1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mouth photographing apparatus for observing a mouth and a mouthpiece used for the mouth photographing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a video scope using a CCD has been used for observing a mouth. On the other hand, it has been attempted to recognize correct colors by using a sensor such as a photodiode to measure the reflection intensity of illumination light.
For example the Jpn. Pat. KOKAI. Publication No. 11-47092 discloses an application of using an LED as a light source for such observation. A white LED is lit to measure the inside of the mouth of a patient after inserting a CCD into the mouth.
The Jpn. Pat. KOKAI. Publication No. 2001-212081 discloses a method of photographing the oral cavity of a patient, in which a camera unit is provided in a part of a mouth opener.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouthpiece used for a mouth photographing apparatus for photographing an oral cavity of a patient by shading external light, comprising:
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouthpiece according to the first aspect, wherein the fitting portion preferably has the characteristic to transmit substantially no light.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouthpiece according to the first aspect, further comprising preferably a shading cover which adjoins to the fitting portion and presses the lips of a patient, and serves as a guide when the shading unit of the mouth photographing apparatus is applied to the fitting portion, wherein the shading cover has the characteristic to transmit substantially no external light.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouthpiece according to the first aspect, wherein the biting portion is preferably provided in two pieces on the left and right sides to be bitten by the upper/lower and left/right back teeth of a patient, and the circumference from the left to right biting portions is approximately 50-90 mm.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouthpiece according to the first aspect, wherein the fitting portion is preferably made of styrene group elastomer resin with the rubber hardness of approximately 20-10.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouthpiece according to the third aspect, wherein the shading cover is preferably made of styrene group elastomer resin with the rubber hardness of approximately 10-40.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouthpiece according to the second aspect, wherein the color of at least the fitting portion is preferably black.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouth photographing apparatus for photographing the oral cavity of a patient by using the mouthpiece according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, preferably comprising:
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouth photographing apparatus according to the eighth aspect, wherein the lighting unit and photographing unit are preferably configured as one body and rotatably about a predetermined rotation axis.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouth photographing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, preferably further comprising:
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouth photographing apparatus according to the tenth aspect, wherein the operation unit is preferably composed of a jog wheel and a wire moved by the rotation of the jog wheel, and the turning mechanism turns the lighting unit and photographing unit configured as one body according to the movement of the wire.
Embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The image data on the color of the teeth of the patient 500 obtained by the camera unit 1 is applied to a personal computer (hereinafter called a PC) 3 through a cradle 2 and USB (universal serial bus) 2 interface 4, and analyzed there. An observer analyzes the color data of the photographed image, and measures the color of the teeth of the patient 500 for spatial color coordinates.
A cradle 2 includes an AC adapter 50, an A/D converter 51, a power supply circuit 52, a FPGA 53, a CPU 54, a SRAM 55, an USB 2, and an I/F 56. The LEDS 7a-7h and lighting optical unit 6 constitute a lighting unit, and the photographing optics 9 and CCD 5a constitute a photographing unit.
A color analysis software 60 is installed in the PC 3, and a color database 61 is built up.
In the above configuration, as shown in
At the same time, a current is supplied to the LED board 7 by the instruction from the control unit 5f and LED controller 5b, and the LEDS 7a-7h are lit. As only a preset LED is lit, the amount of light can be controlled by driving with small current for saving power. It is also possible to provide two or more LEDS in one LED package. As a result, the light from LEDS 7a-7h is completely diffused in the lighting optical unit 8 (a light-diffusing element) through the optical sheet 13, and applied evenly to the teeth 21 of the patient 500.
The observer applies the camera unit 1 to the mouthpiece fitting portion 20b of the mouthpiece 20 at the position of the object tooth, adjusts the focus by the focus ring 9b provided in the photographing optics 9 to permit photographing from a near distance while monitoring the LCD unit 10, determines the subject position, and presses the shutter 11. The control circuit 5f responds to the depression of the shutter 11, and instructs a measurement mode.
According to the instruction from the LED controller 5b, a current is supplied to the LED board 7, and the light of eight wavelengths from LED 7a-7h are repeatedly turned on and off at intervals of 1/30 seconds. The light applied to the teeth 21 of the patient 500 is reflected from the teeth 21, and taken into the photographing optics 9 to form an image in the CCD 5a. The electric signal converted photoelectrically by the CCD 5a is taken into the signal processing circuit 5c as an image data corresponding to the turning on/off of the light of eight wavelengths from LED 7a-7h, and stored in the memory 5e.
After the measurement is completed, the observer connects the contact 12 of the camera unit 1 to the contact of the cradle 2 (not shown). The image data taken in the camera unit 1 is sent to the cradle 2. The cradle 2 processes the received signal, and sends the image data to the PC 3 through the USB 2 (4). The PC 3 analyzes the color of the image data by using the color analysis software 60 and color database 61, and recognizes the color of the teeth 21 of the patient 500.
The camera unit 1 is supplied with electricity from the power supply system of the cradle 2 through the contact of the cradle 2 while the connection with the cradle 2 is held, and the electricity is stored in the internal battery 6.
It is desirable to fit the mouthpiece 20 along the alignment of the teeth 21 of the patient 500 when measuring the inside of mouth. Therefore, the mouthpiece is preferably made of material with the low rubber hardness (soft). Further, the mouthpiece 20 is desirably not deformed to apply the camera unit 1 stably to the patient. Therefore, the mouthpiece is preferrably made of material with the high rubber hardness (hard).
When the patient 500 bites the biting portion 20a of the mouthpiece to fix the mouthpiece 20, if the rubber hardness of the mouthpiece is low (soft), the mouthpiece 20 is largely deformed when being bitten, and becomes unstable. Contrarily, if the rubber hardness is high (hard), the mouthpiece is hard to bite.
The distance from the left to right biting portions 20a of the mouthpiece (the circumference 100 of the mouthpiece) is 50-90 mm in the mouthpiece 20 in order to cover the upper and lower gums. The patient 500 can stably bite the relatively flat teeth 4, 5, 6. Especially, the teeth 5 and 6 can be bitten most easily. The back teeth 6 and 7 can be stably bitten. But, if a foreign matter is inserted close to the throat, the patient suffers from nerves and feels sick. Thus, the tooth 7 is undesirable for holding the mouthpiece 20. The results of measuring 200 samples of the circumference from the left-side teeth 5, 6 to the right-side teeth 5, 6 of 16 to 60 years old people are 55-95 mm in a range of satisfying the statistics ±3σ (99%).
Examining the above facts, the mouthpiece 20 can be fit to most patient 500 by setting the circumference to 50-90 mm (with an error of ±5 mm). Actually, the biting of teeth 4, 5 and 6 can be fixed by preparing the mouthpiece 20 with the circumference 100 varied in three steps of 60, 75 and 90. Of course, the mouthpiece 20 becomes to be easier to bite by setting the circumference in more steps.
When the patient 500 fits the mouthpiece 20, fix the mouthpiece by biting the biting portion 20a by the relatively flat teeth 4, 5 and 6. The fitting portion 20b of the mouthpiece 20 covers the gums of the patient 500 to enable observation of only the tooth 21. Further, the mouthpiece 20 is made of relatively soft flexible material with the rubber hardness of 20-70, and the mouthpiece is easy to fit the alignment of the tooth 21, and the biting portion 20a is easy to bite. The mouthpiece 20 is black, and directly reflects an illumination light and does not cause a stray light in the photographing optics 9.
Further, the shading cover 20c made of elastomer group resin with the rubber hardness of 10-40 can be attached to the outside of the shading frame 15 provided at the front end of the camera unit 1. Low rubber hardness (soft) is suitable to fit the shading cover 20c to the shading frame 15 of the camera unit 1. Contrarily, high rubber hardness (hard) is suitable to make the shading cover hard to break to the shading frame 15 of the camera unit 1.
The observer applies the shading cover 20c to an observing tooth in the fitting portion 20b of the mouthpiece 20, to be opposite to the lighting optical unit 8, photographing optics 9 and CCD 5a of the camera unit 1. In this time, the patient 500 adjusts the fitness through the mouthpiece 20. The patient 500 simply holds the mouthpiece with the lips and needs not open the mouth widely.
The mouthpiece 25 is configured as one unit with the shading cover 25c (
The mouthpiece 25 is made of styrene group elastomer resin. The observer applies the mouthpiece 25 to an observing tooth in the fitting portion 25b of the mouthpiece 25, to be opposite to the lighting optical unit 8, photographing optics 9 and CCD 5a of the camera unit 1, and take a picture. When the mouthpiece 25 is fit to the shading frame 15, the mouthpiece 25 has the functions of protecting the gums of the patient and preventing patient's lips from being directly touch by the shading frame 15. Therefore, the photographing cost is lower than the configuration with two parts, the mouthpiece 20 and shading cover 25c, as shown in the second embodiment.
The lighting optical unit 8, photographing optics 9 and CCD 5a are connected on the holder plate 21f. The holder plate 21f is fixed to a housing 22 rotatably about a rotation axis 21d. An adjustment spring 21b is connected to one end of the holder plate 21f. The other end of the adjustment spring 21b is connected to the housing 22. On the opposite side of the adjustment spring 21b viewed from the rotation axis 21d, the rotation adjusting motor 21c is fixed onto the housing 22. The rotation adjusting motor 21c is electrically connected to the electric board 5, so that the rotation adjusting motor 21c can be rotated forward and backward by a forward/backward rotation switch 21e.
To turn the holder plate 21f in the “+” direction, the observer presses the “+” position of the rotation switch 21e. A predetermined signal is sent from the rotation switch 21e to the rotation adjusting motor 21c, and the axis of the motor 21c is delivered. As a result, the holder plate 21f is pressed and turned in the “+” direction about the rotation axis 21d. The lighting optical unit 8, photographing optics 9 and CCD 5a are also turned together (
The lighting optical unit 8, photographing optics 9 and CCD 5a are connected on the holder plate 21f. The holder plate 21f is fixed to a housing 22 rotatably about a rotation axis 21d. One end of a wire 23d is connected one end of the holder plate 21f. The other end of the wire 23b is connected to the opposite side of the holder plate 21f.
The wire 23b is arranged by using pulleys 23a not to interrupt the parts of the camera unit 1. The wire 23b extending from the camera unit 1 can move freely in a wire cover 23d. The wire cover 23d is connected to an external stick 24. The wire 23b is arranged by using pulleys 23a not to be interrupted by the parts even in the external stick 24, and held by a jog 23c (
In the above configuration, the wire 23b is moved by turning the jog 23c forward and backward. This movement pulls one of the holders of the holder plate 21f. As a result, the holder plate 21f is turned about the rotation axis 21d, and the observer can place the lighting optical unit 8, photographing optics 9 and CCD 5a opposite to the patient.
In this embodiment, the external stick 24 is provided outside of the camera unit 1, and the shutter 11 is provided in the external stick 24. Therefore, the observer can hold the camera unit 1 by one hand and operate the external stick 24 by the other hand. The observer can place the unit opposite to the patient and operate the shutter, thereby improving the operability. To improve the operability furthermore, the rotation switch 21e for driving the rotation adjusting motor 21c may be provided in the external stick 24, as explained in the second embodiment.
(Remarks)
According to the embodiments described hereinbefore, the invention having the following configurations can be extracted.
1. A mouthpiece used for a mouth photographing apparatus for photographing an oral cavity of a patient by shading external light, comprising:
(Effect)
According to the mouthpiece described in the configuration 1, the mouthpiece is held by the biting portion in the oral cavity, the mouth photographing apparatus is applied to the mouthpiece fit to a tooth to be photographed, and light with a specific wavelength is applied to take a picture. The oral cavity of a patient can be exactly observed. The photographing apparatus is not directly touched to the gums of the patient, and the patient's load can be decreased.
2. The mouthpiece according to configuration 1, wherein the fitting portion has the characteristic to transmit substantially no light.
(Effect)
The mouthpiece described in the configuration 2 does not transmit external light, and an unnecessary stray light is not applied to the teeth of a patient.
3. The mouthpiece according to configuration 1, further comprising a shading cover which adjoins to the fitting portion and presses the lips of a patient, and serves as a guide when the shading unit of the mouth photographing apparatus is applied to the fitting portion, wherein the shading cover has the characteristic to transmit substantially no external light.
(Effect)
The mouthpiece described in the configuration 3 fit with a shading cover of the mouth photographing apparatus does not transmit external light, and can have the function as a shading cover.
4. The mouthpiece according to configuration 1, wherein the biting portion is provided in two pieces on the left and right sides to be bitten by the upper/lower and left/right back teeth of a patient, and the circumference from the left to right biting portions is approximately 50-90 mm.
(Effect)
The mouthpiece described in the configuration 4 permits biting with the teeth 4-6 ergonomically suitable for biting by setting the circumference from the left to right biting teeth to 50-90 mm. This permits to build up a system with a good holding stability.
5. The mouthpiece according to configuration 1, wherein the fitting portion is made of styrene group elastomer resin with the rubber hardness of approximately 20-70.
(Effect)
The mouthpiece described in the configuration 5 can have stability and fitting easiness by being made of styrene group elastomer resin with the rubber hardness of 20-70.
6. The mouthpiece according to configuration 3, wherein the shading cover is made of styrene group elastomer resin with the rubber hardness of approximately 10-40.
(Effect)
The mouthpiece described in the configuration 6 can have durability and fitting easiness by being made of styrene group elastomer resin with the rubber hardness of 10-40.
7. The mouthpiece according to configuration 2, wherein the color of at least the fitting portion is black.
(Effect)
The mouthpiece described in the configuration 7 prevents the causes of error in measurement, such as, reflection of illumination light during photographing and a stray light reaching the CCD through the photographing optics, by being made of black material.
8. A mouth photographing apparatus for photographing the oral cavity of a patient by using the mouthpiece according to any one of configurations 1-7, comprising:
(Effect)
The mouth photographing apparatus described in the configuration 8 permits exact observation of the oral cavity of a patient, by applying a shading unit to the fitting portion of the mouthpiece.
9. The mouth photographing apparatus according to configuration 8, wherein the lighting unit and photographing unit are configured as one body and rotatably about a predetermined rotation axis.
(Effect)
The mouth photographing apparatus described in the configuration 9 places the lighting optical unit, photographing optics and CCD required for observation of the inside of the photographing apparatus opposite to the teeth of a patient by the rotation adjusting unit, and can provide an exact reflected light from the teeth.
10. The mouth photographing apparatus according to configuration 9, further comprising:
(Effect)
The photographing apparatus described in the configuration 10 can be adjusted to a desired inclination by inclining the lighting unit and photographing unit by a turning mechanism.
11. The mouth photographing apparatus according to configuration 10, wherein the operation unit is composed of a jog wheel and a wire moved by the rotation of the jog wheel, and the turning mechanism turns the lighting unit and photographing unit configured as one body according to the movement of the wire.
(Effect)
The photographing apparatus described in the configuration 11 can have an operation mechanism with a simple configuration, by being composed of a jog wheel and a wire.
A mouthpiece and a photographing apparatus, which can exactly observe the oral cavity of a patient and reduce the load of a patient, can be provided. A mouthpiece and a photographing apparatus with the improved operability can be provided.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2003-103075 | Apr 2003 | JP | national |
This is a Continuation Application of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2004/004965, filed Apr. 6, 2004, which was published under PCT Article 21(2) in Japanese. This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-103075, filed Apr. 7, 2003, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP04/04965 | Apr 2004 | US |
Child | 11248496 | Oct 2005 | US |