Dentistry – Apparatus – Having means to emit radiation or facilitate viewing of the...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-05
2001-08-21
Lucchesi, Nicholas D. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Apparatus
Having means to emit radiation or facilitate viewing of the...
C433S031000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276934
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to dental equipment, and specifically to intraoral cameras.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The dental mirror is a standard part of the dentist's tool kit, providing both direct and indirect views of the patient's mouth during examination and treatment, and aiding in retraction of the muscles of the tongue and inner oral cavity. The dental mirror is an obligatory implement in operative procedures, typically held by the dentist in his or her left hand, while holding another tool in the right.
Recently, intraoral video cameras have been developed, primarily to aid in patient instruction and education. Such cameras enable the dentist to view an enlarged video image of the patient's teeth, as well as to record the image and allow the patient to view the image, if desired. Furthermore, it is possible to save images before and after treatment on a computer, or print them on a video printer. Intraoral cameras known in the art include both stand-alone types and miniature cameras for attachment to a piece of dental equipment, such as a mirror or drill.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,626, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a dental inspection and display device including a fiber optic light guide and micro-camera for attachment to a dental inspection mirror. The device couples to the handle of the mirror and captures the image reflected off of the mirror. The camera and light guide are unwieldy and tend to block the dentist's view.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,502, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes an intraoral camera having the general shape of a dental mirror. A camera head located at the distal end of the handle, inside the mouth, captures a direct image of the teeth, instead of the dentist's mirror. The camera head may also be attached to a piece of dental equipment, such as a dental drill, and has facilities for defogging and lighting.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,416, which is incorporated herein by reference, also describes a stand-alone electronic video dental camera, shaped similar to a dental mirror, with lighting and defogging facilities. In one embodiment, a mirror is attached to one side of the camera head, inside the mouth. This arrangement is cumbersome, however, and the image captured by the camera will generally not coincide with that seen by the dentist in the mirror.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of some aspects of the present invention to provide an improved, integral intraoral camera and dental mirror.
It is a further object of some aspects of the present invention to provide improved apparatus for dental intraoral viewing, which allows substantially similar images to be viewed simultaneously in a dental mirror and on a video monitor.
It is still a further object of some aspects of the present invention to provide intraoral camera apparatus that can be easily sterilized between uses.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, an intraoral viewing device comprises a dental mirror having a generally central optical aperture and a video camera head, which captures an intraoral image along a beam axis passing through the central optical aperture. Preferably, the beam axis is generally perpendicular to the surface of the mirror, or is slightly angled with respect thereto, so that the image captured by the camera head is substantially overlapping and, most preferably, generally congruent with a direct image seen in the mirror by a dentist using the apparatus.
In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the video image is captured by an objective lens positioned in an aperture in the mirror. The aperture is preferably in a generally central portion of the mirror, but may alternatively be in another, non-central area or even along a periphery of the mirror. The lens may be positioned in the plane of the mirror, or in front of or behind the plane, depending on optical requirements of the system. Light received through the objective lens is reflected off a turning mirror and conveyed by one or more relay lenses to the camera head, which preferably comprises a CCD detector. Alternatively, a fiber optic image guide may be used to convey the image to the camera head.
Preferably, the camera head is contained in a handle, which is grasped by the dentist, and which is connected to the mirror by a relatively narrow shank, which contains the relay lenses or image guide. The camera head generates video signals, which are transmitted via a cable or wireless link to a video processor and a monitor and/or recording device, as are known in the art.
In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the handle comprises a light source for intraoral illumination. The light source may be of any suitable type known in the art, such as a miniature tungsten halogen bulb or white light-emitting diode (LED). The light is preferably guided from the light source to the area of the mirror, so as to illuminate the field of view that is seen using the mirror, by a fiber optic light guide in the shank. In a preferred embodiment, the light is conveyed to the area of the mirror by a light guide of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,421, which is incorporated herein by reference, wherein the shank connecting the mirror to the handle includes a light guide for conveying the illumination from the light source to the periphery of the mirror.
In a preferred embodiment, the device also includes facilities for lens defogging and cleaning, as are known in the art.
In a further preferred embodiment, the angle of the mirror, and optionally of the objective lens, is adjustable to facilitate a better viewing angle.
The present invention thus provides the dentist with the convenience of handling one instrument, which is in use at all times in operative procedures, rather than juggling between a mirror and a camera. The video image provided by the camera head may be viewed by the dentist during the dental treatment, providing up to 50×magnification relative to the image seen in the mirror. The video image thus aids the dentist in precise, detailed observation, as well as facilitating instruction and education of the patient. At the same time, the dentist may use the device to perform the functions for which conventional dental mirrors are used, including organ retraction in the oral cavity and direct and indirect viewing of the patient's mouth.
There is therefore provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an intraoral viewing device, including:
a handle;
a mirror, fixed to a distal end of the handle, for insertion into the mouth of a patient, such that a first image of the inside of the mouth is viewed by reflection from a surface of the mirror; and
an image sensor, contained in the handle and optically coupled to receive a second image of the inside of the mouth along a beam axis passing through a plane defined by the surface of the mirror, so as to generate an electronic image responsive to the second image.
In a preferred embodiment, the handle is detachable from the mirror, and the image sensor is withdrawn from the handle for sterilization of the handle. In a further preferred embodiment, the image sensor is rotatable within the handle so as to rotate the electronic image generated thereby.
Preferably, the device includes a shank, intermediate the mirror and the image sensor, wherein the beam axis passes through the shank from the mirror to the image sensor.
Preferably, the device includes relay optics which direct the beam axis through the shank, most preferably including one or more lenses, and/or one or more prisms.
Preferably, the relay optics include a turning optic, which is most preferably positioned behind the plane defined by the surface of the mirror that forms the first image of the inside of the mouth. Most preferably, the turning optic turns the beam axis by an acute angle.
Preferably, the beam axis of the image sensor passes through an aperture in the mirror, most preferably generally at the center of the mirror, that fo
Lucchesi Nicholas D.
Miratech Dental Imaging, Ltd.
Weingarten, Schurgin Gagnebin & Hayes LLP
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