Title:
SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR ANALYZING TOOTH SHADES
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO2000026847
Kind Code:
A9
Abstract:
A digital camera (12) connects to a tooth shade analyzer subsystem, e.g., a digital video processor (14), and a color display monitor for the electronic determination of the color of patient's teeth. Preliminarily, the camera captures (26) a series of digital color images of tooth shades corresponding to reference shade guides (34), and electronically compares the reference shades to an image of the patient's tooth. In a preferred embodiment 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 (52). In a specific embodiment 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.
Inventors:
LEHMANN MARYANN (US)
YOUNGS PERRY (GB)
VOCK CURTIS A (US)
YOUNGS PERRY (GB)
VOCK CURTIS A (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US1999/022858
Publication Date:
July 12, 2001
Filing Date:
October 04, 1999
Export Citation:
Assignee:
SHADE ANALYZING TECHNOLOGIES INC (US)
LEHMANN MARYANN (US)
YOUNGS PERRY (GB)
VOCK CURTIS A (US)
LEHMANN MARYANN (US)
YOUNGS PERRY (GB)
VOCK CURTIS A (US)
International Classes:
A61C19/04; A61C19/00; A61C19/10; G01J3/46; G01N21/25; G06F19/00; G06T1/00; G06T7/00; G06T7/40; G06V10/56; G06V10/772; (IPC1-7): G06K9/00; A61C19/10
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