Dental radiography using an intra-oral linear array sensor
US5995583A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 13, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 30, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 13, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61C9/0073
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and apparatus for producing a X-ray image of a patient's teeth by placing an intra-oral sensor having a plurality of pixels disposed in a linear array inside the patient's mouth, and moving a radiation source around outside of the patient's mouth. The intra-oral sensor detects the radiation that has passed through the patient's teeth and generates corresponding output signals that depend on the amount of radiation arriving at each pixel. The information contained in the output signals is stored and can be used to create an X-ray image of the patient's teeth. The intra-oral sensor can be moved about inside the patient's mouth in coordination with the movement of the radiation source in order to improve the resulting image quality. This method and apparatus can be used to obtain an X-ray image of any number of teeth, including a panoramic image of all of the patient's teeth, in a single, quick, uninterrupted operation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.