Claims
- 1. A device for acquiring an image of a tooth comprising:sensor means for sensing an image of the tooth, said sensor means having a line of sensing; a filter that transmits separated tristimulus bandwidths to said sensor means; and display means for displaying the image, said display means including a line of viewing, said line of viewing substantially the same as said line of sensing, whereby the user views the tooth from a perspective that is the same as the perspective that said sensor means senses the tooth image, said display means substantially aligned behind said sensor means.
- 2. The device for acquiring an image of a tooth of claim 1 comprising a shield releasably secured to said device, said shield for placement against or adjacent the measured tooth to prevent contamination of the device.
- 3. The device for acquiring an image of a tooth of claim 2 further comprising memory means for storing the image of the tooth, said memory means contained within the device.
- 4. A handheld device for measuring the color of a dental object comprising:means for imaging the dental object from a first perspective; means for displaying an image of the dental object so that a viewer perceives the image from a second perspective, said first perspective and said second perspective are aligned in parallel along a common axis, the display means substantially perpendicular to said common axis, and a disposable sanitary shield disposed adjacent said imaging means to establish a pre-selected distance between the imaging means and the dental object.
- 5. A system for measuring a dental object comprising:a sensor that collects an image of an object along a line of sensing; means for displaying the image so that a user views the image along a line of viewing, the line of sensing and line of viewing being substantially the same, said sensor and said display means incorporated into a portable, handheld unit; and a sanitary shield releasably attached to said handheld unit.
- 6. The system of claim 5 wherein said sanitary shield is of a length to separate the object from the sensor a pre-selected distance.
- 7. The system of claim 6 further comprising means for transmitting tristimulus value bandwidths of the image to said sensor.
- 8. The system of claim 7 wherein said display means is a LCD.
Parent Case Info
This is a division of application Ser. No. 09/733,162, filed Dec. 8, 2000 (now U.S. Patent 2003/0189706 which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/169,638, filed Dec. 8, 1999.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/169,638, filed Dec. 8, 1999 and entitled DENTAL VISION SYSTEM.
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