 0, 0, 0) , SampleRows, SampleColumns); Application. ProcessMessages;
- RemoveMask (RefArea) ; frmlmageDisplay.pmilmage . Picture . Bitmap.Assign (Tooth.ToothBitmap) ; Application . ProcessMessages ;
- DeltaRed RefRedMedian - DeltaRed
- DeltaGreen RefGreenMedian - DeltaGreen
- DeltaBlue RefBlueMedian - DeltaBlue
- SampleArea Tooth. FillSearchSampleLimits (frmSampleLocator . SampleLocation) ; frmlmageDisplay. DefineGrids (Rect (0, 0, 0, 0) , RefRows, RefColumns, SampleArea, SampleRows, SampleColumns) ;
- Tooth. RemoveReflection (SampleArea) ; frmlmageDisplay.pmilmage. Picture. Bitmap.Assign (Tooth. ToothBitmap) ;
- ShowReferencelClick (Sender : TObj ect ) ; begin f rmRef erenceDisplay .
- LoadShades ( Shades ) ; frmRef erenceDisplay . ShowModal ; end;
- SampleColours TShadeColours
- OutStream : TFileStream. Create (Filename, fmCreate or fmShareCompat);
- IniFile TIniFile . Create (DiskDrive + 'AnalyseX' + IniFilename) ; IniFile. WriteString (IniShadeSetSection, IniDefaultGuide, lFilename) ; finally
- InStream TFileStream. Create (Filename, fmOpenRead or fmShareCompat);
- IniFile TIniFile . Create (DiskDrive + 'AnalyseX' + IniFilename); IniFile. riteString (IniShadeSetSection, IniDefaultGuide, lFilename) ; finally
- LoadShadeSet OpenDialog. Filename
- end procedure TfrmShadeAnalyzer .
- FormClose Sender : TObject; var Action: TCloseAction
- the Shade reference is divided into a grid. Each area of the grid is analysed, and the average Red, Green and Blue values are stored. If there is an edge element in the sample, the valid flag is set to ignore the area in correlation matches. ) interface uses
- Green real48; // Average green content
- RedMax real48
- GreenMax real48
- BlueMin real48; constructor Create; function ColourDifference (ShadeColour : TShadeColourElement) : real48; procedure StoreColour (R, G, B : real48; Percent : real) ; procedure AddColour (R,G, B : real48; Percent : real); function ValidCell : boolean; procedure SaveToStream (OutStream : TStream); procedure LoadFromStream( InStream : TStream); private end;
- Name string; // Name of the Shade reference etc.
- GridColours array [1..GridWidth, 1..GridHeight] of TShadeColourElement; function ColourDifference (ShadeColours : TShadeColours) : real48; procedure SaveToStream (OutStream : TStream);
- ShadeList TList; constructor Create; procedure AddSample (Sample : TShadeColours); procedure Clear; procedure SortList; procedure ReduceList; procedure SaveToStream (OutStream : TStream); procedure LoadFromStream (InStream : TStream); private end; implementation uses
- BlueMin 1000; end; procedure TShadeColourElement.
- StoreColour R,G,B : real48; Percent : real) ; begin
- ReadBuffer GreenMin, SizeOf (GreenMin) ) ; InStream. ReadBuffer (BlueMax, SizeOf (BlueMax) ) ; InStream. ReadBuffer (BlueMin, SizeOf (BlueMin) ) ; end; function TShadeColours .ColourDifference (ShadeColours . TShadeColours) : real48; var
- Widthlndex integer
- Widthlndex integer
- GridColours [Widthlndex, Heightlndex] : TShadeColourElement .Create; GridColours [Widthlndex, Heightlndex] .LoadFromStrea (InStream) ; end; end; procedure TShadeReferences .AddSample (Sample : TShadeColours); begin
- ShadeList Clear; end; constructor TShadeReferences . Create ; begin
- ShadeList Sort (SortCompare) ; end; procedure TShadeReferences .
- ReduceList ; var
- AverageShadeColours TShadeColours
- ShadeData - page 5 AverageCount array [ 1.. GridWidth, 1.. GridHeight] of integer; begin
- Averaged ⁇ hades : TList . Create;
- Name: TShadeColours (ShadeList . Items [Shadelndex- 1] ) .Name; end;
- AveragedShades .Add AveragedShades .Add (AverageShadeColours) ;
- NumberOfShades integer;
- TSplashState (splCenter, splMovmg, splDone) ;
- TfrmSplashScreen class (TForm)
- Timerl TTimer
- pnlLogo TPanel
- Image 1 TImage; procedure TimerlTimer (Sender : TObject); procedure FormCreate (Sender : TObject); procedure FormPamt (Sender : TObject); private
- WidthStep integer;
- CanPamt boolean; public
- Timerl. Enabled false; end; end;
- CanPaint : true; ⁇ $ELSE ⁇
- TRect Area : TRect; NoRows, NoCols : integer) : TRect; public
- ToothBitmap TBitmap
- ToothBitmapMask TBitmap; constructor Create; procedure Free; procedure LoadBitmapFromFile (Filename : String); procedure RemoveReflection (TestArea : TRect); procedure RemoveMask (TestArea : TRect); function FillSearchSampleLimits (StartPoint : TPoint) : TRect; procedure Analyse (Row, Col : integer;
- ToothObject - page 1 FillSearch ( StartpointX+x, StartpointY+y) ; end end; end; begin
- TestArea TRect; ColSpacing : real; RowSpacing : real; begin with Area do begin
- Top Top + Trunc (RowSpacing * Row); TestArea.
- Bottom Top + Trunc (RowSpacing * (Row + 1)); TestArea.
- Left Left + Trunc (ColSpacing * Col); TestArea.
- Right Left + Trunc (ColSpacing * (Col + 1)); end;
- ToothBitMap. Canvas. Pixels [i, j] : 0 else begin
- Red : ToothBitMap. Canvas . Pixels [i, j ] and RedMask;
- Green : (ToothBitMap. Canvas . Pixels [i, j ] and GreenMask) shr 8;
- ToothObject - page 3 BlueMask : longint $00FF0000 ;
- TDirection (Up, Down, Left, Right); constructor TTooth. Create; begin
- ToothBitmap TBitmap. Create;
- ToothBitmap. Width : 640;
- ToothBitmap. Height : 480;
- ToothBitmapMask.Width : 640;
- ToothBitmapMask. Height : 480;
- ToothBitmapMask Free;
- Red : ToothBitmap. Canvas . Pixels [StartpointX+x, StartpointY+y] and RedMask;
- Green : (ToothBitmap. Canvas . Pixels [StartpointX+x, StartpointY+y] and GreenMask) shr 8;
- Blue : (ToothBitmap . Canvas . Pixels [StartpointX+x, StartpointY+y] and BlueMask) shr 16; if ((Red + Green + Blue)/255) > Boundrylntensity then begin
- ToothBitmapMask. Canvas. Pixels [StartpointX+x, StartpointY+y] : 0;
- TestArea TRect; PixelCount : longint; i : integer; j : integer; RedTotal : longint; GreenTotal : longint; BlueTotal : longint; Red, Green, Blue : integer; begin
- TestArea CalculateTestArea (Row, Col, Area, NoRows, NoCols) ; with TestArea do
- PixelCount (Right - Left + 1) * (Bottom - Top + 1);
- Red : ToothBitMap . Canvas . Pixels [i, j ] and RedMask;
- Green : (ToothBitMap. Canvas . Pixels [i, j ] and GreenMask) shr 8;
- Blue : (ToothBitMap. Canvas. Pixels [i, j] and BlueMask) shr 16;
- PixelCount : PixelCount - 1; // Ignored this pixel end; end;
- ToothObject - page 4 // Normalised RGB if PixelCount > 0 then begin
- G GreenTotal / PixelCount / 255;
- PixelPercentage PixelCount / ( (Bottom-Top+1) * (Right - Left+1)); end else begin
- Hue : 0 ; end; end; // CalculateHSI procedure TTooth .
- LoadBitmapFromFile ( Filename : String) ; begin
- ToothBitmap LoadFromFile ( Filename ) ;
- ToothBitmap Dormant ;
- ToothBitmapMask Assign (ToothBitmap) ; end; // LoadBitmapFromFile
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (6)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CA002316212A CA2316212C (en) | 1998-11-03 | 1999-10-04 | System and methods for analyzing tooth shades |
AT99950091T ATE439646T1 (en) | 1998-11-03 | 1999-10-04 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ANALYZING THE COLOR NUANCES OF TEETH |
JP2000580153A JP2002529122A (en) | 1998-11-03 | 1999-10-04 | System and method for analyzing tooth shade |
DE69941249T DE69941249D1 (en) | 1998-11-03 | 1999-10-04 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ANALYZING THE COLOR NUANCES OF TEETH |
EP99950091A EP1042729B1 (en) | 1998-11-03 | 1999-10-04 | System and methods for analyzing tooth shades |
AU62819/99A AU6281999A (en) | 1998-11-03 | 1999-10-04 | System and methods for analyzing tooth shades |
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10692098P | 1998-11-03 | 1998-11-03 | |
US60/106,920 | 1998-11-03 | ||
US10929998P | 1998-11-19 | 1998-11-19 | |
US60/109,299 | 1998-11-19 | ||
US12061299P | 1999-02-18 | 1999-02-18 | |
US60/120,612 | 1999-02-18 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2000026847A1 true WO2000026847A1 (en) | 2000-05-11 |
WO2000026847A9 WO2000026847A9 (en) | 2001-07-12 |
Family
ID=27380218
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US1999/022858 WO2000026847A1 (en) | 1998-11-03 | 1999-10-04 | System and methods for analyzing tooth shades |
Country Status (8)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6210159B1 (en) |
EP (2) | EP1042729B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2002529122A (en) |
AT (1) | ATE439646T1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU6281999A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2316212C (en) |
DE (1) | DE69941249D1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2000026847A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP1903502A2 (en) * | 2006-09-20 | 2008-03-26 | Olympus Corporation | Image analysis taking account of the position of a specular reflection in the image |
US8386061B2 (en) | 2008-06-02 | 2013-02-26 | Dentsply International Inc. | Methods for designing a customized dental prosthesis using digital images of a patient |
Families Citing this family (25)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2001041632A2 (en) | 1999-12-08 | 2001-06-14 | X-Rite Incorporated | Optical measurement device and related process |
US20020045831A1 (en) * | 2000-04-14 | 2002-04-18 | Wake Robert H. | Scanner for a medical optical imaging device employing suppression of optical reflections |
US6743014B2 (en) | 2000-05-16 | 2004-06-01 | Ivoclar Vivadent Ag | Shade determination apparatus and method for specifying and determining colors for teeth and dental restorations |
DE10023840B4 (en) | 2000-05-16 | 2004-01-22 | Ivoclar Vivadent Ag | Shade setting device and method for determining and setting shades for teeth and tooth restorations |
EP1252859A3 (en) | 2001-04-27 | 2003-12-17 | Firma Ivoclar Vivadent AG | Dental camera with mouthpiece |
US20030078806A1 (en) * | 2001-06-01 | 2003-04-24 | Kudryk Val L. | Teledentistry consult management system and method |
EP1262751B1 (en) * | 2001-06-01 | 2011-04-06 | Ivoclar Vivadent AG | Apparatus and method for analysing light |
US6821116B2 (en) | 2001-09-12 | 2004-11-23 | Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc. | System for scanning oral environment |
US20030156681A1 (en) * | 2002-02-15 | 2003-08-21 | Egidio Cianciosi | Dental imaging system and apparatus using IEEE 1394 protocol |
US7295702B2 (en) * | 2002-03-28 | 2007-11-13 | Color Savvy Systems Limited | Method for segmenting an image |
FR2842300A1 (en) * | 2002-07-11 | 2004-01-16 | Sopro | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SELECTING THE SHADE OF A DENTAL TEEN |
US6908307B2 (en) | 2003-02-03 | 2005-06-21 | Schick Technologies | Dental camera utilizing multiple lenses |
FR2853727B1 (en) * | 2003-04-09 | 2006-05-05 | Jean Pierre Tretout | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR EVALUATING TINT OF AN OBJECT BY SPECTROMETRY |
US7118374B2 (en) * | 2003-06-09 | 2006-10-10 | Ivoclar Vivadent Ag | Enhanced tooth shade guide |
US7064830B2 (en) * | 2003-06-12 | 2006-06-20 | Eastman Kodak Company | Dental color imaging system |
DE10352394B4 (en) * | 2003-11-10 | 2009-07-30 | Ivoclar Vivadent Ag | Intraoral camera device and method for producing an aligned image of an intraoral object, in particular a patient's tooth |
US9931188B2 (en) * | 2009-05-29 | 2018-04-03 | Ivoclar Vivadent Ag | Dental color key |
WO2014073642A1 (en) * | 2012-11-09 | 2014-05-15 | 富士フイルム株式会社 | Camera system, color conversion device and method employed thereupon, and color conversion program |
DE102013106554A1 (en) | 2013-06-24 | 2014-12-24 | Qioptiq Photonics Gmbh & Co. Kg | Non-contact dental device |
US10613727B2 (en) | 2016-02-19 | 2020-04-07 | Ppg Industries Ohio, Inc. | Color and texture match ratings for optimal match selection |
CN109475285B (en) | 2016-04-13 | 2021-07-06 | 检查员研究系统公司 | Dual frequency dental examination |
US11094085B2 (en) | 2018-08-23 | 2021-08-17 | Ivoclar Vivadent Ag | System comprising a color selection aid and a method for determining tooth colors |
EP3613381B1 (en) * | 2018-08-23 | 2022-10-19 | Ivoclar Vivadent AG | System consisting of camera-app and a colour selection assistance unit and method for determining the color of teeth |
EP3613382A1 (en) * | 2018-08-23 | 2020-02-26 | Ivoclar Vivadent AG | System consisting of a colour selection body and a method for determining the color of teeth |
CN110393602A (en) * | 2019-06-24 | 2019-11-01 | 杭州芸景网络科技有限公司 | A kind of repeatability is strong and artificial tooth colorimetric method with high accuracy |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4654794A (en) * | 1984-02-18 | 1987-03-31 | Colorgen, Inc. | Methods for determining the proper coloring for a tooth replica |
US4836674A (en) * | 1985-12-13 | 1989-06-06 | Bertin & Cie | Method and apparatus for determining color, in particular of a dental prosthesis |
US5430811A (en) * | 1991-12-25 | 1995-07-04 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Method for interpolating missing pixels and an apparatus employing the method |
Family Cites Families (34)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3986777A (en) | 1974-08-22 | 1976-10-19 | Weber Dental Mfg. Co., Div. Of Sterndent Corporation | Tristimulus colorimeter for use in the fabrication of artificial teeth |
CH646788A5 (en) | 1978-11-28 | 1984-12-14 | Hell Rudolf Dr Ing Gmbh | METHOD AND CIRCUIT FOR DETECTING COLORS. |
US4247202A (en) | 1979-06-25 | 1981-01-27 | Canadian Instrumentation And Research | Automatic computing color meter |
FR2465213A1 (en) * | 1979-09-13 | 1981-03-20 | Oreal | APPARATUS FOR DIGITAL COLORING OR COLOR MODIFICATION OF AN OBJECT |
NL7907746A (en) | 1979-10-19 | 1981-04-22 | Harmen Broersma | COLOR ANALYZER. |
JPS57184937A (en) | 1981-05-08 | 1982-11-13 | Omron Tateisi Electronics Co | Color discriminating element |
US5311293A (en) | 1983-07-18 | 1994-05-10 | Chromatics Color Sciences International, Inc. | Method and instrument for selecting personal compatible colors |
EP0144461B1 (en) | 1983-12-14 | 1987-05-20 | DR.-ING. RUDOLF HELL GmbH | Method of and circuit arrangement for the recognition of chrominances and colours |
US4692481A (en) | 1984-09-27 | 1987-09-08 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Process for matching color of paint to a colored surface |
EP0207089A1 (en) | 1984-11-28 | 1987-01-07 | DI MATTIA, Massimo | A spectrum-photometer device for exactly determining the colour of a dental plate and of dental pluggings |
US4881811A (en) | 1988-02-16 | 1989-11-21 | Colorgen, Inc. | Remote color measurement device |
US5012431A (en) | 1988-03-31 | 1991-04-30 | Colwell/General, Inc. | Objective color notation system |
FR2637368B1 (en) | 1988-09-09 | 1990-12-07 | Bertin & Cie | METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE COLOR OF AN OBJECT, IN PARTICULAR A DENTAL PROSTHESIS |
GB8918605D0 (en) | 1989-08-15 | 1989-09-27 | Mckeown Samuel T J | Shade distinguishing device |
US5124797A (en) | 1990-07-20 | 1992-06-23 | New Image Industries, Inc. | Modular view lens attachment for micro video imaging camera |
JPH04301530A (en) | 1991-03-29 | 1992-10-26 | Minolta Camera Co Ltd | Dental color meter |
JPH04338465A (en) | 1991-05-15 | 1992-11-25 | Kazuo Eto | Shape/color tone adjusting apparatus for prosthesis tooth |
JP2937559B2 (en) | 1991-07-31 | 1999-08-23 | キヤノン株式会社 | camera |
US5231472A (en) | 1991-09-16 | 1993-07-27 | Ppg Industries, Inc. | Color matching and characterization of surface coatings |
FR2685477B1 (en) | 1991-12-23 | 1994-04-01 | Bertin Et Cie | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING THE COLOR OF A TRANSLUCENT OBJECT, SUCH AS A TOOTH. |
US5273429A (en) | 1992-04-03 | 1993-12-28 | Foster-Miller, Inc. | Method and apparatus for modeling a dental prosthesis |
US5240214A (en) | 1992-07-06 | 1993-08-31 | Birnbaum Martha R | Deck rail mounting device |
US5240414A (en) | 1993-01-05 | 1993-08-31 | Thompson Charles C | Method for shade selection in restorative dentistry |
DE4305968C2 (en) | 1993-02-26 | 1996-04-04 | Techkon Elektronik Gmbh | Handheld measuring device for remission measurements on colored control fields of printed sheets |
SE502035C2 (en) | 1993-12-06 | 1995-07-24 | Nobelpharma Ab | Method and apparatus for producing information for the production of artificial support organs or replacement parts for the human body |
US5766006A (en) | 1995-06-26 | 1998-06-16 | Murljacic; Maryann Lehmann | Tooth shade analyzer system and methods |
US5690486A (en) | 1995-07-28 | 1997-11-25 | Dentalase Corporation | Dental tooth color detector apparatus and method |
US5793839A (en) | 1995-08-03 | 1998-08-11 | Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. | Common channel signaling event detection and control |
US5880826A (en) | 1997-07-01 | 1999-03-09 | L J Laboratories, L.L.C. | Apparatus and method for measuring optical characteristics of teeth |
US5759030A (en) | 1996-01-02 | 1998-06-02 | Lj Laboratories, L.L.C. | Method for determing optical characteristics of teeth |
US5745229A (en) | 1996-01-02 | 1998-04-28 | Lj Laboratories, L.L.C. | Apparatus for determining optical characteristics of an object |
JP4301530B2 (en) | 1997-03-12 | 2009-07-22 | ソニー株式会社 | Information processing apparatus and method |
US6030209A (en) | 1997-10-15 | 2000-02-29 | Jeneric/Pentron Incorporated | Method for accurately preparing the color of a dental restoration |
US6008905A (en) | 1998-12-22 | 1999-12-28 | Deus Ex Machina Inc. | Method and apparatus for determining the appearance of an object |
-
1999
- 1999-10-04 EP EP99950091A patent/EP1042729B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1999-10-04 WO PCT/US1999/022858 patent/WO2000026847A1/en active Application Filing
- 1999-10-04 CA CA002316212A patent/CA2316212C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1999-10-04 EP EP09167591A patent/EP2133820A3/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1999-10-04 AT AT99950091T patent/ATE439646T1/en active
- 1999-10-04 JP JP2000580153A patent/JP2002529122A/en active Pending
- 1999-10-04 AU AU62819/99A patent/AU6281999A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1999-10-04 DE DE69941249T patent/DE69941249D1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2000
- 2000-02-03 US US09/497,464 patent/US6210159B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4654794A (en) * | 1984-02-18 | 1987-03-31 | Colorgen, Inc. | Methods for determining the proper coloring for a tooth replica |
US4836674A (en) * | 1985-12-13 | 1989-06-06 | Bertin & Cie | Method and apparatus for determining color, in particular of a dental prosthesis |
US5430811A (en) * | 1991-12-25 | 1995-07-04 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Method for interpolating missing pixels and an apparatus employing the method |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP1903502A2 (en) * | 2006-09-20 | 2008-03-26 | Olympus Corporation | Image analysis taking account of the position of a specular reflection in the image |
EP1903502A3 (en) * | 2006-09-20 | 2012-07-11 | Olympus Corporation | Image analysis taking account of the position of a specular reflection in the image |
US8285039B2 (en) | 2006-09-20 | 2012-10-09 | Olympus Corporation | Image processor |
US8386061B2 (en) | 2008-06-02 | 2013-02-26 | Dentsply International Inc. | Methods for designing a customized dental prosthesis using digital images of a patient |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CA2316212A1 (en) | 2000-05-11 |
EP1042729B1 (en) | 2009-08-12 |
WO2000026847A9 (en) | 2001-07-12 |
EP2133820A2 (en) | 2009-12-16 |
EP1042729A1 (en) | 2000-10-11 |
EP1042729A4 (en) | 2002-02-13 |
US6210159B1 (en) | 2001-04-03 |
EP2133820A3 (en) | 2010-02-10 |
AU6281999A (en) | 2000-05-22 |
JP2002529122A (en) | 2002-09-10 |
DE69941249D1 (en) | 2009-09-24 |
ATE439646T1 (en) | 2009-08-15 |
CA2316212C (en) | 2005-05-17 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
EP1042729B1 (en) | System and methods for analyzing tooth shades | |
US6206691B1 (en) | System and methods for analyzing tooth shades | |
CA2315716C (en) | Interactive dental restorative network | |
US6132210A (en) | Tooth shade analyzer system and methods | |
US8790118B2 (en) | Interactive dental restorative network | |
JP2005000652A (en) | Color image system for dentistry | |
US7118374B2 (en) | Enhanced tooth shade guide |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AK | Designated states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AE AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BY CA CH CN CU CZ DE DK EE ES FI GB GD GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IN IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MD MG MK MN MW MX NO NZ PL PT RO RU SD SE SG SI SK SL TJ TM TR TT UA UG US UZ VN YU ZA ZW |
|
AL | Designated countries for regional patents |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): GH GM KE LS MW SD SL SZ TZ UG ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GW ML MR NE SN TD TG |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 1999950091 Country of ref document: EP |
|
ENP | Entry into the national phase |
Ref document number: 2316212 Country of ref document: CA Ref country code: CA Ref document number: 2316212 Kind code of ref document: A Format of ref document f/p: F |
|
ENP | Entry into the national phase |
Ref country code: JP Ref document number: 2000 580153 Kind code of ref document: A Format of ref document f/p: F |
|
121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application | ||
WWP | Wipo information: published in national office |
Ref document number: 1999950091 Country of ref document: EP |
|
REG | Reference to national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: 8642 |
|
AK | Designated states |
Kind code of ref document: C2 Designated state(s): AE AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BY CA CH CN CU CZ DE DK EE ES FI GB GD GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IN IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MD MG MK MN MW MX NO NZ PL PT RO RU SD SE SG SI SK SL TJ TM TR TT UA UG US UZ VN YU ZA ZW |
|
AL | Designated countries for regional patents |
Kind code of ref document: C2 Designated state(s): GH GM KE LS MW SD SL SZ TZ UG ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GW ML MR NE SN TD TG |
|
COP | Corrected version of pamphlet |
Free format text: PAGES 2/7 AND 4/7-7/7, DRAWINGS, REPLACED BY NEW PAGES 2/7 AND 4/7-7/7; DUE TO LATE TRANSMITTAL BY THE RECEIVING OFFICE |